Burslem Staffordshire Potteries England
My Dear Companion
As I have occupied one of two pages as you will find in other
letters in conversing about temporal matters & things of miner consequene I feel
disposed to fill this page in expressing my feelings unto you upon the great plan
of Salvation, sumthing of my present expectations & an account of the work in this
Land. When I take into consideration the day & generation in which we live even in this
last dispensation & fullness of times, the awful calamity that awaits the gentile
Nations of the present age, The Allmighty work of God that is to be accomplised before
the Comeing of Christ, the esstablishing of Jerrusalem in her power, & Zion in her
glory, the pruning of the vineyard once more for the last tine, & form some small
view of those greater misteries & glories of the Celestial Kingdom which are not lawful to
be w[ri]tten & are yet to be revealed, & having a dispensation of the gospel committed unto
me in common with my Brethe which is ^to^ accomplish the great work of God which
he has set has hand, ^to do^ I say when I comprehend these things I do not summon words
that God has call us to make such great sacrafices in these last days, I now see the
greater the sacrafice the greater the crown [FIGURE] The ancient Saints of God have been called
to make great sacrifices that they might comprehend a Selestial Glory, then if
we enjoy the same glory we are called to make a sacrafise also, & have we
not done it, yes verily we have equal to any people that ever lived according to the tine
we have been a people, or church of Christ I cannot make a greater sacrafise
than the society of my wife & family ^children^ but notwithstanding this sacrifice is of of the
keenest kind to my wife as well as myself yet does my Bosom friend in her heart
ever for a moment wish me to scease doing the will of God, or in the least to tarnish
our future & eternal glory, or to dim our crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord-
Jesus No I will not for a moment believe it. Then my Dear friend & companion still
continue patient untill my return which will be as soon as is the will of God
though we are seperated a few days here yet we shall reign & live together 1000 years
with the children which God shall give us & also with our Lord Jesus Christ &
we shall also enjoy each other society in a Celestial Kingdom to part no more
We now laying the foundation here of a great work even directly or indirectly
among all the gentile Nations. M ^our^ present intention is to spend the winter in Europe
& return to Commerce in the Spring it is a great voyage & journey from
Montrose to England & as we are hear it appears to be wisdom & the will of God
that we should spend a few months more before we return, The work of the
Lord is rolling on swiftly in this land & the present signs are that the gentiles will
spedily be warned. Already are there thousands rejoiceing in the New & Everlasting Covenant
in England, the standard of truth as an ensign to the people is reared up in the largest
cities of Scotland, & Saints rejoicing therein The warning voice is spedily to be heard
in the City of Belfast Ireland, The cry is heard in Wales come & preach unto us
Already ^has^ ^has^ the fulness of the gospel started upon the wings of the wind & the Bellows of
the deep by the hand of an Elder of Israel to the east Indies, This vary day a gallant Ship
spreads her sail at London into which Elder William J. Barret enters as his Ark to convey
him in safty to South Australia to proclaim the everlasting gospel to that far distat people
Notwithstanding he is but 17th years of age he is clothed with the power of the Priesthood
the revelations of Jesus Christ, of the spirit of his mission. Notwithstanding he has this
day left his native country & started on his voyage of 16000 [10000] miles yet he is filled
with rejoicing & his soul is made glad, which is fully manifest in a letter which
has just reached us from his hand exhorting us to be faithful & pray for him
declairing in the name of God that he will return to Zion bringing his
sheaves with him, he has taken our addresses in England & president
Joseph Smithjr in the U.S.A. & sayes he will write to him after he esstablises
his mission. he was raised up in the church at Stafford Shire Potteries. Thus
you see the gospel is winging its way with the rapidity of lightning throu
ghout the wor[l]d. Thus you see by the help of God we are laying the foundation
of a mighty work throughout the European wor[l]d & other Islands of
the Sea. We expect to spedily lift up the Standard in the City of London
& visit France ^France^ & Jermany during the winter if the Lord will, The Millennial Star
begins to dawn & we hope soon to behold the rising Sun Now in the time
for us to prove ourselves, & work while the day Last lest night come when no
man can work. & while the work is rolling on swiftly in foreign Nations I
rejoice to hear of the progress of it in my own County esspecially this the seed
of Israel in the western wiles have begun to receive the fulness of the gospel. I pray
my heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ to hasten the day when Ephraims Nobles
will be of himself & his Gover[n]our procede out of the midst of him & Judah rejoice
& Israel be made glad, & Judah Jerrusalem be rebuilt upon her own heaps,
& Zion become the joy of the whole Earth. Roll on O ye little stone cut out
of the mountain without hands. untill ye become a mountain & fill the whole the
whole Earth
O Lord let the fulness of thine everlasting gospel spedily go to all the gentile
Nations when they count themselves unworthy of Eternal life may the law be
learned & testimony sealed in their midst that they be left without excuse
May Israel spedily return & seak the Lord his God & thy goodness in the Latter day
let the prayer of the widow & the cry of the orphan assend into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth
let the Heavens witness their tears & record them on high untill the Allmighty shall
come out of his hiding place & avenge those Widows & Orphans of the Spilt Blood
of their Martered husbands & fathers which was shed by the Iron hand of the Inhabitants
of Missouri for the word of God & the testimony of Jesus Christ. Let the Americ
an Nation spedily learn that there is a God in Israel who holds the destinies
of all Nations & at whose command goes forth the Issues of life & Death. O
Lord cloth thy Saints with Salvation & thine elders with the power of God
Let thy special witnesses be swift to the Nations of the Earth. Let council
wisdom & the fear of God rest upon them untill all thy purposes are accomplised
concerning them which thou dost Deign to perform Give thy prophets wisdom means
& power to esstablish Zion & her Stakes to be throne down no more forever
but to remain as an asylum & a place of refuge for the honest in [page torn]
thee meek of the earth from the gathering storm which is about to fall [page torn]
the heads of this generation. Which is the prayer of your companion
Phebe W. Woodruff W Woodruff
NB I shall expect all of my letters here after to be forwaded to 149 Oldham Road Manchester
write often as you can & give me all the news. give my respets to Sister Lydia M Luce
& all the fox Island friends to Broth Haw Clarks family & all the Saints who inquire
to the presidency, & Bishops, & Elders, priests, Teachers, Deacons, & Saints, was glad
to hear our friends were well in Maine & Farmington you are now passing
through the sickly season wish I knew how you are getting along these days. Well my
Dear Phebe let us be as patient as we can our sufferings will soon be ore
& we will have a long time of rest. it is a great consolation to my feelings to see
you so willing to endure these things you shall not loose your reward & you
will one day rejoice that you have past though these things. two lettes which you wrote
to me I have not yet obtained I am now looking for Elder Hide evry day. I
made some extracts from your last letter for the Star by request of
Elder Young Write as soon as you get this I think it would be well for you
to have a house built in Commerce if you can get one. I shall try to
bring home some means with me for you when I come if possible. I think
of calling upon our friends in Maine on my return continue to pray for me
I will constatly remember you before a throne of grace. Willford
I dont know as you can make out my writing I have no time to write ownly in great heast & not time to
[p◊◊◊◊◊◊ate] hardly look them over but read what you can & I will read the rest when I come
Mrs Phebe W. Woodruff
Montrose
Lee County
Iowa Teritory
United States
Willford Woodruff July 17th 1840
Burslem Staffordshire England