The Restoration of the GospelWidtsoe, Osborne J. P.
Religion
The Restoration of the Gospel
Widtsoe, Osborne J. P.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
"He and I had many serious conversations on the important subject of
man's eternal salvation. We got into the habit of praying much at our
meetings, and Newel had said that he would try and take up his cross,
and pray vocally during meeting; but when we again met together, he
rather excused himself. I tried to prevail upon him. * * * He replied
that * * * he would wait until he could get into the woods by himself,
and there he would pray. Accordingly, he deferred praying until next
morning, when he retired into the woods; where, according to his
own account afterwards, he made several attempts to pray, but could
scarcely do so, feeling that he had not done his duty, in refusing
to pray in the presence of others. He began to feel uneasy, and
continued to feel worse both in mind and body, until, upon reaching
his own house, his appearance was such as to alarm his wife very much.
He requested her to go and bring me to him. I went, and found him
suffering very much in his mind, and his body acted upon in a very
strange manner; his visage and limbs distorted and twisted in every
shape and appearance possible to imagine; and finally he was caught up
off the floor of the apartment, and tossed about most fearfully.
"His situation was soon made known to his neighbors and relatives,
and in a short time as many as eight or nine grown persons had got
together to witness the scene. After he had thus suffered for a time, I
succeeded in getting hold of him by the hand, when almost immediately
he spoke to me, and with great earnestness requested me to cast the
devil out of him, saying that he knew he was in him, and that he also
knew I could cast him out.
"I replied, 'If you know that I can, it shall be done;' and then almost
unconsciously I rebuked the devil, and commanded him in the name of
Jesus Christ to depart from him; when immediately Newel spoke out and
said that he saw the devil leave him and vanish from his sight. This
was the first miracle which was done in the Church, or by any member
of it, and it was done not by man, nor by the power of man, but it was
done by God, and by the power of godliness; therefore, let the honor
and the praise, the dominion and the glory, be ascribed to the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen."[A]
[Footnote A: "History of the Church," Vol. I, pp. 82, 83.]
Concerning the truth of this ungarnished account there can be no doubt.
It has appeared in print for many years, and has never been called in
question. Moreover, the miracle was witnessed by several adult persons,
and was strongly attested by Newel Knight himself. Without question,
then, with the very beginning of the Church, the gifts of healing, so
common with Jesus and His disciples, were restored to those holding the
Holy Priesthood.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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