{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_48517/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_48517","id":"gutenberg_48517","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48517","summary":null,"tags":["Book of Mormon -- Juvenile literature","Book of Mormon stories","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Latter Day Saints"],"text":"MOTHER STORIES\n\nFROM THE\n\nBOOK OF MORMON\n\n\nBy\n\nWilliam A. Morton\n\n\nAuthor of\n\n\"The Gospel Primer\"\n\n\"The Primary Helper\"\n\n\"A Child's Life of Our Savior,\" etc.\n\n\nPublished by\n\nWilliam A. Morton\n\nSalt Lake City, Utah\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\nLehi and his Family\n\nHow Nephi Got the Good Book\n\nHow the Lord Answered Nephi's Prayer\n\nHow the Lord Guided Lehi and His Family\n\nWhat Happened on a Hunting Trip\n\nNephi as a Ship Builder\n\nWhat Took Place on the Great Waters\n\nLehi and His People in the Promised Land\n\nThe Nephites and the Lamanites\n\nZeniff and His People\n\nHow the People of Zeniff were Brought into Bondage\n\nHow the Lord Delivered His People\n\nRemarkable Conversions and Missionary Experience\n\nMission of the Sons of Mosiah to the Lamanites\n\nSamuel the Lamanite--His Prophecies and their Fulfillment\n\nTwo Memorable Battles\n\nChrist's Visit to the Nephites\n\nThe Three Nephites\n\nThe Reign of Peace\n\nThe Last of the Nephites\n\n\n\nLEHI AND HIS FAMILY.\n\nSo you want me to tell you a story, children. I will gladly do so,\nfor when I was a child like one of you, I loved to listen to stories,\ntoo--stories about great and good men and women, and good boys and\ngirls.\n\nThe story I am going to tell you this evening is about a good man named\nLehi, and his family, who lived many, many years ago in a country far\nacross the sea.\n\nLehi had a good wife. Her name was Sariah. They had four sons. Their\nnames were Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi. Nephi and Sam were very good\nboys. They loved their father and mother and were always obedient to\nthem.\n\nBut Laman and Lemuel were not at all like their brothers. They did not\nobey their parents, but often vexed them by doing things that were\nwrong.\n\nThat was displeasing to our Heavenly Father, and He did not love Laman\nand Lemuel as He loved Sam and Nephi.\n\nThe people who lived in the same place as Lehi were wicked. They would\nnot do as the Lord wished, so He said He would have to punish them, to\nteach them to do better. He told Lehi to go out among them, and to tell\nthem that if they did not stop doing wicked things, He would not bless\nthem as He had done, but would let people from another country come and\ntake them away to be their servants.\n\nLehi preached many times to the people, but not one of them would\nbelieve what he said. Then the Lord told Lehi to gather his family\ntogether, and He would lead them to a new and beautiful country, far\nacross great waters. That was to this land in which we now live.\n\nLehi did as the Lord told him. He left his home and all his riches,\nand, with his wife and children, started out for the strange land which\nthe Lord had told him about.\n\nI suppose you would like to know how they traveled. Well, I believe\nthey rode on camels. Camels can travel fast and carry heavy loads. Some\nof them can travel one hundred miles in a day.\n\nThere were no houses in the part of the country through which Lehi and\nhis family traveled, so they took tents with them to live in. One day\nthey came to a large river of water. It ran through a beautiful valley.\nBy the side of the river they put up their tents. Then they knelt in\nprayer, and Lehi gave thanks to God for having taken care of them on\nthe way.\n\nLehi called the river Laman and the valley he called Lemuel. You know\nwhy he gave them those names. Yes, those were the names of his two\nelder sons.\n\nI told you that Laman and Lemuel were disobedient boys. They were also\nunkind to their brothers. Their father, Lehi, would often sit down and\ntalk kindly to them. He would plead with them to be good boys. He would\ntell them that if they would do right, and obey their parents, the Lord\nwould love and bless them; but that He would not do so if they kept on\ngrumbling and getting angry with their brothers.\n\nThen Laman and Lemuel would say to their father, \"We don't want to go\nto a new country. We want to go back to our old home and stay with the\npeople there.\"\n\nAnd their father would say, \"but you know, my boys, the people there\nare not good; they do not do as our Heavenly Father wishes them, and He\nis going to punish them. That is why He told us to come away from them.\nIf we had stayed there after the Lord told us to leave we should be\npunished also.\"\n\nThen Nephi would say, \"Yes, brothers, that is true. Now, let us be good\nboys, and do what the Lord and our parents tell us, and after a while\nwe will get to a beautiful country, and we shall be far better and\nhappier than we should be if we were to go back to the place we have\nleft.\"\n\nBut Laman and Lemuel would not do as their father and brothers pleaded\nwith them to do, and you will hear later what happened to them.\n\n\n\nHOW NEPHI GOT THE GOOD BOOK.\n\nOne night as Lehi lay asleep on his bed in the tent, he heard a voice\nspeak to him. It was the voice of the Lord out of heaven. The Lord\nsaid, \"Lehi, I want you to get Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi to go back\nto the place where they used to live and to bring back with them a\nwonderful book which a man has locked up in his home there.\"\n\n\"What is the name of the man who has the book?\" Lehi asked.\n\n\"His name is Laban,\" said the Lord, \"and I do not want him to have the\nbook, for he does not do what the good book tells him to do.\"\n\n\"What is in the book?\" Lehi asked.\n\n\"It is a very precious history,\" said the Lord. \"It tells of God and of\nmany wonderful things which He has done. I want you to get the book and\nto take it with you to the promised land, so that your children may be\ntaught the commandments of God.\"\n\nThe next morning Lehi told Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi all that the\nLord had told him about the wonderful book. How happy Nephi and Sam\nfelt as they listened to what their father said. Then said Nephi, \"Yes,\nfather, we will go and get the book; and when we come back you will\nread to us some of the wonderful things recorded in it.\"\n\n\"I will, my son,\" said the father. \"But what is the matter with Laman\nand Lemuel?\" asked Lehi, as he turned to his two elder sons.\n\nO, how cross they looked as they said to their father, \"We don't want\nto go for the book. We don't believe we could get it. We feel sure\nLaban would not let us have it, and perhaps he would whip us for coming\nfor it.\"\n\n\"We are not afraid of Laban,\" said Nephi and Sam. \"The Lord has told us\nto do this, and we know He will take care of us. He would not want us\nto go if He did not know that we could get the book.\"\n\n\"That is right,\" said the father. \"If you will do what the Lord wants\nyou to do, all will be well.\"\n\nAfter a while Laman and Lemuel agreed to go with their brothers. But\nthey did not believe they would get the book. It was a long journey to\nLaban's home, and the boys were glad when they came in sight of it.\n\n\"Now, who is to go and try to get the book?\" asked Laman, the eldest\nson.\n\n\"I will tell you what we will do,\" said Nephi. \"We will cast lots, and\nthe one on whom the lot falls will go to Laban and ask him for the\nbook.\"\n\nThey all agreed to that. The lot fell upon Laman, so he set out for\nLaban's home. For a long time his brothers watched for him to come\nback. At last they saw him. He came running away from Laban's house.\n\n\"Oh, dear!\" exclaimed Nephi, \"Laman has not got the book!\"\n\nThey sat in silence till their brother came up to them. His face was\nvery pale and he was trembling with excitement. He was also very angry.\n\nGoing over to Nephi, he said, with a loud voice, \"I told you before we\nstarted that we would not get the book, but you would not believe me.\nDo you believe me now?\"\n\n\"We are sorry,\" said Nephi, \"that your visit to Laban was in vain. Will\nyou please tell us why you failed to get the book?\"\n\n\"When I told Laban what I wanted,\" said Laman, \"he became very angry.\nHe called me a thief and a robber, and said if I did not leave his\nhouse at once he would kill me. He reached for his sword, and I had to\nrun as fast as I could to save my life. Come, let us go back to our\nfather.\"\n\n\"No,\" said Nephi, \"I am not going to give up with one trial. I still\nbelieve we will get the book.\"\n\n\"O, you do,\" said Laman, and he turned up his nose in a sneering way.\n\"Pray, how do you hope to get the book when I could not get it?\"\n\n\"I believe the Lord will help us to get it,\" said Nephi. \"I have just\nthought of a plan, and if you boys will help me carry it out, it may be\nthe means of getting us the book.\"\n\n\"Well, let us hear your plan,\" said Laman.\n\n\"It is this,\" said Nephi: \"that we go down to the place where we used\nto live, get all the money our father left there, and come back and\noffer it to Laban for the book.\"\n\n\"That is a good idea,\" said Sam. \"I am ready to go.\"\n\n\"I like the plan, too,\" said Lemuel. \"Come, Laman, let us go and try\nit.\"\n\nSo the boys started for the home in which they used to live. Tomorrow\nevening I will tell you the rest of the story.\n\n\n\nHOW NEPHI GOT THE GOOD BOOK.\n\nOn arriving at their home, Nephi and his brothers got all the money and\nput it into a large bag. Then they prepared a lunch with some of the\nfood they had brought with them, and when they had finished the meal,\nthey took up the bag of money and set out for Laban's home.\n\nNow, Laban loved money very much, and when he saw the large bag of gold\nand silver his eyes sparkled with delight. \"If I could get that bag of\nmoney,\" he thought, \"I would be one of the richest men in the country.\"\n\nBut he did not want to give the book for it. No, he wanted to keep\nthe book and the money, too. The boys sat waiting for Laban to go and\nget them the book. Suddenly he jumped up and gave a loud call for\nhis servants, and when they came running into the room he told them\nthat Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi had tried to rob him. Laban and\nthe servants seized their swords and ran at the boys, trying to kill\nthem. The boys ran quickly out of the house, leaving the bag of money\nbehind them. Laban got it and kept it. Nephi and his brothers ran\nover the hills till they came to some large rocks, and there they hid\nthemselves. Laban and his servants followed them a long way, and when\nthey saw they could not catch them they returned home.\n\nFailing to get the book, and seeing that they had lost all their money,\nLaman and Lemuel became very angry. They put all the blame on Nephi and\nSam, and seizing two large branches of a tree, they began to beat their\nyounger brothers with them. Nephi and Sam pleaded with their brothers\nto stop beating them, but they would not.\n\nJust then Nephi saw a bright light coming down from heaven, and a\nmoment later a beautiful angel, dressed in a shining, white robe, stood\nbefore them.\n\n\"You are very bad boys,\" the angel said to Laman and Lemuel. \"The\nLord is displeased with you because of the way you have treated your\nbrothers. He has sent me to tell you that He will not bless you as He\nhas done, and that He will give many good things to Sam and Nephi.\"\n\nThe angel told Nephi to dry his tears, and not to fear, for the Lord\nwould help him to get the good book.\n\nWhen Laman and Lemuel saw the angel they were frightened. They said\nthey were sorry for having beaten their brothers, and that they would\nnot do so again. They asked Nephi and Sam to forgive them. They did so\nfreely.\n\nNephi then told his brothers to stay behind while he made another\neffort to get the book. It was almost dark at the time, so, without\nbeing seen, he made his way towards Laban's home. As he neared the\nplace he saw a man lying upon the ground. He went over to him, and was\ngreatly surprised to find that the man was Laban. Laban had drunk a\ngreat deal of wine that evening.\n\nAs Nephi stood looking at Laban, the voice of the Lord spoke to him,\ntelling him to dress himself in Laban's clothes and to go to Laban's\nhome and get the good book.\n\nNephi did as the Lord told him. On reaching the home of Laban he was\nmet by one of the servants. Nephi told the servant to go and get the\ngood book and to follow him. The servant did as he was told, thinking\nall the while that Nephi was his master, Laban, and that he was taking\nthe book out to read to the people.\n\nWhen Laman, Lemuel and Sam saw Nephi coming towards them, they were\nvery much frightened and began to run away. They thought it was Laban;\nfor, as I told you, Nephi had dressed himself in Laban's clothing.\n\nNephi called to his brothers to wait, and when they heard his voice\nthey turned and came towards him.\n\nZoram (that was the name of Laban's servant) was greatly surprised at\nthat moment. He saw that Nephi was not his master, and he was about to\nrun back home when Nephi caught him by the arm.\n\n\"Do not have the least fear, Zoram,\" said Nephi. \"The Lord has told us\nto do this, and if you will come down with us to our father and mother\nwe will treat you kindly, and will take you with us to a beautiful\ncountry far across the great waters.\"\n\nZoram agreed to go with Nephi and his brethren. So, with the good book\nsafe in their hands, they started back for the place where their father\nand mother were watching and waiting for them.\n\nOn seeing his sons coming, Lehi hastened to meet them, and when he\nheard that they had the good book with them he shed tears of joy. That\nevening they all knelt in prayer, and Lehi thanked and praised the Lord\nfor bringing his boys back safely. Then he opened the book and read\nto them some of the wonderful things which the Lord had done from the\ncreation of the world.\n\n\n\nHOW THE LORD ANSWERED NEPHI'S PRAYER.\n\nI am going to tell you this evening about another trip which Nephi and\nhis brethren made to Jerusalem, the city where they came from, and what\ntook place on the way back.\n\nYou see, the country they were going to was a very large country. There\nwere no people living in it at that time. But the Lord wanted it filled\nwith good men and women and good boys and girls.