FOOTNOTE:
[4] On the opposite page we present a reduced copy of a hieroglyphic drawing in the British Museum, representing the journey of the forefathers of the Mexicans from Asia to this continent. The original was first given to the world by the famous Italian traveler Gumelli Farerri in his book entitled "Giro del Mondo." Clavigero, Humboldt and others have endeavored to explain the meaning of this drawing. You will notice a palm tree near a hieroglyphic which much resembles that supposed to represent Jerusalem in the commencement of the Boturini manuscript. This is said to signify the house of God; here the journey began. Near by is a bird, which stands for Asia. The tradition runs thus: Huitziton was a person of great authority amongst the Aztecs, in Asia, who for some reason not remembered, persuaded his countrymen to change their country. While he was thus meditating, a bird was heard singing in a bush ti hui, ti hui, which means "let us go." "Do you hear that?" said Zacpaltzin, "it is the warning voice of the secret Deity to leave this continent and to find another." Therefore they started, with those they could persuade to go with them, traveling by Tlapalan, translated, the country of the Red Sea, and after long journeys reached the land where the hieroglyphics leaves them.
CHAPTER IV.
THE PROMISED LAND—CHILI—ITS NATURAL PRODUCTIONS—THE DEATH OF LEHI—HIS BLESSING ON HIS POSTERITY—PROPHECIES OF HIS ANCESTOR JOSEPH.
(I. NEPHI CHAP. 18 TO II. NEPHI CHAP. 4.)
WHEN the little colony, which numbered, we imagine, from sixty to eighty souls, landed on the promised land they pitched their tents and soon after began to till the ground. From their sowing they reaped abundant crops. They explored the wilderness around them, and found beasts of the forest of many kinds; also the ox, the horse, the goat and the wild goat. In the rocks they discovered ores of gold, silver and copper. Of the gold ore Nephi was commanded of the Lord to make plates on which to keep the records of his people.
The description given by Nephi of the region where the colony landed exactly corresponds with what we know of the country now called Chili; and it was on its coast, the Prophet Joseph Smith informs us, that the Nephites landed, and there they established their first homes. Chili is favored with one of the finest and healthiest climates in the world. The soil is exceedingly fertile, and the productions of both hemispheres seem to thrive equally well there. The most delicious fruit grows in abundance—the apple, peach, grape, strawberry, etc. Its forests are magnificent, and furnish many kinds of beautiful wood. The grass, in its rich meadow pastures, is often so tall and luxuriant as to hide the cattle grazing amongst it. Chili also possesses valuable mines, especially of gold, silver, copper and coal.
THE FIRST SACRIFICE ON THE PROMISED LAND.
The people of Lehi were so few in number that they were a quiet and solemn race, with few amusements, but with an oppressing sense of the vastness of the land which they occupied, and of their own insignificance. Nor was there entire peace amongst them, for Laman and Lemuel, with others, were still fractious and turbulent.
In course of time Lehi felt that his earthly life was near its close, for he was aged and in failing health. So he called to him his sons and daughters and the other members of his colony, and blessed them in the same manner as his forefather Jacob blessed his family before he died. Lehi also prophesied many things that should happen to his posterity after him, for he was possessed of much of the Spirit of the Lord. After he had done this he died and was buried.
Lehi appears to have taken great pleasure in the knowledge that he was a descendant of that Joseph who was sold by his brethren, and afterwards carried into Egypt. In the blessing that he pronounced upon his own son Joseph, Lehi quotes largely from the prophecies of the former Joseph; prophecies which are nowhere given us, except in the Book of Mormon. From them we learn that this mighty son of Jacob was greatly favored of the Lord in having revealed to him much that related to the future of his father's house, especially to his own posterity. He saw the days of Moses and the work that that prophet performed; he saw Lehi's day and his work, and, more interesting to us than all, he saw the establishment of the kingdom of God in our day. He was told that the prophet whom the Lord would raise up to be the leader of God's people in the latter days would be of his seed, and the name of this prophet, and that of his father also, would be the same as his—that is, it would be Joseph. Many other events of great moment that are even now taking place, were also made manifest to him by the Lord.
CHAPTER V.
THE NEPHITES AND LAMANITES SEPARATE—THE NEPHITES SEEK A NEW HOME—NEPHI CHOSEN KING—HE BUILDS A TEMPLE—INSTRUCTS HIS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS OF PEACE—WAR WITH THE LAMANITES—THE SWORD OF LABAN—NEPHI'S DEATH—JACOB, HIS BROTHER, BECOMES THE CHIEF PRIEST—JACOB'S TEACHINGS ON MARRIAGE.
(II. NEPHI CHAP. 5 TO JACOB, CHAP. 4.)
SCARCELY was Lehi buried than fresh trouble arose. Laman and Lemuel, with their friends, would not be led by Nephi. They asserted that they were the elder brothers and theirs was the right to rule. They would not recognize Nephi's authority, though they knew that God had appointed him to be their leader. So, by the command of Heaven, the two parties separated. Nephi, and those who would listen to him, moved away, and left those who clung to Laman in possession of their first home.
Those who went with Nephi were his own family, Zoram, Sam, Jacob and Joseph, and their families, and some others whose names the Book of Mormon does not give. Henceforth those who belonged to this branch of Lehi's house were known as Nephites, after Nephi, their leader; while those who remained with Laman were called Lamanites.
The condition of the Lamanites was now pitiable; they had cut themselves off from the presence of the Lord, the Priesthood was withdrawn from them, the records and scriptures were beyond their grasp. Hatred and malice reigned supreme in their souls; they had no inclination for the arts of peace; they were restless, cunning and idle, whilst they sought in the wilderness the food necessary to sustain life. Already the curse of God was falling upon them. Lest they should appear pleasant to Nephite eyes, their fair and beautiful skins grew dark and repulsive, their habits became loathsome and filthy, and the same skin of darkness came upon the children of all those who intermarried with them.
The Nephites called the new country in which they made their homes the land of Nephi. There, Nephi by the wish of the people, became their king, though this step was contrary to his own feelings. So greatly was he beloved by his subjects that when he died the people called the next king, Nephi the second, the next, Nephi the third, and so on. All the kings were thus called Nephi, in the same way as all the monarchs of ancient Egypt were Pharaohs, and the emperors of modern Russia are Tzars.
One of the first things that Nephi and his people did in their new home was to build a temple. This showed great faith and courage on the part of so small a community. And their faith and courage triumphed, for the temple was finished. It was built after the manner of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, but it was not so large, so costly, or so grand. Yet it was a magnificent edifice to be erected by a people so few in number. Here the Nephites offered burnt offerings according to the law of Moses, which they strictly observed; and Nephi consecrated Jacob and Joseph to be priests, to officiate therein.
Nephi not only built a temple, but he taught his people to be industrious and thrifty, honest and virtuous. He caused them to build dwellings and other edifices, and to work in wood, iron, copper, brass, steel, silver and gold; for there was a great abundance of precious ores in the land in which they now dwelt.
Nephi still retained possession of the sword of Laban; and, taking it as a pattern, he made many swords for his people to use in their own defense should they be attacked by the Lamanites. This precaution proved a very wise one, for in less than forty years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem the Lamanites had followed up the Nephites and commenced war upon them. But the Lamanites were not successful, for Nephi, wielding the sword of Laban with his own hands, led his people to battle and drove back the invaders.
When fifty-five years had passed away Nephi handed the small plates which he had made to his brother Jacob, that he might keep the sacred records thereon. Sometime after, how long we are not told, Nephi anointed another man to be king over his people; and then, having grown old, he died.
