Early Scenes in Church History

Seeing the situation of things, we consulted together as to what should be done, when Brother A. J. Stewart said he would undertake to fill Brother Greene's appointment, but that if he got baulked we must help him out. I remarked I could not preach, if I did it would only be like a sectarian telling his experience, but said, "I will do the singing," which I did.

Brother Stewart arose, opened the Bible and tried to read, but had to spell his words, and broke down and said that some of the brethren would take up the subject and go on with it. He then called on me. I arose to speak. The Holy Ghost came down and enveloped me, and I spoke for over two hours. When I found the Spirit leaving me I thought it time to close, and told my hearers it was the first time I had spoken to a public congregation.

A Brother Mills who was present, felt so well that he went home with me and declared that I had delivered the greatest discourse he had ever heard. Said I: "Brother Mills, I don't know what I have said. It was not me; it was the Lord!"

In the spring of 1840, I removed to Nauvoo, then called Commerce, which had been appointed by Joseph for the gathering place. During the next year my wife died, and left me with five children, two daughters and three sons. I concluded to get my children homes and then travel and preach the gospel; but when I had obtained homes for them I found I had not only lost my wife, but also my children, and they had not only lost their mother, but also their father and each other's society.

On the 11th of February, 1841, I married a second wife – a Widow Smith of Philadelphia, who was living in the family of the Prophet. He performed the ceremony at his house, and Sister Emma Smith insisted upon getting up a wedding supper for us. It was a splendid affair, and quite a large party of our friends were assembled.

I then rented a house of Hyrum Kimball on the river bank for ten dollars per month, and kept a warehouse, and also boarders and a bakery. While there in business, I saw in vision my grave before me for two weeks; it mattered not whether my eyes were open or shut it was there, and I saw no way of escape. One day Brother Joseph came and took dinner with us, and as we arose from the table I walked out upon the porch and sat down on a bench. Joseph and my wife followed me, and he came before me and said: "Philo, you must get away from here or you will die, as sure as God ever spoke by my mouth!" He then turned to my wife and said: "And you will hardly escape by the skin of your teeth!"

I immediately stepped into Joseph's carriage and rode with him to the south part of town and rented another place, after which I settled up my business as fast as I could, and made arrangements to remove. Many hearing of Joseph's prediction about me, said if they had been in my place they would have remained where I was and tested the truth of it, but I assured them if they had been in my place they would have done just as I did.

After I had settled my business and removed my family, we were one day at Joseph's house, when he said to my wife: "You didn't believe what I told Philo the other day! Now, I will tell you what the Lord told me; He told me to go and tell Philo to come away from there, and if he obeyed he should live; if not he should die; and I didn't want to see you a widow so soon again. If Philo had remained there fourteen days longer, he would have been a corpse."

One night Joseph came to my house about twelve o'clock, and called me up. I immediately went out to see what was wanted. We went across the street to James Allred's and called him up, and we three went back to Joseph's house. On the way he told us that a flat boat with about thirty men had landed just below his house, and that he had overheard some of their conversation. They had made arrangements to kidnap him that night and sink him in the river. Brother Allred and I went down to the river; but they must have seen Joseph's movements as we found nothing of them, although we got up some more of the brethren and searched up and down the river.

When Joseph and Emma were preparing to go up the river to Dixon, to make a visit with some of her connections, I was at their house. The night before they started, I had a dream, in which I saw Joseph taken prisoner and guarded by two men, who after awhile left Joseph in Nauvoo and went off cursing and swearing. The next morning I related my dream to Joseph; he listened to me but made no reply.

While visiting at Dixon he was taken prisoner by a sheriff of Missouri and an officer of Illinois, but instead of getting him over into Missouri as they had planned to, he was brought to Nauvoo. There they left Joseph and went off cursing and swearing, just as I had heard them in my dream.

When, on the advice of the Prophet, I quit my situation on the river, my wife felt so bad at the loss of my business prospects that she said we might as well die by the sword as by famine. I asked her if she thought it would be worse for us temporally to obey the word of the Lord. I prophesied that before the year would pass away it would be better for us than if we had remained there.

