command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."—Deut. 4: 2. "What thing sover I command you, observe to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." ib. 12: 32. "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us."—ib. 6: 25. To be righteous under the law they had to do just what was commanded, and just as commanded. Measured by this standard those religious Nephites were an unrighteous people; for they claimed to observe the law, but their religious interests were in institutions unauthorized by the law. These institutions that are so highly commended by the Book of Mormon being without any covenanted provisions of God, were without any authority from God; and as a consequence were entirely outside of the arrangements of God. We submit the following:
- All religious arrangements and institutions outside of the covenanted provisions of God are of the devil.
- But those Nephite arrangements and institutions were outside of the covenanted provisions of God.
- Therefore, those Nephite arrangements and institutions were of the devil.
Again:
- All books written for the specific purpose of upholding religious institutions and arrangements outside of the covenanted provisions of God are of the devil.
- But the Book of Mormon was written for the purpose of upholding religious institutions and arrangements outside of the covenanted provisions of God.
- Therefore the Book of Mormon is of the devil.
The record in the Book of Mormon regarding these Nephite churches gives the lie to the word of God in every particular. When one attained to the position of a Christian he attained to the liberty of a son that has reached his maturity. To this no Jew could attain under the law. Upon this point Paul says:
