The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-06-06
THE IDAHO SCIMITAR.

done?" Who of all these parties right; or are
they all wrong together? If any one of them be
right, which is it, and how shall know it?
While | was aboring under the extreme difficulties
caused by the of these parties of relgonists
| one day reading the Epstle of James, first
chapter and fifth verse, which reads: eff any of you
lack wisdom let him ask of God, that gveth to all
men liberty, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him.
Never did any passage of scripture come with more
power to the heart of than this did this time
to mine 1T seemed to enter with great force into
every feeling of my heart. I rejecting on it again
and again. knowing that if any person needed wis
dom from God, did; for how to act l did not know
and unless | could get more wisdom than I had,
would know for the teachers of religion of the
different sects understood the passage of scrip
ture so differently to destroy all confidence in
ting the question by an appeal to the Bible
At length l came to the conclusion that [ must
either remain in darkness and confusion, or else
must do as James Directs that is, ask of God | at
length came to the determination to task of God y
concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that
lacked wisdom, and would give literally and not up
braid, [ might venture.
So in accordance with this my determination to
ask of God, l retired to the woods to make the at
tempt 1t was on the morning of beautiful clear
day. early in the spring of eighteen hundred and
twenty. 1t was the first time in my life that | had
made such attempt, for amidst all my anxeties [
had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocay.
After had retired to the place where I had
previously designed to go, having looked around me-
and finding myself alone, kneeled down and began
to offer up the desires of my heart to God | had
scarcely done so, when Immediately [ was seized
upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and
such an astonishing influence to bind my
tongue so that [ could not speak. Thick darkness
gathered around me, and it seemed to me for time
as If | were doomed to sudden destruction.
But, exert1ng all my powers to call upon God to de-
liver me out of the power of this enemy which had
seized upon me, and at the very moment when |
was ready to sink into despair, and abandon myself
to destruction-not to an imaginary ruin, but to the
hahn
who had such marvellous power as had never before
felt in any being us at this moment of great alarm
I saw pillar of light exactly over my head above
the brightness of the SUN, which descended gradually
until it fell upon me.
1t no sooner appeared than [ found myself de-
livered from the enemy which held me bound When
the light rested upon me [ two personages whose
brightness and glory defy all description, standing
above me in the air One of them spake unto
calling by name, and said pointing to the other
"This is my beloved son, hear him"
My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to
know which of all the sects right that [ might
know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did [
get possession of myself, to be able to speak,
than [ asked the personages who stood above in
the light, which of all the sects right and which
l should join.
was answered that I must join none of them,
for they were all wrong and the parsonage who adj
dressed said that all their creeds were abomin
alton his sight that those professors all cor
rupt; that "they draw to with their lips, but
their hearts far from me; they teach for doctrines
the commandments of men, having a form of godli
ness, but they deny the power thereof"
He again forbade to join with any of them,
and many other things did he say unto me- which
1 cannot write at this time When | came to myself
again, 1 found myself lying my back, looking up
into heaven.
Some days after I had this vision, happened to be
in company with of the Methodist preachers who
was every active in the before mentioned religion.
took occasion to give him account of the vision
which l had had I greatly surprised at his be-
havior; he treated my communication not only light
ly but with great contempt saying, it all of the
devil, that there were such things visions
revelations in these days; that all such things had
he and that there would