Wendelin's "Christian Theology": Doctrine of the Gospel and Baptism, Part 1

THESIS I:  Hitherto the old offer; the new follows, wherein is offered the Mediator exhibited in word or signs.

THESIS II:  The word, whereby the exhibited Mediator is offered, is called the Gospel κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν, par excellence, which is the doctrine concerning the Son of God sent in flesh, and concerning the gracious remission of sins, and eternal life, through and because of His death, apprehended and applied through true faith.

EXPLANATION:  I.  Elsewhere Evangelium/Gospel in general signifies good and joyful news.  Here in particular it signifies the joyful announcement of our redemption through the Son of God, sent in flesh, and having suffered and died for us.  This doctrine is contained in the books of the New Testament.  Whence Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called the four Evangelists; because the describe in detail the doctrine of the Euangelii/Gospel concerning Christ’s birth, sermons, miracles, suffering, resurrection, ascension into heaven, session at the right hand of God, and return in judgment, and also concerning all the benefits abounding from Christ to us.  The Apostles explain the same doctrine more fully in Acts and the Epistles, written to various Churches and persons.

II.  In this new offer, the revelation of the Mediator reaches consummate clarity, as the sermons of Christ Himself, and of His Apostles, bear witness:  The Commandment to believe is express:  The Promise of the remission of sins and eternal life under condition of faith is altogether evident, which is called the new covenant, or the New Testament.

The Socinians feign Evangelical works, which are distinguished from works of the law; so that they might obtain justification by works, with the contradiction of Paul not preventing:  that by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.[1]  The power to justify, say they, Paul takes away from works of the law, but not from works of the Gospel:  to which they also add faith, and by which they understand new obedience.

But heretics deceive and are deceived.  The Gospel has no works formally distinguished from the works of the law.  Every action, having the character of obedience, and accomplished by us, is a work of the law, and is commanded by the law, either explicitly, or implicitly, through that universal law, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength.[2]  Faith is not at all excluded here:  because only the one having faith in God loves Him sincerely and rightly.

III.  The agreement and differences between the old and New Testaments or covenants are here briefly observed.

They agree:

(1.)  In the very substance of the matter and foundation of salvation, which is CHRIST, who is that lamb slain from the foundation of the world,[3] through whom they were saved and are saved, as many as have been saved and are saved under both covenants, Acts 4:12; 15:11.

(2.)  In the manner and means of obtaining salvation through Christ, which is faith, Hebrews 11.

They differ in quality and quantity.

In quality, (1.)  with respect to clarity:  because the doctrine of grace and salvation through Christ and faith in Him is far clearer in the new than in the old, and declared, not in types and shadows, as formerly, but by most manifest reason, 2 Corinthians 3:11.  (2.)  With respect to liberty, which is far greater than under the old:  seeing that the yoke of the ancient ceremonial servitude was completely taken away under the new, Galatians 4:3, 4; 5; Acts 15:10-35.

In quantity, (1.)  with respect to intensity:  for under the new there is ordinarily and commonly, through the Spirit, a far more efficacious application of goods, acquired by the merit of Christ, than under the old.  Whence also the gifts are more perfect, 2 Corinthians 3:6.  (2.)  With respect to extent, with regard to places.  For the new covenant is not confined to a certain place and people, as was the old; but it is administered in the whole world.  And with regard to times, which are no longer limited under the new:  because the administration of the new covenant will endure to the end, 2 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 4:13.

* IV.  That the covenant of grace was the same under the Old and New Testaments with respect to essence, is proven by the following arguments:

(1.)  The covenant entered into with Abraham is the same as the covenant in the New Testament, but the former is a covenant in the Old Testament.  Therefore, in the Old Testament the covenant of grace is the same with respect to substantials as the covenant of grace in the New Testament.  The major is proven:  because the covenant with Abraham is immutable and perpetual, Genesis 17:19; 2 Samuel 23:5; Psalm 89:28, 3, 4; Isaiah 54:8, 10; Hebrews 6:17.  Whence it is not able to be restricted to the times of the Old Testament alone:  otherwise it would have cased with the Old Testament:  and thus blessing would not come to all the peoples of the earth through the covenant entered into with Abraham, Genesis 22:18.

(2.)  The Gospel, so called κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν, par excellence, is the same with respect to substance in the Old and New Testaments.  Therefore, it is also the same covenant of grace.  For, the object of the Gospel is the covenant of grace.  Where then the object of the covenant is the same, there the covenant is the same with respect to substance.  The antecedent is proven, because the Gospel is eternal, Revelation 14:6, and the Gospel is not one thing and another, but just one thing, Galatians 1:7-9.  There is only one method of obtaining eternal life, which the Gospel reveals, Acts 4:12; 10:43; 15:11.

(3.)  To the gracious covenant of the Old and New Testaments belong the same matter and internal form.  The various facets of the matter are:  the covenant entered upon, God offended by sins, man offending, the Mediator reconciling man to God.  The form is mutual covenanting and obligation of the parties:  in which the offended God promises to man eternal life to be conferred through the Mediator.  The Mediator offers and pledges satisfaction for sinful man.  Sinful man promises faith and obedience through the grace of the Mediator.  All these things are manifest from a collation of the Old and New Testaments.  With respect to form, the same things are also acts of covenant:  (1.)  Namely, the promise of grace on God’s side, Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:3; 2 Timothy 1:9.  (2.)  Supplication and a solemn pledge of satisfaction on the part of the Mediator, Psalm 40:6-8; Zechariah 9:11; Hebrews 10:5; 1 John 2:1, 2.  (3.)  The promise of faith and obedience on our side, Genesis 17:9; Mark 16:16.

