3. Religion of the Lamanites: The religion of Lamanites is more difficult to determine than their government. It is chiefly the absence of religion and of its influence that must be spoken of. Taught to believe that the traditions of their fathers respecting God, the promised Messiah, and the belief in a future life were untrue; persuaded to believe that their fathers had been induced to leave fatherland, and their rich possessions therein because of the dreams of the visionary Lehi; firm in their conviction that the elder sons of Lehi had been defrauded of their right to govern the colony by the younger son, Nephi, and that through the force of the religious influence he learned to wield by following the spiritual example (to them, perhaps, the trickery) of his father—it was in the spirit of hatred of religion that the Lamanites waged wars upon the Nephites, to subvert religion and free men from its influence. But the Lamanites were true to human instincts. They freed themselves, as they supposed, from one superstition, only to plunge into others that were really contemptible—the superstition of idolatry; for they were an idolatrous people. This remark, however, must be understood in a general sense, and as applying to the Lamanites proper previous to the coming of Messiah—of the followers, and the descendants of the followers, of the elder brothers of the first Nephi, Laman and Lemuel. After the coming of Messiah, when in the third century, A. D., the old distinctions of Nephite and Lamanite were revived, after the long period of peace and righteousness following the advent of Christ, they had no reference to race or family distinctions, as they had when first employed; but were strictly party distinctions; used, when adopted again in the period named, to indicate the Church or religious party, and the anti-religious party, respectively.
4. The Priesthood of the Nephites: In order to offer sacrifices and administer in the other ordinances of the law of Moses (which the Nephites were commanded to observe), it was necessary, of course, that they have a priesthood, and this they had; but not the priesthood after the order of Aaron; for that was a priesthood that could only properly be held by Aaron's family and the tribe of Levi; while Lehi was of the tribe of Manasseh. Lehi held the priesthood, however, the higher priesthood, which was after the order of Melchisedek, and was a prophet and minister of righteousness. This he conferred upon his son Nephi, and Nephi shortly after his separation from his elder brothers on the land of promise, consecrated his two younger brothers, Jacob and Joseph, to be priests and teachers unto his people. Jacob, when explaining his calling to his brethren, states that he had been called of God, "and ordained after the manner of his holy order." What the significance of the phrase "his holy order" means, is learned very distinctly from other parts of the Book of Mormon. Alma, for instance, before giving up the chief judgeship of the land, is represented as confining himself "wholly to the holy priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy." Again Alma explains, "I am called * * * * according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus, yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people." All of which is made still clearer by what Alma says later. Having given an explanation of the plan of redemption which was laid for man's salvation, and which he represents as having been understood from earliest times, he adds: "I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son (meaning Jesus Christ), to teach these things unto the people. * * * * This holy priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world, or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity. * * * * Thus they become the high priests forever after the order of the Son, the only begotten of the Father, who is full of grace, equity and truth." Alma then admonishes his people to be humble "even as the people in the days of Melchisedek, who was also a high priest after the same order (of which he had spoken). * * * * And he was the same Melchisedek to whom Abraham paid tithes." The Nephite priesthood, then, was not a priesthood after Aaron's order, but of a higher order, even the priesthood after the order of the Son of God; the same kind of priesthood held by Melchisedek, by Moses, by Lehi, and many other prophets in Israel. That this higher priesthood was competent to act in administering the ordinances under what is known as the law of Moses is evident from the fact that it so administered before the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood proper was given; and the fact that there was given the household of Aaron and the tribe of Levi a special priesthood, by no means detracts from the right and power of the higher or Melchisedek priesthood to officiate in the ordinances of the law of Moses; for certainly the higher order of priesthood may officiate in the functions of the lower, when necessity requires it. All the sacrifices and ordinances under the law of Moses, administered by the Nephite priesthood, I say again, were observed with due appreciation of the fact that they were of virtue only as they shadowed forth the things to be done by Messiah when he should come to earth, in the flesh, on his great mission of atonement." (Y. M. M. I. A. Manuals, 1903-5, pp. 137-8.)
LESSON V.
SCRIPTURE READING EXERCISE.
THE ANCIENT AMERICAN SCRIPTURE—THE BOOK OF MORMON. (Continued.)
| ANALYSIS. | REFERENCES. |
| I. The Value of the Book of Mormon.
1. As a Witness to the Authenticity and Credibility of the Bible. (a) Of Parts of the Old Testament. (b) Of Parts of the New Testament. (c) Of the Whole Gospel Story. 2. As Contributing Larger Views of the Justice and Mercy of God in His Hand-Dealings with the Human Race in Respect of Revelation. (a) With the Ancient Americans--Jaredite and Nephites. (b) With the Gentiles. (c) With All Nations and Races of Men. | Y. M. M. I. A. Manual (No. 7), Chap. ii. The Gospel, Chap. vii and viii. I Nephi, v: 10-16, and Comments Y. M. M. I. A. Manual (No. 7), pp. 14, 15. Note. II Nephi, xxix. Alma, xxxix: 1-8. See also "Defence of the Faith and the Saints" Art. Revelation and Inspiration, also note. |
SPECIAL TEXT: "I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desires, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he alloteth unto men, according to their wills; whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction."—ALMA.
NOTES.
1. The Witness of the Western Hemisphere: A writer (Rev. John Watson—"Ian Maclaren") held much in esteem by the orthodox Christian world—and deservedly so—in a noble work, "The Life of the Master," issued from the press, 1901, said:
"Were a parchment discovered in an Egyptian mound, six inches square, containing fifty words which were certainly spoken by Jesus, this utterance would count more than all the books which have been published since the first century. If a veritable picture of the Lord could be unearthed from a catacomb, and the world could see with its own eyes what like he was, it would not matter that its colors were faded, and that it was roughly drawn, that picture would have at once a solitary place amid the treasures of art."