Edward Partridge: A Pattern of Piety, and One of the Lord’s Great Men
Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants 36
Joseph Smith baptized Edward Partridge on December 11, 1830. Who was Edward Partridge?
This is Hoyt W. Brewster Jr.’s entry on Partridge, Edward in his Doctrine & Covenants Encyclopedia:
The name of Edward Partridge appears in the following sections of the Doctrine and Covenants: 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 57, 58, 60, 64, 115, and 124. He served as the first bishop of the Church, being called by revelation to that position on February 4, 1831 (D&C 41:9). As a young boy “he remembers 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 that sometimes he went silently and poured the effusions of his soul to God in prayer.”
Bishop Partridge was one of the early converts from the Campbellite movement, being baptized on December 11, 1830. Joseph Smith described this new convert as “a pattern of piety, and one of the Lord’s great men, known by his steadfastness and patient endurance to the end.” The Lord himself issued this compliment of Bishop Partridge: “His heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathanael of old, in whom there is no guile” (D&C 41:11).
He was present at the dedication of the site for the yet-to-be-built temple at Independence, Missouri, and was also in attendance at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. During the persecutions in Missouri, he was taken from his home and publicly tarred and feathered, having rejected their offer of clemency if he would renounce his faith. To this request he replied: “I told them that the Saints had suffered persecution in all ages of the world; that I had done nothing which ought to offend anyone that if they abused me they would abuse an innocent person; that I was will to suffer for the sake of Christ….
“I bore my abuse with so much resignation and meekness, that it appeared to astound the multitude, who permitted me to retire in silence, many looking very solemn, their sympathies having been touched as I thought; and as to myself, I was so filled with the Spirit and love of God, that I had no hatred toward my persecutors or anyone else.” (HC 1:390-91.)
As a result of the many persecutions he endured, his health was broken and he died on May 27, 1840, at the age of forty-seven. Of his demise, the Prophet wrote: “He lost his life in consequence of the Missouri persecutions, and he is one of that number whose blood will be required at their hands.” This was not to be his final epitaph, however, for the Lord pronounced in a revelation in January 1841 that Edward Partridge “is with me at this time” (D&C 124:19; Jenson 1:218-22).
See also: Alam; Ark of God, Steady the; One Mighty and Strong; That Man (pp. 411-412)
Edward Partridge was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In 1819 he married Lydia Clisbee. Partridge was baptized by Joseph Smith in December 1830 and was ordained an elder by Sidney Rigdon four days later. In February 1831, in Kirtland, Ohio, Partridge was appointed the first bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was given the responsibility to administer the law of consecration among the Saints (Doctrine and Covenants 41; 42:30–36; 51). He continued to serve as bishop until his death.
In the summer of 1831, Partridge traveled with Joseph Smith to Jackson County, Missouri, where he helped oversee the settlement of the migrating Saints by purchasing and administering stewardships of land. In April 1832, he was designated a member of the United Firm. When mob violence broke out against the Saints in Missouri in July 1833, he was tarred and feathered. With his family, he fled from Jackson County to Clay County, Missouri, and later to what became Caldwell County, Missouri. He also served as a missionary in 1835 to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio and then to New York and New England. In the fall of 1838, he was imprisoned in the Richmond, Missouri, jail. In 1839, he was expelled from Missouri with the rest of the Saints and moved to Commerce, Illinois, which was later renamed Nauvoo.
References in the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants 35, 36, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 57, 58, 60, 64, 82, 115, 124
Additional Information
Biographical facts and sources, The Joseph Smith Papers
Saints, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth
Revelations In Context
Edward Partridge in the Church History Biographical Database
What else do we know about Edward Partridge? We will learn more about this great man of God as we continue our study of the Doctrine and Covenants, but in the meantime, let’s set the stage for better understanding Doctrine and Covenants section 36. In Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 10 “Gathered In,” the authors relate the following background information for this revelation (see also here, here, and here):
As the missionaries traveled west, Sidney traveled east with his friend Edward Partridge, a thirty-seven-year-old hatmaker from his congregation. The two men were headed to Manchester, nearly three hundred miles from Kirtland, to meet Joseph. Sidney had already joined the church, but Edward wanted to get to know the prophet before deciding whether he should do the same.9
When they arrived, the friends went first to the farm of Joseph’s parents, only to learn that the Smiths had moved closer to Fayette. But before trekking another twenty-six miles to the Smiths’ home, Edward wanted to look over the property, thinking the Smiths’ handiwork might reveal something about their character. He and Sidney saw their well-kept orchards, their homes and outbuildings, and the low stone walls they had constructed. Each testified of the family’s order and industry.10
Edward and Sidney returned to the road and walked all day, reaching the Smiths’ home by evening. When they got there, a church meeting was in progress. They slipped into the house and joined a small congregation listening to Joseph preach. When the prophet finished, he said anyone in the room could stand and speak as he or she felt inspired.
