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Title: The Life of Nephi, the Son of Lehi

Author: George Q. Cannon

Release date: July 6, 2015 [eBook #49382]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Margaret Willden, Mormon Texts Project Intern
        (http://mormontextsproject.org/)


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Produced by Margaret Willden, Mormon Texts Project Intern
(http://mormontextsproject.org/)






THE LIFE OF NEPHI,

THE SON OF LEHI,

Who Emigrated from Jerusalem, in Judea, to the Land which is now known
as South America, about Six Centuries Before the Coming of our Savior.


BY GEORGE Q. CANNON.


PUBLISHED BY THE CONTRIBUTOR COMPANY, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. 1888.


FROM THE PRESS OF THE JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR.



PREFACE.

Some years since the desire took possession of me to write the life of
Nephi, the son of Lehi, and, as time and opportunity should permit,
the lives of other prominent men of his race of whom we have an
account in the Book of Mormon, so as to form a series of biographies
for the perusal of the young. My aim was to make the children of our
Church familiar with the events described in the Book of Mormon, and
with some of the prominent men of that mighty people of which Nephi
was one of the greatest progenitors. Various causes--the principal one
of which has been the pressure of other and more exacting labors--have
prevented me from carrying my design into execution until the present
time. I have felt that, as I owed so much of my own success in life to
the important and interesting lessons contained in that precious
record, it was a duty incumbent upon me to do all in my power to have
it read and appreciated as widely as possible by every member of our
Church, but especially by the rising generation.

The age in which we live is one of doubt and unbelief. Skepticism is
spreading. All faith in divine things, as taught by the ancient
servants of God, is being unsettled. Man's reason is being extolled as
a higher standard than God's revelations. The personality of God, the
origin of man and his fall, the atonement of the Savior the places of
reward and punishment, known as heaven and hell, and the existence of
a personal devil, are all questioned, and, by many members of
religious sects denied. The Bible is no longer accepted as a reliable
standard, only so far as its teachings may agree with the new and
fashionable views entertained respecting religion and science.

Fortunately for us, we are in a position to stem and turn this tide of
infidelity, so that it shall not overwhelm our young people. We are
not dependent upon the Bible alone for our knowledge concerning these
grand, cardinal truths over which the world is stumbling and debating.
We have other records--among the most important of which is the Book
of Mormon--which corroborate and furnish ample proofs of their
heavenly origin. We have the teachings and knowledge of men living in
lands far apart and of races widely separated; and they agree in their
testimonies, and sustain the divinity of the truths which are taught
by the Son of God Himself, and by His inspired servants.

The Prophet Nephi, whose life we here present, was one of the greatest
and most advanced of these teachers of heavenly truths. There have
been but few men, so far as we know, who comprehended, and spoke, and
wrote about them as plainly as did he. He had a personal knowledge of
the doctrines, principles and facts respecting which men now dispute.
He has written fully upon them. His testimony, therefore, is worth
more to the world than any number of men's opinions and theories. And,
best of all, it carries within itself the highest evidence of its
truth. This is characteristic of his writings, and of all the writings
in the Book of Mormon. To every humble, prayerful soul the perusal of
that book is a solace. It produces peace and joy, and brings the clear
conviction that it is God's word. No arguments are required to prove
this. Men have assailed and denounced it; but the indisputable truth
still remains that, when read with a meek spirit and a prayerful
heart, the testimony of its divine origin descends like refreshing dew
from heaven, upon the reader, and he knows, by the Spirit and power of
God, that it is His word.

That THE LIFE OF NEPHI may have the effect to increase faith, and
stimulate inquiry and the more careful perusal of the divine records
which the Lord has given to us, is the most earnest desire of THE
AUTHOR.



CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

Nephi's Character—-He Gives God the Glory—-Born at Jerusalem—-Probable
Time of Birth—-His Education--Kings Known to Lehi--Ezekiel and
Jeremiah and other Prophets--Familiarity of Nephi with Writings of
Prophets

CHAPTER II.

True and False Prophets--Lehi's Vision--He Warns the People--They
Persecute and Try to Kill Him--Commanded in a Dream to Take His Family
into the Wilderness--Came to Red Sea--Camped near it--Built an Altar
and Made Offering to the Lord--Laman and Lemuel--Their
Unbelief--Shaken and Confounded Before their Father

CHAPTER III.

Faith of Nephi and its Effects--Sam's Belief—-Revelation with Promise
to Nephi--Land of Promise, Choice Above other Lands--Nephi to be a
Ruler and a Teacher to his Brethren--Required to Return to
Jerusalem--His Willingness--Lehi Gratified at His Faith--Laban and
Brass Plates--Angry and Refused to Give Them to Laman--Threatened His
Life--Laman and Lemuel Discouraged--Nephi's Proposition--His Brothers
Agree to it

CHAPTER IV.

Lehi's Riches--Laban Covets Them--Sent his Servants to Kill Laman and
his Brothers--They flee for their Lives--Nephi Whipped by Laman and
Lemuel--Visited by an Angel--Laman and Lemuel still Murmur--Nephi
Leads Them to the City Walls--Laban Lying Drunk--His Sword--Most
Famous Weapon in the World--Those who have Seen it--Nephi Constrained
to Kill Laban--Personates Him and Obtains Plates--His Brothers
Frightened--Laban's Servant, Zoram--Promises to go With Nephi into the
Wilderness

CHAPTER V.

The Status of Zoram--Law of Moses Respecting Bondmen--Character of
Laban--Advantages of Taking Zoram into the Wilderness

CHAPTER VI.

Return into Wilderness--Joy of Lehi and Sariah--Lehi a Visionary
Man--Sariah's Grief and Murmuring--Her Subsequent Testimony--Sacrifice
and Burnt Offerings--The Brass Plates--Their Contents--Lehi a
Descendant of Joseph--Value of These Records to his
Descendants--Another Colony of Jews--Lost Knowledge of Hebrew Language
and of God--Nephi a Great Benefactor--He and Brothers Again Required
to Visit Jerusalem--Ishmael and Family--Laman and Lemuel Stir up
Mutiny--Want to Return to Jerusalem--Bind Nephi--Intend to Leave him
to Perish--Nephi's Prayer--His Bands Burst--The Others Plead for
him--Revulsion of Feeling on Part of his Brothers--Beg his
Forgiveness--Rejoin Lehi and Sariah--Thanksgiving and Sacrifices and
Burnt Offerings

CHAPTER VII.

Lehi's Dream, or Vision--Rejoices Because of Nephi and Sam--Fears
Concerning Laman and Lemuel--His Entreaties to Them--Gathered Seeds
and Grain--Five Marriages--Lehi had Faithfully kept Commandments of
the Lord--Nephi's Development--Experience in Wilderness Necessary to
Prepare Colony for the Future--Lehi Commanded to Travel--Miraculous
Brass Ball, called Liahona--How it Operated--Travel in S. S. E.
Direction--Hunt for Game--Led Through most Fertile parts of the Desert

CHAPTER VIII.

Travel in Desert--Kill Game by the Way--Uncooked Meat their
Food--Nephi Breaks his Bow--Fails to Obtain Food--Laman and Others
Complain Bitterly--Lehi, also, Murmurs--Nephi Keeps his Patience and
Courage--Remonstrates with his Brothers--Makes a Wooden Bow--Lehi very
Sorrowful--Sees Writing on the Brass Ball--Nephi Goes for Game in
Direction Indicated--Company Filled with Joy through his Obtaining
Food--Resume Travel--Ishmael's Death--His Character--Outbreak and
Rebellion of Part of his Children against Lehi and Nephi--Laman
proposes to Kill the Two Latter--Attachment to Birthplace

CHAPTER IX.

Popular at Jerusalem to Reject Prophets--Laman and Lemuel did not
Believe Predictions Concerning that City--Confidence of Jews in
Jerusalem--Glory of the City--The Magnificent Temple--Capture of the
City--The Conspirators Chastened--Lehi and Nephi saved

CHAPTER X.

Travel in Easterly Direction--Land Bountiful--"Irreantum," or Many
Waters--Eight Years in Wilderness--Children Born--Diet of Raw
Meat--Women Healthy and Strong as Men--Learn to Bear Journeyings
Without Murmuring--"Araby the Blest"--Travelers' description of
Land--Company Rest for Many Days

CHAPTER XI.

How Did They Travel?--Had They Vehicles?--Children of Israel used
Covered Wagons--Did Lehi and Company use Camels?--Experience of
Battalion in California--Custom in Abyssinia--Laman and Companions
Never Forget Habits Acquired in the Desert--Transmitted Them to
Posterity in Their New Home--Nephi Cherished True Knowledge of
Civilization--Contrast Between the Two Brothers--Each Left his Impress
upon his Nation

CHAPTER XII.

Nephi Practically the Leader--Commanded to Build a Ship--Directed to
the Ore out of Which to make Tools--Makes a Bellows--Obtains
Fire--Fault-finding and Ridicule of his Brethren--His Sadness and
their Elation--They Grumble at and Reproach their Father and Him--He
Reasons with Them--Enraged, They Attempt to Throw Him in the
Sea--Nephi full of Power of God--They dare not Touch Him--They are
Shaken Before Him--Fall down to Worship Him--Told by Nephi to Worship
God--Nephi Shown by the Lord how he should work Timbers, etc.--Not
Worked after the Manner taught by Men--Helped by his Brothers--Ship
Finished--Laman and Others Acknowledge Nephi's Ability to Build a
Ship--Mountains as Places of Worship

CHAPTER XIII.

Lehi Commanded to Embark upon the Ship--Food Prepared for the
Voyage--Jacob and Joseph--Did the Ship have Sails?--Voyages and Ships
of Egyptians--Dancing and Rudeness of Laman and Others at Sea--Nephi
Remonstrates--Is Treated Harshly and Bound Hand and Foot by his
Brothers--Lehi and Sariah very Sick--Four Days of Terrible
Tempest--Compass Would not Work--Driven Back Before the Wind--Terror
of Laman and Lemuel--Nephi's Patience and Self-Control--The Lord Shows
Forth His Power--Nephi Released--The Ship Steered in Right Course--His
Prayer Answered and Tempest Quelled--Reach the Promised Land

CHAPTER XIV.

Land and Pitch their Tents--Place of Landing--Cultivate the
Ground--Good Crops--Find Animals of Every Kind--Also Ores--Raise Large
Flocks and Herds--"Carneros de la Tierra"--Find the Horse--Was the
Horse Extinct When the Whites Discovered America?--Reasons for
Thinking it was not--Wild Horses Seen by Sir Francis Drake in
1579--Opinion of Professor Marsh--Horses Seen by Drake, not Spanish

CHAPTER XV.

Animals and Vegetables Valuable to Lehi and Company--The
Potato--Abundance of Fruits--Jerusalem Destroyed--Lehi's Thankfulness
for this Choice Land--A Land of Liberty to all who Should be Brought
Here if they Would Serve God--Land to be Kept from Knowledge of Other
Nations--Remarkably Fulfilled--Promises of the Lord to Lehi Concerning
his Descendants and the Land--Present Condition of his Seed
Predicted--Prophecies Concerning the Prophet Joseph Smith--Lehi a
Great Prophet--Restrains his Children While Living--Rancorous Hatred
After his Death Against Nephi--Enraged by his Admonitions--Propose to
Kill Him

CHAPTER XVI.

Nephi's Efforts to Save His Brethren--Nephi, Commanded of the Lord,
Flees into the Wilderness--His Company--His Sisters--Carries Plates of
Brass and other Records--The Liahona and Sword of Laban with
Him--Nephi called a Liar and a Robber--Searches the Scriptures--Two
Sets of Plates--Character of Records on Each--Plates made for a
Special Purpose--Found by Mormon--Wisdom of God Greater than Cunning
of Devil--The Prophet Joseph Delivered from a Snare

CHAPTER XVII.

Travel Many Days in the Wilderness--Call the Land Nephi--Did They
Journey Northward?--Location of Land Nephi--River Sidon and
Magdalena--Land of Zarahemla--Twenty-two Days' Travel from Nephi--Did
not Land of Nephi Extend Considerably South?--Zeniff's Return to the
Land of Nephi--Was that the Land Settled by Nephi, the First?--Mosiah,
King of Zarahemla--Reasons for Thinking Nephi to be Distinguishing
Name of an Extensive Region--Nephites Would Spread Over the Country in
Four Hundred Years--Did Nephi and Company Travel as far North as
Ecuador?--Followed by Lamanites--Jacob and Enos Respecting
Lamanites--Nephi's Description of the Land--Bolivia and Peru--Cities
and Settlements Called After Founders--Additional Reasons for Thinking
Nephi and Company did not Settle so far North--Boundaries of Lands
Occupied by Nephites and Lamanites--South America Called Lehi, North
America Called Mulek

CHAPTER XVIII.

Travelers' Descriptions of Land Once Occupied by Nephites--Cradle of
an Imperial Race--The Productions of the Land in Modern Times Agree
with Description of Same in Book of Mormon--Rapid Recovery from
Effects of Disastrous Commotions and Wars Accounted for--Healthy
Climate--Remarkable Longevity--Jacob, Enos, Jarom and Omni--Longevity
of Indians in Ecuador and Peru

CHAPTER XIX.

Two Distinct Nations--Intermingled--Mixed Blood in Lamanites--Nephi
and Company Settled in an Earthly Paradise--Greatly Prospered--Law of
Moses Observed--A Live Religion--Nephi Conversed with the Spirit of
the Lord--Heard Voices of the Father and the Son--Understood the
Gospel of Jesus--Simplicity and Plainness of His Teachings, Prophecies
and Revelations Wonderful Extent and Variety of His Knowledge--Writes
of the Days of the Savior as a Contemporary Might--Exactness of the
Description of the Great and Abominable Church--Also the Events which
Should Take Place in Connection with Zion--Only Two Churches--The
Whore of all the Earth should Gather Multitudes among all the Nations
of Gentiles to Fight Against the Church of the Lamb--Power of God
Poured Out Upon the Latter, His Wrath Upon the Former--They who Fight
Against the House of Israel shall War among Themselves and Fall into
the Pit they shall Dig to Ensnare the People of the Lord--The
Righteous Should Not Perish--Great Value of These Promises to the
Latter-day Saints--Secret Combinations--Many Churches to be Built
Up--Their Character--The Book of Mormon, How it should be
Received--Churches Put Down the Power and Miracles of God--Preach up
their own Wisdom and Learning--Contend One with Another--Grind the
Poor--Literal Fulfillment as Latter-day Saints can Testify

CHAPTER XX.

Nephi's Commandment to Jacob Concerning Small Plates--Nephi Anoints a
Man to be King--His Successors in Kingly Dignity Called by his
Name--Patriarchal Government--Jacob Presided Over the Church--King
Mosiah's Mode of Life--Seers as Well as Kings--Was There a Change of
Dynasty?--Kingly and Priestly Authority United in Mosiah

CHAPTER XXI.

Nephi Died--Example of his Life--Internal Evidence of Divinity of his
Writings in the Spirit of God which Accompanies Them--An Eventful
Career--Admirable in Every Relation--A Born Leader, Successful as a
Mechanic, Miner, Seaman, Chemist, Metallurgist, Stockraiser,
Agriculturist, Manufacturer and Statesman--Expanded Views of the
Rights and Equality of Man--Religious Liberty--The End



THE LIFE OF NEPHI.



CHAPTER I.

Nephi's Character—-He Gives God the Glory—-Born at Jerusalem—-Probable
Time of Birth—-His Education--Kings Known to Lehi--Ezekiel and
Jeremiah and other Prophets--Familiarity of Nephi with Writings of
Prophets.

Of all the lives which have come down to us in the ancient records,
there is, probably, not one, excepting our Savior's, which can be
studied with more profit than that of Nephi, the son of Lehi. The
influence which he exerted over his associates was most wonderful; but
it did not end there. We think we do not overrate it when we say that
no man of the nation of which he was the founder did so much as he
towards giving shape to the methods of government, to the forms of
worship and to the mode of life which prevailed for about a thousand
years among that people. He was to them what Moses was to the children
of Israel, and though the Nephite nation was prolific in great men,
there was not one, it seems to us, who exceeded, if indeed he came up
in every particular to, the full measure of his greatness. So far as
the record of his life has come down to us, it presents the picture of
a man of such perfections as has rarely been seen on earth. He does
not leave us in doubt as to why this was the case. The success which
attended all his undertakings he claimed no credit for. At no time
does he indulge in self-glorification; but in all that he says the
disposition to give God the glory is very apparent. He gives Him the
glory for it all. To this, more than any other cause, do we attribute
the prosperity which attended him through life, and which made him the
truly great man that he was. Speaking of himself, he says that he had
been highly favored of the Lord in all his days.

Nephi, the son of Lehi, was born at Jerusalem. The exact year of his
birth is not given; but we can form a very good idea of the time from
what he says respecting himself. His father, Lehi, and family left
Jerusalem six hundred years before the coming of the Savior. Nephi,
alluding to himself soon after this, while they were in the
wilderness, describes himself as "exceeding young, nevertheless large
in stature." The record leads us to the conclusion that he was a man
in size, though a boy in years--probably not more than fifteen years
old. From the language of his brother Jacob in the beginning of his
book we infer that Nephi did not live long after the year fifty-five
of their exodus from Jerusalem. Jacob says, "he began to be old." He
was doubtless at least seventy years old at that time. We judge,
therefore, that he was born not far from the year 615 B.C. This would
be in the reign of Josiah, the father of Zedekiah, and whose reign
closed between eleven and twelve years before the latter was put upon
the throne of Judah by the conqueror, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

We are not told as to how his childhood was spent. It is evident,
however, that his father was in affluent circumstances; for besides
his house and land, he had gold, silver and other precious things in
abundance; in fact, so much of this kind of personal property did he
have, that upon one occasion, it was coveted, as we shall see as we
proceed with his history, and was the cause of an attempt to kill
Nephi and his three older brothers. Nephi, himself, says he was "born
of goodly parents," and he doubtless received an education suitable to
his station; he "was taught somewhat in all the learning" of his
father.

Lehi had always lived at Jerusalem. He was a descendant of Manasseh,
the oldest son of Joseph, who was sold by his brothers. He must have
witnessed stirring times in his native city; for though he doubtless
shared in the peace and prosperity which prevailed during the long and
successful reign of the faithful king, Josiah, he saw no less than
four kings on the throne of Judah in the brief space of eleven or
twelve years. King Josiah was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz, whose
reign of three months was brought to a close by the king of Egypt
carrying him to Egypt and laying the land of Judah under tribute and
making Jehoiakim, his brother, king in his stead. Jehoiakim reigned
eleven years, and in the first part of his reign was a tributary to
the king of Egypt, who had put him on the throne. Afterwards he fell
into the power of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and for three
years he acknowledged him as his superior; then he rebelled. But there
was a curse upon him and his family, because of his wickedness; the
Lord had taken their strength from them; they could not break the yoke
of the foe which was raised up against them. Josephus informs us that:

"The king of Babylon made an expedition against Jerusalem and was
received by the king Jehoiakim into the city. But he slew such as were
of the flower of their age and such as were of the greatest dignity,
together with their king Jehoiakim, whom he commanded to be thrown
before the wall without any burial."

Jehoiakim was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin, whose inglorious reign
of a little over three months, was terminated by the siege of
Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and his marching out of the city and
surrendering himself, his wives, his mother, his princes and officers
to that king. He and they were all carried prisoners to Babylon. The
king of Babylon also took as prisoners upwards of ten thousand of the
nobility and leading men of the land, among whom was the prophet
Ezekiel. Nebuchadnezzar then made Zedekiah, the uncle of the last
king, and brother of his father, king of Judah.

It was in the midst of scenes like these that Nephi's childhood was
spent. His father must have been familiar with the predictions of the
Prophet Jeremiah, who for upwards of thirty years before Lehi and
family left Jerusalem, had been declaring the word of the Lord unto
the people. It is more than likely that he knew him personally. At the
time of Nephi's last visit to Jerusalem the Prophet Jeremiah was in
prison. There were other prophets also, whom Lehi either knew
personally, or, at least, was acquainted with their predictions.
Nephi, as a child, was trained in the knowledge of the prophecies.
This is apparent in his teachings. He quotes the words of three
prophets, of whose predictions we have no record--Zenock, Neum and
Zenos--except the quotations from them which appear in the Book of
Mormon. Their predictions and the predictions of another prophet--of
which none have yet come to us--Ezais by name, as well as those of
Moses, Joseph, Isaiah, and all the prophets from the beginning down to
his own day, they brought with them upon plates of brass to this land.
Nephi, in speaking of the prophecies of Isaiah, from which he quoted
largely, says that the Jews understood the things of the prophets
spoken unto them as no other people not taught after their manner
could. That he was trained in these things at Jerusalem is easily
perceived from what he says; for he understood their style, and their
predictions were plain to him. This was an advantage to him afterwards
in teaching his people.



CHAPTER II.

True and False Prophets--Lehi's Vision--He Warns the People--They
Persecute and Try to Kill Him--Commanded in a Dream to Take His Family
into the Wilderness--Came to Red Sea--Camped near it--Built an Altar
and Made Offering to the Lord--Laman and Lemuel--Their
Unbelief--Shaken and Confounded Before their Father.

