Lost Books of Ancient Scripture--Commandment to the Church in New York
to Move to Ohio.
[Sidenote: Readiness of the Lord to Impart Knowledge.]
The Lord who is ever ready to instruct such as diligently seek in faith
gave the following revelation at Fayette, New York:
_Revelation to Ezra Thayre and Northrop Sweet, given October,
1830._ [1]
1. Behold I say unto you, my servants Ezra and Northrop, open ye
your ears and hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, whose
word is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the
dividing asunder of the joints and marrow, soul and spirit: and is
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
2. For verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye are called to lift
up your voices as with the sound of a trump, to declare my Gospel
unto a crooked and perverse generation:
3. For behold, the field is white already to harvest: and it is the
eleventh hour, and the last time that I shall call laborers into my
vineyard.
4. And my vineyard has become corrupted every whit; and there
is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many
instances, because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds.
5. And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this Church have I
established and called forth out of the wilderness:
6. And even so will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of
the earth, even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my
voice:
7. Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the field is white
already to harvest; wherefore, thrust in your sickles, and reap
with all your might, mind, and strength.
8. Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall
become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the
wilderness;
{127} 9. Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be
laden with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you:
10. Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled, saying--Repent,
repent, and prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make His paths
straight, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;
11. Yea, repent and be baptized, every one of you for a remission
of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the
baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.
12. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my Gospel, and
remember that they shall have faith in me, or they can in no wise
be saved;
13. And upon this rock I will build my Church; yea, upon this rock
ye are built, and if ye continue, the gates of hell shall not
prevail against you;
14. And ye shall remember the Church articles and covenants to keep
them.
15. And whoso having faith you shall confirm in my Church, by the
laying on of the hands, and I will bestow the gift of the Holy
Ghost upon them.
16. And the Book of Mormon and the Holy Scriptures, are given of
me for your instruction; and the power of my Spirit quickeneth all
things:
17. Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps
trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the
coming of the Bridegroom:
18. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that I come
quickly. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: Orson Pratt Seeks to Know the Will of the Lord.]
In the fore part of November, Orson Pratt, [2] a young man nineteen
years of age, who had been baptized at the first preaching of his
brother Parley P. Pratt, September 19th (his birthday), about six weeks
previous, in Canaan, New York, {128} came to inquire of the Lord what
his duty was, and received the following answer:
_A Revelation to Orson Pratt, given November, 1830._ [3]
1. My son Orson, hearken and hear, and behold what I, the Lord God,
shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer;
2. The light and the life of the world; a light which shineth in
darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not;
3. Who so loved the world that He gave His own life, that as many
as would believe might become the sons of God; wherefore you are my
son,
4. And blessed are you because you have believed;
5. And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach
my Gospel--
6. To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both
long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse
generation, preparing the way of the Lord for His second coming;
7. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at
hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory,
8. And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all
nations shall tremble.
9. But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars shall refuse their
shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the
wicked:
10. Wherefore lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God
hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power
of the Holy Ghost;
11. And if you are faithful, behold, I am with you until I come:
12. And verily, verily, I say unto you, I come quickly. I am your
Lord and your Redeemer. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge Visit the Prophet.]
In December Sidney Rigdon came to inquire of the Lord, and with him
came Edward Partridge; [4] the latter was a pattern of piety, and
one of the Lord's great men. Shortly after the arrival of these two
brethren, thus spake the Lord:
{129} _Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, given
at Fayette, New York, December, 1830._ [5]
1. Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the
same today as yesterday, and forever.
2. I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the
sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that
they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the
Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one.
3. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto my servant Sidney, I have
looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard thy prayers, and
prepared thee for a greater work.
4. Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things. Behold thou
wast sent forth, even as John, to prepare the way before me, and
before Elijah which should come and thou knewest it not.
5. Thou didst baptize by water unto repentance, but they received
not the Holy Ghost;
6. But now I give unto thee a commandment, that thou shalt baptize
by water, and they shall receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of
the hands, even as the apostles of old.
7. And it shall come to pass that there shall be a great work
in the land, even among the Gentiles, for their folly and their
abominations shall be made manifest in the eyes of all people;
8. For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show
miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name.
{130} 9. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall
cast out devils; they shall heal the sick, they shall cause the
blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to
speak, and the lame to walk;
10. And the time speedily cometh that great things are to be shown
forth unto the children of men;
11. But without faith shall not anything be shown forth, except
desolations upon Babylon, the same which has made all nations drink
of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
12. And there are none that doeth good except those who are ready
to receive the fulness of my Gospel which I have sent forth unto
this generation.