\n\nSo He told Lehi to send his sons back to Jerusalem to ask a man named\nIshmael and his family, who lived there, to go with them to the\nwonderful country far across the great waters.\n\nIshmael had a number of beautiful daughters, and the Lord wanted Lehi's\nsons to marry some of them, so that they could have good families.\n\nLehi told his sons what the Lord wanted them to do, and they all said\nthey would go. After traveling for a long time they arrived at the home\nof Ishmael. They were taken in and were treated very kindly.\n\nNephi told Ishmael why he and his brethren had come to his home. Then\nthey all talked the matter over, and at last Ishmael and his family\nsaid they would go with Nephi and his brethren.\n\nA day or two later the company started out for the place where Lehi and\nhis wife were. All went well for a time; but after a while Laman and\nLemuel and part of Ishmael's family stopped and said they would go no\nfarther.\n\nNephi pleaded with them to continue the journey. He told them that if\nthey would do as the Lord wanted them to do, He would take them across\nthe great waters and land them safely in a beautiful country, where\nthey would find all manner of choice fruit and other good things.\n\n\"We don't want to go to a new country,\" they answered, sharply. \"We\nwant to go back to our own home, and stay with the people there.\"\n\n\"Well,\" said Nephi, \"you can go back if you want to, but if you do you\nwill be sorry. The people you speak of are wicked, and the Lord is\ngoing to punish them. So if you go back you will be punished, too.\"\n\nThen Laman spoke very sharply to Nephi. \"We do not believe you,\" he\nsaid. \"How do you know that the Lord is going to punish the people in\nthe place where we used to live?\"\n\n\"He told our father so,\" said Nephi, \"and everything that the Lord says\nis true. You did not believe we would get the good book our father sent\nus for, but we did get it, just as the Lord said we would.\"\n\nThen Laman and Lemuel and some of Ishmael's family grew very angry.\nThey ran and caught Nephi and tied him with strong cords to a tree.\n\n\"You will not preach to us any more,\" they said. \"We are going to go\naway and leave you here, and after a while wild beasts will come and\nkill and eat you.\"\n\nPoor Nephi! What a terrible way to be treated by his own brothers! He\nwas suffering great pain, for the cords were cutting his wrists and\nankles. But he did not get angry, nor speak hard words to those who had\nso cruelly treated him. He knew the Lord would not let the wild beasts\nharm him, and after a time He would help him to get free.\n\nA happy thought came to him: he would pray to the Lord to give him\nstrength to break the cords. He looked up to heaven and said, \"Dear\nHeavenly Father, I know you will not let me be left here to be killed\nby wild beasts. Please give me strength to break these cords, that I\nmay be able to go back to my dear father and mother.\"\n\nAt that moment Nephi felt great strength come into his body. The Lord\nhad heard and answered his prayer. He broke the cords as easily as if\nthey had been tiny threads and stood forth free before his brethren.\n\nWhen they saw what had happened, they began to tremble with fear.\n\"Surely, the Lord is with Nephi,\" they said, and they came and bowed\ndown before him and begged of him to forgive them.\n\nWhat did Nephi do? He said, \"My dear brothers, I freely forgive you for\nall the wrong you have done me. Now pray to our Father in Heaven to\nforgive you also.\"\n\nThey did so, and then the company began to travel again. They reached\nhome in safety. Nephi and his brothers married four of the daughters of\nIshmael, and after a time little baby boys and girls were born to them.\n\n\n\nHOW THE LORD GUIDED LEHI AND HIS FAMILY.\n\nThis evening I am going to tell you how Lehi and his family were guided\non their journey.\n\nThey were now a long way from their old home. They had not been in that\npart of the land before, and the place was new and strange to them.\nThey could not ask anyone to tell them the way they should travel, for,\nas I told you, there was no one living in that part.\n\nHow were they to know which way they should go?\n\n\"I can see what is going to happen to us,\" said Laman one evening as\nthey all sat outside their tents.\n\nNephi was reading the good book at the time, but on hearing what his\nbrother said he stopped. Looking straight into the face of Laman, he\nasked, \"What do you think is going to happen to us?\"\n\n\"We are going to get lost; that is what is going to happen,\" said\nLaman, sharply.\n\n\"I don't think so,\" said Nephi, calmly, and a bright smile lit up his\nsweet face. \"I am sure we will get to the wonderful country all right.\"\n\n\"O, yes,\" said Laman, as he cast a wicked glance at Nephi, \"you are\nsure of everything. You know all and we know nothing. Isn't that so,\nboys?\" he asked, turning to his other brothers and to the sons of\nIshmael.\n\nThey all, with the exception of Sam, nodded their heads, which meant\nthat they agreed with what Laman had said.\n\nThen Sam spoke up in behalf of his brother: \"I think,\" said he, \"that\nyou are all too hard on Nephi. It is a shame the way you have treated\nhim. He is one of the best boys that ever lived, and I am proud to have\nhim for my brother.\"\n\n\"Well, you won't feel so proud of him after a while,\" said Lemuel,\n\"when he leads you away over those mountains and you get lost.\"\n\n\"Do not be afraid, Sam,\" said Nephi. \"We will find the way all right.\"\n\n\"I know we will,\" said Sam, \"and I will follow you, Nephi, wherever you\ngo.\"\n\n\"And how do you know you will find the way?\" Laman asked, turning to\nhis brother Sam.\n\n\"I believe the Lord will show us the way,\" said Sam. \"Indeed, I know He\nwill, if we will have faith in Him and do what He tells us from time to\ntime.\"\n\n\"That is true,\" said Nephi. \"And now I want to tell you what I have\njust read in the good book. After Moses had led the children of Israel\nout of Egypt they came to the waters of the Red Sea. On looking back\nthey saw Pharaoh and his army coming after them.\n\n\"'Oh, dear, what shall we do?' they cried. 'We cannot cross these\nwaters. In a little while we will all be killed.'\n\n\"Then Moses stood up before them and said, 'Do not be afraid. The\nLord will save yon from Pharaoh's army.' Then he stretched his rod\nacross the waters, the sea divided, and all the children of Israel\ncrossed over on dry ground. When they had reached the other side, Moses\nstretched forth his rod again, the waters came back and drowned Pharaoh\nand all his soldiers.\n\n\"Now, the lesson we can learn from this,\" Nephi added, \"is that as the\nLord led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea,\nso He can lead us to the beautiful country He has told us about.\"\n\n\"That is a very good lesson, Nephi,\" said his father. \"I am sure the\nLord will guide us right. Let us now go into our tents and offer up our\nprayers before we retire to rest.\"\n\nNephi was the first to awake in the morning. He arose quietly and\ndressed himself. He decided to go out for a walk in the fresh air, and\nlisten to the birds sing their sweet songs in the trees.\n\nAs he stepped outside the tent, to his great surprise he saw a large\nball lying on the ground. He ran and picked it up. It was not like any\nother ball he had ever seen. It was made of fine brass, and it had two\nhands, like the hands of a watch.\n\nHe went quickly into the tent and awoke his father. \"Look, father\ndear,\" he said, \"at the beautiful brass ball I found lying outside our\ntent this morning.\"\n\nLehi took the ball and examined it carefully. As he looked at it one of\nthe hands began to point in a certain direction.\n\n\"See, Nephi!\" he exclaimed, \"the hands are moving.\"\n\n\"So they are,\" said Nephi. \"What a wonderful ball this is!\"\n\nThen all the rest of the company were awakened and shown the wonderful\nball. As they looked on it with wondering eyes, Lehi said, \"We need\nfear no longer, for if we are faithful the hands on the ball will point\nout to us the way we should go.\"\n\nAnd so they did.\n\nWhere do you think the wonderful ball came from?\n\n\n\nWHAT HAPPENED ON A HUNTING TRIP.\n\nWith the wonderful brass ball to guide them, Lehi, his family and the\nrest of the company took up their tents and started to travel again. It\nwas a pretty sight to see them all in line crossing the river Laman.\n\nWhen they had traveled for many days they decided to stop again for\na short time. So they chose a cool place, by the side of a stream of\nclear, sparkling water, and there they put up their tents.\n\nThat evening Nephi and his brothers and the sons of Ishmael began to\nmake preparations for a hunting trip, which they had decided to take\nthe following morning. They were not going out to hunt for pleasure.\nNo, it was for the purpose of getting food, for the only food the\ncompany had at that time was wild fruit and the flesh of wild animals.\n\nI am sure you could not guess what kind of weapons they had.\n\n\"Guns?\"\n\nNo, there were no guns in those days. They used bows and arrows, slings\nand stones. Some of the bows were made of wood and some of steel. Nephi\nhad a good, steel bow. He and his brothers had practiced so much with\ntheir bows and arrows and slings that they were very good shots, but\nNephi was the best of all. He could hit the mark almost every time.\n\nEarly the next morning the party of young hunters started off in search\nof food. They took the brass ball with them to point the way. They\ntraveled for a long time without seeing an animal fit to kill.\n\nAt last they stopped suddenly. What was the noise they heard a short\ndistance ahead of them? It was made by a fine, large animal, that\njumped up frightened and started to run as the hunters drew near. It\nran to the top of a small hill, and there it stood looking back at\nNephi and his brethren.\n\nNephi quickly drew an arrow and placed it in his bow. He took good\naim, and was just going to send the arrow through the air when his\nbeautiful, steel bow broke in two. At the same moment the animal\nstarted to run again and was soon lost to sight.\n\nPoor Nephi! How sorry he felt as he looked down at his broken bow. Then\nhe cast a glance at Laman, and saw that his face was pale with anger.\nHe wished he had let one of the others shoot, but it was now too late\nto mend matters.\n\nLaman turned to Nephi and began to scold him. He was quickly stopped by\nSam, who said sharply: \"It is unkind of you to speak that way to Nephi.\nHe did not break his bow wilfully. It was an accident. And he feels bad\nenough over it without you hurting his feelings more by abusing him.\nLet us say no more about the matter, but go on our way.\"\n\nAll day long they hunted without killing a single animal. When evening\ncame the party, with the exception of Nephi and Sam, started back for\ntheir tents.\n\n\"I do not care to go home yet,\" Nephi said. \"I will follow you later.\"\n\n\"I am going to stay with Nephi,\" said Sam. \"Tell father and mother we\nwill be home before midnight.\"\n\nAfter Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael had left, Nephi turned\nto Sam and said:\n\n\"Sam, I tell you what we will do; we will kneel down and pray to our\nHeavenly Father to help us get some food. I am sure He will do so.\"\n\n\"So am I,\" said Sam. \"He has helped us many times before.\"\n\nThe two young men went over and knelt down under a large tree, where\nthey prayed earnestly to God to help them get food for the company. I\nwill tell you presently how their prayer was answered.\n\nThe other members of the hunting party returned to camp and told what\nhad happened. Their story cast a gloom over the whole company.\n\n\"What a terrible state to be in!\" exclaimed one of the daughters of\nIshmael. \"There is barely enough food for another meal. When that is\ngone, starvation will stare us in the face.\"\n\nLehi and his wife Sariah were sitting together with bowed heads a short\ndistance away. Tears were running down the poor mother's cheeks. She\nwas not crying because the food supply had almost run out. No, she was\nthinking of her boys, Nephi and Sam, out in the mountains alone, in\ndanger of being killed by wild beasts, and the darkness of night fast\ncoming on.\n\nLehi took her hand in his and in a comforting voice said: \"Fear not,\nSariah, the Lord will watch over and protect our boys. I believe they\nwill soon return, and that they will bring food with them.\"\n\nOn hearing that, Nephi's mother dried her tears, and turning to her\nhusband, said: \"Thank you, Lehi, for those words. I will trust in God\nto bring our sons back safely.\"\n\nLet us now go back to Nephi and Sam.\n\nWhen they had ceased praying, Nephi sat down and quickly made a new bow\nout of a branch of a tree. Then they walked briskly to the top of a\nhill a short distance away.\n\nAt the foot of the hill lay a fertile valley, with a stream of clear,\ncool water running gently through it. Birds were singing their evening\nsongs in the trees all around, and the air was filled with the\nfragrance of wild flowers, which grew in abundance on the hillside.\n\nFor a moment Sam and Nephi stood gazing in admiration on the beautiful\nscene before them. Then they began to descend the hill. As they were\nnearing the foot they saw a sight which made them stop suddenly. At the\nother side of the stream, not far from where they stood, they beheld\ntwo fine, big animals quenching their thirst. Quick as a shot Nephi\nand Sam dropped to the ground. Placing an arrow in each of their bows,\nthey took aim and fired. The arrows flew straight to the mark and the\nanimals fell.\n\nWith thankful hearts the young hunters dashed through the stream, and\non reaching the opposite bank, looked down upon the fine animals they\nhad slain. Here was meat to last the company several days. Cutting down\ntwo large branches from a tree, they fastened the beasts upon them and\nstarted for the tents of their father.\n\nWhat a look of surprise came over the faces of Laman and Lemuel and the\nsons of Ishmael when Nephi and Sam came into camp late that evening.\n\nLehi heard his sons coming and went out to meet them, and as he beheld\nthe two fine animals, he took Sam and Nephi by the hands and said: \"I\nknew, my sons, that you would not come back without food. The Lord\nalways provides for His faithful children.