In the beginning of the first year of Zedekiah's reign there were many
prophets in Jerusalem. The events connected with the recent siege of
that city were of such a character as to arouse thought and prompt men
who feared God to feel after Him. We learn from another source than
Nephi's record that there were many false prophets at those times who
misled the people and were the means of causing them to harden their
hearts against the truth. The prophets of God told the people of
Jerusalem they must repent, or that great city must be destroyed.
These predictions had their proper effect upon Lehi. He undoubtedly
believed them, and he went out and called upon the Lord with all his
heart in behalf of his people. While praying there came a pillar of
fire and rested upon a rock before him. We are told by Nephi that he
saw and heard much, which caused him to quake and tremble exceedingly.
After this he returned to his house, and being overcome by the Spirit
and the things which he had seen he was carried away in a vision. He
saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon a throne,
surrounded by numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of
singing and praising Him. He saw one descending out of heaven, whose
lustre was above that of the sun at noon day. He was followed by
twelve others, whose brightness exceeded that of the stars. They all
came down and went forth upon the face of the earth. The first,
however, came and stood before Lehi and gave him a book, and told him
to read. As he read he was filled with the Spirit of God. And he read,
"Wo, wo unto Jerusalem; for I have seen thy abominations." He read
many things concerning Jerusalem, that it should be destroyed, and
that many of its inhabitants should perish by the sword, and that many
should be carried away captive into Babylon. He read and saw many
marvelous things, which caused him to praise the Lord in the following
language: "Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy
throne is high in the heavens and thy power and goodness, and mercy
are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and because thou are
merciful, thou will not suffer those who come unto thee that they
shall perish!" The soul of Lehi rejoiced and his whole heart was
filled, because of the things which the Lord had shown him.

This is the feeling which every one has to whom the Lord reveals
Himself as He did to Lehi. There is a pure and heavenly joy rests upon
him that language cannot describe or express, and in the presence of
which the afflictions which he has to endure, because of the
persecutions of men, appear trifling and are easily borne. Having had
these visions Lehi could not rest without warning his neighbors and
the people of the city. He described to them their wickedness and
abominations, and testified that the things which he had seen and
heard, and also that which he had read in the book, manifested plainly
of the coming of a Messiah and also the redemption of the world. To
tell wicked people of their sins and of the destruction of their
government or city makes them angry. It wounds their self-love; it
insults their personal and national pride, and it scarcely ever fails
to arouse their hatred. There was an exception to this which occurs to
us. Upon one occasion the wickedness of the people of Nineveh, the
Lord said, had come up to Him. He sent the Prophet Jonah to warn them,
and they believed God; and from the king on his throne to the lowest
in the city, including all their animals, they were sackcloth, and
fasted. They turned every one from his evil way, and from the violence
that was in his hands, and cried mightily unto the Lord. Their
repentance was pleasing unto the Lord, and He turned from them the
judgment he had threatened. Unfortunately for the people of Jerusalem,
they did not have that spirit. Their hearts were hard. They would not
believe Lehi; but they mocked him, grew angry with him, just as they
had with other prophets before him whom they had cast out, stoned and
slain, and they tried to kill him. Had he remained among them, and
continued his prophesying, they doubtless would have killed him. But
the Lord had chosen him for another work, and he escaped from their
plots. The Lord spoke unto him in a dream, and after blessing him for
what he had done, in faithfully declaring unto the Jews that which He
had commanded him--for doing which they had sought to take his
life--He commanded him that he should take his family and depart into
the wilderness.

Lehi's family consisted at that time of his wife Sariah and four
sons--Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi--that we know of. Nephi, some years
after this (_II. Nephi v., 6_) speaks of his sisters. He does not
mention them as members of the family at the time of leaving
Jerusalem, and we are left to conjecture whether they were born before
leaving Jerusalem or afterwards.

Lehi did not hesitate about obeying the commandment. It was probably a
matter of life or death with him. He had either to leave, or be killed
if he continued to prophesy. Hence it was that among his descendants
the expression was used, "Our father, Lehi, was driven out of
Jerusalem." (_ Helaman viii., 22_) Nephi himself, in speaking of the
people of that city said: "They have driven him out of the land." Lehi
did not load himself down with his gold and silver and other valuables
these he left with his house and land. He took his family, his
provisions and tents, and started. After traveling in the wilderness
he came to the Red Sea, and he continued his journey near its borders.
He soon reached a valley by the side and near the mouth of a river,
which emptied into the Red Sea. Here he pitched his tent, and the
family remained encamped some time. He built at this place an altar of
stones and made an offering unto the Lord and gave Him thanks. The
river he called Laman, the name of his oldest son; the valley he
called Lemuel, the name of his second son. Up to this point we are
told nothing of the character of Lehi's family. But Nephi tells us
that after stopping at this river and in this valley and giving to
them these names, his father took occasion to say to Laman:

"O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running
into the fountain of all righteousness."

And to say to Lemuel:

"O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast,
and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord."

Nephi gives the reasons why his father talked in this way to his two
oldest sons. They were young men who had no faith in the things which
their father had taught. They had the same spirit of unbelief which
the Jews had who sought to kill their father. They called him a
visionary man, and they murmured against him because he had taken them
away from Jerusalem, from the land of their inheritance, and their
gold and silver and other precious things and led them into the
wilderness. They did not believe that Jerusalem could be destroyed as
the prophets had predicted. Before we get through with this life of
Nephi we shall have occasion to dwell more at length upon their spirit
and conduct. But upon this occasion Lehi became aroused. He was filled
with the Spirit of the Lord to such an extent, and spoke unto them
with such power, that their frames shook before him, and they were so
confounded they dare not say anything against him; but they did as he
commanded them.



CHAPTER III.

Faith of Nephi and its Effects--Sam's Belief—-Revelation with Promise
to Nephi--Land of Promise, Choice Above other Lands--Nephi to be a
Ruler and a Teacher to his Brethren--Required to Return to
Jerusalem--His Willingness--Lehi Gratified at His Faith--Laban and
Brass Plates--Angry and Refused to Give Them to Laman--Threatened His
Life--Laman and Lemuel Discouraged--Nephi's Proposition--His Brothers
Agree to it.

It is at this point we begin to get an insight into Nephi's character.
He was, as he tells us, exceeding young, though large in stature, yet
he had great desires to know of the mysteries of God, and he cried
unto the Lord. The Lord visited him and softened his heart, and he
believed all the words of his father. This kept him from rebelling
against his father as his two brothers had done. He told his brother
Sam what the Lord had manifested unto him by His Holy Spirit, and he
believed his words. From all that has come down to us concerning this
older brother of Nephi's, Sam, he was a man of great worth, not an
aspiring, jealous, envious man, but humble, believing, obedient,
steadfast, true and faithful. He was not gifted like his brother
Nephi; but, though older, he recognized Nephi's authority, submitted
to his direction and counsel, received his teachings and always stood
by him in all the dissensions and difficulties which the unbelief,
jealousy and envy of their two oldest brothers created.

Nephi also told Laman and Lemuel that which the Lord had shown him;
but it was of no avail. They did not believe him. Their unbelief
grieved him, and he cried unto the Lord for them. The Lord then
blessed him because of his faith, and said to him that he had sought
Him diligently with lowliness of heart. He told him further that, if
they would keep His commandments, they would prosper, and they should
be led to the land of promise, a land which He had prepared for them,
and which was choice above other lands; but if his brethren should
rebel against him, they should be cut off from the presence of the
Lord; if he, Nephi, would keep His commandments he should be made a
ruler and a teacher over his brethren. He also told him at this time
that in the day his brethren should rebel against Him, the Lord, He
would curse them with a sore curse, and they should have no power over
the children of Nephi, except they should also rebel against Him; and
if they should rebel against Him, they should be a scourge unto them
to stir them up in the ways of remembrance. From this we see that the
Lord had chosen Nephi to be the ruler and teacher of his brethren, and
this in consequence of his faith in seeking Him, and because of their
iniquities.

In this revelation to Nephi appears for the first time in the record
any allusion to the land of promise, the choice land above all others,
which He destined them to inhabit. Doubtless the Lord had already
revealed this to Lehi. But it does not appear. Nephi informs us that
there were many things his father had written that he had seen in
visions and dreams and that he had prophesied about, which he, Nephi,
had not given a full account of.

The selection by the Lord of Nephi to be their ruler and their teacher
was always a cause of anger and trouble to Laman and Lemuel. They
themselves never lived in a way to entitle them either to rule or
teach; and yet they were never heartily willing that Nephi should do
so. Laman had the birthright as the oldest son, but he did not put
himself in a position to exercise the rights which belonged to it. It
was with him as with Cain, to whom the Lord said: "If thou doest well,
shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at
the door. And unto thee shall be his (speaking of Abel) desire and
thou shalt rule over him."

Laman would not do well. The Lord could not, consistently with His
attributes and laws, sustain him in his wrong-doing and make him the
ruler; and because Nephi did obey the Lord, and thereby obtained the
leadership, both Laman and Lemuel hated him.

After communing with the Lord Nephi returned to his father's tent.
Then Lehi told him of a dream which he had had, in which the Lord had
commanded him to send Nephi and his brothers back to Jerusalem to get
the record of the Jews and the genealogy of their forefathers which
were engraven upon plates of brass, and were in the possession of a
man by the name of Laban, who was, as well as Lehi, a descendant of
Joseph. Lehi told Nephi that his brothers murmured at this request,
and said it was a hard thing which he had required of them; but, he
added, "I have not required it of them; it is a commandment of the
Lord." He told Nephi to go and he should be favored of the Lord,
because he had not murmured. Nephi replied that he would go and do
what the Lord had commanded.

"For," said he, "I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the
children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may
accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

There is a volume of meaning in this memorable remark of Nephi's, and
it furnishes us the key to the actions of his entire life and the
unfailing success which attended all his movements. Though he was but
a youth, this expression shows that already he was full of faith. When
God commanded him, all hesitation and doubt disappeared. He was ready
to do his part, perfectly satisfied that the Lord would make up all
that was necessary. The record informs us that when Lehi heard these
words, he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that his son had been
blessed of the Lord. This must have been a great comfort to him under
the circumstances. However rebellious and hard the older ones might
be, now he was not entirely alone; for here was one, at least, who
could understand and sustain him.

The four sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi, took their tents and
started for Jerusalem. After reaching there they held a consultation,
and decided to cast lots to know which of them should have an
interview with Laban. The lot fell upon Laman, the oldest. He now had
the opportunity to show his ability. But he had weakened himself
before he started by his murmuring and calling this a hard thing to
do. One could therefore guess beforehand how his attempt would result.
He saw Laban in his house and had a talk with him, during which he
asked him for the records which were engraved upon the plates of
brass, and which also contained his father's genealogy. Laban got
angry and would not let him have the records; but thrust him out, and
called him a robber, and threatened to kill him. Laman ran away from
him, glad doubtless to escape without injury. His account to his
brothers of his reception made them all feel sorrowful, and the older
ones concluded it was no use to try any more to get the brass plates,
and they would return to their father. This was not Nephi's feeling.
He had been sent for those records; the Lord had given the command;
and he was determined to get them before he returned. He told his
brothers that, as the Lord lived and they lived, they would not go
back to their father until they had accomplished that which the Lord
had commanded them. It was at this juncture, when obstacles had to be
overcome and the others were ready to succumb to them, that Nephi's
superiority began to exhibit itself. He had been humble and sought
unto the Lord; now the Lord was giving him strength and bringing into
exercise those qualities which made him the leader among his brothers.
Instead of returning, he proposed they should go and gather up the
gold and silver and other riches which their father had left, when he
moved out, and take these to Laban in exchange for the plates. He
pointed out to his brothers how necessary it was they should have
these records. They needed them to preserve for their children the
language of the fathers, as well as the words of their holy prophets
which had been delivered to them by the Spirit and power of God from
the beginning of the world up to that time. His reasoning and
arguments had weight with them and they agreed to his plan.



CHAPTER IV.

Lehi's Riches--Laban Covets Them--Sent his Servants to Kill Laman and
his Brothers--They flee for their Lives--Nephi Whipped by Laman and
Lemuel--Visited by an Angel--Laman and Lemuel still Murmur--Nephi
Leads Them to the City Walls--Laban Lying Drunk--His Sword--Most
Famous Weapon in the World--Those who have Seen it--Nephi Constrained
to Kill Laban--Personates Him and Obtains Plates--His Brothers
Frightened--Laban's Servant, Zoram--Promises to go With Nephi into the
Wilderness.

The record does not inform us in what position Lehi had left his
riches. We may reasonably conclude that he had left them in a place of
security; for his sons found gold and silver and other valuable
things, and carried them to Laban's house, and proposed to him to give
him these in exchange for the records. Laban would not consent to give
up the plates; but the property the young men offered for them was so
very valuable that, as the record says, he lusted after it and was
determined to have it. He therefore thrust them out, and sent his
servants to kill them, so that he might obtain their property. To save
their lives they had to leave their valuables and make the best of
their way out of the city. They fled into the wilderness and thus
escaped and hid in the cavity of a rock. Laman by this time got angry.
We are not told that he got angry at Laban; but at his father and
Nephi; and he made Lemuel angry also. They said a good many hard
things and then they whipped Nephi with a rod, and we should infer
that Sam got a share of the beating. It is very probable that he stood
up for Nephi and defended him, and in that way incurred their anger.
While they were beating Nephi, an angel of the Lord came and stood
before them, and he said to them:

"Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the
Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your
iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord
will deliver Laban into your hands."

After speaking to them the angel departed. We have heard of a good
many people who have thought if they could only see an angel, and he
should tell them anything, they would believe it, and never afterwards
doubt it. Yet here were these two young men who had seen and been
spoken to by an angel, and he had scarcely gone when they began to
murmur. They did not believe that which the angel had told them; for
they said:

"How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands?
Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea even he can
slay fifty; then why not us?"

We can judge from this language how little they knew about God, or His
power. Nephi again had to become their teacher. He encouraged them to
go up again to Jerusalem, and to be faithful in keeping the
commandments of the Lord; for, said he, He is mightier than all the
earth, and of course mightier than Laban and his fifty, or even his
tens of thousands. He quoted to them what Moses had done, and asked
them how they could doubt when an angel had spoken to them. After all
that he said they were still angry and still murmured, yet they
followed him until they came to the outside of the walls of the city.
Nephi got them to hide themselves outside the walls. Then he, by
himself, crept into the city. He had no plan arranged beforehand as to
what he would do. He trusted entirely to the Lord and was led by the
Spirit. He went in the direction of Laban's house. As he drew near
there he saw a man lying on the ground, who proved to be Laban, full
of wine, and drunk. He had on a sword, which Nephi drew from the
sheath and examined. He has given us a description of this weapon, the
most famous of any that we have any account of. It served afterwards
as his model when he found himself under the necessity of
manufacturing swords with which to arm his people to defend themselves
against the attacks of his brothers and their children: he also
wielded it on more than one occasion in battle; and it was handed down
among his descendants from generation to generation, being kept with
their sacred records. It is still in existence, and besides being seen
by the Prophet Joseph, it was shown to the three witnesses of the Book
of Mormon--Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris--with the
plates, the breastplate, the Urim and Thummim and the miraculous
directors which were given to Lehi, and of which we shall say more as
we proceed. The hilt of this sword was of pure gold and the
workmanship was exceedingly fine; the blade was of the most precious
steel.

After drawing the sword, Nephi was constrained by the Spirit to kill
Laban. But he said in his heart: "Never at any time have I shed the
blood of man," and he shrunk from the thought, and desired that he
might not kill him. The Spirit said unto him again: "Behold the Lord
hath delivered him into thy hands." Nephi knew that Laban had sought
to take his and his brothers' lives; that he was a murderer at heart;
he knew that he would not hearken to the commandments of the Lord, and
that he also had robbed them of their property. All these thoughts
would pass through his mind at such a time. The Spirit said unto him
again: "Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands.
Behold, the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous
purposes. It is better that one man should perish, than that a nation
should dwindle and perish in unbelief." These words brought to his
mind the words of the Lord to him in the wilderness, to the effect
that inasmuch as his seed should keep His commandments, they should
prosper in the land of promise. He also thought that they could not
keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses,
unless they should have the law. Nephi knew that that law was engraved
upon the plates of brass. He also knew that the Lord had delivered
Laban into his hands that he might obtain the records as He had
commanded. His reluctance to shed blood was strong; but the voice of
the Spirit was stronger, and he obeyed it. He took Laban by the hair
of the head, and he cut off his head with his own sword. He then took
his garments and put them upon himself and girded his armor about his
loins. Then going forth to the treasury of Laban he saw Laban's
servant who had the keys of the treasury. Him he commanded in the
voice of Laban to go with him. The servant, seeing the dress and the
sword, supposed it was Laban, and addressed him accordingly. He spoke
to him about the elders of the Jews, for he knew that Laban had been
out by night among them. Nephi replied to him as though he was Laban,
and he also spoke to him about carrying the plates of brass to his
brethren who were outside the walls, and ordered him to follow him.
The servant thought he spoke of the brethren of the church, and still
thinking it was Laban, followed him. While they were going to where
Nephi's brothers were outside the walls, the servant kept up his
conversation concerning the elders of the Jews, and it was not until
they came in sight of Laman, Lemuel and Sam that he found out his
mistake. When these latter saw two men coming towards them, and one of
them Laban, as they supposed, they were frightened and ran. They
imagined that Laban, having killed Nephi, had now come to kill them.
It was only when Nephi called to them and made himself known to them,
that they stopped. In the meantime, Laban's servant began to tremble,
and he would have run back into the city, had not Nephi prevented him.
Nephi was a large man and he had received much strength from the Lord,
and when he saw the man's inclination to run away, he seized him and
held him fast. Nephi gave him his oath that he need not be afraid,
that if he would listen unto them, they would spare his life, and that
if he would go down with them into the wilderness, he should be a free
man such as they were. He told him that the Lord had commanded them to
do what they had done; and should they not be diligent in keeping the
commandments of the Lord? He said to him again, that if he would go
with them into the wilderness to his father he should have a place
among them. Zoram was this servant's name. Nephi's words gave him
courage; he promised he would go with them, and he gave them his oath
that he would remain with them from that time forward. Faithfully was
that oath kept. At no time do we hear anything respecting Zoram
faltering in his devotion to Nephi. He was ever his true friend, and
his descendants were numbered with the descendants of Nephi.



CHAPTER V.

The Status of Zoram--Law of Moses Respecting Bondmen--Character of
Laban--Advantages of Taking Zoram into the Wilderness.

There was one expression used by Nephi, which would lead us to suppose
that Zoram was a bondman. He promised him freedom if he would go with
them into the wilderness. This was evidently said to him as an
inducement to comply with their wishes. There would be no special
attraction in such a proposition to a man already free; but, to a
bondman, the promise of being made as free as they were, would go a
long way towards reconciling him to submit to their wishes. It may be
asked, then, was Zoram one of the heathens or a son of one of the
strangers who sojourned in the midst of Israel? for these only were
the children of Israel permitted by the law of Moses to make perpetual
bondmen.

We are aware that the law of Moses expressly commanded the children of
Israel to keep no Hebrew servant whom they might buy, because of his
poverty, for any longer period than six years; in the seventh year he
should go out free for nothing, and be furnished liberally, by his
master that had been, out of all the property the Lord had given him.
There was only one condition, under the law of Moses, upon which one
of the children of Israel could keep his brother in his service as a
bondman; and that was by the free consent of the man himself. The law
said that if in the seventh year, the man who had been bought, and who
was at that time entitled to his release, should plainly say he would
not go away from his master because he loved him and his family and
was satisfied with him, then the master should take an awl and "thrust
it through his ear unto the door," and he should then be his servant
forever. The Lord was strict upon this point, for He viewed all the
children of Israel as His servants, and they were not to be bought and
sold as bondsmen, nor to be ruled over with rigor by their brethren.
If, therefore, Zoram was an Israelite, as we fully believe he was, and
the law of Moses had been strictly observed in Jerusalem at that time,
the offer made by Nephi to make him a free man would have had no
particular inducement to him; for, in any event, he would have been
free at the end of six years, or if he had surrendered himself for
life to Laban as his servant, and his ear had been bored with an awl,
he had done so for love of Laban and his family and because he was
pleased with the service. But, as we shall show, the law of Moses was
not observed on this point in Jerusalem at that time. Laban was just
such a man as would violate that law. He was a greedy, rapacious,
cruel man, ready to take any advantage to gain his ends, even to
shedding blood. Laman, Nephi's brother, must have known him well, and
he said, "he can command fifty, yea even he can slay fifty." If he
would not hesitate to murder these four young men, whom it is but
reasonable to conclude he must have known were his kindred, being of
the same lineage as himself, for their property, he would not scruple
to enslave his poor brethren, or even to kill them on some pretext, if
it suited his purpose to do so. The glimpse which Nephi gives of the
condition of affairs in that city is sufficient to show us how little
human life was valued. Men were stoned, and killed in other ways, were
treated as though they had no rights which ought to be respected,
because they warned the people to repent and prophesied if they did
not, they would be visited by terrible judgments. There can be little
doubt from Laban's character that he was one of these vindictive
persecutors. It is very likely that he was a man who prided himself on
his zeal for religion; for it is plain he went into the society of the
elders of his people; yet he could get drunk, he could rob and try to
murder, and still justify himself for such conduct as persecutors of
the righteous do in these days. There can scarcely be any doubt about
Lehi and he being acquainted. They were of the same lineage, residents
of the same city, and Lehi knew that he had the records on the brass
plates. Was not the repugnance of Laman and Lemuel to obey the command
of the Lord through their father for them to return to Jerusalem and
get these records from Laban, and their remark that it was "a hard
thing" which their father required of them, due, in part at least, to
the fact that they knew Laban and knew how he felt towards the family
because of their father's predictions? And is it not probable that one
reason for his treating Nephi and his brothers as he did, and trying
to kill them, was that he knew them as the sons of Lehi, and was
satisfied he could justify himself for anything he might do to them,
even if he murdered them? His conduct towards them was not that of a
novice in crimes against innocent people; but whether he had helped
shed innocent blood or not, the Lord knew that he had only failed in
killing Nephi and his brothers through the inability of his servants
to catch them, and He deemed him unfit to live and commanded Nephi to
kill him. If he had been accessory to murder, the law of the Lord
through Moses was very plain as to what his fate should be. The Lord
says (_Numbers xxxv., 33_), "For blood it defileth the land; and the
land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the
blood of him that shed it." Such a man as he would be a hard master,
and it is scarcely improper to suppose that Zoram was the more content
to accompany Nephi, because of the promise held out to him of a
release from servitude. The Prophet Jeremiah, who knew all about the
condition of affairs at Jerusalem during these days, speaks thus:

"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your
fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondmen, saying,

"At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew,
which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six
years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers
hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.

