Paris, Henry County Tennessee
Aphek & Azubah Woodruff & Sister Eunice Beloved & Respected Friends A
Multiplicity of busineess has hitherto prevented me from
informing you that I had receieved A letter from you
which I perused with great pleasure & was much gratified to hear
once more from my friends I also received A letter from Brother
Asahel under date of Sept 9th which stated that he was well &
some prospect of his calling to see me I have enjoyed the best
of health since I last wrote allthough I have laboured almost
night & day for the salvation of the honest & meek of this
south country Elder Warren Parrish left me as he was called to
Kirtland on the 23rd of July since that time I have ben
labouring alone untill A few Days since I was joined by one
of the travling Elders my circuit has been & still is very
ex^s^tensive it is about 130 miles in length & I make it A
point to travel through in two weeks the Elders of the
Church of Latter Day Saints generally make it a point
to two by two & on part & I generally have done So myself.
still I came to this state but as my circuit is so extensive
I cannot do it well here & as my friends Desire to supply
me with horses I consider it no sin to ride them
for I have many waters to cross which at times I
cannot ford them with my horse without swiming him which I
occasionally do & at one time while attempting to swim Bloody River
The courant being rapid my horse got tangled among the brush
I was obliedged to leeve her & swim out myself however
we both got out unharmed I have travled all weather wet or
dry, cold or hot, I have many calls upon the right & left hand
far more than I can attend to we have Baptized on my circuit
112 & 24 of them I have Baptized since Brother Parrish left me
& I espect to Baptize a number more soon as their is 10 or 15
have manifested their determinations to follow they friends by
entering into the New & Everlasting Covenant I have been
much opposed by the priests of the day in this county more however
behind my back than ato my face some few have opposed me
publickly face to face such I have always publicly answered
& the Lord in not one instance has suffered me to be confounded
I have had a great desire to visit my parents & the rest of my
relatives in the Eastern States & I thought I should have
seen ^them^ ere this but there has been more & more resting upon
me from the time I first commenced labouring here of the
the Church is in its infancy & their has been but vary
few labourers in this south country. But we expect several
Elders from the East will join us here vary soon which may take
some of the burdan or assist in bearing it. I yet expect if I
live to visit my friends in the East & that before long for I can
assure them all that I have a great desire to see them And
also desire their salvation both temporally & spiritual &
that they may be saved in these last Days with the fulness
of the Gentiles & the house of Israel that they may esscape the just
judgments of God which awate the world for he who sits in the heavens
& beareth the sword beareth it not in vain for it will soon
fall upon Idumea or the world & the voice of God to his Saints
is come out of her Only people I have expected that some of our
travling Brethren would visit your region of country so that
you might hear some preaching from them if it H[ad]
been the case I hope it soon may be I learn from the M&Ad
the paper that the twelve have visited the New England states
the extent of their success I have not yet learned But ex^s^pect
to soon The little stone cut out of the Mountain without hands is
rolling fourth & will continue to roll untill it Becomes A mountain
& fills the whole Earth The Church is beginning to travel out of
the wilderness & the signs follow the believer Even in this South
country the sick are healed many of the Saints speak in Tongues
others interpet which gifts come from God well says one these
are strange things as strange as they are ^they are^ the gifts that Christ
said should follow the believers. It is true the Latter Day Saints
have all manner of Evil spake against them The cry of Jo Smith, Mormonites
fals prophet fals Teachers wolfs in sheeps Clothings & Murrels clan &c
&c but they that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution [2 Timothy 3:12]
but how can any Tree be judged ownly by its fruit the truth is this
generation is nearly ripe & I believe God will soon aris from his Habitation
& rebuke the Nations & shake not ownly the Earth but also heaven
Where is the religion, principle, Holiness, gifts, graces, fruits, Gospel, Faith
Church & its affects to to be found in this generation that was with
the Ancients well says one their is no need of them Now, has God
or his gospel changed certainly not & the same causes will produce
the same affect to day as Anciently The Apostle exhorts us to contend
for that faith once delivered to the Saints wher is the honest Searcher after
truth that cannot see what the faith of the Saints was it was by faith
that that the worlds were framed [FIGURE] God spake Chaos heard & worlds came into
order by reason of the faith there was in him. So with man also—he spake by faith
in the name of God, and the sun stood still, the moon ob[eyed], mountains [r]emoved, prisons
fell, lions mouths were closed, the human heart lost its enmity, fire its violence, armies
their power, the sword its terror, and death its dominion, and all this by reason
of the faith which was in them. Had it not been for the faith which was in man
they might have spoken to the sun, the moon, the mountains, prisons, lions, the human heart, fire,
armies, the sword, or to d[e]ath in vain [FIGURES] brd but at thi day preach to the world the same
that Christ & the Apostles taught & the epithets of this ungodly, crooked,
hard hearted, unbelieving, stiff necked, money making generation
will be heaped upon his head the words of the Apostle is truly
verified at this day when he saw they would not Endure sound
doctrine. If the Roman church is the mother of harlots is not her
daughters visible & if the fountain is corrupt are not the streams also
I look upon this generation of Gentiles as a Body as standing in
the same situation with regard ^to^ the Second Comeing of Christ as
the Jews were at his first & that day of calamity which is at the
door will surely overtake them as a theiief in the night & their unbelieving
the word of God will not make the truth of it without affect The signs are
puting fourth of the second advent of Christ the Church is travling out
of the wilderness the standard is erecting to it we some of the Gentiles
are seeking the treese are puting fourth leaves the stone rolls the Kingdom
grows & will soon fill the Earth & God will bring to pass his act his strange
act the walls of Zion will be reared in beauty & glory the Lamanites
will blossom as the rose the whole house of Israel will be gathered the Tabernacle
of God will dwell with men. O Beloved Parents for Jesus Christ sake come
to the light of his rising & save yourselves from this untoward generation
& be prepared to meet the Bridegroom which is at the door for as it
was in the days of Noah so shall it be when Christ comes he that
readeth let him understand for it is a day of warning & not many words
I still remain Affectionately Yours Willford Woodruff
[upside down text] I wish you to give my respects to all my friend who
inquire about me and I wish them all to ivestigate
the gospel of Jesus Christ as preach by the Elders of Latter
Day Saints or in the Bible I expect brother John Witmore
will send you the paper the ensuing year as I requested
him to do so. I wish ^you^ would write to me when conveneiant
direct to Paris, &c, for I always pass through there & occasionally
preach there as yet we have the priviledg of occupying
the court house for preaching when we see fit. Should you
wright write to me I would like to hear how Uncle Ozeam
& family is & the rest of the friends [end of upside down text]
Willfford Woodruff
Willford Woodruff
Dec. 9th 1836.
Wilford Dec 9th
Dennessee [Tennessee] 1835
25
Mr Aphek Woodruff
Colebrook Litchfield County
Connecticut
their has been much sickness in this country since
I last wrote yet the Lord hath preserved my health
for which I am thankful Brother Asahel said his last letter
from home left them well & Eunice had fast recovered of
her illness which I was glad to hear. I often think of you all
& pray for you & vary much desire to see you I trust
I shall have an interest in your prayers while I am
Absent I have not herbd from Brother's Azmon & Thompson
since I left Liberty, Mo. excepting in your letter I
would be glad to know how they get along I supposse
Azmon has much changed his religious principles since I
saw him all stand for themselves I wish them all well