7. The subject of baptism, or who should be baptized.
Like all spiritual goods, the means of grace, including baptism, belong directly, that is, not only through the mediation of a pastorate, to the believers, that is, to all Christians. That pastors administer baptism, they do in public office as called ministers (ministri) of the believers. If public ministers are not available, every Christian is not only entitled but also obligated to administer baptism. Our St. Louis hymnal therefore provides three forms (one longer, one shorter, and one quite short) for "lay baptism" in the appendix.1119) According to Calvin's1120) , the Calvinists absolutely reject lay baptism, and especially baptism by women, and maintain that baptism can only be administered by called pastors.1121) Alting gives the real reason for this strange position when he not only says that women who perform "emergency baptism" arrogate to themselves the public church office (involant in ministerium ecclesiasticum), but also adds: "They attach eternal salvation to an external thing, because they think it is done with the child if death occurs before water baptism; they do not know that the salvation of children depends on the grace of election and the covenant.1122) Underlying this, then, is the rejection of the means of grace as "external things" in general, and then the fiction of election detached from the means of grace. Incidentally, when Calvinists assure us that the
1119) Incidentally, a Christian should be able to baptize properly even without a printed and read form, having impressed upon his memory the few words that belong to the consummation of baptism: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
1120) Inst. IV, 15, 20: Neque aut mulieribus aut hominibus quibuslibet mandavit Christus ut baptizarent, sed quos apostolos constituerat, iis mandatum hoc dedit. [Google] The restriction of the baptismal command to the apostles is contrary to v. 20: "I am with you always, even to the end of the world." Next, Calvin proves too much. If the command to baptize concerned only the apostles, then the administration of baptism and the doctrines in general would also have to be limited to the persons of the apostles, which of course Calvin himself does not want.
1121) Quoted in Heppe, Dogmatik der ref. K., p. 446; Quenstedt II, 1115 sqq.; Günther, Symbolik, p. 295 f.. Lay baptism is also rejected in the second Helvetic Confession, XX, Niemeyer x. 518; likewise in the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterians, chap. XXVII, 4: "There be only two sacraments ordained of Christ … neither of which may be dispensed by any but by a minister of the Word, lawfully ordained."
1122) Syllabus Controversiarum etc., p. 263; in Quenstedt II, 1115.
329 > Baptism. [English ed. ~ 280-281]
baptism performed by laymen has no power at all (baptismi nullam vim esse),1123) it must be remembered that according to consistently held Calvinist doctrine, the means of grace, including baptism, have no power at all, but only represent what the Holy Spirit works directly in the elect.