Ordinances of the
Early Church.
The sacraments or ordinances of the early
church were baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The former was performed by
immersion which was done quickly after the applicant’s conversion. This sacred
rite was followed by the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. (See
Acts 8:17; 19:6.) The significance of baptism lay first in its moral
importance. It was a sign of dedication to lead a higher, nobler life. Second,
it was a means to obtain remission of sins. Third, it made one a member of the
Christian church. Fourth, it was a means of spiritual regeneration; it brought
the Christian into union with Christ. Immersion in the water was also highly
symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It was so important
for the individual’s salvation that it was even practiced with reference to the
dead. (I Corinthians 15:29.)
(Daryl Chase, Christianity Through
the Centuries: A Brief Study of the Origin and Development of Christianity and
its More Significant Divisions [Salt Lake City: The Department of Education
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1947], 31)