History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

338 MORMONISM AND POLYGAMY.
the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors,
teachers, evangelists; in the gift of tongues,*
dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened,' etc.
He also states that it was revealed to him on Sept. 1, 1S42, that a general recorder
must be appointed. Mil. Star, xx. 5-6; Doctrine and Covenants, 409-
' 13. For the ceremony itself, he finds warrant in 1st Cor., xv. 29. Else
what shall they do who are baptized for the dead ? If the dead rise not at
all, why are they then baptized for the dead?'
Confirmation follows baptism, with frequently an interval of a few days.
Baptism may take place on any day in the week, and the confirmation be deferred
until the church assembles on the following, or even a later, Sunday.
Two or more elders commonly attend, all taking part in the ceremony. Mrs
Stenhouse thus describes her own confirmation: 'Four elders placed their
hands solemnly upon my head, and one of them said: "Fanny, by virtue of
the authority vested in me, I confirm you a member of the church of Jesus
Christ of latter-day saints; and inasmuch as you have been obedient to the
command of God, through his servants, and have been baptized for the remission
of your sins, I say unto you that those sins are remitted. And in the
name of God I bless you, and say unto you, that inasmuch as you are faithful
and obedient to the teachings of the priesthood, and seek the advancement
of the kingdom, there is no good thing that your heart can desire that the
Lord will not give unto you. You shall have visions and dreams, and angels
shall visit you by day and by night. You shall stand in the temple in Zion,
and administer to the saints of the most high God. You shall speak iu
tongues and prophecy; and the Lord shall bless you abundantly, both temporally
and spiritually. These blessings I seal upon your head, inasmuch as
you shall be faithful; and I pray heaven to bless you; and say unto you, be
thou blessed, in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy ghost.
Amen.'" Englishwoman in Utah, 19-20.
4 The gift of tongues is the power to speak in a strange language, but
not to translate. It first appeared about 1S30, when it was pronounced of
the devil. Howe says it was revived in the early part of 1833, and that at
one meeting Joseph passed around the room laying his band upon each one,
and speaking as follows: 'Ak man, oh son, oh man, ah ne commene en holle
goste en haben en glai hosanne en holle goste en esac milkea Jeremiah, ezekiel,
Nephi, Lehi, St John,' etc. Mormonism Unveiled, 132-6. In this year,
it was suggested that 'no prophecy spoken in tongues should be made public,
for this reason: many who pretend to have the gift of interpretation are liable
to be mistaken, and do not give the true interpretation of what is spoken;. .
but if any speak in tongues a word of exhortation or doctrine, or the principles
of the gospel, etc., let it be interpreted for the edification of the church.'
Times and Seasons, vi. 865. The gift was not confined to men; many women
were noted for eloquence when thus inspired. Says Mrs Stenhouse of a Sister
Ellis: 'Her hands were clenched, and her eyes had that wild and supernatural
glare which is never seen save in cases of lunacy or intense feverish excitement.
Every one waited breathlessly, listening to catch what she might say;
you might have heard a pin drop. They [her utterances] seemed to me chiefly
the repetition of the same syllables, something like a child repeating la, la,
la, le, lo; ma, ma, ma, mi, ma; dele, dele, dele, hela; followed, perhaps, by
a number of sounds strung together, which could not be rendered in any
shape by the pen.' Englishwoman in Utah, 27-8. Says Orson Hyde: 'We
believe in the gift of the holy ghost being enjoyed now as much as it was in
the apostles' days, and that it is imparted by the laying on of hands of those
in authority; and that the gift of tongues, and also the gift of prophecy,
are gifts of the spirit, and are obtained through that medium.' Frontier
Guardian, Dec. 12, 1849. Mrs Stenhouse remarks that 'in later days, the exercise
of this gift has been discouraged by the elders, and especially by Brigham.'
Going to the Lion House one day, she was blessed by one of Brigham 's wives,
.