Wm. Pratt had three city lots upon which he was owing a debt of one hundred dollars, and said if I would raise the money I might have my choice of the three. I raised the money all but three dollars, but was at a loss to know how to get the balance. It was a hard time to borrow money. On my way to Brother Pratt's, I picked up three dollars in the street, Brother Stephen Goddard being with me at the time.

I then took the three dollar bill which I found to Bishop Whitney's and requested him to take the number of it, and if an owner came for it to say that I would refund it to him, but that I wanted the use of it a few days. I soon sold the lot for four hundred dollars, and then asked my wife if my prophecy was not fulfilled.

One of my neighbors, a Brother James Moses, who lived across the street from me, was taken sick, and for six weeks was not able to speak above his breath. I went occasionally to see him, and one day while there Brother Bills and I were asked by Sister Moses to administer to him, which we did. She then asked us what we thought of him, and I replied that I had no testimony that he would live or that he would die; but she might as well pour water upon fire to make it burn as to give him medicine. This offended her, as she had a doctor by the name of Green attending him, and we left.

Soon after this Brother Kimball (one of the Apostles) was called on to administer to him, when Sister Moses asked him what he thought of her husband's condition. He replied in the very words that I had used, but advised them to hold on to him. Brother Bills and I happening to call in again to see him, we were asked if we would anoint him. I consented and stepped up to the bed to put some oil on his forehead, but felt impressed to stop and say that he was possessed of evil spirits, and that they would kill him if they were not cast out before morning. He then commenced raving, and might have been heard across the street.

The Twelve Apostles were sent for and three of them came, Brother W. Richards being one of them, who was mouth in prayer, as we all knelt in the room. After prayer, Brother Richards went to the bed, and, in the name of Jesus Christ, commanded the evil spirits to leave him and leave the house, which they did instantly, and Brother Moses became rational. He afterwards told us all about his feelings while the evil spirits had afflicted him, and that he was as sore as a boil all over from the effects of what he had passed through.

When Joseph first came to Nauvoo, then called Commerce, a Mr. White, living there, proffered to sell him his farm for twenty-five hundred dollars, five hundred dollars of the amount to be paid down, and the balance one year from that time. Joseph and the brethren were talking about this offer when some of them said: "We can't buy it, for we lack the money." Joseph took out his purse, and, emptying out its contents, offered a half dollar to one of the brethren, which he declined accepting, but Joseph urged him to take it, and then gave each of the other brethren a similar amount, which left him without any. Addressing the brethren, he then said: "Now you all have money, and I have none; but the time will come when I will have money and you will have none!" He then said to Bishop Knight: "You go back and buy the farm!"

Brother Knight went to White, but learned from him that he had raised the price one hundred dollars, and returned to Joseph without closing the bargain. Joseph again sent him with positive orders to purchase, but Brother Knight, finding that White had raised the price still another hundred dollars, again returned without purchasing. For the third time then Joseph commanded him to go and buy the farm, and charged him not to come back till he had done so.

When Bishop Knight got back to White, he had raised another hundred on the place, making the whole amount twenty-eight hundred dollars. However, the bargain was closed and the obligations drawn up, but how the money was going to be raised neither Brother Knight nor the other Brethren could see. The next morning Joseph and several of the brethren went down to Mr. White's to sign the agreement and make the first payment on the land. A table was brought out with the papers upon it, and Joseph signed them, moved back from the table and sat with his head down, as if in thought for a moment. Just then a man drove up in a carriage and asked if Mr. Smith was there. Joseph hearing it, got up and went to the door. The man said, "Good morning, Mr. Smith; I am on a speculation to-day. I want to buy some land, and thought I would come and see you." Joseph then pointed around where his land lay, but the man said: "I can't go with you to-day to see the land. Do you want any money this morning?"

Joseph replied that he would like some, and when the stranger asked "How much?" he told him "Five hundred dollars."

The man walked into the house with Joseph, emptied a small sack of gold on the table, and counted out that amount. He then handed to Joseph another hundred dollars, saying: "Mr. Smith, I make you a present of this!"

After this transpired, Joseph laughed at the brethren and said: "You trusted in money; but I trusted in God. Now I have money and you have none."