Great was the love of the people for Nephi. He had been their prophet, priest and king; father, friend and guide; protector, teacher and leader; next to God, their all in all. He labored diligently all the days of his life to teach the people to serve God, to believe in Christ, to keep the laws of heaven, and to be and to do all that God's holy law required. In all these labors his brother Jacob nobly aided him.
When Nephi died Jacob became the chief religious teacher of the people. He was a man of much faith and diligence, and received the word of the Lord from time to time in great fullness, as the church needed.
We know but little of what occurred among the Nephites in Jacob's time. The people, however, appear in some respects to have fallen into sin. They had grown in worldly pride, and devoted far too much of their time and energies to the search for wealth. By reason of their isolated position, and because the Jews, their forefathers, had abused the principle of plural marriage, the people of Lehi had been commanded that each man should have but one wife. Some of them did not heed this special law, but took other wives, not only without God's sanction, but entirely contrary to his express command. Indeed they committed other grievous sins, excusing themselves therefor by quoting the actions of King David, and Solomon, his son. At this the Lord was greatly displeased, and he instructed Jacob to reprove them sharply. This he did in the temple. He re-affirmed the law that the Nephites of that age should have only one wife; but added, in the name of the Lord of Hosts, that if he (God) wanted to raise up a holy seed to himself, he would command his people. This we have reason to believe, from reading the Book of Mormon, he afterwards did, though we find therein no direct statement on the matter.
CHAPTER VI.
THE CONDITION OF THE LAMANITES—SHEREM, THE FIRST ANTI-CHRIST—HIS RECANTATION AND DREADFUL END.
(JACOB, CHAP. 3 TO 7.)
WHILST the early Nephites were polygamists, and, unfortunately for them, unrighteous ones, the Lamanites were monogamists, which form of marriage they appear to have ever after retained.
One phase of Lamanite character, originating, doubtless, in their Israelitish ancestry, is worthy of our praise. It was the great strength of their domestic affections, their love for their wives and their kindness to their families. As we shall have to refer so often to their vices, we must, in justice to them, here insert the description of their virtues given by Jacob, the son of Lehi. He says, "Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you, is because of the iniquity of their fathers." Nor is there anything in this incompatible with the ferocity of their character or their blood-thirstiness in war. In the earlier ages of the Lamanite nationality, rigid chastity was observed by the men as well as by the women. Indeed, it may be said that while they manifested most of the prominent vices of semi-barbarous people, they also possessed the virtues that such races, uncorrupted by a more luxurious mode of life, generally show. Nor would it be consistent, nor historically true, to give one general description and apply it to the whole Lamanite race, for as their numbers increased the state of society amongst them grew more complex, and we read of different grades of civilization in their midst.
It must not be forgotten that the Lamanites occupied a much wider extent of country than did the Nephites. In this vast area were found people who dwelt in cities and cultivated the arts to the extent generally found amongst races of the same grade and characteristics. Whilst others, degraded in life and habits, roamed in the wilderness, building no houses, forming no permanent abiding places, but wandering from place to place, and depending for food and clothing upon the animals they caught in the chase, the fishes that abounded in the waters, and whatever they could steal from the hated Nephites, or indeed of their somewhat more highly civilized fellow-countrymen.
It was in the days of Jacob that the first Nephite Anti-Christ appeared. His name was Sherem. He openly and unblushingly taught that there would be no Christ and that there was no necessity for an atonement. He was a type of many who came after, and a well fitted instrument for his evil work. Bland in manners, fluent of speech, much given to flattery, and withal, well versed in the learning of the Nephites, he, by his sophistries, led many astray. His success fired his zeal and filled him with conceit. He actually sought to convert to his views Jacob, the prophet and presiding priest of the church, a man rich in wisdom, and the recipient of many divine revelations; one indeed who had oft-times seen angels and heard the voice of the Lord.
In the interview that occurred between these two widely differing men, Sherem charged that Jacob had changed the law of Moses, which was the right way, into the worship of a being whom Jacob said should come many hundred years hence. He added, "Now behold, I, Sherem, declare unto you, that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of these things; for he cannot tell of things to come." Thus he denied prophecy, styled good evil, and exalted error in the place of truth.
Jacob, being filled with the Spirit of God, confounded his arguments, brought forward the testimony of the scriptures, and proved that the very law of Moses, on which he lay so much stress, was from beginning to end but the type and foreshadowing of the more perfect law of the Christ who should come.
Beaten in his arguments, Sherem fell back upon that almost universal refuge of the false teacher. He defiantly called for a sign. A sign was given him. The power of God came upon him and he fell stricken to the ground. For many days he was nourished, but ineffectually. He himself perceived that death was approaching, and with this perception gathered in his soul all the fears and horrors of an apostate's doom. But before his death he called the people to him and confessed his iniquity. He denied the things he had taught, he "confessed the Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels." He avowed that he had been deceived by the power of the devil, and bitterly bewailed his condition; as the fear that he had committed the unpardonable sin, in denying the Savior, weighed his soul down to hell. Having made these small amends for his past iniquities, he could say no more, and gave up the ghost.
When the people who had gathered to hear his last words, witnessed the terrors of his death, they were softened in their hearts, the power of God rested upon them, and they fell to the earth. The corrupt weeds he had sown in their hearts had withered, the truth had been vindicated, the cause of the Savior extolled, and peace and the love of God were restored again among the people. Thus was this apostasy eradicated, and God glorified; the Nephites of that generation from that time searching the scriptures and cleaving unto the truth.
When Jacob grew old he gave the sacred records to the keeping of his son Enos.
CHAPTER VII.
ENOS, THE SON OF JACOB—THE NEPHITES AND LAMANITES OF HIS DAY—HIS TESTIMONY AND PROPHECIES.
(BOOK OF ENOS.)
IN THE days of Enos the struggle still continued between the Nephites and Lamanites. The latter seem to have made it the business of their lives to harass and annoy their more peaceful brethren. Their hatred was fixed. They swore in their wrath that if it were possible they would destroy the Nephites, and also their records, that they might no longer be compelled to listen to their warnings, or be annoyed by their appeals for peace and friendship.
The picture that Enos draws of the degradation into which the Lamanites had fallen at this early day is a very pitiable one. He says they were led by their evil nature that they became wild and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness, feeding upon beasts of prey, dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins, and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the axe. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat. This last named practice they seem to have inherited from their fathers in the wilderness.
On the other hand, the Nephites at this time were a rural, pastoral people, rich in grain and fruits, flocks, and herds. They were industrious in their habits, and committed but few serious offenses. They observed the law of Moses, but were lacking in faith, hard to understand gospel principles, way-ward and stiff-necked. The terrors of the word had to be sounded in their unwilling ears more often than the gentler strains of gospel invitation.
Enos was one of the most zealous servants of the Lord who ministered and prophesied to the early Nephites. As the son of Jacob, he succeeded his father in the sacred offices of priest and historian. He appears to have inherited his father's faith, gentleness and devotion. Of his personal life we have no particulars, but it is evident that he was a very aged man at the time of his death. His father Jacob was the elder of the two sons born to Lehi in the Arabian wilderness, between the years 600 and 590 before Christ; let us place the event about 594 B. C. Enos, in closing his record, states that one hundred and seventy-nine years had passed since Lehi left Jerusalem. Supposing Enos was born when Jacob was thirty years old, it would make his age one hundred and forty-three years at the date of his writing. But we have no direct statement either of his birth or the exact time of his death; all we know is that when he left this earth he gave the records and the other sacred things into the hands of his son Jarom.