\"\n\n\n\nNEPHI AS A SHIP BUILDER.\n\nMy story this evening is about the same people I told you of in my\nother stories--Lehi and his followers.\n\nHow many years, do you think, those people spent in traveling through\nthe country? Eight. That is a long time--almost as long as some of you\nhave lived on the earth.\n\nOne day, at the end of the eighth year, they came to a very beautiful\nand fruitful part of the country. How happy they all felt! On every\nside there were trees and bushes laden with choice, wild fruit. But\nthat was not all. There was also a large number of natural bee-hives,\nalmost all of them filled with delicious honey.\n\nThe entire company stood for a time gazing in silence on the scene\nbefore them. Then they began to gather fruit and honey, and when they\nhad collected a good supply, they sat down and began to feast.\n\n\"This,\" said Nephi, \"is one of the best meals we have had since we left\nhome eight years ago.\"\n\n\"Isn't this honey delicious?\" said Lemuel.\n\n\"It is,\" said his father.\n\nThat evening as they all sat in front of their tents, watching the sun\ngo down behind the hills, Lehi said, \"This is a very rich part of the\ncountry. I have been trying all day to think of a name by which to call\nit, and I think I have the right name at last.\"\n\n\"And what is the name, father dear?\" asked Nephi's wife, a daughter of\nIshmael.\n\n\"Bountiful,\" Lehi answered.\n\n\"The proper name!\" they all shouted in chorus. So the place was given\nthe name Bountiful.\n\nAfter Lehi and his people had rested for a short time, they began to\ntravel again. Nephi and Sam--they were always together--rode ahead of\nthe company. On reaching the top of a high hill they stopped suddenly.\nThey sat gazing for a few moments at the scene before them. Then they\nturned and started at a quick pace for the rest of the party.\n\n\"What can be the matter?\" Lehi asked, as he saw his two sons coming\nback.\n\nAs Nephi and Sam came near the party, Nephi put his hand to his mouth\nand shouted as loudly as he could, \"The great waters! The great\nwaters!\" On hearing that, every one in the company became excited, and\nall hurried forward to get a look at the mighty ocean.\n\nWhat strange feelings came into the hearts of Lehi and his followers as\nthey looked out upon the sea. How were they to cross such a large body\nof water?\n\nJust then Laman spoke. \"It seems to me,\" said he, \"that it is now time\nfor us to turn and go back home. I have felt from the day we started\nthat we would have to turn back some time. That time has come at last.\"\n\n\"And I have felt from the day we started,\" said Nephi, in a calm but\nfirm voice, \"that we would never go back to our old home again. I know\nthat God is in heaven. I know He led the children of Israel through the\nRed Sea and I know that He can and will carry us across these mighty\nwaters.\"\n\nOn hearing that, Laman and Lemuel and some of the sons and daughters of\nIshmael began to laugh and to make fun of Nephi.\n\n\"So you think God is going to come down out of heaven and carry us in\nHis arms across this great ocean,\" said Lemuel, \"and set us down in a\nwonderful country on the other side.\"\n\n\"No,\" said Nephi, \"I do not think anything of the kind. But I do\nbelieve He will tell us how we can cross these waters.\"\n\nThen Lehi, their father, spoke. \"My sons,\" he said, \"do not get angry\nwith each other. Remember you are brothers. Remember, also, Laman, that\nthe Lord can do great things. He made this world in which we live.\nSurely, then, He can help us to get to the other side of this ocean.\nNow, let me tell you what I want you and the rest of the company to do:\nI want you to gather all the fruit and honey you can. We must collect a\nbig supply, for it will be many days before we get to the new country.\"\n\n\"So you think we shall get across these great waters?\" said Laman to\nhis father.\n\n\"I am sure we will,\" said Lehi. \"Now, let us get to work.\"\n\nAll day long they gathered choice fruit and honey, and when the evening\ncame they sat down and looked with great satisfaction upon the labors\nof their hands.\n\nNephi arose early the next morning. He looked pale, and it was easily\nto be seen that he had some great matter upon his mind. He had slept\nvery little, but had spent the greater part of the night wondering how\nthe company could get across the great waters. He went to the tent in\nwhich his parents were sleeping and gently woke his father. \"I am going\ninto the mountains, father,\" he said, \"to spend the day in prayer. I\nfeel that I shall have good news for you when I come back.\"\n\nHis father raised himself, and putting his arm around his son's neck,\ndrew him to him. Then he kissed him and said, \"May God Bless you, my\nson, and answers the prayers you offer up to Him this day.\"\n\nAfter traveling for a long time, Nephi reached the top of a very high\nmountain. All was quiet and peaceful around him. He sat down and rested\na little while. Then he knelt in prayer. He prayed to God with all his\nheart to show him how the company could get across the great waters. I\nbelieve he prayed three times. Then something very wonderful happened.\nThe Lord showed to Nephi in a vision a picture of a ship. It was not\nlike any other ship he had ever seen.\n\nAs Nephi gazed in wonder upon the vessel, the Lord said to him, \"Nephi,\nI want you to build a ship like this one, to carry your company across\nthe great waters.\"\n\n\"But, Lord,\" said Nephi, \"I do not know how to build a ship.\"\n\n\"I know that,\" said the Lord, \"but I will teach you. You will come up\ninto this mountain often and pray to me, and I will show you how to\nbuild the ship.\"\n\nThe Lord then told Nephi where he could get one with which to make\ntools, and after giving him other instructions, He told him to return\nand tell his people all that he had seen and heard.\n\nAt first Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael would not believe\nhim. They made great fun of him, saying he would never be able to build\na ship. But after Nephi had talked very seriously to them, they started\nto help him. Piece after piece was added to the vessel, and after a\nlong time the ship was finished and ready to be launched.\n\nIn my next story I shall tell you what happened soon after the company\nhad set out across the great waters.\n\n\n\nWHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE GREAT WATERS.\n\nThe morning after the ship was finished all the company came together\nto look at it. It was a very fine vessel. Nephi and those who had\nassisted him were well pleased with their labors. They had built the\nship exactly as the Lord had told them, and had done their work well.\n\nThen Lehi turned to his four sons and also to the sons of Ishmael and\nsaid, \"You have our grateful thanks for the great work which you have\ndone. You have built a splendid vessel, and I am sure it will carry us\nsafely across these great waters to the promised land.\"\n\nA busy time followed. The men and women worked hard all day carrying\nmeat, fruit and honey down into the ship, and their little sons and\ndaughters helped them.\n\nWhen night came they were all pretty tired; but they did not seem\nanxious to go to sleep. That was the last night they would spend on\nland for a long time. On the morrow they would be out upon the great\nwaters. Finally they retired, one by one, and the moon and stars shown\nbrightly over the sleeping camp.\n\nThe company was up and at work early next morning. The women prepared\nbreakfast and the men took down the tents and attended to other duties.\nNephi and Sam and some of Ishmael's sons were busily employed at fixing\nthe sails of the ship and getting the vessel ready for her first voyage.\n\nAt last the time came for all to go on board. A line was formed.\nLehi and his wife, being the oldest, marched at the head. The others\nfollowed, according to their ages. A sharp breeze was blowing and the\nvessel tugged at its chains as if anxious to get away.\n\nWhen all of the company were safely on board, Nephi loosed the ship,\nthe wind immediately filled its sails, and a moment later it was\ngliding swiftly through the water on its way to the promised land.\n\nAll went well the first day. And all would have gone well every other\nday if Laman and Lemuel and some of the sons and daughters of Ishmael\nhad conducted themselves as they should have done.\n\nThe second day the company was on the water, Laman and Lemuel began to\nsing and dance and to act in a very rude manner. Some of Ishmael's sons\nand daughters joined them. Their conduct made Nephi feel very bad, and\nhe reproved them sharply.\n\n\"How can you act in such a shameful manner,\" he said, \"after having\nreceived so many blessings from the Lord? Have you forgotten how good\nHe has been to us, how He provided us with food on our journey and\ntaught us how to build this ship? I tell you, the Lord is looking down\nupon you. He is displeased with you because of your conduct, and if you\ndo not stop and humble yourselves before Him, He will surely punish\nyou.\"\n\nThose words made Laman and Lemuel very angry. They rushed at Nephi, and\nseizing him by the arms, they thrust him back against the mast of the\nship. Then they called to the sons of Ishmael to bring a rope quickly.\nTheir command was obeyed, and they bound Nephi hand and foot to the\nmast. There they kept him all day, suffering great pain, for the rope\ncut deep wounds in his flesh.\n\nIt was a great trial to Lehi and his wife to see their dear son in such\na terrible condition. They pleaded with Laman and Lemuel to release\nNephi, but they would not. The tears and prayers of Nephi's wife\nlikewise failed to soften their stony hearts.\n\nNephi bore his sufferings well. Not one murmuring word fell from his\nlips. When Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael mocked him, and\nsaid unkind things to him, he heeded them not. He tried to comfort his\nfather and mother and loving wife by telling them that all would be\nwell, that in time the Lord would help him to get free.\n\nAnd the Lord did. How? Listen and I will tell you. Two or three days\nlater dark clouds began to gather in the sky. A storm was coming.\nSuddenly a flash of lightning lit up the heavens. Then a terrible peal\nof thunder shook the vessel. The rain came down in torrents. Then the\nwind changed and the vessel began to be driven back towards land.\n\nThe storm grew worse every hour. The waves dashed fiercely against the\nvessel and at times swept over its deck. In the face of that awful\ntempest stood poor Nephi, tied hand and foot to the mast. For three\ndays and nights the storm lasted, and all that time the vessel was\nbeing driven back.\n\nOn the morning of the fourth day a terrible wave struck the ship and\nalmost turned it over. Some of the women began to scream with fright.\nLaman and Lemuel became alarmed also. They saw that the Lord was angry\nwith them: that He had let the storm come upon them because of the way\nin which they had treated their brother Nephi. Then another angry wave\nburst over the vessel and almost buried it in the depths of the sea.\n\nBelieving they were about to be destroyed, Laman and Lemuel and the\nsons of Ishmael repented of what they had done. They went over to\nNephi, untied the ropes which bound him and set him free.\n\nNephi was so weak that he could hardly stand upon his feet. He knelt\ndown, and looking up towards heaven he prayed with all his heart to God\nto cause the storm to cease, and to change the course of the wind so\nthat the vessel might sail towards the promised land.\n\nTo the astonishment of all the people, the storm suddenly ceased, the\nsea became calm, and the vessel started again on its journey across the\ngreat waters.\n\n\n\nLEHI AND HIS PEOPLE IN THE PROMISED LAND.\n\nLehi and his people had been a long time upon the great ocean. They\nwere very tired, for they had seen nothing but water for many days.\nSome of them had begun to murmur, and to wonder if they should ever\nset foot upon land again. Then something happened which brought joy to\nevery heart.\n\nIt was early in the morning. All the company were asleep except Nephi\nand Sam. Nephi was steering the ship and Sam was standing in the fore\npart of the vessel looking over the great waters.\n\nSuddenly Sam's quick eyes caught sight of a dark object. He stood still\nand held his breath. Could it be land? He looked again, and then he\ngave a shout for joy which startled the whole company. In a few moments\nmen, women and children were by his side, asking what had happened.\n\"Look!\" he exclaimed, as he pointed across the waters. \"See, yonder is\nthe promised land!\"\n\n\"It is, indeed!\" they all shouted, and the children clapped their hands\nand cried, \"Land! land! land!\"\n\n\"The Lord's name be praised!\" said Lehi when he heard the joyful news,\nalthough he could not see the land so far off, for he was old and his\neyes had become dim.\n\nAfter breakfast, all set to work making preparations for landing. The\nsplendid little ship rode proudly as ever over the waves, and early in\nthe afternoon Nephi steered the vessel safe to shore. When the company\nhad landed they all knelt down upon the ground, and Lehi offered a\nprayer of thanksgiving and praise to God for having brought them to the\npromised land.\n\nIt was a beautiful country. The sun shone in its glory. The birds\nwelcomed the company with their sweet songs, and the flowers delighted\nall with their rich perfume. On the hillsides animals of different\nkinds were feeding. Among them were horses, donkeys, cows and goats.\nThere were also a great many wild fowl.\n\nAfter breakfast the next morning, Lehi called the men of the company to\nhim and said, \"My sons, the first thing for us to do is to clear some\nland and plant the seed we have brought with us. The soil is very rich,\nand I am sure we shall reap excellent crops.\"\n\n\"That is just what we were going to do, father,\" said Nephi. \"Come,\nbrethren,\" he said to the others, \"let us turn our attention to farming\nfor a while.\"\n\nDay after day the men worked in the fields. Each evening all the people\nmet together and Nephi read to them out of the good book. Lehi also\ntold them many wonderful things which the Lord had done. They felt very\nhappy.