dccanon
Doctrine & Covenants
Section 40
Jehovah reads the heart of James Covel plainly: the covenant was made with gladness, the word received — and then broken. Satan did not overpower Covel by force; fear of persecution and the weight of worldly care were sufficient. The breach is named without softening, and the consequence is placed entirely in Jehovah's hand. The chapter stands as a precise anatomy of covenant failure — not through disbelief but through a will that would not hold its first resolve when the cost became visible.
1
Behold, verily I say unto you, that the heart of my servant James Covel was right before me, for he covenanted with me that he would obey my word.
2
And he received the word with gladness, but straightway Satan tempted him; and the fear of persecution and the cares of the world caused him to reject the word.
3
Wherefore he broke my covenant, and it remaineth with me to do with him as seemeth me good. Amen.
