Part 15 (2/2)
”Before I left England there were about thirty of that family and connections baptized, five of whom, Hugh, John, Francis, William and Thomas Moon, were ordained to be fellow laborers with us in the vineyard, and I left them rejoicing in the truths they had embraced.
”In all my labors I was greatly a.s.sisted by the Spirit of the Lord, and my soul was comforted exceedingly; for the sick were healed, the lame walked, and in several cases where persons had lain upon their beds in a consumptive state for many years and were not able to sit up, they would be taken in a carriage, perhaps a mile, to the water, where I baptized, laid my hands upon them and confirmed them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost, and rebuked their disease in the name of Jesus Christ, and said unto them 'be thou made whole,' and they would leap and shout glory to G.o.d, and begin to mend from that hour. This was a common occurrence on our first mission to England.
Many scores of persons were healed by our sending a handkerchief to them.
”I was instrumental in building up churches in the following places, viz.; Eccleston, Wrightington, Askin, Dauber's Lane, Exton, Chorley, Whittle, Hunter's Hill, and Leyland Moss, after laboring about four weeks, and baptizing in the neighborhood of two hundred persons, which caused me to rejoice that I had not labored in vain. More loving and affectionate Saints I never saw before; they were patterns of humility. All the above villages are within a short distance of each other, and near to Preston.
”After my return from those places I took a tour to the northeast of Preston, in company with Brother Joseph Fielding, where we labored a short time with considerable success, and raised up churches in Ribchester, Thornley, Stoney Gate Lane, and at c.l.i.thero, a market town containing several thousand inhabitants. At c.l.i.thero I baptized a preacher named Thomas Smith and six members of the Methodist Church, immediately after I had preached the first time.
”One night while at the village of Ribchester I dreamed that in company with another person I was walking, and we saw a very extensive field of wheat; more so than the eye could reach; such a sight I had never witnessed. The wheat appeared perfectly ripe and ready for harvest. I was very much rejoiced at the glorious sight which presented itself; but judge of my surprise, when on taking some of the ears and rubbing them in my hands, I found nothing but s.m.u.t; not any sound grain could I find. I marveled exceedingly and felt very sorrowful, and exclaimed 'what will the people do for grain! Here is a great appearance of plenty, but there is no sound wheat.'
”While contemplating the scenery, I looked in another direction, and saw a small field in the form of the letter L, which had the appearance of something growing in it. I immediately directed my steps to it, and found that it had been sown with wheat, some of which had grown up six inches high, other parts of the field not quite so high, and some had just sprouted. This gave me some encouragement to expect that at the harvest there would be some good grain. While thus engaged, a large bull, looking very fierce and angry, leaped over the fence, ran through the field, and stamped down a large quant.i.ty of that which had just sprouted, and after doing considerable injury he leaped over the fence and ran away. I felt very much grieved that so much wheat should be destroyed when there was such a prospect of scarcity.
”When I awoke next morning the interpretation was given me. The large field with the great appearance of grain, so beautiful to look upon, represented the nation in which I then resided; which had a very pleasing appearance and a good show of religion; which made great pretensions to piety and goodness, and consequently of the gifts of the Spirit. The small field I saw, clearly represented the region of country where I was laboring, and where the word of truth had taken root, which was in the shape of the letter L, and it was growing in the hearts of those who had the gospel, some places having grown a little more than others. The village I was in was that part of the field where the bull did so much injury; for during my short visit there, most of the inhabitants were believing, but as soon as I departed, a clergyman belonging to the Church of England came out and violently attacked the truth, made a considerable noise, crying, ”False Prophet! Delusion!” and after trampling on truth and doing all the mischief he could before I returned, he took shelter in his pulpit.
”However he did not destroy all the seed, for after my return I was instrumental in building up a branch in Ribchester. A mob of Catholics had combined, that when I went to baptize any persons they would pelt me with stones. I made arrangements with each of the candidates to go singly to the place of baptism, and about the time the last one got there I started quickly, got to the place and baptized them all. As I was baptizing the last one the mob came up and were disappointed in their vengeance, for I came out of the water, and they did not know how many I had baptized.”
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE VOICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD--HEBER CONVERTS WHOLE VILLAGES--THE SPIRIT OF THE MASTER UPON HIS SERVANT--THE CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE IN PRESTON.
”My sheep know my voice, and a stranger they will not follow.” So said the Shepherd of Israel.
