Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-02

cause / think you viii take II for
rrautcd-that baptism in the early
| Christian church was so administered
that 1t represented the death ana the
burial Of the Lord Jesus Chrigt, ana
also His resurrection, His awakening
10 a newness Of life. As He was buried
and afterwards arose from the grave
and walked In a splendid immortality,
no more to be subject 20 death, but
over after the king of II. having sub
! dued ID by the power of the resurTcc-
lion. so He Instituted baptism to set
! forth this glorious thing unto men. But
hy degrees, yielding. as was supposed
10 necessity. men depart from thls
! manner NJ administering the ordinance
OF baptism for the remission Of sins.
until water sprlnklcd or poured upon
| Inc candidate was held to be sufficient
for baptism, whenever they 90 tna.;
wherever they did II, they departed
from the order established by the Son
of God. they changed an ordinance OF
| the Gospel.
Moreover. this sacrament or ordi-
nance of the Gospel was administered
10 those only who had arrived at years
| Of understanding, To those capable OF
| everrtslnr faith in God, and who could
repcnt Of their sins. nut after a time
| tho custom arose Of administering ms
! sacrament to children, TO Infants, VINO
/ knew not that such ceremony was
being pcrformed-ahsnl incapable
! Of believing. or OF rcpcntlns-unu.
| for the matter Of that, without any
| necessity Of repentance FOR they had
not and could not sin-thcy were In
capable of sin. Where children do not
| come TO years Of accountability, the
| blood OF the Lord Jesus Christ applies
directly TO them and. without sucra-
ments uf any kind, they are saved
through the shedding OF His blood by
| the power Of His redemption. But
men have taught that children dying
in infancy. before they can know right
from wrong, and missing this or
dinnncc Of the Gospel are lost-a doc
trinc which to me with all due re-
spect to cverybody's feellngs), Is
abomlnahle; aye. and abominable to
God. for He has so declared II. and
has denounced the idea that one child,
before 1t could lisp word or do a
voluntary act, should be saved by
baptism and another damned because
It was not baptized! fMoroni, chapter
s, Book Of Mormon.l God has de-
nounced this In stronger terms than |
can use. Yet nearly the whole Chris
tan world has accepted this idea Of
the necessity of bapti2lng Infants: and
by this they manifest the fact that
they have departed from the or
dinances of the house Of God; they
have miaapplied the sacrament Of bap-
tism, and 1t IL OF no effect with them
they are as II unbaptiZed.
Now, | care not when this change
In the sacrament of baptism took
placer 1t may have been when that
mysterious working" which was to
bring to pass the entire apostasy Of
the Church; but whenever 1t began 1t
marks the beginning Of departure
from the doctrines Of Jesus Christ,
which was to end In complete apos-
tasy.
las an evidence of the numerous
mumeries that have been added to the
simple rite of baptism as administered
In the primitive church. | quote the
following from the Catholic Douay
catechism:
q. why do we use go many cere-
monies In baptism?
a., To excite reverence for the sacrn-
ment and to signify its effects.
q. What means the priests breath
ing on the child's face. according to the
Ritual?
A. II means that by baptism the evil
spirit Is cast out and the spirit of God
Is given him.
@. Why is the child signed on the
breast and forehead with the sign of
the cross?
~. To signify that he Is thereby
made the servant of Christ cruel
@. Why is salt put into the child's
mouth?
a. To signify that by baptism he
receives grace and gifts to preserve his
soul from corruption of sin. and to
warn Christians that their actions and
words ought to be seasoned with pru-
dence and discretion. signined by salt
q. Why does the priest lay spittle on
the child's ears and nostrils?
Q. Because Christ by so doing healed
one that was both deaf and dumb. II
also signifies that by baptism his ears
are opened to the word of faith and his
nostrils to the good odor of all Chris
tian virtues
.. Why does the priest ask the child
II he 'renounce the devil and his
pomps?"
A. To signify that he who will he
the child Of God cannot be the child of
the devil.
o. What mean the several anoint-
ings OF the ohlld7
A. They signify the interior anoint-
| lngs or unctlon OF divine grace given
to the soul In baptism
@. What mean they In PARTICULAR
A. He is anolnted on the head &c
partaker of the kingly dignity OF
| Christi" on the shoulders to signify
"he must bear his cross Courageously;
on the breast to signify that the hear
Is thereby strengthened with grace Il
fight against the devil"
Q, What does the white garment
given to the child signify2
a. The purity and innocence which
he there receives
@. What does the lighted candl,
given To sponsors for the child signify
a. 1t signifies the light Of faith and
the FIRE of charity with which the sou
~ endowed by baptism. and that tn,
Ill 4 l.. 4 a a..
the lamp of good works always burn.
ing, always shining before men. thai
they may glorify our Father. who IS
in heaven.
Want OF space will not permit me her,
TO show how to the Lords Supper" ir
like manner was added many rites ant
ceremonies foreign to the spirit of tn,
Gospel by which the simple memorial
service instituted by our Lord wa.
transformed into n splendid sacrificia
ceremony breathing the very spirit o
paganism rather than that Of the Cos
pei Of Jesus Christ I.
desire To call your attention to an
other thing-'tO the organization Of tn,
Church of Christ. In Paul's letter I,
the Corinthians, 18th chapter, you fine
a most admirable description OF tn,
Church OF Christ. He likens II unit,
the body OF a man and shows that /
IL to be so entire In It's completeness
that no part Ut 1t Gun be dispense
with:
The eye cannot say unto the hand
! have no need Of thee; nor again tn
head to the feet. l have no need Q
you"
All the members of the body are es
sential 10 a perfect man; and so. ur
CUES the Apostle. to the Church o
Christ; all her officers. all her gifts. al
her powers, are essential. | read 4
1 tbA Nau. Tagtnp,ant ,l,o, Tasn,. 1911,