"And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in
proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a
covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

"But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant,
and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their
pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you
for servants and for handmaids."

For breaking this covenant Jeremiah, inspired of the Lord, pronounced
upon the nation, from the king down, terrible curses, and they were
all fulfilled. From Jeremiah's words it is clear that Israelites were
made bondmen by their brethren, and from Zoram's subsequent marriage
and life we think it safe to assume that he was not an alien but an
Israelite. Elder Orson Pratt thought that, from his being worthy to
hold the keys of the treasury and of the sacred brass plates, Zoram
was probably of the same tribe as Laban.

The determination of Nephi to take Zoram with them was clearly a
matter of necessity. Nephi says they were desirous he should tarry
with them that the Jews might not know concerning their flight into
the wilderness, lest they should pursue and destroy them. When Zoram
had made an oath to stay with them, their fears concerning him ceased.
Two results were accomplished by having Zoram go with them. Their
company was strengthened by the addition of one who proved himself a
worthy man, and all clue to the cause of Laban's death and to the
person who slew him was completely removed beyond reach of the Jews.
The disappearance of Zoram, of Laban's clothing, armor, sword and
records left the people of Jerusalem at liberty to frame whatever
theory they chose respecting his death. There is no room to suppose
that Nephi or his brothers were suspected of having had anything to do
with it, for it does not appear that any of Laban's servants were
present when they requested him to give them the records in exchange
for their property, though they were afterwards told to chase and kill
them. Had the names of Nephi and his brothers been associated with the
death of Laban and the taking of the records, he was so prominent a
man, and the circumstances of his death so widely known that they
could not have visited Jerusalem again (which they did shortly
afterwards) and induced another family to accompany them in the
wilderness, with the least safety.



CHAPTER VI.

Return into Wilderness--Joy of Lehi and Sariah--Lehi a Visionary
Man--Sariah's Grief and Murmuring--Her Subsequent Testimony--Sacrifice
and Burnt Offerings--The Brass Plates--Their Contents--Lehi a
Descendant of Joseph--Value of These Records to his
Descendants--Another Colony of Jews--Lost Knowledge of Hebrew Language
and of God--Nephi a Great Benefactor--He and Brothers Again Required
to Visit Jerusalem--Ishmael and Family--Laman and Lemuel Stir up
Mutiny--Want to Return to Jerusalem--Bind Nephi--Intend to Leave him
to Perish--Nephi's Prayer--His Bands Burst--The Others Plead for
him--Revulsion of Feeling on Part of his Brothers--Beg his
Forgiveness--Rejoin Lehi and Sariah--Thanksgiving and Sacrifices and
Burnt Offerings.

The return of the young men to the tent of Lehi in the wilderness, was
a cause of great joy to their parents, and especially to their mother,
Sariah. She had mourned with all a mother's anxiety for them,
supposing that they had perished in the wilderness. Possessed of this
idea, and thinking doubtless of the comforts they had left at
Jerusalem, she had, while they were gone, complained against Lehi and
called him a visionary man, accused him of bringing them from their
home, and now her sons were dead, and they themselves would perish in
the wilderness. This style of talk must have been very unpleasant for
Lehi. It was bad enough to endure the taunts and persecutions of the
Jews, and the unbelief and stubbornness of his eldest sons; but how
very painful to witness the tears and deep grief of his wife, and to
hear her make such accusations as these! He did what he could to
comfort her; for, like others who yield to such a spirit--she felt as
badly over the imaginary loss of her sons and over her own and
husband's death, as if she would never see her sons alive again, and
as if she and Lehi were about to perish. He told her he knew he was a
visionary man; for if he had not seen the things of God in a vision,
he would not have known the goodness of God, but had remained in
Jerusalem and perished. Now he rejoiced in having obtained a land of
promise. As for their sons, he knew that the Lord would deliver them
from Laban, and bring them safely back to them in the wilderness.

The return of her sons comforted Sariah: she saw that her reproaches
and fears had been without cause, and she bore testimony that she knew
the Lord had commanded her husband to come into the wilderness, and
that He had also protected her sons and delivered them out of the
hands of Laban, and given them power to accomplish that which He had
commanded them. No doubt all were happy--Lehi and Sariah in having
their children restored to them alive and well, and their sons at
their escape and safe return with the brass plates for which they had
been sent, and Zoram that he was a free man. Sacrifice and burnt
offerings were offered unto the Lord by them and they gave thanks unto
Him. An examination by Lehi of the records upon the plates disclosed
their great value. They contained the five books of Moses, including
an account of the creation of the world, and of Adam and Eve, our
first parents; also a record of the Jews from the beginning to the
commencement of King Zedekiah's reign; also the prophecies of the holy
prophets during the same period, and also many prophecies which had
been spoken by Jeremiah. He also found upon them a genealogy of his
fathers. He was, as this proved, a descendant of Joseph, who was sold
by his brethren and carried as a bondman into Egypt. Laban also was of
the same descent. He and his father had kept the records, and probably
because they were an older branch of the family. While looking at
these things the spirit of prophecy rested upon Lehi concerning his
seed, and he predicted many things in relation to them; among others,
that these plates of brass should go forth unto all nations, kindreds,
tongues and people who were of his seed; therefore they should never
perish, nor be dimmed any more by time.

These records proved invaluable to that portion of Lehi's family who
strove to keep the commandments of the Lord; for by their means they
were kept from falling into many errors, and a knowledge of the things
of God was kept before them. Another colony of Jews left Jerusalem
eleven years after Lehi, and they were also led to this continent; but
they had no records with them. Their language became so corrupted that
when they were found by the descendants of Nephi, sometime near the
close of the fourth or the beginning of the fifth century, after Lehi
left Jerusalem, they could not understand their language. Not only had
they lost the knowledge of the Hebrew language; but they had lost the
knowledge of God and denied His being. We find several allusions
throughout the Book of Mormon, by prominent men among the Nephites, to
the great value of these plates and to the benefits the records they
contained had been to the nation. Thus it is that the faith and energy
of one man has frequently been of immense importance to future
generations and peoples. To Laman and Lemuel the possession of these
plates was not worth struggling or taking any risks for; so far as
they were concerned posterity could go without them. But not so with
Nephi. His willingness to do as the Lord commanded, and his
determination not to be baffled, even though he incurred the risk of
losing his life, opened his eyes to see the importance of these
records. He was a great benefactor in this respect to his posterity,
and the descendants also of his brothers reaped many advantages from
them, and in days to come they will still prove a great blessing to
them. It is frequently the case that, by apparently small and
insignificant means, the Lord brings to pass great and important
results. The obtaining of these plates was of incalculable benefit in
maintaining and spreading the true civilization of the Nephite nation.

Shortly after the return of Nephi and his brothers to their parents,
the Lord again spoke to Lehi, and gave him a commandment that they
should proceed once more to Jerusalem and bring down Ishmael and his
family into the wilderness. The reason for this was that it was not
proper that Lehi should take his family into the wilderness alone; but
that his sons should have wives, so that they could have children in
the land of promise. Their mission was successful. They spoke the word
of the Lord unto Ishmael, and the Lord gave them favor in his sight
and softened the hearts of himself and household, and they returned
with them to Lehi's camp. We are not informed exactly what the number
of Ishmael's family was; but we are led to suppose that it consisted
of himself and wife, two sons who also had families, and five
unmarried daughters. There may have been more than these; but if so
they are not mentioned. It is believed by many, upon the authority of
a remark which the Prophet Joseph is said to have made, that Ishmael
was a descendant of Joseph. We did not hear the Prophet make this
statement, but we feel assured it is so from the testimony of Elder
Franklin D. Richards, who heard him say that such was the case. The
blood of Ephraim was thus brought to this continent.

While they were traveling from Jerusalem to where Lehi was encamped,
Laman and Lemuel had another outbreak. Who was the cause of it we are
not told; but they and two of the daughters and two of the sons of
Ishmael and the families of the latter, combined against Nephi, Sam,
Ishmael and his wife, and their three daughters. They wanted to return
to Jerusalem. Nephi, in speaking of this disturbance, calls their
conduct "rebellion." Whether Laman and Lemuel were restive and angry
because of his superiority, as they often were subsequently, or not,
we are not informed. But Nephi spoke to his brothers as though they
were the leaders in this attempt to split the company and return to
Jerusalem. He said that as his elder brothers they should not put him,
the younger, under the necessity of speaking to them as he did and
setting them an example. He appealed strongly to them, and warned them
as to what their fate would be if they should return to Jerusalem. But
his words only aroused their anger. It got to such a pitch that they
seized and tied him fast with cords, with the design to leave him in
the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.

There is no spirit so cruel and inhuman as that which prompts men to
fight against the truth. Under its influence they go to the most
extreme lengths. They will tell the most abominable lies, resort to
every kind of violence, and shed the blood of innocence, even of those
who are their nearest and best friends, and all this apparently, as
though they were doing praiseworthy acts. It was this spirit which
stirred up men in days of old to kill the prophets and to crucify the
Son of God, and it is the same spirit which has prompted men in these
days to persecute and kill the prophets and Saints of God. What an
awful act of cruelty this was which they proposed, to leave their
youngest brother, a mere boy, tied hand and foot to be devoured by
wild beasts! But their design was not to be accomplished. The Lord was
near Nephi. He cried unto Him for deliverance and asked for strength
to burst the bands with which he was fastened. He had no sooner
offered his prayer than it was granted. The bands were loosed from his
hands and feet, and he stood before them and spoke to them again.
Their anger was not appeased even at this. They tried to get hold of
him again. Then several of the company interposed. One of the girls
and her mother and also one of the sons of Ishmael pled with them on
his behalf. They succeeded in turning them from their purpose. A
revulsion of feeling followed. They became sorrowful for what they had
done, and bowed down before Nephi and begged him to forgive them; but
he told them to pray to the Lord for forgiveness. They did so, and the
journey was resumed. We may be sure that Lehi and Sariah felt very
happy to see once more their sons with their old neighbors, Ishmael,
and wife and their family, and to have such an addition to their
company. Thanks were offered unto the Lord, as well as sacrifice and
burnt offering.



CHAPTER VII.

Lehi's Dream, or Vision--Rejoices Because of Nephi and Sam--Fears
Concerning Laman and Lemuel--His Entreaties to Them--Gathered Seeds
and Grain--Five Marriages--Lehi had Faithfully kept Commandments of
the Lord--Nephi's Development--Experience in Wilderness Necessary to
Prepare Colony for the Future--Lehi Commanded to Travel--Miraculous
Brass Ball, called Liahona--How it Operated--Travel in S. S. E.
Direction--Hunt for Game--Led Through most Fertile parts of the
Desert.

While they were still encamped in the valley of Lemuel, Lehi had a
very important dream, or vision, which caused him to rejoice because
of Nephi and Sam; for he had reason to suppose that they and many of
their posterity would be saved. He told Laman and Lemuel that he
feared exceedingly because of them. He related what he had seen to his
family, and he exhorted Laman and Lemuel, with all the feeling of a
father who loved his children and was anxious for their salvation, to
hearken to his words. He preached and prophesied unto them, and bade
them keep the commandments of the Lord, that they might not be cast
off from His presence. He also continued his conversation to his
family upon other subjects connected with the Jews and their future.
Nephi also about this time had remarkable manifestations given by the
Lord to him.

It is evident that they remained in this valley of Lemuel for some
time. Whether they cultivated the ground and raised crops we are not
informed; but we are informed by Nephi in his record, directly after
he and his brothers had returned accompanied by Ishmael and his
family, to his father's camp in the valley of Lemuel, that they "had
gathered together all manner of seeds of various kinds, both of grain
of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind." While
they were yet in this valley of Lemuel five marriages were arranged
and consummated. Nephi and his three brothers took each a daughter of
Ishmael to wife, and Zoram married the eldest daughter. We may well
suppose that Nephi married the girl who plead so earnestly in his
behalf on the journey from Jerusalem, when his brothers were so
enraged as to desire to take his life. Such love and devotion as she
then exhibited would be likely to awaken feelings of admiration in him
for her, even if no more tender feeling had been in his breast before.

Thus far Lehi had faithfully fulfilled all the commandments of the
Lord which he had received. He had forsaken his home, had launched
into the wilderness with his family, had obtained the necessary
records to preserve the knowledge of God and all the prophecies of the
holy prophets, had his company strengthened by the addition of Ishmael
and his family, and now had the gratification of seeing his sons
united to wives. The Lord had been with him and blessed him, and he
was now in a better condition to cut loose from the rest of the world
and to fulfill the destiny the Lord had in store for him and his
people than when he first escaped from Jerusalem. His stay in the
valley of Lemuel had, therefore, been necessary to effect these
preparations. Nephi also during this period had emerged from boyhood
to manhood. Under the influence of the Spirit and revelations of the
Lord, his character had rapidly developed. Though young in years he
was now an experienced man, full of that confidence, self-reliance and
fearlessness which the consciousness of being a servant of the Lord,
of being acknowledged and sustained as such by Him, always brings.
However weak he might be himself, he knew that in the strength of the
Lord he could accomplish whatever might be required of him. His
energy, robust faith and willing obedience must have been a great
comfort and help to his father in those days. Nephi had this
advantage: he was young and vigorous, and could the more readily adapt
himself to the new methods of life which they had to adopt in the
wilderness; while Lehi, more advanced in years, would find traveling
in this wild and desert country, and enduring the hardships they had
to encounter, a very great change from the mode of life to which he
had been accustomed in Jerusalem. Though they were now in these
favorable circumstances for the prosecution of the enterprise required
of them by the Lord, they had yet to gain an experience, hard and
trying to their feelings and faith, without which they would not be
fully prepared for that which they had to do. Their forefathers, after
escaping from Egypt under the leadership of Moses, were not permitted
to enter into and possess the land at once. They had to wander in the
wilderness for forty years. It was not necessary that so much time
should be consumed by the children of Israel in going from Egypt to
Canaan; but it was necessary that, before entering into that land and
changing from a condition of slavery, such as they occupied in Egypt,
under the iron rule of Pharaoh, to that of a free people--rulers in
fact--with full power to enact and execute laws to govern themselves,
their land and the surrounding peoples, they should have experience.
Stubborn and rebellious as they were, it required forty years to give
them the necessary schooling, during which period all who, at the time
they left Egypt, were over twenty years of age--with two notable
exceptions, Caleb and Joshua--passed off and a new generation took
their places. So in the case of Lehi and family and company, they
needed training, though not for so long a period as their forefathers.
While they were inexperienced, trifles annoyed and worried them; they
had not learned to patiently endure and submit to privations and
hardships. Their previous lives had been passed, doubtless, in
circumstances of ease and plenty; want had been unknown to them; but
they now had to lead a new life; the comforts to which they had been
accustomed they had to dispense with and not complain at their loss.
In the beginning of their experience in the wilderness many things
were viewed as afflictions and dreadful to bear which, after a few
years of such life, they scarcely noticed; so easy is it for people,
especially if sustained by the Spirit of the Lord and the knowledge
that they are obeying His requirements, to accommodate themselves to
new circumstances and conditions of life.

After all these preparations had been made in the valley of Lemuel,
the voice of the Lord came to Lehi in the night, and commanded him to
take his journey into the wilderness the next day. When he arose in
the morning and went to the door of his tent, to his great
astonishment he saw, lying upon the ground, a fine brass ball of
curious workmanship. Within the ball were two spindles; one of these
pointed the way they should go in the wilderness. This ball, or
director, was called Liahona, the interpretation of which is, a
compass. But it differed in several respects from what are known as
compasses.[A]

[Footnote A: In this connection it may be of interest to say a few
words about what is known as the mariner's compass. It is claimed that
the Chinese used the compass at a very early period; and it is thought
probably that Marco Polo, the traveler, introduced it to Europe from
China, about 1290 A. D., twelve years before Gioja, of Amalfi, its
supposed inventor.

"Some people contend that the compass is no new invention; but that
the ancients were acquainted with it. They say that it was impossible
for Solomon to have sent ships to Ophir, Tarshish and Parvaim, without
this useful instrument. They insist that it was impossible for the
ancients to be acquainted with the attractive virtue of the magnet,
and to be ignorant of its polarity; nay, they affirm that this
property of the magnet is plainly mentioned in the book of Job, where
the loadstone is mentioned by the name of _topaz_, or _the stone that
turns itself_." Ency. Brit.]

We are told by Alma the prophet that "there cannot any man work after
the manner of so curious a workmanship." It was prepared by the Lord
to show unto Lehi and his company the course which they should travel
in the wilderness. And it worked for them according to their faith in
the Lord--the pointers moving according to the faith, and diligence
and heed which they gave unto them. There was another peculiarity
about this curious instrument: there was written upon these pointers a
writing plain to be read, which gave them understanding concerning the
ways of the Lord; and this was written and changed from time to time,
according to the faith and diligence which they gave unto it. Had they
always paid strict attention to this writing, and not been slothful
and careless, they would have traveled a direct course, and made
greater progress in the wilderness, and would not have been so much
afflicted by hunger and thirst; but Laman and Lemuel and their
brothers-in-law, the sons of Ishmael, were frequently in
transgression. The children of Israel were led through the wilderness
in the days of Moses "by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of
fire by night." We are told that "God went before them by day in a
pillar of cloud to lead them the way." In like manner the Lord
designed that Lehi and his company should be led by the compass which
had been so wonderfully given them.

After receiving the compass they gathered up all that they could carry
with them, and the remainder of the provisions which the Lord had
given them, and seed of every kind, and their tents, and crossing the
river Laman, they traveled for four days, in nearly a south by
south-east direction until they came to a place which they called
Shazer. Here they camped until they could hunt for game to sustain
their families. We suppose that in the wilderness in this neighborhood
wild animals were numerous, and they, therefore selected it as a
temporary stopping place. Their method of hunting was with bows and
arrows, stones and slings. After collecting what they had killed they
returned to their families at Shazer. From this place they traveled in
the same course--S.S.E--following the direction of the compass, which
led in the most fertile parts of the desert, and which were near the
Red Sea.



CHAPTER VIII.

Travel in Desert--Kill Game by the Way--Uncooked Meat their
Food--Nephi Breaks his Bow--Fails to Obtain Food--Laman and Others
Complain Bitterly--Lehi, also, Murmurs--Nephi Keeps his Patience and
Courage--Remonstrates with his Brothers--Makes a Wooden Bow--Lehi very
Sorrowful--Sees Writing on the Brass Ball--Nephi Goes for Game in
Direction Indicated--Company Filled with Joy through his Obtaining
Food--Resume Travel--Ishmael's Death--His Character--Outbreak and
Rebellion of Part of his Children against Lehi and Nephi--Laman
proposes to Kill the Two Latter--Attachment to Birthplace.

In looking through the description of a journey in this country by a
traveler of the name of Wallin (Jour. of Geog. Soc., 1854, page 161)
we were struck with the remarkable coincidence between the direction
in which he traveled and that traveled by Lehi and company, upwards of
twenty-four centuries before. He says:

"The direction was in general during the whole of our route S.S.E.,
according to the rule which the people of that land give a traveler
about to traverse this desert, 'so to direct his course that he always
has the polar star on his left shoulder-blade.'"

As they traveled they killed game by the way; occasionally camping to
rest and obtain more food. We are not told what the wild animals were
which they used for food; but in modern times the gazelle, antelope
and mountain goat are numerous in that region, and are hunted by the
Arabs; the flesh of the goat, especially, is excellent. The ostrich
also is common, partridges and quails and pigeons of various kinds are
plentiful, as also wild ducks, along the coast of the Red Sea. Some of
the mountains in these days are said to abound in game. The ass runs
wild in many parts and is hunted by the Arabs, but only for the sake
of his skin. Doubtless Lehi and his company found the game very
abundant in places. These places would be selected for their camps
while they rested and obtained new supplies; for meat was their
principal if not sole diet while in the wilderness, and this uncooked,
or raw. The Lord did not suffer them to make much fire, for He had
said to them: "I will make thy food become sweet, that ye cook it
not." It is probable that when they secured a quantity of game they
dried the meat so that it would be lighter to carry and keep better;
this they could do in that climate without the aid of fires.

At one of their camping places, where they had stopped for the
purposes of resting and obtaining food, Nephi, while out hunting, had
the misfortune to break his bow, which was made of fine steel. It
seems from the effect this accident had upon his brothers, that Nephi
was the best and most skillful hunter of the party and their chief
dependence to procure them food. They were angry with him because he
had broken his bow; "for," as the record says, "we did obtain no
food." They had to return to their families without any, and as they
were all much fatigued with traveling, they suffered considerably for
the want of something to eat. This, added to their other privations
and afflictions, was more than Laman and Lemuel and the sons of
Ishmael would patiently bear. They complained bitterly of their
sufferings; but bad feelings were not confined to them upon this
sorrowful and trying occasion, even Lehi himself, "began to murmur
against the Lord, his God." Though Nephi was afflicted with the rest,
he did not lose his patience or self-control. He remonstrated with his
brothers for their complaints against the Lord; and as their bows had
lost their spring and appeared to be of no value as weapons of the
chase, he found himself under the necessity of making a wooden bow and
arrow. Having done this, and being provided with a sling and with
stones, he asked his father in what direction he should go to obtain
food. It seems that his energetic words and remonstrances had had the
effect to cause them to humble themselves. It will be noticed that it
was to his brothers his remonstrances were addressed. He had been told
that he should be their ruler and their teacher. It was quite proper,
therefore, that he should correct them. But not so with his father. He
was still his leader, and he looked up to and honored him. Yet Lehi
must have heard what he said to his brethren, and his remarks must
have had their effect upon him.

