SENT ON A MISSION—STRICKEN WITH CHILLS AND FEVER—PRESIDENT OF MISSION PROFFERS TO RELEASE HIM—UNWILLING TO BE RELEASED—INSTANTLY HEALED WHEN ADMINISTERED TO—TWIN BOYS HEALED IN ANSWER TO ELDER BROWN'S PRAYER—ELDER BROWN HAS A RELAPSE—INSTANTLY HEALED WHEN AGAIN ADMINISTERED TO—AGAIN URGED TO ACCEPT HIS RELEASE—FIELD OF LABOR CHANGED—HEALTH FAILS, AND HE IS SENT HOME—REPROVED BY PRESIDENT WOODRUFF—VICTIM OF A STREET CAR ACCIDENT—HEALED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.

In 1895 Brother Brown went on a mission to the Southern States, and labored chiefly in Tennessee. He suffered severely from chills and fever, and Elias S. Kimball, president of the mission, wanted to release him to return home. He was ambitious, however, to remain the usual length of time, and make a record as an efficient missionary, and protested against being released. He had faith that he would be healed if administered to, and requested Elder Kimball to anoint his head with oil and pray for his recovery. While Elder Kimball's hands were still upon his head he felt that he was completely healed, and was apparently as free from the ailment afterwards as if he had never been affected by it.

He entered again upon his labors with zest, enjoyed the spirit of his calling and felt very much encouraged over the prospects ahead of making converts and filling a successful mission.

About this time a man who was not a member of the Church brought two boys to him—twins—about six years old, who had been afflicted with fits almost from birth, and requested him to administer to them. He did so, and they were immediately and permanently relieved of their ailment. It created something of a sensation in the neighborhood, where they were well known. The family were encouraged to investigate the Gospel, did so deliberately and thoroughly, became satisfied of its truth, were baptized and remained faithful.

In his zeal to accomplish as much as possible, Elder Brown over-exerted himself and had a relapse of chills and fever, again applied to President Elias S. Kimball, was again administered to and was again healed.

President Kimball again took up a labor with Elder Brown to induce him to accept his release, telling him that according to his judgment he was not the kind of a man to stand the malarial climate of the south. Elder Brown, however, had set his heart upon the work and still declined to accept a release.

In the hope that a change of his field of operations might result in benefit to Elder Brown, President Kimball sent him to labor in a new district for him—in West Tennessee. He gave the President of the Conference special instruction to take an interest in Elder Brown, and, if possible, guard against a recurrence of his ailment. They were temporarily short of traveling Elders in that conference, but more were expected to arrive soon, when it was suggested that he be released from acting as traveling Elder, and allowed to spend his time among the larger branches, organizing Sunday Schools. President Kimball felt that he could be usefully employed in that line, and be able to take better care of his health, because of not being exposed to bad weather.

The result was that the new Elders did not arrive when expected, and Elder Brown was kept laboring as a traveling Elder in that field five and a half months, instead of only a couple of weeks, as intended. He was laboring "without purse or scrip," having agreed to so labor when he first arrived in the mission. While he had faith enough to do so, it involved hardships for which he was in no way fitted, because of his impaired health. He was determined not to give up, and not to volunteer any information in regard to his health either to the conference president or to President Kimball. He grew so bad that he suffered constantly from chills and fever, lost flesh until he was a mere shadow of his former self and for more than a week at a stretch was almost wholly without sleep. His companion had urged him many times to make his condition known to the mission president, but all in vain. Finally his companion became really alarmed about his case, and posted a letter off himself to the mission president, informing him of Elder Brown's condition.

