Early Scenes in Church History: Eighth Book of the Faith-Promoting SeriesVarious
Religion
Early Scenes in Church History: Eighth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series
Various
Latter Day Saint churches -- History
The five Elders who had been doing the preaching and baptizing, and who
were dependent upon their labor in the iron works for their living,
were informed by their employers that they must renounce the "heresy"
which they taught as religion, or lose their positions. They chose the
latter.
About two hundred of their converts were also employed in the iron
works. They were given one month's time to renounce their religion
or likewise lose their situations. All efforts to obtain employment
elsewhere without a recommendation from their last employers proved
unavailing, on account of the rumors against their characters, and
finally, when they were brought to the test, about half of them chose
to renounce their religion rather than lose their work. The others were
discharged and scattered to different parts in search of employment.
Many of them suffered severely for want of the necessaries of life,
and were only kept from starving by the collections taken up for their
benefit among the more fortunate Saints in other parts of the mission.
Among others who yielded to the pressure which the enemies of the
Saints brought to bear against them, was the sister who had been healed
on being baptized. Notwithstanding her former zeal and resolution, and
the miraculous power of God which she had experienced, she abandoned
the faith. She perhaps thought she had no further need of God's mercy,
but if so, the sequel proved how sadly she was mistaken, for she was
soon prostrated as before and lingered in that condition until she died.
In the summer of 1849 the cholera prevailed throughout Wales to an
alarming extent. The mortality was so great in some places that a
perfect panic ensued. The Elders, however, continued their labors,
undaunted by the disease, administering to the sick day and night,
and the faith of the Saints was so great that they almost invariably
recovered. A local Elder by the name of Thomas Jones, who was a man
of some property, and not obliged to work for his living, spent his
whole time while the disease prevailed in visiting among the sick. He
carried a bottle of consecrated oil about in his pocket to anoint them
with, and administered to all whom he found afflicted, and out of the
whole number only one died, and he was the only one who had taken the
medicine prescribed by a doctor. The town regulations required the sick
to have a doctor, but as a rule his medicine was thrown into the fire
instead of being taken by the patients who belonged to the Church.
One of the preachers who had violently opposed the Saints became
alarmed at the spread of the epidemic and attempted to flee and escape
from it, but it overtook him and after three days of terrible agony he
died.
Another preacher by the name of Jenkins, who had been an enemy to the
Saints, was stricken with the cholera and sent for Elder Evans to
administer to him. That he should do so will be considered all the more
remarkable when the history of their early acquaintance is known:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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