ELDER ELIAS MORRIS FALLS WITH A SCAFFOLD A DISTANCE OF THIRTY FEET
WITHOUT BEING HURT--GIFT OF HEALING POSSESSED BY ELDER ABEL EVANS--A
WOMAN HEALED WHO HAD HER FACE EATEN AWAY BY A CANCER--STORM AT SEA
REBUKED--A BROKEN LEG CURED--A BROKEN SKULL MENDED-FEVER ON SHIPBOARD
STOPPED BY THE PRAYER OF FAITH.
Elder Elias Morris, now a resident of Salt Lake City, labored
extensively as a local and traveling Elder in the Welch mission in an
early day. In illustration of the manner in which the Lord's power was
often manifested in preserving the lives of His servants, he relates an
instance from his experience:
While acting as a local Elder in his native place, laboring at his
trade during the week and preaching in the surrounding villages on
Sundays, he once had occasion to speak of the signs which the Savior
had promised should follow believers: "In my name they shall cast out
devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly, thing it shall not hurt them; they shall
lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." He argued that the
enjoyment of those promised blessings was not limited to the believers
who lived when the Savior was upon the earth, but that the faithful
Latter-day Saints also shared the same. The sectarian preachers of
the neighborhood who listened to or heard of Elder Morris' remarks on
that occasion ridiculed them, and one especially, a Methodist deacon,
had a great deal to say about them. In repeating those remarks and
commenting on them to others, he also exaggerated what had been said,
even asserting falsely that Elder Morris had claimed that if he were to
fall from the top of a quarry it would not hurt him. Elder Morris heard
of this deacon's exaggerated stories and flippant comments, but did not
deign to notice them, although he was well acquainted with the man, in
fact he was at that very time in his employ.
A few days afterwards Elder Morris happened to be engaged upon a
three-story building, pointing the front, and for that purpose was
sitting on a hanging scaffold near the top of the wall. All at once
he felt the scaffold giving way, the planks upon which it rested,
and which projected from the inside of the building, having become
loosened. He called immediately to a fellow workman engaged inside the
building to come to his relief, but before the man reached the window
to grasp the plank, the scaffold fell and Brother Morris with it. With
a silent prayer to God for help, and fully realizing his danger, he
dropped the distance of thirty feet or more, alighting on his thigh on
the stone pavement. In an instant he was upon his feet, and placing his
hand on a window sill, he sprang lightly into the lower room of the
building and escaped the falling planks, which did not reach the ground
until after he had, and came forth the next minute unharmed. He did not
even feel the slightest pain from the fall.
It happened that the Methodist deacon, one of the owners of the
building, and Elder Morris' father were in the street in front of
the building at the time of the accident, and the latter was almost
paralyzed with fear at the sight of his boy falling down, and no less
surprised and overjoyed at seeing him walk forth the next moment
unscathed. The deacon, too, seemed very much astonished and hardly able
to believe the evidence of his own sight when he saw the man whose
religious pretentions he had ridiculed so much pass through such an
ordeal and appear unhurt. Elder Morris noticed his surprised look as
he approached him, and thought it a fitting opportunity to tax him
with the slander and ridicule which he had been indulging in at his
expense. He accordingly did so, and then asked ironically, hinting at
the story which the deacon had circulated about him, "Isn't that almost
equal to falling off a quarry?" The deacon acknowledged that it was,
and declared that some supernatural power must have saved him in that
instance at least.
Many anecdotes are related of Elder Abel Evans, formerly of Lehi, in
this Territory, who died while on a mission in Wales some years since.
He was a man of wonderful faith, and possessed the gift of healing in a
remarkable degree. While laboring as a missionary in Wales in an early
day he met a sister who was a member of the Church and was afflicted
with a terrible cancer in her face which had eaten away her upper lip
and the greater portion of her nose. She had tried all the doctors
she could find who pretended to cure cancers and they had one after
another given her case up as hopeless. When Brother Evans met her she
was mourning over her affliction and recounting her suffering and the
efforts she had made to get relief. He listened to her story and then
asked: "Why do you not apply to the Great Physician to cure you?"
"Do you think it would be of any use?" she asked, brightening up.
"Why," he replied "with the Lord all things are possible! If you have
faith you can be healed!"
She expressed her anxiety to be administered to, and he forthwith
purchased a bottle of olive oil, consecrated it and anointed her face,
applying the oil with a feather to the worst part. He also rebuked the
disease and prayed for her recovery, and from that hour the cancer was
killed and her face began to heal. He repeated the operation two or
three times, and, strange as it may appear, the flesh and skin actually
grew again upon that part of her face which had been eaten away and a
new nose in time developed--not a perfect one it is true, but one that
was a great improvement upon none at all. Notwithstanding this great
manifestation of God's goodness to her, however, this woman afterwards
apostatized.
On one occasion Brother Evans was sailing from Liverpool to Bangor,
at which place he had an appointment to preach, when a terrible storm
arose, which threatened the destruction of the vessel. When the
officers and crew were all ready to give up hope, Elder Evans retired
to a secluded part of the vessel, called upon the Lord in prayer,
reminding Him of the appointment to be filled and that he was upon His
business, and, in mighty faith, rebuked the storm, when it calmed so
suddenly that all hands on board were as much surprised as delighted,
and quite at a loss to account for the sudden change in their prospects.