One incident in the life of Enos is given us which is very interesting. It affords a deep insight into the purity and strength of his character. On one occasion when he went into the forest to hunt, his whole soul was filled with thoughts of the prophecies and teachings of his devout father, and he greatly hungered for more light regarding eternal things. In this fitting frame of mind, surrounded by the solitudes of the forest, he bowed before the Lord, and in prayers long and fervent, sought his face. All day long he raised his voice to heaven, and when the night came he did not cease. At last his steadfast faith and godly yearnings prevailed. There came a heavenly voice of comfort to his heart, saying:
Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, thou shalt be blessed.
Lord, how is it done? he anxiously asked.
The answer came: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.
Enos continued struggling with the Lord for promises in behalf of both the Nephites and Lamanites. He received many precious assurances of things yet to be; amongst others, that the Lord would preserve the holy records and bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time. Of these things Enos gladly testified to the people, prophesying of the mighty events yet in the future, and bearing record of that which he had both seen and heard.
CHAPTER VIII.
JAROM—OMNI—AMARON—CHEMISH—ABINADOM—AMALEKI—MOSIAH—REVIEW OF NEPHITE HISTORY FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS.
(BOOKS OF JAROM AND OMNI.)
THE days of the prophet Jarom were neither few nor unimportant. During the sixty years that he had charge of the holy things (B. C. 422 to B. C. 362) the Nephites may be said to have grown from a powerful tribe to a wealthy, though not as yet very numerous, nation. Indeed, their numbers were far from being equal to those of the wild and blood-thirsty Lamanites. The latter, like their descendants of today, spent their time almost exclusively in the chase of wild animals and in war; yet, notwithstanding their vigorous and repeated onslaughts, the age of Jarom was to the Nephites one of marked progress in the arts of peace.
They ceased to be entirely a pastoral people. They gave much attention to the adornment of their homes and public buildings with fine and curious work in wood and metal. Agriculture and manufacture received a new impetus by the invention of various labor-saving machines, implements and tools. Their safety from successful attack from the Lamanites was also measurably secured by the introduction of more perfect weapons of war, and the development of a rude system of fortification, sufficient, however, to protect their cities and settlements from the means of attack at the command of their foes.
Though the Nephites of this age were stiff-necked and perverse, requiring the constant warnings of prophets to keep them from backsliding, yet the pervading tone of their society was simple and unaffected, and the people were generally industrious, honest and moral. They neither blasphemed nor profaned the holy name of the Deity, they kept sacred the Sabbath day, and strictly observed the law of Moses. Their prophets, priests and teachers not only instructed them in this law, but also expounded the intent for which it was given, and while so doing, directed their minds to the coming of the Messiah, in whom they taught the people to believe as though he had already come. These pointed and constant teachings preserved the Nephites from destruction, by softening their hearts and bringing them to repentance, when war, wealth or pride had exerted its baneful influences.
Shortly before Jarom died he delivered the sacred plates to his son Omni. Omni kept them for about forty-four years and then handed them to his son Amaron; who in turn transferred them to his brother Chemish. Chemish, when his end drew near, placed them in the hands of his son Abinadom, who afterwards gave them in charge of his son Amaleki.
It is very little that we know of the history of the Nephites from the death of Jarom to the time of Amaleki, a period of about one hundred and fifty years. The political records of the nation were engraved on other plates, which were kept by the kings, and as there was little that the ecclesiastical historians felt it necessary to write beyond what Nephi and Jacob had written, their records are very short. From what little we can glean from these writings it is evident that during this era the Nephites had frequent wars with the Lamanites, in many of which they suffered severely. The Lord permitted these wild sons of the wilderness to be a constant scourge to the people of Nephi when they turned away from him; and we fear that the seasons were not unfrequent when they had to be reminded of their duty in this terrible way. It also seems probable that, to avoid the constant incursions of the warriors of the house of Laman, the Nephites had more than once forsaken their homes and retired farther northward into the wilderness. We judge this from the fact that in the days of Amaleki, the land of Nephi appears to have been in or near the region we call Ecuador, a country far distant from the place where Lehi's colony first landed; and it is scarcely consistent with the narrative of the Book of Mormon to believe that Nephi and his little band, when they first separated from their brethren, made a journey of so many hundreds of miles before they established their homes. Then the very fact that the Lamanites almost immediately began to harass them in the new land which they occupied is strong evidence that their first removal was not so distant but that these enemies could, without great difficulty, reach them, a thing that would have been almost impossible if they had gone directly to the far distant region of Ecuador.
We now come to the days of the first Mosiah. But before relating the story of his life and reign we will briefly summarize what we know of the history of the Nephites during the first four hundred years of their national existence.
They were governed by kings who were the direct descendants of Nephi. These kings were, as a rule, righteous men and wise rulers. The law of Moses was strictly observed, and other good and just laws were enacted to regulate those matters which the Mosaic laws did not touch.
The Nephites multiplied greatly, and also grew exceedingly rich in the wealth of this world; while their artisans and mechanics were very expert in the arts and manufactures. They also spread abroad on the face of the land of Nephi and were much scattered.
The Lamanites followed them from the land of their first possession, and were constantly harassing them by incursions and invasions, which led to numerous and bloody wars. These were sometimes very disastrous to the Nephites.
Spiritually, the Nephites had many seasons of faithfulness to God when they listened to and obeyed the words of his prophets; and, unfortunately, they had also many seasons of apostasy, at which times the judgments of God fell upon them; the Lamanites being often used by him as a sharp instrument to bring them to repentance and reformation.
CHAPTER IX.
CAUSES THAT LED TO THE MIGRATION FROM THE LAND OF NEPHI—THE PEOPLE OF ZARAHEMLA—MULEK AND HIS COLONY—THE FUSION OF THE TWO NATIONS—MOSIAH MADE KING—HIS HAPPY REIGN.
(BOOK OF OMNI.)
MOSIAH resided in the land of Nephi, and lived there as near as we can discover during the latter half of the third century before Christ. Whether he was originally a prophet, priest, or king, the historian (Amaleki) does not inform us. Most certainly he was a righteous man, for the Lord made choice of him to guide the obedient Nephites from their native country to a land that he would show them.
The causes that led the Lord to make this call upon the Nephites are not stated, but some of them can be easily surmised. Amongst such we suggest that:
The aggressive Lamanites were constantly crowding upon them, ravaging their more remote districts, entrapping and enslaving the inhabitants of the outlying settlements, driving off their flocks and herds, and keeping them in a constant state of anxiety and dread, which hindered their progress and stayed the growth of the work of God. The Lord therefore led them to a land of peace.
Again, this course of events, continued for so long a period, had caused much hard-heartedness and stiff-neckedness in the midst of the Nephites. Some of the people had remained righteous, some had grown very wicked. To separate these classes the Lord called the faithful and obedient to follow Mosiah to another land.
For a third reason: there was a portion of the house of Israel, a few hundred miles to the north, entirely unknown to their Nephite brethren. These people had sunk very low in true civilization; they were so degraded that they denied the being of their Creator, they had had many wars and contentions among themselves; they had corrupted their language, had no records nor scriptures, and were altogether in a deplorable condition. To save and regenerate this branch of God's covenant people, Mosiah and his people were led to the place where they dwelt.
Few are the words and brief is the statement made by Amaleki regarding this great migration under Mosiah. We are altogether left to our imagination to picture the scenes that occurred at this division of a nation.
