CHURCH DISCIPLINE AMONG THE NEPHITES—TREATMENT OF THE UNREPENTANT—THE WORD OF THE LORD REGARDING TRANSGRESSORS—THE TESTIMONY OF MORONI.

AS IN other things, the methods adopted in the Nephite church in the treatment of those who turned from righteousness were identical with those pursued in such cases in the church of God in other lands and in other ages. The erring ones were first labored with by the officers of the church in the spirit of love and reconciliation; they were visited by the Priests and Teachers; and if they repented they were continued in the fellowship of the Saints; but if they were obdurate and impenitent they were severed from the communion of the church. This course was pursued throughout their history from the days of Alma, the elder, to those of Moroni.

In the land of Zarahemla, when Mosiah was king and Alma was high priest, there was much hard-heartedness and evil doing in the midst of the Nephites. It may be remembered it was at this time that the sons of Mosiah, and the younger Alma, were leaders among those who were opposing the church and persecuting its members. The iniquity that existed with those who had made covenant with God, or were their children, caused Alma much pain and anxiety. The Priests and Teachers labored frequently in vain, and the presiding priesthood were in doubt with regard to the best course to pursue with the wicked. They had no precedents to guide them, for such a state of things had never before existed among the Nephites.

Alma applied to the king, but he refused to judge the offenders. He would not meddle in matters of church discipline, that he left to Alma; and to him he returned those who had transgressed the law of the Lord. In this dilemma Alma appealed with all his heart to the Lord, and inquired what he should do in the matter: for he was most desirous to do right in the sight of heaven. Then the voice of the Lord came to him, blessing him, because of his sincere inquiries concerning the transgressor, and instructing him that whosoever transgressed against God should be judged according to the sins which he had committed; and if he confessed his sins before the Lord and Alma and repented in the sincerity of his heart he should be forgiven, and God would forgive him also. The Lord adds: Yea, and as often as my people repent, will I forgive them their trespasses against me.

And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, He that forgiveth not his neighbor's trespasses, when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation.

Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will not repent of his sins, the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward.

The sacred historian continues:

And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words, he wrote them down that he might have them, and that he might judge the people of that church, according to the commandments of God.

And it came to pass that Alma went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity, according to the word of the Lord.

And whosoever repented of their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the church;

And those that would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out.

In this revelation we have the word of the Lord to guide the Nephite church throughout all its dispensations.

The same spirit is manifested in the instructions given by the Redeemer in his teachings to the Nephites. [34] They are full of love, mercy, and patience. On the other hand, they show that the church of God must not be defiled by countenancing iniquity or permitting that which is holy to be handled by the unworthy. Nearly four hundred years later, Moroni, speaking on church government, says:

And they were strict to observe that there should be no iniquity among them; and whoso was found to commit iniquity, and three witnesses of the church did condemn them before the Elders; and if they repented not, and confessed not, their names were blotted out, and they were not numbered among the people of Christ;

But as oft as they repented, and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.

From these quotations we perceive that the spirit of the ancient church on this continent, with regard to offenses and offenders, was uniform in all its dispensations and identical in its methods with those of the latter days.