Martin Luther to all Christian readers grace and peace in Christ our Lord.
Because I see and hear every day how the high, holy, comforting sacrament of baptism is administered to infants with carelessness and little seriousness, not to say with frivolity; which cause I consider to be that those who stand by do not understand anything of what is said and done: it seems to me to be not only useful but also necessary that it be taught in German.
language. For this reason, I have translated it into German, as it was done in Latin, and have begun to baptize in German, so that the priests and bystanders will be all the more motivated to faith and serious devotion, and the priests who baptize will have to be all the more diligent for the sake of the listeners.
But I ask out of Christian faithfulness that all those who baptize, raise children and stand by them take to heart the excellent work and the great seriousness that is in it. For you hear here in the words
of these prayers, how miserably and earnestly the Christian Church carries the infant and confesses with such constant, undoubted words before God that it is possessed by the devil and is a child of sin and disgrace, and so diligently asks for help and grace through baptism that it may become a child of God.
Therefore, you should understand that it is not a joke to act against the devil and not only to chase him away from the child, but also to burden the child with such a powerful enemy for the rest of his life that it is necessary to stand by the poor child with all one's heart and strong faith and to pray most devoutly that God, according to these prayers, will not only help him from the devil's power, but also strengthen him so that he may stand against him in life and death. And I fear that this is why people have fared so badly after baptism, that they have been treated so coldly and casually, and that they have prayed for them in baptism without any seriousness at all.
Remember, then, that in baptism these outward things are the least of these: blowing under the eyes, painting the cross, putting salt in the mouth, putting saliva and excrement in the ears and nose, anointing with oil on the chest and shoulders, and spreading chrism on the crowns of the heads, putting on vestments, and putting lighted candles in the hands, and what is more, which is added by men to adorn the baptism; For even without all these things the baptism may be done, and they are not the right things, which the devil shuns or flees; he despises greater things; there must be a seriousness here.
But see to it that you stand there in the right faith, hear God's word and pray earnestly with him. For where the priest says, "Let us pray," he reminds you that you should pray with him. Also, all the priests and the bystanders should speak the words of his prayer with him to God in their hearts. Therefore, the priest should speak this prayer clearly and slowly, so that the godparents can hear and understand it, and the godparents should also pray with the priest in their hearts, present the child's distress to God in the most serious way, and stand up for the child against the devil with all their strength.
that they let it be an earnest that is no reproach to the devil.
For this reason it is right and just that one should not baptize drunken and crude priests, nor should one take loose people as godparents; but fine, moral, serious, pious priests and ministers, who are to be trusted to act with seriousness and right faith, so that the high sacrament is not made a mockery of the devil and God is not dishonored, who in it pours over us such an abundant and causeless wealth of His grace that He Himself calls it a new birth, so that we may be freed from all tyranny of the devil, freed from sin, death and hell, become children of life and heirs of all God's goods, and children of God Himself and brothers of Christ. Oh! dear Christians, let us not be so industrious in respecting and acting upon such an unspeakable gift. After all, baptism is our only consolation and entrance to all divine goods and all holy communion. May God help us, amen.
However, I have not yet wanted to change anything special in the baptismal booklet, although I would like it to be better equipped, because it has also had industrious masters who have not sufficiently considered the glory of baptism. But to spare the weak consciences, I let it remain almost like this, so that they do not complain that I want to institute a new baptism and reprove those who have been baptized so far, as if they were not baptized properly. For, as I said, human additions are not so great a matter, if only baptism is done on its own with God's Word, right faith and earnest prayer. Hereby commanded by God, Amen.
The Baptismal Booklet, Germanized by D. Martin Luther.
The Baptist blows three times under the eyes of the child and says:
Go out, you unclean spirit, and give room to the Holy Spirit.
Then he makes a cross on his forehead and chest and says:
Take the sign of the holy cross, both on the forehead and on the chest.
Let us pray:
O Almighty, Eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you wanted to see this N., your servant, whom you called to teach the faith: Cast away from him all the blindness of his heart; break all the cords of the devil, that he may be bound; open unto him, O Lord, the door of thy lovingkindness, that he, being marked with the sign of thy wisdom, may be without the stench of all evil desire, and, after the sweet savour of thy commandments, may cheerfully serve thee in Christendom, and increase daily; and that he may be able to come unto thy baptismal grace, to receive medicine, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Let us pray:
O God! You are the immortal consolation of all who ask, the Savior of all who beseech you, and the peace of all who ask you, the life of the faithful, the resurrection of the dead! I call upon you about this N., your servant, who asks for your baptismal gift and desires your eternal grace through spiritual rebirth. Receive him, O Lord, and as you have said: Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: now therefore give the reward to him that asketh, and open the door to him that knocketh, that he may obtain the eternal blessing of this heavenly bath, and receive the promised kingdom of thy bounty, through Christ our Lord, amen.
