Book of Doctrine and Covenants

“ But some kinds of law have already been established by certain custom: such as those relating to covenants, equity, formal decisions. A covenant is that which is agreed upon between two parties, because it is considered to be so just that it is said to be enforced by justice; equity is that which is equal to all men; a formal decision is that by which something has been established by the declared opinion of some person or persons authorized to pronounce one. ”

“ What engagement can be upon us, which these reasons do not reach and answer? The liberty of our persons, and of our estates, is worth much; but the liberty of the gospel and purity of doctrine and ordinances, are worth much more. Peace is a precious jewel, but who can value truth? The wise merchant will sell all that he hath with joy to buy this, and blesses God for the bargain.
And because of all this, we are called to make a covenant this day. Truth of doctrine and purity of worship were going, and much of them both were gone. ”

“ Next, we bear testimony against persons being invested with royal power and authority in thir covenanted lands, without a declaration of their hearty complyance with, and approbation of the National and Solemn League and Covenant and engadgment to prosecute the ends thereof, by consenting to and ratifying all acts and laws made in defence of these Covenants, agreeable to the Word of God, and laudable acts and practise of this kirk and kingdom in our best times. ”

“ Because of the courses that are carried on in direct opposition to these covenants; the nations, formerly cemented in peace and love in conjunction with truth and righteousness, having broken these bonds, and united themselves upon another footing, by the late sinful incorporating union: and imposing new oaths in opposition to the covenant; such as abjuration, &c. granting license, protection and toleration to all the evils abjured in the covenant; as heresies and errors in doctrine, superstition in worship, Prelacy and Erastianism in government, and overthrowing all good discipline. ”

“ Nothing has done more, if the Covenants be excepted, to give the Covenanted Church decision, stability, permanence, spiritedness, and undecaying strength, than the superlative formulas of truth produced by this illustrious Assembly. ”

“ As we are taught in the Doctrine and Covenants; in all the universe there is no space where there is no kingdom, and where there is no kingdom, there is no law; and all things that are governed by law are preserved by law, and sanctioned by law ”

“ But the consistency of such a profession with maintaining principles that are diametrically opposite to these covenants, and the cause of truth, sworn to in them (as has been made evident they do) is altogether unintelligible. Is it possible strenuously to maintain the lawfulness of a prelatical government abjured in the covenants, and yet at the same time sincerely and honestly, according to the profession made by the church, Psal. xliv, 17, 18, to contend for the moral obligation of the covenants, and the work of reformation sworn to in them? ”

“ O assembled men, I am going to bind you to the covenant and compact which existed before the death of the Prophet- peace be upon him- that you will not associate others with God, and that you will see to the promulgation of the laws upon which this covenant is founded, and it is, namely, the explanation of the law, and the explanation of what the obedient will receive and what shall befall the disobedient. ”

“ There have been many objections made against the design, matter and form of the covenants: more against subjects covenanting to defend the purity and promote the reformation of religion, without the royal concurrence of their sovereign princes; most of all against private persons entering into covenant, or renewing thereof, for the said end without the general concurrence of the representative body of the church and state. ”

“ Who therefore, thirdly, if they may lawfully annul and abolish laws that are found to sin against the law of God, and the good of the kingdom may as lawfully bind themselves by an oath, to use the uttermost of their endeavours to annul and abolish those laws; their oath being nothing else but a solemn engagement to endeavour to perform what they have warrantably resolved upon; and with the same equity may they bind the kingdom to assist them in so doing. 4. Which is all that the people are engaged to by this covenant. ”

“ How surprising it is then, that after such a profession, they dare cast out of their bond the greatest parts of the covenants! This is not only to break these obligations, but it is to make a public declaration, that different times and circumstances do free men from their obligation to keep their most solemn vows to the Most High. ”

“ Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. ”

“ Let us be obedient to Christ as to our King, as having authority to change several constitutions, and having, as a legislator, wisdom to make new constitutions in different circumstances; yet so that everywhere the laws of nature be immutably preserved. ”

“ Whereas a covenant for the preservation and reformation of religion, the maintenance and defence of laws and liberties, hath been thought a fit and excellent means to acquire the favour of Almighty God towards the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland ”

“ That no man may transgress through ignorance, I have given you my law, and thus published my covenant; the people themselves have acknowledged its justice and equity, and have voluntarily ratified it. He then that sins against me, (for sin is the transgression of the law, [1779] , and the law must be published and known that it may be binding) , him will I blot out of my book." And is it not remarkable that to these conditions of the covenant God strictly adhered, so that not one soul of these transgressors ever entered into the promised rest! ”

“ Withall, warning and exhorting all men who lay to heart the cause of Religion, against the corruptions of the time & the present estate of things, both to subscribe the Covenant as it hath bin explained, & necessarily applied; and as they love the puritie and libertie of the Gospel, to hold back their hands from all other Covenants, till the Assembly now indicted be conveened, & determine the present differences and divisions, & preserve this countrey from contrary oathes. ”

“ Seeing, then, the obligation of the covenant upon us is evident to a demonstration, it cannot, in justness, be called a rebellious action against lawful authority, to declare in our station that we believe so much and resolve to practice accordingly. It is indeed too true that the wicked laws enacting the perpetual breaches of these covenants have never been rescinded; but seeing they are wicked and opposite to the commandment and covenant of the Lord, the supreme legislator, they are naturally void and null, and have been still so esteemed by us. ”