Brother Brown seemed to be very slow about learning that the Lord required the missionaries engaged in his ministry to use wisdom in the matter of conserving their health, to avoid undue exposure, the drinking of impure or contaminated water, going heedlessly in the way of epidemics, etc. While the Lord has the power to heal them, and they, being in His service, should have a special claim upon His protection and blessing, they should not knowingly "tempt the Lord." The account given us in the Bible of Satan taking the Savior up on to the pinnacle of the Temple and proposing that he cast Himself down, may serve as an illustration of the principle under consideration. Of course, the Father had it in His power to save Him, but the injunction was, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." In the ordinary nature of things certain penalties follow the breaking of certain laws. One of the laws of nature is that the human body is incapable of enduring an intense heat. If it comes in contact with fire the flesh is burned, and pain and suffering and perhaps dissolution follows. Of course, the Almighty is able to arrest the operation of a law of nature, as He did in the case of the three Hebrew children that the Bible tells us of being cast into the fiery furnace, but there was special reason for His doing so in their case. They were in the line of their duty, and it was because of their devotion to His cause that they were cast into the furnace, and there was therefore more reason for the Lord coming to their rescue than there would have been had they voluntarily gone into the fire, and thus "tempted the Lord" to suffer them to be destroyed.

Every missionary owes it to himself, to his family, to the people among whom he is sent to labor and to the cause he represents, to take good care of his health, to consider differences in climate, and food, and water and altitude, any or all of which may affect him injuriously unless great care be exercised on his part until he become acclimated or accustomed thereto.

Elder Brown had exhibited more zeal than wisdom in persisting in staying in the mission field after his President had advised him to go home, in enduring hardships and privations that were enough to break the constitution of a thoroughly healthy man in his anxiety to make a record as a missionary. Of course his traveling without purse or scrip rendered him more subject to exposure than if he had been entirely master of the situation by having money in his pocket to pay for food and lodging and transportation whenever required. But if he had been impressed with the fact that his health was of the first importance, and that being out in a shower or even getting his feet wet, and especially going to bed in his wet clothing meant endangering his health in the malarial region in which he traveled, he would have been less reckless than he really was. If he had realized that the natural effect of fasting—voluntary and involuntary—to which he had been subjected, sometimes to an excessive degree, was to weaken his body and render it less capable of withstanding disease and enduring hardship, he might have curbed his enthusiasm, and been more moderate in that respect. As it was, his zeal and enthusiasm really made him reckless, and there is little doubt that he has suffered ever since as a result.

When President Elias S. Kimball received the letter from Elder Brown's companion informing him of the real situation, he sent peremptory orders for the release of the suffering missionary and had him forwarded home without delay.

On his arrival in Salt Lake City he called upon President Woodruff and reported his labors in the mission field, and was taken to task for his reckless disregard of the rules of health. He was told that it was his positive duty to return home when the President of the mission wished to release him, as he was the man whose privilege it was to know the will of the Lord on the subject. His persistence in remaining in the mission and continuing his labors under such unfavorable conditions after such ample warning as he had received of the danger, was really tempting the Lord. The fact that the Lord had mercifully healed him on two different occasions in the mission field, did not even justify him in continuing the risk in the face of the mission president's protest.

How far his good intentions served as a palliation of his offense, is a matter of conjecture. That the Lord has not cast him off is evident from the fact that he enjoys a goodly degree of His spirit. He is a faithful laborer in the cause of God, but his usefulness is very much impaired by his poor health.

Brother Brown has had many evidences since his return from his mission of the willingness of the Lord to hear and answer his own prayers and the prayers of others in his behalf. As an instance, he mentions that he was accidentally thrown from a street car on the evening of January 30, 1913. He was unconscious when picked up, and taken to a hospital, and remained so until 10 o'clock the next morning, when he rallied. Upon examination, it was found that his nose had been broken, three teeth knocked out, four ribs fractured and a rupture produced. Three days afterwards, while suffering from internal hemorrhage and in very great pain, he called for Brother William Newell to administer to him. He felt a change occur while the hands of the Elder were upon his head and testifies that it was by the power of God that he was healed. His improvement from that time was rapid, and the readiness and completeness of his recovery surprised his friends and the doctors who knew the extent of his injuries.