The test is true in all time. How many in these latter days bear witness, that, until Mormonism came, they had no religion, and desired none, but were instantly converted on first hearing it proclaimed.
Again, how many wandered in quest of it, from church to church, from creed to creed, scarce knowing what they sought, yet conscious of ”an aching void” which nothing else could fill, and only happy when at last it was supplied.
”My sheep know my voice, and a stranger they will not follow.”
A remarkable instance of this truth now occurred in Heber's ministry.
Says he:
”Having mentioned my intention of going to Downham and Chatburn, to several of the brethren, they endeavoured to dissuade me from going, informing me there could be no prospect of success whatever, as several ministers of different denominations had endeavored in vain to raise churches in these places, and had frequently preached to them, but to no effect, as they had resisted all the efforts and withstood the attempts of all sects and parties for the last thirty years, who, seeing all their attempts fail, had given them up to hardness of heart. I was also informed they were very wicked places. However this did not discourage me, believing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ could reach the heart, when the gospels of men proved abortive; I consequently told those brethren that these were the places I wanted to go to, for that it was my business not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
”The next day we received a very pressing invitation to preach in Chatburn, but having given out an appointment to preach in c.l.i.thero that evening, I informed them that I would not be able to comply with their request that night; this did not satisfy them, they continued to solicit me with the greatest importunity, until I was obliged to consent to remain with them, and requested Elder Fielding to attend to the appointment at c.l.i.thero; there was a feeling of reluctance on his part to go, as he feared the rabble might break up his meeting; but seeing the importunity of the people that I should stay with them in Chatburn, he consented to go to c.l.i.thero alone. As he feared it might be, so it was; his meeting was broken up.
”In Chatburn I was cordially received by the inhabitants, who turned out in great numbers to hear me preach. They procured a large t.i.thing barn, placing a barrel in the center, upon which I stood. I preached to them the first principles of the Gospel, spoke in simplicity upon the principles revealed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the conditions of pardon for a fallen world and the blessings and privileges of those who embraced the truth; I likewise said a little on the subject of the resurrection. My testimony was accompanied by the Spirit of the Lord, and was received with joy, and these people who had been represented as being hard and obdurate, were melted into tenderness and love. I told them that, being a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, I stood ready at all times to administer the ordinances of the Gospel, and explained what was necessary to prepare them for baptism; that when they felt to repent of and forsake their sins, they were ready to be baptized for the remission of sins, like the jailor and his household, and Cornelius and his house. When I concluded I felt someone pulling at my coat, exclaiming, 'Maister, Maister,' I turned round and asked what was wanted. Mrs. Elizabeth Partington said, 'Please sir, will you baptize me?' 'And me?' And me?' exclaimed more than a dozen voices. Accordingly I went down into the water and baptized twenty-five. I was engaged in this duty, and confirming them and conversing with the people until after midnight.”
The next morning I returned to Downham, and baptized between twenty-five and thirty in the course of the day.
”The next evening I returned to Chatburn. The congregation was so numerous that I had to preach in the open air, and took my stand on a stone wall, and afterwards baptized several. These villages seemed to be affected from one end to the other; parents called their children together, spoke to them on the subjects which I had preached about, and warned them against swearing and all other evil practices, and instructed them in their duty.
”We were absent from Preston five days, during which time Brother Fielding and I baptized and confirmed about 110 persons; organized branches in Downham, Chatburn, Waddington and c.l.i.thero; and ordained several to the lesser Priesthood, to preside. This was the first time the people in those villages ever heard our voices, or saw an American.
”I cannot refrain from relating an occurrence which took place while Brother Fielding and myself were pa.s.sing through the village of Chatburn on our way to Downham: having been observed approaching the village, the news ran from house to house, and immediately the noise of their looms was hushed, and the people flocked to their doors to welcome us and see us pa.s.s. More than forty young people of the place ran to meet us; some took hold of our mantles and then of each others'
hands; several having hold of hands went before us singing the songs of Zion, while their parents gazed upon the scene with delight, and poured their blessings upon our heads, and praised the G.o.d of heaven for sending us to unfold the principles of truth and the plan of salvation to them. The children continued with us to Downham, a mile distant. Such a scene, and such grat.i.tude, I never witnessed before.
'Surely,' my heart exclaimed, 'out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.' What could have been more pleasing and delightful than such a manifestation of grat.i.tude to Almighty G.o.d; and from those whose hearts were deemed too hard to be penetrated by the Gospel, and who had been considered the most wicked and hardened people in that region of country.”
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