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Source: Times and Seasons Vol. 3 Chapter 2 Page: 598

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598 sister Sarah Perkins is coming, she is included with his family, Br. Bateman's, Br. Heape's, and others from Pendlebury, Oldham, Duckenfield, Stockport, as well as many other towns in the country. I believe Br. William Berry is coming; I am coming myself in the course of 5 or 6 years. My health is very good, thank the Lord for it; I am still in the same situation, the Lord gives me favor in the eyes of my employer, although many have told lies to him and reported false things about me, but he does not believe them; some are of a very bad nature. My wife and children are well, little Heber gets very stout and sharp, my mother-in-law is about the same eats her meat well but still lies in bed, my mother is rather fretful about Thomas' coming, she goes to the Hall now and then, she is not baptized, I have hopes she will be soon: my sister Catharine is much better, she is willing to come to America. Br. Charles sends his love to you all and to Joseph Smith (although he has not seen him) knowing him to be a prophet of the Most High, and you the servants of the Lord: my sister Susannah is well, she sends her love to you. I have felt lately, as though I was short of something; and what do you think it is; I will tell you: I think if I should hear from you I would be in possession of that I am short of at present. I was asking Br. Pratt if he had any word to send to Zion, he said yes; you can say that neither myself nor the Manchester church has received a letter from any of the quorum, while he can hear of letters going to London and other places; he wonders what you are about, and so do I: you must not think we have forgotten you, for there are a few yet in Manchester that love and think much of you.

I cannot close this letter without testifying to the truth of the work of the Lord. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet called of God to do a great work in this generation, and whosoever shall seek to destroy him shall be confounded, that the Book of Mormon contains the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and whosoever obeys the truth shall come to the light, and they shall know whether it be of God or not. I know that you are his servants to minister salvation to the nations of the earth, that this work is that which was spoken of by many of the prophets of old, that these days are the days spoken of by Jesus Christ that should be like the days of Noah and of Lot; the signs of his coming are seen and heard in this part of the vineyard. There has been seen at midnight a bright personage in the air; it changed into the form of an eye and then disappeared: it was first seen as a star descending and ascending. One Saturday night as I was going home about 12 o'clock, I could not help admiring the stars for they were so bright as soon as I entered the street I live in I was enveloped in a great light, I stopped in a moment then it left me: I looked up and saw a horizontal light in the sky, it was wide at the south end, and narrow at the north in the form of a club or trumpet.

Shipwrecks, floods, houses and workshops falling, great and destructive fires, sudden deaths, (there have many fell down dead in the streets: one man was refused admittance to the love feast in the independent Methodist chapel Hanover street, he fell down dead at the door,) Banks breaking, men's hearts failing them for fear, because no man buyeth their merchandise, shop keepers and manufacturers failing, many accidents on the railways.

The ship will sail for New Orleans, they expect to get to Nauvoo by December. I request an interest in your prayers that I may be found faithful to the grace given me, for I feel myself one of the weakest of the weak. However I feel determined by the help of the Lord to improve the talent given me. Give my love to Joseph Smith, and all the brethren. Farewell, may the peace of Jesus be with you all, Amen.

WILLIAM MILLER

For the Times and Seasons.

Br. Robinson,

Dear sir-Knowing the anxiety of the brethren scattered abroad, to hear from the travelling [traveling] elders, and their success in preaching the gospel to this generation; we thought it would not be out of place, to give a short account of our labours [labors] this season. We left Nauvoo, the last of April, on a mission eastward, and travelled [traveled] through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, preaching as opportunity offered, and waiting upon those who wished to obey, until we arrived at the north east part of the state of Ohio, where we spent near three months, preaching in

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