Imagine the conflict that perplexed many a heart between the appeals of love and faith, between duty and affection, when the old homes had to be deserted, when families had to be parted, and the one stern, uncompromising feeling of duty to the right and devotion to God had to be the all-controlling sentiment. Nor can we tell how many, preferring home, kindred and friends, and the endearments and associations of their native land, faltered and tarried behind, whilst the faithful started on their journey northward into the untrodden wilderness. Nor are we told what afterwards became of those who allowed the allurements of the world to prevail. It is most probable that they united with the Lamanites, were absorbed into that race, and, like them, became darkened, blood-thirsty and savage. Neither do we know the proportion to the whole population of those who left with Mosiah and those who stayed behind.
The Nephite evacuation of the cities built in the land of Nephi no doubt had a beneficial effect on those portions of the Lamanite race that took possession of them. They thereby became acquainted with some of the comforts and excellencies of civilization, and, though very slow to learn, their experience at this time laid the foundation for a slight advance of the arts of peace in their midst, and from this time we read of two classes of this people, the one living in cities, the other roaming in the wilderness.
Mosiah gathered up the willing and obedient and, as directed by the Lord, started on the journey.
Whither they were going they understood not, only they knew that the Lord was leading them. Like their forefathers under Moses, when in the wilderness of Sinai, they were taught continually by the word of Jehovah and were led by his arm. With preachings and prophesyings they crossed the wilderness and passed down into the land of Zarahemla.
On the west bank of the river Sidon the people of Mosiah found a populous city of whose existence they had never before heard. Its people were a semi-civilized and irreligious race, speaking a strange language, and with many habits and customs different from those of the new comers.
The meeting must have been a perplexing one to both people. Heretofore both had considered themselves the owners of the whole continent. Now they were brought face to face, but unable to understand each other by reason of their different modes of speech. We often read in history of the irruption of an inferior or more barbarous race into the domains of one more highly civilized, but it is seldom, as in this case, that the superior race moves in a body, occupies the country, and unites with the less enlightened people. It is probable that the first feelings of the old settlers were akin to awe and dismay as they learned of the hosts of the invaders that were marching upon them; but these feelings were soon soothed and an understanding arrived at by which the two people became one nation. Though the Book of Mormon gives us no details on this point, we are forced to the conclusion that this arrangement could not have been effected without the direct interposition of heaven, by and through which both people were brought to a united purpose and common understanding.
THE JEWS LED AWAY TO CAPTIVITY.
When the Nephites began to comprehend the language of their new fellow citizens, they found that they were the descendants of a colony which had been led from Jerusalem by the hand of the Lord in the year that that city was destroyed by the king of Babylon (say B. C. 589). In that little colony was a child named Mulek: he was the only son of king Zedekiah who had escaped the fury of the Babylonish monarch. After wandering in the wilderness, they were brought across the great waters and landed in the southern portion of the North American continent, and in after years moved southward to the place where they were discovered by Mosiah and his people. At this time their king or ruler was named Zarahemla (about B. C. 200). He was a descendant of Mulek, and consequently of the tribe of Judah and of the house of David. The reason assigned for their departure from the worship of the true God, their degradation and the corruption of their language, was that their forefathers brought from their ancient home in Palestine no records or copies of the holy scriptures to guide and preserve them from error in their isolated land of adoption.
When the two races joined, it was decided that Mosiah should be the king of the united people, though the Nephites were then the less numerous. This arrangement probably grew out of the fact that though less in numbers they were the most civilized, and being worshipers of the God of Israel they would not willingly submit to be ruled by those who had no knowledge of his laws.
The education of the people of Zarahemla to the standard of the Nephites, and the work of harmonizing the two races, were not the task of an hour. It required much wisdom, patience and faith. Mosiah gave stability to the new kingdom by his own virtues and wise example, by the just laws he established, and by placing the service of the Lord before all earthly considerations. It is evident that he built a temple in the new land, as its existence is particularly mentioned in the days of his son, king Benjamin, and as the people observed the law of Moses in the matter of sacrifices and offerings, a temple would be one of the very first necessities to enable them to carry out the requirements of their religion. But to the forms, types, shadows and ceremonies of the Mosaic law were added gospel principles, with a clear and definite understanding of the coming and divine work of the Messiah, all of which is very evident in the instructions given to their subjects by Mosiah's two successors.
Mosiah was not only a divinely inspired leader and king, but he was also a seer. Whilst reigning in Zarahemla a large engraved stone was brought to him, and by the gift and power of God he translated the engravings thereon. They gave an account of the rise, fall and destruction of the great Jaredite nation, from the days of its founders, who came out from the Tower of Babel, to the time of their last king, Coriantumr, who himself was discovered by the people of Zarahemla and lived with them nine moons.
When Mosiah died he was succeeded by his son Benjamin.
CHAPTER X.
THE REIGN OF KING BENJAMIN—THE PROGRESS OF HIS PEOPLE—HIS LAST GREAT SPEECH—HE ESTABLISHES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST—ALL THE PEOPLE COVENANT WITH GOD—MOSIAH II. ANOINTED KING.
(MOSIAH CHAP. 1 TO 6.)
A MIGHTY man in the midst of Israel was Benjamin, the son of Mosiah. Blessed were the people over whom he reigned, for he governed them in righteousness, and for their welfare he labored with all the might of his body and every faculty of his soul. Holy and pure in his individual life, he was ministered to by angels, and was the frequent recipient of revelations from on high.
The reign of Benjamin was a long one; he died at a very advanced age. Some time during this period, the aggressive Lamanites, not content with occupying the land of Nephi, actually followed the Nephites into the land of Zarahemla and invaded that also. The war was a bloody one. King Benjamin led his forces, armed with the historic sword of Laban, (which appears to have been handed down from monarch to monarch from the days that Nephi first wielded it,) and with his own strong arm slew many of the enemy. Benjamin was ultimately successful in driving the invading hosts out of all the regions occupied by his people, with a loss to the Lamanites of many thousand warriors slain.
The reign of Benjamin was also troubled with various religious impostors, false Christs, pretended prophets, etc., who caused apostasy and dissensions among the people, much to the sorrow of the good king. However, by the aid of some of the many righteous men who dwelt in his dominions, he exposed the heresies, made manifest the falsity of the claims of the self-styled Messiahs and prophets, and restored unity of faith and worship among his subjects; and where these innovators had broken the civil law, they were arraigned, tried, and punished by that law. It must not be forgotten that freedom of conscience was absolutely protected among the Nephites, and even the civil law was administered with great mercy in the days of these kings. In his last great speech to his people, Benjamin reminded them of the justice and clemency with which he had caused the law to be administered, how none of them had been arbitrarily cast into prison or otherwise punished, but only for actual proven violations of the law. He also reminded them how he, their king, had labored with his own hands to defray the expenses of royalty, in order that they might not be ground down by excessive taxation. No wonder that he was so greatly loved and his name held in such high reverence by his people. Recorded history scarcely affords such another instance of kingly humility and regard for the welfare of his people.
We may presume that the original inhabitants of Zarahemla, just awakening to a newness of religious life, were particularly subject to the influences brought to bear by impostors. They had but lately learned the mysteries of the plan of salvation and of the coming of the Messiah to dwell among men. The glory and beauty of this Divine advent filled their new-born souls with joyous hope. Looking forward for the arrival of that happy day, with their first love undiminished and their zeal unslackened, they were especially open to the deception of those who cried, Lo, the Christ is come! or, Behold, a great prophet hath arisen! To this peculiar phase of spiritual condition in the midst of the lately consolidated races in the land of Zarahemla, we may attribute the frequency with which false prophets troubled the reign of Benjamin.