\n\nAt last the seed was planted. Then the men went up into the hills and\ncaught a number of horses, donkeys, cows, and goats. The animals were\nwild, but through kind treatment they soon became tame. The cows and\ngoats gave milk, the horses hauled wood and did other work, and the\ndonkeys carried the boys and girls on merry rides over the rolling\nprairie.\n\nThe crops sprang up and grew rapidly, and when the time came for\nharvesting there was plenty of food for man and beast.\n\nAnd now I am going to tell you, children, about the last days of the\nProphet Lehi. He had become old and feeble, and the time was fast\ndrawing near when his spirit would leave this world and go to dwell\nwith the righteous in the Paradise of God.\n\nTwo baby boys had been born to him on the journey to the promised land.\nTheir names were Jacob and Joseph. They were good children, always kind\nand obedient to their parents. On beautiful, warm days they would take\ntheir father by the hand and lead him gently to a comfortable seat\nunder the shade of a large tree. Then they would sit down on the grass\nat his feet and listen while he told them stories of wonderful things\nwhich had happened many years before.\n\nOne day Lehi sent word to all the people to come to him, that he might\nbless them before he died. When they had assembled, he blessed them in\nturn. He promised them many good things from the Lord if they would\nkeep the commandments of God and love and help each other.\n\nWhen Joseph, Lehi's youngest son, went in to receive his blessing his\nfather drew him close to him. He looked into his sweet, innocent face a\nfew seconds; then he pressed him to his bosom and placed a loving kiss\nupon his lips.\n\nWhile being blessed by his father, Joseph saw how good the Lord had\nbeen to him, and when he was told of the great blessings which would be\nbestowed upon him because of his faithfulness, he bowed his head on his\nfather's neck and wept.\n\n\"And now, my son,\" said Lehi, \"I am going to tell you of a wonderful\nthing which the Lord has told me will take place many years from now.\"\n\nJoseph wondered what it could be. \"You have seen the book which your\nbrother Nephi is writing.\" Joseph answered that he had. \"Well,\" said\nhis father, \"that is a history. It is an account of what has taken\nplace among us since the day we left our home up to the present time.\nAfter Nephi has finished writing in it, he will deliver the book to\nanother good man, who will continue the history. When the second writer\nhas finished his part, he will give the book to a third, and in this\nmanner the history of the people will be kept for hundreds and hundreds\nof years. When it is finished, it will be the most precious and\nwonderful book ever written.\n\n\"And what will become of the book, father?\" asked Joseph.\n\n\"I was just going to tell you,\" said Lehi.\n\nJoseph drew closer, and looked anxiously into his father's face.\n\n\"When the book is finished,\" continued Lehi, \"the last writer will hide\nit in a deep hole in the ground. He will do that because wicked men\nmight get it and destroy it. The book will be kept hid in the earth for\nthousands of years.\"\n\n\"At last the time will come for the book to be brought forth again.\nThen the Lord will send an angel to a boy named Joseph, the same name\nthat you bear. The heavenly messenger will tell Joseph of the book and\nshow him the place in which it will lie buried. A few years later the\nprecious history will be taken from its hiding place and given to the\nboy Joseph. The Lord will help the boy to change the language of the\nbook to suit the language of the people living at that time. Then the\nbook will be published, men will carry it into all the world, and the\npeople of every nation will learn of the great things which the Lord\nwill have done for us and our children.\"\n\n\"That is really wonderful,\" said Joseph. \"It is, indeed,\" said his\nfather. Then Lehi kissed his boy again and said, \"May the Lord bless\nyou, my son, forever.\"\n\nCan my children tell me how the words of Lehi were fulfilled concerning\nthe book that was to be hid in the ground?\n\n\n\nTHE NEPHITES AND THE LAMANITES.\n\nI am going to tell you this evening what took place soon after the\ndeath of Lehi. Laman and Lemuel grew more wicked every day. Their\nhearts were full of hatred towards Nephi and Sam.\n\nOne evening they went off by themselves. They sat down under a large\ntree and talked together for a long time. I am sure you could not guess\nwhat they were doing. They were making plans to kill Sam and Nephi.\nLaman and Lemuel thought that if Nephi and Sam were dead the people\nwould choose them to be their leaders.\n\nThey did not seem to know that the Lord was looking down upon them and\nlistening to their wicked plot. But the Lord had seen and heard all,\nand He at once prepared a way for the escape of Nephi and Sam.\n\nThat night the Lord told Nephi to gather together all the people that\nwished to follow him and to take them away into another part of the\ncountry. All the good people agreed to go with Nephi and Sam, the\nwicked ones decided to stay with Laman and Lemuel.\n\nNephi and his people were guided on their way by the wonderful brass\nball which I told you about in one of my other stories. After traveling\nmany days they came to a place where they decided to settle.\n\n\"What shall we call this place?\" asked one of the company.\n\nSeveral voices answered at once: \"We will call it Nephi, after our\nfaithful leader.\" So the place was named Nephi. From that time all\nthe people that followed Nephi were called Nephites. Those who stayed\nbehind with Laman and Lemuel were called Lamanites.\n\nNow that they were away from their wicked brethren, Nephi and his\npeople felt very happy. They had brought with them many kinds of seed,\nso they laid out farms and gardens and planted the seed in them. God\nblessed their labors. His gentle rains and warm sun caused the seed to\ngrow and to produce splendid crops, so that there was plenty of food\nfor all.\n\nIn the evenings, when their work was done, the people would meet\ntogether, and Nephi would read to them out of the good book. Then they\nwould pray to God, thanking Him for all His blessings, and asking Him\nto protect them from the wicked Lamanites.\n\nAt first they had only tents to live in, but after a while they took\ndown their tents and put up beautiful houses in their place. In the\ncourse of a few years a splendid little city had sprung up in that\ndesert region.\n\nOne Sabbath day, when the people had gathered together to worship God,\nNephi asked them if they would like to build a beautiful temple to the\nLord. They all said they would love to do so. A few days later a choice\nplace was selected, and a number of men began to lay the foundation of\nthe Lord's House. The hearts of the people swelled with joy as they saw\nthe walls of the sacred building rise higher and higher. At last the\ntemple was finished. The Lord was well pleased with it, and when the\npeople went into the temple to worship Him He bestowed great blessings\nupon them.\n\nOne day all the people assembled together. They sent for Nephi, and\nwhen he arrived they told him that, because he had been such a good\nman, and had done so much for them, they had decided to make him their\nking.\n\nBut Nephi would not agree to such a thing. He said he did not wish to\nbe king over them; that he wanted to be like one of themselves, and\nthat he would continue to be their leader and teacher.\n\nI must now take you back to Laman and Lemuel, and to the people who\nstayed with them. They, as I told you, were called Lamanites. O, dear,\nwhat a difference there was between them and the people of Nephi! What\ndo you think had happened to Laman and the people who had stayed with\nhim? The displeasure of the Lord had come upon them so that their\nskins had become dark, and they were fast becoming a wild and savage\npeople. They had neither farms nor gardens, nor houses to live in.\nThe only food they had to eat was fish and the flesh of wild beasts,\nand at night they slept in old, worn out tents. They had become dirty,\nidle, and lazy, just like the Indians we sometimes see going round\nbegging food. Such, dear children, was the terrible condition into\nwhich the Lamanites were brought because of their disobedience to the\ncommandments of God.\n\n\n\nZENIFF AND HIS PEOPLE.\n\nNephi lived with his people and taught them for many years. They all\nloved him, for he was a wise and a godly man, and had done many great\nthings for them.\n\nAt last he became old and feeble. He knew that he had but a short\ntime to live, so he took the history he had written and gave it to\nhis brother Jacob. Then he chose a good man to reign as king over the\nNephites.\n\nSoon after that, Nephi died and his spirit went to Paradise to live\nwith the righteous ones who had gone before.\n\nOne day, long after the death of Nephi, a man named Zeniff called\ntogether a number of his Nephite brethren. He told them he wanted to go\nand see how the Lamanites were getting on. \"How many of you are willing\nto go with me?\" he asked. Nearly all of them agreed to go. They began\nat once to make preparations for the trip. When the time came for them\nto leave, they bade their loved ones good-bye and set out on their\njourny.\n\nAfter traveling many days, they came to the place where the Lamanites\nwere. It was a fine country. Zeniff and those who were with him felt\nthey would like to live there if the Lamanites would be willing for\nthem to do so.\n\nAfter resting awhile, Zeniff took four men and went into the city to\nsee the king of the Lamanites. The king received his visitors kindly.\nZeniff told the king that he and his brethren who were with him would\nlike to remain in that part of the land.\n\nKing Laman said he would be pleased to have them stay, and that he\nwould get the Lamanites who were in two of the cities to leave them and\ngo to other places, so that the Nephites might go in and live in those\ncities.\n\nYou may think that that was a very kind act of the Lamanite king; but\nwhen I tell you what his object was, you will not think so kindly\nof him. He wanted the Nephites to go in and build up the cities, to\ncultivate the land and raise good crops. \"When they have done that,\"\nsaid the king to himself, \"I will get my army to come down and take the\ncities and the crops away from them. Then we will make the Nephites our\nservants.\"\n\nThe king of the Lamanites told Zeniff to bring his brethren and to\nsettle in the land, and they did so.\n\nZeniff and his people began at once to improve the cities which the\nLamanites had turned over to them. They planted crops of different\nkinds, also orchards and vineyards. Zeniff was a good man. He loved the\nLord and kept His commandments and taught his people to do the same.\n\nThe Lord was pleased with them and gave them a great many good things.\nHe blessed their farms so that they brought forth splendid crops. Their\norchards yielded choice fruits in abundance, and their flocks and herds\nincreased rapidly.\n\nHow little the Nephites knew at that time of the trouble which was soon\nto come upon them and of the great changes which a few years would\nbring about.\n\nFor some time the Lamanites had been watching the people of Zeniff.\nThey saw their splendid crops, their sheep and cattle, and they longed\nto get possession of them. So they decided to make war upon the\nNephites.\n\nThe Lamanites, when ready for battle, were a terrible-looking people.\nThey were almost naked, and had the hair shaved off their heads. They\nwere armed with bows and arrows, slings and stones, swords, and other\nweapons.\n\nZeniff, hearing that the Lamanites were going to attack his people,\nhad the women and children taken away and hid in a safe place. Then he\ncalled all the men together and armed them for battle. The Nephites\nprayed mightily to the Lord to strengthen them, so that they might be\nable to defeat the Lamanites and thus be able to keep their homes and\nlands.\n\nThe Lord heard and answered the prayers of His people. The Lamanites\nfought like wild beasts, but were finally overcome. Those who were\nnot killed in battle fled back to their own lands, and the Nephites\nreturned to their homes, their wives and children, praising God for the\nvictory He had given them.\n\n\n\nHOW THE PEOPLE OF ZENIFF WERE BROUGHT INTO BONDAGE.\n\nWhile Zeniff was king over his people they were greatly blessed of the\nLord. Zeniff had taught them to lead good lives and to be kind and\nhelpful to each other.\n\nThe years passed by, Zeniff grew old and finally died. His son Noah\nbegan to reign in his stead. Noah was just as wicked as his father was\ngood. He gathered around him many bad men. They flattered him and made\nhim think he was a great man.\n\nNoah built costly palace had horses and chariots and a large number\nof wives and servants. He led a shameful life, spending his days in\nfeasting and in doing things which were exceedingly displeasing in the\nsight of the Lord. It required a great deal of money to support this\nungodly king. He, therefore, put heavy taxes upon his people, and the\nNephites had to work hard to pay the expenses of their wicked ruler.\n\nOne by one the Nephites began to follow the example of their king, and\nin the course of time the greater part of them had become almost as bad\nas Noah himself.\n\nNow, there was a man among the Nephites who had watched with sorrow the\nconduct of his people. His name was Abinadi. He was a good man, and the\nLord loved him.\n\nOne day the voice of the Lord came to Abinadi, saying, \"Abinadi, I want\nyou to go among this people and call them to repentance. Tell them that\nI, the Lord, am very angry with them because of their wickedness, and\nthat if they do not cease doing evil, I will let the Lamanites come\ndown upon them and overcome them, and they will become servants to the\nLamanites.\"\n\nAbinadi did as the Lord commanded him. He stood up in the midst of the\nNephites and told them of the wicked things they had done, how angry\nthe Lord was with them, and warned them of the trouble which would come\nupon them if they did not repent.\n\nHis words made them very angry. They rushed upon him, seized him, and\nmarched him roughly to the king's court. They told Noah of the terrible\nthings which Abinadi had prophesied would come upon the king and his\npeople if they did not repent of their wickedness. \"What shall we do\nwith this man,\" they asked, \"who has spoken such things against the\nking and against us?