John William Baier's
                       _Compendium of Positive Theology_
                          Edited by C. F. W. Walther
                                 Published by:
                  St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1877 


         [Translator's Preface. These are the major loci or topics of        
         John William Baier's _Compendium of Positive Theology_ as ed-
         ited by Dr. C. F. W. Walther. These should be seen as the
         broad outline of Baier-Walther's dogmatics, but please don't
         assume that this is all. Each locus usually includes copious
         explanatory notes and citations from patristics and other
         Lutheran dogmaticians.]


       Chapter Ten

       On baptism.

       1. Among the two New Testament sacraments  baptism holds the prior
       place.

       2. The principal efficient cause of baptism is Christ, who not
       alone but one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, determined what
       pertains to the founding of baptism, and truly also ordered that
       the rite was to be done frequently, and it leads back to the
       efficient fruit for the conferring of salvation.

       3. The impulsive internal cause is the divine goodness; the external
       cause is the merit of Christ the mediator.

       4. The lesser principal efficient cause ordinarily is the minister
       of the church; extraordinarily in cases of necessity also a layman
       or woman.

       5. The material of baptism is true and natural water, and the act
       of washing, which either by immersing or by sprinkling, is able
       once or by three persons.

       6. The form of baptism is the word of institution or that he is
       washed in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

       7. The end to which, which is also the subject of baptism, are
       humans carnally born and brought forth into the light; and these
       all, males equally and females; not only adults, but truly also
       infants.

       8. Meanwhile we believe the infants of believing parents, as it
       happened by private baptism, by an extraordinary grace of God to
       be reborn and saved; however we do not commit the infants of the
       unbelieving to baptism by divine judgement, and not indeed do we
       dare to snatch away those from unwilling parents through force
       and thus to baptize.

       9. The end of which, which is also the effect of baptism, the
       nearer is the regeneration or renewal of those being baptized;
       the farther is their eternal salvation.

       10. However, this, which touches the nearer end, occurs in
       diversity, in respect to diverse subjects. For to all infants
       indeed equally through baptism faith is first conferred and sealed,
       through which the merit of Christ is applied to them. Truly to
       those adults , who received faith from the word before the
       undertaking of baptism, baptism seals and confirms them. Not only
       now, when it has been undertaken, but also after, and through all
       life, by faith efficiently it brings forth the confirming of faith
       and the further renewal.

       11. To the signifying efficiencey of baptism, by which infants are
       transferred from the power of satan into spiritual liberty, the
       ancient rite of exorcism, with the sign of the cross and by the
       vowed renouncing of satan, while indeed indifferent, yet, rightly
       it is observed, how it is also for the designated covenant of grace,
       because the baptized enter into it with God, the sponsors or
       godparents are joined to the pious rite.

       12. Baptism once having been conferred according to the institution
       of God ought not to be repeated to the same subject.

       13. Baptism is able to be defined, that it is a sacred action
       instituted by God, in which humans without discrimination of sex or
       age are washed with water in the name of the Father, and the Son,
       and the Holy Spirit, so that they they are regenerated and renewed,
       which is the cause of the following eternal salvation.




       _________________________________.__________________________________ 
                                       
       This text was translated by Rev. Theodore Mayes and is copyrighted         
       material, (c)1996, but is free for non-commercial use or distribu-
       tion, and especially for use on Project Wittenberg. Please direct 
       any comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the Walther
       Library at Concordia Theological Seminary.

                         E-mail: smithre@mail.ctsfw.edu

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