The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1909, Page 2

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

2 The Lutheran Pioneer.

I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
-world.” The believer knows not what lies before
him in the darkness of the future, but he knows
Him who declares: “I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee.” The passing years remind him of
his journey’s end, but he need not fear. For it is
written: “He that believeth on the Son hath ever-
lasting life;” he “shall not come into condemna-
tion.” He is God’s pilgrim, and the end of his
journey brings him to his heavenly home, where
“God shall wipe all tears from our eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying;
neither shall there be any more pain; for the for-
mer things are passed away.”
"A little while of mingled joy and sorrow,
A few more days to wander here below,

To wait the dawning of that golden morrow,
When morn shall break above our night of woe.

A few more days, and we shall dwell forever
Within our bright, our everlasting home,

Where time, or space, or death no more can sever
Our grief-wrung hearts, and pain can never come.

Of Holy Baptism.

As in the Church of the Old Testament there
were two Sacraments, so the Church of the New
Testament also has two Sacraments. These two
Sacraments are Holy Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper.

The Fourth Chief Part of our Catechism treats
of Holy Baptism. It tells what Baptism is, what
its great benefits are, from whence it has the power
to grant such great, benefits, and, finally, how Bap-
tism obliges us, and give us the power, to flee sin
and lead a godly life.

I. Wat ts Baptism?

Our Catechism tells us: “Baptism is not simple
water only, but it 1s the water comprehended in
God's command and connected with God’s Word.”

The visible, earthly element used in Holy Bap-
tism is water, plain, simple water. But it is not
simply water, as the unbelieving world and many
bearing the Christian name think. Nay, there is
something in Baptism in addition to the simple
water, to-wit, the Word, which is joined to the
water and makes it a Sacrament. The water in
Baptism is “comprehended in God’s command and
connected with God's Word.” ‘The natural water

in Baptism is comprehended in God’s command;
that is, God has commanded us to baptize, and He

has also commanded us to baptize with water. Just
as little as it is left to our discretion to baptize
or not, just so little is it optional with us to use
water or not. Without God’s command to baptize
there would be no Baptism; so, also, without water
there is no Baptism.

This divine command in which the water in
Baptism is comprehended we find Matt. 28, 19:
“Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.” This command Christ gave to His
disciples shortly before His Ascension. Christ, to
whom belongs all power in heaven and on earth,
who is the almighty God and the Lord over all,
instituted the Sacrament of Holy -Baptism. And
this command to baptize Christ gave to His disci-
ples, to His followers, to those who believe in Him,
in short, to the Church. The Church has the com-
mand to baptize all nations.

This, however, does not mean that every mem-
ber of the Church should under ordinary circum-
stances make use of his right to baptize; for this
would give rise to much disorder and confusion.
Ordinarily, the called pastors of the Church, who
are the ministers of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4, 1), should administer
Baptism. The pastors, as servants of Christ and
the Church, are entrusted with the administration
of the mysteries of God. These mysteries are the
Word and the Sacraments. Pastors are called by
their congregations to administer these means of
grace in the name of Christ and the Church. Only
in case of necessity should any other than a called
pastor administer Holy Baptism. If, for instance,
a child be in danger of death and a pastor not to
be had, then, rather than have the child die un-
baptized, any Christian should administer Holy
Baptism. Such a Baptism may be administered
by praying the Lord’s Prayer and then administer-
ing water to the child, saying, “I baptize thee in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.” This being done, the child will have
been truly baptized. But if the child continue to
live, its Baptism should be publicly confirmed for
the sake of the parents, the child, and the Church.

Christ tells His disciples to baptize. The word
“haptize’ means to wash with water. This we
learn from Mark 7, 4, where we read: “And when
they (the Pharisees) come from market, except
they wash, they eat not. And many other things
there be, which they have received to hold, as the
washing of cups, and ‘pots, and brazen vessels, and