13. Wherefore I call upon the weak things of the world, those who
are unlearned and despised, to thrash the nations by the power of
my Spirit:
14. And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and
their buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight
manfully for me; and their enemies shall be under their feet; and
I will let fall the sword in their behalf, and by the fire of mine
indignation will I preserve them.
15. And the poor and the meek shall have the Gospel preached unto
them, and they shall be looking forth for the time of my coming,
for it is nigh at hand:
16. And they shall learn the parable of the fig tree, for even now
already summer is nigh,
17. And I have sent forth the fulness of my Gospel by the hand of
my servant Joseph; and in weakness have I blessed him,
18. And I have given unto him the keys of the mystery of those
things which have been sealed, even things which were from the
foundation of the world, and the things which shall come from this
time until the time of my coming if he abide in me, and if not,
another will I plant in his stead.
19. Wherefore, watch over him, that his faith fail not, and it
shall be given by the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, that knoweth all
things:
20. And a commandment I give unto thee, that thou shalt write for
him; and the Scriptures shall be given, even as they are in mine
own bosom, to the salvation of mine own elect;
21. For they will hear my voice, and shall see me, and shall not
be asleep, and shall abide the day of my coming, for they shall be
purified, even as I am pure.
22. And now I say unto you, tarry with him, and he shall journey
with you; forsake him not, and surely these things shall be
fulfilled.
23. And inasmuch as ye do not write, behold, it shall be given unto
{131} him to prophesy: and thou shalt preach my Gospel, and call on
the holy prophets to prove his words, as they shall be given him.
24. Keep all the commandments and covenants by which ye are bound;
and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good, and Satan
shall tremble and Zion shall rejoice upon the hills and flourish,
25. And Israel shall be saved in mine own due time; and by the keys
which I have given shall they be led, and no more be confounded at
all.
26. Lift up your hearts and be glad, your redemption draweth nigh.
27. Fear not, little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come.
Behold I come quickly. Even so. Amen.
And the voice of the Lord to Edward Partridge was:
_A Revelation to Edward Partridge, given December, 1830._ [6]
1. Thus saith the Lord God, the Mighty One of Israel, Behold, I say
unto you, my servant Edward, that you are blessed and your sins are
forgiven you, and you are called to preach my Gospel as with the
voice of a trump;
2. And I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney
Rigdon, and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even
the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the
kingdom;
3. And you shall declare it with a loud voice, saying, Hosanna,
blessed be the name of the most high God.
4. And now this calling and commandment give I unto you concerning
all men,
5. That as many as shall come before my servants Sidney Rigdon and
Joseph Smith, Jun., embracing this calling and commandment, shall
be ordained and sent forth to preach the everlasting Gospel among
the nations.
6. Crying repentance, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
generation, and come forth out of the fire, hating even the
garments spotted with the flesh.
7. And this commandment shall be given unto the Elders of my
Church, that every man which will embrace it with singleness of
heart, may be ordained and sent forth, even as I have spoken.
8. I am Jesus Christ the Son of God: wherefore, gird up your loins
and I will suddenly come to my temple. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: Of the Lost Books of Scripture.]
It may be well to observe here, that the Lord greatly encouraged and
strengthened the faith of His little flock, which had embraced the
fullness of the everlasting {132} Gospel, as revealed to them in
the Book of Mormon, by giving some more extended information upon
the Scriptures, a translation of which had already commenced. Much
conjecture and conversation frequently occurred among the Saints,
concerning the books mentioned, and referred to, in various places
in the Old and New Testaments, which were now nowhere to be found.
[7] The common remark was, "They are _lost books;_" but it seems the
Apostolic Church had some of these writings, as Jude mentions or quotes
the Prophecy of Enoch, the seventh from Adam. To the joy of the {133}
little flock, which in all, from Colesville to Canandaigua, New York,
numbered about seventy members, did the Lord reveal the following
doings of olden times, from the prophecy of Enoch: [8]
_Extracts from the Prophecy of Enoch._
1. And it came to pass that Enoch continued his speech, saying,
Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believed
and become the sons of God, and many have believed not, and have
perished in their sins, and are looking forth with fear, in
torment, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God to be poured
out upon them.
2. And from that time forth Enoch began to prophesy, saying unto
the people, That, as I was journeying, and stood upon the place
Mahujah and cried unto the Lord, there came a voice out of heaven,
saying, Turn ye, and get ye upon the Mount Simeon.
