Erastus Snow and Benjamin Winchester, in "An address to the citizens of Salem (Mass.) and the Vicinity," wrote the following about baptism and its efficacy:
The human family in their sins, are foreigners and strangers to God; consequently they must be adopted in order to become citizens of his kingdom. Baptism of course then is the ordinance of adoption. Christ said, "Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." This birth is a transition from our sinful state into the kingdom of God. To be baptized, is to follow Christ in the work of the regeneration, hence Cornelius, notwithstanding all his good works and piety, was commanded to be baptized, as being necessary that he might obtain salvation. (see Acts, x. chap.) Now that baptism is for the remission of sins, is evident from what Peter said to those who were convicted on the day of Pentecost. "Repent every one of you, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." &c. Ananias, said to Paul, "Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins." (Acts xxii, 16.) The above is the doctrine the apostles taught to sinners the principles of it, that Christ commanded the apostles to preach in all the world. "Go teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (see Matt. xxviii. 24.) Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned," &c. (See Mark, xvi, 16.) Not that there is virtue in water to remit sins; but by obeying the command, we have a right to claim the promise. The apostles introduced the ordinance of baptism on every occasion where they preached the gospel: for instance, Peter on the day of Pentecost, as before mentioned, (See Acts, ii, 38.) Philip to the Samaritans, and also to the Eunuch, (See Acts, viii. chap.) Ananias to Saul. (See Acts, xxii. 16) Peter to Cornelius and his household, (See Acts, x. chap.) Paul to the Jailor and Lydia, and their households, (See Acts, x, chapter)Paul to the Corinthians (See Acts, xviii. 8.) Paul to the disciples of John at Ephesus, (See Acts, xix. chap.) Some one of the disciples to the Romans, (See Rom. vi 4.) The several passages of scripture above referred to show the importance of this ordinance, and certainly the ancients esteemed it as a commandment of God not to be justly rejected. (Times and Seasons, vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 578-79 [15 November, 1841])
Interestingly, this article also shows how early LDS used “Jehovah” for the person of the Father, just as Joseph Smith did in D&C 109:34, 42, 56, 68. Indeed, the absolutizing of Jehovah to denote the premortal Jesus only became in vogue since 1916 with the promulgation of the First Presidency Statement on the relationship between the Father and the Son; before then, the title had much more elasticity, if you will:
We believe in God the Father, who is the great Jehovah and head of all things, and that Christ is the Son of God, co eternal with the Father; yet he is our Savior, Redeemer, King, and Great Prototype; -- was offered as a sacrifice to make an atonement for sin -- rose from the dead with the same flesh and bones, not blood, and ascended to heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. (ibid., p. 578)
