BAPTIZE ALL MY FATHER'S FAMILY. The Lord heard my prayer and answered my petition, and when the hour of meeting had come I arose from my bed, and could sing and shout for joy to think I had been delivered from the power of the evil one. Filled with the power of God, I stood up in the midst of the congregation and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ unto the people in great plainness. At the close of the meeting we assembled on the banks of the ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. CHAPTER XVI. TAKING LEAVE OF MY OLD HOME—RETURN TO MAINE—BIRTH OF MY FIRST CHILD—APPOINTMENT TO THE APOSTLE- SHIP AND TO A FOREIGN MISSION—PREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY TO ZION. NOW, as my mission to my native land was accomplished, which I felt impressed to take while upon the islands, I felt it my duty to return here. Monday, July 2nd, 1838, was the last day and night I spent at my father's home while upon ...

RECEIVE NEWS FROM FAR WEST. I arrived in Scarboro on the 6th, and on the 14th my first child—a daughter—was born, at Father Carter's house. We named her Sarah Emma. On the 30th of July, I left my wife and child at Father Carter’s and started once more to visit Fox Islands. While holding meeting with the Saints at North Vinal Haven on the 9th of August, I received a ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. ever, in company with Nathanial Thomas, who had sold his property and had money, I went to the mainland and pur- chased ten new wagons, ten sets of harness and twenty horses. When I got everything prepared for the company to start, I left the affairs with Brother Thomas, and went on ahead of the company to Scarboro, to prepare my own family for the journey. The outfit which I purchased for the company cost about $2,000.00. Before leaving ...

BAD ROADS AND COLD WEATHER. three months in traveling in wagons, through rain, mud, snow and frost. It was such a trial as I never before had attempted during my experience as a minister of the gospel. On our arrival at Georgetown we were joined by Elder Mil- ton Holmes. We traveled each day as far as we could go, and camped wherever night overtook us. On the 13th of October, while crossing the Green Moun- tains, I was attacked with something resembling the ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. her spirit revived, and I drove a short distance to a tavern, and got her into a room and worked over her and her babe all night, and prayed to the Lord to preserve her life. In the morning the circumstances were such that I was under the necessity of removing my wife from the inn, as there was so much noise and confusion at the place that she could not endure it. I carried her out to her bed in the wagon ...

MY WIFE'S SPIRIT RETURNS TO HER BODY. same to depart from her, and the spirit of life to enter her body. Her spirit returned to her body, and from that hour she was made whole; and we all felt to praise the name of God, and to trust in Him and to keep His commandments. While this operation was going on with me (as my wife re- lated afterwards) her spirit left her body, and she saw it lying upon the bed, and the sisters weeping. She looked ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. affairs, and took possession of his property. His relatives obtained nothing from his effects except a few trifling mementos. I left this place and crossed into Illinois on the 13th of De- cember, and arrived at Rochester on the 19th, and, getting information of the severe persecutions of the Saints in Mis- souri and the unsettled state of the Church at that time, we concluded to stop at Rochester and spend the winter. Thus ended my ...

DETERMINED TO FULFILL THE LORD'S COMMAND. It will be observed that this differs from nearly all other revelations in this respect: a fixed day and a stated place were given for the commencement of the mission. When the reve- lation was given, all was peace and quietude in Far West, Missouri, the city where most of the Latter-day Saints dwelt; but before the time came for its fulfillment, the Saints of God had been driven out of the State of Missouri into the State of

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. issued a proclamation, in which all the Latter-day Saints were required to leave that State or be exterminated. Far West had been captured by the militia, who were really only an organized mob; the citizens had been compelled to give up their arms; all the leading men who could be got hold of had been taken prisoners; the rest of the Saints—men women and children—had to flee as best they could out of the State to save their lives, leaving all their ...

ORDAINED TO THE APOSTLESHIP. fulfilled this day should not be, and notwithstanding that ten thousand of the Saints had been driven out of the State by the edict of the governor, and though the Prophet Joseph and his brother, Hyrum Smith, with other leading men were in the hands of our enemies, in chains and in prison, we moved on to the temple grounds in the city of Far West, and held a council, and fulfilled the revelation ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. and Missouri, and returned to Illinois. We had accomplished the mission without a dog moving his tongue at us, or any man saying, "Why do you do so?" We crossed the Mississippi river on the steam ferry, entered Quincy on the 2nd of May, and all had the joy of reaching our families once more in peace and safety. There was an incident connected with our journey that is worthy of record. While we were on ...

SURVIVORS OF HAUN'S MILL MASSACRE. Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us, and we had a glorious day. On May 6th, I met with the Seventies, and we ordained sixty men into the quorums of Elders and Seventies. Brother Joseph met with the Twelve, Bishops and Elders, at Bishop Partridge's house; and there were a number with us who were wounded at Haun's Mill. Among them was Isaac Laney, who had been, in company with about twenty others ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. CHAPTER XIX. A DAY OF GOD'S POWER WITH THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH —A GREAT NUMBER OF SICK PERSONS HEALED—THE MOB BECOMES ALARMED—THEY TRY TO INTERFERE WITH THE HEALING OF THE SICK—THE MOB SENT OUT OF THE HOUSE—TWIN CHILDREN HEALED. WHILE I was living in this cabin in the old barracks, we experienced a day of God's power with the Prophet Joseph. It was a very sickly time and Joseph had given up his home in Commerce to the sick, and had a ...

HEALING THE SICK. passing by my door, Brother Joseph said: "Brother Wood- ruff, follow me.” These were the only words spoken by any of the company from the time they left Brother Brigham's house till we crossed the public square, and entered Brother Ford- ham's house. Brother Fordham had been dying for an hour, and we expected each minute would be his last. I felt the power of God that was overwhelming His Prophet. When we entered the house, Brother Joseph walked up to ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. and milk, and ate it; then put on his hat and followed us into the street, to visit others who were sick. The unbeliever may ask: “Was there not deception in this?” If there is any deception in the mind of the unbeliever, there was certainly none with Elijah Fordham, the dying man, nor with those who were present with him, for in a few min- utes more he would have been in the spirit world, had he not been rescued. Through the ...

SENT TO HEAL TWIN CHILDREN. This case of Brother Noble's was the last one of healing upon that day. It was the greatest day for the manifestation of the power of God through the gift of healing since the organization of the Church. When we left Brother Noble, the Prophet Joseph went, with those who accompanied him from the other side, to the banks of the river, to return home. While waiting for the ferry-boat, a man of the world ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. CHAPTER XX. PREPARING FOR OUR JOURNEY AND MISSION—THE BLES- SING OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH UPON OUR HEADS, AND HIS PROMISES UNTO US—THE POWER OF THE DEVIL MANIFESTED TO HINDER US IN THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR JOURNEY. ON the first of July, 1839, Joseph Smith and his counsel- ors, Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith, crossed the river to Montrose, to spend the day with the Twelve, and set them apart ...

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TWELVE. the Twelve be humble and not be exalted, and beware of pride and not seek to excel one another, but act for each other's good, and honorably make mention of each other's names in prayer before the Lord and before your fellow-men. Do not backbite or devour a brother. The Elders of Israel should seek to learn by precept and example in this late age of the world and not be obliged to learn everything we know by sad experience. I trust the remainder of ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. "We may ever know by this sign that there is danger of our being led to a fall and apostasy when we give way to the devil, so as to neglect the first known duty; but whatever you do, do not betray your friend." The foregoing are some of the instructions given to the Twelve by the Prophet Joseph, before they started upon their missions. Inasmuch as the devil had been in a measure thwarted by the Twelve ...