Lehi saw his sin in murmuring against the Lord, and he was chastened
and brought down into the depths of sorrow. The voice of the Lord said
to him, in reply to his inquiry: "Look upon the ball and behold the
things which are written." We are not told what was there written; but
the effect of reading it was to cause Lehi and his sons and Ishmael's
sons and the women to fear and tremble exceedingly. Nephi was directed
by the ball to go to the top of the mountain, where he succeeded in
killing several wild animals, which he carried back to camp. Supplied
once more with food, the people were filled with joy, and they humbled
themselves before the Lord, and gave Him thanks.

For some time after leaving this camping place they traveled S.S.E.,
and stopped at a suitable spot. Here Ishmael died, and was buried at a
place which was called Nahom. From all that is said of Ishmael we
should infer that he was a patient, humble and faithful man. In all
the outbreaks of his sons and two daughters and sons-in-law, Laman and
Lemuel, he is not mentioned as giving them any support or countenance.
On the contrary, at the time the family was on the way from Jerusalem
to the valley of Lemuel, and Laman and Lemuel and his sons and two
daughters expressed the determination to go back to Jerusalem, it was
against Ishmael and wife, and three daughters, and Sam and himself, as
Nephi informs us, they rebelled. It is clear that he did not desire to
go back. He had set his face to serve the Lord and was determined,
apparently, to obey Him.

His death was a severe blow to his family. It was seized by some of
them as an occasion for another outbreak. His daughters mourned
exceedingly at his departure. This appeared to them to be the climax
of all their troubles. They had been wandering for a long time in the
wilderness; they had suffered from hunger, thirst and fatigue; they
had been afflicted with the heat and doubtless with the poisonous
siroccos of the desert; and now, to crown all, their father had died,
and staring them in the face, there was the probability that they
themselves would perish in the wilderness from hunger. Their murmuring
and discontent found vent against Lehi. He was the author, they
thought, of all their misery. He had led them away from their pleasant
home at Jerusalem. He had launched them upon this new and distasteful
life, and in this he had been aided by Nephi, whom they looked upon as
being as bad as he. They wanted to return to Jerusalem. Two of these
daughters of Ishmael were the wives of Laman and Lemuel. Nephi, Sam
and Zoram had each a wife of the same family. It is not probable that
these last indulged in these unreasonable and wicked feelings and
talk. But without doubt the two former did, as well as their brothers'
wives. Laman was aroused by their grief and their complaints. They
gave voice to the thoughts which he himself entertained. He therefore
proposed to Lemuel and to his brothers-in-law, the sons of Ishmael,
that they should kill his father, Lehi, and his brother, Nephi. He
accused Nephi of taking it upon him to be their ruler and their
teacher. They were his older brothers, and what right had he to do
this? "Now," said he, "Nephi says the Lord has talked with him, and
also that angels have ministered unto him. But, behold, we know he
lies unto us. He tells us these things, and he worketh many things by
his cunning arts, that he may deceive our eyes, thinking, perhaps,
that he may lead us away unto some strange wilderness; and after he
has lead us away, he has thought to make himself a king and a ruler
over us, that he may do with us according to his will and pleasure."
He and his father, he said, were alike. It was upon their ideas the
company was acting and by which it was led.

This was Laman's method of arousing hatred against his father and
brother. His plan was to kill them; then what would hinder him and
those who thought as he did from getting control and leading the
company back to Jerusalem? Their old home appeared to be ever in the
thoughts of Laman and Lemuel. They seemed to entertain no doubts about
its safety and prosperity, notwithstanding all that their father and
their brother Nephi had said to them upon the subject. It was with
great reluctance that they left their native city, Jerusalem. They
were never satisfied with their father for leading them away from
there. While indulging in their frequent fits of murmuring they
accused him of being visionary and of being misled by his foolish
imaginations.



CHAPTER IX.

Popular at Jerusalem to Reject Prophets--Laman and Lemuel did not
Believe Predictions Concerning that City--Confidence of Jews in
Jerusalem--Glory of the City--The Magnificent Temple--Capture of the
City--The Conspirators Chastened--Lehi and Nephi saved.

Laman and Lemuel were evidently full of the ideas which were popular
in Jerusalem at the time they lived there. It was the popular thing at
that time to reject the predictions and warnings of Jeremiah and the
other prophets concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the killing of
many of its inhabitants, and the carrying away captive of many unto
Babylon. We are warranted in believing that these young men had but
little faith in these predictions. They had a good inheritance at
Jerusalem. Their father, Lehi, was a man of wealth there, having an
abundance of gold and silver and other precious things. They could see
no sense in the movement which he had made, in leaving his comfortable
and pleasant surroundings and taking his journey into the wilderness.
At no time during their wanderings do they appear to have had any
faith in what their father said should be the fate of Jerusalem.

The confidence of the Jews in the city of Jerusalem and its high
destiny was something very extraordinary. Their great men and prophets
had rejoiced in the walls and bulwarks of its glorious temple. They
had uttered many promises and predictions concerning the city and its
great destiny. These utterances the Jews believed. The prophets who
had spoken and written them had passed away, but their memories were
cherished as sacred. New prophets arose, who prophesied evil
concerning the city, the temple and the people. They foretold the
disasters which should befall them and the dreadful fate that awaited
them, unless the nation and its rulers should speedily repent. These
prophets the Jews rejected. They did not believe Jeremiah; they did
not believe Ezekiel; they did not believe Lehi, nor any of the many
prophets, who, Nephi informs us, were raised up and sent by the Lord
to them at that time. But Josephus says, they did give credit to false
prophets, who deluded them with the statement that the king of Babylon
would make no more war against them; but that the Egyptians, who were
the allies of the Jews, would make war against him and conquer him.
The king of Babylon had killed their king, Jehoiakim; he had taken
away many captives; his son Jehoiachim, whom he had made king had also
been sent captive to Babylon, together with many thousands of the
leading people; the temple had been despoiled; and Zedekiah himself,
an uncle of the last king, and a brother of King Jehoiakim, had been
placed upon the throne by the king of Babylon and only held the kingly
dignity by his permission; but yet, so confident were they of their
future prosperity, and, as Josephus informs us, so deluded by false
prophets as to the assistance Egypt would render them, that they were
heedless of all the predictions and warnings of the true prophets of
God and sought to take their lives. According to Josephus:

"False prophets deceived Zedekiah in saying that the king of Babylon
would not make any more war against him or his people; nor remove them
out of their own country into Babylon; and that those then in
captivity would return, with all those vessels of which the king of
Babylon had despoiled the temple."

It is very evident that Laman and Lemuel shared in these mistaken
views. They had but little or no faith in their father's words. The
false prophets made statements and uttered pretended prophecies which
were more agreeable to their ears and more in consonance with their
ideas and anticipations. Jerusalem had been chosen of God. It was His
city. Tradition had pointed out one of the hills upon which it stood
as the spot to which Abraham brought his son Isaac, upon that
memorable occasion when, in obedience to divine command, he prepared
to sacrifice him to the Lord. From the days of David it had been the
political and religious capital of the Israelitish nation; that king
had removed the ark of the covenant there. He had prepared gold and
silver, brass and iron, dressed stones and cedar timber in abundance
before his death for his son Solomon, with which to build the temple.
Here was that glorious building which was adorned and beautified by
the great King Solomon as no building had ever been—-the house of God,
which He had designed to fill with His glory. This structure, for its
extent, elaborateness and grandeur, was not only the pride of all
Israel, but the wonder of all people who saw it. In the temple was the
great altar of sacrifice, the holy of holies, toward which the eyes of
all the nation were turned as the point where the Lord revealed
Himself to His servants. When Lehi and his family left Jerusalem the
temple had been despoiled of much of its riches; but those celebrated
works of molten brass, executed by Hiram, the Tyrian, with which
Solomon had adorned it, the sea of ten cubits in diameter supported by
twelve oxen, the bases, and the pillars Jachin and Boaz, each of them
eighteen cubits in hight and twelve in circumference, which stood in
the porch still remained there. It was not until the capture of the
city by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, about eleven years after the
departure of Lehi, that these were broken up, and the materials, with
other rich plunder from the temple and from the city, carried to
Babylon. Though in the days of Lehi, Jerusalem was not so magnificent
as in the days of Solomon, yet it was still the splendid city of the
great king. It had passed through many vicissitudes since that day.
Ten of the tribes had seceded under Jeroboam and set up a rival
capital at Samaria, yet to the Jew it was the holiest spot on earth;
around it clustered the most glorious memories and the most brilliant
hopes. The withdrawal of the allegiance and the tribute of the larger
portion of the Israelitish race had not caused the kingly city to lose
much of its splendor or of its influence among the nations.

The sons of Lehi were familiar with the history of their birthplace.
They knew that if it had declined through the misrule of one monarch,
it had been resuscitated through the zeal of another. It was more than
likely that Laman and Lemuel had unshaken confidence in the skill and
valor of their nation in war; they knew how impregnably strong were
the fortifications, the towers and the walls of the sacred city; they
were aware that it was only by the consent of the two last kings that
the armies of the king of Babylon had effected their entrance within
its walls; but they were probably satisfied in their own minds that,
should the people of Jerusalem defend their city, no army or means of
attack which the king of Babylon could bring against it would be
successful in effecting its capture, much less its destruction. They
would not believe that the city which the Lord had chosen, and which
had a historic existence of five centuries before the hanging gardens
for which Babylon was famous were built, was to be destroyed by the
king of that city. But the Lord had pronounced its doom. He had
witnessed its wickedness and abominations. His prophets had warned its
people what their fate would be, and there was only one way of
escape--the contrite repentance of its king, nobles and people, and
thorough submission to the will of the Lord. Eleven years after Lehi
and his family left Jerusalem the city was captured by Nebuchadnezzar;
but so formidable was its resistance that it could only be reduced by
starving its inhabitants. Lehi was shown its destruction in a vision,
and in telling his sons and all their families about it, he said that
had they remained in Jerusalem he and they would also have perished.

The Lord did not suffer Lehi and Nephi to be injured by these wicked
children and brothers. He was with them, and the voice of the Lord
spoke many things unto the conspirators and chastened them
exceedingly. This caused their anger to subside, and they repented of
their sins, and once more they were blessed with food and were saved
from perishing.



CHAPTER X.

Travel in Easterly Direction--Land Bountiful--"Irreantum," or Many
Waters--Eight Years in Wilderness--Children Born--Diet of Raw
Meat--Women Healthy and Strong as Men--Learn to Bear Journeyings
Without Murmuring--"Araby the Blest"--Travelers' description of
Land--Company Rest for Many Days.

Contented once more to be led, the company resumed their journey in an
easterly direction, until they came to a land which they called
Bountiful, because of the abundance of its fruit and wild honey. This
was on the sea shore. They camped upon the shore and called the sea
"Irreantum," the meaning of which is many waters. The travels in the
wilderness covered a space of eight years. During this period they had
children born to them, and although they lived upon raw meat, their
wives had plenty of milk with which to nurse their children, and they
were healthy and strong as the men, and what is worthy of note, "they
began to hear their journeyings without murmurings." This was a great
point gained. We do not have a full account of their trials and
difficulties while traveling for these eight years in that desert
land; but Nephi says they traveled and waded through much affliction;
indeed they suffered so many afflictions and so much difficulty, they
could not write them all. No doubt their new life called forth their
ingenuity and greatly tried their patience. It had made them hardy and
enduring, capable of bearing fatigue and of contending with difficulty
and hardship. The details of their perplexities, and the shifts to
which they were put, the Latter-day Saints who made the journey from
Nauvoo in the state of Illinois to the Great Salt Lake Valley during
the early years of the settlement, can readily supply. Nephi takes the
opportunity, while speaking of their journey and the wonderful manner
in which they had been sustained, especially the women in the bearing
and nursing of their children, to call attention to the fact that the
commandments of God must be fulfilled; and if they are kept by the
children of men, He doth nourish and strengthen them, and provides
means whereby they can accomplish the thing which He has commanded
them. This great truth Nephi never lost sight of, and it furnishes us,
as we have said before, the key to his success in accomplishing the
extraordinary works assigned to him.

The direction in which they traveled after the death of Ishmael is
that which would lead a company to-day into the most fertile region in
Arabia. One traveler in speaking of a region, if not that called by
Lehi and his company Bountiful, certainly adjoining it, says:

"As we crossed these [open fields] with lofty almond, citron and
orange trees, yielding a delicious fragrance on either hand,
exclamations of astonishment and admiration burst from us. Is this
Arabia? we said: this the country we had looked on heretofore a
desert? Verdant fields of grain and sugar cane, stretching along for
miles, are before us; streams of water flowing in all directions,
intersect our path; and the happy and contended appearance of the
peasants, agreeable helps to fill up the smiling picture. The
atmosphere was delightfully clear and pure; and as we trotted joyously
along, giving or returning the salutation of peace or welcome, I could
almost fancy I had reached that 'Araby the blest,' which I had been
accustomed to regard as existing only in the fictions of our poets."
Trav. in Arabia, Vol I. pp. 115, 116.

Captain Haines, whose manuscript journal is quoted from in Forster's
Arabia, p. 452, says of this part of Arabia:

"The whole province of Hydramant is represented as abundant in
fertilization and richly covered hills; the palm groves, magnificent;
plentiful supplies of water, and, indeed, every beauty and perfection
necessary to make a paradise of this earth."

Palgrave, (Jour. of Geo. Soc. Vol. 34, 1864, p. 147) in speaking of
the province of Batinah, in the district of Oman, says:

"Those lands lying between the sea and Jebel-Akhdar, are especially
rich in produce, except were the rocky coast-line interferes."

He describes the trees of that region as the cocoanut, the date palms,
the manga tree, and other fruit-bearing trees, and says, "it is indeed
the garden of the Peninsula." Speaking of a district adjoining this,
he describes fertile valleys, full of rich vegetation and considerable
produce; vines, whose wine is said to be good, abound in the slopes.
"Bees abound in the mountain, and furnish excellent honey of a whitish
color" (p.148).

The lapse of twenty-four centuries makes wonderful changes in the
earth's surface, but here is a land which is to-day exactly answering
the description which Nephi gave of it--a land to which, because of
its much fruit and also wild honey, they gave the appropriate name of
Bountiful. Not even the honey in the mountains is wanting to
distinguish it to-day. This traveler, in speaking of the mountains of
that region, says: "The mountains themselves are sometimes bare--more
often wooded--at least partially so." No doubt the mountains were
wooded at the time Lehi and company reached there; for Nephi, as we
shall see as we proceed with our history, needed timber convenient to
the sea. In general outline the Arabian sea shore offers little
variety, being mostly mountainous; but there are exceptions to this as
we have seen. Some parts of this shore present regions of remarkable
fertility. It doubtless did the same at the time of which we write. It
was to one of these rich spots that Lehi and his company were led, and
charming and attractive it must have appeared to them after their long
and weary march, suffering from hunger and thirst, in the desert. With
what peculiar feelings they must have gazed on the great ocean whose
waves beat upon the shore where they were encamped! It is not
difficult to understand that they "were exceedingly rejoiced" when
they reached such a place, and that having reached there, some of them
felt as though they did not wish to go any farther.

Some of the Latter-day Saints who left Nauvoo, and traveled, having
but little rest, until they reached the valley where Salt Lake City
now stands, felt as though they had had traveling enough to last for
years. They were so fatigued with their journey and the hardships
incident thereto that they felt delighted to reach a place where there
was a prospect of having a relief from that kind of life. But how much
more would this be the case with this company after their long and
toilsome journey! They had reached an earthly paradise. No occasion
now to hunt for game to supply food necessary for their wants. No
suffering from hunger or thirst now. Here, upon all hands, was
everything in profusion necessary to sustain life--fruit of the most
delicious kind. Dates form the staple of Arab food to-day, and
probably they had the Kholas date--for date palms abound in all that
region--the fruit of which is amber-colored, and of exquisite flavor.
This fruit called the king of dates, grows in a district near the sea,
and is noted all over Arabia for its superiority over every other
variety. An abundance of honey. Drinking water, sweet and plentiful.
And fish, too; for that ocean is full of fish of almost every kind. If
their past habits of eating meat should have caused them to tire of
the fruit, game likely abounded in a fertile region like that and was
easily procured. Here Nephi rested with the others "for the space of
many days" before he was called upon to perform new labors--labors
that were essential to the establishment of the purpose the Lord had
in view for them.



CHAPTER XI.

How Did They Travel?--Had They Vehicles?--Children of Israel used
Covered Wagons--Did Lehi and Company use Camels?--Experience of
Battalion in California--Custom in Abyssinia--Laman and Companions
Never Forget Habits Acquired in the Desert--Transmitted Them to
Posterity in Their New Home--Nephi Cherished True Knowledge of
Civilization--Contrast Between the Two Brothers--Each Left his Impress
upon his Nation.

There is nothing said in the record which has come to us respecting
the method of traveling adopted by Lehi and his company in the
wilderness--whether they had beasts of burden or conveyances of any
kind, or not. That they did not go afoot and carry upon their own
backs that which they had with them, is so plain, we think, that no
one who reflects upon the subject will entertain such an idea. In the
first place we learn that Lehi took no gold, silver, or other
valuables with him when he left Jerusalem, but he did take provisions
and tents. When his sons returned to Jerusalem to obtain the plates
they took with them their tents. In that climate a tent at least was
necessary for a covering. They certainly had some means of carrying
these provisions and tents. While they were in the valley of Lemuel
they gathered together seeds of grain and fruit of every kind. When
they left there they took these with them, and they carried them with
them during all their wanderings; they also took with them "all the
remainder of our [their] provisions which the Lord had given unto"
them, and their tents. Besides these, they took "whatsoever things we
[they] should carry into the wilderness." These would comprise their
clothing, their weapons of the chase, and other necessary articles. We
think it is safe also to suppose that, while they killed game by the
way as they traveled, they also accumulated a stock for future use
when they stopped, as they often did, to rest and to hunt. We scarcely
think they used vehicles for the purpose of transporting all these
articles. The character of the country would be unsuitable for their
use; though their forefathers, when they traveled in the wilderness
between the Red Sea and Canaan had wagons with them and they used oxen
to draw them.

We think that the popular impression is that the children of Israel
upon their journey to the promised land of Canaan knew nothing about
wagons and had no use for them. But the fact is, they traveled in
heavy marching order. They had their wives, children, effects, and
indeed all their worldly possessions with them. Upon one occasion the
princes of Israel, each a representative of one of the tribes, brought
an offering of six covered wagons and twelve oxen and gave them to
Moses. That is they each gave an ox and half a wagon. These were given
to the Levites for their use (_ Numbers vii., 2-9_). In the country
which Lehi and his company were traveling it was then the fashion, as
it has been through all the intervening centuries and still is, to use
animals for carrying burdens. The camel, "the ship of the desert," as
he has been aptly called, has proved of inestimable value for this
purpose to the inhabitants of the Arabian peninsula. Horses and asses
attain their greatest excellence in that land; they are, however, more
employed for riding than for loads. But the camel would be of as great
use to Lehi and his fellow-travelers as it was and is to the Arabs. He
and his sons must have known of its value and its adaptability for the
purposes they needed. We think it very likely, therefore, that they
used camels to carry their baggage, and probably their wives and
children and themselves. Travelers inform us that in pasture land
Arabia is singularly fortunate, and that the very desert supplies
through the greater part of its extent sufficient browse for camels.

Our views upon this point are sustained, we think, by the experience
of the Latter-day Saints in the mountains. When they left Winter
Quarters, their experience in traveling was confined to the methods to
which they had been accustomed; but when those who had been in the
Battalion and discharged in California came to Salt Lake Valley, they
brought with them their baggage and provisions packed on horses and
mules--a method of traveling well suited to the country over which
they journeyed, and which they, with ready facility, had adopted from
the people of the land, the Californians. This style of traveling has
ever since been common in our land. Its adoption by the members of the
Battalion was, under the circumstances, a most sensible thing; and had
the same men been placed in Arabia, and had seen or known anything
about the camel and his wonderful fitness for all the purposes of
traveling in that land, they would have used it with the same
readiness as they did the pack animals of California.

Referring again to the journey of the children of Israel in the
wilderness, the difficulty of providing water for their numerous
cattle has proved a great stumbling-block to many people, especially
to those inclined to doubt the truth of the sacred record. A
suggestion has been made upon this point (Palmer's Desert of the
Exodus, p. 272) that reduces this stumbling-block considerably.
Instead of cattle being an encumbrance to the movements of the host,
they could have been used as beasts of burden. In addition to the camp
furniture, each could carry its own supply of water, sufficient for
several days, in water-skins slung at its sides, precisely as Sir
Samuel Baker, an English traveler, found them doing at the present day
in Abyssinia. Those who have traveled on our own deserts know how
common an occurrence it has been to carry water, not in water-skins,
but in kegs slung upon the sides of pack animals. Though cattle could
have been used in this manner by Lehi and party, the country through
which they traveled was not so favorable for pasturage for them. But
the camel was at home there. He could live upon scanty herbage; he
could travel for days without water. From his hair they could make
tents and clothing, and in every respect he was a better animal for
their use than the ox.

