When fifty-five years had passed away Nephi handed the small plates which he had made to his brother Jacob, that he might keep the sacred records thereon. Sometime after, how long we are not told, Nephi anointed another man to be king over his people; and then, having grown old, he died. Great was the love of the people for Nephi. He had been their prophet, priest and king; father, friend and guide; protector, teacher and leader; next to God, their all in all. He labored diligently all the days of his life to teach the people to serve God, to believe in Christ, to keep the laws of heaven, and to be and to do all that God's holy law required. In all these labors his brother Jacob nobly aided him. When Nephi died Jacob became the chief religious teacher of the people. He was a man of much faith and diligence, and received the word of the Lord from time to time in great fullness, as the church needed. We know but little of what occurred among the Nephites in Jacob's time. The people, however, appear in some respects to have fallen into sin. They had grown in worldly pride, and devoted far too much of their time and energies to the search for wealth. By reason of their isolated position, and because the Jews, their forefathers, had abused the principle of plural marriage, the people of Lehi had been commanded that each man should have but one wife. Some of them did not heed this special law, but took other wives, not only without God's sanction, but entirely contrary to his express command. Indeed they committed other grievous sins, excusing themselves therefor by quoting the actions of King David, and Solomon, his son. At this the Lord was greatly displeased, and he instructed Jacob to reprove them sharply. This he did in the temple. He re-affirmed the law that the Nephites of that age should have only one wife; but added, in the name of the Lord of Hosts, that if he (God) wanted to raise up a holy seed to himself, he would command his people. This we have reason to believe, from reading the Book of Mormon, he afterwards did, though we find therein no direct statement on the matter. CHAPTER VI. THE CONDITION OF THE LAMANITES--SHEREM, THE FIRST ANTI-CHRIST--HIS RECANTATION AND DREADFUL END. (JACOB, CHAP. 3 TO 7.) Whilst the early Nephites were polygamists, and, unfortunately for them, unrighteous ones, the Lamanites were monogamists, which form of marriage they appear to have ever after retained.