| 23 "Friday, 5th. Attended school, and assisted the committee to make arrangements to supply the third and fourth classes with books; concluded to divide a Bible into several parts, for the benefit of said classes; continued my studies in the Hebrew; received several visitors, and attended various duties.
"Saturday, 6th. Called the anointed together to receive the seal of all their blessings. The High Priests and Elders in the council room as usual, the Seventy with the Twelve in the second room, and the Bishops in the third. I labored with each of these quorums for some time to bring them to the order which God had shown to me, which is as follows: The first part to be spent in solemn prayer before God, without any talking or confusion; and the conclusion with a sealing prayer by President Rigdon, when all the quorums were to shout with one accord a solemn hosannah to God and the Lamb, with an Amen, Amen, and Amen; and then all take seats and lift up their hearts in silent prayer to God, and if any obtain a prophecy or vision, to rise and speak that all might be edified and rejoice together.
"I had considerable trouble to get all the quorums united in this order. I went from room to room repeatedly, and charged each separately, assuring them that it was according to the mind of God, yet, notwithstanding all my labor, while I was in the east room with the Bishop's quorum I felt, by the Spirit, that something was wrong in the Quorum of Elders in the west room, and I immediately requested President O. Cowdery and Hyrum Smith to go in and see what was the matter. The Quorum of Elders had not observed the order which I had given them, and were reminded of it by President Don Carlos Smith, and mildly requested to preserve order, and continue in prayer. Some of them replied that they had a teacher of their own, and did not wish to be troubled by others. This caused the Spirit of the Lord to withdraw; this interrupted the meeting, and this quorum lost their blessing in a great measure.
"The other quorums were more careful, and the Quorum of Seventy enjoys a great flow of the Holy Spirit. Many arose and spoke testifying that they were filled with the
(page 23) |
