The Alma Family (A Book of Mormon Sketch) (26 January 1880)

THE ALMA FAMILY.

(A Book of Mormon Sketch).

BY ELDER GEO. REYNOLDS.

ALMA, THE YOUNGER.

In some respects the life and character of Alma the younger bears a close resemblance to that of the Apostle Paul; highly educated in the learning of his people, acquainted with all the intricacies of his country’s laws, fluent in speech, cogent in reasoning, he spent the early portion of his life in persecuting the true Church and afflicting the Saints. There is also a remarkable parallel in the circumstances of their conversion. It is seldom that history repeats its details so minutely as in the manner that both these champions for truth and holiness were brought to a realization of the error of their early lives. There is also a marked similarity in the experience of the two men after they became servants of the Most High. Both became shining lights in the Church of Christ, both suffered severe persecutions for the Gospel’s sake, and both were zealous, powerful and lucid expounders of the word of God. Though we must confess that Alma’s teachings, as they are given to us in the Book of Mormon, are much more simple, much plainer, than the teachings of Paul as found in the Bible but perhaps this may arise more from the ignorance and errors of the latter’s translators, than from the original ambiguity of the text. We must recollect the great difference that exists between a translation of God’s holy word made by uninspired, though worldly-wise men, and a translation made by the revelations of His Divine Spirit.

In at least two things, however, there is a marked difference in the lives of these two worthies—one is the vastly greater influence wielded by Alma over his people, than that exercised by Paul amongst his, which difference, it is quite probable, arose more from the stiff-neckedness and gentilism of the latter, than from the personal peculiarities of the two men. The second is the manner of their death: the one was martyred, the other was taken by God from the knowledge of mankind, so that none knew for certain what was his earthly end.

Alma was born either in the land of Mormon, when his pious and intrepid father was there organizing the Church of Christ, or after the little colony of Christians had removed to the land of Helam, From a casual observation made in one of his discourses, we are inclined to think it was in the latter place with his father he came to the land of Zarahemla and there as the son of the presiding high priest of the entire Church, he became the associate and companion of the sons of the king. Their course was one too often pursued by the children of the great. They took pleasure in evil-doing; they had no faith in the revelations of God, whilst they ridiculed mocked and persecuted those who had we can well understand the anxiety the distress, the sorrow this course caused their God-fearing parents; we can realize how frequent and how fervent were the prayers offered by the king, the high priest, and the people for those misguided youths. And their prayers prevailed before God.

It came to pass that as Alma and the sons of king Mosiah were going about to destroy the Church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, that an angel descended in a cloud and stopped them in the way. When he spoke his voice was as thunder, that caused the whole earth to tremble beneath their feet. Naturally this manifestation of the power of God spread terror and dismay in the hearts of those who witnessed it; simultaneously they fell to the ground, and so confused and terrified were they that they failed to understand the words of the holy messenger. “Arise Alma, and stand forth,” he cried; and when Alma arose his eyes were opened to see who stood before him “why persecutest thou the Church of God?” he was asked, “for the Lord hath said, This is my Church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people. If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the Church of God.” Besides this, the angel spoke to him of his father's fervent prayers in his behalf, and that because of those prayers of faith he was sent to convince him of the power of God. He also recounted to him the captivity of his fathers in the lands of Helam and Nephi, and of their miraculous deliverance therefrom, but Alma heard none of these latter sayings, for the terrors of the first salutation had overpowered him.

Alma, bereft of the presence of the angel, dismayed and soul-stricken, sank to the ground. When his companions gathered around him they found he could not move, neither could he speak; outwardly he was dead to the world; but the torments of the damned had taken hold of his soul, and in the most bitter pain and mental anguish he lay racked with the remembrance of all his past sins. The thought of standing before the bar of God to be judged for his iniquities overwhelmed him with horror; he would have rejoiced in annihilation; he desired to become extinct both body and soul without being brought before his abused Creator. Thus he continued for three days and three nights to suffer the pains of hell, which to his racked conscience must have seemed an eternity.

When his companions found that he could neither speak nor move, they carried him to his father, and recounted to him all that had happened. Strange it must have seemed to them, but the elder Alma’s heart was filled with joy and praise when he looked upon the paralyzed body of his much-loved son. But the high priest realized it was God’s power that had wrought all this, and that his long-continued prayers had been answered. In his joy he gathered the people to witness this mighty manifestation of the goodness and might of Jehovah. He assembled the priests, sought their co-operation, and unitedly, in God's own way, they prayed and they fasted for the stricken youth. For two days they continued their supplications (it being three since the angel had appeared), when Alma stood upon his feet and spoke comforting them by declaring, “I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord, behold I am born of the Spirit.”

In later years Alma, in relating to his son Heleman the details of his conversion, thus describes the causes that led him to bear this testimony. He says: “Behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophecy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart, O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who art in the gall of bitterness and art encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now. behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain; yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as my pain. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.”

From that time to the end of his mortal career, Alma labored without ceasing to bring souls to Christ, and to guide his fellow-man in the paths of salvation.

We have now to present Alma to our readers as the foremost man of his age and nation, the presiding high priest and chief judge of a mighty people, a great prophet filled with the spirit of his calling, an unceasing missionary, an undaunted soldier of the cross, a lucid expounder of the principles of the everlasting Gospel, a proficient organizer of men, a distinguished warrior and a triumphant general; whilst in his conversion, extended missionary journeyings, and elaborate discourses on saving truths, we are reminded of Saul of Tarsus. Recollections of Joshua, the son of Nun, are vividly brought before us when we consider him as the great leader and prophet of his people, and the victorious commander-in-chief of their armies.

The change in the life of Alma brought down upon him the persecutions of the wicked, for others treated him as he before-time had treated the Saints. But in none of these things was he daunted or dismayed, for he had joy in preaching the word, and in the conversion of many from their ungodliness. So conspicuous as a champion of the cause of God did he become, that Mosiah considered him the most proper person to whom to confide the custody of the sacred plates, and to act as the recorder of the nation’s doings and progress; still more, when Aaron, the son of Mosiah, declined to succeed his father on the Nephite throne, and it was wisely determined by the people that they would be ruled by judges for the future, Alma was chosen by the united voice of his countrymen to be their first chief judge, as he was their presiding high priest, he having been consecrated to this exalted position by his father, who shortly before his death gave him charge of the affairs of the Church throughout all the land. (B.C. 91.)

Five hundred and nine years had now passed away since Lehi left Jerusalem, during which time the Nephites had been ruled by kings, the successors of the first Nephi. A wonderful but bloodless revolution now took place—the monarchy was merged into a republic; but so wise had been the steps taken by Mosiah, so equitably had he arranged the laws, that the change was made without popular tumult or disorder in the affaire of the State. Indeed the change was hailed with unbonded satisfaction by the people, who greatly rejoiced in the more extended liberties now guaranteed to them. In Alma, as their first chief judge, they had a man admirably adapted for the situation: he had the confidence of the people, inasmuch as he was the Lord s mouthpiece to them, besides his worth and abilities claimed their trust and respect; he was a man of great talent, courage, faith and energy, an unwearied worker for good, and, as a judge judged righteous judgment in the midst of his people Still his position was not one of unmixed delights—apostates from the Church, pride and unbelief in its members, assaults and invasions from the national enemies, all combined to require his undiminished energies and undaunted faith. But above and beyond all, as compensation for these trials and annoyances, he had the right to receive the word of the Lord, which was given to him as he needed or his people inquired