Early Scenes in Church History / Eighth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series

by Various

On another occasion, when Elder Giles was on a visit to his father's house, he was sent for to administer to a neighbor lady, who had been sick and confined to her bed for a considerable length of time. When he went to see her she was suffering the most excruciating pain, but when he had anointed her and rebuked her disease all pain vanished and she was restored to health. She afterwards came to Utah and frequently testified of the miraculous manner in which she was healed.

Brother Giles himself met with a terrible accident, and the power of God manifested in preserving his life and restoring him to health, was not less remarkable than in the cases before mentioned. On the 23rd of July, 1843, he visited the Llanelly branch of the Church, where he held meeting out of doors in the forenoon and in the afternoon attended a sacrament meeting. At the latter meeting permission was given for any of the Saints to speak as they might feel led by the Spirit. Among others Elder Giles was moved upon to speak in tongues, and the interpretation of what he said was given to the president of the branch, Elder John Morgan, as follows: "My servant, watch, for thy life is in danger; but through thy faith thy life shall be spared!"

Feeling sure that there was something prophetic about this, Elder Giles warned Brother Morgan at the close of the meeting to be careful, and not to be out late at night, lest some plot might be laid by his enemies to take his life. He also said that he would try to take care of himself, and avoid danger, lest it might be himself that the warning was intended for.

On the following Wednesday, the 26th of July, Brother Giles went to his work as usual in the coal mine, and in a short time after he had commenced work a large piece of coal, weighing about two thousand pounds fell upon him. He was in a stooping posture at the time, being about to pick up a piece of coal that lay in front of him, and when he was knocked down his head lodged between this and the mass of coal that fell upon him. His head was split open from the back of the crown down to his eyes. One of his eyes was also completely cut out of the socket, and the other crushed so that it ran out.

He was taken home, and two physicians came and examined his head. They declined doing anything for him, as they said it was not possible for him to live over two hours. However, after a great deal of persuasion, they consented to wash off his head, pick the pieces of coal out of it and sew up the wounds. They also left medicine for him to take, such as they thought suitable for the case, but he refused to take a drop of it. He remembered the promise of the Lord, that through faith his life should be spared, and felt to hold on to it and claim a blessing at the hands of the Almighty. The Saints of the branch in which he lived were very faithful and kind, and did all they possibly could under the circumstances for his comfort.

On the third day after the accident Elder William S. Phillips, the president of the Welsh mission, anointed him with consecrated oil, laid his hands upon his head and blessed him in the name of Jesus Christ. Brother Giles testifies that the healing power of the Holy Spirit did rest upon him at that time, for he got out of bed and walked across two rooms, back and forth. On the ninth day after the accident he sang a song for some of his friends who had called to see him, and in four weeks he traveled twelve miles in company with two of the brethren to visit his father and mother and the president of the branch. On the fourth Sunday after the accident, being called upon, he spoke in a public meeting in the afternoon and evening.

Soon after that he was called upon to travel throughout the mission and bear his testimony and preach to the people, in company with Elder John Jones, and he did so.

While thus engaged he visited Newport, and learned the particulars of a miracle that had occurred there a short time previous. A young man named Reuben Brinkworth, who had been deaf and dumb for a number of years, manifested a desire to be baptized, and on receiving that ordinance at the hands of Elder Nash, in whose house he resided, both his hearing and speech were immediately restored to him.

Brother Giles visited this young man and questioned him in regard to the miracle, and was assured by him that when he went into the water to be baptized he could neither hear nor speak, but as soon as he was baptized he could do both. Brother Nash also bore his testimony to the same facts.

Near the same time that Brother Giles met with his accident a friend of his, named David Davis, who was living in Merthyr, was almost crushed to a pulp by the roof of a coal mine falling upon him. When he was dug out Elder William Phillips and some other brethren laid their hands upon him and promised him that he should live and be healed. While their hands were upon his head, his broken ribs and other bones were heard coming together with a noise which was quite perceptible. Brother Davis, who was a truthful, honest man, lived to travel about Wales and testify of this miracle and follow his daily labor as if no such accident had ever occurred. He afterwards emigrated to the United States, and is perhaps yet alive.