Page:History of Utah.djvu/134



82 THE STORY OF MORMONISM.

the east tell them that shall be converted to flee to the west. And again, thou shalt not be proud; let thy garments be plain, the work of thine own hand, and cleanly. Thou shalt not be idle. And whosoever among you is sick, and has faith, shall be healed; and if he has not faith to be healed, but believe, he shall be nourished with all tenderness. If thou wilt ask, thou shalt receive revelation and knowledge. Whosoever hath faith sufficient shall never taste death. Ye shall live together in love; that whether ye live ye may live in me, or if ye die ye may die in me. So saith the Lord."

Edward Partridge was born at Pittsfield, Massachu- setts, August 27, 1793. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to a hatter. His was an earnest, thoughtful nature, and his mind much troubled about religion. In 1828 he entered Sidney Rigdon's Camp- bellite church, and in that faith remained until met by the missionaries Pratt, Cowdery, and the others, when he accepted the new revelation, and was subse- quently baptized by Joseph in the Seneca Piver. He had a profitable business at the time; but when it was revealed that he should leave his merchandise and de- vote his whole time to the church, he obeyed without a murmur.

Joseph and Sidney were much together now in their revelations and rulings. A woman attempted prophe- sying and was rebuked. Sarcasm was employed, and scurrilous stories were printed in the newspapers ; an ac- count of a great Asiatic earthquake was headed "Mor- monism in China." Revelations during March were frequent. In one of them John Whitmer was ap- pointed church historian; and it was revealed that he should keep the church records, write and keep a regu- lar history, and act as secretary to Joseph, as had Oliver Cowdery formerly. ^^ Lands might be bought

" ' Since the organization of the church on the sixth clay of April, 1830, there has been a record kept in our church of its general transactions, of its