3. And it came to pass that I turned and went up on the mount; and
as I stood upon the mount, I beheld the heavens open, and I was
clothed upon with glory,
4. And I saw the Lord; and He stood before my face, and He talked
with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and
He said unto me, Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the
space of many generations.
5. And it came to pass that I beheld in the valley of Shum, and lo,
a great people which dwelt in tents, which were the people of Shum.
6. And again the Lord said unto me, Look; and I looked towards the
north, and I beheld the people of Canaan, which dwelt in tents.
7. And the Lord said unto me, Prophesy; and I prophesied, saying,
Behold the people of Canaan, which are numerous, shall go forth in
battle array against the people of Shum, and shall slay them that
they shall utterly be destroyed; and the people of Canaan shall
divide themselves in the land, and the land shall be barren and
unfruitful, and none other people shall dwell there but the people
of Canaan;
8. For behold the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and
the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there was a
blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, and they were
despised among all people.
9. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me, Look; and I
{134} looked, and I beheld the land of Sharon, and the land of
Enoch, and the land of Omner, and the land of Heni, and the land of
Shem, and the land of Haner, and the land of Hanannihah, and all
the inhabitants thereof;
10. And the Lord said unto me, Go to this people, and say unto
them, that they must repent, lest I come out and smite them with a
curse, and they die.
11. And he gave unto me a commandment that I should baptize in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, which is full of grace and
truth, and of the Holy Ghost which beareth record of the Father and
the Son.
12. And it came to pass that Enoch continued to call upon all the
people, save it were the people of Canaan, to repent;
13. And so great was the faith of Enoch, that he led the people of
God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake
the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains
fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were
turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out
of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was
the word of Enoch; and so great was the power of the language which
God had given him.
14. There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so
great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they
fled and stood afar off, and went upon the land which came up out
of the depths of the sea.
15. And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there
went forth a curse upon all the people that fought against God;
16. And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among
them; but the Lord came and dwelt with His people, and they dwelt
in righteousness.
17. The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the
glory of the Lord, which was upon His people. And the Lord blessed
the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the
high places, and did flourish.
18. And the Lord called His people Zion, because they were of one
heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no
poor among them;
19. And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the
people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a
city that was called the city of Holiness: even Zion.
20. And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he
said unto the Lord, Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever. But
the Lord said unto Enoch, Zion have I blessed, but the residue of
the people have I cursed.
21. And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the
inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process
of {135} time, was taken up into heaven! And the Lord said unto
Enoch, Behold mine abode forever.
22. And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the
sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam, save
it were the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had
not place among them.
23. And after that Zion was taken up into heaven, Enoch beheld, and
lo, all the nations of the earth were before him; and there came
generation upon generation;
24. And Enoch was high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the
Father, and of the Son of Man; and behold, the power of Satan was
upon all the face of the earth.
25. And he saw angels descending out of heaven; and he heard a loud
voice saying, Wo, wo be unto the inhabitants of the earth!
26. And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and
it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked
up and laughed and his angels rejoiced.
27. And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing
testimony of the Father and the Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on
many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.
28. And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the
residue of the people, and He wept; and Enoch bore record of it,
saying, How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears
is the rain upon the mountains?
29. And Enoch said unto the Lord, How is it that thou canst weep,
seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
30. And were it possible that man could number the particles of
the earth, yea millions of earths like this, it would not be a
beginning to the number of Thy creations; and Thy curtains are
stretched out still; and yet Thou art there, and Thy bosom is
there; and also thou art just; Thou art merciful and kind forever;
31. And Thou hast taken Zion to Thine own bosom, from all Thy
creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and nought but peace,
justice, and truth is the habitation of Thy Throne; and mercy shall
go before Thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?
32. The Lord said unto Enoch, behold these thy brethren; they are
the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their
knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden,
gave I unto man his agency;
33. And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment,
that they should love one another, and that they should choose me,
their Father, but behold, they are without affection, and they hate
their own blood.
{136} 34. And the fire of mine indignation is kindled against them;
and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them; for
my fierce anger is kindled against them.
35. Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is
my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.
36. Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the
creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also; and
among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great
wickedness as among thy brethren;
37. But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their
fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their
doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the
workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep,
seeing these shall suffer?
38. But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall perish in the
floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared
for them.
39. And Him which I have chosen hath plead before my face.
Wherefore, He suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will
repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until
that day they shall be in torment;
40. Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the
workmanship of mine hands.
41. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Enoch, and told
Enoch all the doings of the children of men; wherefore Enoch knew,
and looked upon their wickedness and their misery, and wept and
stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity;
and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook.
