OCR Text |
Show 12 BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION. * She told me that if I was baptized into the " Mormon" Church, I need not expect her to live with me any more. The evening after the Elder had preached I went in search of him, and found him quite late at night. I told him my purpose, and requested him to give me a " Mormon Bible." He handed me the Old and New Testament. I said, " I thought you had a new Bible." He then explained about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and handed me a copy of it. The impressions I received at the time cannot be forgotten. The spirit rested upon me and bore testimony of its truth, and I felt like opening my mouth and declaring it to be a rev-elation from Grod. On the 3rd of March, 1842, as soon as it was light in the morning, I started for a pool of water where I had arranged to meet with the Elder, to attend to the ordinance of baptism. On the way, the thought of the sacrifice I was making of wife, of father, mother, brothers, sister and numerous other connections, caused my resolution to waver. As my pace slackened, some person appeared to come from above, who. I thought, was my grandfather. He seemed to say to me, " Go on, my son; your heart cannot conceive, nei-ther has it entered into your mind to imagine the blessings that are in store for you, if you go on and continue in this work. ' ' I lagged no more, but hurried to the pool, where I was baptized by Elder Lyman Stoddard. It was said in my confirmation, that the spirits in prison greatly rejoiced over what I had done. I told Elder Stoddard my experience on my way to the water. He then explained to me the work there was for me to do for my fathers, if I was faithful, all of which I believed and greatly rejoiced in. On my way home, I called at the house of one of my neigh-bors. The family asked me if I had not been baptized by the v " Mormon" Elder. I replied that I had. They stated that they believed what he preached to be the truth, and hoped they might have the opportunity of being baptized. The following day Elder Stoddard came to my house, and told me that he had intended to leave the country, but could |