There was another class who, moved by the spirit of unrest, were a source of perplexity to the king. They were those who, having left the land of Nephi with the righteous, still permitted their thoughts and affections to be drawn toward their former homes and old associations. Like Lot's wife, these Nephites were ever longing for that which they had left behind. The natural consequence was that they were constantly agitating the idea of organizing expeditions to visit their old homes. The first of these that actually started, of which we have an account, was led by an austere and blood-thirsty man. When they approached the land of Nephi, a great dissension arose in the company. The leader and some others desired to attack, and if possible, destroy the Lamanite inhabitants, but others, seeing that there was good amongst them, desired to make a treaty with them. This division of feeling led to a disastrous battle, in which the members of the expedition fought against each other with such fury that they ceased not to contend until all were slain except fifty men, who, in shame and sorrow, returned to Zarahemla to recount the miserable end of their venture. Yet some remained unsatisfied, they were still over-zealous to inherit the land of their forefathers, and, under the leadership of a man named Zeniff, another company started on the ill-advised journey. Nothing was heard from them while Benjamin reigned.
When king Benjamin was well stricken with years, the Lord directed him to consecrate his son Mosiah as his successor on the Nephite throne. Feeling that age was impairing his energies he directed his son to gather the people together at the temple that had been erected in Zarahemla, and he would then give them his parting instructions. (B. C. 125.) Agreeable to this call the people gathered at the temple, but so numerous had they grown that it was too small to hold them. They also brought with them the firstlings of their flocks that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the Mosaic law. As the assembled thousands could not get inside the temple they pitched their tents by families, every one with its door towards the building, and the king had a tower erected near the temple from which he spake.
The teachings of king Benjamin at these meetings were some of the most divine and glorious ever uttered by man. He preached to them the pure principles of the gospel—the duties which men owe to their God and to their fellows. He also told them how he had been visited by an angel, and what wondrous things that angel had shown him concerning the coming of the God of Israel to dwell with men in the flesh. So great were the things that this angel revealed and king Benjamin repeated to the people that we think it best to give his own words. They are:
"For behold the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent, who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven, among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst and fatigue, even more than men can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
"And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things, from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men, even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil and shall scourge him and shall crucify him. And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold he standeth to judge the world; and behold all these things are done, that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men."
When Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered to him by the angel, he observed that the power of his testimony had so worked upon the Nephites that they, in the deep sense of their own unworthiness, had fallen to the ground. And they cried out confessing their faith in the coming Messiah, and pleading that through his atoning blood they might receive the forgiveness of their sins, and that their hearts might be purified. After they had lifted their deep-felt cry to heaven, the Spirit of the Lord came down upon them, and because of their exceeding faith they received a remission of their sins.
Their inspired ruler then continued his discourse. He enlarged therein on the truths of the atonement and other soul-saving doctrines. Having finished his address he sent amongst his hearers to know if they believed and accepted the heavenly truths he had been teaching. Great was his joy when he found that they not only believed, but, because of the workings of the Spirit of the Lord in their hearts, they knew of their truth. Still more, the Holy Spirit had wrought such a change within them that they had no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. The visions of eternity were opened to their minds, their souls were filled with the spirit of prophecy, they longed to serve the Lord with undivided hearts, and declared themselves willing to make a covenant with him to keep his commandments and do his will the remainder of their days.
The king then gave them a new name, because of the covenant they desired to make, which thing he had greatly desired. The name they were to bear for ever after was the name of Christ, which should never be blotted out except through transgression. Thus was established the first Christian church in Zarahemla (B. C. 125), for every soul who heard these teachings (except the very little children who could not understand) entered into this sacred covenant with God, which most of them faithfully observed.
King Benjamin's truly royal work was now done. He had lived to bring his people into communion with their Creator, his spirit was full of heavenly joy, but his body trembled under the weight of many years. So before he dismissed the multitude he consecrated his son Mosiah to be their king, appointed priests to instruct the people in the ways of the Lord, and, with his patriarchal blessing, dismissed his subjects. Then according to their respective families they all departed for their own homes.
Mosiah now reigned in his father's stead, whilst Benjamin, beloved and honored, remained yet another three years on the earth before he returned to the presence of his Father in heaven.
CHAPTER XI.
ZENIFF RETURNS TO THE LAND OF NEPHI—HIS TREATY WITH THE LAMANITES—THE PROSPERITY OF THE PEOPLE OF ZENIFF—THE TREATY BROKEN—WAR—PEACE AND WARS AGAIN—THE DEATH OF ZENIFF—NOAH'S WICKED REIGN—HIS WARS WITH THE LAMANITES—THE PROPHET ABINADI—HIS TERRIBLE MESSAGE OF GOD'S WRATH—HE IS MARTYRED—ALMA—HE PLEADS FOR ABINADI—IS CAST OUT—FLEES TO THE PLACE OF MORMON.
(MOSIAH CHAP. 7 TO 18.)
BEFORE proceeding with the story of king Mosiah's reign, we will return to the land of Nephi, and learn how matters are progressing there. It will be recollected that during the reign of king Benjamin a company started from Zarahemla to return to the old home of the Nephites. Their leader's name was Zeniff. What became of him and them was a question that was never answered during Benjamin's lifetime.
Zeniff and his people, having left Zarahemla, traveled southward towards the land of Nephi. The blessings of the Lord were not greatly with them, for they did not seek him nor strive to do his will. In the wilderness they lost their way, and suffered from famine and many afflictions; but after many days they reached the neighborhood of the city of Lehi-Nephi, the former home of their race. Here Zeniff chose four of his company, and accompanied by them went to the king of the Lamanites. This monarch received them with the appearance of kindness. He made a treaty with them, and gave them the lands of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom to dwell in. He also caused his own people to remove out of these cities and the surrounding country that Zeniff's people might have full possession. The king of the Lamanites was in reality not as friendly as he pretended to be. His object was to get the industrious Nephites to settle in the midst of his people, then by his superior numbers to make them his slaves; for his own subjects were a lazy, unprogressive race.
As soon as Zeniff and his followers occupied their new possessions they went to work to build houses and to repair the walls of the city; for the idle Lamanites had suffered them to fall into decay. They also commenced to till the ground, and to plant all manner of seeds of grain, vegetables and fruit therein. Soon, through their thrift and industry, they began to prosper and multiply. This caused king Laman to grow uneasy. He desired to bring them into bondage that his people might reap the benefits of the labors of the Nephites. But they were growing so rapidly that he feared that if he did not soon put a stop to their increase they would be the stronger of the two people. To prevent this he began to stir up the hearts of his people in anger against the Nephites. He succeeded so well that in the thirteenth year of Zeniff's reign in the land of Lehi-Nephi a numerous host of Lamanites suddenly fell upon his people, while they were feeding and watering their flocks, and began to slay them. They also carried off some of their flocks, and the corn from their fields.
Those of the Nephites who were not slain or overtaken fled to Zeniff. As quickly as he could he armed his people with bows and arrows, swords and cimeters, clubs and slings, and with such other weapons as they could invent. Thus armed they went forth in the strength of the Lord to meet the enemy, for in their hour of peril they had cried mightily unto him, and he heard their cries and answered their prayers.
Thus strengthened they met their foes. The battle was an obstinate and a bloody one. It lasted all day and all night. At last the Lamanites were driven back with a loss of 3043 warriors, while the people of Zeniff had to mourn the death of 279 of their brethren. After this there was peace in the land for many years.