In the matter of clothing, they doubtless learned to be very simple.
The climate was one which required but little. Travelers describe the
dress of the wandering Arabs of the present day as consisting, on the
part of the men, of a long cotton shirt, open at the breast, and often
girt with a leathern girdle. A cloak of hair is sometimes thrown over
the shoulders. A handkerchief, folded but once, covers the head, round
which it is kept in its place by a piece of twine or twisted hairband.
To this costume a pair of open sandals is added. Among the Bedouins of
the south a light wrapper takes the place of the handkerchief on the
head, and a loin-cloth that of the shirt. The attire of the women is
hardly more complicated. It is worthy of remark in this connection
that the wicked portion of Lehi's descendants never forgot or threw
off the habits of life which they had adopted in the wilderness. When
they reached the promised land, the continent of South America, if
they pursued agriculture at all it was only for a short time. At
Lehi's death, if not before, they resumed their old nomadic habits.
They had been a wandering tribe of people for eight years in the
Arabian peninsula, hunting for game and living upon the spoils of the
chase, removed from all the arts of civilization, and it would seem
they had become attached to that kind of life. The diet, too, appears
to have suited them; for Enos, one of Lehi's grandsons, describes them
as early as his day, as a wild, ferocious, blood-thirsty people; full
of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey, and many of
them _living upon raw meat_. They lived in tents and wandered about in
the wilderness. Their dress consisted of a short skin girdle about
their loins, and they shaved their heads. They had become an idle,
subtle and mischievous people immediately after landing in the
promised land. From being an enlightened, cultivated people, familiar
with the arts of life and the knowledge of their race--and the Jewish
people of that day still occupied in many respects the foremost rank
among the nations--through rejecting the commandments of the Lord,
closing their hearts against the Holy Spirit, and indulging in a
spirit of murderous hatred against their father and brother, because
they chose to serve the Lord, they sank into barbarism, lower even
than the Bedouins of the desert in which they had wandered.

Nephi and those who sought for the Spirit of the Lord did not forget,
in the midst of the hard life and privations of the wilderness, their
former good habits, or throw aside their knowledge of civilization.
Their wandering life did not degrade them. Though they had to hunt for
the game necessary to sustain them, and, by direction of the Lord, eat
its flesh without cooking it, and live in tents, they looked upon that
mode of life, not as one that they must follow for ever after, but as
necessary only in the providence of the Lord for the time being.
Therefore, when they reached the promised land, they became an
agricultural and pastoral people of settled habits, living no longer
in tents and wandering to and fro, but building houses, establishing
cities and turning their attention to mechanism and manufactures and
the cultivation of all the arts of true civilization. Of course two
branches of a family adopting such dissimilar habits and modes of life
would inevitably separate. They would have nothing in common except
their origin, and the influence of that would not long remain. The
future lives and histories of these two peoples furnish us the most
wonderful illustration of the effects of individual example and
teachings that we know anything about. Nephi on the one hand and Laman
on the other, for good or evil, was each the head and representative
man of his family and people. They both had passed through the same
outward circumstances. For a wise purpose the Lord had caused them to
follow a wandering, and it may be said a wild desert life of eight
years. The one had emerged from it stronger, purer, more elevated in
thought and action, more attached to those pursuits which make men and
nations enlightened, noble and powerful, and more determined when the
proper time came to follow them. The other emerged from it a savage in
thought, sentiment and practice. He had stifled those human and loving
feelings which always exist in the bosoms of men and women who cherish
the Spirit of the Lord, and a ferocious, murderous disposition had
taken their place. The wild, barbarous life of the desert, with its
animal pleasures and excitements of hunting and roving from place to
place, with its idleness and filthiness, he became satisfied with, and
he never forsook it. He and those who joined him would not have sunk
as low as they did had they not been favored, as they had been, in
their birth, their surroundings and their opportunities. There was no
blessing, favor or power which was possible for man to obtain from the
Lord that was not within the reach of Laman, if he had chosen to seek
for it. Instead of this, he deliberately, despite every warning, even
the words and presence of an angel and the voice of the Lord Himself,
rejected everything of the kind and opened his heart to the spirit of
hatred and murder. That he did not kill his father and brother was not
because of any compunction or lack of effort upon his part. More open
and flagrant rebellion against the Lord and everything proceeding from
Him, history does not furnish us. Hence his deep fall and the curse
which came upon his race. His people and descendants were like him.
His wife, children, and all who came within the range of his influence
and example, and whom he could persuade, he dragged down with himself.
When he died, he bequeathed to his posterity a legacy of
unextinguishable hate against everything elevated, noble and good. He
chose to be a savage himself, he made his wife and people and
descendants savages also. This was Laman, and this the effect of his
life, as we glean it from the record embodied in the Book of Mormon.

How great a contrast between his life and that of Nephi! One can
scarcely conceive how it would be possible for two men of one family,
of the same parentage and brought up under the same circumstances to
be more dissimilar. Nephi's constant effort was to lift his people up
and to have them exert every power to attain the highest standard of
excellence. His example, teachings and labors left an impression upon
his people for good, the effect of which was felt for centuries. Still
further it can be said with the greatest propriety, that by the
revelation of his record, and its translation by the Prophet Joseph,
the influence of his teachings and life still operates, and in the
years to come will yet exert a mighty power upon the mixed descendants
of himself and brothers.

The influence of Laman's life was as potent for evil as Nephi's was
for good. We can trace its effects through the ages, widening and
deepening as generations came and passed away, casting its baleful
shadow upon all who came within its range. No mortal pen can describe
the bloodshed, and carnage, and misery which have been the results of
his teachings. He imbibed the spirit of falsehood in the outset. He
never appears to have done justice to the views and aims of his father
and brother. He tortured their teachings and acts, designed for the
benefit and happiness of himself and all the company, into causes
sufficiently atrocious to justify him in taking their lives. This
conception of their characters and motives--and especially so with
respect to Nephi--he gave to all who accompanied him. It was indelibly
fastened upon the mind of their descendants; and false and cruel as it
was, it became the fixed and permanent tradition of their entire race.
Though these traditions died out with the disappearance of the
Nephites as an organized nationality, there being no longer any reason
for keeping them alive, yet we have but to look at the Indians which
we see around us, to behold the dreadful consequences of Laman's
example, false traditions and life. The wild Indian, as we see him in
our day, exactly personifies the life which Laman upwards of
twenty-four centuries ago, chose for himself and descendants.



CHAPTER XII.

Nephi Practically the Leader--Commanded to Build a Ship--Directed to
the Ore out of Which to make Tools--Makes a Bellows--Obtains
Fire--Fault-finding and Ridicule of his Brethren--His Sadness and
their Elation--They Grumble at and Reproach their Father and Him--He
Reasons with Them--Enraged, They Attempt to Throw Him in the
Sea--Nephi full of Power of God--They dare not Touch Him--They are
Shaken Before Him--Fall down to Worship Him--Told by Nephi to Worship
God--Nephi Shown by the Lord how he should work Timbers, etc.--Not
Worked after the Manner taught by Men--Helped by his Brothers--Ship
Finished--Laman and Others Acknowledge Nephi's Ability to Build a
Ship--Mountains as Places of Worship.

After the colony reached the land Bountiful it is noticeable that the
practical leadership devolved upon Nephi, and it continued to be so
from that time onward. He had grown strong in body--a stalwart,
vigorous, energetic, untiring and undaunted man--but he had also grown
in the knowledge and gifts of the Lord. There seemed to be no bounds
to his faith. He honored his father, Lehi, and still, doubtless,
looked to him for counsel. But Lehi was growing in years and was
probably not fitted to take upon him the burden of active labor.

They had now enjoyed a lengthened rest in this charming land; and the
time had come for action. It was to Nephi the Lord revealed that which
was next to be done. He commanded him to go up into the mountain. When
he reached there he cried unto the Lord. The Lord said to him:

"Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show
thee, that I may carry the people across the waters."

This was indeed a formidable undertaking for a man with such an
experience as he had. He probably knew but little or nothing about
ships or their method of construction or the use of tools. But he
manifested neither hesitation nor reluctance about undertaking the
labor assigned him. He had no doubts of his ability to accomplish it.
He knew, as he had expressed himself, that the Lord gave no
commandment without preparing the way by which it should be fulfilled;
and had He not told him that He would show him in what manner to build
it? The Lord directed him to where he could find the ore out of which
to make tools. Then Nephi made a bellows with which to blow the fire,
out of the skins of beasts. Fire he obtained by striking two stones
together. As we have already remarked, the Lord did not suffer them to
make much fire as they traveled. He had promised to make their food
sweet, so that they would not need to cook it. He had told them also
that He would be their light in the wilderness and would prepare the
way before them if they would keep His commandments, and they should
be led towards the promised land. They were to know that it was by Him
they were led. When they should arrive at the promised land, they were
to know also that He had brought them out of Jerusalem and had
delivered them from destruction.

Nephi had no sooner commenced his labors by obtaining ore out of rock
and out of that making tools, and to make his preparations to build a
ship, than his brethren began to find fault with and ridicule him.
Why, said they, our brother is a fool; he has an idea he can build a
ship and also cross this ocean of waters! They neither believed he
could build a ship nor that he was instructed of the Lord; and they
declined to do any work of that kind. This unbelief and hardness of
heart on their part caused Nephi to be very sorrowful. They noticed
his sadness; but mistook the cause. They supposed it was because they
had discouraged him and he had become convinced he could not build a
ship. This idea elated them, and with an air of triumph they taunted
him. We knew, said they, that you could not construct a ship; for we
knew that you did not have sufficient judgment; you cannot accomplish
so great a work. They reproached him with being like their father, in
being led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart. They recited
their imaginary grievances against Lehi for leading them out of
Jerusalem and bringing upon them the suffering they and their wives
had endured since leaving there. Warming up with their complaints,
they said it would have been better for their wives to have died
before they left Jerusalem than to have had such afflictions as they
had borne. While they were suffering all these hardships in the desert
they might, they said, have been happily enjoying themselves at their
home in Jerusalem. As for the people of Jerusalem, notwithstanding
their father's condemnation of them, they declared they knew them to
be a righteous people; for they kept the statutes and judgments of the
Lord, and all His commandments according to the law of Moses. But
their father had led them away, because they had hearkened to him, and
now here was Nephi, their brother, just like their father.

Nephi, according to his custom when they grumbled and found fault,
commenced to reason with and teach them. He cited to them the history
of the children of Israel under the leadership of Moses, what the Lord
had done and the mighty works He had enabled Moses to do. He did not
spare them in his rebukes. He said they were like the Jews, who sought
to take his father's life; they also had done the same thing, and they
were murderers, he said, in their hearts, and they were like the Jews.
Said he: "Ye are swift to do iniquity, but slow to remember the Lord
your God." He told them they had seen an angel and he had spoken unto
them. They had heard the voice of the Lord from time to time; but they
were past feeling; they were hard in their hearts. Nephi felt their
conduct so acutely that he told them his soul was rent with anguish
because of them; and he feared lest they should be cast off for ever.
He was so full of the Spirit of the Lord while speaking to them that
his frame had no strength.

The only effect his words and remonstrances appeared to have upon them
was to enrange them. They went so far as to attempt to throw him into
the depths of the sea; but as they advanced towards him for that
purpose, he commanded them in the name of the Almighty God not to
touch him; for he was so filled with the power of God, even unto the
consuming of his flesh, that whoever should lay his hands upon him
should wither even as a dried reed, and he should be as naught before
the power of God, for God should smite him. He had so much power on
this occasion that they dared not lay their hands upon him or even
touch him with their fingers. They dared not do so either for many
days. The Spirit of God was so powerful, and it wrought upon them in
such a way, that they dared not do this, for fear they should wither
before Nephi. In the meantime, Nephi had told them they must murmur no
more against their father, and they must not withhold their labor from
himself. The Lord had commanded him to build a ship. If he should
command him to do all things, he could do them. Even if he should
command him to say to that water, be thou earth; if he should say so,
it would be done. If the Lord has such power and had wrought so many
miracles among the children of men, how is it, he asked, that He could
not instruct him how to build a ship? Nephi said many things unto
them. The Lord told him to stretch forth his hand again to his
brethren, and though they should not wither before him He would shock
them, "and this will I do," said the Lord, "that they may know that I
am the Lord their God." Nephi did so, and the Lord did shake them, as
he had said he would do. This had a great effect upon them. They
acknowledged that the Lord was with Nephi and that it was by the power
of the Lord they had been shaken; and they fell down before him and
were about to worship him; but he would not suffer them. He told them
he was their younger brother; they should worship the Lord their God,
and honor their father and mother, that their days might be long in
the land which the Lord, their God, should give them. Ready to kill
him, as they were at one moment, at another they were ready to worship
him. Strange inconsistency! But there is no consistency about people
when they lose the Spirit of God. No man can tell what he himself will
do when he is forsaken by that Spirit; and no one else can form any
idea as to what vagaries such a person will indulge in, unless it is
revealed to him.

Some manifestation of power was necessary at that time to subdue these
rebellious spirits and bring them into line, so that they might assist
in the work to be done. We presume that this occurrence made a great
impression upon them, and that they did not shake off very quickly the
remembrance of it; for we are told of no more outbreaks during the
building of the ship. One might think that after such an extraordinary
manifestation of power as they witnessed through Nephi it would
forever cure them of indulging in such a spirit of rebellion and
murder; but, as we shall see as we proceed, it did not. Their hearts
became so impenetrable to all heavenly influences that the effect upon
them of even such a display of power as they had witnessed and felt
upon that occasion, was not very lasting. They had rejected the Spirit
of the Lord, and had become the servants of that evil one, whom they
were willing to obey; he had power over them and they were led and
prompted by him. Respecting that evil one, the Savior has said, that
he was a liar and a murderer from the beginning, and he leads all who
yield to him to be as he is.

The Lord showed Nephi from time to time how he should work the timbers
of the ship. They were timbers of curious workmanship, and his
brothers helped in this labor. They were not worked after the manner
which was learned by men, neither was the ship built after their
style; but it was built by Nephi in the manner shown to him by the
Lord. It would, of course, be well adapted for the service required of
it. Even Laman and the rest who shared in his dissatisfaction had to
acknowledge this; for when the ship was finished, and they saw how
suitable it was and how fine the workmanship was, they had to admit
the truth of that which Nephi had told them, that the Lord could teach
him how to build a ship; and they humbled themselves before the Lord.
While engaged in this labor, Nephi went often to the mountain and
prayed unto the Lord, and great things were shown unto him. It is
worthy of remark that men of God frequently availed themselves of
mountains as places of worship, to which they could go to pray and
commune with Him. At such heights and to such men it seems as though
the vail between heaven and earth becomes thinner and more easily
pierced. The men who have written the most about God, and who have
communicated His will to their fellows, have been men who communed
with Him in solitary places. By withdrawing to the loneliness of the
wilderness or to the mountain top, away from the haunts and tumult of
men, they could there obtain the seclusion necessary for the
concentration of faith by which they could draw near to and commune
with Him undisturbed. Sublime and elevated thoughts are appropriate to
such places. In the desert, in the wilderness, and upon mountain
peaks, nature is witnessed in all its simple yet impressive majesty,
and its solemn stillness is favorable to thanksgiving and prayer, and
man is brought nearer to his Creator. The Savior Himself "went up into
a mountain apart to pray," and brought His disciples, Peter, James and
John "up into a high mountain apart," when He was transfigured and had
His interview with Moses and Elias.



CHAPTER XIII.

Lehi Commanded to Embark upon the Ship--Food Prepared for the
Voyage--Jacob and Joseph--Did the Ship have Sails?--Voyages and Ships
of Egyptians--Dancing and Rudeness of Laman and Others at Sea--Nephi
Remonstrates--Is Treated Harshly and Bound Hand and Foot by his
Brothers--Lehi and Sariah very Sick--Four Days of Terrible
Tempest--Compass Would not Work--Driven Back Before the Wind--Terror
of Laman and Lemuel--Nephi's Patience and Self-Control--The Lord Shows
Forth His Power--Nephi Released--The Ship Steered in Right Course--His
Prayer Answered and Tempest Quelled--Reach the Promised Land.

Now that the vessel was finished, the voice of the Lord came unto Lehi
that they were to embark upon the ship. It was still through him that
the word came for a movement of this character. They had prepared
fruits and meats and honey in great quantities, and "provisions
according to that which the Lord had commanded them;" these with all
their "loading" and their seeds and everything they had brought with
them, they carried on board their vessel, and embarked themselves,
"everyone according to his age." At this point we find mentioned for
the first time, the names of two sons of Lehi, who were born in the
wilderness--Jacob and Joseph. These boys grew up to be faithful and
renowned men of God, and were a great help to their brother Nephi,
after they reached the promised land.

After they put forth to sea they were driven by the wind towards the
promised land. We are not informed as to whether they used sails or
other means to propel their vessel; but as they were "driven before
the wind" it is most likely they had sails. They steered their ship by
the direction of the compass which the Lord had prepared for them. [A]

[Footnote A: In this connection it may be of interest to know
something of the progress which had been made in the art of navigation
at the time Lehi and his company made this wonderful voyage by
direction of the Lord. The earliest record of the practice of this art
after the construction of the ark by Noah--excepting the account we
have in the Book of Mormon of the voyage of Jared and his brother and
their colony--is that of the Egyptians, who at a very remote period
are said to have established commercial relations with India. This
traffic was carried on between the Arabian Gulf and the western coast
of India, across the Indian Ocean. It may be that Lehi himself might
have been familiar with a famous expedition by sea which was fitted
out by Necho II. king of Egypt; for as near as we can ascertain this
was done in his day. This Necho was the king of Egypt against whom
Josiah, king of Judah, fought when he received his death wound (_II.
Chron. xxxv. 22_). He fitted out a fleet in the Red Sea, and having
engaged some expert Phoenician pilots and sailors, he sent them on a
voyage of discovery along the coast of Africa. They were ordered to
start from the Arabian Gulf, and come round through the Pillars of
Hercules (now the straits of Gibraltar) into the Mediterranean, and so
return to Egypt. This voyage was a very daring one for those days.
Through it the peninsular form of Africa was ascertained, and the Cape
of Good Hope was doubled about twenty-one centuries before it was seen
by Diaz [B] or doubled by Vasco de Gama. The vessels of the Egyptians
were frequently of large dimensions, and were generally propelled by
oars, though they understood to a certain extent the use of sails. We
read of one vessel in later times carrying as many as 400 sailors,
4,000 rowers, and nearly 3,000 soldiers.

There can be no doubt but that the ship upon which Lehi and his
company embarked was in every respect superior for the purpose for
which it was designed to any vessel known among men at that time. The
Lord had directed its construction. He knew what was needed--the
capacity required, the strain to which it would be subjected from the
winds and the waves, and the length of time it would be upon the ocean
in making the voyage--and it must have been admirably adapted to meet
all these wants.]

[Footnote B: Bartholomew Diaz discovered it in 1487, in the reign of
John II., king of Portugal, but did not land. He named it Capo
Tormento, from the storms he experienced there; but the king
afterwards changed its name to Cape of Good Hope; and Emanuel, his
successor, sent Vasco da Gama, in 1497, with orders to double it and
proceed to India.--_The Ancient Egyptians_ (_Wilkinson_) _1, 2_, _pp.
109, 110_.]

Upon one occasion, after they had been out to sea some time, Laman and
Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael and their wives began to dance, to sing
and to indulge in very rude language and conduct. They made themselves
so merry and behaved so improperly, forgetting by what power they had
been brought where they were, that Nephi became alarmed, for fear the
Lord would be angry with them and smite them because of their
wickedness, and they should go to the bottom of the sea. He spoke to
them, therefore, with that soberness and gravity which the sense of
peril inspired. But, as usual with them, his words made them angry.
They declared that their younger brother should not be a ruler over
them. Laman and Lemuel were not content with speaking harshly, they
went so far as to handle him roughly and to bind him hand and foot
with cords, which were lashed so tightly as to give him pain and to
cause his wrists and ankles to be very sore and swollen. They kept him
in this condition for four days. It was in vain that his father and
mother, his wife and children, and others plead for him. They could
not move them to release him. Indeed they threatened every one with
vengeance who spoke to them in his favor. This conduct nearly brought
Lehi and Sariah down to the gates of death. They became so sick that
they were confined to their beds, and were almost ready to be
consigned to a watery grave. Yet even this grief and sickness of
theirs had no effect upon these cruel and pitiless men. Their hearts
were steeled against the voices of love and affection; they were
insensible to every humane emotion and every human appeal. Nothing but
the power of God could reach them, and they were soon made to feel
that. After they had bound Nephi, the compass ceased to work, and they
did not know in what direction they should steer the ship. A storm
arose, and it continued to rage with such violence that they were
driven back, apparently at the mercy of the waves and in great danger
of being engulfed by them. This terrible tempest frightened Laman and
Lemuel exceedingly. They were afraid they and all on board would be
drowned; but they were resolved not to loose Nephi, even when
entreated to do so by their parents and others. But by the fourth day
the tempest had become so frightfully fierce, that even Laman and
Lemuel were terror-stricken and softened, and they repented and
released Nephi. They had to be threatened with destruction and brought
face to face with death before they would yield. During all this time,
suffering from pain and in a condition so wretched, Nephi did not lose
his patience and self-control. Great as were his afflictions he did
not murmur against the Lord; but he looked unto Him and praised Him
all the day long. He was in circumstances that many men would think
dreadful and even unbearable; their faith would be greatly tried
thereby, and perhaps would fail. Our own Church history furnishes a
case of this kind. Sidney Rigdon, once a prominent man in the Church,
the first counselor of the Prophet Joseph, was taken by the mob in
Missouri at the same time that the Prophet and others were, and was
put in prison by them. His afflictions he felt so severely that he
murmured about them, and said:

"I never will follow Brother Joseph's revelations any more, contrary
to my own convenience. The sufferings of Jesus Christ were a fool to
mine."

This doubtless was one cause of his subsequent apostasy; for he lost
the spirit and never afterwards manifested the faith and power which
he had formerly possessed.

The Lord could have manifested His power in behalf of Nephi so as to
have prevented his brothers from binding him as they did. But it did
not suit His purposes to do so. There are many things which the Lord
suffers for the purpose of testing individuals or the people, and also
that He may show forth His power and to fulfill His word which He has
spoken concerning the wicked. The cruel conduct of Laman and Lemuel
towards Nephi exhibited the wickedness of their hearts and brought
them under condemnation before the Lord, and at the same time showed
up in strong colors his faith and patience and the greatness of his
soul. After Nephi had been released he took the compass and it worked
as he desired it should, and he was able to steer the ship in the
direction of the promised land. He prayed unto the Lord and the
violence of the tempest was quelled, and the elements became serene
and calm. Sailing for some time after this occurrence they reached the
promised land.



