9. The baptismal customs.
In the course of time, a number of customs have come into use in the administration of baptism, which have the purpose of explaining and illustrating the nature and effectiveness of baptism.1129) Gerhard divides1130) the "ceremonies and customs" common at baptism into three classes: 1. some are commanded by God, 2. some freely applied by the apostles, 3. some added by ecclesiastical persons. But the division into two is to be preferred. This is also meant by Gerhard, since he combines the second and third class into one class, when he says that only the ceremonies commanded by God (the application of water in the name of the triune God) are binding for the church, whereas those freely applied by the apostles stand just as much in the freedom of the church as those added by the later church. Under "baptismal customs" we deal with all "ceremonies and customs" not commanded by God, and here we mention those that have been excluded from the baptismal forms of the Lutheran Church, although not everywhere. In Walther, "1131) the following enumeration is found: 1. the remembrance concerning original sin; 2. the naming; 3. the so-called small exorcism; 4. the sign of the cross; 6. prayers and benediction; 6. the great exorcism; 7. reading of Mark. 10:13-16; 8. Laying on of hands; 9. Our Father; 10. Renunciation together with the apostolic profession of faith; 11. Use of godparents; 12. Putting on of the vesture shirt; 13. Benediction.1132) On the one hand, Christians should know that these customs belong to the realm of indifferent things, and therefore nothing is lost from the validity of baptism if several or even all matters are not applied due to circumstances. Also Gerhard says: "In the customs neither commanded nor forbidden by God (in
1129) Luther, St. L. X, 2138.<w:t xml:space="preserve">1130) L- de baptismo, § 254. 255.
1131) Pastorale, pp. 130 ff.
1132) Gerhard's enumeration of the rite L. de bapt. used in the Lutheran Church, § 258-269, of those used in the Papal Church § 257.
332 > Baptism. [English ed. ~ 282-283.]
ritibus adiaphoris), the liberty which Christ has dearly purchased and bestowed upon his Church is to be maintained, namely, that they may be freely observed without the opinion that they are necessary, and that they may be abolished and changed by order and with the consent of the Church, especially when they cease to be useful, do not attain their salutary purpose, and degenerate into abuse and superstition." On the other hand, in the case of baptism as a public act, the customs should not be left to the arbitrariness of the individual, not even of the pastor. The Formula of Concord gives the right answer to the question of who is entitled to determine, or change, the baptismal customs, when it speaks of "church customs" in the 10th article. 1133)Accordingly, we believe, teach, and confess that the Church of God in every place and at every time shall have the opportunity, power, and authority to change, diminish, and increase the same, without levity or offence, in a proper manner, as is at all times deemed most useful, conducive, and best for good order, Christian discipline and discipline, Evangelical prosperity, and the edification of the church. It goes without saying that the individual local congregations should, as far as possible, conform to other congregations of the orthodox confession, both as an outward testimony of unity in doctrine and to avoid confusion among those members of the congregation who pass from one congregation to another. — A few remarks on the baptismal customs found in the Lutheran church may still find room here. The reminder of original sin, with which our baptismal formula1134) also begins, has the purpose of pointing out the necessity of baptism, "because from Adam we are all conceived and born in sins." — The naming associated with baptism has a very practical purpose. It serves as a reminder that in his baptism the baptized person has a promise of grace issued to his name, that is, to his person, and valid for the whole of his life.1135) — How the exorcism came among the baptismal customs,
1133) p. 698, 9th [Trigl. 1055, Sol. Decl., X, 9 🔗]
1134) Kirchenagende für ev.-lnth. congregations, issued by the General German Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, etc. St. St. Louis, Mo. 1856.
1135) The framed baptismal certificates are a very suitable room decoration in Christian houses, especially also in the study rooms of theological students.
