d Mr. Garland, "would that prove that no one has a
right to commune before he has been baptized?"

"I think it does, if we find that in every case the first thing people
did after believing was to be baptized. It must mean that they were
instructed by the apostles that baptism came first."

"Do you mean that it would have been wrong for them to have done
anything whatever before baptism?"

"Of course they could not cease all activity."

"Why, then, do you pick out the Lord's Supper as something they must not
engage in until they were baptized?"

"Because," said Sterling, "there are two ordinances, and if the
ordinance of baptism always came first, then the other ordinance must
not come first, and so I think it is clear that only baptized persons
had the right to the table. Don't you remember about the people
converted on the day of Pentecost? It reads 'then they that gladly
received his words were baptized', and then in the next verse we read
that 'they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrines and prayer
and in breaking of bread'. Notice 'breaking of bread' came after
baptism."

"Does the Bible say anything about who ought to commune or who did
commune in those days?" asked Dorothy.

"Get your concordance, daughter," said the father.

Dorothy did so and soon turned to a passage about the Lord's Supper. "In
First Corinthians, chapter nine, the writer is writing to some people
about celebrating the Lord's Supper."

"Is that so!" exclaimed the father. "Find out then whom he is writing to
and who are taking part in that supper, and that will answer your
question."

"It was the Corinthian church," said Mr. Sterling.

"If it was the members of the church who were taking communion, then
they must all have been baptized, don't you think so, Mr. Garland?"
asked Dorothy.

"I guess the members of that church at Corinth which was founded by Paul
were all baptized."

"It does look plain, then," said Dorothy, "that all those early
Christians were first baptized and then took the communion and then
performed the duties that came up."

"Yes," spoke up Mr. Sterling, glad to join the forces with Dorothy
against Garland, "baptism was a duty to be performed once and for all
time and in the beginning, but the communion is something that is to be
observed right along through the Christian life at regular times."

"Mr. Garland," said Dorothy, "I can't understand why anyone should want
to come to the communion table