\"\n\nThe cry went up, \"Let him be put to death!\" But Abinadi had not\ncompleted his mission, so the Lord delivered him out of their hands.\n\nTwo years later he appeared in their midst again. He began to preach\nwith great power and courage. He repeated all that he had said before,\nand told them of the fate which awaited them if they refused to listen\nto the warning of the Lord.\n\nO, foolish people! Instead of thanking the prophet for pointing out to\nthem their errors, and for telling them how they could be saved from\nthe judgments of God, they turned upon him with hearts full of anger,\ntreated him in a shameful manner, and finally put him to death.\n\nAmong those who listened to the preaching of Abinadi was a young man\nnamed Alma. Alma believed what the prophet had said. He knew that he\nhad spoken the truth. So Alma repented of his sins and began to live a\ngodly life.\n\nHe wrote down all that Abinadi had said. Then he went quietly among the\npeople and read to those who would listen to him the wonderful things\nwhich the prophet had spoken. Many believed the teachings of Alma. They\nrepented also and commenced to serve the Lord. They had to be very\ncareful.\n\nThey knew that if King Noah heard that they believed what Abinadi had\nsaid, he would have them put to death also. So on certain days they\nwould go away out into the country, to a little forest, and there they\nwould worship God and listen to the preaching of Alma.\n\nIn the forest there was a fountain of clear water, called the waters\nof Mormon. One day when all the believers were gathered together Alma\nasked them if they would like to be baptized, to show to the Lord that\nthey were willing to serve Him and keep His commandments. They all\nclapped their hands for joy and said that that was what they desired.\nSo Alma went down into the waters of Mormon and baptized them. Others\nwere baptized from time to time, and finally the followers of Alma\nnumbered four hundred and fifty.\n\nIt was too bad that poor Abinadi died without seeing the result of\nhis labors. He had been the means of converting Alma, and Alma had\nconverted four hundred and fifty people. Therefore, if Abinadi's life\nhad been spared a few years longer his heart would have been made glad\nat seeing hundreds of his people forsake their evil ways and turn unto\nthe Lord.\n\nOne day a man went to King Noah and told him that Alma had gathered a\nlarge number of people together and was advising them to turn against\nthe king. That was not true, but the king believed it, and he at once\nsent out his army to destroy Alma and his people. But Alma heard of the\ncoming of the army. He told the news to his followers and they quickly\ntook down their tents and went away to another part of the country.\n\nYou will remember that Abinadi told the Nephites that if they did not\nstop doing wicked things the Lord would let the Lamanites come down\nupon them, conquer them and make them their servants. I will now tell\nyou how the words of the prophet were fulfilled.\n\nOne day King Noah was up in a high tower. As he looked over the land he\nsaw a sight which frightened him terribly--the armies of the Lamanites\nwere coming to make war upon the Nephites! Noah ran down quickly out\nof the tower calling to his people to flee for their lives, as the\nLamanites were coming to destroy them. Noah was a coward. He not only\nran away himself, but told his men to leave their wives and children,\nso as to save their own lives.\n\nSome of them did so, but the greater part of them stayed with their\nfamilies. The cowardly Nephites who ran away were pursued by the\nLamanites. A number of them were overtaken and slain.\n\nWhen the Nephites who had stayed with their families saw the Lamanites\ncoming towards them they sent out their fair daughters to plead with\nthe Lamanites to spare their lives. The Lamanites were charmed with the\nbeauty of the Nephite maidens. They told them not to fear, that they\nwould neither hurt them nor their parents.\n\nThe Lamanites told the Nephites they would let them return to their\nhomes and farms if they would agree to pay to the king of the Lamanites\none-half of all their gold and silver and precious things, and also\none-half of the crops which they might raise each year.\n\nIn order to save their lives the Nephites agreed to the demands\nof the Lamanites. That day the words of the Prophet Abinadi were\nfulfilled--the Nephites had become servants to the Lamanites.\n\n\"Did they remain all their lives in that condition?\"\n\nI will answer that question in my next story.\n\n\n\nHOW THE LORD DELIVERED HIS PEOPLE.\n\nAt the close of my last story you asked me if the Nephites had to stay\nin bondage to the Lamanites all the rest of their lives. It will, I\nknow, make you glad to hear that, in His own time, the Lord delivered\nthem out of the hands of their oppressors.\n\nBut before setting them free. He permitted great afflictions to come\nupon them as punishment for their sins and to teach them to be humble\nand to live good lives.\n\nAs the years went by, the Lamanites treated the Nephites more cruelly.\nThey made them go out and work in their fields, carry heavy burdens,\nand when they complained, the Lamanites beat them and told them to\nremember they were their servants.\n\nThere was a man reigning as king over the Nephites at that time, whose\nname was Limhi. He was the grandson of Zeniff. It made him feel very\nbad to look upon the afflictions of his people. But he could not help\nthem, except by speaking kindly to them, telling them to bear their\ntrials as patiently as possible, and to pray often and earnestly to the\nLord to deliver them.\n\nThree times the Nephites came to Limhi, saying, \"O, king, we cannot\nstand the treatment of the Lamanites any longer. We would just as lieve\ndie as continue to live in this condition. We want you to let us go\nto war with the Lamanites. We will fight with all our might to rid\nourselves of this terrible slavery.\"\n\nBut Limhi knew that his people were weak and that they were far less\nin number than the Lamanites; so he advised them not to go to war.\nThey kept on pleading with him, however, and, seeing that they were\ndetermined, he finally yielded.\n\nThe Nephites fought three battles with the Lamanites and each time the\nNephites were badly beaten. Then they saw that no power save the power\nof God could deliver them; so they cried to the Lord in anguish of soul\nto help them to get free from their enemies.\n\nAt last the Lord heard and listened to their prayers. He saw that they\nwere sorry for all the wicked things they had done, and for the way in\nwhich they had treated the Prophet Abinadi. So He looked down in mercy\nupon them and began to prepare a way for their escape. This is how He\ndid it:\n\nYou remember that Zeniff and his followers left the rest of the\nNephites to go up to the land of the Lamanites. The people whom Zeniff\nleft were living in a city called Zarahemla. They had as their ruler a\nwise and good man named Mosiah. A number of times Mosiah's people had\ngone to him and said, \"King Mosiah, what do you think has become of\nZeniff and those who went with him to the land of the Lamanites? It is\nmany years since they left us, and we have never heard from them.\"\n\nAnd Mosiah would say, \"I am sure, my people, I do not know what has\nbecome of them. I fear the Lamanites have slain them. It seems to me\nthat if they were alive we would have heard from them.\"\n\nOne day, sixteen large, strong men went to King Mosiah and told him\nthey had decided to go in search of the people of Zeniff. At first\nMosiah refused to let them go: he was afraid they might get lost also.\nBut after they had talked with him for some time he consented.\n\nThey chose for their leader a man named Ammon. He was a man of great\nstrength and courage. So, with Amnion at their head, and provisions to\nlast them a long time, the party set out in search of their brethren.\nA large number of men and women, boys and girls followed them to the\noutskirts of the city, cheering them on their way.\n\nFor forty days Ammon and his followers traveled in the wilderness in\nsearch of their brethren. They had seen no sign of them, so they began\nto feel discouraged and to think that their mission had been in vain.\nThey did not know that at that time they were only a short distance\nfrom them, and that ere long they would be rejoicing in their company.\n\nAt the end of forty days' travel, Ammon and his brethren came to a high\nhill. At the foot of the hill they put up their tents. After having\nrefreshed themselves, Ammon took three of his brethren and climbed to\nthe top of the hill. When they reached the summit they saw a sight\nwhich brought the greatest joy to their hearts. In the valley below was\na beautiful city, and in the city were their long-lost brethren.\n\nAmmon and his comrades lost no time in making their way to the city.\nBut just as they were about to enter it they were seized by several\nmen--guards of the king--and taken off to prison. The men who arrested\nAmmon and his brethren did not know who they were: they thought they\nwere spies sent out by the Lamanites.\n\nThe next day Ammon and his three companions were brought before King\nLimhi. The king asked them who they were, and when Ammon told him they\nwere his brethren, and that they had come from Zarahemla in search\nof him and his people, Limhi rejoiced and praised the Lord. He sent\nout and brought the other members of Ammon's party into the city and\ntreated them all with the greatest kindness.\n\nThe king then told Ammon all that had happened to the people of Zeniff\nfrom the time they had left their brethren: how they had broken the\ncommandments of God and had killed the Prophet Abinadi. Because of that\nthe Lord had forsaken them and had suffered them to be brought into\nbondage to the Lamanites.\n\n\"Well,\" said Ammon, \"I feel that the Lord has sent us to deliver you\nand to lead you back to your own people in the land of Zarahemla.\"\n\nKing Limhi called his people together, and they listened with the\ngreatest interest while Ammon told them that he and his brethren had\ncome all the way from Zarahemla in search of them, and now that they\nhad found them, they were going to help them to free themselves from\nbondage.\n\nWhen Ammon had finished speaking, a man named Gideon, leader of the\nNephite army, went forward and bowed down before the king. \"O, king,\"\nsaid he, \"if you will grant me permission I will undertake to deliver\nour people out of the power of the Lamanites.\"\n\n\"How do you think you can do that?\" asked the king.\n\n\"In this way,\" said Gideon, \"let all the people get ready for the\njourney, and tonight when the Lamanites are asleep I will lead our\npeople out by the back pass. When the Lamanites awake in the morning we\nwill be so far away that they cannot overtake us.\"\n\nGideon's plan pleased the king, and he at once gave orders to his\npeople to prepare to make their escape. That night, while the Lamanites\nslept, Gideon got his people together, and, with Ammon and his brethren\nleading the way, they started for Zarahemla.\n\nYou can imagine the surprise of the Lamanites when they awoke the\nnext morning and found the cities of the Nephites deserted. You can\nalso imagine the surprise and joy of King Mosiah and the Nephites in\nZarahemla when Ammon and his followers returned accompanied by their\nbrethren and sisters who, through the power of God, had been delivered\nout of the hands of the Lamanites.\n\nI suppose you would also like to know what became of Alma and his\npeople, who made their escape from the army of King Noah. They settled\nin another part of the land and were doing well, when one day an army\nof Lamanites came down upon them and captured them and their city.\n\nThey also became servants to the Lamanites; but after a time the Lord\nhelped them to make their escape, and they, too, came and joined their\nbrethren in the land of Zarahemla.\n\n\n\nREMARKABLE CONVERSIONS AND MISSIONARY EXPERIENCE.\n\nAfter the Nephites had become reunited in Zarahemla, King Mosiah\nplaced Alma at the head of the Church. Alma was a faithful servant of\nthe Lord. He spent his time traveling through the land, teaching the\nNephites the ways of the Lord and establishing branches of the Church\namong them.\n\nFor a number of years there was peace, happiness and prosperity in\nZarahemla. Then a division took place among the people. Many of them\nceased serving the Lord, left the Church, and began to persecute those\nwho believed in and remained true to the faith of their fathers.\n\nAmong the unbelievers and persecutors were the four sons of King\nMosiah, and a young man named Alma, the son of Alma who presided over\nthe Church. The hearts of the parents of these young men were sorely\ngrieved at the conduct of their sons. They did all in their power to\nturn them from their wicked course, but they utterly failed.\n\nThey refused, however, to give them up. They knew that where they had\nfailed the Lord could succeed. So every day they knelt in prayer and\npleaded with the Lord in behalf of their wayward and rebellious sons.\n\nLet me tell you now what the prayers of these righteous parents\naccomplished. One day Alma the younger and the four sons of Mosiah\ndecided to go to a certain place and make trouble for the Church there.\nThey thought they were great fellows, and that they knew much more than\ndid the people who belonged to the Church of God. But the Lord showed\nthem that day how weak and ignorant they were, and how foolish it was\nfor them to try to destroy the work which He had established.\n\nWhat did the Lord do? He sent an angel from heaven to turn these\nyoung men from their wicked course and to save them from destruction.\nStanding before Alma and the sons of Mosiah, the heavenly messenger\nspoke with a voice which caused the ground to tremble beneath their\nfeet and Alma and his companions fell to the earth.\n\n\"The Lord has sent me to you,\" said the angel, \"to tell you that you\nare doing a very wicked thing in persecuting His people and trying to\ndestroy His Church. The Lord has great respect for your parents, for\nthey are good people. He has heard their prayers in your behalf, and\nthat is why He sent me to you. Now, you must repent of all the evil you\nhave done, and turn to the Lord and serve Him faithfully all the days\nof your life.