een informed, that
those in New England are so convinced of their miraculous
capabilities, that they have been known, in order to save their
neighbours the trouble of applying to the tinman, charitably to
offer to join the gaping seams of their worn-out tin coffee-pots, and
other vessels, "without the carnal aid of solder," merely by a
touch of their wonder-working fingers.
Mr. Brown, in describing their mode of conduct, in their religious
assemblies, unwittingly gives a striking exposition of the 1st
Epistle to the Corinthians. He describes "the brethren and sisters"
praying, singing, dancing, and preaching in known and unknown
tongues, and sticking out their arms, and extatically following their
noses round the church.
He says, respecting such as speak in unknown tongues, "they have
a strong faith in this gift, and think a person greatly favoured who
has the gift of tongues; and at certain times, when the mind is
overloaded with a fiery, strong zeal, it must have vent some way or
other; their faith, or belief, at the time being in this, gift, and a will
strikes the mind according to their faith, and then such break out in
a fiery, energetic manner, and speak they know not what, as I have
done several times. Part of what I spake at one time was--
"Liero devo jerankemango, ad sileambano, durem subramo,
deviranto diacerimango, jasse vah pe cri evanigalio; de vom grom
seb crinom, os vare cremo domo."
"When a person runs on in this manner for any length of time, I
now thought it probable that he would strike into different
languages, and give some words in each their right pronounciation,
as I have heard some men of learning, who were present, say a few
words, were Hebrew, three or four Greek, and a few Latin."
In another place he gives an account of his maiden speech in an
unknown tongue; and it is easy to conjecture how he came by his
gift, by attending to what passed before he broke out. Here it is:--
"We danced for near an hour, several turned round like tops, and,
to crown all, I had a gift to speak in some other language; but the
greatest misfortune was, that neither I, nor any other, understood
what I said."
My reader will not be surprized after this, at hearing them say, that
the spectators of "these signs and wonders," instead of being
properly affected, considered the performers as "out of their wits."
Let us, now, compare this account with what Paul says upon
similar subjects, in the 14th chapte
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