the name of the Lord & said I should live and not die I was then laid upon my bed in my waggon
as my cabbin was not done, & as the Apostles prophesied upon my head so it came to pass I did live
& not die I employed no physician on this occasion but was administered to by the Elders of Israel and nursed
by my wife. I lay upon my bed unabled to move untill my breast bone began to knit together which commenced on the
9th day I began to walk about in 20 days and in 30 days from the time I was hurt I again commenced hard labour
And it has always appeared mirraculous to me that with all the injuries & broaken bones that I have had that
I now have not a lame limb about, but me, but have been enabled ever since to endure the hardest man-
uel labour, exposures, hardship & Journeies, have even walked 40, 50, and on one occasion 60 miles in
a day, however if I overlabour or take a severe cold I feel it more sensibly in my breast & left side than
I did before my last injury. Thus I have occupied considerable space in refering to those peculiar circumstances
which have attended me during life and to sum the matter up it stands about thus, I have broaken both
legs (one twice in two) both Arms, both Ancles, my breast bone & three ribs, have been drowned, froze, & scalded,
have been in two waterhwheels while turning under a full head of water & have passed through a score of other
hair breadths esscape yet the mercies of God have been over me, & my life has thus far been preserved on
the Earth For which blessing I feel to render the gratitude of my heart with thanksgiving to my Heavenly
Father praying that the remainder of my days may be spent in his service & the building up of his Kingdom
CHAPTER II.
My experience and Reflections upon religious subjects previous to hearing & embracing the fulness of the everlasting gospel as tought & practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints
At an early age my mind from time to time began to be exercised upon religious subjects
but I never made a profession of religion untill AD being 23 years of age. I did not then
Join any church for the reason that I could not find any body of People, denomination, or church
who had for their foundation, doctrines, tenets, faith, & practices: that gospel, faith, principles, practices
ordinances, gifts and foundation which the Ancient Apostles Prophets & Saints Taught, enjoyed and
held forth as the gospel of Jesus Christ with the Holy Ghost and its attendant gifts and graces. And whenever
I conversed with ministers of the various denominations or sexcts they would universally tell me that prophets,
Apostles, Revelations, Healing the sick &c were given to esstablish Jesus Christ & his doctrin & have ever since been
done away and no longer needed in the church & Kingdom of God. This Argument I could not, nor, never
did believe. But I did believe that Revelation, the gifts, graces, & faith once deliverd to the saints which they
have enjoyed in all former Ages when God has hasd an acknowledged people on Earth has been done
away ownly through the disobedience and unbelief of the children of man I believed evry gift Office and
blessing just as necessary to constitute a true church of Christ and Kingdom of God in our day & gener-
ation as in any age of the world. This principle & belief was firmly rivited upon my mind from two
causes, first from the perusal of the bible whare I found cause and effect alike in all past ages and the same
promised in all generations to come. At the same time I could not find any change of the gospel or the plan
of salvation in the days of Christ & the Apostles or that their would be any change in the ordinances of the
gospel or plan of saving men in the last days. I learned from the scriptures that many of the Ancient
Prophets, & Christ and the Apostles, did foresee by Inspiration & Revelation and did prophesy that the Gentile
Nations as the Jews had done would would Apostatize & turn away from the true faith and church and
the name of the Lord & said I should live and not die I was then laid upon my bed in my waggon
as my cabbin was not done, & as the Apostles prophesied upon my head so it came to pass I did live
& not die I employed no physician on this occasion but was administered to by the Elders of Israel and nursed
by my wife. I lay upon my bed unabled to move untill my breast bone began to knit together which commenced on the
9th day I began to walk about in 20 days and in 30 days from the time I was hurt I again commenced hard labour
And it has always appeared miraculous to me that with all the injuries & broaken bones that I have had that
I now have not a lame limb about, me, but have been enabled ever since to endure the hardest manuel labour, exposures, hardship & Journies, have even walked 40, 50, and on one occasion 60 miles in
a day, however if I overlabour or take a severe cold I feel it more sensibly in my breast & left side than
I did before my last injury. Thus I have occupied considerable space in refering to those peculiar circumstances
which have attended me during life and to sum the matter up it stands about thus, I have broaken both
legs (one twice in two) both Arms, both Ancles, my breast bone & three ribs, have been drowned, froze, & scalded,
have been in two waterwheels while turning under a full head of water & have passed through a score of other
hair breadths esscape yet the mercies of God have been over me, & my life has thus far been preserved on
the Earth For which blessing I feel to render the gratitude of my heart with thanksgiving to my Heavenly
Father praying that the remainder of my days may be spent in his service & the building up of his Kingdom
CHAPTER II.
My experience and Reflections upon religious subjects previous to hearing & embracing the fulness of the
everlasting gospel as tought & practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints
At an early age my mind from time to time began to be exercised upon religious subjects
but I never made a profession of religion untill AD 1830 being 23 years of age. I did not then
Join any church for the reason that I could not find any body of People, denomination, or church
who had for their foundation, doctrines, tenets, faith, & practices: that gospel, faith, principles, practices
ordinances, gifts and foundation which the Ancient Apostles Prophets & Saints Taught, enjoyed and
held forth as the gospel of Jesus Christ with the Holy Ghost and its attendant gifts and graces. And whenever
I conversed with ministers of the various denominations or sects they would universally tell me that prophets,
Apostles, Revelations, Healing the sick &c were given to esstablish Jesus Christ & his doctrin & have ever since been
done away and no longer needed in the church & Kingdom of God. This Argument I could not, nor never
did believe. But I did believe that Revelation, the gifts, graces, & faith once deliverd to the saints which they
have enjoyed in all former Ages when God has had an acknowledged people on Earth has been done
away ownly through the disobedience and unbelief of the children of man I believed evry gift Office and
blessing just as necessary to constitute a true church of Christ and Kingdom of God in our day & generation as in any age of the world. This principle & belief was firmly rivited upon my mind from two
causes, first from the perusal of the bible whare I found cause and effect alike in all past ages and the same
promised in all generations to come. At the same time I could not find any change of the gospel or the plan
of salvation in the days of Christ & the Apostles or that their would be any change in the ordinances of the
gospel or plan of saving men in the last days. I learned from the scriptures that many of the Ancient
Prophets, & Christ and the Apostles, did foresee by Inspiration & Revelation and did prophesy that the Gentile
Nations as the Jews had done would Apostatize & turn away from the true faith and church and
