The first principles and ordinances.

When the Prophet Joseph Smith was asked to make a statement of the principal doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he prepared what we know now as the Articles of Faith. The Articles of Faith are very plain, and touch the fundamental tenets of the Church. The third article of faith states that "we believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel;" and the fourth article declares that, "we believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost." Those who profess faith in Jesus must forsake the way of evil, and learn to take delight in the law of the Lord. This, we have learned, constitutes the requirement of the first two principles of the Gospel.

      Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the
      ungodly,
      Nor standeth in the way of sinners,
      Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
      But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
      And in His law doth he meditate day and night.

      And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
      That bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
      His leaf also shall not wither;
      And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
      The ungodly are not so;
      But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

      Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
      Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
      For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous;
      But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

{130} Baptism essential to salvation.

It is not enough, however, that the man who professes faith in Jesus, shall merely forsake the way of the ungodly. Jesus fulfilled in His coming the law of carnal commandments—a law which Paul asserts was but a sort of schoolmaster to train the people and prepare them for the coming of Jesus—and established through His ministry "the more perfect law" of the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation. And that law requires that those who believe in Jesus, and repent of their evil doings, shall further take upon them His name in the ordinance of baptism. One night, there came to Jesus a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. "Rabbi," said Nicodemus, recognizing in Jesus a power greater than his own, "We know that Thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus was puzzled; for he thought, of course, only of a physical rebirth, and could not understand how such a remarkable thing could happen. So he asked, "How can a man be born when he is old?" Then Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." This Jesus said, of course, of the ordinance of baptism and of the Holy Ghost. Not only, then, must one believe and repent, but one must also be baptized in water in fulfillment of the requirement of the law. Without such a renewal of the spiritual life, a man may not even see the kingdom of God.

{131} Humility and obedience the psychology of baptism.

There are some people who pretend not to see any value in the ordinance of baptism. How can baptism make one any better, they ask, or have any effect on one's subsequent life? These people do not understand the true nature of the ordinance. There was once a Syrian captain named Naaman who became afflicted with the loathsome and infectious disease of leprosy. At the suggestion of an Israelitish captive, Naaman sought out the Prophet Elisha in the land of Israel, that the affliction might be rebuked. Elisha did not even come forth to see Naaman, but sent a messenger to him with this word: "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee and thou shalt be clean." Then Naaman became angry, because he did not understand the principle of obedience. Why should he wash in Jordan? Were not the waters of the rivers of Damascus better than the water of Jordan? But his servants prevailed upon him, saying, "If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean." Here was sound reasoning, Naaman listened; he went down to the Jordan and dipped himself seven times; he came forth with his flesh as clean as that of a little child, and was healed. What was it that healed Naaman? Was it the water of Jordan, with curative powers greater than those of the rivers of Damascus? Certainly not. Naaman bowed his haughty and powerful will to that of God. He humbled himself; he was humiliated. He learned the lesson of obedience, which is better than sacrifice. And the Lord God has chosen the ordinance of baptism as the means whereby men may show their humility, {132} their complete acceptance of the mission of Jesus, their sincere repentance, and whereby further they may become initiated into the Church of Jesus Christ. Here the Lord makes use of a wonderful psychology, and baptism literally washes away sin.

The law of obedience in daily life.

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 cleane............