Gifts of the Gospel

GIFTS OF THE GOSPEL. BY ELDER M. F. COWLEY, OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES.

They shall speak with new tongues. * * * They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. (Mark xvi: 17, 18.)

And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I

have written a letter to you in few words. {Heb. xiii: 22.)

Not long since the writer attended a religious meeting at a private residence in East Bountiful.The gathering was attended by a considerable nnmber of neighbors, old and young, including both sexes. Three of the patriarchs of the Davis Stake were present and presided over the services. This meeting was but one of a great many of similar character held by the patriarchs of the Davis Stake. This particular occasion was not only as a testimony and fellowship meeting, but for the dedication of the home in which it was held. The usual opening exercises of singing and prayer being over, a few remarks were made by the presiding Patriarch of the meeting, followed by a brief talk and the dedicatory prayer by one of the Elders present. The spirit of the Lord was poured out upon the little assembly in a marked degree. While one of the Patriarchs was speaking the gift of tongues came upon him and he sang in, to us, an unknown tongue. The language was sweet to one's ears, the tune was melodious and the influence which accompanied the manifestation was heavenly. When the speaker concluded, another of the Patriarchs arose and gave the interpretation. In substance the song dwelt upon the redemption of Zion, the blessings that would come to the faithful, and their posterity to the latest generation. Like the sweet

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psalms of David it was truly a song of praise, containing prophecies of the future. Following this manifestation still another bearing the sacred offices of the Patriarchal Priesthood arose, and while talking in a calm manner expressing his faith in the Lord, and his gratitude in being numbered with the Saints, the gift of tongues came to him and he spoke for some length of time in another tongue and with great influence and power, not loud and boisterous, yet with that power which is not easily described, but which carries conviction to the human heart. While this brother was speaking I felt impressed that the tongue by which he spoke was Lamanitish. One of the brethren gave the interpretation, which referred to the preaching of the Gospel, the redemption of Zion, and particularly the preaching of the Gospel to the Lamanites.* The tongue also named one of the brethren present who should declare the Gospel to the Lamanites. Afterwards I asked the brother who rendered the intrepretation if the tongue was not Lamanitish. He said it was and that a short time previous the same Elder had spoken in an Indian tongue in a most remarkable manner, so much so that the people present readily recognized the voice, gestures and intonation characteristic of the Indian race. On this occasion one of the sisters also spoke in tongues, which was intrepreted by a brother. The substance of what she said was an exhortation to the sisters to praise the Lord, and be devoted to his cause. Before the meeting concluded several who were afflicted in body came forward and received the ordinance for the healing of the sick and were benefitted thereby. Those who listened to the manifestations on this occasion, I believe without exception, felt convinced that the same were prompted by the gift and power of God, and greatly rejoiced in the testimony of having the favor and the approval of the Almighty in their efforts to serve him and keep his commandments. I have recited the incidents of this little gathering as a testimony to our young men, that the gifts of the Spirit are enjoyed by the Saints, not merely in isolated cases, but wherever the Saints are united; live in harmony with the spirit and precepts of the

*The American Indians.

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Gospel. For the occasion referred to is only one out of many which could be cited. A circumstance of recent date is related to have occurred in a ward, where the gift of tongues and the interpretation was given, in the presence of two young men who were skeptical. In consequence of which they had been indifferent to the requirements of the Gospel. These young men were well educated, and were much astonished that the intrepretation, being given by an Elder without education, was perfectly grammatical in every sentence. They went so far as to say that the most expert grammarian could not pick a flaw in any sentence uttered by the speaker from beginning; to end, although the speaker was not capable of himself to use the language given in the interpertation, nor to construct the speech in the form in which it was presented. We do not offer this as an argument that language to be prompted by inspiration must always and in all respects be grammatical, any more than a man to have emanated from Deity must, physically, be free from every defect and deformity. But this circumstance coupled with the heavenly influence which accompanied the gift,

made an impression upon these young men of a very deep character. They were convinced that the gift had come indeed from the Almighty. It may be said truly that wherever pure faith, unity, and zealous devotion exist, there is no dearth of the gifts of the Gospel. They are of frequent occurrence in the mission fields abroad. ^One instance came to my personal attention in East Kentucky last winter. While Elder Francis M. Lyman and myself were attending conference in Vanceburg, a young man by the name of Brannan came to be administered to for the restoration of his health. He had been sorely afflicted for many years with convulsions. The cords of his neck would draw up, and twist his head in various directions. Whenever he attempted to speak there would be such contortions of the face and mouth that it was difficult for him to express clearly the shortest sentence. In this terrible condition of suffering and humiliation, he besought us to pray for him and apply in his behalf the sacred ordinance for the healing of the sick. Elders Francis M. Lyman, Newton Woodruff, myself and Geo. A. Lyman officiated in the name of the Lord, and almost immediately a striking change took place. The contortions were immediately

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diminished, and the next morning entirely gone. When he returned home, some miles from Vanceburg, he was a restored man. His case excited much comment among his acquaintances, and was looked upon as a remarkable miracle. More so from the fact that medical skill had utterly failed to remove the affliction. This circumstance was only one of many reported by Elders in almost every field of labor in the Southern States. None the less true of the other missions in the United States, Great Britain and throughout the world. These manifestations are outward evidences to those who see and hear them, but who are not personal recipients of the same. To those who receive them, they are more than the hearing of the ear and the seeing of the eye. They are to the souls of men and women who exercise these gifts, what a shock of electricity is to the physical man, who holds in his hands the poles of the battery while the operator turns on the current. They feel and know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that some power is there over which they have no absolute control and which is not a part of their own being. Others may look on and see some outward demonstration, which carries conviction of a limited character, but no one can tell of the current, either with tongue or pen, so that another will feel and understand the operation of electricity applied to the human body. The same is true respecting the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Men may say they enjoy it and have exercised the gifts thereof, but they never fully know until they apply to their own lives the commandments of the Lord —do his will, and the promise is that then they "shall know of the doctrine." (St. John vii: 17.) This proposition of the Savior is plain, and no sane person could ask a fairer one: It places the opportunity of knowing, not merely believing, the truth of the Gospel, on a platform as tenable and tangible as any problem in mathematics. But we must apply the rules. If we say to a young man that he may ascertain the length of either side of a righ angle-triangle by having the length of the other two sides given, that young man would expect to take our word on that proposition, apply the rules and prove it for himself. Why should he not be equally sensible and consistent respecting the Gospel of our Lord and Savior? Many of our young men say they don't know of its truth. Some even enter upon the duties of a missionary

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abroad with no witness of the truth. Why should we expect a testimony when we are intellectually and spiritually idle? Have we placed ourselves in a position to receive the witness? The Book of Mormon states that "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Many of our young men are not intensely prayerful. They are not punctual in the performance of religious duties. They are not supporters of their own institution, the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. They are careless in their habits. They have not studied the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, nor given a listening ear and a willing heart to the testimony and counsel of their parents and the Elders of Israel. Why should we expect evidence, testimony, coviction, and conversion, if we thus conduct ourselves, and maintain an attitude toward the Gospel which is inconsistent and unbecoming in almost every respect? Young men of Israel, the Gospel is true. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world. Joseph Smith was and is a Prophet of the living God. The same is true of Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilf ord Woodruff' and Lorenzo Snow. I bear to you my testimony as a servant of God, to these facts. And say to you, if you will repent of spiritual idleness, attend to your prayers, perform the duties the Gospel enjoins and study earnestly the principles of the Gospel with a prayerful heart, the evidence and witness of the truth will be as tangible and convincing to your souls as the current of electricity is patent to the human body.