Isaac C. Haight — Spiritual Witness of the Book of Mormon

“I soon found my mind changing from the rigid close communion Baptist of the Presbyterian school to the universalian principles but not established in any creed. In this state of mind I was found by a preacher of the gospel by the name of Pelatiah Brown in the winter of eighteen hundred and thirty-eight. He preached the gospel and the baptize for the remission of sin and to lay hands on for the gift of the Holy Ghost. He was opposed by a Methodist preacher but I thought he only exposed his own weakness. The spirit bore testimony to me of the truth and after close investigation I became convinced that God had set up his kingdom on the earth again and on the third day of March 1839 I and my wife were buried in the waters of baptism for the remission of sins, much to the mortification of our friends. Although the cold was severe–so much that our clothes froze stiff the moment we came out of the water — yet our hearts were warm with the spirit of God. Many reviled against the truth and tried to discourage us and turn us back from the truth to the weak and beggarly elements of the world. We had to go about a quarter of a mile to change our clothes, which when we had done we were confirmed as members of the Church of Latter-day Saints, and then Elder Brown ordained me an elder by the spirit of revelation.”

— Isaac C. Haight, autobiography/journal