_SPECIAL TEXT: "Except a man be born of the water and of the spirit he can not enter into the kingdom of God." (St. John iii:5.)_ _"For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come." (I Cor. xi:26.)_ [Footnote A: The commemoration of the sacrifice of our Lord is often and I may say generally called Eucharist. "The Lord's Supper, a solemn rite commemorating the dying of Christ for the salvation of men; the Holy Sacrament, the communion of the body and the blood of Christ" (Funk & Wagnall Dic.).] DISCUSSION. _1. The Two Great Christian Symbols:_ The two great Christian institutions of baptism and the sacrament of the Lord's supper have already been alluded to as evidence of the fact of the Atonement.[A] They are now to be considered as symbols of the Atonement. I take up baptism first, as introduced by the Christ himself among the Nephites, because there more perfectly than elsewhere we have this symbol set forth, and only there, in ancient scripture, is the exact formula of the ceremony given. The account of it in the Nephite record stands as follows: [Footnote A: Lesson XI which see.] _2. Introduction of Baptism Among the Nephites--Its Formula:_ "And he said unto them, on this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you. Verily I say unto you that who so repenteth of his sins through your words, and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize him; behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now, behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying: 'Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.' And then shall we immerse them in the water and come forth again out of the water."[A] [Footnote A: III Nephi xi:22-26.] _3. The Symbol of the Atonement in Baptism:_ In this ordinance we have recognized first of all Jesus Christ in whose authority the administrator acts--"Having authority given me of Jesus Christ," etc. "I baptize you * * * then shall we immerse them in the water and come forth again out of the water." By this immersion in the water is symbolized the death and burial of the Christ, the Atonement he made for the sins of man. In the coming forth again out of the water, is symbolized the resurrection of the Christ, his triumph over death, the victory side of the Atonement; death is conquered, life is triumphant; Christ is the first fruits of the resurrection and through him all men participate in the resurrection. "For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.'"[A] [Footnote A: Cor. xv:21, 22.]