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A Candid Inquiry into the Controversies among Evangelicals · §79

Controv. XII: Does baptism regenerate infants inwardly, bind the Spirit to the water, and admit lay or even women baptizers in necessity?

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Controv. XII. On Baptism. Is holy Baptism so effective that every infant washed with water is by that very act inwardly regenerated by the Holy Spirit — and so must have actual faith, since baptism profits nothing without faith?

Is baptism's washing only an outward means God ordained, a sacrament or symbol and seal of our regeneration (Titus 3:5; Acts 16:22), and a moral instrument of it, under the condition of faith — faith already present in adults (Mark 16:16), or faith still to come in infants who will live — and so necessary only hypothetically, as a divine command?

Or is it also a physical means and an inward efficiency without which regeneration does not ordinarily happen, and by which that regeneration is altogether worked — and so absolutely necessary, a means without which it cannot be?

On that reading, mere lack of baptism in infants, if it does not damn them outright, at least puts them in danger of damnation; and Christ's words about being born of water and Spirit are pressed that way (John 3:5).

From this they ask whether, in necessity, private persons ordinarily called laypeople — and even women — may baptize, though they may not preach (1 Corinthians 14:34–35).

The Lutherans say yes; the Reformed say no.

Latin

XII. De Baptismo. An S. Baptismi ea sit efficacia, ut quoquot Infantes aquâ baptizantur, hoc ipso internè regenerentur per Spiritum S. unde sequatur eos habere fidem actualem, quum Baptismus nihil profit fine fide? An sit adeò Baptismi lavacrum non solummodo medium externum divinitus ordinatum, in Sacramentum vel symbolum ac figillum nostrae Regenerationis, Tit. III.5. Act. XVI.22. ut & Instrumentum illius morale; sub conditione fidei vel praesentis in adultis, Marc. XVI.16. vel secuturae quoad victuros Infantes; habens hinc necessitatem hypotheticam & praecepti divini: Verum etiam an sit medium physicum, & efficientia interna, sine quo non fiat ordinariè Regeneratio; & quo omnino eadem efficiatur, habens hinc necessitatem absolutam & medii sine quo non? Ita ut sola privatio Baptismi in infantibus si non damnet, certe in damnationis periculo constituat, & huc faciant verba Christi de regeneratione ex aqua & spiritu, Joh. III.5. Unde in casu necessitatis, etiam privatis vulgo Laicis, imo & Mulieribus, non quidem & praedicare, 1. Cor. XIV.34.35. sed tamen baptizare liceat? Affirm. Luth. Negant Reform.

About this text

Samuel Strimesius — Prefatio through Controversiae Post Lutherum Controv. III-XIII + XV Tolerantia, Hexades Annotationum Prooemium and Annotatio I through Decem Theses / Francus plus Annotatio II §.I-§.VI and Annotatio III §.I–§.VII (through Cassellanum 1661) from Ingenua in Controversias Evangelicorum (Frankfurt an der Oder, 1708). Honest partial; Prefatio silence reasons, Annotatio III §.VIII+ fruits / §.IX+, Hexades theses body, deeper Controversiae / Part II remain.

English follows the locked 1708 Francofurti ad Viadrum Latin of Prefatio §I–II, Crimina defenses through III, Part I Protheoria through Controversiae Obices/Historia/Varii gradus, Formula Discord/Disparitas, Ulterius confirmatur / Classes / Formula protest / triplex differentia, Coena Domini Controversiae Priores through Precariae Hypotheses (Controv. print pp. 34–40), Controversiae Post Lutherum Natae Controv. III–XV tip (providence through De Tolerantia mutua; Controv. print pp. 40–78), Hexades Annotationum Prooemium H.I–§.III (Hexades print pp. 1–4 / PDF ~182–185), and Annotatio I De Augustana Confessione §.I–§.VIII tip (Hexades print pp. 5–24+ / PDF ~186–205+), reconstructed from Google Books PDF page images (ONB copy, id 3epYAAAAcAAJ) with pdftotext as check. No modern English was copied. Sister Halle digitization of Ingenua in Arminianismum (DOI 10.25673/65287) remains Anubis-blocked — skipped; Controversias only. Prefatio silence reasons, Annotatio I §.IX+, Hexades theses body beyond §.VIII, and remainder of Controversiae / folio remain.

Witnesses

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