Hutter's Compend of Lutheran Theology

Hutter’s Compend has been selected from among the treasures of our Lutheran dogmatic, because in many respects better adapted to the present state of our church in this country, than any other work. Although it is not a full system of Theology, it cannot fail to give all earnest searchers after truth, a more thorough acquaintance with the faith of our church, and a clearer conception of the System of Theology contained in our Symbolical Books.

Their source — Their design — Canonical books — Apocryphal — Perspicuity — Sufficiency — The only judge in church controversies — Writings of the fathers and other theologians — Symbols of the church — Their authority — their use

Faith of the church on this article — Attributes of God — His unity — His triunity — His personality — The Father — The Son — The Holy Ghost

His names — His natures — Union of these natures in one person — Effects of this union — Communion of the natures — Communicatio idiomatum — The offices of Christ — Christ as a priest — Christ as a king

Meaning of the word, create — Material of which the world was made — Design of creation — Its order

Their origin — Their original condition — The Good Angels: Their perfection — Orders — Offices — Worship — The Bad Angels: Their fall — Guilt — Works and desires — Knowledge — Power — Hopes of Redemption

In what it consisted — Its loss — Its restoration

Its existence — Grades — Concurrence in human actions

Its cause. Original sin: Its existence—Universality—Punishment—Errors concerning original sin—The Pelagians—Papists—Manicheans—Flaccians—Actual sin—Mortal—Venial—The sin against conscience—Against the Son of Man—Against the Holy Ghost. No sinless perfection attained in this life

The state of the will before the fall — The state since the fall — The will free in natural and civil matters — Not free in spiritual matters — Powerless in conversion — State of the unenlightened understanding — Of the unrenewed heart — Ability to resist the work of the Spirit

The Ceremonial law — The Forensic — The Moral — Origin of the law — Its demands — Its uses — Political — Pedagogical — Didactic — Its necessity — Its effects — Its observance — Its fulfilment by Christ

How it differs from the Law — In mode of revelation — Subject-matter — Form of Promise — Object — Effects. Error of the Antinomians examined

Justification comprises two acts, one privative, the other positive— The causes of Justification—The grace of God—Merit of Christ—Faith. Good works not a cause.

Difference between it and prescience — Its cause — Grades — Object — Particularity — Means — Limits

Their existence — How they are performed — Their effects — Their necessity — Their want of merit — Their use

Subject of repentance — Parts of true repentance — Contrition — Faith — Its effects — New obedience. Parts of the false repentance required by Papists — Contrition — Confession — Satisfaction. The proper design and use of confession and private absolution

It is right for men to seek an entrance into the ministry — The design for which this office has been instituted — By whom it has been instituted — Who dare enter it — The nature of a call

Its existence — Its unity in respect to essence and faith — Its diversity — The true church — The false — The triumphant — The militant — The visible — The invisible — The particular — The universal — Its members — Holiness — Liability to err — Duration — Distinguishing characteristics,

Its grades — What church rites should be retained — Dangers arising from ascribing to them merit, or considering them necessary — Scripture testimony on this subject — Duty of Christians in regard to these rites

Their author — The sacraments of the Old Testament — The true sacraments of the New Testament — Baptism — The Lord’s Supper — The sacraments falsely so-called of the Papists — Absolution — Confirmation — Extreme unction — Ordination — Marriage — The use of the sacraments — Not to benefit ex opere operato — But to confer grace through faith

Its necessity — Its effects — Its subjects — Should it be re-administered — Ceremonies by which it is accompanied

The words of institution — Their meaning literal, not figurative — The two essential parts of this sacrament — The real presence — Not by transubstantiation, nor by consubstantiation; but oral, sacramental, spiritual — The body and blood of Christ received by worthy and unworthy communicants — Both kinds necessary — Abominations arising from the Romish error concerning this article — The design of this ordinance — Arguments for its frequent use

Difference between a sacrifice and a sacrament — Propitiatory sacrifice of the Old Testament now abrogated, and of no merit ex opere operato — Of the New Testament only one and that of lasting efficacy — Eucharistic sacrifices, bodily and spiritual — The Romish sacrifice of the mass impious and blasphemous

Of two kinds — Rules to be observed in reference to them

The design of afflictions — The manner in which they are to be borne — Grounds of comfort

Its necessity — Design and effects — Requisites — Objects for which we should pray — Thanksgiving to accompany prayer — God alone to be addressed

What monasteries originally were — What they are now — The three vows — Their opposition to God’s commands — It is not wrong to violate them

His chief duties — Christians permitted to exercise the functions of this office — The Gospel does not abolish civil governments — Permits judgment, punishment, the waging of wars, civil contracts, possession of property, judicial oaths, marriage — Nature of the obedience due to civil authorities

Its author — In what it consists — Who dare marry — Purity of marriage — The ministry allowed to marry

Its cause — Its subjects — Comfort in death — Immortality of the soul — Condition of disembodied spirits

Its certainty — When and how it will occur

Who will arise from the dead — The change of the living — The nature of the risen bodies

Its certainty — Its subjects — Its form — The rule according to which sentence will be pronounced — The sentence — The judge

Its locality — Punishments — Eternity — The Romish error in regard to different classes of the condemned — Christ’s descent to hell

Its existence — In what it consists