Show MER ELDER WHITNEYS LECTURE the assembly nobly hall was well filled last oo on the occasion of the lecture by elder orson oraon P F whitney whose subject was born again baptism cism of we water sod ot of the spirit during the evening RC baston song the solo eolo 0 my father jesus jesua said aid began the speaker ep eaker except a mao be born bora ot of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom ol 01 god thin positive and all important declaration had bad been the cause of no end of controversy and discussion and up op to ahlis day its ita real meaning haa bao not been determined by some of the religious denominations over the general meaning of the there may have been no definite dispute all believed more or lose lees in baptism buethe bul abe question remaining and fur for alabino the backbone of the controversy was waa what was really meant by the word baptism theologians theologian in summing the subject up apt took for their guide the light thrown upon it by ancient comments oom menta tors tori but this would not suffices suffice fr r r the latter day sainta baiato they looked lor for something more substantial to throw its ita radiance upon their minds mind and give them a proper and explicit interpretation of abe question they gasped for some hemn rem narit ut of that grand old work which jesus himself brought to earth for in that they looked forward to a which was waa sublime pure and holy the speaker to substantiate the stand mond taken by the latter day saints quoted from the now new testament as follows matthew ill ili 1 2 6 5 and 6 mark 1 4 matthew in 1117 11 17 john his 86 36 matthew avill 18 1819 19 mark xvi 15 1618 IS acts it if 28 SU 30 and viii 1417 14 17 acts x 46 47 acts 5 6 acar axll 16 romans vi v 86 lot ast corla thins xv 9 let corinthians x 1 2 and 4 v 26 titus ill ili 6 5 lot poter peter 1821 18 21 john 1 7 john v Ts 78 these theae passages passage said bald the speaker if they taught anything taught we the ordinance oi 01 baptism cism in its completeness they taught the baptism of not only the be water but the baptism of both the water and the spirit like unto that received by jesus C christ beriat some eighteen hundred years ago the son bun old did wn and he boeth nothing but that which he letb seeth his father do follow me was the injunction luu BOtlon and thus was waa the baptism of the savior sod and all others made necessary jesus jesua was without sin in or of blemlek blem iab leb but notwithstanding this he fie said to ID john the baptist buffer it to be so now for or thus it beo boo us to fulfill all righteousness some claimed that the baptism ot jesus was a vicarious one lut whether so eo or not that thai did not obviate its necessity the ordinance was wa made universal and became the doorway door way to the kingdom of god because of its iff typifying the resurrection it was a law which applied to all humanity with the exception of small email infante to whom it did not apply because of th their air being sinless in the eyes of the father buffer little children to come unto me said aid the savior and forbid them not noi tor for such is the kingdom of heaven he also said bald unless you humble yourselves as a little child ye cannot enter into the kingdom of god these declarations set bet forth the me purity of little children and gave mankind to understand that unless they mey purified themselves they were not capable oi 01 becoming candidates candidate for his hia favors and blek blessings sings baptism for me be dead was also to bauh uz b t by the scriptural quotations rela referred to in order that mankind might avold avoid spiritual imprisonment and be given a chance to attain to a degree of glory in the fathers Father pa 8 kingdom those who had passed away before the restoration of the without having bau bad a chance to obey the gospel in the flesh were given the opportunity ot of receiving it through the vicarious work done tor for them and thus it if they received it fell beira to a place in the celestial kingdom lot of our god those who re cubed to receive the gospel when given an opportunity in the flesh would be given another chance vicariously and thus throw themselves open to a lower beuree of glory even the terrestrial glory the doctrine of children childrens chil drena s baptism was one oae which had bad been much dis cussed despite the fact hat bat they hey were had bad no need of baptism bap while tor for along a long period in early centuries baptism was looked upon as not being an essential to salvation at sh all it was in toe sixteenth century however that baptism as looked upon generally today was accepted by nearly all of christendom baptism of the water was a cleans ing process ees through obedience obedie oce to 90 the work of god and faith in kilo his promise that thai former lna djus should be remitted by baptism huni humanity anity were as morally cleansed as by death the body was wae treed reed from its corruption there were three essential elements in bap cism alth water and blood although but the two former were generally recognized baptism was not DOL completes complete hOWO however VOrs without the third element for as john said s the blood of jesus christ us from all sin the latter element seemed to act as an the mediators mediator for the baptism of the water and the spirit were not effectual unless linked wit with b tle the element of the blood the speaker told of baptism as an looked upon by st augustus and the greeks and wen referred to its significance the savior was not a more mere rhetorician nor did he resort to vain repetitions but his bis words were all symbolical ol of some grand principle which ue tie to portray or luter piet when he compared the entrance lulo into life hie kingdom with a birth be was hinting at no less leas a principle than the resurrect resurrection lon for the dead born of water means to godown go down into and come up out of the water this then determined that hat baptism was by immersion as the birth would not tea be complete unless it WOO wag a literal lug log of the body baptism of the swai mount meant literally that we must obe rom god or be buried in his so bo also albo was it with every f also was it with every the water in which we by baptism was a symbol of the gra graiff ift I 1 which led to a celestial salvation or NW tb I 1 glory of god every birth implied I 1 burial a burial in this life a birth in the he world to corns come that immersion was wag the instituted by christ and his BIB Apo altru stift was wag a reasonable inference the tery meaning of the word weso meant t to dip a io in the ancient churches of the ewka this mide was practiced until ur thirteenth century when they had given way to sprinkling an et church buildings however abowd bow that immersion WOO was once resorted I 1 f la in early ages it was waa the custom U have a threefold three fold immersion to go erpf t ent tent the different branches brano heB of t U trinity thle this was wai finally 0 3 U until antil today there were throughout christendom many durex ent t modes of baptism it remained reaal ned however for the prophet joeeph smith to intro auoe the oralo or dlo anew in this dispensation it ft was waa OR on the lath day art may 1829 when joseph and on cedery while translating the B book of mormon came across the alfoot obsolete term baptism they into the woods and inquired ocum lord cons conserving erDing it when to their own testimony they recola a heavenly visitation the bensew telling them that bis big name was waa johdos joh be same john referred to in U scriptures SO as john the baptist at this time he delivered unto onto 4 empl authority ant bority to baptize bacu other by aft am stowing upon them hem the W priesthood they were also manned end and given power iwo ml authority to baptize others which U div thus laying the foundation of tf organization ol of t te church of J christ of latter day salute allowed after god himself direct re revelation gave other vai valuable instructions concerning the doctrine 1 a of elder whitney in conclusion treely freely from the pearl of irist great fart book of mormon and the and covenants concerning baptism tM efficacy and proper mo ainoa up the whole by bearing testimony t 10 the benefits which he blin himself had received through compliance with that ordinance was joseph smith seat bent of goot goo la Is the subject of the next lecture franklin D richards being 06 tb speaker the twentieth ward choir will the he singing on that OW slon sion |