John William Baier's _Compendium of Positive Theology_ Edited by C. F. W. Walther Published by: St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1877 [Translator's Preface. These are the major loci or topics of John William Baier's _Compendium of Positive Theology_ as edited by Dr. C. F. W. Walther. These should be seen as the broad outline of Baier-Walther's dogmatics, but please don't assume that this is all. Each locus usually includes copious explanatory notes and citations from patristics and other Lutheran dogmaticians. Chapter Five On the providence of God. 1. The most clear argument for divine goodness after creation is divine providence. 2. The word "providence" is derived from "being provided", otherwise by the natural force (meaning) of the word it is seen to indicate a knowledge or vision of future things, before they happened; but from the use of speaking and indeed from that place 'the' [lit., to] it provides this meaning, to consider the salvation of creatures. And divine providence indicates not only an act of the intellect, by which God renews to arrange and to apply, conserving those things founded in his being and by which he leads to his goal, truly also an act of the will, by which according to that knowledge of his he wishes and establishes creatures to conserve and to govern. 3. That divine providence exists, apart from the fact that it is established from the light of nature, is most clear from Scripture. 4. The efficient cause of providence is the entire holy Trinity. 5. The impulsive cause of it is the goodness of God. 6. The object of divine providence are creatures all and singly, both the inanimate and the animate, even the vegetables, brute creatures, but especially in truth humans, and most of all the faithful. 7. Especially about humans this providence is occupied, as to the beginning of their life, the progress, and the end, and likewise it extends itself to all actions. 8. The acts, to which providence is limited - being extended to creatures -are conservation, or the sustaining of individual creatures in existing, and governance, which partly implies a universal concurrence with the second cause, partly a certain special, and not of only one kind, operation and direction of the acting creatures. 9. However divine providence has also on the part of actions, to which it is bound, its grades and before other creatures, divine providence considers humans, however among the human genus especially the faithful. 10. That it concerns the beginning of humans, God is seen not only by a general influx, but especially also to concur in the producing of humans. 11. Among the actions of humans, to which God concurs, are the distinguishing of good from bad, and in the kind of goods, which are civic goods, and from this, which are spiritually good. 12. Divine providence looks at good civil actions, not only as far as the sharing of a general agreement, but truly also in this respect commanding, helping and approving them. For spiritually good actions likewise it has the same reason, but as beyond that also God himself moves toward this by a peculiar influx. 13. For evil actions divine providence is thus limited, that by those indeed, when they are done, a general agreement is shared, but many other actions which have been done are hindered, and those which are permitted to be done, they are arranged, so that they tend toward a good goal. 14. However in neither place, whether in good actions, or bad, does the providence of God abolish the free will of humans. 15. Divine providence looks at not only the end of human life, in so far as his moderation about the common laws is applied to everyone, of which by that power it is able to extend to a certain space of living with the general agreement of God, also in so far as by certain humans life beyond its end is prolonged, to which they arrived by those men of nature; to another the end of life quickly threatens, as according to the course of nature it ought. 16. However divine providence changes the natural end of human life not only for the pious humans but also for the impious. 17. For the pious God prolongs life either in the reward of their obedience, or according to public usefulness. Likewise for the impious he shortens life, partly they are ruined through the depraved examples of others, partly they see the coming calamities and are tormented. 18. To the impious God by a just judgment quickly removes life, when either he himself inflicts a lethal disease or death on them, or he commands [others] to inflict death, or he allows that they cause themselves sickness or violent death through excess or other crimes. 19. And thus also it happens, not absolutely to be of necessity, that each human dies by his own time and manner of death, by that which he dies. 20. The nearer goal of divine providence is the usefulness of humans, especially of the pious; the ultimate goal is the glory of the divine wisdom, power, and especially the divine goodness. 21. It is possible to define divine providence as this, that it is a practical knowledge of God from the divine will, a kind plan about all creatures, especially to humans and in the faithful assembly of humans, conserving and governing, to the usefulness of those humans and the glory of the divine wisdom, power and goodness. -------------------------------------------------------------- This text was translated by Rev. Theodore Mayes and is copy- righted material, (c)1996, but is free for non-commercial use or distribution, and especially for use on Project Wittenberg. Please direct any comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the Walther Library at Concordia Theological Seminary. E-mail: smithre@mail.ctsfw.edu Surface Mail: 66000 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA Phone: (260) 452-3149 Fax: (260) 452-2126 --------------------------------------------------------------