CHAPTER XIV.

Land and Pitch their Tents--Place of Landing--Cultivate the
Ground--Good Crops--Find Animals of Every Kind--Also Ores--Raise Large
Flocks and Herds--"Carneros de la Tierra"--Find the Horse--Was the
Horse Extinct When the Whites Discovered America?--Reasons for
Thinking it was not--Wild Horses Seen by Sir Francis Drake in
1579--Opinion of Professor Marsh--Horses Seen by Drake, not Spanish.

They landed and pitched their tents, and they acknowledged that the
Lord had indeed fulfilled His promises unto them. He had guided them
through the wilderness, had enabled them to construct a vessel, in
which He had brought them safely across the mighty breadth of ocean
which extended from the coast of Arabia to the coast of what is now
called South America, or as they, with good reason, called it, "The
Promised Land." The Prophet Joseph, in speaking of their place of
landing, said [A] it was on the coast of the country now known as
Chili--a country which possesses a genial, temperate and healthy
climate. They immediately turned their attention to agriculture. They
prepared the ground and put in all the seeds which they had brought
with them from the land of Jerusalem. They found the soil admirably
adapted for agriculture. Their seeds grew finely and yielded good
crops, and they were blessed with abundance. We find no mention made
of any seeds being planted by them at any point from the time of their
departure from Jerusalem until they reached the promised land. If
while encamped in the valley of Lemuel or at Bountiful they cultivated
the earth and raised provisions or seeds, we are not informed of it,
though doubtless both places were suitable for that purpose.

[Footnote A: They traveled nearly a south, southeast direction until
they came to the nineteenth degree of north latitude; then, nearly
east to the sea of Arabia, then sailed in a southeast direction, and
landed on the continent of South America, in Chili, thirty degrees
south latitude.]

In exploring the wilderness after their arrival they found animals of
every kind--the cow, the ox, the ass and the horse, the goat and the
wild goat, and all manner of wild animals which were for the use of
man; they also found ores of all kinds, particularly gold, silver and
copper. The animals they tamed for their use, and Nephi and his people
raised large flocks and herds of animals of every kind. Doubtless they
raised herds of a species of camel which is native to the northern
part of Chili and to Peru. The Spaniards call them _carneros de la
tierra_. These animals in many respects resemble the camel of the old
continent; but differ materially in others. They are less in size, but
of a more elegant form; they have a small head without horns, but a
large tuft of hair adorns the forehead; a very long, slender neck,
well proportioned ears, large, round, full, black eyes, a short
muzzle, the upper lip more or less cleft; the body is handsomely
turned, the legs long and slender, the feet bipartite, or divided in
the hoof like the deer and the sheep; the covering of the body is a
mixture of hair and wool. The varieties of these animals are the
llama, pace, or alpaco, guanaco and vicuna or vicugna. The size of a
full-grown llama is five feet five inches from the bottom of the foot
to the top of the shoulders. It is by far the handsomest and most
majestic animal of the four. The wool is coarse but so abundant on the
body that they carry loads on their backs without pack-saddles.
Travelers say that nothing can exceed the beauty of a drove of these
animals, as they march along with their cargoes on their backs, each
being about a hundred pounds weight, following each other in the most
orderly manner, equal to a file of soldiers, headed by one with a
tastefully embroidered halter on his head, covered with small bells,
and a small streamer on his head. Thus they cross the snow-covered
tops of the mountains or defile along their sides. Many parts of the
routes over which they travel are not suitable for the service of
horses or even mules. Like the camel, the llama kneels to receive its
load; but if too heavily laden, it will refuse to rise until it is
lightened. Its wool can only be used for very ordinary purposes; but
that of the alpaco is manufactured into most beautiful blankets, which
are as soft as silk. Though the llama and the alpaca were domesticated
by the Lamanites before the arrival of the Spaniards in South America,
yet they and the guanaco and the vicuna have never mixed: the breeds
are distinct and will remain so.

Nephi informs us in his record that, among the other animals which
they found in the wilderness upon their arrival at the promised land,
was the horse. There have been persons who have declared that because
of this statement the record could not be true. They have used this as
an argument against the divine origin of the Book of Mormon; for, as
they have asserted, the horse was not known upon this continent until
it was brought here by the Spaniards. In this way they have tried to
prove the record to be false. But recent researches by scientific men
have demonstrated beyond the possibility of doubt that America is the
original home of the horse, and at certain periods it was occupied
with horses of many and various forms. Remains of the true horse as we
have it among us at the present time, have been found all over the
land. Professor O. C. Marsh, whose patient and intelligent
investigations have thrown a flood of light upon this subject, states
that the true horse at one time roamed over the whole of North and
South America. He believes that it became extinct before the discovery
of the continent by Europeans; but, he says, no satisfactory reason
for the extinction has yet been given. In fact, he acknowledges that
at present it is a mystery why the horse should have been selected for
extinction while other mammals no better adapted than it for the
surroundings, should have survived. He comments freely upon the
strangeness of its disappearance; for he is evidently convinced that
when the continent was discovered by Europeans it had disappeared, and
that we are indebted for our present horse to the old world, as Europe
is called. But we think it is by no means certain that there were no
horses on the continent when it was discovered by men from Europe.

Robert Dudley, Earl of Northumberland, published a book (_Arcano del
Mare_) in Florence, Italy, in 1630, (_1st edition, pp. 46, 47_) to
which Rev. Edward E. Hale referred in a paper read by him before the
American Antiquarian Society (_Proceedings, October, 1873, p. 93_) in
which he states that Sir Francis Drake [B] found many wild horses on
the west coast of North America, at which he wondered, because the
Spaniards had never found horses in America. Mr. Hale said:

[Footnote B: Sir Francis Drake was engaged in his celebrated voyage
round the world. His fleet consisted of three vessels--the _Pelican_,
of one hundred tons, the _Elizabeth_ and the _Marigold_, each of
eighty. He entered the Pacific Ocean from the straits of Magellan, on
the 6th of September, 1578. On the 30th he lost sight of the
_Marigold_ in a gale, and never saw her again. On the 16th of April,
1579, he left the port of Guatulco, on the Mexican coast, and having
sailed west and afterwards north, he ran as far north as the parallel
of 43°, or, according to other accounts, of 48° north latitude.
Bryant, in his Popular History of the United States, (_vol. 2, p.
577_) says that Humboldt evidently thought that Drake sailed that far
north (_see Humboldt's "New Spain," ii. 337 et seg._) as this latitude
corresponds best of all with the severe cold. Opinions vary as to
whether the port which Drake called New Albion was the bay of San
Francisco or not; but the evidence is that it was.]

"The Atlas in the Arcano contains thirty-three maps of America. My
notes on the Munich Atlas show that that contains forty-six maps in
manuscript. After the engraved map, No. 33, the reference to Drake and
the coldness of Oregon is in the following words:

"'As the extract from Dudley referred to by Mr. Hale is in Italian, we
give the translation:

"'This map is the last of the sixth book which [map] begins with the
port of New Albion [Nuovo Albion]--longitude 237° and latitude
38°--discovered by the Englishman, Drake, about 1579, as [said] above,
a place favorable for taking in water and getting other necessaries.
The said Drake found that the savages of the country were very
courteous and kind, and the land pretty fruitful, and the air
temperate. He saw rabbits in great numbers, but with tails as long as
[those of] rats, and [saw] _many wild horses, with the more wonder
because the Spaniards never saw horses in America (e [vidde] di molti
cavalli saluatichi, con maggiore maraviglia, atteso chegli pagnuoli
non viddero mai cavalli nell' America);_) and the reason that Drake
sought and found the said port was this,--that having passed the true
cape Mendozino,--latitude 42° 30'--to take water, at 43° 30' north
latitude he found the coast so cold in the month of June, that his
crew could not bear it; at which he quite wondered, the latitude being
about the same as that of Tuscany, and of Rome in Italy.'"

In a conversation with Professor Marsh, at Washington, in the winter
of 1881, we called his attention to this statement of Dudley's. He had
heard of it; but, possessed of the belief that the horse was extinct
when Europeans came to this continent, he was not inclined to accept
Dudley's statement as true. Yet, aside from the wide-spread and
generally accepted belief that there were no horses on the continent
at the time of its discovery, there is no evidence which has come to
the knowledge of paleontologists or naturalists to prove that the
horse was not here at that time. The evidence of its existence up to a
comparatively recent period are abundant all over the continent, and
wonder is expressed by investigators that it should have disappeared.
But did it disappear? Six hundred years before the advent of the
Savior, Lehi and his company found the horse in South America. There
is no reason to doubt that it was preserved by his descendants up to
the time of the extinction of the Nephites, early in the fifth century
of our era. It is customary to account for the immense herds of
American horses on the assumption that the Spaniards introduced them.
But if Drake and his companions saw these horses as described by
Dudley, they could not have been descendants of Spanish horses; for no
Spaniards had penetrated that country or been within hundreds of miles
of it at the time of its discovery by Drake, in 1579. Viceroy Mendoza,
who succeeded Cortez, by appointment of the Emperor Charles, in the
civil administration of the Spanish possessions, Cortez being
restricted to his duties as military commander, sent out Vasquez de
Coronado to find the seven cities of Cibola, of the wealth of which
the Spaniards had heard very wonderful stories. As early as 1540 he
penetrated the country as far as the territory now known as New Mexico
and probably into Arizona. He and his troop had horses; but even if
they had lost or turned loose any, it is most improbable that in
thirty-nine years they would have multiplied into large herds observed
by Drake on the sea-board, which as we know was at least five hundred
miles away. Coronado had but few horses, would have had fewer brood
mares, and would have been apt to mention any loss of a large number
of auxiliaries so essential to his expedition. Dudley published his
work in Italy, where he was residing, in, 1630. He was a navigator
himself, and was the son-in-law of Cavendish, one of the explorers of
the South seas. He was well acquainted with the survivors of Drake's
voyages. His description of the wild horses they saw has nothing
improbable about it; for until quite recently wild horses roamed in
herds over all that country. At the time we settled in this Territory
wild horses in California were very numerous. And we see no reasons to
doubt the correctness of Dudley's statement that Drake saw them in
great numbers when he visited the coast in 1579.



CHAPTER XV.

Animals and Vegetables Valuable to Lehi and Company--The
Potato--Abundance of Fruits--Jerusalem Destroyed--Lehi's Thankfulness
for this Choice Land--A Land of Liberty to all who Should be Brought
Here if they Would Serve God--Land to be Kept from Knowledge of Other
Nations--Remarkably Fulfilled--Promises of the Lord to Lehi Concerning
his Descendants and the Land--Present Condition of his Seed
Predicted--Prophecies Concerning the Prophet Joseph Smith--Lehi a
Great Prophet--Restrains his Children While Living--Rancorous Hatred
After his Death Against Nephi--Enraged by his Admonitions--Propose to
Kill Him.

The animals of the country Lehi, and his company doubtless found of
very great value to them in their labors and movements. Besides these,
it is probable they obtained many valuable vegetable productions which
were peculiar to the country. The potato is indigenous to that region;
it seems to be its natural home, and was found growing there in
abundance by the first Europeans that visited the country. It is not
unlikely that Lehi and his people also had it for use. Wild fruits are
now very abundant in places contiguous to the spot were we are told
they landed. One writer, in describing a contiguous province, says:

"The wild Indians bring from the woods many delicious fruits,
pine-apples, plantains, bananas, nisperos, mamays, guavas, etc., as
well as sweet potatoes, _camotes_, cabbage palm, _palmitos_, and
yucas."

If Lehi and his company found wild fruits so abundant, they had no
difficulty in living in plentiful ease until the seed grains they
brought with them matured. Everything contributed to make them feel
that it was a choice land above all other lands; for with all the
other advantages it possessed, the soil was exceedingly fertile and
the climate was delicious in temperature and healthy. Shortly after
their arrival, Lehi informed his people that he had learned through a
vision from the Lord that Jerusalem had been destroyed, and he said
had they remained there, they also would have perished. He drew the
attention of his children to the goodness of the Lord in warning them
to flee out of Jerusalem and in preserving them until they had reached
this choice land, which the Lord had covenanted should be for the
inheritance of his seed forever, and also for all those who should be
led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. To those brought
out of other countries this should be a land of liberty, so long as
they should serve God according to the commandments which He has
given; but if iniquity should abound the land should be cursed for
their sakes. He told them that this land would be kept from the
knowledge of other nations; for the reason that, if they discovered
it, they would overrun it and there would be no place for an
inheritance.

This explains why the world remained so long in ignorance of this
continent. It was hidden from the world, and was almost a world by
itself for centuries, its people having no communication with any
other nation upon the earth. Generation succeeded generation, numerous
and large cities were built, the whole land was covered with people,
the arts of a high civilization were cultivated, revolutions, wars and
great changes were effected and all the busy scenes of human life were
enacted upon this continent, and yet the inhabitants of other lands
were as ignorant of its existence as if it had belonged to another
planet. This ignorance continued until the Lord moved upon Christopher
Columbus to penetrate the great ocean which stretched between it and
Europe. Men called it "the new world," and it was a new world to them;
and though the evidences that highly-cultivated races had occupied the
land for ages are abundant upon every hand, those who do not believe
the Book of Mormon are still as ignorant of who they were, or where
they came from and of all their history, excepting those facts which
have been brought to light by the examination of the ruins of their
cities, as they were when the continent was brought to the knowledge
of the world.

Lehi gives the true explanation of the reason why this continent
should be concealed from the knowledge of other nations. We see how it
is to-day. This continent is so desirable that there is a steady
stream of people flowing to it from all countries. They are filling up
the land, and the Lamanites, who have occupied it under the promise of
the Lord to their father Lehi, have been crowded back from both oceans
until they have but small spots to live upon in the center of the
land, and even these are coveted by the people of other nations who
have come here. This would have been the result long, long ago had the
world known of the existence of this continent; but the Lord concealed
it, and guided those only to it whom He desired to occupy it, so that
all His promises concerning it might be fulfilled. Lehi told his
children, that if those whom the Lord should bring out of the land of
Jerusalem should keep His commandments, they should not only prosper
here, but they should be kept from all other nations and have the land
to themselves; there should be none to molest them, nor to take the
land away from them; but they should dwell safely for ever. It was the
failure of the ancestors of the Indians, or Lamanites, to do this,
that brought upon them and their children evils under which they at
present suffer. Lehi, before his death, told them, by the spirit of
prophecy, what their fate would be if they fell into unbelief and
rejected the Lord. He said the Lord would bring other nations unto
them, and He would give them power; they would take away from his
descendants their lands, and they would be scattered and smitten. We
have only to look around us to see how completely and exactly his
predictions have been fulfilled. And as these predictions have come to
pass, so will others also come to pass respecting the nations of the
Gentiles that will occupy this land: they would not be permitted to
utterly destroy the descendants of Nephi or the other children of
Lehi; and if they, themselves, did not repent, and keep the
commandments of the Lord, destruction would also fall upon them.

Among other plain and definite predictions which Lehi made unto his
children was one respecting the birth and mission of the Prophet
Joseph Smith. He quoted from a prophecy of Joseph, the son of Jacob,
who was sold into Egypt, to the effect that "a seer shall the Lord my
God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins."
His name was foretold. He was to be called after the Patriarch Joseph
and after his own father. The predictions of Lehi which he gave to his
children before his death are very precious, because of their covering
so many points and being so plain. He was a great prophet; the Lord
had revealed to him a wonderful amount of knowledge concerning the
future; and he was especially favored in having such a land as this
given, by covenant of the Lord, as an inheritance to himself and his
posterity. He did all in his power to teach his children and his
people the ways of the Lord and to make them in some degree worthy of
the favor which had been shown unto them; but with Laman and Lemuel
and those who associated with them his tender entreaties, his solemn
warnings, his severe rebukes, and his inspired and pointed predictions
were all of no avail. They had gone from bad to worse until their
hearts had become like flint, and no good impression could be made
upon them. They were full of malice and the spirit of murder. While he
lived, his presence had some restraining effect upon them. He was
still the father and head of the people, whose authority and counsel,
though often disregarded by his rebellious offspring, could not be
altogether set aside. But he was scarcely buried before the rancorous
hatred of Laman and Lemuel and their adherents broke out against
Nephi. It was his admonitions concerning their iniquities that enraged
them. His rebukes, they said, afflicted them; they viewed them as an
attempt upon his part to dictate and rule over them. He was their
younger brother, and they declared they would not have him as a ruler;
for this right belonged to them, they said, as the seniors. They
proposed to kill him. This brought affairs to a crisis.



CHAPTER XVI.

Nephi's Efforts to Save His Brethren--Nephi, Commanded of the Lord,
Flees into the Wilderness--His Company--His Sisters--Carries Plates of
Brass and other Records--The Liahona and Sword of Laban with
Him--Nephi called a Liar and a Robber--Searches the Scriptures--Two
Sets of Plates--Character of Records on Each--Plates made for a
Special Purpose--Found by Mormon--Wisdom of God Greater than Cunning
of Devil--The Prophet Joseph Delivered from a Snare.

For many years Nephi had done all in his power to sustain the
influence of his father with his brothers. In company with his father
he had labored steadily to induce them to live righteously and to obey
the commandments of God. He had exhausted every means to induce them
to dwell in union, peace and love. There was nothing more he could do,
except to become a victim to their blind and cruel rage. But this, in
the providence of the Lord, was not required of him. The Lord had
another work for Nephi, so he warned him to flee into the wilderness,
and leave his wicked brothers and associates to themselves. Those who
accompanied Nephi in this flight were all who believed in the warnings
and revelations of God. They accepted the word of the Lord as it came
to him concerning this departure. The record informs us that they were
his own family, Zoram and his family, Sam and his family, his brothers
Jacob and Joseph and his sisters and others. The names of his sisters
are not given, and we are not told how many there were, or who the
others were who accompanied him. With their tents and everything which
it was possible for them to carry, they took their journey into the
wilderness. Nephi was careful to have all the records of his people
with him. He had the plates of brass which were obtained from Laban,
and his father, and his father Lehi's record, and the records he had
kept himself, and also the ball or compass, which was prepared of the
Lord for Lehi, and the sword of Laban.

We are not informed what the feelings of Laman and Lemuel were
respecting Nephi's keeping possession of the brass plates, the record
of Lehi and the ball or compass which the Lord had prepared for Lehi;
but it is not too much to suppose that while they kept no records
themselves upon plates, and therefore placed no value upon them, they
were angry at Nephi for taking these with him. They probably accused
him of robbing them; for, about five centuries after this, we find
(_Alma xx. 13_) that the tradition among their descendants was that
Nephi was not only a liar, but had robbed their fathers. Nephi,
himself, was very particular about keeping records. He taught his
people to value the written word. He doubtless devised means of giving
them copies of that which had been written, for in the days of his
brother Jacob the sudden and awful death of a teacher of false
doctrine who had led many astray, caused the people, as we are told
(_Jacob vii. 23_), to search the scriptures. We conclude from this
that copies of the writings upon the brass plates must have been
accessible to them.

By the command of the Lord, Nephi made two sets of plates, on which to
keep the records of his people. The first set of these plates
contained in great fullness and detail the history of the people of
Nephi. Upon them Nephi engraved the record of his father Lehi, and the
genealogy of Lehi, his prophecies and many of his own prophecies and
the most part of all their proceedings in the wilderness. Upon them
were engraved by him with more detail and particularity the things
which transpired before he made the second set of plates. Upon these
first plates also an account was given of the wars, contentions and
destructions of the people, during Nephi's lifetime, and he commanded
his people that they should continue to do this after he was gone,
including an account of the reign of the kings, and that the plates
should be handed down from one generation to another, or from one
prophet to another, until the Lord should command otherwise.

It was from these plates, called the plates of Nephi, that the Prophet
Mormon made his abridgment which the Prophet Joseph first translated.
It will be remembered that while the Prophet was translating the Book
of Mormon he was teased by Martin Harris to let him have some of the
manuscript. Joseph did so. The Lord was so displeased with him for
letting these writings go out of his hands, that he deprived him of
his gift, and the work of translating was suspended for a number of
months. While in Martin Harris' possession, the manuscripts were
stolen and were not recovered. Those who obtained them had a deep
design in view. But the Lord thwarted them. He gave Joseph a
commandment not to attempt to translate a second time that which he
had lost, but to translate the record which he would find upon the
second set of plates, called also the plates of Nephi. The revelation
respecting this is to be found in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
Section x.

