Description

He Could See the Devil Leave Him

Among the truest friends that the Prophet Joseph had in his lifetime was the Joseph Knight family of Colesville, New York. They were there to assist the Prophet even as early as the translation of the Book of Mormon. When the Church was organized on April 6, 1830, the Knight family and their numerous connections were in attendance. Shortly after these events, Joseph traveled to Colesville to minister to those who believed. Among those who attended the meetings was Newel Knight a close friend and confidant of the Prophet Joseph. In one of the meetings, Joseph instructed Newel Knight that he must pray vocally. This caused Newel great concern and he declined saying he would go out into the woods and there pray. Accordingly, he went out into the woods and tried repeatedly, but could not. The Prophet’s history records the following about Newel.

He began to feel uneasy and continued to feel worse both in mind and body, until upon reaching his own house, his appearance was such as to alarm his wife very much. He requested her to go and bring me to him. I went and found him suffering very much in his mind; and his body acted upon in a very strange manner. His visage and limbs were distorted and twisted in every shape and
appearance possible to imagine; and finally, he was caught up off the floor of the apartment and tossed about most fearfully. His situation was soon made known to his neighbors and relatives, and in a short time as many as eight or nine grown persons had got together to witness the scene. After he had thus suffered for a time, I succeeded in getting hold of him by the hand, when almost immediately he spoke to me, and with great earnestness requested of me, that I should cast the devil out of him, saying that he knew he was in him, and that he also knew that I could cast him out. I replied, if you know that I can, it shall be done, and then almost unconsciously I rebuked the devil; and commanded him in the name of Jesus Christ to depart from him; when immediately Newel spoke out and said that he could see the devil leave him and vanish from his sight.

All of this was witnessed by numerous people to their great astonishment. It served to affirm faith in those who saw. Newel was exhausted and once he regained consciousness, he was laid on the bed in peace and repose. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he said:

I now began to feel a most pleasing sensation resting upon me, and immediately the visions of heaven were opened to my view. I felt myself attracted upwards, and remained for sometime enwrapt in contemplation, insomuch that I knew not what was going on in the room. By and by I felt some weight pressing upon my shoulder and the side of my head; which served to recall me to a sense of my situation, and I found that the Spirit of the Lord had actually caught me up off the floor, and that my shoulder and head were pressing against the beams.

Source:

http://boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/NKnight.html

History of the Saints Interview with William G. Hartley, Knight Family biographer, February 11, 2014.