Here he takes the child and puts salt in his mouth and speaks:
Take N. the salt of wisdom that promotes you to eternal life, Amen. Have peace.
Let us pray:
Almighty, eternal God, who through the Flood, according to your strict judgment, condemned the unbelieving world and preserved the faithful Noah even eight according to your great mercy, and drowned the stubborn Pharaoh with all his own in the Red Sea, and led your people Israel through it dry, so that this bath of your holy baptism may be called in the future, and through the baptism of your dear child, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Jordan and all waters to the blessed Flood.
and abundant washing away of sins. Through the same we ask your causeless mercy, that you would graciously look upon this N. graciously and with right faith in the spirit, that through this salvific deluge all that is innate in him from Adam and that he himself has done to it may be drowned and perish in him, and that he, separated from the number of unbelievers, may be kept dry and safe in the holy ark of Christianity, in the holy ark of Christianity, dry and safe, always fervent in spirit, joyful in hope, serving your name, so that he, with all believers, may be worthy of your promise of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
Therefore, you wretched devil, know your judgment and leave the glory to the right and living God, leave the glory to His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and depart from this N., His servant; for God and our Lord Jesus Christ has called him to His holy grace and blessing and to the fountain of baptism through His gift. And that you may never destroy this sign of the holy cross † which we put on his forehead, through him who is to judge in the future etc.
Hear therefore, thou sorrowful devil, by the name of the eternal God and of our Savior JEsu Christ, and depart with trembling and sighing, together with thy hatred overcome, that thou have no business with the servant of God, who now seeks that which is heavenly, and renounces thee and thy world, and shall live in blessed immortality. Let the Holy Spirit, then, who comes down from the highest castle of heaven, have the glory of destroying your deceitfulness, and of preparing the heart, swept with the divine fountain, a holy temple and dwelling place of God, so that this servant of God, redeemed from all the guilt of the former vices, may always give thanks to the eternal God and praise His name forever, amen.
I adjure thee, thou unclean spirit, by the name of the Father † and of the Son † and of the Holy Spirit †, that thou depart and depart from this servant of God N.; for he beareth thee, thou afflicted one, who walked with feet on the sea, and reached out his hand to Peter, who was sinking.
Let us pray:
Lord, holy Father, almighty, eternal God, from whom comes all the light of truth: we pray for your eternal and most gentle goodness, that you may pour your blessing on this N., your servant, and enlighten him with the light of your knowledge. Purify and sanctify him, give him the right knowledge, that he may be worthy to come to thy baptismal grace, that he may hold a firm hope, right counsel and holy doctrine, and be sent to thy baptismal grace, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
The Lord be with you.
Answer: And with your mind.
Gospel of St. Marci.
Answer: Glory be to you, Lord.
At that time they brought little children to Jesus, that he might touch them. But the disciples threatened those who brought them. When Jesus saw this, he was angry and said to them: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for such is the kingdom of heaven. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein: and he embraced them, and laid his hands upon them, and blessed them.
Then the priest lays his hands on the child's head and prays the Lord's Prayer with the priests on their knees.
After that, he takes saliva with his finger, and with it he stirs the right ear and speaks:
Hephathah, that is, open up.
To the nose and the left ear:
But you devil, flee, for God's judgment is coming.
Then the child is taken into the church and the priest speaks:
The Lord protect your entrance and exit from now on until eternity.
After that, the priest has the child renounce the devil through his godparents and says:
N., do you renounce the devil?
Answer: Yes.
And all his works?
Answer: Yes.
And all of its essence?
Answer: Yes.
That's what he's asking for:
Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?
Answer: Yes.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, born and suffered?
Answer: Yes.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, a holy Christian church, communion of saints, forgiveness of sins, resurrection of the flesh, and eternal life after death?
Answer: Yes.
Then he anoints the child with holy oil on the chest and between the shoulders and says:
And I anoint you with healing oil in Jesus Christ our Lord.
And ask: Do you want to be baptized?
Answer: Yes.
Then he takes the child and immerses it in baptism and says:
And I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Then the godparents shall hold the child in baptism, and the priest shall make a cross with the oil on the top of his head and say:
May the Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave you birth through water and the Holy Spirit, and forgave you all your sins, anoint you with the healing oil of eternal life, amen. Peace be with you.
Answer: And with your mind.
And while the godparents are still holding the child in baptism, the priest shall put the hood on him and say:
Take the white, holy, and spotless garment, which you shall bring without spot before the judgment seat of Christ, that you may have eternal life. Peace be with you.
After that, the child is baptized and the priest puts a candle in his hand:
Take this burning light and keep your baptism blameless, so that when the Lord comes to the wedding, you may go to meet him with the saints in the heavenly hall and have eternal life, amen.