THE GROWTH OF THE PEOPLE IN ZARAHEMLA--THEY BUILD MANY
CITIES--MOSIAH'S SONS DESIRE TO TAKE A MISSION TO THE
LAMANITES--MOSIAH INQUIRES OF THE LORD--THE DIVINE ANSWER.
(MOSIAH CHAP. 28.)
The inhabitants of Zarahemla at this time were all considered Nephites,
though the descendants of Mulek and his companions were the most
numerous. But the Nephites, though the last comers to Zarahemla, were
the governing race, and the kingdom had been conferred upon none but
those who were the descendants of Nephi. The Nephites ruled by the
right of their higher civilization, the possession of the records and
the authority of the holy priesthood. There is another strange fact
with regard to the inhabitants of South America at this time, it is
that the Lamanites were twice as numerous as the combined people of
Nephi and Zarahemla. This may have been owing to the fact that when any
defection occurred among the Nephites, the dissatisfied portions of the
community generally went over to the Lamanites and became absorbed in
that race.
In these days there was much peace in the land of Zarahemla. The
Lord blessed the people and they became very numerous, contented and
wealthy. When Benjamin was king his people appear to have all resided
in and immediately around the city of Zarahemla, as the king directed
his son to gather them at the temple on the morrow, and on the morrow
they were all there, which would have been impossible had they lived
at any great distance from headquarters. We judge that at that time
the majority inhabited the city and farmed the land around. Up to
this time no other city than Zarahemla is mentioned in that land, but
now the people began to spread abroad, building, as the historian
states, large cities and villages in all quarters of the land. We may
reasonably suppose that at this epoch were founded the cities of Aaron,
Ammonihah, Gideon, Manti, Melek and others mentioned in the annals of
the succeeding twenty years.
Notwithstanding the great good they had done, the sons of king Mosiah
were not content to confine their labors to the land of Zarahemla.
They longed to carry the glad tidings of salvation to the benighted
Lamanites. Ignoring the dangers and despising the pains of such a
mission, they plead with their father many days for his consent
for them to go to the land of Nephi. The blood-thirsty, revengeful
character of the Lamanites was too well known to the king for him to
think of his sons going into their midst without causing him feelings
of dread and apprehension, but he had no desire to quench their holy
zeal towards God and their love towards their unfortunate fellows, lest
he should sin by so doing, and rob thousands of the opportunity of
hearing the everlasting truths through obedience to which mankind is
saved. He therefore inquired of the Lord. The answer came, Let them go
up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal
life, and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.
With this divine assurance Mosiah consented, and shortly after, with
some other missionaries, whom they had chosen, these four valiant,
God-fearing youths started on their perilous mission.