EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS--VERY COLD WEATHER--SCENES OF SUFFERING--OUR
EXCESSIVE LABORS--A GENERAL CONFERENCE--FAREWELL MEETING--AFFECTION
MANIFESTED FOR US--ELDER RUSSELL'S LABORS--ELDER GOODSON A BARRIER.
It being known that we had but a short time to remain in that country,
great numbers flocked to hear us preach, and many were baptized.
Some days we went from house to house, conversing with the people on
the things of the kingdom, and by such a course were instrumental in
convincing many of the truth. I have known as many as twenty persons
baptized in one day who have been convinced on such occasions. They
were like Lydia of old, "who gladly received the word." I have had
to go into the water to administer the ordinance of baptism six or
seven times in a day, and frequently after having come out of the
water and changed my clothes, I have had to return again before I
reached my home; this, too, when the weather was extremely cold, the
ice being from twelve to fourteen inches thick, which continued so
about twelve weeks, during which time I think there were but ten days,
in which we were not in the water. "The harvest was indeed plenteous
but the laborers were few." This was very extraordinary weather for
that country; as I was informed that some winters they had scarcely
any frost or snow, and the oldest inhabitants told me that they never
experienced such a winter before. In consequence of the inclemency
of the weather, several manufacturing establishments were shut up,
children were thrown out of employment, whose sufferings during that
time were severe, and I was credibly informed, and verily believe, that
numbers perished from starvation. Such sufferings I never witnessed
in my life before, and the scenes which I daily beheld while in that
country almost chilled the blood in my veins. The streets were crowded
with men, women and children, who solicited alms from the passengers as
they walked along. Numbers of those poor wretches were without shoes
or stockings, and had scarcely any covering to screen them from the
inclemency of the weather.
Oh! when will distress and poverty and pain cease, and peace and plenty
abound? When the Lord Jesus shall descend in the clouds of heaven--when
the rod of the oppressor shall be broken. "Hasten the time, O Lord!"
was frequently the language of my heart, when I contemplated the
scenes of wretchedness and woe, which I daily witnessed, and my prayer
to my Heavenly Father was, that if I had to witness a succession of
such scenes of wretchedness and woe, that He would harden my heart,
for those things were too much for me to bear. This is no exaggerated
account; I have used no coloring here. They are facts which will meet
the Elders of Israel when they shall go forth into that land, and then
I can assure them they will not be surprised at my feelings.
But to return. During this time not only were great numbers initiated
into the kingdom of heaven, but those who were sick were healed, and
those who were diseased flocked to us daily; and truly their faith
was great, such as I hardly ever witnessed before, consequently many
were healed of their infirmities and sickness. We were continually
employed, and scarcely gave sleep to our eyes, and some nights we would
hardly close them. The task was almost more than we could endure, but
realizing the circumstances of this people, their love of the truth,
their humility and unfeigned charity, we were constrained to use all
diligence and make good use of every moment of time, for truly our
bowels yearned over them.
Notwithstanding our unwearied and unceasing labors, we could not fill
the calls we had from day to day, for the work kept spreading, the
prospect for usefulness grew brighter and brighter, and the field
opened larger and larger.
The reader will not, I think, accuse me of egotism, when I say that
we were diligent; for I do not remember of retiring to my bed earlier
than twelve o'clock p. m. during the last six months I spent in that
country, which was also the case with Brothers Hyde and Fielding.
Brother Hyde was laid up with sickness about six weeks, on account of
his excessive labors, from which however he was happily restored.
On the eighth day of April, A. D. 1838, it being Sunday, and the time
appointed for a general conference of the Saints in that kingdom, and
the day previous to our departure from them, they began to assemble
at an early hour in the morning, and by nine o'clock there were from
six to seven hundred of the Saints assembled from various parts of the
country.