Edward stood and told the Saints what he had seen and felt on his trip. Then he said, “I am ready to be baptized, Brother Joseph. Will you baptize me?”
“You have traveled a long way,” Joseph said. “I think you had better take some rest and refreshment and tomorrow morning be baptized.”
“Just as you think proper,” Edward replied. “I am ready at any time.”11
Before the baptism took place, Joseph received a revelation calling Edward to preach and prepare for the day when Christ would come to His temple.12 Edward was baptized and quickly left to share the gospel with his parents and relatives.13 Sidney, meanwhile, stayed in Fayette to act as Joseph’s scribe and was soon assisting him in a new project.14
The Lord revealed what is now D&C 36 through the Prophet Joseph Smith to Edward Partridge near Fayette, New York, on December 9, 1830. The Lord blessed and ordained Edward Partridge through Sidney Rigdon, and taught that every man who receives the gospel and the priesthood is to be called to go forth and preach (See also Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 53-54 and Backman, Jr. and Cowan, Joseph Smith and the Doctrine and Covenants, p. 45):
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;
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;
And you shall declare it with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna, blessed be the name of the most high God.
And now this calling and commandment give I unto you concerning all men—
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—
Crying repentance, saying: Save yourselves from this untoward generation, and come forth out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted with the flesh.
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.
I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God; wherefore, gird up your loins and I will suddenly come to my temple. Even so. Amen. (D&C 36:1-8)
This revelation is at least one thing that accounts for the rapid growth and spread of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Edward Partridge, like other new converts, was freshly converted to the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Book of Mormon, and he was almost immediately called to preach repentance. Jesus Christ is the Great Jehovah, the Mighty One of Israel who called Edward Partridge to this work. I find it significant that the Lord introduces this revelation with this particular title, the Mighty One of Israel. There is, in my view, a type and a shadow in what Jehovah, the Mighty One of Israel did for Moses and the Children of Israel and what He began to do with Joseph Smith and the modern Children of Israel.
The Lord blessed and ordained Edward Partridge, and promised him that he would received the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. The Comforter teaches us the peaceable things of the kingdom and inspires us to live and to share the joyful message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. This revelation was directed to Edward Partridge in particular, but it is applicable to all men. The requirement to join in the work was not wealth, worldly status, or talent. The requirement was and is to do the same thing that Edward Partridge did, namely, to repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and to come before the Lord’s servants, and embrace this calling and commandment. Thus the missionary efforts of the Lord’s Restored Church grew in power and rapidly expanded.
What is the message that Edward Partridge was called to preach? It was simple. Repentance. Repent and save yourselves from this untoward generation. The word generation (see also here) has many meanings, and one of those meanings is “dispensation.” We live in the last dispensation of the Gospel, and therefore this revelation to Edward Partridge applies just as much to us now as it did to him then.
What does it mean to come forth out of the fire? What does it mean to hate the garments spotted with the flesh? This is the New Testament verse that inspired the language in this verse from the Doctrine and Covenants:
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (Jude 1:23)
My reading of this verse is that the Lord exhorts us to rescue others from the fire by loving them and persuading them to repent while also hating sin. It is something like the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin,” but more profound. A good example of this attitude and disposition is Nephi’s younger brother Jacob, who was anxious for the welfare of his brothers and sisters, because he loved the Lord and loathed sin:
But behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? Would I harrow up your souls if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you according to the plainness of the truth if ye were freed from sin?
Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin.
Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God.
Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness. (2 Nephi 9:47-51)
The Lord extended the calling to labor in the His vineyard to all the elder of His Church, for the purpose that every man who embraces the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with singleness of heart (honestly, and sincerely) may also be ordained and sent forth. The conclusion of the Lord’s revelation to Edward Partridge is unique and reflects the language of the Old Testament prophet Malachi:
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
After a brief biography of Edward Partridge, Smith and Sjodahl offer the following commentary on D&C 36:
The Mighty One of Israel] In this Revelation our Lord announces Himself as “the Mighty One of Israel.” This name also occurs in Isaiah (1:24; 30:29). It means JEHOVAH, the Lord of Hosts, who led His people out of Egypt, with a strong arm. While the “mighty one” of Assyria was a winged bull, and while earthly kingdoms adopt images of eagles, lions, etc., as emblems of strength, the “Mighty One” of the Kingdom of God is JEHOVAH.
As with the voice of a trump] Edward Partridge was called to preach the gospel; not timidly, but boldly; non as a whisper, but as a trumpet blast. In the wilderness, Israel was warned by means of trumpets, to advance or to halt. They were called to their assemblies, or to the defense of the camp, by the same means. The trumpet announced the new moons, the festivals, the years of jubilee. The preaching of the gospel should be to us even more than the fanfares of trumpets were to Israel, anciently.
I will lay my hand upon you by *** Rigdon] Edward Partridge was called to the ministry by revelation, but it was, nevertheless, necessary that he should receive the spirit of his calling by the laying on of hands, and the Lord assured him that He would perform that ordinance by the hands of Sidney Rigdon. God regards the administrations of His authorized servants as though they were performed by Himself.
The peaceable things of the kingdom] The things that bring peace to men. They are of God. Those that engender strife and contention are not from Him.
Hosanna, blessed be the name of the most High God] A thought suggested here is this, that, as the disciples of our Lord and the multitude accompanied Him into Jerusalem, before His death, with songs of joy, and caused commotion among the entire populace, so His heralds at this time should fill the whole world with the proclamation of His advent. Hosanna means, “Save, I beseech you!” Here it is a prayer for the salvation of the world. Preaching, without praying, in in vain.
5. Shall be ordained and sent forth] Not only those who were called specially to the ministry, but all who held the Priesthood, were to be ordained and sent forth.
6. Garments spotted with the flesh] This expression is also found in Jude 1:23. The garment, a tunic worn next to the body, was thought of as polluted by indulgence in carnal sins, or defiled by the stains of diseases caused by transgression. The Elders of the Church were to cry repentance as the only means of salvation from the burning fires of the lusts of the flesh.
8. To my temple] This is the first intimation in these Revelations that temples were to be built in this dispensation. The Revelations were given, as was the translation of the Book of Mormon, “line upon line,” although the entire plan was present before God from the beginning.
General Notes
The imposition of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost is an ordinance that was clearly understood in the primitive church. In Acts (8:5-17) we read that Philip preached in Samaria, and that many believed and were baptized. Philip was one of seven appointed to take charge of the temporal affairs of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:1-6). When compelled to leave the city, because of persecution, he went to Samaria, but, although he had been preaching the gospel to the Samaritans, he did not impart the gift of the Holy Ghost. In all probability he did not hold the Melchizedek Priesthood at that time. But when the brethren in Jerusalem heard that Samaritans had received the gospel, they sent Peter and John to them, and these Apostles confirmed those who had been baptized, and they received the Holy Ghost.
In this Revelation the Lord places the possession of the Holy Spirit first among the qualifications necessary for the ministry. On this subject Brigham Young well says:
“The idea generally prevails in Christian countries, that it requires men to be qualified, and learned, and eloquent, to stand before the people and act as religious teachers. I will give you the reason why this is so. When a false theory has to be maintained, it requires to be set forth with much care; it requires study, and learning, and cunning sophistry to guild over a falsehood and give it the semblance of truth, and make it plausible and congenial to the feelings of the people; but the most simple and unlearned person can tell the truth. A child can tell the truth. *** Education is a good thing, and blessed is the man who has it, and can use it for the dissemination of the gospel without being puffed up with pride. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty *** that no flesh should glory in His presence” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. XI., p. 214). (pp. 190-93)
Amen.