During this time of peace Zeniff taught his people to be very industrious. He caused his men to till the ground and raise all kinds of fruit and grain. The women he had spin and make cloth for clothing, fine linen, etc. In this way for twenty-two years they prospered and had uninterrupted peace; but at the end of that period the Lamanites again came up to war against them.
At this time the old king Laman died, and his son succeeded him upon the throne. Like many young men, he desired to distinguish himself in war. So he gathered a numerous host of the Lamanites and having armed them in the same manner as the Nephites, he led them to the north of the land of Shemlon, which lay by the side of the land of Nephi-Lehi.
The warriors of the Lamanites were at this era a strange sight to look upon. Their heads were shaven, the only covering of their bodies was a leathern girdle around their loins, otherwise they were naked. Their arms were bows, arrows, slings, swords, etc.
When Zeniff learned of the approach of young king Laman's armies, he caused the women and children of his people to hide in the wilderness; but every man, young or old, who was able to bear arms was placed in the ranks to go out against the foe. Zeniff himself was then an aged man, but he still continued to command his forces and to lead them in person to battle. But before doing so he recounted to his soldiery the history of the two peoples, stimulated them to valor by showing them that in this contest they were in the right; then calling upon them to put their trust in God, he led them to the onset. Strengthened by the faith Zeniff had renewed in their hearts, the Nephites gained a great victory; and so numerous were the slain of the Lamanites that they were not counted. After this there was peace again in the land, which continued all the remaining days of Zeniff. Shortly after this he died, and, unfortunately for his kingdom, chose for his successor an unworthy son, named Noah, who drew the people into many sins and ruled with such folly and weakness that they fell an easy prey to the ever-watchful foe that everywhere surrounded them.
King Noah did not walk in the ways of his father, for he was a very wicked man. He was filled with lust and cruelty, and ruled his people with a tyrant's hand. He removed the good priests who had been consecrated by his father, and placed corrupt men, of his own stamp, in their stead. Then he lay heavy taxes upon the people, even one-fifth of all they possessed, whether it was gold or silver, grain or fruit, flocks or herds. These taxes he wasted upon himself and his priests, upon his wives and concubines, and the harlots with whom the priests consorted. Noah also built a very grand palace in Lehi-Nephi for his own comfort, and spent much in lavishly ornamenting the temple in that city. Near the temple he erected a very high tower, so high that any one standing on its top could see all over the surrounding country. He also did much building in the land of Shilom, and there erected another high tower. Furthermore, he planted many vineyards and made his people a drunken race. All this he did with the riches which he ground out of his tax-burdened subjects.
How different was his course to that of the righteous Benjamin, who was at that time reigning in Zarahemla! We can scarcely conceive of two men more different in habits and character. The great care of the one was to serve God and benefit his people, the other had no other thought than to gratify his own desires and live for his own pleasure, no matter how much pain or suffering it caused his fellow-men.
Again the Lamanites attacked the Nephites while engaged in their labors, killed many and drove off their flocks. King Noah then set guards around the land, but in such small numbers that they were destroyed. He finally sent his armies and drove the Lamanites away. This victory made him and his people conceited and boastful, and developed in them a delight in shedding the blood of the Lamanites.
At this time a prophet, named Abinadi, appeared among them, and predicted that they would be brought into bondage unless they repented of their wickedness. The king and the people were very angry with Abinadi, and sought to take his life. Two years after he came among them in disguise. This time he uttered, in the name of the Lord, very terrible prophecies against Noah and his people. He told them that they should go into bondage to their enemies, that they should be smitten like dumb beasts and be slain. That vultures and dogs should devour their carcasses. That famine and pestilence should come upon them, and hail and insects should destroy their crops. And in the end, if they did not repent, they should be utterly destroyed. All of which was fulfilled in a very few years.
Abinadi was one of the greatest of prophets; he was filled with the Holy Ghost, but the people would not heed him, and the more he exposed their iniquities the more furious raged their anger against him. Neither did they believe his words; in their own opinion they were everything that was good. They were mighty in their own strength, and unapproachably wise in their own conceit. Never, if you could believe them, had a better, more valiant, more innocent people lived. Filled with this spirit of self-conceit they took Abinadi, bound him, and hurried him, with railing accusations, before the king. There the priests began to cross-question him, that they might confuse him and cause him to say something that would give them a pretext for slaying him. This conduct was providentially turned to the glory of God and to the good of many souls. It gave Abinadi the chance in turn to question his accusers, by which he showed their deceit and iniquity; and it also enabled him to explain many of the principles of the gospel of life and salvation. His teachings pricked the hearts of a few, while they more greatly enraged the greater number. Particularly did he impress upon their minds the great truth that Christ should come, and quoted the words of Isaiah and other Hebrew prophets to sustain his words. His teachings are among the strongest and plainest that any of the scriptures record, and should be read by all who desire to become fully acquainted with the truths of Divine love and mercy for fallen humanity.
These doctrines were, however, exactly what Noah's infidel priests did not want. They charged Abinadi with having reviled the king, and on this charge obtained Noah's consent for his execution. So Abinadi was cruelly tortured and burned to death by his fellow-citizens in the sin-stained city of Lehi-Nephi. How strange that a people could so quickly grow wicked! In Zeniff's reign they kept God's laws, if only after a fashion, but in Noah's days, led by his bad example, they sank to the depth of shedding innocent blood, and taking the life of one who had done them no wrong, but whose only fault lay in reproving them for their sins, and in striving to teach them repentance and the road to heaven.
Abinadi's last words were very terrible in their prophetic denunciations. When the flames began to scorch him he cried out:
Behold even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer, even the pains of death by fire; and this because they believe in the salvation of the Lord their God. And it will come to pass that ye shall be afflicted with all manner of diseases because of your iniquities. Yea, and ye shall be smitten on every hand, and shall be driven and scattered to and fro, even as a wild flock is driven by wild and ferocious beasts. And in that day ye shall be hunted, and ye shall be taken by the hands of your enemies, and then ye shall suffer, as I suffer, the pains of death by fire. Thus God executeth vengeance upon those that destroy his people. O God, receive my soul.
But all the people did not in their hearts consent to this great crime. One among them especially, whose name was Alma, confessed to the truth of Abinadi's words. He knew that the grave charges the prophet made were true. He was a young man, one of Noah's priests, and when the clamor was highest for Abinadi's death, he went to the king and plead in Abinadi's behalf. This so angered Noah that he had Alma cast out of his presence, and then sent his servants after the young priest to slay him. Alma, however, hid from his pursuers, and, during his concealment, wrote the words he had heard Abinadi speak, which teachings now form one of the most important of the doctrinal portions of the Book of Mormon.
The power and importance of Abinadi's teachings had sunk deep in the heart of Alma; he not only realized their truth, but he comprehended their saving value. The first lesson they impressed upon his mind was the necessity of his own repentance. This he did sincerely; and then began to teach the same lesson to others. For fear of the king he did not do this openly, but secretly as opportunity permitted.
Alma's preaching of God's holy word was not without fruit. Many received the truth with joy. These gathered to a convenient spot on the borders of the wilderness, but not far off their city. This place was called Mormon. It was admirably suited for a hiding-place, having been formerly infested by ravenous beasts, and as such was dreaded and avoided by the people. Near by was a thicket or forest of small trees, in which the gospel believers could hide should they be pursued by the king's servants; here also was a fountain of pure water, most excellently adapted for the purposes of baptism. Here was this holy rite first administered, and here was the church of Christ organized. How different the circumstances of its organization to those which attended the same event in the land of Zarahemla, under king Benjamin, of which we have already spoken.
