PAUL'S TESTIMONY.
The World:—What is your belief concerning water baptism?
Paul:—I believe and have taught that it is an essential ordinance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When Jesus appeared to me on the way to Damascus, He called me to repentance and told me to go into Damascus and that I would there be told of all things that were commanded of me to do. The Lord then instructed His servant Ananias to go to me and to tell me to arise and be baptised and wash away my sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Acts 22: 16.) So, you see, baptism for the remission of sins is not my doctrine, but the Lord's. So important is this ordinance in the sight of the Eternal Father that He withheld the Holy Ghost from twelve devout Ephesians until I had re-baptized them. They had been baptized previously, but not by one holding authority from God, and so their baptism was not valid in His sight. How dare I teach the children of men that baptism is not essential to salvation when He who spake as never man spake had declared, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."
The World:—We will excuse the witness.
Latter-day Saints:—We have adduced enough evidence to convince every fair-minded person that water baptism is essential to his salvation. We have shown that it was instituted by the Lord from the beginning of the world for the remission of sins. The Israelites received the ordinance under the hands of Moses, and were all baptized in the cloud and in the sea. John, the forerunner of Messiah, was sent by God to preach baptism for the remission of sins. He baptized multitudes of people in the river Jordan for the remission of their sins. Christ the Son of God received baptism at the hands of John in order that He, too, might fulfill all righteousness. Jesus told the Jewish ruler that except a man were born of water and of the Spirit he could not enter the Kingdom of God. He commanded His disciples to "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." Peter, while preaching under the influence of the Holy Ghost, told the people on the day of Pentecost to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins. The Lord Himself sent Ananias to Saul of Tarsus to tell him to arise and be baptised and wash away his sins. We preach the same doctrine that was taught by Christ and His Apostles, and say unto you, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."