42. And Enoch also saw Noah, and his family; that the posterity of
all the sons of Noah should be saved with a temporal salvation;
43. Wherefore Enoch saw that Noah built an ark, and that the Lord
smiled upon it, and held it in His own hand; but upon the residue
of the wicked the floods came and swallowed them up.
44. And as Enoch saw this, he had bitterness of soul, and wept
over his brethren, and said unto the heavens, I will refuse to be
comforted; but the Lord said unto Enoch, Lift up your heart, and be
glad; and look;
45. And it came to pass that Enoch looked; and from Noah, he beheld
all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying,
When shall the day of the Lord come? When shall the blood of the
Righteous be shed, that all they that mourn may be sanctified, and
have eternal life?
46. And the Lord said, It shall be in the meridian of time, in the
days of wickedness and vengeance.
{137} 47. And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of
Man even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying, The Righteous
is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the
world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and
behold, Zion is with me.
48. And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he
heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying, Wo, wo is me, the
mother of men! I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness
of my children! When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the
filthiness which has gone forth out of me? When will my Creator
sanctify me that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide
upon my face?
49. And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto
the Lord, saying, O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the
earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah?
50. And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord,
saying, I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten,
even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah, and his
seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.
51. And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch
and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods;
that he would call upon the children of Noah;
52. And he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his
seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth
should stand;
53. And the Lord said, Blessed is he through whose seed Messiah
shall come; for he saith, I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock
of Heaven, which is broad as eternity; whoso cometh in at the gate
and climbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they
of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of
everlasting joy.
54. And it came to pass that Enoch cried unto the Lord, saying,
When the Son of Man cometh in the flesh, shall the earth rest? I
pray Thee, show me these things.
55. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Look; and he looked and beheld
the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men;
56. And he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all
the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks
were rent; and the Saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand
of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory;
57. And as many of the spirits as were in prison came forth, and
stood on the right hand of God; and the remainder were reserved in
chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day.
{138} 58. And again Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord, saying,
When shall the earth rest?
59. And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father; and
he called unto the Lord, saying, Wilt thou not come again upon the
earth? For as much as Thou art God, and I know Thee, and Thou hast
sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ask in the name of
Thine Only Begotten, Thou hast made me, and given unto me a right
to Thy throne, and not of myself, but through Thine own grace;
wherefore, I ask Thee if Thou wilt not come again on the earth.
60. And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in
the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil
the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah;
61. And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before
that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness
shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the
earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men,
but my people will I preserve;
62. And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth
will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine
Only Begotten; His resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the
resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause
to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect
from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall
prepare; an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and
be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my
tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.
63. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shalt thou and all thy city
meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they
shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall
fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;
64. And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which
shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made, and
for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest.
65. And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming
of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in
righteousness for the space of a thousand years;
66. But before that day he saw great tribulations among the wicked;
and he also saw the sea, that it was troubled, and men's hearts
failing them, looking forth with fear for the judgments of the
Almighty God, which should come upon the wicked.
67. And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of
the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their
redemption; and received a fulness of joy;
{139} 68. And all the days of Zion, in the days of Enoch, were
three hundred and sixty-five years;
69. And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in
the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God
received it up into His own bosom; and from thence went forth the
saying, Zion is fled.
[Sidenote: Commanded to Go to Ohio.]
Soon after the words of Enoch were given, the Lord gave the following
commandment:
_A Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, given
December, 1830._ [9]
1. Behold, I say unto you, that it is not expedient in me that ye
should translate any more until ye shall go to the Ohio, and this
because of the enemy and for your sakes.
2. And again, I say unto you, that ye shall not go until ye
have preached my Gospel in those parts, and have strengthened
up the Church whithersoever it is found, and more especially in
Colesville; for, behold, they pray unto me in much faith.
3. And again, a commandment I give unto the Church, that it is
expedient in me that they should assemble together at the Ohio,
against the time that my servant Oliver Cowdery shall return unto
them.
4. Behold, here is wisdom, and let every man choose for himself
until I come. Even so. Amen.
Footnotes
1. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 33.
2. Orson Pratt was born September 19, 1811, in Hartford, Washington
county, New York. His ancestors are enumerated in the biographical note
of his brother, Parley P. Pratt, pp. 118, 119. The humble circumstances
of his parents compelled him to seek employment where he could obtain
it in various places, mainly at farming, during which time, however, he
managed to get some schooling, paying especial attention to arithmetic,
and gaining an acquaintance also with bookkeeping, grammar, geography
and surveying. The early lessons of morality and religion taught at his
father's home made deep impressions on his youthful mind, and led him
in the autumn of 1829, particularly to seek the Lord. For this purpose
he retired frequently to the lonely fields or the woods for prayer.