CHAPTER XII.
THE WATERS OF MORMON—ALMA, HELAM AND OTHERS BAPTIZED THEREIN—THE CHURCH ORGANIZED—THE KING WARNED—HE SENDS TROOPS—ALMA AND HIS PEOPLE FLEE TO THE LAND OF HELAM—THEY BUILD A CITY.
(MOSIAH CHAP. 18 AND 23.)
THE FIRST to go down into the waters of Mormon for baptism were Alma and a fellow-believer named Helam. When they entered the water Alma lifted his voice in prayer, and besought the Lord for his Holy Spirit. This blessing having been bestowed, he proceeded with the sacred ordinance. Addressing his companion, he said, Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world. Having said these words, both Alma and Helam were buried in the water, from which they came forth rejoicing, being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Others, to the number of two hundred and four souls, followed Helam into the waters of baptism, but in none of these cases did Alma again bury himself beneath the wave, but only the repentant believer. From this time we may date the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ in that land, and henceforth its members assembled for worship and testimony once a week.
Notwithstanding the care and secrecy with which the members of the church acted, Noah soon discovered that there was some hidden movement among his subjects, and by the help of his spies he discovered what was taking place at Mormon. Making the tyrant's usual excuse, that the Christians were in rebellion against him, he sent his armies to capture and destroy them. But a greater than he stretched forth his arm to preserve his people. The Lord warned Alma of the king's intentions, and by divine direction he assembled his people, (some 450 souls,) and they gathered their flocks and herds, loaded up their grain, provisions and other supplies, and departed into the wilderness.
Being strengthened by the Lord, notwithstanding that they were impeded by their flocks and families, the pilgrims traveled with sufficient rapidity to escape the pursuing forces of king Noah, who were reluctantly compelled to return to the land of Nephi without having accomplished the object of the expedition. At the end of eight days Alma's company ceased their flight, and settled in a very beautiful and pleasant land where there was an abundant supply of pure water. We have no direct information with regard to the course taken by this colony, but it is evident from the details of their later history that the new settlement lay somewhere between the lands of Nephi and Zarahemla, though possibly somewhat aside from the most direct route. We think it far from improbable that it was situated at the head waters of some one of the numerous tributaries to the Amazon that take their rise on the eastern slope of the Andes.
The colonists, whose industry is especially referred to by the inspired historian, immediately set to work to till the soil and build a city. The city, with the surrounding territory, they named the city and land of Helam. Now that they were established as a separate people, independent of both Lamanite and Nephite princes, they desired a form of government and requested Alma to be their king. This honor he declined. He rehearsed to them the history of their fathers; he pictured to them the infamies of king Noah's reign; he showed them how a wicked ruler could lead his subjects into all manner of evil, and how such things led to bondage; and, on the other hand, how much better it was to have the Lord as their king and ruler, and to be guided by his servants under his inspiration. This counsel the people wisely accepted. Alma, though not bearing the title of king, acted as their leader, as their high priest and prophet, and as the mouthpiece of Heaven whenever God's holy word was graciously given them. In this happy state the people of Helam continued for some years, the Lord greatly prospering them and crowning their labors with abundant increase. Nevertheless, the Lord saw fit to chasten this devoted people, and to try their patience and their faith, of which trial and its results we shall have more to say as we proceed with our story.
THE LAND OF HELAM.
We must leave Alma and his people for a time and return to king Noah.
CHAPTER XIII.
KING NOAH'S SUBJECTS REBEL—GIDEON—THE LAMANITES INVADE LEHI-NEPHI—THE NEPHITES RETREAT—A PART SURRENDER—THE NEW TERMS OF PEACE—NOAH IS BURNED TO DEATH—LIMHI MADE KING—NOAH'S PRIESTS ESCAPE—THEY SEIZE SOME LAMANITE MAIDENS—ANOTHER WAR—THE NEPHITES VICTORIOUS—THE KING OF THE LAMANITES WOUNDED—MUTUAL EXPLANATIONS.
(MOSIAH CHAP. 19 AND 20.)
SOON AFTER the return of Noah's army from their unsuccessful attempt to capture Alma and his people, a great division grew up amongst that monarch's subjects. They were heartily tired of his tyranny and his debaucheries. One of those most dissatisfied was an officer of the king's army named Gideon. We have no reason to believe that he was at that time a wicked man though he did rebel against the king, but rather that he was a good, pure and wise man, for in after life he proved that he possessed all these virtues. In the disturbances that now arose between Noah and his people Gideon sought to slay the king. But Noah fled to the tower near the temple in the city of Lehi-Nephi. Thither Gideon, sword in hand, quickly followed. The king mounted to the top, and there his eye accidentally caught sight of an army of Lamanites in the land of Shemlon. In the terror caused by this unexpected sight, he appealed to Gideon's patriotism and besought him to spare him. Not that the king cared for his people, but he made this excuse for pleading for his own life. Gideon consented, and Noah in mortal terror ordered his people to flee into the wilderness from before the advancing hosts of the Lamanites.
The people obeyed their king's command, and with their wives and children fled into the wilderness. But the forces of the Lamanites, unencumbered by women and children, soon overtook them. Then the coward king commanded the men to continue their flight and leave their wives and children to the mercy of the enemy. Some obeyed and fled, others would not, but preferred to stay and perish with those to whom they were the natural protectors. Those who stayed, in the agony of their terror when the Lamanites drew near, sent their fair daughters to plead with their enemies for their lives. This act saved them. For the dark-skinned warriors of Laman were so charmed with the beauty of the women that they spared all their lives. Yet they took them captives, carried them back to Lehi-Nephi, and gave them permission to retain that land, but under some very hard conditions. These conditions were that they should surrender king Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up one-half of everything they possessed, and continue this tribute of one-half of their property year by year.
Gideon now sent men to search for Noah that he might be delivered up to the Lamanites. They found that the men who were with Noah, being ashamed of their cowardly flight, swore that they would return; and, if their wives and children had been killed, they would have revenge. The king commanded that they should not return, at which they grew angry with him, and burned him to death as he had done Abinadi. His priests saved themselves from a like terrible fate by flight. When the men who put Noah to death were about to return to the land of Nephi, they met Gideon and his party, and informed them of the end of Noah and the escape of the priests; then, when they heard the news that Gideon brought, they rejoiced much that their wives and children had been spared by the Lamanites.
Noah being dead, one of his sons, Limhi by name, was made king. It was almost an empty honor, for his people were in bondage to the Lamanites. Still he made a treaty of peace with the king of the Lamanites, and because he could do no better he agreed to pay a yearly tribute of one-half of the increase of the products of his subjects. The Lamanites set guards all around the land, for they were now most anxious that the Nephites should not escape. The latter were to all intents and purposes bond-servants, and the Lamanites obtained all the advantages of their labor without any of the responsibilities that generally fall upon the slave owner. Out of the tribute the guards that held them in bondage were paid. This state of things continued without an outbreak for two years.
In these times there was a romantic spot in the Land of Shemlon, on the Nephite borders, where the Lamanite maidens were in the habit of gathering on pleasure bent. Here they sang, danced and made merry with all the gaiety of youthful innocence and overflowing spirits. One day when a few were thus gathered they were suddenly surprised, and twenty-four of their number were carried off by strange men, who, from their appearance, were unmistakably Nephites.
