Sabbathought: How many is "a few"? Could be 8.

In the churches and cathedrals of Europe, including Great Britain, it is common to find baptismal fonts for the christening of new babies.

The term "christening" refers to the naming of the infant with a given name or first name. This became known as the child's Christian name. The last name, or family name, was always known as the surname, though this is all less common today, certainly in America.

With the secularization of Europe and Britain in modern times the practice is much rarer today, but the fonts can still be found in the churches. A distinctive feature of these fonts (at least among all the older ones, some dating back many hundreds of years), is that the upright font invariably has eight equal sides, so that it is shaped like a STOP sign as found in North America and elsewhere. So, you get the picture.

The link between the number eight and baptism has ancient roots, though modern clergy are at a loss to explain it. I know this to be so, I have asked many of them. None of them know the link, just that it exists.

In the First Epistle of Peter we find this: " . . . the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us . . . by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (3:20--21).

The link can be seen here. There is a connection between "few, that is, eight souls" being "saved by water" at the time of the Flood, and "the like figure [eight] whereunto even baptism doth also now save us."

Notice, the eight souls---Noah and his wife, their three sons and their three wives (see Genesis 7:13)---were not saved from water, but they were saved by water, by a form of baptism. The Ark of Noah was built covered over and made watertight and was in reality a submarine as it went under water---totally immersed.

How do we know this? The Book of Mormon teaches it.

The same figure or number---eight---also saves Noah's posterity by baptism. How so? The Lord has revealed it to us in the Latter Days. See Doctrine and Covenants 68:25.

In addition, the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 17 shows that the reason the male child was circumcised as a covenant by ordinance at eight days old was "that thou mayest know for ever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old," the Lord explained. It was a type, a symbol, a shadow of things to come.

That's enough for now. We'll go deeper into this next time. . . : " . . . few, that is, eight . . . ."

Do you get the distinct impression that the gospel, the scriptures, the plan of happiness goes a lot deeper and further than we first see on the surface? We know all of these things through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the fullness of the gospel in our day and time.

Hope you have a lovely Sabbath and weekend as we merge into Spring.

God bless.

Steve