.
. .
At
the age of 14 years if I recollect correctly I was called to go on a mission
with Brother Henry Jacobs to the east. One day while walking by the bank of a
river we saw some men pull a women out of the water, she was apparently dead.
Bro. Jacobs placed his hands upon her and commanded her in the name of Jesus
Christ to return to life. She immediately sprang to her feet and on learning
who we were and of our doctrines she requested baptism at our hands. Brother
Jacobs baptized this women there and then and she was confirmed just as soon as
she came out of the water. In the confirmation of this sister as soon as
Brother Jacobs said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost" she started to speak
in tongues. Brother Jacobs had the interpretation thereof which was a blessing
upon us and upon the labors of our mission. When she stopped speaking in
tongues she said, "This child," pointing to me, "will be a
medium of opening the doors to you in the city of Buffalo, and when you get to
the city of New York you shall be instrumental in working a mighty miracle in
confirmation of the divinity of the work in which you are engaged as Elders of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints."
When
we arrived in buffalo we met two Sectarian preachers. Brother Jacobs turned to
them and said, "We are two Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ." One of them said,
"We have just put two of your Elders out of the city." He referred to
elders Sylvester B. Stoddard and David Pettegrew. Brother Jacobs said
"That makes no difference to us. Will you open your doors to us to preach
the Gospel, to myself and partner?" "Where is your partner?"
interrogated the preacher. "Here he is" said Brother Jacobs, putting
his hand on my shoulder." The preacher said, "You don't mean to say
that that boy can preach," and Brother Jacobs replied, "Yes he can if
you but open your doors to him."
Finally
an agreement was entered into between us by which we were to go and hear them
preach in the forenoon and they would come and hear "the boy" preach
in the afternoon. We went to their house of worship in the forenoon. The old
preacher got up, he stammered and stuttered, but could not make a sensible
talk, and failing in their purpose to preach to us they dismissed the meeting
and pointing to me they said, addressing the congregation, "This little
boy will preach the gospel to you in the afternoon" and invited all to
come and hear me.
In
the afternoon we again met in the same building. An old man was carried into
the meeting. He had not walked for 8 years the meeting was opened and I
commenced addressing the congregation, taking for my text the Savior's
commission to his Apostles, "Go ye into all the world and preach the
gospel, etc." I preached on this text for 1 hour and a quarter. Words came
to me just as fast as I could give utterance to them. Joseph had told me not to
think of what a I would say and I should have words given me to confound the
wise and none should gain say or resist me.
The
old man who was carried into the meeting stood up and said, "Young man, I
you have the power of this Priesthood as you have preached, I want you to heal
me." I looked at him and said, "What is the matter with you?" He
said, "I have been 8 years that I have not been able to put my foot to the
floor, if you have power I want you to heal me." I looked at him, and I
said, "Stretch forth your right foot, sir;" he did so and I said
again, "Stretch forth your left." He obeyed. Then I said, "Be ye
made whole every whit. He jumped up and said, "I am a well man." The
old preacher then came forward and said, "If you will preach this evening
we will make an appointment to come and hear you." We said we would.
In
the evening we met again and Brother Jacobs spoke from the text, "Repent
and be baptized every one of you," etc. When Bro. Jacobs got through
preaching all who wanted baptism were requested to stand up. Among those who
responded by arising was the preacher, who had recently mobbed the brethren out
of town. He asked for baptism there 17 others who arose and wanted to be
baptized the next morning. Accordingly next morning we baptized 17, including
the preacher, who was ordained an Elder and set apart to preside over a branch
of the church which we there and then organized.
We
were two years on that mission. We preached the gospel during these two years,
all the way from Kirtland and around to the city of Buffalo and around to New
York, if I am not mistaken. Brother Henry Jacobs was my companion all the time
and when we returned to Kirtland the Temple was completed to the top of the
first floor or there abouts.
"Testimony Taken in the
presence of Andrew Jenson, Hiram B. Clawson, Martin S. Lindsay, Stokey Anderson
and M. Minerva Jenson, Historian's Office September 10, 1908," Mormon
Biography File, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah. Some changes in
grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been modernized, in Remembering Joseph:
Personal Recollections of Those Who Knew the Prophet Joseph Smith (Mark
McConkie, 2013), 844-46