Believing it necessary for the good of the kingdom to have some one to
preside over the whole mission, we nominated Brother Joseph Fielding
to be appointed to that office, and Brother Levi Richards and William
Clayton to be his counselors. The nominations met with the approbation
of the whole assembly, who agreed to harken to their instructions
and uphold them in their offices. These brethren were then, with
eight Elders, several Priests, Teachers and Deacons, set apart and
ordained to the several offices to which they were called. One of the
brethren who was ordained was going to Manchester, one of the largest
manufacturing towns in England, and another to the city of London, and
they undoubtedly would carry the glad tidings of salvation to those
places.
We then laid hands upon forty individuals, who had previously been
baptized, for the gift of the Holy Ghost, after which about one hundred
children were presented to us to receive a blessing, and the same day
we baptized about twenty individuals for the remission of sins, and
then proceeded to administer the sacrament to this numerous assembly.
We then gave some general instructions to the whole Church respecting
their duty to God and to one another, which were listened to with great
attention and were treasured up in the hearts of most who were present.
At five o'clock, p. m., we brought the conference to a close, it
having continued without intermission from nine o'clock, a. m. We then
appointed seven o'clock the same evening to deliver our farewell
addresses.
At the time appointed we repaired to the meeting, which was crowded
to excess. Brother Hyde and myself then spoke to them respecting our
labors in that land, the success of our ministry and the kindness we
had experienced at their hands; told them that we hoped before long to
see them again, after we had visited the Church and our families in
America; but when we spoke of our departure their hearts were broken
within them. They gave vent to their feelings and wept like children,
and broke out in cries like the following: "How can we part with our
beloved brethren!" "We may never see them again!" "O why can you leave
us!" etc. I could not refrain; my feelings only found vent in a flood
of tears.
Some persons may be disposed to accuse me of weakness on this occasion,
but if any should do so, I would say that I do not envy any man's
feelings who could witness such a scene with all its associations, and
the finer feelings of his heart not be touched on such an occasion;
indeed it would have been almost an impossibility for us to have left
this dear and affectionate people had we not had the most implicit
confidence in the brethren who were appointed to preside over them in
our absence; but knowing their faith and virtuous conversation, and
that they had the confidence of the Church, we felt assured that the
affairs of the Church would be conducted in righteousness; consequently
we left them under different feelings than we otherwise could have done.
Immediately after dismissing we met the official members, the number
of whom were eighty, at a private house and instructed them further in
their duties, and dismissed them at one o'clock the next morning.
This was certainly one of the most interesting conferences I ever
attended. The services were calculated to convince the honest and give
joy to Saints, and will long be remembered by all those who attended,
and I have no doubt was the means of great and lasting good.
At this conference we were favored with the company of Elders Isaac
Russell and Willard Richards. The latter had returned from the County
of Bedford, where he had been proclaiming the gospel. In consequence
of sickness his labors had not been so extensive as they otherwise
would have been, and were confined within a short distance from the
city of Bedford, where he raised up two small branches, which he set
in order and ordained one Elder and other officers. He labored under
considerable difficulty in consequence of the conduct of Elder Goodson,
who accompanied him on that mission, who taught many things which were
not in wisdom, which proved a barrier to the spread of the truth in
that region. Elder Russell had returned from a mission to the north,
having been laboring in the County of Cumberland, near the borders of
Scotland, where numbers of his friends resided. While he was there he
met with considerable opposition, even from those of his own family, as
well as the ministers of the different denominations, who sought every
opportunity to block up his way and to destroy his influence.
However, notwithstanding the great opposition, he was instrumental in
bringing upwards of sixty souls into the kingdom of God, and left them
rejoicing in the truth and strong in the faith of the gospel.
Thus the great work which is to go through the length and breadth of
that land which will cause the hearts of thousands to rejoice, and the
poor and meek to increase their joy in the Lord; which shall lead the
honest-hearted to the foundation of truth; which shall prepare a holy
company from that nation to meet the Lord Jesus when He shall descend
from the mansions of glory and from the regions that are not known;
which shall cause thousands to rail against the doctrines of Christ and
His servants, and persecute the honest-in-heart; which shall prepare
the ungodly for the day of vengeance of our God, and shall bind them
together in the cords of darkness, was commenced in three places, viz:
Preston, Bedford and Alston, which forcibly reminds me of the parable
of the leaven which the woman cast into the three measures of meal.