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and in what sense it passed into the Lutheran agendas, Walther reports.1136) Walther himself, following Chemnitz, Hutter and Gerhard, judges: "Now, it is true that exorcism has not been abolished within our German Lutheran Church in the manner which Hutter rightly describes as the only correct one; rather, with the intrusion of indifferentism and rationalism, that ceremony has mostly fallen in the most disorderly manner; but since the same evidently belongs to those ceremonies which, in order not to lead to misunderstanding, first require explanation, it is not to be hastily abolished where it still exists, still less, however, should it be aimed at being reintroduced." The possible misunderstanding is that exorcism might be thought of as a bodily possession of the child, while yet only a spiritual captivity in the realm of the prince of darkness is to be thought of. — The use of baptismal sponsors, as is well known, not infrequently causes distress to the practical pastor. We believe that Walther gives the right counsel here also when he remarks:1137) "It is true that the pastor must strive to ensure that only righteous Lutherans are chosen as godparents, and, in order that this may happen, to accustom his congregation to the fact that the baptism to be performed is reported to him before the godparents are invited; however, if well-meaning dissenters have already been invited, or if they already approach the baptismal font, the pastor should not turn them away, thus causing them public embarrassment, and thereby arousing in them a lasting aversion to our church and our ministry. For as unjust as it is for Lutherans to assume a sponsorship in irreligious churches and thus participate in the worship of the false believers, it is not conscience violating to allow well-meaning dissenters to be witnesses to our lawfully performed baptism in the designated case." Our baptismal form with the question whether the godparents are willing, if necessary, to provide for the instruction of the child in the Lutheran doctrines presupposes orthodox godparents. To impose this obligation on dissenters would be immoral for both parts. "Well-meaning" people of other faiths also see this. Thus, the distinction between godparents and baptismal witnesses will help out of trouble in most cases. If the pastor were in the position of performing a baptism in which only dissenters or
1136) Pastorale, p. 133 ff.<w:t xml:space="preserve">1137) Pastorale, p. 136 f.
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unbelievers were present, he would know how to use the baptismal form with the omissions required by these circumstances. Through the renunciation and the profession of faith, the effect of baptism is expressed, namely that through baptism the child is transferred from the kingdom of the devil into the kingdom of Christ. Because this can only happen in such a way that the child has its own faith in baptism, the question about faith is addressed to the child and answered by the godparents in the place of the child. Here it is naturally assumed that the child has its own faith in baptism and is not baptized on the faith of the godparents or the Christian church or even its own future faith. The children's own faith is to be held to by all means. Any doctrine according to which the blessing of baptism should pass to the child without faith being present as a means of acceptance on the part of the child is outside Christianity.1138) The blessing of baptism consists in the forgiveness of sins, and the forgiveness of sins cannot be appropriated by any other means than faith. "Such things" (namely, "receiving in the water the blessed salvation promised") "the fist nor the body cannot do, but the heart must believe."1139) The question of where the child got its own faith should not grieve us seriously. Because we know that baptism has taken the place of circumcision, and is therefore the means of grace for infants, and because Christ means to bring infants to Himself in order to bless them, and promises them the kingdom of heaven, we are justified in leaving to Him (Christ) the care of the ληπτικόν, faith, by which alone they can receive blessing and the kingdom of heaven on their part. Moreover, we know that baptism belongs to the gospel, and that the gospel has it in itself to work the faith which it demands. We say, then, that just as the word of the gospel, by offering the forgiveness of sins, also works faith in the forgiveness of sins offered, so also baptism works and strengthens faith, not as a result of any physical or magical power put into the baptismal water, but as a result of the promise of the forgiveness of sins connected with water baptism. Luther: "So we say that the infants are brought to baptism by other people's
1138) This is the iudaica opinio of the scholastics. Apol. 204, 18 ff. [Trigl. 313, XIII, 18 ff. 🔗]
1139) Large Catechism, p. 490, 36 [Trigl. 741, Large Cat., Bap., 36 🔗].