Nephi informs us that he had been commanded of the Lord to make these
second plates for a special and wise purpose; but he did not know what
that purpose was, farther than there should be an account engraved
thereon of the ministry of his people and the more plain and precious
parts of the prophecies, so that they might be kept for the
instruction of his people. These plates were handed down from Nephi to
Amaleki, covering a period of about four hundred years from the time
that Lehi left Jerusalem. When Amaleki finished his writing, the
plates, which were small, were full; and as he had no children, he
gave them to the king, whose name was Benjamin. This king kept them
with the other, and larger plates of Nephi, which contained the record
of kings, and which had been handed down from generation to
generation. They were kept from that time forth with the other records
upon plates, which in the lapse of centuries became very numerous,
until they came into the hands of the Prophet Mormon. Mormon made his
abridgment sometime after the year 384 of the Christian era, which was
upwards of five centuries after the death of this King Benjamin. After
he had made his abridgment from the large plates of Nephi, down to the
days of King Benjamin, he found, in searching among the records, these
small plates of Nephi. Their contents pleased him. They were full of
revelations, and prophecies concerning the coming of Christ and many
other great events. He knew that many events therein predicted had
been fulfilled, and also that those predictions which went beyond his
day would most assuredly come to pass; therefore, they were precious
to him, and he knew they would be also to posterity. But, in addition
to these reasons for selecting them, he was moved upon by the Spirit
of the Lord to embody them with his record. The promptings of the
Spirit to him were that there was a wise purpose in this, though it
does not appear that he fully knew what that purpose was. But the
purpose became plain when the Lord gave again to the Prophet Joseph
the gift and privilege of translating. He was commanded to translate
the record engraved upon these plates, to supply the place of that
translation which had been stolen. Thus Joseph was told not to
translate over again that which he had translated, and Satan's plan to
entrap him was defeated. For the Lord, foreseeing what would take
place, had inspired Nephi and Mormon to do as they did: the one to
prepare the plates and engrave upon them and to command those who
followed him to do so also; and the other to embody them with his
record to afterwards come into the hands of the Prophet Joseph; and
the results are that we have in the Book of Mormon a body of
revelations and prophecies that are exceedingly precious and which
throw a flood of light upon the doctrines of Christ and those mighty
events which are to take place in the last days.



CHAPTER XVII.

Travel Many Days in the Wilderness--Call the Land Nephi--Did They
Journey Northward?--Location of Land Nephi--River Sidon and
Magdalena--Land of Zarahemla--Twenty-two Days' Travel from Nephi--Did
not Land of Nephi Extend Considerably South?--Zeniff's Return to the
Land of Nephi--Was that the Land Settled by Nephi, the First?--Mosiah,
King of Zarahemla--Reasons for Thinking Nephi to be Distinguishing
Name of an Extensive Region--Nephites Would Spread Over the Country in
Four Hundred Years--Did Nephi and Company Travel as far North as
Ecuador?--Followed by Lamanites--Jacob and Enos Respecting
Lamanites--Nephi's Description of the Land--Bolivia and Peru--Cities
and Settlements Called After Founders--Additional Reasons for Thinking
Nephi and Company did not Settle so far North--Boundaries of Lands
Occupied by Nephites and Lamanites--South America Called Lehi, North
America Called Mulek.

After they separated from Laman and Lemuel, Nephi and his company
traveled for many days in the wilderness and reached a land where they
determined to settle. They selected for it the name of their leader,
and it was called Nephi.

Nephi does not state in what direction he and his company traveled
after separating from his brethren; but it is plain, from the
allusions which are subsequently made to this land of Nephi by other
writers, that they took their journey northward. It appears plain also
that they traveled some distance in that direction. As Nephi was
always careful to seek the guidance of the Lord in his movements, he
was undoubtedly led by Him to the land where they settled. It is
stated by Elder Orson Pratt, in a footnote to the new edition of the
Book of Mormon, that the land of Nephi is supposed to have been in or
near the country now called Ecuador. This supposition is based upon
the general understanding that the river called the Sidon in the Book
of Mormon is that now known as the Magdalena in our geographies. If
this is correct, we can locate the land of Zarahemla with tolerable
accuracy from the references which are made to it in the Book of
Mormon; and as journeys were made between those two lands--Nephi and
Zarahemla--and in one instance the time occupied in the journey is
given--about twenty-two days—-(_Mosiah xxiii. 3, xxiv, 20-25_,) some
idea can be obtained of the distance between these two places.

But there are reasons for thinking that the land called Nephi was an
extensive region, and that it reached much farther south than the
country now known as Ecuador. Nearly four centuries after Nephi and
his company separated from Laman and Lemuel and their companions, a
prophet by the name of Mosiah was warned by the Lord to flee out of
the land of Nephi, and to take with him all the Nephites who would
"hearken unto the voice of the Lord." They were led by the power of
God, through the wilderness, to the land of Zarahemla. Afterwards,
some of the children of those who thus fled had a desire to return to
the old home of their fathers, and expeditions were fitted out for
that purpose. One of them under Zeniff was successful in securing a
foothold in that land, though it had by that time been taken
possession of by the Lamanites. By treaty with the king of the
Lamanites, Zeniff and his people were permitted to occupy the cities
of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom and the contiguous lands. They erected
buildings and repaired the walls of those cities and cultivated the
ground. Zeniff became their king. His son Noah succeeded him. In his
days, Alma, a descendant of Nephi, baptized a number of people and
organized them into a church. Being persecuted by King Noah, they left
that country, and after meeting various adventures, reached Zarahemla.
They numbered, when they started, four hundred and fifty souls, and we
learn that the journey occupied about twenty-two days. This leads to
the conclusion that the city of Lehi-Nephi, from which they started,
could not have been farther south than the country now called Ecuador.

But the inquiry arises, was this the place to which Nephi led his
company when they separated from Laman and Lemuel and their adherents?
The record informs us that when they fled from their wicked brethren
they journeyed for many days, and they pitched their tents, "and,"
Nephi says, "my people would that we should call the name of the place
Nephi; wherefore we did call it Nephi." Nearly four hundred years
after this we find in the book of Omni (_i. 12_):

"Behold, I will speak unto you somewhat concerning Mosiah, who was
made king over the land of Zarahemla: for behold, he being warned of
the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as
would hearken unto the voice of the Lord, should also depart out of
the land with him, into the wilderness."

It appears clear that this name of Nephi was a general name for a
large region of country, which comprised within its borders many
smaller divisions known by various names. We infer this from the
record; for Zeniff, upon his return to that which he calls, "the land
of our fathers," had the liberty given him to occupy two places, or
divisions, which he calls, "the land of Lehi-Nephi and the land of
Shilom." Adjoining these was a portion of country known as "the land
of Shemlon," which the Lamanites retained in their possession. In the
borders of the country occupied by Zeniff and his Nephite people, was
a place called Mormon. It was after this place that the great prophet
and general of the Nephite nation, who led the hosts in the last,
great conflict, was called. He himself speaks of it (_III. Nephi v.
12_) as "the land of Mormon." So it appears plain that there were many
local divisions in the region which the Nephites had occupied.

We see that those whom Nephi led away from his wicked brethren, called
the first place where they settled Nephi and themselves Nephites.
Would not the same reasons prompt the nation as it increased and
spread over the land, to call the whole region which it occupied,
embracing all its local divisions, Nephi, or the land of Nephi, as its
great distinguishing name? From the point where Nephi first settled,
it is quite likely his people extended to the northward; for in that
direction they had room to spread, without coming in contact with the
Lamanites. In this way the limits of "the land of Nephi" would be
enlarged. Our own history in these mountains shows how this would be
done. The Latter-day Saints came to the land we now call Utah
thirty-four years ago. Salt Lake City was then settled. Since 1847 we
have spread over a large extent of country. But this is a brief space,
compared with the centuries which elapsed from the time that Nephi and
his company fled from his brethren, to the departure of Mosiah and his
company into the wilderness, when they found Zarahemla. Though in the
beginning the Nephites were but few in number, it is easy to
understand that, in the space of nearly four hundred years, they would
become quite numerous. We are told, that when two hundred years had
elapsed they "had waxed strong in the land," as were also the
Lamanites. Were not the cities of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom, and the lands
bearing those names, some of the most northern of the Nephite
settlements? There was a country, stretching to the south of those
cities and lands, known by the general name of Nephi, which they had
occupied, and from which they, doubtless, receded, through the
pressure of the Lamanites upon them from the south, during the long
period of time concerning which we have such brief mention. We know
that the place where Lehi and his people landed on the continent was
in the 30° of south latitude. Between this point and the southern
boundary of Ecuador is a space of 26° of latitude, and includes the
choice and desirable countries now known as the northern part of
Chili, and Bolivia, and Peru--countries admirably adapted for the
settlement and defense of a people like the Nephites. The question
arises: Did Nephi and his people traverse this great distance when he
separated himself from his brethren?

When Nephi and his people fled, they were followed, before long, by
the Lamanites; for it appears that it was but a short period until
Nephi manufactured swords, after the fashion of the sword of Laban,
for his people to use in defending themselves against the attacks of
the Lamanites. When forty years had elapsed, Nephi informs us there
had been wars and contentions between the two peoples; and Jacob, in
speaking of his brother Nephi, and that which he had done for his
people and their love for him, says that he had "wielded the sword of
Laban in their defense." Jacob, and Enos, his son, speak of the
Lamanites in such a manner as to leave no doubt that they and the
whole Nephite people were familiar with them and their modes of life,
and that they tried to teach them (_Jacob ii. 35; iii. 5-9; Enos i.
13, 14, 20_). Whatever the distance, therefore, may have been that
Nephi and his company fled, the Lamanites must have made the same
journey not long after. Nephi informs us that they journeyed in the
wilderness "for the space of many days" before they reached the place
they called after his own name. His description of it leaves no doubt
as to its fertility, its advantage for grazing, its abundance of
timber, and its great mineral wealth. Besides the common metals, he
speaks of gold and silver, and other precious ores, as being in great
abundance. Traveling as they did, a company of men, women and
children, with tents and other baggage, it would have required a
journey of very "many days" from their place of landing to get beyond
the confines of what is now called Chili and into Bolivia. In the
lands now known as Bolivia and Peru, places can be found, which
correspond exactly with the description of the place of settlement
given in the record, particularly in the abundance of the precious
metals. Those countries have not been excelled, even in our day, in
the yield of these ores by any country in the world. Some of their
mines are world-renowned; and within their borders places of great
natural strength, which could be easily fortified against the
incursions of a savage foe, are very numerous. Commencing their
settlements here, and calling the land Nephi and themselves Nephites,
they whom Nephi led could spread to the northward as they increased
and necessity required still applying the general name of Nephi to the
whole country, but distinguishing their cities and settlements and
sub-divisions by the names of their founders, as was their custom
(_Alma viii. 7_), or by other names that circumstances might suggest,
until they reached, in the days of Mosiah, as far north as what is now
known as Ecuador, and had cities there, near the wilderness on the
north, known as Nephi or Lehi-Nephi, Shilom, Shemlon, etc.

Another reason also causes this view to appear probable; Nephi and his
company could scarcely have settled at a point twenty-two days'
journey from Zarahemla without their descendants--scattered as they
were upon the face of the land--coming in contact with the
Zarahemlaites at an earlier date than the days of Mosiah, even though
the people of Zarahemla may not have long resided at the point where
he found them. It does not appear probable that, if the city of Nephi,
or Lehi-Nephi as it is sometimes called, had been the city founded by
the first Nephi, there would have been a wilderness so close to it on
the north, as there appears from the record to have been, after four
hundred years had elapsed.

In the description of the boundaries of the lands occupied by the
Nephites and the Lamanites (_Alma xxii., 27-32_) it is stated that,
"the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and
dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness, on the
west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of
Zarahemla, in the borders by the sea-shore, and on the west, in the
land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance, and
thus bordering along by the sea-shore."

Here our two allusions to the land of Nephi, and without desiring to
favor any particular theory or to strain the language to sustain any
special views, it conveys to us the idea, when taken in connection
with other facts contained in the record, that the land of Nephi was,
as we have said, an extensive region, embracing at least the west side
of the continent with the Pacific shore for some distance to the
south, and perhaps embracing within its boundaries the whole of the
south continent outside of the limits of Zarahemla. In the same
chapter (_verse 34_) the same idea is clearly expressed in the
language that "the Lamanites could have no more possessions only in
the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about," and this, too, at
a time when the whole continent, south of the line of the land of
Zarahemla, was either in possession of the Lamanites, or open to them.
It must not be forgotten, however, that what is now known in geography
as South America was called Lehi, and North America was called Mulek
by the Nephites. (_Helaman vi. 10_).



CHAPTER XVIII.

Travelers' Descriptions of Land Once Occupied by Nephites--Cradle of
an Imperial Race--The Productions of the Land in Modern Times Agree
with Description of Same in Book of Mormon--Rapid Recovery from
Effects of Disastrous Commotions and Wars Accounted for--Healthy
Climate--Remarkable Longevity--Jacob, Enos, Jarom and Omni--Longevity
of Indians in Ecuador and Peru.

A traveler by the name of Markham, (_Jour. of English Geog. Soc. Vol.
xli., 1871, pp. 285, 286_.) in speaking of the country between the
northern line of Chili and the southern line of Ecuador--the country
which we think was called the land of Nephi, and in some portion of
which Nephi settled with his people when he fled from his
brethren--says:

"This vast tract comprises every variety of climate, and contains
within its limits most prolific tropical forests, valleys with the
climate of Italy, a coast region resembling Sinde or Egypt, temperate
hillsides or plateaux, bleak and chilling pasture lands, and lofty
peaks and ridges within the limits of eternal snows. On one mountain
side the eye may embrace, at a single glance, sugar cane and bananas
under cultivation in the lowest zone, waving fields of Indian corn a
little higher up, shaded by tall trees, orchards of tropical fruits,
stretches of wheat and barley, steep slopes, covered with potatoes and
quinoa, bleak pastures where llamas and alpacas are browsing, and
rocky pinnacles streaked with snow."

Such a country, with such a variety of climates and products, was well
adapted for the cradle of an imperial race as the Nephites proved to
be. The mighty obstacles of nature, which some portions of that
country presented, were such as to tax their ingenuity to the utmost.
But Humboldt has well observed that,

"When enterprising races inhabit a land where the form of the ground
presents to them difficulties on a grand scale which they may conquer
and overcome, the contest with nature becomes a means of increasing
their strength and power as well as their courage."

Stevenson, in his _Twenty Years in South America_, says, in speaking
of one of the provinces of this region:

"The various climates, assisted by the various localities of the soil,
would produce all the necessaries and all the luxuries of life; for in
the small compass of fifty leagues, a traveler experiences the almost
unbearable heat of the torrid zone, the mild climates of the
temperate, and the freezing cold of the polar regions."

The cities of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom, which Zeniff calls "the land of
our fathers," were, doubtless, delightfully situated and possessed
every advantage of climate and soil. This appears evident from the
anxiety of some of the children of those whom Mosiah, by the command
of the Lord, led away from that land through the wilderness to
Zarahemla, to go back there and live. Modern travelers speak in
language of the highest praise of the region in some part of which we
suppose those cities stood. Spruce, an English traveler, (_Jour. of
English Geog. Soc., Vol. xxxi., 1861, p. 175_) says, in speaking of
the plains in Ecuador:

"A journey of four hours will place the traveler in the region of
eternal frost, or, in the space of half a day, he can descend the deep
and sultry valleys that separate the mighty chain of the Andes; or,
finally, he may visit the tropical forest extending to the shores of
the Pacific. This variation of temperature, dependent on elevation,
and occurring within narrow limits, furnishes a daily and diversified
supply of vegetable food: from the plantain, which as a substitute for
bread, is largely consumed by the inhabitants of the coast, to the
wheat, potato and other grains and roots, growing luxuriantly on the
cool tablelands of the interior. Besides these, the market is
furnished with pine-apples, chirunoyas (_anour chirunoya_) guayavas
(_pridium promiferum_) guavas (_ingapachycarpa_), the fruits of
different species of passionflower, oranges and lemons; and, from
January to April, certain European fruits, such as apples, pears,
quinces, peaches, apricots and strawberries."

Stevenson says of a part of this region which he visited:

"These valleys are principally under cultivation, and bless the
husbandman with a continued succession of crops; for the uninterrupted
sameness of the climate in any spot is such as to preclude the plant
as well as the fruit from being damaged by sudden changes in the
temperature of the atmosphere, changes which are in other countries so
detrimental to the health of the vegetable world. The fertility of
some of these valleys exceeds all credibility, and the veracity of the
description would be doubted, did not the knowledge of their
localities and the universal description of the equability and
benignity of these climates ensure the probability. An European is
astonished on his first arrival here to see the plough and the sickle,
the sower and the thrashing-floor, at the same time in equal
requisition: to see at one step an herb fading through age, and at the
next, one of the same kind springing up--one flower decayed and
drooping and its sisters unfolding their beauties to the sun--some
fruits inviting the hand to pluck them, and others in succession
beginning to show their ripeness--others can scarcely be distinguished
from the color of the leaves which shade them, while the opening
blossoms, insure a continuation. Nothing can be more beautiful than to
stand on an eminence and observe the different gradations of the
vegetable world, from the half unfolded blade just springing from the
earth, to the ripe harvest yellowing in the sun and gently waving in
the breeze. An enumeration of the different vegetable productions of
this province would be useless; it will be sufficient to observe, that
grain, pulse, fruits, esculents and horticultural vegetables are
produced in the greatest abundance and of an excellent quality, as
well as all kinds of flesh meat and poultry."

Another traveler, Hassaurek, who resided four years in that country as
United States minister, gives us an equally enchanting description of
portions of Ecuador which he visited. Speaking of the country around
Cotodachi and Hatuntaqui, he says, it "is chiefly a grain region.
Indian-corn, barley, wheat, and potatoes grow in unlimited abundance.
All the grains and fruits of the temperate zone could be introduced
here. In the gardens and orchards, the peach, the fig-tree and the
wild grape grow by the side of the chirimoya, the aquacate, and the
raspberry. The climate is delightful. It is the same all the year
round; no torrid season enervates the inhabitants of this favored
realm; no icy winter sends him shivering to the chimney fire. In fact,
stoves and chimneys are unknown; and to know what heat is, one would
have to descend to the sultry valley of the Chota, where the negro
hums his merry tunes among coffee and plantain trees and the sugar
cane. There is no starvation in this neighborhood; nobody dies from
cold; nobody sinks sunstruck to the ground; no troublesome insects
molest the inhabitants; epidemics are unknown; healthy faces peep at
you through the long hedges of aloes; healthy faces stare at you from
every Indian cottage. It is not sickness, it is foreign war and
internecine strife and perpetual convulsions, that decimate the
population and scatter death and decay where wealth and bliss should
smile.

"The golden harvests spring; the unfailing sun Sheds light and life;
the fruits, the flowers, the trees, Arise in due succession; all
things speak Peace, and harmony, and love. The universe, In Nature's
silent eloquence, declares That all fulfill the works of love and joy.
All but the outcast man! He fabricates The sword which stabs his
peace; he cherisheth The snakes that gnaw his heart."

The description of Ecuador, its climate and its productions, by modern
travelers agrees with that which is said in the Book of Mormon
concerning the lands of Lehi-Nephi and of Shilom, which Zeniff and his
company entered into treaty with the king of the Lamanites to
re-possess. They raised all manner of seeds--corn, wheat, barley, neas
and sheum--and all kinds of fruits. From this brief description by
Zeniff of the productions of the land we can gather a very correct
idea of the character of the climate and the soil. The climate was not
too hot for wheat and barley, nor too cool for all kinds of fruits; in
fact if not exactly the same land as that visited by the modern
travelers from whom we quote, it was a land resembling it in climate
and productions. Zeniff also says, they multiplied and prospered in
the land. In such a healthy country as Hassaurek describes, they would
multiply: in such a fruitful country, they would prosper.

There is one noticeable feature in the record of the Nephites which
strikes one who has lived only in our northern climate and zone: it is
the rapidity with which they recovered from the disastrous effects of
civil and religious commotions and bloody wars. The frequent allusions
through the record to the wonderfully rapid prosperity which followed
the cessation of strife is apt to strike the northern reader with
surprise. But, when we become familiar with the character of the lands
occupied by the Nephites, this surprise ceases. That which was known
as the land of Nephi, comprehending an immense district of country,
was so favored in climate and soil, was so abundantly blessed in all
vegetables and minerals, and was generally so healthy that an
industrious people like the Nephites would surround themselves with
every comfort and luxury in, what would appear to the inhabitants of
less favored localities, an incredibly short space of time.

The land settled by Nephi and his company had, without doubt, a
healthy climate. We are not informed as to the age of Nephi or his
brothers or their immediate descendants at their demise. But from the
dates which are given, it is very evident they lived to a great age.
Correct habits of living, with pure lives and the blessing of God upon
them, promoted longevity. We think it is apparent from the record
that, immediately after leaving Jerusalem, there was a remarkable
increase in the duration of life among those who were called Nephites.

Jacob, who was born in the wilderness of Arabia, took charge of the
plates after the death of his brother Nephi, and he bequeathed them to
his son Enos. The year in which he gave them to Enos, in consequence
of his own great age and approaching departure, is not given. Neither
are we informed what the age of Enos was at the time he took
possession of the plates. But Enos tells us that, one hundred and
seventy-nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem, he himself began
to be old and he saw that he must soon go down to the grave. How long
he lived after this it is not stated; but from this date it is plain
that Jacob and Enos must have lived to be very old men. Jacob was
probably born soon after his parents left Jerusalem, so that his life
and that of his son Enos must have nearly covered the period mentioned
by the latter--one hundred and seventy-nine years.

The son of Enos and grandson of Jacob, whose name was Jarom, took
charge of the plates after Enos. We do not know how old he was at the
time they were handed to him; but we learn that he finished his
writing upon them two hundred and thirty-eight years after Lehi left
Jerusalem; that is, he had possession of the plates about fifty-nine
years. From this it appears that he lived to be very old; for if
Jacob, his grandfather, was born within four years after Lehi left
Jerusalem, and Enos was born before Jacob was seventy-five years of
age, Enos must have been at least one hundred years old at the time
that he writes concerning his approaching descent to the grave; and if
Enos was born within seventy-nine years after Lehi left Jerusalem, and
Jarom was born to Enos at the time the latter was fifty-nine years
old, Jarom also must have been one hundred years old when he delivered
the plates to his son Omni. If he lived to be one hundred years old,
he must have been about forty-one years of age when his father
delivered the records to him; but we are inclined to think he was
older than this, and that his father Enos was at least one hundred and
twenty years old when he died.

The plates containing the records were in the hands of Omni forty-four
years, or until two hundred and eighty-two years from the departure of
Lehi from Jerusalem. Thus we have four men in direct descent whose
lives, from the birth of the first to the death of the fourth, cover a
period of but little, if any, less than two hundred and eighty years!
These are very remarkable instances of longevity. It speaks highly for
the correctness of their habits and the salubriousness of the climate
where they lived, and shows how greatly they were favored of the Lord.

