Stoke 11 oclock Saturday night
Elder W. Richards
Dear Brother
A few minutes since while in
a prayer meeting Deacon Bradbury came in & lade two Letters
before me one from you under Date of Feb 7th 1840 & the other was from
Elder Wm clayton Feb 5th 1840 & as my time is now constantly
taken up in the day time, I concluded to write a few lines this eveing
in answer to yours. perhaps you may think that I have not had
time to consider upon your request on your last page sufficient
to express my opinion upon it, but one cause I have for writing
without delay is to inform you of the contents of Brother Clarks
letter which you mailed to him, But perhaps you may have had
it before you will re[c]ieve my Letter He sayes Brothers Joseph & Sidney
has gone to Washington. Brother J. sayes pray for me & I shall come
off conquerer. Brother Mulholland died Nov 14th bro Hilman
Died Nov 19th. Commarce is appointed a Stake of Zion, & Montrose
a Branch. Gov Boggs has landed in Iowey with 1000 men &
sent back for 1000 more. Gov Lucas called out his men.
Brother Clark lossed a youg child 7 weeks old & another sick. Brother
Kimbbal Kimball sick in Kirtland with chills & fever. Letter
Dated Dec 15th 1839 So much from Bro clarks letter. As to news
with us I have nothing very special to say ownly I am stiring the
people up much in this country at the present time Hanly esspecially I
preached thursday night in Hanly to about 400 people & a number of priest
came out armed with ^ivisible^ weapons to give me dreadful battle upon the Book
of Mormon the Lord showed it to me & I preached to them upon the Book
of Mormon & disarmed them of every weapon that they had chosen to fight
me with & it flung them into confusion & they did not wish to leave with
out doing sumthing & so they jumped upon a Bench & raved & hollowed like mad
men untill they were not ownly choaked up but pulled off from the Bench
[by] by the people I gave answers to their hurrang [harangue] as long as I thought it
wisdom & then left the house all in an uproar, I lig like to see
some excitement & things are working about right now in the potteries
to have the people hear the word whether they embrace it or not, the priest
are quite mad because we are getting a hold in Hanly we have
a good house to preach in & we have a worthy brother who has rece
ived the work & his doors are opened unto us constantly. he is a Merc-
hant in the place his wife & servent are also members of the Church
We shall have warm opposition in Hanly for it is the seat of
iniquity & pristcraft but the Lord is with us. I preach on the mor
row Sunday in Stoke & Lane End Elder Corden in Hanly. I receved
a letter from Elder Turley on Thursday he was in Birmingham
preaching to his relatives in the family circle. but was soon expecting
to preach in public. he foud hard work to preach to his parents who
had been professors of Godliness 40 years & had great confidence in
their ministers. Brother H. Glover has just returned on a visit to
his friends about 50 miles & some rage & fight otherers want the word
& some wish to be Baptzed. But I will close about matters with
us
Now Dear Brother with respect to your Difficulty that you spoke of
I will acknowledge I have not had time to meditate upon it & pray about it
as much as I could wish but yet the spirit of God knows all things I
am sensible you have many difficulty things to encounter. I do not
know what better you could have done than the course you have persued con
sidering all circumstances, but one thing is certain sumbody is much
out of the way. In the first place I ask in the name of reason & Revelation
that if Sister D is sick what business Sister C or any other person has to accuse
her of feigning herself sick, the principle is of the Devil & the spirit of God bears
record against it. If Sister C had charity & the Love of God in her soul & was
in the way of her Duty she would go & sympathise with Sister D instead
of speaking against her & that to behind her back such things are agaist
the law of God & iniquity cannot be retained in the church of christ or
at least it should not. The church did right in withdrawing the hand of fel-
lowship from Sister C, & she ought not to be restored unless she will make
an humble acknowledgement of her sins & repent of them before God. if others
had sined ever so much it is no place for Sister C to make a bulwark of
to shelter her sins behind. Again the principle of finding fault with a
Brother & or Sister & speaking evil of them behind their backs as a sin that
God hates & if it is not repented of it will bring the curse of God upon
the heads of those that are thus guilty. & I believe their is eviel of this
kind in Preston, & their are those in preston that have wrongly accused &
had evil surmisings both towards you & Sister Richards & if they do
not scease from those things & spedaly repent their wickedness shall be
manifest & their eniquity brought to light & they will feel the chastning
hand of God, & I say it in the name of Jesus christ. I know
it is difficult to deal with such cases whare they are all pointed towa
rds ones own self, but I am more & more convinced & that to
by the spirit of God, that the church Will never prosper in preston untill
they treat you in a different manner from what they are doing at least
many of them, they ought to sympathize with you in your afflicti[on]
& assist you to the necessaries of life, & uphold you by love, confidence
pray[er] & faith, it is what God requires at their hand. Brother & Sister
Richards dont be discouraged, the Lord will give you the victory, you
shall overcome & your Enemies shall not prevail against you, I
will plead with God for you, you shall have my prayers if I can
do nothing more. I would say in all cases of Church dealing it
would be well to persue the gospel course & it appears that you have done
& leave the event in the hands of God. & let us ask God for wisdom &
he will give it unto us. My Love to Sister Richards & all who
inquire a letter from you will meet a welcome reception at
any time Dont trouble yourself about the postage it is but a trifle I
I will pay it. excuse the hasty scribling of this sheet. That health, strength,
faith, grace, & evry needful thing may rest upon you from God our
Father & our Lord Jesus christ is the prayer of your Brother in the Love of God
W. Richards W Woodruff
Mr Willard Richards
Meadow Street opposite No. 3.
New House Preston
Lancashire
[stamp in black ink] ^STOKE UPON TRENT^
[stamp in black ink] ^NEWCASTLE UNDER LYNE
FE 9
1840^
[sideways text] Woodruff Feb 8. ^1840^ Burslem ^or stoke^
Paid Answred March 3rd