On leaving the doctor's office the boy asked his father what the doctor had said about him, and received the discouraging reply that, in the doctor's opinion, he could not live to be a man.
Thomas determined to rely no more upon the doctors' treatment, but to appeal to the Lord, and if he could not be healed in answer to the prayer of the Elders to be satisfied to die.
The Elders at that time frequently held meetings at the Briggs home, so the very next time they met there the father informed the President of the Branch of the boy's wish. He was accordingly anointed with oil, after which the Elders laid their hands upon his head and prayed for him. He slept well that night and when he arose the following morning his lame limb was as sound and well as the other, and of the same length, although it had previously been fully two inches shorter, causing him to walk with a decided limp. A pair of shoes had been ordered for him with a specially thick cork sole upon the left one, to enable him to walk without limping, but as they had not been finished before he was administered to, the thick sole feature was the next day countermanded. The left limb had never been as vigorous as the other from the time he was three months old, and it was a few weeks after the incident referred to before it became as fleshy, although it was equally strong. After that one could not have told from the appearance of his limbs when nude which had been affected; nor, in fact, that either ever had been.
Near the same time Thomas' sister Elizabeth had a large and painful swelling come under her ear, and when the mother was almost worn out with sitting up and waiting upon her, the Elders also administered to her. Immediately afterwards she fell asleep, slept soundly all night and when she awoke the next morning the large swelling, which had been round and hard like a ball, had disappeared, and the loose skin hung down in the place of it like a bag upon the shoulder, with no evidence whatever of any discharge from it. It always remained a mystery where the discharge had gone to. Within a few days the loose skin dried up and peeled off, and new skin succeeded, without any sign of a scar.
An account of these two cases of healing was published in the Millennial Star of April 24, 1850, over the signatures of Henry Beecroft and James McNaughton, the two Elders who officiated, both of whom, as Brother Briggs remarks in his narrative, afterwards apostatized, which serves to illustrate the fact that however much the power of God may be made manifest through an Elder, he may still be overcome by the evil one unless he leads a pure life and remains humble.
Brother Briggs also relates an instance of his mother being healed in answer to prayer soon after the family joined the Church. She had been so ill for several weeks as to be unable to leave her bed, when one evening the Elders called and administered to her. She was healed immediately, arose and prepared supper for her guests, of which she also ate heartily herself, and then joined in singing hymns and entertaining until midnight, as if she had never been ailing.
On the 27th of January, 1849, Thomas, who was then in his 18th year, was baptized, and from that time bore a fervent testimony to the truth of the Gospel.
During a meeting of the Saints held in Hull soon after Thomas was baptized, a person spoke in tongues, and when the interpretation was given (which was by another person, and which was evidently inspired) it was found that it related wholly to Thomas. It was said that he would have many trials to pass through in life, and much suffering to endure, but they should be shown to him beforehand, and if he remained faithful he would come off victorious, and in the end wear a martyr's crown.
Thomas was not specially impressed with this incident at the time, but he had occasion to think of it many times afterwards, and also to see much of it verified.
In the year 1849 the cholera was very prevalent in Hull, and though many of the Saints suffered from it, but few of them died, being mostly healed by the power of God in answer to prayer.