[Wilford Woodruff]
April 4th I met at the house of Elder Hales at one oclcok PM in company with twenty three Elders President Joseph Young making one of the number for the purpose of attending to the ordinance of washing the body with clean watter & perfumes that our bodies might be prepared for the anointing.
... Myself & Elder G. W. Meeks were the first washed under the hands of President Joseph Young. We then assisted President Young in washing our Brethren the Elders. Much of the spirit of God rested upon us. I washed & perfumed the bodies of a number of my Brethren & the interview Closed after expressing our feelings to each other.
We again met together in the quorum of the Seventies at the upper part of the Lords house at early candle light to receieve our anointing. The quorums of the Deacons, Teachers, & Priest occupied one apartment the Elders another & the Seventies the third. Each quorums met for the anointing. ...
The presidency consecrated the oil before God that it might be holy. The person to be anointed then took a seat & the presidency then laid hands upon his head & Consecrated him unto God & then anointed him in the name of the Lord & pronounced such blessings upon his head as the testimony of Jesus shall direct which is the spirit of prophecy. We had a glorious season indeed in this solumn ordinance of the house of the Lord.... The Power of God rested upon us.
President Coultrin anointed me & the following are some of the blessing that he pronounced upon my head while clothed upon by the spirit & power of God, viz. That God would bless me with all the powers of the Priesthood & give me a multiplicity of blessing that Kings would tremble upon their thrones at my word, that I should become a Counsellor & multitudes should seek counsel at my mouth & I should have great wisdom & power to fly through the midst under heaven as Philip travled by the spirit that I should have power over my enemies & have long life & bring many into the kingdom of God Also that I should have the riches of the earth & that I should have Sons & Consecrate them priests unto God in Zion & that I should tread upon the ashes of my enemies in Jackson County they that had sought to take my life & the life of my brethren that went to redeem Zion & ...
I then repaired into the lower Court of the Lords house in Company with Elders Joseph B. Nobles & G. W. Meeks to spend the night (after being anointed) in prayer & fasting before God. The vales being closed We entered the Elders pulpit & there upon our knees we plead with God & we covenanted with each other in the holy stand that we would not give sleep to our eyes neither take food untill we receieved a blessing from God by the outpourings of his spirit upon us if it was untill the end of three days. And according to our Covenant we commenced praying & a part of the night we had a severe trial of our faith by great temptation from Satan but before day we gained a good degree of victory over the Devil & the Lord poured out his spirit upon us & we felt it good to be in the house of God while nature was hushed in silenced by the sable shades of night.
After spending the night in prayer we returned to our homes in the morning intending to spend the day in prayer & fasting for still greater blessings ...
[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
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