George Q. Cannon

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Like the Love of Jonathan for David

August 2, 2009 in Religion by Greg | No comments

The Bible records the great love that Jonathan had for David:

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.¹

In 1890, George Q. Cannon elaborated upon one of the meanings of this scriptural passage:

But in addition to this, there is this remarkable union to which I have referred. How wonderfully God has manifested this spirit among the Latter-day Saints. As soon as men and women have been baptized in water and had hands laid upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost a new spirit has descended upon them. They left their parents, their brothers and sisters; they left their children; they left their friends with whom they had associated; they left those whom they loved with an intense love; and I have known men and women who, before joining this Church, would as soon have thought of committing suicide as of leaving their homes and gathering with the Saints of God, the very thought being exceedingly repugnant to them, especially to go to a distant land and among strange people; but no sooner have they been baptized and had hands laid upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost than a change has taken place. A new spirit has taken possession of them. Instead of that overpowering love for kindred which they formerly possessed, another love took its place–a love for those who were formerly strangers to them. Men and women who had entered into covenant with God then became to them the dearest friends on earth. And if their fathers and their mothers, and their brothers and sisters would not receive the Gospel, instead of that having the effect to wean them from the Gospel and destroy their love for it, it only had the effect to intensify their affection for the truth and for those who had entered into covenant with God. When men receive the everlasting Gospel and the Priesthood, there is a love begotten in their hearts for their fellowmen such as they never have felt before. Like the love of Jonathan for David, it is “passing the love of women.” It is stronger than the love of women. It overpowers it. Not that it quenches the love of women or makes it improper; but it is a greater love, it surpasses it. This is the love that enters into the hearts of women who embrace the Gospel, and causes them to love the Elders of this Church as they never loved any one before. And it is a pure love. They love them as they would angels from heaven. It is not an unvirtuous love. It is a love that comes from God. It is the love of the Holy Ghost, the love of purity, the love of truth, the love that we would have for holy beings—a part of the love that we have for God Himself, and for our Lord and Savior Jesus. This love unites them together with a bond and strength of affection that was never known before. The restoration of this Gospel to the earth has begotten a new love among mankind. It is a love that comes from God Himself, and it is poured out upon His children, and it makes us one, when we cherish it as we should do. It makes us love one another as no other beings upon the face of the earth can love, because, as I say, it is the love of God.²

This explanation reminded me of Lorenzo Snow’s account of the Holy Ghost.

Sources:

1 Samuel 18:1-4.↩
Cannon, George Q. Collected Discourses. 3 August 1890: Vol. 2.↩

Spiritual Gifts

February 1, 2009 in Holy Ghost by Greg | No comments

Last week Carrie had an opportunity to invite one of our close friends and neighbors to the Draper Utah Temple Open House and during their visit they discussed spiritual gifts, or the gifts of the spirit. As I reflected on the topic of their conversation that day, I remember my own desire to better understand these gifts.

I suppose in many respects a temple is the natural place for such a conversation. As preface to the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Savior appeared to the apostles. Luke recorded the following:

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. (Luke 24:49-53).

Listings of Spiritual Gifts

The spiritual gifts are mentioned by Paul in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 12. They are also discussed in the Book of Mormon in Moroni 10 as well as in Doctrine and Covenants 46. In fact, Moroni 10 is a particularly important chapter since it conveys Moroni’s last recorded words in the Book of Mormon (see If You Only Had a Few Words to Share, What Would You Share?). Some of these gifts include:

Faith
Testimony
Belief
Prophecy
Healing and being healed
Wisdom and knowledge
Tongues and the interpretation of tongues
Revelation and visions
Beholding angels and discerning spirits
Miracles
Administration and discernment

Years ago a friend pointed out that there are important differences between the three scriptural references to the gifts of the spirit. When I actually compared the three accounts, I realized the importance of comparing and contrasting the scriptures, something a Hebrew teacher also once taught me. He called it an ancient method of teaching and learning. I learned something important that day and decided to spend more time studying this topic.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nibley on Book of Mormon Geography

December 1, 2008 in Book of Mormon by Greg | 20 comments

In general, Dr. Hugh W. Nibley wrote very little about the geography of the Book of Mormon. And I suppose with good reason. In 1890, George Q. Cannon wrote:

There is a tendency, strongly manifested . . . among some of the brethren, to study the geography of the Book of Mormon. . . . We are greatly pleased to notice the . . . interest taken by the Saints in this holy book. . . . But valuable as is the Book of Mormon both in doctrine and history, yet it is possible to put this sacred volume to uses for which it was never intended, uses which are detrimental rather than advantageous to the cause of truth, and consequently to the work of the Lord. . . . The First Presidency has often been asked to prepare some suggestive map illustrative of Nephite geography, but have never consented to do so. Nor are we acquainted with any of the Twelve Apostles who would undertake such a task. The reason is, that without further information they are not prepared even to suggest. The word of the Lord or the translation of other ancient records is required to clear up many points now so obscure.¹

In 1993, the First Presidency wrote:

The Church emphasizes the doctrinal and historical value of the Book of Mormon, not its geography. While some Latter-day Saints have looked for possible locations and explanations because the New York Hill Cumorah does not readily fit the Book of Mormon description of Cumorah, there are no conclusive connections between the Book of Mormon text and any specific site.²