\"\n\nAfter having delivered his message, the angel left them. Alma was so\nweak that he could not stand upon his feet, so the sons of Mosiah\ncarried him to his father and told the elder Alma all that had happened.\n\nOn hearing the news, Alma's father rejoiced, and gave thanks to God for\nthe great mercy which He had shown to his sons and also to the sons of\nMosiah. He called a large number of people together and they fasted and\nprayed two days and two nights for Alma's recovery. At the end of that\ntime his strength returned. He stood upon his feet and told the people\nall that the Lord had done for him.\n\nFrom that time Alma and the sons of Mosiah became faithful workers in\nthe Church, and were the means of turning many people to the Lord.\n\nYou will be interested, I know, in hearing of some remarkable things\nwhich took place while Alma was laboring as a missionary among certain\nof the Nephites who had departed from the true faith. What I am about\nto tell took place in one of the cities of the Nephites, called\nAmmonihah.\n\nAlma had gone there alone to preach to the people. His mission was a\nhard one, for the people were very wicked. Day after day he stood up\nand preached to them, pleading with them to repent of their sins, that\nthe judgments of God might not come upon them. But they had become so\nwicked that the preaching of Alma had no effect upon them except to\nmake them exceedingly angry and to cause them to treat the prophet in a\nshameful manner. They spat in his face, slapped him on the cheeks, and\nfinally drove him out of the city.\n\nWe can imagine the feelings of the poor missionary as, with bowed head\nand sorrowful heart, he traveled along the road leading from Ammonihah\nto the city of Aaron. He believed when he first entered Ammonihah that\nhe would find a few people at least who would give heed to what he\nsaid, and turn from their wicked ways; but, alas! he had not found one\nwho was willing to do so. \"Yes,\" thought he, \"my mission has been a\ncomplete failure.\"\n\nJust at that moment an angel of God descended from heaven and stood\nbefore him. He told Alma that he was the same heavenly messenger who\nhad appeared to him and the sons of Mosiah some years before, and had\nconverted them. The angel told Alma that the Lord was well pleased with\nhim, because he had kept His commandments. He said also that the Lord\nwanted Alma to return to the city of Ammonihah and preach again to the\npeople there.\n\nThe words of the heavenly visitor caused new joy and hope to spring up\nin Alma's heart. As soon as the angel had delivered his message, Alma\nturned and walked back towards the city from which he had been banished\na short time before.\n\nHe was very weak and hungry, for he had fasted many days. As he was\nabout to enter the city he met a man whom he stopped, and asked, \"Will\nyou give an humble servant of God something to eat?\"\n\nThe man gazed on Alma with astonishment. Then he said, \"Why, you are\nthe man an angel told me about last night in a vision. I am very glad I\nhave met you, for I know you are a true prophet of God.\"\n\nThe man's name was Amulek. He took Alma to his home, gave him food and\ndrink, and made him rest several days. Then Alma and Amulek went out\namong the people and began to preach to them. They were filled with\nthe spirit and power of God. To their great joy, many believed their\nmessage, repented of their sins, and began to live righteous lives.\n\nBut the greater part of the people would not believe the preaching\nof Alma and Amulek. They not only mocked the missionaries, but beat\nthem and abused them in other shameful ways. Finally they seized Alma\nand Amulek and cast them into prison. They stripped them of all their\nclothing, bound them with strong cords, and kept them there for several\ndays without either food or drink.\n\nEach day a number of wicked men went to the prison and made mock of\nAlma and his companion. But that was not all: they also spat in their\nfaces and slapped their cheeks.\n\nThe missionaries bore all these things with such patience that they\nastonished their enemies.\n\nYou might say, \"Why did not the Lord come to the aid of His servants\nand deliver them out of the hands of those wicked men?\"\n\nWell, my children, that is just what He did do, as you will now hear.\n\nOne day a number of very bad men went to the prison in which the\nservants of the Lord were bound. They treated them in the same cruel\nmanner as before. Suddenly the power of God rested mightily upon Alma\nand Amulek, and they sprang to their feet. \"How long, Lord,\" cried\nAlma, \"shall we suffer these great afflictions? O, Lord, give us\nstrength, according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto our\ndeliverance!\" At that moment they broke the cords which bound them and\nstood free before their persecutors.\n\nOn seeing that, every one of the ungodly crowd began to tremble with\nfright. They tried to run out of the prison, but they could not. They\nwere so overcome with fear that they fell on the prison floors. Then\nthe Lord caused a terrible earthquake to shake the prison to its\nfoundation, and a few moments later it was in a heap of ruins. Alma and\nAmulek walked out of the prison unharmed, but every one of the wicked\nmen inside perished.\n\nWhat a serious thing it is for people to persecute the servants of the\nliving God.\n\n\n\nMISSION OF THE SONS OF MOSIAH TO THE LAMANITES.\n\nSome time after their conversion, Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni, the\nfour sons of Mosiah, requested their father to grant them permission to\ngo to the land of Nephi, to preach the Gospel to the Lamanites there.\n\nMosiah prayed to the Lord concerning the matter, and the answer which\nhe received was as follows: \"Let them go up, for many shall believe on\ntheir words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy\nsons out of the hands of the Lamanites.\"\n\nThis promise gave joy and encouragement to Mosiah and his sons. The\nday for the young men's departure came. They were joined by a number\nof faithful companions, and, with their father's blessing upon their\nheads, the little band of missionaries went forth \"to seek and to save\nthe lost.\"\n\nThat was one of the hardest missions ever undertaken by mortal man.\nThe Lamanites in Nephi and surrounding places were a wild and wicked\npeople. They took delight in murdering the Nephites and in stealing\ntheir property. They knew nothing concerning the true God, but\nworshiped idols. The Lord, however, had made a promise to the Lamanites\nthat, through repentance, they would be blessed and given a knowledge\nof the true plan of salvation.\n\nWhen the sons of Mosiah and their companions came to the land of the\nLamanites they separated, each going to the place assigned him by\nAmmon, who was in charge of the company. Ammon chose as his field of\nlabor the land of Ishmael. He had no sooner entered it than he was\narrested by Lamanites, who bound him and confined him in a prison.\n\nHe was later brought before King Lamoni, who asked him if he were\ndesirous of living with his people, the Lamanites. Ammon said he would\nbe pleased to do so for a time, and that, perhaps, he might stay with\nthem the rest of his life.\n\nThat pleased the king, and he ordered his servants to release Ammon.\nLamoni told Ammon he would like him to marry one of his daughters, but\nthe missionary respectfully declined. He told the king, however, that\nhe would be his servant, and his offer was promptly accepted.\n\nYou might think that that was a strange thing for the missionary to do,\nand it was; but it was the right thing, as you will agree when you hear\nwhat took place a little later.\n\nOne day Ammon and a number of other servants of King Lamoni took their\nmaster's flocks to a certain place to water them. They had no sooner\nreached the place than a party of Lamanites came with their flocks.\nThe latter began at once to make trouble for the king's servants by\ndriving: their flocks away and scattering them.\n\nThat was a very serious matter. The same thing had happened before to\nother servants of the king, and when they returned and told Lamoni what\nhad taken place, he became very angry with them and ordered them to be\nput to death.\n\nSo, fearing that a similar fate might befall them, those who were with\nAmmon began to cry piteously. Ammon now saw an opportunity for him\nto exercise his powder, and he did so with good effect. He told his\nfellow-servants to dry their tears, and that he would help them to get\nthe flocks together. He did so, but again the Lamanites began to drive\nthem off.\n\nThen Alma told his companions to look after the flocks while he went\nover to teach the Lamanites a lesson. He had not the least fear, for he\nremembered the promise which the Lord had made to his father--that He\nwould deliver his sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.\n\nThe Lamanites laughed at one man coming out to oppose them, but\ntheir laughter was turned into mourning when six of their number lay\ndead upon the ground. With simple sling and stones Ammon fought his\nopponents single-handed, and, as I have said, slew six of them.\n\nSeizing heavy clubs, a number of the Lamanites rushed at Ammon to kill\nhim; but he was too smart for them. He grasped his sword and melded it\nwith such skill that he slew their leader and also cut an arm off every\nman who raised his club against him. The rest fled in terror. Then\nAmmon returned, and, with his companions, attended to the watering of\ntheir master's flocks.\n\nWhen King Lamoni heard what Ammon had done he was greatly astonished\nand exclaimed, \"This is the Great Spirit, and he has come down at this\ntime to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your\nbrethren.\" \"Where is Ammon?\" the king asked, and when he was told\nthat he was out attending to his majesty's horses, he said, \"Surely\nthere has not been any servant among all my servants that has been as\nfaithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to\nexecute them.\"\n\nLamoni sent for Amnion. He told him that he had heard of the wonderful\nthing which he had done, and asked him if he were the Great Spirit.\n\nAmmon answered that he was not, that he was simply a servant of the\ntrue and living God. He told the king that he had not slain the\nLamanites by his own power, but by the power which God had given Him.\n\nThe king requested Ammon to tell him about the true God whom he and his\nfathers worshiped. Ammon did so, and also explained to him the Gospel,\npointing out to the king how he could obtain forgiveness of all his\nsins and at last be saved in the kingdom of God.\n\nThe king and queen of the Lamanites believed the things which Ammon\ntold them, and they and many of their people were converted and\nbaptized. The Lord bestowed great blessings upon them. King Lamoni had\na vision, in which he beheld the Savior, and a number of others saw\nand conversed with angels. Then Ammon organized a branch of the Church\namongst them, and had great joy at seeing the fruits of his missionary\nlabors.\n\nThe Lord now made known to Ammon that three of his missionary\ncompanions were in prison in the land of Middoni. Ammon told the news\nto the king, and added that he would have to go at once and do all in\nhis power to have them released. The king said he would go with him and\nassist him.\n\nOn the way they met Lamoni's father, who was king over the whole\nland. The sight of his son riding in company with a Nephite threw the\nold king into a fit of fierce anger. He called Ammon all manner of\nvile names, and ordered his son to slay him. But, instead of doing\nso, Lamoni, to the astonishment of his father, stood up and defended\nAmnion. Lamoni's father drew his sword and rushed at Ammon to slay him,\nbut Ammon smote him on the arm so that he could not use the weapon.\n\nFinding himself at the mercy of Ammon, Lamoni's father pleaded with him\nto spare his life, saying if he would do so he would give him even to\nthe half of his kingdom. \"I will spare your life on these conditions,\"\nAmmon replied, \"that you allow your son Lamoni to retain his kingdom,\nand that you have my brethren released from prison.\"\n\nTo that the old king willingly agreed. Ammon's brethren were given\ntheir liberty, and they and their companions traveled for years among\nthe Lamanites preaching to them the everlasting Gospel. Thousands of\nthe Lamanites were converted to the Lord, and they remained true to the\nfaith all the days of their life. They became a kind and industrious\npeople, and the Lord in His mercy took the curse away from them, so\nthat they became white like the Nephites.\n\n\n\nSAMUEL THE LAMANITE--HIS PROPHECIES AND THEIR FULFILLMENT.\n\nI am going to tell you this evening about a great prophet who lived on\nthis continent in the days of the Nephites. His name was Samuel. He was\na Lamanite, but, because of his holy life, he was beloved of God, and\nwas chosen to be a prophet unto His people.\n\nThrough the blessings of the Lord and their own industry the Nephites\nin Zarahemla became exceedingly wealthy. Then, like many others, before\nand since, they allowed pride and other corrupt feelings to enter into\ntheir hearts and to drive out the love for God and His rightousness\nwhich had held place there for years.\n\nAs their good works had won for them the favor and blessings of God,\nso their wickedness was fast bringing upon them His condemnation and\npunishment. In order to save them from destruction, the Lord sent\nSamuel the Lamanite to plead with them to repent of their sins and to\nturn again into the way of righteousness from which they had wandered.\n\nDay after day the voice of the prophet was heard among the Nephites\ncrying repentance, and prophesying concerning great and wonderful\nthings which would take place in the future. I am going to tell you\nabout a remarkable prophecy which he uttered at that time, and which\nwas fulfilled to the very letter.\n\nStanding upon the top of a high wall, so that many of the people could\nsee and hear him, Samuel prophesied of a wonderful event which he said\nwould take place five years from that time. It would be the greatest\nevent in history--the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world.\n\nIt was to take place in another country, near the city in which Lehi\nand his family lived before they set out for the promised land. The\nprophet told them of certain signs which would be given at the time of\nthe Savior's birth. When they saw the signs they might know that the\nSon of God had come into the world to redeem mankind from sin and death.