Mormon finishes with these two affirmations of law. These should be seen in contrast to the continuation of the pressures towards priestcraft in verse 16. What Mormon is doing is noting that law did not cure the priestcraft, but that law was applied for greater order. It is as if he is contrasting the failure on the one hand with successes on the next. Also implicit in Mormon’s argument is that the ideas of priestcraft were not against the law. As we have seen before, Mosiah set in motion a potential division between the religion and the state. This immediately legitimized multiple religions in the community. When Mosiah passes the non-persecution laws, they apply to all, not just the Nephite religion. This tolerance opens the door for the priestcrafts, and leaves no legal recourse against them.
In the days of the king, the king could rule against priestcrafts on the power of his position. Under the reign of the judges, they can rule only on the basis of received (and interpreted) law. This shift in the way authority was imposed upon the land of Zarahemla allowed for the continued increase in priestcrafts, while law could deal with specifics such as lying and robbing, or murder.