This continued till September, 1830, when his brother Parley P. Pratt,
an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came into
the neighborhood where he resided, and as related in the text was
converted at the first preaching of his brother Parley P. Pratt.
3. Doctrine and Covenants, section 34.
4. Edward Partridge was born in Pittsfield, Berkshire county,
Massachusetts, on the 27th of August, 1793, of William and Jemima
Partridge. His father's ancestor emigrated from Berwick, Scotland,
during the seventeenth century, and settled at Hadley, Massachusetts,
on Connecticut river. Nothing worthy of note transpired in his youth,
with the exception, that he remembered, (though the precise time he
could not recollect) that the Spirit of the Lord strove with him a
number of times, insomuch that his heart was made tender, and he went
and wept; and sometimes he went silently and poured the effusions of
his soul to God in prayer.
At the age of sixteen he went to learn the hatter's trade, and
continued as an apprentice for about four years. At the age of twenty
he had become disgusted with the religious world. He saw no beauty,
comeliness, or loveliness in the character of God as represented by the
teaching of the various religious sects. He however heard a Universal
Restorationer preach upon the love of God: this sermon gave him exalted
opinions of God, and he concluded that Universal Restoration was
right according to the Bible. He continued in this belief till 1828,
when he and his wife were baptized into the "Campbellite" church by
Sidney Rigdon, in Mentor, though they resided in Painesville, Ohio. He
continued a member of this church, though doubting at times its being
the true one, until Elders Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Peter
Whitmer, Jun., and Ziba Peterson came with the Book of Mormon, when he
began to investigate the subject of religion anew. As stated in the
text he accompanied Sidney Rigdon to Fayette, New York, where, on the
11th of December, he was baptized by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the
Seneca river.
5. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 35.
6. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 36.
7. The most prominent of the "lost books" of the Old Testament are
mentioned in the following passages: I Chronicles, 29:29; 2 Chronicles
9:29;2 Chronicles 12:15; I Samuel, 10:25; I Kings, 4:32, 33. The
following is the list of "lost books" mentioned in the New Testament:
_Scripture of Abraham's Time_: "And the scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel
unto Abraham." (Galatians 3:8.) The Christian world says, "Moses was
God's first pen," but it appears from the above quotation that some one
wrote scriptures even before Abraham's day, and he read them, learned
the Gospel from them and also learned that God would justify the
heathen through faith.
_Prophecy of Enoch_: Speaking of characters who are like "raging waves
of the sea, foaming out their own shame," Jude says: "And Enoch also,
the seventh from Adam prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord
cometh with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all,"
etc. (Jude, 14, 15.) From this it appears that Enoch had a revelation
concerning the glorious coming of the Son of God to judgment. May not
the prophecy of Enoch have been among the scriptures with which Abraham
was acquainted?
_Another Epistle of Jude_: "When I gave all diligence to write unto
you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you,
and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was
once delivered unto the Saints." (Jude 3.) We have but one epistle of
Jude. Would not the epistle on the "common salvation" be as important
as the one the only one we now have from Jude's pen?
_Another Epistle to the Ephesians_: In Ephesians, 3 and 3rd, Paul
alludes to another epistle which he had written to that people, but of
which the world has no knowledge except from this reference which is
made by its author. This epistle contained a revelation from God.
_An Epistle to the Laodiceans_: "When the epistle [Colossians] is read
among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans;
and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea." (Colossians,
4:16.) The epistles to the Laodiceans is among the lost scripture.
_Another Epistle to the Corinthians_: In the "first letter to the
Corinthians" is this statement: "I wrote you in an epistle not to
company with fornicators" (1 Corinthians, 5:9). From this it would
appear that our so-called first epistle to the Corinthians is really
not the first, since Paul in it speaks of a former letter he had
written to the Corinthians, and which was doubtless as good scripture
as the two which have been preserved.
8. This prophecy of Enoch is contained in the "Writings of Moses,"
which about this time were revealed to the Prophet, and are now
published in the "Pearl of Great Price." It will be understood, then,
by the reader, that the "Prophecy of Enoch" itself is found in the
"Writings of Moses," and that in the text above we have but a few
extracts of the most prominent parts of "Enoch's Prophecy." For the
complete prophecy the reader is referred to the "Pearl of Great Price."
(Chapter 7.)
9. Doctrine and Covenants, section 37.
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