THESIS III:  The signs are sacraments, which are two, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

EXPLANATION:  I.  That there are only two sacraments of the New Testament, Baptism and the Holy Supper, is proven in this manner:

However many signs and seals of the grace bestowed through Christ Christ Himself instituted in the New Testament, and, with a special promise of saving grace added to those making legitimate use, commended, and willed to be retained and used in the Church to the end of the world, just so many are the sacraments of the New Testament.

But Christ instituted in the New Testament only two signs and seals of the grace bestowed through Himself, Baptism and the Holy Supper, and, with a special promise to those making legitimate use, commended.

Therefore, there are only two sacraments of the New Testament, namely, Baptism and the Holy Supper.

The major premise is taken from the nature and genuine description of a New Testament sacrament, properly so called.

The minor remains true, until other signs, besides Baptism and the Holy Supper, be set forth, with which the description of sacraments, alleged in the major premise, may agree.  Which things the Papists have not hitherto been able to produce, although, besides Baptism and the Holy Supper, they institute and number five other sacraments of the New Testament.

II.  Seven Sacraments of the New Testament, particularly and properly so called, are enumerated and instituted by the Papists:  (1.)  Baptism, (2.)  Confirmation, (3.)  the Eucharist, (4.)  Penance, (5.)  Extreme Unction, (6.)  Orders, and, (7.)  Marriage.

What Baptism is, and that it is a sacrament properly so called, is beyond controversy between us and them.

Among the Papists Confirmation is a rite, wherein the baptized is anointed by the Bishop on the forehead, in the figure of a cross, with chrism (which is oil mixed with balsam), with the imposition of the hand, with this form of words expressed:  I sign thee with the sign of the cross, and confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, by this rite to impress a mark, and to give justifying grace.  Where it is to be observed, that more recent Sophists patch on to this rite the imposition of hands, of which there is no mention by the more ancient Papal doctors in the description of confirmation:  and that for this one reason, so that they might be able to misuse Scripture, which mentions the imposition of hands; even if for a far different end.  The Scholastic Biel[4] thus defines it:  It is the anointing of a pilgrim, made on the forehead, in the form of a cross, with consecrated chrism.

Response:  From the mere description the vanity of the matter is evident.  For, a sacrament of this sort was not instituted by Christ, nor ever made use of by the Apostles in the Church of God.  And the matter is manifest concerning the chrism and anointing.  The imposition of hands, which is not of the essence of this confirmation, is read a number of times to have indeed been used by the Apostles, as a sign of extraordinary gifts, which were conferred on some baptized, through the Apostolic ministry, but not as a sacrament of ordinary gifts, which were necessary for the salvation of all the baptized.

That the anointing of the baptized was received of old in the Church, is known from the writings of the Fathers:  in which, nevertheless, it was held, not as its own sacrament, but as an appendix to Baptism, which was resting on Ecclesiastical tradition, not on divine authority.

That the Eucharist is a sacrament, is openly acknowledge by both us and the Papists.

They institute the sacrament of Penance, not insofar as it consists in the conversion of the mind alone, and the internal detestation of sin:  but insofar as it shows itself in external signs, grief, tears, and confession, and has an absolution added.

But, since those external signs are not of the essence of repentance, nor signs of the inward repentance established by God with the promise of conferring the inward repentance through them, much less expressed in the New Testament; with good reason do we exclude Penance, whether internal or external, from the number of New Testament sacrament.  In addition, it is not yet agreement among the Sophists concerning the matter, or concerning the form, of this Sacrament, which they invent.  Some maintain that absolution is the form; to others it appears to be the matter.  In contradiction to this, others maintain that the matter is the act of penance, genuflection, the confession of sins, satisfaction:  yet others, sin:  still others, the man repenting.  Thus it is necessary, that all differ, who in Theological matters are wise above what is written.[5]

Extreme Unction is administered to those that appear to be about to give way to disease, and are close to death:  in various parts of their bodied, especially the instruments of the external senses and locomotion, they are anointed with oil, consecrated by the Bishop, with these or similar words pronounced:  I anoint thine eyes with holy oil, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, so that, in whatever way thou hast sinned by that sight, it might be forgiven through the anointing of this oil, and that through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The foundation of this sacrament is sought in the Epistle of James, James 5:14, 15.  Where the Apostles commands, that the sick be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord, with prayer added, that they might be preserved, or restored to health, and might obtain the remission of sins.  But, that the anointing, which James mentions, was a certain extraordinary sign, employed by those in the Apostolic Church that had been furnished with the gift of displaying miracles, is evident from Mark 6:13, where mention is made of the same oil and anointing employed by the Apostles, miraculously restoring health.

Ordination is defined as a sacrament, whereby by the imposition of hands spiritual power and office is conferred upon the one ordained.  We ourselves do not deny, that the ministers of the Church were ordained by the Apostles, and that they laid hands upon the same.  But we nowhere read that this was instituted as a sacrament by Christ, and proper to the New Testament:  unless someone wishes all external ceremonies prescribed by Christ to be sacraments properly so called; but thus there will not be seven sacraments only, but thirty or forty.  Concerning marriage in its place.

[1] Galatians 2:16.

[2] See Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37, 38; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27.

[3] Revelation 13:8.

[4] Gabriel Biel (c. 1420-1495) was a German scholastic philosopher (a Nominalist in the tradition of Ockham) and theologian of the Canons Regular.  He wrote a massive commentary on Lombard’s Sentences.

[5] See 1 Corinthians 4:6.