Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-10-31


ths, very seldom dwell upon before
,he congregations Of the Saints.
have had my mind somewhat exercised
Of late on various things, perhaps for
imposes known to the Lord better than
myself. though they are principles We
are all more or less acquainted with.
One OF the Apostles said to me ycafs
ago, "Brother Woodruff, have prayed |
ior a long time for the Lord to send me
the administration Of an angel. have
had great desire for this. but | have
never had my prayers answ cred"
said to him that Il he were to pray a
thousand years to the God Of Israel for |
that gift. Il would not be granted, unless |
the Lord had a motive In sending an |
angel to him. | told him that the Lord
never did nor never will send an angel
to anybody merely to crafty the desire
OF the individual to see an angel. II
the Lord sends an angel to anyone, He
sends him to perform a work that can
not be performed only by the admins
tniion Of an angel. | said TO him that
those were my views. The Lord had
sen, angels to men from the creation OF
the world. at different times, but always
With a message OF with something TO
perform that could not be performed
without. ! rehearsed to him different
times when angels appeared to men. OF
4 .aN.WW.I -. flta Haas.l xHtatNtnu
Joscph Smith. The Revelator John
said that In the last days an angel would
fly in the midst OF heaven. having the
everlasting Gospel to preach to them
that dwelt on the earth. The reason It
required an angel to do this work was,
the Gospel was not on the earth. The
Gospel and the Priesthood had been
taken from among men. Hence God
had TO restore Il again.
Now, have always said, and | want
TO say Il to you. that the Holy Ghost ~
what every Saint OF God needs. IL IS
far more important that a man should
have that gift than he should have the
ninistration OF an angel. unless u Is
necessary for an angel to teach him
something that he has not been taught.
am gong TO refer TO some OF my
own experiences with regard TO the
ininisuati0n OF angels and the opera
lions OF the Holy Ghost. ! have never
prayed Tor the visitation OF an angel.
but | have had the minislfations OF
angels several times IN my lie.
One visitation received In Kentucky.
at the house Of a o. Shoots mother.
while on my first mission. went
through Jackson county into Arkansas
Territory aud from Little Rock waded
the Mississippi swamp 80 miles 10 get
across into Tennessee. l arrived In
Henry county. Tennessee. ON the west
nt the same time that David Patten and
Warren Parrish landed IN that region
on the north. We met and laboted
together for awhile and built up some
churches there. ! then held the office Of
Priest. travelled lousands oi miles
and preached the Gospel rs Pfiesi,
and. as / have said 10 Congregations
before, the Lord sustained me and
made manifest Ills power In the defense
OF my lie as much while | held that
Office as lie has done while have held
the office Of an Apostle. The Lord sus.
tains any man that holds a portion OF the
Priesthood, whether he Is n Priest, an
Elder, a Seventy, or an Apostle, u he
magnlies his calling and does ms duty.
! will give you an instance OF the
Lords protecting care over me while
was a Priest. | had this experience
while In Arkansas with my companion,
who was an Elder. There was man
In that country who with his wife and
i've sons had been In Jackson county.
His vile died there. The old gentleman
was IN the faith apparently when he lett
there. He was driven out, the same as
the rest OF the Saints were. and some q
his sons were whipped with hickory
laJs 10 the pelstcu ion there, knew he
was In tins Arkansas country, aud ielt
anxious to 20 aud see him. as he was
the only Lalterday Saint that we knew
anything about in that region. The
night before got there | had a peculiar
dream. ! dreamed that an angel APP
pesred TO US and pointed out certain
path that We must follow, and that the
blessings OF God would attend US In
following that path. As VIC went along
this path we came 10 log cabin with a
wall on each de ten OF fifteen feet high.
This road led right through that build
ing. When went TO the door aud
opened II, II was iull OF large serpents.
My companion said he was not going
INTO that room for anybody OF anything.
well" says /, 81 am, or III die trying.
The Lord told us to follow that patn,
aud am going to walk in II, unless /
am stopped by come power that | know
not Of" stepped into the door.
These serpents all Ercse M ready to
jump on me, aud there was q very large
one in the middle oi the floor hat made
apass at me. IL appeared to me as
though would be destroyed, but when
the serpent reached near to me II
dropped dead, in fact, they all dropped
dead, and they turned black aud burst
open, after which they took hge and
burned up, aud both Of us went through
safely. The morning after, we arrived
AT this mans house. His name was
hkeman. 1t was Sunday morning, aud
We went into the house. MI, Aermar
End his daughter were ut breakfast
Ills sons were settled In cabins around
HIM, We sat down, but there
seemed To be a peculiar spirit II
The place. finally stepped up I,
the manIlepiece, on which saw a jool
o. Mormon. picked Il up, and said
Brother Akeman, you've got .verl
good book here" He said, "lt's bool
that came from hell" then began Il
understand little OF what lay beior'
US lie had apostaliked. lie curse,
everything aud everybody - Josepl
smllh, Lyman Wight, the Apostles an'
good many Others whom he named