History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

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, Massachusetts,
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 Campbellite
church, and in that faith remained until met
by the missionaries Pratt, Cowdery, and the others,
when he accepted the new revelation, and was subsequently
baptized by Joseph in the Seneca River. He
had a profitable business at the time; but when it was
revealed that he should leave his merchandise and devote
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 prophesying
and was rebuked. Sarcasm was employed, and
scurrilous stories were printed in the newspapers ; an account
of a great Asiatic earthquake was headed "Mormonism
in China." Revelations during March were
frequent. In one of them John Whitmer was appointed
church historian; and it was revealed that he
should keep the church records, write and keep a regular
history, and act as secretary to Joseph, as had
Oliver Cowdery formerly. 11 Lands might be bought
11 « Since the organization of the church on the sixth day of April, 1S30,
there has been a record kept in our church of its general transactions, of its