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faith and work; but when they have come there, and the priest or baptizer acts with them in Christ's stead, he blesses them and gives them faith and the kingdom of heaven; for the priest's word and deed are Christ's own word and work.1140) "For what is baptism but the gospel to which they are brought? Although they only hear it once, they hear it all the more, because Christ receives them, who brought them to be baptized.1141) We are more certain of the faith in infant baptism than in adult baptism. In the baptism of adults, we must accept their word when we ask them if they believe. And we should honor their word. If they deceive us or themselves, that is their business. "You are excused and baptize rightly," says Luther.1142) But in infant baptism we have Christ's word for it that the children believe, because he means to bring them to himself, to bless them, and consequently also to see to it that they are equipped with the means of receiving faith. Luther says with reference to Mark. 10: "Methinks that if baptism should be certain, let infant baptism be the most certain, precisely because of the word of Christ, since he calls them to himself, since the old men come of their own accord, and that in the old men there may be deceitfulness of open reason, but in the children there can be no deceitfulness of hidden reason, in whom Christ works his blessing, as he has called them to himself. It is a good word, and not to be taken in vain, that he calls the children to him, and reproves them that rebuke him. … In sum, the baptism and comfort of the children stands in the word: ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for such is the kingdom of God.’ He has spoken this and does not lie. So it must be right and Christian to bring the little children to him; this cannot happen except in baptism. So also it must be certain that he will bless them and give the kingdom of heaven to all who so come to him, as the words are, 'Such is the kingdom of God.'"1143) — It has been said and is still said that it sounds strange that at baptism we ask the child about faith and have the godparents give us the answer. But this happens for obvious reasons. Because God has arranged it in such a way that the children cannot yet speak, but we know from the Word of God that in baptism they will be able to
1140) op. cit., p. 492 f.<w:t xml:space="preserve">1141) op. cit., p. 497.
1142) XI, 495. 1143) op. cit., 496 f.
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have their own faith, we speak out what they cannot yet speak out. At the same time, we take the opportunity to confess the Christian doctrine of the children's faith, which is denied in the midst of Christianity, when baptizing the children. Therefore, if the circumstances are considered correctly, the matter is not peculiar, but perfectly in order. This also answers the question whether a baptismal form with a question about faith is appropriate for infant baptism at all, and whether our church has not transferred the form for adult baptism somewhat thoughtlessly to infant baptism. The answer to this, in accordance with the foregoing, is that the question of faith is no less appropriate for infant baptism than for adult baptism, because we know of infants, even more than of adults, that they believe in or at baptism. It is also advisable to keep the question of faith in infant baptism, so that we do not get the idea, as Luther reminds us, “that the Christian church has two kinds of baptism, and that the infants do not have the same baptism as the adults, when St. Paul says, Eph. 4:5, that there is only one baptism, one Lord, one faith”.1144) — But at what point of the act of baptism do we have to think of faith as coming into being? Luther is not particularly concerned about establishing the point in time. He says faith is there "before or ever in the baptism."1145) What Luther is all concerned with is this, that the child is not baptized on the faith of the godparents or of the Christian church, or even on its own future faith, but has faith of its own. But it is safest to think of faith as arising in the actual act of baptism. As Luther himself says in the above-mentioned words: When the children are brought to baptism through foreign faith and "the baptizer acts with them in Christ's stead, he blesses them and gives them faith and the kingdom of heaven; for the priest's word and deed are Christ's own word and work". Now, as far as the consummation of a right baptism is concerned, everything can ultimately be left out except the application of water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. — The question arose how to ask about the faith of the child before the actual act of baptism. One has thought of moving the question of faith behind the act of baptism. But
1144) St. L. XI, 490.<w:t xml:space="preserve">1145) op. cit., 489.
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against this arrangement it could be objected again that it is chronologically incorrect and causes the perverse idea as if faith is not already present in and at baptism. Therefore, we will have to leave it at that, that what coincides chronologically in the actual act of baptism is necessarily separated in the baptismal form, because we men are so constituted that we cannot think and say everything at the same time. Finally, it behooves all of us in re "infant faith" to make a confession. If we look at the matter without the Word of God, infant faith seems strange to us. Our psychological knowledge fails us here. We, too, probably pity the poor children because of their still undeveloped reason and consider them neither capable of faith nor of the kingdom of heaven nor of baptism. The disciples had similar thoughts. For when infants were brought to Jesus to be touched, the disciples were rebuking (έπετίμων) those who were carrying them. The disciples also thought: cui bono? The whole being of the children with Christ could come down to mere formalities. But the Lord defended these thoughts of formality. He "much displeased, ήγανάκτηοεν, and said to them: Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the Kingdom of God." At the same time, Christ instructs His disciples and all of us about what the developed reason that accumulates in us over the years is capable of for entering the kingdom of God. He says: "Verily I say unto you: Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, ώς παιδίον, will not enter it." The Lord thus reverses the judgment of the disciples. While the disciples hold that the children are not the proper subiectum quod for the blessing of Christ, Christ instructs them to the effect that the aged must be reduced to the child state if they are to share in the kingdom of heaven. Thus, we too must renounce our own calculations and receive the right thoughts about the faith and the salvation of children through faith in Christ's words.