# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 05 15_S145
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.

"God's Word and Luther's doctrine shall pass away neither now nor ever."

Published by the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States.

Edited by C. F. W. Walther.

Volume 5.  St. Louis, Mo., May 15, 1849.  No. 19.

Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for out-of-town subscribers, who are to pay the same in advance and to bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 Cents.

Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be addressed to the Editor; all others, however, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, moneys, etc., are to be sent hither under the address: Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

(Contributed by Dr. Sihler.)

Second Sermon on Holy Baptism.

We have, my dear friends, dealt the last time with the nature and the effect of Holy Baptism, and have not done as, for example, the Unionist preachers and catechisms are accustomed to do; for these gladly leave aside, here and in the case of the Holy Supper, what the holy Sacraments really are, in order that by such silence they may give offense neither to Lutherans nor to the Reformed, but may be acceptable to both. Instead, they promptly fall upon the use of the Sacraments and the necessary condition of heart of those who make use of them. We, on the other hand, have not chosen such a way, but have gone honestly to work, and have shown first what Holy Baptism is and what it effects. And this is also highly needful; for although in earthly things one need not understand the nature of a thing in order to make right use of it — as, for example, everyone makes use of common natural water for drinking, cooking, and washing without knowing what water really is — yet in spiritual things this is simply impossible; and no man can make the right use of his Baptism and avoid the misuse, who does not know what it is and what it effects. Or is it, for example, at all possible that a man in temptation should comfort himself with his Baptism as the covenant of grace which the faithful God has made with him therein, if he does not know at all that in Holy Baptism the majestic and glorious God has so fatherly condescended to the poor sinner and has adopted him as His child? Will not such a man rather fall into the danger of seeking rest and comfort, after the fashion of the enthusiasts, though in vain, in the patchwork of his conversion and sanctification?

But as the knowledge of the nature and effect of Holy Baptism must necessarily go before, ere one learns to use it wholesomely and blessedly, so must the right use of Holy Baptism and the right avoidance of its misuse necessarily follow that knowledge, since in Christianity it is, in general, more a matter of doing than of knowing.

So let us now, under the gracious assistance of God the Holy Ghost, according to Mark 16, 16., and also with regard to the attacks and revilings of the Baptism-enthusiasts, treat together:

I. Of the benefit of the right, believing use of Holy Baptism.

II. Of the harm of the misuse or non-use of the same.

1.) The first part of this right use is this, that the believing baptized person through Holy Baptism has at once the duty and receives the power to drown and to kill the old Adam, as our Catechism says, by daily contrition and repentance, with all sins and evil lusts, and therein and thereby at once to bring ever more to light and to life the new man, who after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

But both of these take place through the power and virtue of the Holy Ghost, whom the believer obtains through Holy Baptism for abiding indwelling, in the following manner:

First, namely, the Holy Ghost impels the baptized person to acknowledge with contrition his daily and hourly sin and honestly to confess it before the LORD, and then, out of the fulness of the merit of Christ, to take by faith grace for grace, forgiveness for forgiveness.

Thereafter the same Spirit helps, through and with the freed and sanctified will of man, ever more to combat the flesh and to lay it low, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, especially to make faith active by love, and in a holy godly walk ever more to show forth the virtues of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. And through the discipline of grace of the Holy Ghost it comes to pass herein that the believer and baptized person is ever more able to do the contrary of the will of the flesh and to transform his evil lusts and desires into the opposite virtues. For thus it comes about that, the longer the more, the covetous man becomes a benefactor, the wrathful man meek, the proud man humble, the voluptuous man chaste, etc. And in this work of growing sanctification in the heart and life of the believing and baptized person it happens at the same time that the Holy Ghost, even through Holy Baptism also, awakens and maintains right, acceptable, earnest, and persevering prayer.

But when the man thus perseveres, pursues sanctification with all earnestness, fights the good fight of faith to the end, through the Spirit mortifies the deeds of the flesh, also endures patiently under the cross and holds fast without ceasing the hope of eternal life — then it comes to pass again, through the power and virtue of Holy Baptism, when the little hour of death strikes, that in death the original sin also is wholly put to death, and Holy Baptism accomplishes its work first upon the soul, so that this attains from the patchwork of sanctification to perfect holiness and is borne by the angels into the heavenly Paradise. Thereafter, however, at the resurrection of the dead, at the completion of the regeneration, Holy Baptism is also completed upon the bodies of the saints, and then Eph. 5, 29. goes fully into fulfilment in deed and in being, that the LORD Christ presents to Himself a congregation not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

2.) The second part of the right use of Holy Baptism is this, that in the time of heavy outward tribulation, and still more of inward spiritual temptation, when faith is mightily assailed by devil, world, and flesh, it affords a special comfort. For there are in the life of the Christian times when he cannot just leap with his God over the walls