David Patten Witnesses Epidemic Healing and Speaking in Tongues

During David Patten's ministry in the summer of 1833, after his baptism, he was blessed to witness remarkable manifestations of God's power. He recorded: 'Now the Lord did work with me wonderfully in signs and wonders following them that did believe in the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; insomuch that the deaf were made to hear, the blind to see, and the lame were made whole; fevers, palsies, crooked limbs and withered limbs, and in fine all manner of diseases common to the country, were healed by the power of God that was manifested through his servants.' In Henderson, Ohio, after Patten preached the first principles of the Gospel, 'eight persons who came forward and were baptized for the remission of their sins, and when hands were laid upon them the Holy Ghost fell on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied.' This account demonstrates how God's power was manifest not only in healing diseases and infirmities but also in the bestowal of spiritual gifts. By the blessing of God, David was able to raise branches totaling eighty members, all experiencing the direct manifestations of the Holy Ghost.