Elder's deliverance from the power of darkness through prayer in Comstall
Published October 5, 2026 at 6:01 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
While conducting an outdoor meeting in Comstall, near Marple, an unnamed Elder experienced the power of darkness taking hold of him as he began to speak. He was unable to speak above a whisper, but he continued to pray until the Lord gave him power to overcome the manifestation. Following this, he spoke with great power.
In Their Own Words
“At the commencement I experienced a sensation something similar to that described by the Prophet Joseph Smith while praying in the wood at the time his first vision. The power of darkness began to take hold of me, but I continued to pray, and it was all I could do to speak above a whisper; but the Lord gave me power to overcome it, although it made me quite sick and weak at the time. But when I got up after Brother Brown had spoken, I don't know that I ever spoke with more power. I felt that the Lord was with me, and that the adversary was rebuked. We had a good meeting, and the people listened with great attention.”
— Elder, in a letter to the editor, Millennial Star 44:26
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 26 June 1882 (Vol. 44, No. 26). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1882-06-26_44_26 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 44, No. 26, June 26, 1882, p. 414 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1882-06-26_44_26
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