On learning of this act of treachery the Lamanites were stirred to uncontrollable anger, and without seeking an explanation they made a sudden incursion into the territory held by king Limhi. This attack, however, was not successful, for their movements, though not understood, had been discovered, and their intended victims poured forth to meet them.
With Limhi and his people it was a war for existence; to be defeated was to be annihilated; his warriors therefore fought with superhuman energy and desperation, and eventually they succeeded in driving the Lamanites back. So speedy did their flight become, that in their confusion the Lamanites left their wounded king lying amongst the heaps of slain. There he was discovered by his victors. In the interview between him and Limhi that followed, mutual explanations ensued. The Lamanite king complained bitterly of the outrage committed on the daughters of his people, while Limhi protested that he and his subjects were innocent of the base act. Further investigation developed the fact that some of the iniquitous priests of king Noah, who had fled into the wilderness from the dreaded vengeance of their abused countrymen, were the guilty parties. Being without wives, and fearing to return home, they had adopted this plan to obtain them.
On hearing this explanation, king Laman consented to make an effort to pacify his angry hosts. At the head of an unarmed body of Nephites he went forth and met his armies who were returning to the attack. He explained what he had learned, and the Lamanites, possibly somewhat ashamed of their rashness, renewed the covenant of peace.
This peace, unfortunately, was of short duration. The Lamanites grew arrogant and grievously oppressive, and under their exactions and cruelty the condition of Limhi's subjects grew continually worse, until they were little better off than were their ancestors in Egypt before Moses, their deliverer, arose. Three times they broke out in ineffectual rebellion, and just as often their task-masters grew more cruel and exacting, until their spirits were entirely broken; they cowered before their oppressors, and bowed "to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened according to the desires of their enemies."
CHAPTER XIV.
THE BONDAGE OF THE PEOPLE OF LIMHI—AN EXPEDITION NORTH—FINDING OF THE JAREDITE RECORDS—THE ARRIVAL OF AMMON—THE PEOPLE OF LIMHI ESCAPE—THE PURSUIT—THE AMULONITES—THE PEOPLE OF ALMA—THEY ARE BROUGHT INTO BONDAGE—THEIR DELIVERANCE.
(MOSIAH CHAP. 21 to 24.)
AFTER A TIME the Lord softened the hearts of the Lamanites so that they began to ease the burdens of their slaves, but he did not at once deliver the Nephites out of bondage. They, however, gradually prospered, and raised more grain, flocks and herds, so that they did not suffer with hunger.
The people of Limhi kept together as much as possible for protection. Even the king did not trust himself outside the walls of the city without his guards, lest he might fall into the hands of the Lamanites.
In this sad condition of bondage and serfdom the people of Limhi had one hope. It was to communicate with their Nephite friends in the land of Zarahemla. To this end Limhi secretly fitted out an expedition consisting of a small number of men. This company became lost in the wilderness, and traveled a long distance northward until they found a land covered with the dry bones of men who appeared to have fallen in battle. Limhi's people thought this must be the land of Zarahemla and that their Nephite brethren who dwelt there had been destroyed. But in this they were wrong, for they found with the dead some records engraved on plates of ore, which, when afterwards translated by the power of God, showed that these bones were those of some of the Jaredites who had been slain in war.
DISCOVERY OF THE RECORDS OF THE JAREDITES.
They missed the land of Zarahemla, having probably traveled to the west of it and passed northward through the Isthmus of Panama.
Shortly after this a small company numbering sixteen men reached them from Zarahemla. Their leader's name was Ammon. He had been sent by king Mosiah to the land of Nephi to find out what had become of the people, or their descendants, who left with Zeniff. When Ammon and those that were with him reached Lehi-Nephi, king Limhi happened to be without the walls of the city, and his guards fancying that Ammon and his friends were some of the priests of Noah took them and put them in prison. The next day the mistake was discovered, and Limhi and his people were overjoyed to hear from their friends. Soon plans were laid to effect the escape of the enslaved Nephites, which, under the guidance of Limhi, Ammon and Gideon, was successfully accomplished. The Lamanite guards were made drowsy with a large present of wine, and while they were in this drunken stupor, the people of Limhi escaped through an unfrequented pass, taking with them such things as they could safely carry away. They were then led by Ammon to Zarahemla.
When the Lamanites found, to their great surprise, that their bond servants had escaped, they sent an army after them. It so happened that these troops lost themselves in the wilderness. Whilst traveling hither and thither, not knowing which way to go, they came across the priests of king Noah. These priests, at the instigation of Amulon, their leader, joined the Lamanite troops, and they unitedly endeavored to get back to the land of Nephi. While thus engaged, they wandered near the city of Helam.
When the people of Alma first perceived the approach of this body of men, they were engaged in tilling the soil around their city, into which they immediately fled in great fear. In this perilous hour the faith and courage of Alma were conspicuous. He gathered his people around him, called upon them to cast aside their unsaintly fears, and to remember the God who had ever delivered those who trusted in him. The words of their leader had the desired effect; the people silenced their fears and called mightily upon the Lord to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they might spare their lives and those of their wives and little ones. Then, with the assurance in their hearts that God would hearken unto their prayers, Alma and his brethren went forth out of their city and delivered themselves up to their former foes.
The Lamanites were in a dilemma, therefore they were profuse in promises. They were willing to grant the people of Helam their lives and liberty if they would show them the way to the land of Nephi. Having obtained this information and reached home in safety, they broke their promises and made Amulon the king over a wide district of country, including the land of Helam.
Alma and Amulon had known each other in the days when they both belonged to king Noah's priesthood, and with the venom so often conspicuous in apostates, the latter soon commenced to persecute those who were faithful to the Lord. He placed task-masters over them, imposed inhuman burdens upon them, and otherwise afflicted them grievously.
In their agony they called continually upon the Lord for deliverance. Their prayers annoyed their cruel masters and they were forbidden to pray aloud; but no tyrants, however powerful or cruel, could prevent them praying in their hearts. This the people of Alma continued to do most fervently, and in due time, though not immediately, deliverance came. In the meanwhile the Lord comforted and strengthened them in their afflictions, so that their burdens were easily borne.
The time for their deliverance finally came, for on a certain day the Lord promised them that he would deliver them on the morrow. The night was occupied in getting their flocks and provisions together, and preparing for their journey. In the morning, when their Lamanite guards and task-masters were in a deep sleep, they set out on their journey into the wilderness. After traveling all day they pitched their tents in a valley which they named Alma. The Lord warned Alma to hasten out of this country, for the Lamanites were in pursuit, but he said he would stop them in the valley where Alma was then camped. Alma and his company traveled yet twelve days, at the end of which time they arrived in Zarahemla. This, with the eight days occupied in traveling from the waters of Mormon to the land of Helam, makes twenty-one days' travel from Lehi-Nephi [5] to Zarahemla.
Amulon and the priests of Noah, possibly because of their Lamanitish wives, soon gained great favor with king Laman and were made teachers to his people. Educated in the language of the Nephites, they began to instruct the Lamanites therein. They, however, taught the people nothing of the religion of their fathers, or of the law of Moses, but instructed them how to keep their records, and to write one to another. All this time king Laman ruled over a numerous people, inhabiting distant regions, governed by tributary kings and rulers. Having no written standard, the language of the Lamanites had become greatly corrupted. The coming of the priests of Noah among them gave rise to the introduction of a higher civilization. As a result, they increased in wealth; and trade and commerce extended among them. They became cunning and wise, and therefore powerful, but were still addicted to robbery and plunder, except among themselves.