Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow: One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsSnow, Eliza R. (Eliza Roxey)
Religion
Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow: One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Snow, Eliza R. (Eliza Roxey)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Snow family; Snow, Lorenzo, 1814-1901
_For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here, and
I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house_, etc. (See
Doctrine and Covenants.)
No language can describe my feelings when, for the first time, I stood
up in one of those pulpits to address an audience--a pulpit on the
breastwork of which, only a short time before, this holy Personage
stood--"_his hair as white as pure snow, his eyes as a flame of
fire_"--where also Moses, Elias and Elijah came and committed the keys
of their dispensations to Joseph Smith. (Here the journal closes for
the present.)
Public meetings were regularly held in the Temple, after its
dedication, on Sundays; and on the first Thursday in each month a
fast meeting, commencing at or before 10 a.m., and closing at 4 p.m.
The Temple was so constructed, that with white canvas curtains, which
could be dropped and raised at pleasure, the lower story was, whenever
occasion required, divided into four sections or apartments. This
was invariably done at those fast meetings. The two sets of pulpits,
one on the east and the other on the west end of the building, were
intersected by the curtain extending from east to west, so as to
leave half their lengths in each apartment, and they were occupied by
the presiding officers who directed the services. Thus four separate
meetings were in session at the same time, without, in the least,
interfering with each other--giving opportunity for four to exercise
instead of one.
On the aforementioned days, Father Smith (the Prophet's father) was in
the habit of entering the Temple very early in the morning, and there
offering up his prayers to God, in that holy place, before the rising
of the sun, after having told the Saints, publicly, that they were
welcome to come as early as they pleased. The result was that many
assembled before the hour of 10 a.m., and did not leave till after 4
p.m.
Father Smith, in the capacity of his calling as President, gave general
counsel and instructions on fast day; recommending that the greater
portion of the forenoon should be spent in prayer, with testimonies
of manifestations of the power of God, and with exhortations to
faithfulness. At about 3 p.m. he would order the curtains to be drawn
up--bringing the four congregations into one, over which he then
presided until the close of the meeting.
The Saints were humble, and through our united faith, the Spirit of God
was poured out in copious effusion, and, for one hour, we enjoyed
pentecostal refreshings from on high. On these occasions the gifts of
the Gospel were powerfully manifest--speaking and singing in tongues,
the interpretation of tongues, the gift of healing and of prophecy,
were freely exercised. These monthly fast meetings were so interesting,
and so very enjoyable, that people came long distances to attend them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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