| OCR Text |
Show John the Generous 79 John Tanner and his son Sidney were among the 119 brethren who received a blessing from the eloquent Sidney Rigdon. Since neither of them has left a written account of his reaction to the blessings and other spiritual manifestations connected with the build ing and dedication of the temple, it is not possible to tell how either of them felt. But both included in the sacred rites on a number hardly have failed to be impressed. were of occasions and could The years 1835 and 1836 were especially important for the church with regard to spiritual and heavenly manifestations; par ticularly 1836, the year of the dedication of the Kirtland temple. John and his three married sons, Sidney, John Joshua, and Nathan, were all old enough to participate in the temple activities, and because of their generosity and loyalty, were included in many of them. A number of the Pentecostal events are here quoted from the Docu mentary. History: The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial king dom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs to that kingdom will enter, which was like the circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.21 I saw Elder Brigham Young standing in a strange land, in the far south and west, in a desert place, upon a rock in the midst of about a dozen men of color, who appeared hostile. He was preaching to them in their own tongue, and an angel of God standing above his head, with not see it. drawn sword in his hand, protecting him, but he did And I finally saw the Twelve in the celestial kingdom a of God.22 The Twelve then proceeded to anoint and bless the Presidency of the Seventy, and seal upon their heads power and authority to anoint their brethren. The heavens were opened unto Elder Sylvester Smith, and he, leaping up, exclaimed: "The horsemen of Israel and the chariots thereof. "23 Rigdon arose to conclude the services of the evening by blessing of heaven upon the Lord's anointed, which he did in an eloquent manner; the congregation shouted a long hosan nah; the gift of tongues fell upon us in mighty power, angels mingled President invoking the their voices with ours while their presence was in our midst, and our bosoms for the space of half-an-hour. unceasing praises swelled brethren, that it was time to retire. We ac interview and returned home about two o'clock I then observed to the cordingly closed our |
