THE REIGN OF KING BENJAMIN--THE PROGRESS OF HIS PEOPLE--HIS LAST
GREAT SPEECH--HE ESTABLISHES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST--ALL THE PEOPLE
COVENANT WITH GOD--MOSIAH II. ANOINTED KING.
(MOSIAH CHAP. 1 TO 6.)
A mighty man in the midst of Israel was Benjamin, the son of Mosiah.
Blessed were the people over whom he reigned, for he governed them in
righteousness, and for their welfare he labored with all the might of
his body and every faculty of his soul. Holy and pure in his individual
life, he was ministered to by angels, and was the frequent recipient of
revelations from on high.
The reign of Benjamin was a long one; he died at a very advanced age.
Some time during this period, the aggressive Lamanites, not content
with occupying the land of Nephi, actually followed the Nephites into
the land of Zarahemla and invaded that also. The war was a bloody one.
King Benjamin led his forces, armed with the historic sword of Laban,
(which appears to have been handed down from monarch to monarch from
the days that Nephi first wielded it,) and with his own strong arm slew
many of the enemy. Benjamin was ultimately successful in driving the
invading hosts out of all the regions occupied by his people, with a
loss to the Lamanites of many thousand warriors slain.
The reign of Benjamin was also troubled with various religious
impostors, false Christs, pretended prophets, etc., who caused apostasy
and dissensions among the people, much to the sorrow of the good king.
However, by the aid of some of the many righteous men who dwelt in his
dominions, he exposed the heresies, made manifest the falsity of the
claims of the self-styled Messiahs and prophets, and restored unity of
faith and worship among his subjects; and where these innovators had
broken the civil law, they were arraigned, tried, and punished by that
law. It must not be forgotten that freedom of conscience was absolutely
protected among the Nephites, and even the civil law was administered
with great mercy in the days of these kings. In his last great speech
to his people, Benjamin reminded them of the justice and clemency
with which he had caused the law to be administered, how none of them
had been arbitrarily cast into prison or otherwise punished, but only
for actual proven violations of the law. He also reminded them how
he, their king, had labored with his own hands to defray the expenses
of royalty, in order that they might not be ground down by excessive
taxation. No wonder that he was so greatly loved and his name held in
such high reverence by his people. Recorded history scarcely affords
such another instance of kingly humility and regard for the welfare of
his people.
We may presume that the original inhabitants of Zarahemla, just
awakening to a newness of religious life, were particularly subject
to the influences brought to bear by impostors. They had but lately
learned the mysteries of the plan of salvation and of the coming of
the Messiah to dwell among men. The glory and beauty of this Divine
advent filled their new-born souls with joyous hope. Looking forward
for the arrival of that happy day, with their first love undiminished
and their zeal unslackened, they were especially open to the deception
of those who cried, Lo, the Christ is come! or, Behold, a great prophet
hath arisen! To this peculiar phase of spiritual condition in the midst
of the lately consolidated races in the land of Zarahemla, we may
attribute the frequency with which false prophets troubled the reign of
Benjamin.
There was another class who, moved by the spirit of unrest, were a
source of perplexity to the king. They were those who, having left the
land of Nephi with the righteous, still permitted their thoughts and
affections to be drawn toward their former homes and old associations.
Like Lot's wife, these Nephites were ever longing for that which they
had left behind. The natural consequence was that they were constantly
agitating the idea of organizing expeditions to visit their old homes.
The first of these that actually started, of which we have an account,
was led by an austere and blood-thirsty man. When they approached the
land of Nephi, a great dissension arose in the company. The leader and
some others desired to attack, and if possible, destroy the Lamanite
inhabitants, but others, seeing that there was good amongst them,
desired to make a treaty with them. This division of feeling led to
a disastrous battle, in which the members of the expedition fought
against each other with such fury that they ceased not to contend until
all were slain except fifty men, who, in shame and sorrow, returned
to Zarahemla to recount the miserable end of their venture. Yet some
remained unsatisfied, they were still over-zealous to inherit the land
of their forefathers, and, under the leadership of a man named Zeniff,
another company started on the ill-advised journey. Nothing was heard
from them while Benjamin reigned.
