# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1857_S355
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 355 —

The Synod further recognized that in such a case it is the duty of
the mother congregation concerned not only to consent to the formation
of an English daughter congregation, but also to assist it there with
counsel and action, and in particular to be willing to release to it
such older and more experienced members as have need of this — not on
their own account, perhaps, but for their families' sake — partly so
that family members are not separated into different congregations,
and partly so that such older members may strengthen and build up the
young congregation; and that in such a case Christian parents should
not let themselves be kept, by the necessity of having to dissolve
their previous congregational tie, from fulfilling this parental duty
of theirs.

Since it was precisely a dispute on this subject between former
members of the German Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul's congregation
[St. Paulusgemeinde] in Baltimore and that congregation itself that had
given rise to this question and discussion (see the 1st report of the
Eastern District, p. 22), and since the Synod had been asked by the
former to settle it, the Synod appointed a committee, consisting of
Professor Walther and our newly elected vice president [Vicepräses]
Pastor Schwan, to extend a hand to the estranged brethren; and this
committee, by God's gracious assistance, succeeded in bringing the
whole matter there to a good end, as the reader already knows from No.
7 of "Der Lutheraner."

Concerns Regarding Certain Statements by Johann Gerhard Reported in
"Der Lutheraner," Concerning the Effect of Holy Baptism, etc.

(See the 1st report of the Eastern District Synod, p. 21; and the 2nd
report of the same, p. 28.)

The paper [Referat] prepared and read by Professor Walther on this
subject (cf. Appendix E in the supplement) was followed by further oral
discussion of the matter, taking up first the first point, concerning
the effect of baptism. The Synod affirmed the exposition given in the
paper, and resolved that the petitioners in Pastor Keyl's congregation
be answered as follows: the general Synod agrees with the declaration
of the Eastern District Synod that there is no real contradiction
between the statement of Johann Gerhard and the statement of Luther
and the symbolic books [Lutheran confessional writings]: baptism (in
which, after all, the water is taken up into God's command and joined
with God's Word and promise) works faith; and the Word (whether before
or in baptism) works faith. Baptism, like the Word, both requires and
at the same time works faith.

On this occasion the question was raised: how could the sponsors
[Taufpathen, godparents], answering in the child's name to the
question "Do you believe?" with "yes," do so, since the child was not
yet baptized, unless the Word had already worked faith in it
beforehand?

The answer given was: the sponsors, like the child's parents, together
with the pastor, approach the child's baptism in the confident faith
that God will grant the child faith, and for that reason they entreat
him in faith. They could be certain that God, who requires faith, also
gives it. God, it was said, is not bound solely to the pouring on of
water, but can grant faith to the one being baptized [Täufling] even
beforehand.