COUNSELED TO GATHER WITH THE SAINTS--REMARKABLE MANIFESTATIONS--CASE OF
HEALING--EFFORTS OF APOSTATES--VISIT FROM ELDERS--A CONFERENCE--CLOSING
MY LABORS ON THE ISLANDS FOR A SEASON.
On the 28th of March I received a letter from Zion, requesting me to
counsel the Saints I had baptized to sell their property and gather up
to Zion.
About this time the Lord was manifesting Himself upon the islands in
various ways, by dreams, visions, healings, signs and wonders. I will
relate one peculiar circumstance of this kind that occurred.
Mr. Ebenezer Carver had been investigating our doctrines for quite a
length of time, and, having a great desire to know the truth of our
religion, he walked to the sea shore, wishing that he might have some
manifestation in proof of its truth.
The passage of scripture came to his mind that there would be no sign
given "but the sign of the prophet Jonas," and while this thought was
in his mind a large fish arose to the top of the water, a distance from
him in the sea, and suddenly sank out of sight. He much desired to see
it again, and soon it arose to the top of the water, accompanied by
another fish of about the same size, and one of them swam on the water
in a straight line towards Mr. Carver as he stood upon the shore. It
came as near to him as the water would permit, and then stopped and
gazed at him with a penetrating eye, as though it had a message for
him. It then returned to its mate in the ocean and swam out of sight.
Mr. Carver retraced his steps homeward, meditating upon the scene and
the wonderful condescension of the Lord.
It is proper to remark that this was at a season of the year when fish
of that size are never known upon those shores or seas, and they are
never, at any season, known to come ashore as in the case mentioned.
Mr. Carver was convinced that it was intended by the Lord as a sign to
him.
Two days after the event I visited Mr. Carver at his house, and found
his wife confined to her bed with a fever, and she requested me to
administer to her. I placed my hands upon her head, the power of God
rested upon me, and I commanded her in the name of Jesus Christ to
arise and walk.
She arose and was healed from that instant, and she walked down to the
sea and I baptized her in the same place where the fish visited her
husband. I confirmed her there, and she was filled with the Holy Ghost
and returned to her home rejoicing.
I now called the people together and exhorted them to sell their
property and prepare to accompany me to the land of Zion. I had labored
hard for many days for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the
inhabitants of those islands, and the Lord had blessed my labors and
given me many souls as seals of my ministry, for which I felt to praise
Him; and now I felt to labor quite as zealously to gather out those who
had embraced the gospel, and lead them to Zion.
The worst difficulty which the Saints had to contend with in that day
was from false brethren. Warren Parrish, who had been a prominent Elder
in the Church, and had labored with me as a missionary, had apostatized
and been cut off from the Church. Learning that I was building up
branches of the Church upon the island, he and other apostates
conspired to block up my way by writing lies to the people and stirring
up a spirit of mobocracy upon the islands.
They succeeded in exerting a strong influence with the wicked, but I
knew they could not hinder the work of God.
On the 6th of April I held a meeting at Brother Ebenezer Carver's, and,
though the hearts of the wicked were stirred up in bitterness against
me, the Spirit of God was with me, and at the close of the meeting
I baptized three persons. One of these was Mrs. Abigail Carver, the
mother of Ebenezer Carver, who was seventy years of age and in poor
health. She had not so much as visited a neighbor's house for six
years, but upon this occasion she walked with boldness to the sea shore
and I baptized her, and she returned rejoicing.
On the 11th of April I had the happy privilege of again meeting with
Elders Milton Holmes, James Townsend and Abner Rogers, who had come to
the islands to attend conference with me.
We held our conference on the 13th of April, on North Fox Island, and
had a representation of the different branches on the islands. We also
preached and bore our testimony, ordained several and baptized one
person at the close of the meeting.
On the 17th of April Mrs. Woodruff left the islands to return to
her father's home in Scarboro, Maine, and a few days afterwards I
called the Saints of the North Island together and communed with and
instructed them. I also informed them that the Spirit of God bore
record to me that it was our duty to leave the islands for a season and
take a western mission. They had been faithfully warned and the Saints
were established in the truth, while the wicked were contending against
us, and some were disposed to take our lives if they had the power.