When king Benjamin was well stricken with years, the Lord directed him
to consecrate his son Mosiah as his successor on the Nephite throne.
Feeling that age was impairing his energies he directed his son to
gather the people together at the temple that had been erected in
Zarahemla, and he would then give them his parting instructions. (B.
C. 125.) Agreeable to this call the people gathered at the temple, but
so numerous had they grown that it was too small to hold them. They
also brought with them the firstlings of their flocks that they might
offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the Mosaic law. As the
assembled thousands could not get inside the temple they pitched their
tents by families, every one with its door towards the building, and
the king had a tower erected near the temple from which he spake.
The teachings of king Benjamin at these meetings were some of the most
divine and glorious ever uttered by man. He preached to them the pure
principles of the gospel--the duties which men owe to their God and to
their fellows. He also told them how he had been visited by an angel,
and what wondrous things that angel had shown him concerning the coming
of the God of Israel to dwell with men in the flesh. So great were
the things that this angel revealed and king Benjamin repeated to the
people that we think it best to give his own words. They are:
"For behold the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power,
the Lord Omnipotent, who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to
all eternity, shall come down from heaven, among the children of men,
and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst
men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the
dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight and
the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. And he shall
cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the
children of men. And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body,
hunger, thirst and fatigue, even more than men can suffer, except it be
unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be
his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
"And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of
heaven and earth, the Creator of all things, from the beginning; and
his mother shall be called Mary. And lo, he cometh unto his own, that
salvation might come unto the children of men, even through faith on
his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and
say that he hath a devil and shall scourge him and shall crucify him.
And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold he standeth
to judge the world; and behold all these things are done, that a
righteous judgment might come upon the children of men."
When Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been
delivered to him by the angel, he observed that the power of his
testimony had so worked upon the Nephites that they, in the deep sense
of their own unworthiness, had fallen to the ground. And they cried out
confessing their faith in the coming Messiah, and pleading that through
his atoning blood they might receive the forgiveness of their sins,
and that their hearts might be purified. After they had lifted their
deep-felt cry to heaven, the Spirit of the Lord came down upon them,
and because of their exceeding faith they received a remission of their
sins.
Their inspired ruler then continued his discourse. He enlarged therein
on the truths of the atonement and other soul-saving doctrines. Having
finished his address he sent amongst his hearers to know if they
believed and accepted the heavenly truths he had been teaching. Great
was his joy when he found that they not only believed, but, because
of the workings of the Spirit of the Lord in their hearts, they knew
of their truth. Still more, the Holy Spirit had wrought such a change
within them that they had no more disposition to do evil, but to do
good continually. The visions of eternity were opened to their minds,
their souls were filled with the spirit of prophecy, they longed to
serve the Lord with undivided hearts, and declared themselves willing
to make a covenant with him to keep his commandments and do his will
the remainder of their days.
The king then gave them a new name, because of the covenant they
desired to make, which thing he had greatly desired. The name they
were to bear for ever after was the name of Christ, which should never
be blotted out except through transgression. Thus was established the
first Christian church in Zarahemla (B. C. 125), for every soul who
heard these teachings (except the very little children who could not
understand) entered into this sacred covenant with God, which most of
them faithfully observed.
King Benjamin's truly royal work was now done. He had lived to bring
his people into communion with their Creator, his spirit was full of
heavenly joy, but his body trembled under the weight of many years. So
before he dismissed the multitude he consecrated his son Mosiah to be
their king, appointed priests to instruct the people in the ways of the
Lord, and, with his patriarchal blessing, dismissed his subjects. Then
according to their respective families they all departed for their own
homes.
Mosiah now reigned in his father's stead, whilst Benjamin, beloved
and honored, remained yet another three years on the earth before he
returned to the presence of his Father in heaven.