Travelers inform us that in portions of the countries of Ecuador and
Peru the inhabitants attain a very high age. In one valley in Ecuador
visited by Hassaurek, the curate told him that persons who lived a
hundred or more years did not at all constitute exceptional cases.
Another traveler says:

"Longevity is common among the Peruvian Indians. I witnessed the
burial of two, in a small village, one of whom had attained the age of
one hundred and twenty-seven, and the other of one hundred and nine;
yet both enjoyed unimpaired health to a few days before their decease.
On examining the parish books of Barranca, I found, that in seven
years, eleven Indians had been buried, whose joint ages amounted to
one thousand two hundred and seven."



CHAPTER XIX.

Two Distinct Nations--Intermingled--Mixed Blood in Lamanites--Nephi
and Company Settled in an Earthly Paradise--Greatly Prospered--Law of
Moses Observed--A Live Religion--Nephi Conversed with the Spirit of
the Lord--Heard Voices of the Father and the Son--Understood the
Gospel of Jesus--Simplicity and Plainness of His Teachings, Prophecies
and Revelations Wonderful Extent and Variety of His Knowledge--Writes
of the Days of the Savior as a Contemporary Might--Exactness of the
Description of the Great and Abominable Church--Also the Events which
Should Take Place in Connection with Zion--Only Two Churches--The
Whore of all the Earth should Gather Multitudes among all the Nations
of Gentiles to Fight Against the Church of the Lamb--Power of God
Poured Out Upon the Latter, His Wrath Upon the Former--They who Fight
Against the House of Israel shall War among Themselves and Fall into
the Pit they shall Dig to Ensnare the People of the Lord--The
Righteous Should Not Perish--Great Value of These Promises to the
Latter-day Saints--Secret Combinations--Many Churches to be Built
Up--Their Character--The Book of Mormon, How it should be
Received--Churches Put Down the Power and Miracles of God--Preach up
their own Wisdom and Learning--Contend One with Another--Grind the
Poor--Literal Fulfillment as Latter-day Saints can Testify.

The separation of Nephi and his people from Laman and those who
adhered to him made them a distinct nation. Thus two nations--the
Nephites and the Lamanites--grew up upon this continent, as dissimilar
and as much at variance in their modes of thought and habits of life,
in their religious views and traditions and governmental policy and
aims, as if they were two races of widely separated and foreign
origin. Under the influence of two causes, which operated at different
periods almost through their entire existence, members of each nation
were led to intermingle and identify themselves with the other; these
were: apostasy from their religion on the part of the Nephites, and
conversion to its holy principles on the part of the Lamanites. The
Nephite nationality had an existence of a little less than ten hundred
years; but for nearly the entire first six hundred of these, and a
little more than the last hundred, a wall of division existed between
them and they were distinct peoples. They had, however, mingled
together at various periods, as we have said, to such an extent that,
after the last great battle which resulted in the destruction of the
Nephite nationality, descendants of all the original families were
left among the survivors; so that the blood of Nephi, of Sam, of
Jacob, of Joseph and of Zoram still coursed in the veins, as it does
to this day, of those known by the name of Lamanites; besides, there
was the blood of the people known as Zarahemlaites, who came to this
land with Mulek, a son of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and who were
afterwards identified with the Nephites.

The land to which Nephi and his company were led was probably not
excelled for fertility of soil, for healthfulness and agreeableness of
climate, for abundance and variety of vegetables and minerals, for
grandeur and beauty of scenery by any other part of this "promised
land" and certainly by no other land outside of this continent. It
abounded in all the elements necessary to make a nation rich and
powerful. It was an earthly paradise. When they reached their new home
they devoted themselves to agriculture and the production of all kinds
of useful animals, as they had done when they first landed on the
continent. In these labors they were greatly prospered, and they also
multiplied rapidly. Their form of religion was in strict conformity
with the law of Moses. But it was not with them a religion of empty
forms and ceremonies. Nephi had conversed in the wilderness, shortly
after they had left Jerusalem, with the Spirit of the Lord, as one man
speaketh to another; "for," said he, "I beheld he was in the form of a
man; yet nevertheless I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord." He
had also heard the voices of both the Father and the Son. The Lord
taught him heavenly things and led him by His voice from his boyhood
all through his life. He understood the gospel of Jesus and taught it
to his people in the greatest plainness, and without doubt
administered unto them the ordinances thereof. His exposition of the
first principles of the gospel, in the last three chapters of his
second book (_II. Nephi, xxxi, xxxii and xxxiii chapters_) is as lucid
and comprehensive as can be found in any of the divine records which
have come to us. He informs us that he delighted and gloried in
plainness, and certainly his prophecies and revelations which he
recorded, and which are in the Book of Mormon, though they relate to
stupendous and marvellous events, are conveyed in such simplicity and
plainness that a child of ordinary understanding can comprehend the
language. It is truly wonderful how exact and perfect his knowledge
was concerning the name of the Savior, the name that His mother should
bear, the time when and the place where He should be born, the events
of His career, the doctrines which He should teach, the apostles whom
He should select, the miracles which He should work, and the details
of His persecution and death. Though he wrote but little short of 600
years before the Lamb of God appeared in the flesh, the incidents of
His life are given with the minute fidelity of a well-informed
contemporary.

It is not, however, his revelations concerning these which alone show
the extent of his knowledge as a prophet of God. There is scarcely an
event connected with our own day that he has not alluded to. A more
graphic account than he gives of the condition of the people at the
time the Book of Mormon should be revealed and come forth, and the
effects which should follow its publication and the organization of
the Church, is nowhere to be found. Indeed we do not see how a modern
writer, familiar with all that has taken place in the time referred
to, could in the same space, give a clearer description of these
events than that given by Nephi in his record. This is due, of course,
to the inspiration of the Lord which rested upon him. He saw by vision
all these events take place as clearly as if he had been present in
the flesh when they occurred.

He saw the Virgin Mary, the mother of the Son of God, and saw Him also
as an infant and as a man; saw Him baptized by the prophet, and the
Holy Ghost come down out of heaven upon Him; he saw Him go forth
ministering unto the people, healing the sick, casting out devils and
performing other mighty miracles, and he saw the twelve apostles
following Him. He beheld the Lamb of God taken by the people and
judged, lifted upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world; and
afterwards saw the warfare that was waged against His apostles by the
world. The Lord also revealed to him all that should take place upon
this continent among his own descendants and the descendants of his
wicked brethren; and he saw the Lamb of God descend from heaven and
show Himself to those who should survive the terrible judgments which
should take place at His crucifixion, and that He should also choose
twelve apostles from among them to minister to them. The mighty events
which should take place among them after this, up to the time the
Nephite nation should be blotted out, as well as the fate which
awaited the conquerors up to the discovery of the continent by white
men; and afterwards until a remnant of them should receive the Book of
Mormon which should be carried to them by believing
Gentiles--Latter-day Saints, in fact--by means of which they should be
brought to a knowledge of their ancestry and of the gospel which their
fathers enjoyed; were all shown in vision to Nephi. He saw that the
remnants of his and his brothers' descendants, known as Lamanites,
would be killed and driven and scattered by the white men who should
come to this continent; but they should not all perish; the Lord would
remember them, reveal His covenant to them, in which they should
rejoice and many generations would not pass away among them until they
should become a white and delightsome people. By vision, also, he saw
that the Jews would be scattered among all nations; and that, at about
the time the work of God would commence among the Lamanites, they
would be gathered from the various nations and would return to their
own land.

Like John, the beloved disciple, he has left on record his testimony
concerning the great and abominable church, which should be among the
Gentile nations. He saw that the devil was the foundation of that
church. The desires of that great and abominable church were gold,
silver, silks, scarlets, fine-twined linen, precious clothing and
harlots; and that by it, for the praise of the world, the Saints of
God would be destroyed and brought down into captivity. He saw that
from the record of the Jews (the Bible) many parts which were plain
and most precious and also many covenants of the Lord, all of which
belonged to the gospel of the Lamb, were taken away by the great and
abominable church, the object being to pervert the right ways of the
Lord, that the eyes of the children of men might be blinded and their
hearts be hardened. Because of this many of the Gentiles would
stumble. Nephi calls that church, "the whore of all the earth;" she
sat upon many waters and had dominion over all the earth, among all
nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

He saw that after the Church of the Lamb would be organized there
would be two churches only--the Church of the Lamb of God, and the
church of the devil; whose belongeth not to the former, belongeth to
the other, the mother of abominations and the whore of all the earth.
He saw that the numbers of the Church of the Lamb were few, because of
the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters;
and though they were also upon all the face of the earth, for the same
reason that they were few in number, their dominions upon the face of
the earth were small. Yet notwithstanding this was the condition of
the Church of the Lamb, the mother of abominations was not satisfied.
She wanted the Church of the Lamb destroyed. She gathered together
multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of
the Gentiles, to fight against it.

How literally these predictions are being fulfilled in our day,
upwards of fifty years after the publication of his record, and his
record was published before there was any organization of the Church
of the Lamb of God, we all know! But Nephi says (and it comes filled
with consolation and encouragement to the Latter-day Saints) that he
beheld the power of the Lamb of God upon the Saints of the Church of
the Lamb and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered
upon all the face of the earth, and they were armed with righteousness
and with the power of God in great glory. He beheld also that the
wrath of God was poured out upon the mother of harlots, insomuch that
there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds
of the earth. He was also told that when this should take place, "at
that day, the work of the Father shall commence in preparing the way
for the fulfilling of His covenants which He had made to His people,
who are of the house of Israel." Nephi also predicted that those who
belonged to the great and abominable church should war among
themselves, and the sword of their own hands should fall upon their
own heads; and that every nation which should war against the house of
Israel should be turned one against another, and they should fall into
the pit which they had dug to ensnare the people of the Lord. He said
the righteous should not perish, even if their enemies had to be
destroyed by fire; for the time must surely come that all they who
fight against Zion should be cut off. But he predicted the overthrow
and destruction of the churches which should belong to the kingdom of
the devil, the great whore of all the earth--the churches which are
built up to get gain, to get power over the flesh, to become popular
in the eyes of the world, which seek the lusts of the flesh and the
things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; they had need
to fear and tremble and quake; they must be brought low in the dust;
they must be consumed as stubble.

The promises which the Lord made through Nephi in his record are of
the utmost value to the Church of Christ in our day. How encouraging
it is to know in the midst of the deadly hostility against the work of
God, and the incessant attacks which are being made upon it that "he
that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free,
both male and female, shall perish!"

Nephi not only saw the emigration of the Gentile people to this land,
but he saw the struggle for independence and the results which were to
follow. He described the growth of the nation, the policy it should
pursue towards the remnants of his own and brothers' descendants, and
the glorious destiny which it might achieve if it would espouse the
gospel when it should be revealed; and, on the other hand, predicted
the direful consequences which should follow its rejection by the
nation.

Half a century and upwards has the rejection of the gospel, and a
warfare against its believers now been continued, and we behold these
direful consequences taking place, exactly as Nephi, inspired of God,
said they should. The condition of the Gentile world at the time of
the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the organization of the
Church in our day, is most accurately portrayed. Secret combinations
should exist. Many churches would be built up; they would cause
envyings, strifes and malice; and because of pride, of false teachers
and false doctrines, their churches would become corrupted and lifted
up. They would rob the poor, because of their fine sanctuaries; they
would rob the poor, because of their fine clothing, and persecute the
meek and poor, because in their pride they would be puffed up. Against
the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the
pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and
all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord,
he says, the Lord has pronounced a wo, and said they should be thrust
down to hell.

The very words which should be used, and which have been used, among
the Gentile nations concerning the Book of Mormon after its
publication, are given by this great prophet; also the course which
should be taken by the Gentiles who would believe and receive it, in
carrying it to the present Indians--the descendants of himself and
brothers--and the effect it would have upon them.

Though many churches would be built, they would put down the power and
miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and
their own learning, that they might get gain and grind upon the face
of the poor. One would say unto the other: "Behold I, I am the
Lord's;" and the other would say: "I, I am the Lord's;" they would
contend one with another; they would teach with their learning and
deny the Holy Ghost which giveth the utterance. They would say,
"Behold ye, hearken unto my precept; if they shall say, there is a
miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day
He is not a God of miracles."

How completely and literally these predictions have been fulfilled,
the Latter-day Saints, and especially the Elders who have gone out to
preach the gospel, can testify. They are eye and ear witnesses to the
truth of Nephi's record in the Book of Mormon. The men who have
opposed the work of God in these days, have not thought that, in
making use of the expressions they have, they were fulfilling
predictions recorded in the Book of Mormon, and which were made
upwards of twenty-four hundred years ago. These words were published
before this class had been tested by the Elders of the Church of the
Lamb, for at their publication the Church had not been organized; but
the Lord knew the language they would use; He knew the spirit they
would yield to; and He inspired His servants to make the predictions.
Had Nephi been writing from personal experience with the class to
which he refers, he could not have quoted their stock phrases any
better. He has given us a picture, which possesses more than
photographic accuracy of detail, of society as it should exist when
the Book of Mormon should come forth, and the changes which should
take place subsequent to that event and the organization of the
Church, embracing also the fate that will befall our own nation and
the modern nations of Europe under certain conditions which he
specifies.



CHAPTER XX.

Nephi's Commandment to Jacob Concerning Small Plates--Nephi Anoints a
Man to be King--His Successors in Kingly Dignity Called by his
Name--Patriarchal Government--Jacob Presided Over the Church--King
Mosiah's Mode of Life--Seers as Well as Kings--Was There a Change of
Dynasty?--Kingly and Priestly Authority United in Mosiah.

FIFTY-FIVE years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem, Nephi gave a
commandment to his brother Jacob concerning the small plates upon
which he had engraved so many revelations and so much doctrine. He
desired his brother to keep them and to hand them down to his children
after him; and to be sure and pursue the same course with them that he
had--engrave upon them sacred things which were preached and any great
revelations or prophecies that might be given. Jacob did this; and
they remained in the hands of his lineage until Amaleki, who was a
descendant of his, placed them in the custody of King Benjamin. Jacob
does not inform us, in his book that we have received, how long this
was before the death of Nephi; but, as he says in the same connection,
that Nephi began to be old, and saw that he must die, it is probable
that it was only a short time.

It was then that Nephi anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over
his people. He was so greatly beloved by them, through his
self-sacrificing and continuous labors for them and his courage in
defending them; (for he had been compelled to have recourse to the
sword of Laban, and to wield it in their defense against the attacks
of the Lamanites); that they were desirous to retain in remembrance
his name. They, therefore, called his successors Second Nephi, Third
Nephi, etc., "let them be of whatever name they would."

The government was, without doubt, more patriarchal than monarchical
in its character. Upon one occasion, Nephi's brother, Jacob, in
addressing the people, uses this language: "Having been called of God,
and ordained after the manner of His holy order, and having been
consecrated by my brother, Nephi, _unto whom ye look as a king or a
protector, and on whom ye depend for safety_." Yet Nephi himself
informs us that his people desired that he should be their king;
"but," he adds, "I, Nephi was desirous that they should have no king;
nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power."
This explains the relationship which he bore to them. He taught them
the will of God, administered ordinances unto them, was their leader
in all civil and religious matters in repelling the attacks of their
enemies and was able to teach them mechanism and the arts of
manufacturing. To such a man his people would naturally look, as Jacob
says, as a king or protector. Before his death, it appears that he
chose his brother, Jacob--who was a man of great faith and a prophet,
and who, with Joseph, another brother, had been ordained a priest and
teacher by him over the land of the Nephites--to take the lead in all
spiritual matters and to have charge of the records upon which the
more sacred things were to be kept, and anointed another to be ruler
in civil affairs. Whether it was one of his own sons or not, we are
not informed, neither is it stated that this office was made
hereditary. From what is said subsequently in the record respecting
the kings, however, it seems clear that this office did descend from
father to son; but the people also had a voice in choosing the king.
The brief allusion which is made to these kings by Jarom nearly two
centuries after Nephi's death, shows that for that period they had
been mighty and faithful men of God. Upwards of four hundred years
after Nephi's departure, a glimpse is given us of the mode of life
which the king led. Speaking of Mosiah, son of Benjamin, it is said,
"And King Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth.
And he also, himself, did till the earth, that thereby he might do
according to that which his father had done in all things."

Such a monarchy as is here described, would be an inexpensive form of
government, and it is probable that it was chiefly of this character
from the beginning. We know that the two kings who preceded Mosiah
were like himself--prophets of God. He, himself, was a seer, also, as
was his grandfather of the same name, and most likely his father,
Benjamin; and he had in his possession the Urim and Thummim. Such men
ruled the people in righteousness and as kind fathers, and kept the
expense of government down to the lowest point. Whether or not there
was a change of dynasty when the first Mosiah was chosen king, is not
certain from what is written by Amaleki in the Book of Omni, though it
does not appear improbable. Neither does it appear why the kings,
Mosiah, Benjamin and Mosiah, were not called by the dynastic name of
Nephi, according to the custom which prevailed during the long
lifetime of Jacob, and probably afterwards. If a change of dynasty did
occur, this custom may have been changed, though scarcely for that
cause alone, as Nephi was still the revered founder of the nation; it
may be that the dynastic name was omitted, and their own names
mentioned, for the purpose of better distinguishing them. When the
record which was kept by the kings upon the other plates of Nephi
shall be brought forth, we shall have knowledge respecting the history
of the Nephites, covering this period of upwards of four centuries,
that will be of inestimable value. One thing, however, is plain from
that which has come to us, that when the first Mosiah became king, in
him was again united the kingly and priestly authority.



CHAPTER XXI.

Nephi Died--Example of his Life--Internal Evidence of Divinity of his
Writings in the Spirit of God which Accompanies Them--An Eventful
Career--Admirable in Every Relation--A Born Leader, Successful as a
Mechanic, Miner, Seaman, Chemist, Metallurgist, Stockraiser,
Agriculturist, Manufacturer and Statesman--Expanded Views of the
Rights and Equality of Man--Religious Liberty--The End.

"And it came to pass that Nephi died." In this simple language does
Jacob record this event. He leaves Nephi's works to speak for him. And
their consideration cannot fail to be of profit to all who will give
them attention. The example of such a life is of immense benefit to
mankind; it strengthens, elevates and inspires with noble purpose all
who become acquainted with it. No Latter-day Saint can read the life
of Nephi, as he has given it to us in his record, without being
incited to exercise greater faith, to live nearer to God and to
cherish loftier aims.

It can be said about the writings of Nephi (and this is also true of
the entire Book of Mormon, and in fact of all saving truth) that they
bring the conviction of their divinity to the heart of every one who
reads them in the spirit in which they are written. Read in that
spirit, they fill the soul with a sweet and heavenly joy that only the
Spirit of God can produce.

The career of Nephi was a most eventful one. He passed through many
trials and afflictions; he was often in positions of peril: but he
never yielded, never faltered, nor never shrunk from any ordeal to
which he was exposed. In every relation of life he admirably performed
his part. As a son, he was all his father could desire, and of this
Lehi bore ample testimony before he died. As a brother he did all in
his power to benefit and save his kindred. What his course was with
those who followed and cast their lots with him, we can understand by
reading his teachings, his labors and the love in which they held him
while living and his memory when dead. He was patient, persevering,
energetic and skillful; a man who was evidently born to lead. He
exhibited these qualities when required to return to Jerusalem.
Afterwards in the wilderness it seemed as though the company would all
have perished had it not been for his good sense and capacity as a
hunter. In building the ship, in its management upon the ocean, in
teaching his people to work in wood and in metals of all kinds--iron,
copper, brass, steel, silver, and gold--he exhibited his skill as a
mechanic, a miner, a seaman, chemist and metallurgist. He manufactured
swords and other weapons of defense, he built houses, he cultivated
the ground, he raised flocks and herds, he built a temple, which
though not so costly as Solomon's, was constructed after its pattern,
and the workmanship upon it was exceedingly fine; he taught his people
to be skillful, industrious and how to apply their labor to the best
advantage; as a statesman he organized society upon a firm and
permanent basis, laid the foundation of civil and religious liberty;
gave shape to the government and polity and implanted in the breasts
of his people such a love for and a determination to maintain equal
rights that the effects were felt, it may be said in truth, through
all the generations of his race. Understanding as he did the
government of the Lord, before whom there are no privileged classes,
he respected the rights of the people; and while he knew there must be
officers to bear responsibility and a properly organized government,
he knew also that it should be based upon the consent of the people.
He brought with him to this "promised land" the broadest conceptions
respecting the principle of human equality and the rights of men. Some
of his views we gather from his teachings. Speaking of the Lord, he
says: "And He inviteth them all to come unto Him and partake of His
goodness; and He denieth none that come unto Him, black and white,
bond and free, male and female; and He remembereth the heathen, and
all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile." The nobility in which
he evidently believed, was the nobility of good deeds. The perfect
performance of duty would ennoble the poorest and the lowliest and
make him the peer of the richest and the best born. While his people
were true to his teachings, this sentiment always prevailed. They
enjoyed the largest liberty consistent with the preservation of good
order. Every man had the greatest freedom of belief. Theft, robbery,
violence, adultery and murder were all punished under the law; but
there was no law against a man's belief; persecution of religion,
however erroneous or false the religion might be, was expressly
forbidden and was made punishable. In this way the equality and free
agency of the people were preserved, and they were left at liberty to
choose for themselves their faith and form of worship. So far as his
influence and teachings went among the people, they were free and the
country was a land of liberty unto them.

We here close the life of Nephi. He has shown us how much a mortal
man, who devotes himself to God and His work, can accomplish for
himself and his fellow-mortals, and how near, by the exercise of
faith, man can draw to God.







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