\n\nThese were some of the signs: the night before the Lord would be born\nthere would be no darkness at all; the night would be just as bright\nand clear as the day had been; a new star, one that had never been seen\nbefore, would make its appearance in the heavens. The prophet said\nthat when these signs would be given many of the people would be so\nastonished and overcome that they would fall to the earth.\n\nThen Samuel the Lamanite prophesied concerning the Savior's life--that\nHe would be despised and rejected of men--and also concerning His death\nand resurrection. He told the people that at the time the Savior would\nbe put to death, neither the sun, moon, nor stars would give any light,\nso that on this continent there would be continuous darkness for three\ndays and nights. There would also be terrible tempests, and earthquakes\nwhich would shake the earth, cause the mountains to fall, and many\ncities to be destroyed.\n\nThen the warning voice of the prophet was heard again, calling upon the\nNephites to repent of their sins, that they might escape the judgments\nof God.\n\nYou will be glad to hear that many of the people who heard Samuel\nbelieved his words. They repented sincerely of their wickedness and\nwere baptized for the remission of their sins. Others, however, became\nangry, and tried to take the prophet's life by throwing stones and\nshooting arrows at him as he stood upon the wall.\n\nStrange to tell, the servant of the Lord was not hit once, although\nrocks and arrows flew round him in great numbers. On seeing how Samuel\nwas protected by the power of God, many more of the Nephites were\nconverted, and, through repentance and baptism, were restored to the\nChurch of Christ.\n\nThen the cry went up from the ungodly ones, \"Take this fellow and bind\nhim, for behold he hath a devil; and because of the power of the devil\nwhich is in him, we cannot hit him with our stones and our arrows;\ntherefore take him and bind him, and away with him.\"\n\nThey began to climb the wall, but before they had reached the top,\nSamuel had jumped down on the other side and made his escape. He was\nnever seen again by the Nephites.\n\nFive years passed by. The time had now come for the fulfillment of the\nfirst part of Samuel the Lamanite's prophecy--the time of the Savior's\nbirth. Then the wicked and unbelieving among the Nephites arose and\nsaid that the time was past, that the signs had not appeared, that\nSamuel was a false prophet, and that all who believed on him should be\nput to death. They decided, however, before carrying out their threat,\nto name a certain day on which the signs should appear. If that day\nshould pass without the signs being given, then the believers among the\nNephites might prepare for the fate which had been decreed against them.\n\nAmong the faithful was a man named Nephi. He believed every word that\nSamuel the Lamanite had spoken. The day before the one set apart by the\nunbelievers Nephi went out and prayed for hours unto the Lord in behalf\nof his people. Then the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, \"Be of\ngood cheer, for behold the time is at hand, and on this night shall the\nsign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world.\"\n\nHis heart filled with joy and gladness, Nephi returned and told the\ngood news to his brethren and sisters, and they rejoiced and praised\nthe Lord.\n\nTo the great astonishment of all the unbelievers, that night the signs\nwere given--there was no darkness, but the night was just as bright as\nthe midday before. The new star appeared, and then, just as the prophet\nhad predicted, many of the wicked fell to the earth, being overcome\nwith fear because of their iniquities. The spirit of repentance\ntook possession of the great majority of the unbelievers; they were\nconverted, baptized, and made members of the Church.\n\nAbout thirty-four years later some terrible things took place in this\nland. For three days and nights the whole country was enveloped in\ndarkness. So great was the darkness that it was impossible for the\npeople to strike a light or kindle a fire. Then a frightful storm\nburst forth, the like of which had never been seen in all the land.\nThe thunders of heaven shook the earth and lightning set fire to many\ncities, among them the great city of Zarahemla. Mountains fell, cities\nwere buried, and others sank in the depths of the sea.\n\nAll that terrible destruction took place at the time the Savior was put\nto death on the cross outside of Jerusalem. It had come upon the people\njust as Samuel the Lamanite had predicted, as a punishment for their\nsins.\n\nThen followed a time of weeping and mourning among those whose lives\nhad been spared. In anguish of soul they cried, \"O, that we had\nrepented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed the\nprophets and cast them out. Then none of these things would have come\nupon us.\"\n\nIn the midst of their heart-rending lamentations a voice was heard\nfrom heaven. It was the voice of Jesus. \"Behold,\" said He, \"I am Jesus\nChrist, the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all\nthings that in them are.\" The Savior told them that He had finished the\nmission which His Father had given Him. He called upon them to repent\nand to be baptized, promising them, if they would do so, a remission of\ntheir sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost.\n\nThe words of the blessed Redeemer brought peace and consolation to\ntheir souls. They willingly yielded obedience to His Divine commands,\nand the blessings of the Lord were bestowed upon them in rich abundance.\n\n\n\nTWO MEMORABLE BATTLES.\n\nThe Lamanites throughout the land who had not been converted preserved\nin their hearts a deadly hatred towards the Nephites. Time after time\nthe Lamanites made war upon the Nephites, and tens of thousands of\nlives were sacrificed on both sides.\n\nIf I were to begin to tell you the terrible results of their wars,\nbefore I had proceeded far you would put your fingers in your ears and\ncry, \"Stop! stop! stop!\"\n\nI am going to tell you of two of their battles. A remarkable thing\nhappened in connection with one of them which, when you have heard it,\nwill show you some of the wonderful things which can be accomplished\nthrough faith.\n\nThe Lamanites who were converted through the preaching of the sons of\nMosiah were afterwards known as the people of Ammon. They left their\nown lands and went to reside in a place called Jershon, not far from\nZarahemla. They entered into a covenant with the Lord that they would\nnever take up arms against their Lamanite brethren.\n\nNow, there were a great many of the Nephites who had broken the\ncommandments of God. Because of that, they had lost their membership in\nthe Church, and were not numbered among the people of the Lord. That\nwas a terrible thing. But their condition became much worse when they\nturned traitors, joined themselves to the Lamanites, and began to fight\nagainst their Nephite brethren.\n\nThe chief captain over the armies of the Nephites at that time was\na young man named Moroni. He Avas a God-fearing man, and a prophet.\nHe was also a great general. In time of peace he prepared for war.\nHe provided his soldiers with thick clothing, with breast-plates,\nhead-plates and arm-plates, as protection against the deadly weapons of\nthe Lamanites.\n\nThe Lamanite armies had at their head a man named Zarahemna. He was a\ngreat soldier, too. But he had not thought of protecting his men as\nMoroni had protected his. The Lamanite soldiers were naked, except for\na girdle of skin, which they wore about their loins.\n\nMoroni heard that the Lamanites were coming to make war upon his\npeople. He, therefore, got his armies ready to meet them. Feeling\nconfident of an easy victory, the Lamanites marched towards the land\nof Jershon. As they drew near it they saw Moroni's army prepared to\noppose them. Seeing how well the Nephite soldiers were protected, the\nLamanites changed their minds, and instead of attacking Jershon they\nturned and proceeded towards the land of Manti.\n\nMoroni did not know where the Lamanites were going, so he sent out\nspies to watch them. He also sent a messenger to Alma to request\nthe prophet to ask the Lord to reveal to him the movements of the\nLamanites. The Lord told Alma they were marching towards the land of\nManti.\n\nOn hearing that, Moroni left part of his army in Jershon, to protect\nthat place, and with the rest he hastened to Manti, arriving there some\ntime ahead of the Lamanites. He called to his assistance all the men in\nManti who could bear arms, and when the Lamanites again appeared Moroni\nwas ready to give them battle.\n\nThe war commenced. Both sides fought with all the courage and\nfierceness they could command. Several times the Lamanites were driven\nback, and each time they returned to the conflict. The slaughter which\ntook place is terrible to read about. Before the war was half over,\nthousands of lives had been sacrificed.\n\nAt one time the Nephites showed signs of weakening. Then the voice of\nGeneral Moroni rang out, reminding his men of that for which they were\nfighting--their religion, their liberty, their wives and children,\ntheir houses and lands. His words filled their hearts with renewed\ncourage, and with a cry to the Lord to help them, the Nephites rushed\nupon the Lamanites and slew them in great numbers. Seeing that his\nenemies were beaten, Moroni commanded his men to stop slaying them.\n\nAddressing Zerahemna, Moroni said, \"You see now that you are in our\npower. It would be easy for us to slay you, but we do not desire to\nshed your blood. I, therefore, call upon you and your followers to\ndeliver unto us your weapons of war, and to enter into a covenant that\nyou will never again take up arms against us. If you refuse to do this,\nI will command my men to attack you again and utterly destroy you.\"\n\nWhen Moroni had finished speaking, Zerahemna stepped forward and\nhanded him his sword, cimeter and bow. \"We are willing,\" he said, \"to\nsurrender to your our weapons, but we will not enter into a covenant\nnever to go to war with you again, because we know we would not keep\nour promise.\"\n\nOn hearing that, Moroni handed Zerahemna back his weapons and the\ndeadly conflict was resumed. The Lord gave great strength to the\nNephites so that the Lamanites fell before them in large numbers. At\nlast Zerahemna began to plead for mercy, so Moroni gave orders for the\nbattle to cease. The conquered Lamanites laid down their arms at the\nfeet of the Nephites, and after entering into the covenant proposed by\nMoroni, they were permitted to return to their own lands.\n\nPeace reigned throughout the land for a number of years. Then the\nLamanites broke the covenant they had made with the Nephites and a\nseries of terrible wars followed.\n\nSeveral times the people of Ammon (the Lamanites whom Ammon and his\nbrethren had converted) were tempted to break their covenant with the\nLord and to take up arms in defense of the Nephites. They refrained,\nhowever, from doing so.\n\nBut among the people of Ammon there were two thousand young men who\nwere little boys when their fathers made covenant with the Lord that\nthey would never fight against their Lamanite brethren. These young men\nhad not made such a promise, so they came forward and offered their\nservices to the Nephites--to help them preserve their religion, their\nliberty, their houses and lands.\n\nTheir kind offer was willingly accepted. They chose as their leader a\nman named Helaman. No father was ever more proud of his sons than was\nHelaman of his two thousand young soldiers. And well he might be, for\nno better army ever entered a field of battle. Besides their weapons of\nwar, they were armed with a far greater thing--a perfect faith in God.\nThat faith had been planted in their hearts through the teachings of\ntheir godly mothers. They had been taught from their childhood to have\nimplicit faith in the Lord, and to tryst Him in every hour of trial.\n\nOne day these two thousand young soldiers found themselves engaged in\nbattle with a large army of the Lamanites. The lighting was terrible on\nboth sides. Helaman and his little army fought like dragons. Many of\nthe Lamanites were slain, and finally the remainder threw down their\narms and offered themselves as prisoners of war.\n\nThe battle ended, Helaman proceeded to call the roll of his army, and\nto his great astonishment every one of his two thousand young warriors\nanswered \"Present.\"\n\n\"Not one of them was killed!\"\n\nNo, not a single one. Their faith had saved them.\n\n\n\nCHRIST'S VISIT TO THE NEPHITES.\n\nOne day a large number of Nephites were assembled at the temple in the\nland Bountiful. It was soon after the terrible destruction I told you\nabout in a former story, and the people were talking about the great\nchanges which had taken place.\n\nSuddenly the whole multitude was startled by a strange voice speaking\nto them out of heaven. It was neither a loud nor a harsh voice, but\nit was so powerful that it thrilled the hearts of all who heard it.\nThe voice was heard twice, but no one understood the words which were\nspoken.\n\nAs the people stood looking up towards heaven, the voice spoke to them\nagain, and that time they understood the heavenly message. It was the\nvoice of God. \"Behold,\" said He, \"my beloved Son, in whom I am well\npleased, in whom I have glorified my name; hear ye him.\"\n\nAt that moment the heavens were opened and a glorious personage,\nclothed in a robe of spotless white, descended and stood in the midst\nof the people. Every eye was turned upon Him. He stretched forth His\nhand and there was perfect silence. Then He addressed the multitude,\nsaying, \"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall\ncome into the world.\"\n\nThey listened with almost breathless interest while He told them of\nthe mission which He had performed and of the cruel death which He had\nsuffered upon the cross. He showed them the wounds which the nails had\nmade in His hands and feet and which the sword had made in His side.\nHe invited them to come forward one by one and feel the prints of the\nnails and the mark of the sword.\n\nThey all did as He desired. Then with united voice they exclaimed,\n\"Hosanna! blessed be the name of the Most High God.