In the year 1846, a man living in Merthyr Tydvil, who was a member of
the Church, happened accidentally to break his leg between the knee and
ankle. A surgeon was called in, who set the broken bones, bound the
limb up with bandages and splints and cautioned the patient to keep
perfectly quiet until the fracture could have time to knit. Three days
afterwards Elders Abel Evans and Thomas D. Giles called to see him, and
the former questioned him as to his faith. "Do you believe," said he,
"that the Lord has power to heal your broken limb?"
The man acknowledged that he did.
"Do you believe," he again, asked, "that we, as the servants of God,
holding the Priesthood, have authority to call upon the Almighty and
claim a blessing for you at His hands?"
The man assured him that he did.
"Then," said he, "If you wish it we will take the bandages off your
broken leg and anoint it."
The man consented, the bandages and splints were removed and his leg
was anointed with consecrated oil. The brethren then placed their hands
upon his head, and Elder Evans rebuked the power of the evil one,
commanded the bones to come together and knit, and, finally, that the
man should arise from his bed and walk. He got out of bed immediately
and walked about the house, and from that time had no occasion to use a
bandage on the injured limb or even walk with a stick.
While crossing the sea in 1850, emigrating to Utah, a number of
remarkable cases of healing occurred under his administration. One was
that of a young girl who was terribly afflicted with evil spirits,
and who was entirely relieved when he placed his hands upon her head.
Another was that of a little boy who fell through the hatchway of the
vessel, alighting upon his head on the ring and bolt of the lower
hatchway. When he was picked up it was found that the force of the fall
had driven the iron upon which he struck into his head, and within a
minute afterwards the injured place puffed up like a distended bladder.
Of course, he was knocked insensible and apparently lifeless, but
Brother Evans and one or two other Elders immediately administered to
him, and while their hands were upon his head the swelling entirely
disappeared and he was restored to consciousness and to health. This
was witnessed and marveled at by a number of persons who were not in
the Church as well as a great many of the Saints who were on board.
When Elder Evans was crossing the Atlantic in charge of a company of
Saints emigrating to Utah, a terrible epidemic in the nature of a
fever broke out on the ship, and threatened the destruction of all on
board. He felt that their only hope lay in securing the favor of the
Almighty, and determined to muster all the faith he could in appealing
to the Lord. He called together four Elders of experience who were on
board, and asked them to retire with him to the hold of the vessel
and unite in prayer. They did so again and again without any apparent
good result, and Brother Evans marveled at the cause. It was such an
unusual thing for him to fail to have his prayers answered, that he
was surprised that it should be so in that instance, and he could
only account for it by lack of union or worthiness on the part of the
Elders. He therefore called the four Elders again to retire with him
to the hold of the ship, and took with him a basin of clean water.
When they had reached a secluded place where they were not likely to
be overheard or disturbed by others, he talked to the Elders about the
necessity of their being united in faith and clear of sin before God if
they desired to call upon Him and receive a blessing. "Now," he said,
"I want each of you Elders, who feels that his conscience is clear
before God, who has committed no sin to debar him from the enjoyment of
the Holy Spirit, and who has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ sufficient
to call upon the Almighty in His name and claim the desired blessing,
to wash his hands in that basin!" Three of the Elders stepped forward
and did so; the fourth could not--his conscience smote him. He was
therefore asked kindly to retire, and the four others joined in earnest
prayer before the Lord and rebuked the disease by which the people were
afflicted. The result was that the epidemic ceased its ravages and the
sick recovered from that very hour, much to the surprise of the ship's
officers and others on board who knew nothing of the power by which
such a happy result was accomplished.
In the winter of 1850, Elder Abel Evans lived at Council Bluffs, on the
eastern bank of the Missouri river. A great many of the Saints were
there at the time working for an outfit for their overland journey or
awaiting the return of fine weather before starting across the plains.
That locality was somewhat noted for its insalubriety, but during that
winter an unusually large amount of sickness prevailed. Some of the
more prominent Elders were kept quite busy going about from house to
house administering to the sick among the Saints, and scores, perhaps
hundreds of cases of healing occurred under their hands, many of
which were quite remarkable. Sister Ashton, now of Salt Lake City,
relates how she was healed there when near death's door, and under
circumstances the memory of which even now causes her to shed tears.
She had been sick for a considerable length of time and so bad for two
weeks that she had not been able to take a mouthful of food, when she
heard of the death of her father.
In her weak condition this intelligence was a heavy blow to her. Her
mother had died previously and been buried without her having the
privilege of being with her during her sickness or even seeing her
face when dead, and the thought of being deprived of this privilege in
the case of her father also, almost overcame her. She had during her
sickness felt a strong desire to live, and now in addition to that she
was anxious to see her dead father before he was buried, and attend
his funeral. Some of the Elders came and administered to her, but they
were not men in whom she had a great deal of faith, and she failed to
receive any benefit from their administration. After awhile, however,
Brother Evans called to see her, and, on learning of her desire to
attend her father's funeral, he promised her without any hesitation
that she would do so. Placing his hands upon her head, he rebuked the
sickness with which she was prostrated and pronounced the blessing of
health upon her. She arose immediately from her bed, and rode six miles
that same day, and saw her father buried.