Moreover, obedience and humility of the kind required by the ordinance of baptism is demanded also in the daily walk of life. A young man in a chemical obedience in laboratory attempted one day, by a process of electro-plating, to put a new covering of yellow gold over his watch case. He prepared very carefully the solution of gold-leaf in aqua regia; he built up an excellent voltaic battery; he made all the connections close and secure; and he cleaned carefully the old watchcase that the new gold might be deposited upon it evenly and smoothly. Then in the evening, when everything was in readiness, he suspended the case properly in the gold solution, closed the circuit, and went home, hoping to find his watch case in the morning with a beautiful new coating of yellow gold ready to polish. But when he entered the laboratory the next morning, and went to examine his electro-plating, he found to his horror that his watch case was as black as coal. What had happened? Everything was as he had left it the evening before. So far as he could tell there was no reason why his experiment should not have been successful. Then he resorted to his books again. After patient searching, in the volumes on his desk, he arose a wiser and a more careful man. He had overlooked one requirement of the law. In the process of electro-plating, he remembered now, the gold is deposited in its usual yellow form only when the gold solution is warm. When the electric current is passed through a cold solution, the gold is deposited in an unusual black form. The young chemist had learned that obedience is better than sacrifice.
The example set by Jesus.
As always, Jesus Himself practiced the doctrine that He presented to His people. Jesus was baptized. Moreover, in His own baptism, Jesus taught both the necessity and the proper mode of baptism. John was baptizing in the river Jordan. Apparently, he selected places where the water was deep; for, later in the ministry of Jesus we read, that, John was baptizing in Aenon, near to Salim, "because there was much water there." When He was ready to begin His ministry, Jesus went to John to be baptized. But John forbade Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered Him. And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water." From this record, it is clear that Jesus recognized the ordinance of baptism as essential to salvation, and therefore set the example Himself. Then Jesus was baptized correctly; He went down into the water; He was immersed; He came up out of the water. For it is now an accepted fact that John baptized by immersion. In Stanley's Eastern Church occurs the following passage, which Dr. Geikie considers of such authority that he quotes it in his excellent Life and Words of Christ: "The mode of John's baptism has been and still is much discussed, but the practice of the Eastern Church, and the very meaning of the word, leave no sufficient grounds for questioning that the original form of baptism was complete immersion in the deep baptismal water." This form of baptism it was certainly that the apostles themselves practiced, else there could be no meaning to the favorite figure of Paul, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection."
The purpose of baptism.
Do you ask what is the purpose of baptism? As has been already suggested baptism serves to wash away sin, and to initiate the repentant believer into the Church of Christ. John's baptism was for "the remission of sins." Peter, the chief apostle, called to the people on the day of Pentecost, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." And it follows that since baptism is for remission of sins, those who have not reached the age of sinning have no need of baptism. There has grown up in the world a vicious habit of baptizing infants and little children. Such a practice is wrong. Jesus Himself said of little children, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." Infants and little children have not learned to know the difference between good and evil. They cannot sin. Baptism should not be administered to them till they reach the age of discretion. "Little children need no repentance," wrote the Nephite prophet, "neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins."
This then did Jesus teach: Baptism is essential; it is correctly performed by complete immersion in water; it is for the remission of sins; it should be administered only to those who have reached the age of accountability; only by obedience to the law can one enter the kingdom of God. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. . . . I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Only through Jesus, you see, can one enter the sheepfold, and become a member of it. And the way to enter by Jesus was thus stated in His final commission to the eleven apostles, just before He ascended to heaven. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be dammed."
THE REFERENCES
Psalm 1. Acts 2:38.
John 3:1-5. Moroni 8:8-14.