“ The giving of any command to man, therefore, in a state of innocence, was a recognition of him as a creature on his constitution designed, and, in the providence of God, to be called, to enter into covenant with him. ”

“ A covenant is a solemn compact or agreement between two chosen parties or more, whereby with mutual, free, and full consent they bind themselves upon select conditions, tending to the glory of God, and their common good. ”

“ A covenant transaction among men concerning lawful things civil, if ratified by oath, has the solemnity of an exercise that carries along with it an engagement, of its own nature, to God, not less than an exercise of Covenanting concerning things civil and religious, or concerning things exclusively religious. ”

“ See here that God's covenants and commands are so incontestably equitable in themselves, and so highly advantageous to us, that the more we think of them, and the more plainly and fully they are set before us, the more reason we shall see to comply with them. ”

“ The covenant is norma recta,—a right rule, though the Scripture alone be norma recti,—the rule of right. If they hold the covenant to be unlawful, or to have anything in it contrary to the word of God, let them speak out. But to profess the breach of the covenant to be a grievous and great fault, and worthy of a severe censure, and yet to decline the charge and proofs thereof, is a most horrible scandal; yea, be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and give ear, O earth! how small regard is had to the oath of God by men professing the name of God. ”

“ And therefore, if it be a hell-procuring sin to break the least of God's commandments, much more to be a covenant breaker. 2. It is a greater sin than to sin against a promise of God; because a covenant is a promise joined with an oath. It is a mutual stipulation between God and us: and therefore, if it be a great sin to break promise, much more to break covenant. 3. It is a greater sin than to sin against an ordinance, because the covenant is the root and ground of all the ordinances. ”

“ Seeing then our princes, our magistrates, our ministers, and our people, have freely consented to, written, and sworn this covenant; let us all in our several places, be up and doing, that the Lord may be with us; not sit still and do nothing, and so cause the Lord to turn against us.
You that are for consultation, go to counsel; you that are for execution, go on to acting; you that are for exhorting the people in this work, attend to exhortation; you that are soldiers, draw your swords; you that have estates, draw your purses; you that have strength of body, lend your hands ”

“ Seeing the king is now upon the renewing of the covenants, it should be remembered that we enter into covenant, according to our profession therein, with reality, sincerity, and constancy, which are the qualifications of good covenanters. Many doubt of your reality in the covenant, let your sincerity and reality be evidenced by your stedfastness and constancy; for many have begun well, but have not been constant. ”

“ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
Articles of agreement among men are sealed, that the covenants may be the more solemn, and the performances of the covenants the more sure, to mutual satisfaction; God therefore being willing more abundantly to show to the heirs of promise the immutability of his councils, has confirmed his covenant by a seal, (Heb. 6. 17.) which makes the foundations we build on, stand sure, 2 Tim. 2. 19. The seal of this covenant of nature was natural enough ”

“ Every breach of covenant, wherein a king falleth, after he hath entered into covenant, doth not dissolve the bond of the covenant. Neither should subjects lay aside a king for every breach, except the breaches be such as overthrow the fundamentals of religion, and of the covenant with the people. ”

“ Pray them to weigh things more indifferently. To charge us with breach of covenant when they break first, to bind us to the words of a treaty when it maketh for their purpose, and to use the benefit of a glosed interpretation when the words make against them, what equity, reason, honour, justice, treaty, or amity, can bear it? ”

“ If a people, that by oath and duty are obliged to a sovereign, shall sinfully dispossess him, and, contrary to their covenants, choose and covenant with another, they may be obliged by their later covenants, notwithstanding their former.—Baxter; H. C.
"16. All oaths are unlawful and contrary to the Word of God.—Quakers.
"17. An oath obligeth not in the sense of the imposer, but the taker's.—Sheriff's Case.
"18. Dominion is founded in grace.
"19. The powers of this world are usurpations upon the prerogative of Jesus Christ ”

“ Faith and workes are opposed in the matter of Justification and Salvation in the Covenant, not that they cannot stand together in the same subject, for they be inseperably united, but because they cannot concurre or meete together in one & the same Court, to the Justification or Absolution of Man. ”

“ Famous is that text in Jeremiah. Because the princes and the people brake the covenant which they had made with their servants, though but their servants, God tells them, "Because ye have not hearkened unto Me, in proclaiming liberty every one to his brother.... Behold, I proclaim liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine: and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth." ”

“ When the Lord has a people, he makes covenants with them and gives unto them promises: then, if they transgress his law, change his ordinances, and break the covenants he has made with them, he will put a mark upon them, as in the case of the Lamanites and other portions of the house of Israel; but by-and-by they will become a white and delightsome people. ”

“ He never did enter into a covenant with His creatures, without revelations; and He never can do it. In short, whenever He made a covenant with the people, where a whole people were concerned, He included in the covenant the priesthood, offices, and authorities, together with the ordinances and blessings which pertain to His covenant; and so will He do at this time. Whenever the new covenant is established, it will organize the kingdom of God with all its offices, ordinances, gifts, and blessings as in the days of old; but more of this when we come to treat of the kingdom of God. ”

“ For they that be in Covenant are in phrase of Scripture the people of God, that is, such with whom God hath contracted Covenant, and who in like manner have sworne unto the words of the Covenant, God stipulating, and they accepting the condition. God as an absolute Soveraigne hath right and authority over all men: but in a certaine and peculiar reason they are called his people, who receive his Commandement, and acknowledge him to be their Lord and Saviour. ”