Wilford Woodruff's Deliverance from a Constable

While preaching at Frome's Hill, Herefordshire, in March 1840, Wilford Woodruff faced opposition from the local Anglican rector. As Woodruff began his final sermon of the day at the home of John Benbow, a constable arrived to serve a warrant for his arrest for preaching without authorization. Woodruff remained composed, informing the officer that he possessed a legal license to preach, just as the rector did, and insisted that he would not be interrupted mid-sermon. He instructed the constable to sit down and listen, promising to address the matter after the service. The constable, somewhat agitated, complied. Woodruff then preached for an hour and a quarter, with the power of the Holy Spirit filling the house and deeply affecting the congregation. At the conclusion of the meeting, seven attendees, including the constable himself and the parish clerk, came forward requesting baptism. The constable abandoned the warrant entirely, and Woodruff baptized all seven candidates in the pond on the Benbow farm, confirming them at the water’s edge.