\" And they fell down\nat the feet of Jesus and worshiped Him.\n\nThe Savior bade Nephi to come to Him. The faithful disciple went\nforward, and kneeling upon the ground, kissed the feet of his beloved\nRedeemer. The Lord gave Nephi authority to baptize, as He also did\nto a number of others whom He chose from among the assembly. He gave\nthem instructions concerning the manner in which they were to baptize\npeople, and told them the words they should use when performing the\nordinance.\n\nWhen repentant believers came to be baptized they were to be taken down\ninto the water. Then, calling them by name, the person appointed to\nperform the ordinance should say, \"Having authority given me of Jesus\nChrist, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of\nthe Holy Ghost. Amen. And then,\" said Jesus, \"ye shall immerse them in\nthe water, and come forth again out of the water.\"\n\nFor a long time the Savior stood up in the midst of the Nephites\nteaching them the glorious principles of the everlasting Gospel. Then\nHe told them to go to their homes, but to meet again on the morrow,\nwhen He would pay them another visit and give them further instructions.\n\nBut they had no desire to go away. They stood looking pleadingly at the\nLord, wishing in their hearts that He would tarry with them a little\nlonger. Tears were coursing down their cheeks, and on seeing His people\nweeping, the Savior was filled with compassion for them.\n\nHe asked them if there were any sick among them, and on being told\nthere were many. He requested that they be brought to Him. At His\nDivine command the blind received their sight, the lame were made to\nwalk, and the sick were restored to perfect health. So grateful were\nthose who were healed that they knelt down before the Lord, kissed His\nfeet and bathed them with their tears.\n\nJesus then told the Nephites to bring their little children to\nHim. They did so. He requested all present to kneel with Him upon\nthe ground. Then the voice of the Lord was heard in prayer, and so\nmarvelous were the words which He uttered that no one was permitted to\nmake a record of them. After prayer, the Savior blessed each of the\nlittle ones, when immediately the heavens were opened and angels came\ndown and ministered unto them.\n\nChrist then instituted the sacrament among the Nephites, and, after\ngiving them much good counsel, He dismissed them. That was the most\nglorious day in the history of the Nephites. When we read of the\nwonderful things which took place on that occasion the wish arises\nin our hearts that we had been there, to behold the face of our\nresurrected Lord, and to hear the glorious truths which fell from His\nlibs.\n\n\n\nTHE THREE NEPHITES.\n\nAfter ministering to the Nephites, Jesus returned to His Father in\nHeaven. Then the people went to their homes. The news of the Savior's\nvisit, and of the wonderful things which He had done, was carried\nto all the Nephites. There were many of them who did not go to bed\nthat night. They had to get ready for the next day, for the Lord had\npromised the Nephites that He would visit them again on the morrow.\n\nThe day following, when all the people had assembled together, there\nwere so many that they had to be divided into twelve bodies. Jesus had\nchosen twelve disciples to preside over the Nephites and to teach them\nthe Gospel. These ministers of the Lord knelt down with the people upon\nthe ground and prayed with all their hearts to God for the gift of His\nHoly Spirit. Their prayers were answered. They not only received the\nHoly Spirit, but angels came down from heaven and ministered unto them.\n\nThen, to the great joy of all the people, Jesus descended and stood in\ntheir midst. He requested them to kneel down upon the ground, and when\nthey had done so the Lord and His disciples prayed for them. When their\nprayers were ended the people arose. Jesus brought forth bread and wine\nand they all partook of the sacrament. The Savior remained with them a\nlong time, teaching them many glorious principles--things which you, my\nchildren, will learn as you grow in years.\n\nOne day the twelve disciples whom Jesus had chosen met together to\nfast and pray. While thus engaged in worshiping God, the Lord appeared\nin their midst. He asked them what they would like Him to do for them\nafter He had returned to His Father.\n\nNine of them said the desire of their hearts was that, after having\nfulfilled their mission on earth, they might be permitted to go to the\nLord in His kingdom. Jesus was pleased with their request, and He told\nthe nine that when they were seventy-two years old He would take them\nto heaven, to live in peace and happiness forever.\n\nThe Lord then turned to the three disciples who had not spoken. He\nasked them what they desired Him to do for them. They did not answer\nHim, for they were afraid to tell Him the desire that was in their\nhearts.\n\nBut Jesus knew their thoughts. He told them they desired to have power\nover death, that they might live till He would come in His glory, and\nspend their days in the service of God. The Lord blessed them, and\npromised them that they should never taste of death, neither would they\nhave any more pain or sorrow.\n\nJesus touched the three Nephites with His finger, and then left them.\nImmediately the heavens were opened, and the three disciples were\ncaught up into heaven, where they saw and heard many wonderful things.\nLater they appeared again on earth and began to teach the people the\nthings which the Savior had commanded them.\n\nThese three men were the greatest of all the Nephites. They were filled\nwith the Spirit and power of God, and death had no power over them. One\ntime they were cast into prison. They commanded the prison to fall,\nand, to the astonishment of all the people, the prison fell, but the\nthree Nephites walked forth unharmed.\n\nOn another occasion they were cast into a furnace, but the fire had\nno effect upon them; they came out unhurt. Then they were thrown into\na den of wild beasts. Their persecutors expected to see them devoured\nimmediately, but, to their great surprise, the beasts became as gentle\nas lambs and the three disciples played with them.\n\nI suppose you would like to know what became of the three Nephites. I\nbelieve they are still on the earth. They are to minister among all\nnations, without being known, and shall perform great and mighty works\nbefore the Lord shall come.\n\n\n\nTHE REIGN OF PEACE.\n\nI am going to tell you this evening of some of the great blessings\nwhich came to the Nephites, after the visit of the Savior to them. The\ntwelve disciples whom Jesus had chosen established the true Church in\nall parts of the land. It was called the Church of Christ. The Lord\ntold His disciples that that was to be the name of the Church.\n\nIn order to become a member of the Church, a person had to repent\nof his sins. He had to confess to the Lord that he had broken His\ncommandments, that he felt sorry for having done so, and that in future\nhe would live a good life.\n\nThen he would be ready for baptism. A man, who had authority to\nbaptize, would take him down into a pond or river. He would call the\nperson by name, and repeat the words which the Lord had told His\nservants to use: \"Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize\nyou in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.\nAmen.\" Then he would immerse him in the water and bring him up again\nout of the water.\n\nBy obedience to these commandments of the Lord, the person was cleansed\nfrom all his sins, and became pure and holy in the sight of God. Then\nthe elders of the Church would place their hands upon his head and\nconfirm him a member of the Church, and say, \"Receive ye the Holy\nGhost.\"\n\nThe Lord was highly pleased with His people. They all loved each other,\nand took delight in helping one another. The elders of the Church had\ngreat power. They were able, through the help of the Lord, to heal the\nsick, open the eyes of the blind, cause the lame to walk, and even\nraise the dead.\n\nThe Lamanites were converted also, and became members of the Church of\nChrist. All the ill-feeling which they had towards the Nephites was\ntaken out of their hearts and the love of God took its place. Instead\nof going to war with the Nephites, they went to Church with them, and\nunited in praising God for the great blessings which He had given them.\n\nThose were the happiest days the Nephites and Lamanites had ever known.\nAll the people were just like the members of one family. There were no\nrich nor poor among them, but all were equal. I will tell you how they\ncame to be in that condition.\n\nWhen the Church was established, all the members who had money brought\nit to the authorities and had it put into a common fund. All that was\nmade after that was put into the same fund, and each family received\nfrom time to time the amount needed for its support. So, you see, that\nmade the people equal in temporal things as well as in spiritual things.\n\nThrough keeping the commandments of God, the Nephites became very\nstrong and very beautiful. They married and raised families. They\nscattered all over the land and built up many fine cities. The farms\nyielded abundance of food for man and beast and the orchards were laden\nwith fruit in the season thereof.\n\nEvery man dealt honestly with his neighbor. There was neither lying,\nnor stealing, nor murdering, nor any kind of wickedness known among the\npeople. They loved the Lord and kept His commandments, and the Lord\nloved them and poured down His blessings upon them without measure. In\nthat blessed state the Nephites lived for over one hundred and eighty\nyears.\n\nSoon after that time a terrible change took place, which I will tell\nyou about in my next--my last--story.\n\n\n\nTHE LAST OF THE NEPHITES.\n\nFor almost two hundred years after the Savior's appearance among them,\nthe Nephites lived in a state of perfect peace and happiness. It seemed\nas if heaven and earth had been joined together. From time to time\nangels came down and ministered unto the people, bringing them glad\ntidings from the Lord.\n\nThen certain of the Nephites began to do things which were displeasing\nin the sight of God. They did not attend to their prayers as they had\ndone, neither did they go to the house of the Lord on the Sabbath day\nto worship Him. They made mock of sacred things and persecuted those\nwho remained true to the faith.\n\nThe Lord took His Holy Spirit out of the hearts of those wicked people.\nHe also took the three Nephites away from them. He would not suffer His\nservants to preach to them, for they had become so bad that they could\nnot be brought to repentance.\n\nThen the Lamanites began to make war upon the Nephites. There was a\nyoung man among the Nephites whose name was Mormon. He had led an\nupright, godly life, and possessed great faith and courage. He was\nchosen to lead the Nephite army.\n\nMormon armed his men and got them in readiness to meet the Lamanites.\nThe day of battle at last arrived. An army of fifty thousand Lamanites\ncame down upon the Nephites. In Mormon's army there were only thirty\nthousand men. Before the battle commenced Mormon addressed his\nsoldiers. \"Men,\" said he, \"be of good courage, the victory will be\nours. Remember, it is for your wives and your children, your homes and\nyour lands that you go out to fight this day.\"\n\nOn hearing those inspiring words the heart of every soldier in the\nNephite ranks was filled with renewed courage. With swords unsheathed\nthey marched forth boldly to meet the foe. The battle commenced. How\nlong it raged I know not, but the Lamanites were finally beaten and\ndriven back with considerable loss. The Nephites regained possession of\ntheir own lands, and lived in peace for a number of years.\n\nTheir victories over the Lamanites, instead of teaching the Nephites\nhumility, caused them to become proud and boastful. They did not give\nany glory to God for the success which had come to them. They said it\nwas by their own strength they had defeated their enemies, and declared\nthey would fight the Lamanites till they had utterly destroyed them.\n\nMormon went among his people time after time and pleaded with them\nto turn from their evil ways. He knew that if they did not do so the\njudgments of God would come upon them. They paid no attention to his\npleadings, so he told them they could get another man to take charge of\ntheir armies, as he would no longer act as their general.\n\nThe Lord saw that the Nephites did not appreciate the blessings which\nHe had bestowed upon them, and that they had no desire to serve Him.\nHe, therefore, turned away from them and left them to fight their own\nbattles.\n\nAgain the Lamanites armed themselves and proclaimed war against the\nNephites. Feeling confident of victory, the Nephites entered the field\nof battle. But the Lord was not on their side, so they met with a\nterrible defeat.\n\nOther battles were fought, in which tens of thousands of Nephites were\nslain. I cannot describe the sorrow of Mormon when he saw the awful\ndestruction which had been wrought among his people. He determined to\nmake another effort to save them. He again took charge of their armies\nand went forth to meet the Lamanites. That was the last battle between\nthe Nephites and Lamanites. It was fought in the vicinity of the hill\nCumorah, and ended in the entire destruction of the Nephites, save one.\n\nThat man was named Moroni. He was the son of Mormon, and, like his\nfather, was a lover of righteousness. Moroni hid himself from the\nLamanites. He finished the history of his people, and then he, at the\ncommand of the Lord, deposited it in the hill Cumorah.\n\nThere it lay for hundreds and hundreds of years. At last the time came\nfor it to be brought forth. Then the Lord sent His servant Moroni to a\nyoung man named Joseph Smith, to tell him of the precious history which\nhad been kept from the world so long.\n\nFour years later, Joseph was given the sacred record. By the power of\nGod he translated it into the English language. That record is the Book\nof Mormon, from which I have taken these stories. May our Heavenly\nFather sanctify them to your good, my children, is my prayer, in the\nname of Jesus Christ. Amen.","title":"Mother Stories from the Book of Mormon","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":21289}