Friday [August] 19th I rose early, talked much with those people: Saw Love, Peace, Harmony and Humility abounding among them. A rare circumstance occured while attending family prayer which convinced me that the Elders had the powers of deserning spirits it affects me so that my weakness was manifest I took Hiram the brother of Joseph and we went into the woods and set down and talked together about 4 hours. I inquired into the particulars of the coming forth of the record, of the rise of the church and of the progress and upon the testimonies given to them &c. . . . Saturday the 20th I rose early and betook myself to earnest prayer to God to direct me into truth, and from all the light that I could gain by examination, searches and researches. I was bound as an honest man to acknowledge the truth and validity of the book of Mormon and also that I had found the people of the Lord. . . . September 1st We attended our appointment the people collected in the court-hourse. I arose and addressed them about two hours. Bro. H[iram] then bore testimony to the truths which had been delivered and <gave> in his testimony respecting the truth of the book.