Amongst those who attended our meeting regularly, was Newell Knight, son of Joseph Knight. He and I had many serious converstaions on the important subject of man's eternal salvation. We had got into the habit of praying much at our meetings, and Newel had said that he would try and take up his cross, and pray vocally during meetings; but when we again met together, he rather excused himself. I tried to prevail upon him, making use of the figure, supposing that he should get into a mud-hole, would he not try to help himself out? And I further said that we were willing now to help him out of the mud-hole. He replied, that provided he had got into a mud-hole through carelessness, he would rather wait and get himself out, than to have others help him; and so he would wait until he could get into the woods by himself, and there he would pray. Accordingly, he deferred prayng until the next morning, when he retired into the woods; where, according to his own account afterwards, he made several attempts to pray, but could scarcely do so, feeling that he had not done his duty, in refusing to pray in the presence of others. He began to feel uneasy, and continued to feel worse, both in mind and body, until, upon reaching his own house, his appearance was such to ALARM his wife very much. He requested her to go and bring me to him. I went and found suffering very much in his mind, and his body acted upon in a very strange manner; his visage and limbs distorted, and twisted in EVERY shape and appearance possible to imagine; and finally he was caught UP off the floor of the apartment, and tossed about most seriously.
His situation was soon made KNOWN to his neighbors and relatives, and in a short time as many as 8 or 9 grown persons had got together to WITNESS the scene. After he had thus suffered for a time, I succeeded in getting hold of him by the hands, when almost immediately he spoke to me, and with great earnestness REQUESTED me to CAST the devil out of him, saying that he knew he was in him, and he also knew that I could CAST him out.
I replied, "If you know that I can, it shall be done;" and then almost unconciously I rebuked the devil, and commanded him in the NAME of Jesus Christ to depart from him; when IMMEDIATELY Newel spoke out and said that he saw the devil leave him and vanish from his sight. This was the first miracle which was done in the Church, or by any member of it; and it was done NOT by man, nor by the power of man, but it was done by God, and by the power of Godliness; therefore, let the honor and the praise, the dominion and the glory, be ascribed to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen (Joseph Smith, Colesville, New York, April 1930)
A short time later, Newell Knight was called to testify against Joseph Smith in the magistrate's court of Colesville, Broome Country. After listening to many witness patently bearing false witness against Joseph< lawyer Seymour proceeded to interrogate Newell as follows:
Question--"Did the prisoner, Joseph Smith, Jr., cast the devil out of you?"
Answer--"No Sir".
Question--Why, have you not had the devil cast out of you?"
Answer--"Yes, sir."
Question--"And had not Joseph Smith some hand in it being done?"
Answer--"Yes, sir."
Question--"And did he not cast him out of you?"
Answer--"No, sir. It was done by the power of God, and Joseph Smith was the instrument in the hands of God on this occasion. He commanded him to come out of me in the name of Jesus Christ."
Question--"And are you sure it was the devil?"
Answer--"Yes, sir, I saw him."
Question--"Pray, what did he look like?"
Although advised that he did not have to answer that question, Brother Knight replied: "I believe, I need not answer you that question, but I will do it if I am allowed to ask you one, and you can answer it. Do you, Mr. Seymour, understand the things of the Spirit?" "No", answered Mt. Seymour, "I do not pretend to such big things." "Well then," I replied, "it will be of no use for me to tell you what the devil looked like, for it was a spiritual sight and spiritually discerned, and of course, you would not understand it were I to tell you of it." The lawyer dropped his head, while the loud laugh of the audience proclaimed his discomfiture.
IBMAGG
[This message has been edited by ibmagg (edited 6/14/2006 1:56a).]
[This message has been edited by ibmagg (edited 6/14/2006 1:58a).]
His situation was soon made KNOWN to his neighbors and relatives, and in a short time as many as 8 or 9 grown persons had got together to WITNESS the scene. After he had thus suffered for a time, I succeeded in getting hold of him by the hands, when almost immediately he spoke to me, and with great earnestness REQUESTED me to CAST the devil out of him, saying that he knew he was in him, and he also knew that I could CAST him out.
I replied, "If you know that I can, it shall be done;" and then almost unconciously I rebuked the devil, and commanded him in the NAME of Jesus Christ to depart from him; when IMMEDIATELY Newel spoke out and said that he saw the devil leave him and vanish from his sight. This was the first miracle which was done in the Church, or by any member of it; and it was done NOT by man, nor by the power of man, but it was done by God, and by the power of Godliness; therefore, let the honor and the praise, the dominion and the glory, be ascribed to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen (Joseph Smith, Colesville, New York, April 1930)
A short time later, Newell Knight was called to testify against Joseph Smith in the magistrate's court of Colesville, Broome Country. After listening to many witness patently bearing false witness against Joseph< lawyer Seymour proceeded to interrogate Newell as follows:
Question--"Did the prisoner, Joseph Smith, Jr., cast the devil out of you?"
Answer--"No Sir".
Question--Why, have you not had the devil cast out of you?"
Answer--"Yes, sir."
Question--"And had not Joseph Smith some hand in it being done?"
Answer--"Yes, sir."
Question--"And did he not cast him out of you?"
Answer--"No, sir. It was done by the power of God, and Joseph Smith was the instrument in the hands of God on this occasion. He commanded him to come out of me in the name of Jesus Christ."
Question--"And are you sure it was the devil?"
Answer--"Yes, sir, I saw him."
Question--"Pray, what did he look like?"
Although advised that he did not have to answer that question, Brother Knight replied: "I believe, I need not answer you that question, but I will do it if I am allowed to ask you one, and you can answer it. Do you, Mr. Seymour, understand the things of the Spirit?" "No", answered Mt. Seymour, "I do not pretend to such big things." "Well then," I replied, "it will be of no use for me to tell you what the devil looked like, for it was a spiritual sight and spiritually discerned, and of course, you would not understand it were I to tell you of it." The lawyer dropped his head, while the loud laugh of the audience proclaimed his discomfiture.
IBMAGG
[This message has been edited by ibmagg (edited 6/14/2006 1:56a).]
[This message has been edited by ibmagg (edited 6/14/2006 1:58a).]