A few weeks ago, a member in our congregation told me about a DVD he recently viewed and was excited to share it with me (see DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography). When he first told me about the DVD, the first thought I had in my mind was an article by Dr. Nibley entitled Ancient Temples: What Do They Signify? in the September 1972 Ensign. Here are a few excerpts that may (or may not) pertain to the ongoing question about the locale of the Book of Mormon: Read the rest of this entry »

Cannon, George Q. “Editorial Thoughts: The Book of Mormon Geography”. The Juvenile Instructor. 1 January 1890: 25:18–19.↩
Correspondence from Michael Watson, Office of the First Presidency, 23 April 1993 as cited in Hamblin, William J. “Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archaeology of the Book of Mormon”. Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. 1993: 2:161-197.↩

Prophecy Fulfilled by Natural Means

November 16, 2008 in Prophecy & Revelation by Greg | No comments

George Q. Cannon taught that prophecy is fulfilled by natural means. A person who is enlightened by the spirit of God will see the hand of God in the fulfillment of events, while a person not enlightened will see nothing godlike in the same occurrences. In 1879, Elder Cannon said:

Now I would not, for the world, say one word to lessen in the minds of my brethren and sisters the importance of these events; I would not say one word to weaken your proper expectations; but my experience has taught me that the Lord works in the midst of this people by natural means, and that the greatest events that have been spoken of by the holy prophets will come along so naturally as the consequence of certain causes, that unless our eyes are enlightened by the Spirit of God, and the spirit of revelation rests us, we will fail to see that these are the events predicted by the holy prophets.

You take two persons, one who has the Spirit of God, whose mind is enlightened by that Spirit – the spirit of revelations, the same spirit that rested upon the prophets who wrote the revelations and prophecies we have – you take a man of that kind, and then take another who has none of that spirit, and put the two together, and the one man’s eyes will be open to see the hand of God in all these events; he will notice his movements and his providence in everything connected with his work and they will be testimonies to him to strengthen his faith and to furnish his mind with continual reasons for giving thanks to and worshipping God; while the man, who has not the Spirit of God, will see nothing Godlike in the occurrences: nothing which he will view as supernatural (as many suppose everything which exhibits God’s power to be), or nothing which he will accept as a fulfillment of prophecies; his eyes will be closed, his heart will be hardened, and to all the evidences of the divinity of these things he will be impenetrable.¹

Sources:

Cannon, George Q. Journal of Discourses. 21:264-272.↩

Constitution to Hang by a Thread

November 10, 2008 in Constitution by Greg | 18 comments

The “constitution to hang by a thread” is a statement often attributed to Joseph Smith. The following is the “only known contemporary account of this well-known prophecy of Joseph Smith.”¹

After reading a chapter in Ezekiel, the parable of the 12 olive trees in D&C 101:44-62, and referring to the Redemption of Zion, he said:

We shall build the Zion of the Lord in peace untill the servants of that Lord shall begin to lay the foundation of a great and high watch Tower and then shall they begin to say within themselves what need hath my Lord of this tower seeing this is a time of peace &c—Then the Enemy shall brak come as a thief in the night and scatter the servants abroad when the seed of these 12 Olive trees are scattered abroad they will wake up the Nations of the whole Earth Even this Nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground and when the constitution is upon the brink of ruin this people will be the Staff upon which the Nation shall lean and they shall bear away the constitution away from the very verge of destruction—Then shall the Lord say go tell all my servants who are the strength of mine house my young men and middle aged &c come to the Land of my vineyard and fight the battle of the Lord—Then the Kings & Queens shall come then the rulers of the Earth shall come then shall ail saints come yea the Foreign saints shall come to fight for the Land of my vineyard for in this thing shall be their safety and they will have no power to choose but will come as a man fleeth from a sudden destruction—But before this the time shall be when these who are now my friends shall become my enemies and shall seek to take my life and shall be m there are those now before me who will more furiously pursue me and the more dilligently seek to my life and be more blood thirsty upon my track than ever were the Missouri Mobbers You say among yourselves as did them of old time it is I & is it I But I know these things by the visions of the Almighty.²

In May 1843, James Burgess reports that Joseph Smith said the “Constitution and Government would hang by a brittle thread”:

In the month of May 1843. Several miles east of Nauvoo. The Nauvoo Legion was on parade and review. At the close of which Joseph Smith made some remarks upon our condition as a people and upon our future prospects contrasting our present condition with our past trials and persecutions by the hands of our enemies. Also upon the constitution and government of the United States stating that the time would come when the Constitution and Government would hang by a brittle thread and would be ready to fall into other hands but this people the Latter day Saints will step forth and save it.

General Scott and part of his staff on the American Army was present on the occasion.

I James Burgess was present and testify to the above (James Burgess Notebook, Church Archives).³

The following are statements made by various leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on this topic in the 19th century.⁴

Constitution to Hang by a Thread »»

This post was last updated on 22 Apr 2010. The entire text of the quote was reduced to a single paragraph.↩
Smith, Joseph. “Howard and Martha Coray Notebook, 19 July 1840″. The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph. Comp. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook. Orem, Utah: Grandin Book, 1991. 415-418; hereafter Words.↩
Words. 279, note 1.↩
Portions of these statements are referred to in Words. 419, note 9.↩