will not impute to him for fin, the faults of which he was ignorantly guilty. Still the mistakes, even of such a one, may be greatly detrimental to fociety, to virtue, to religion and therefore the public warning of general denunciations againf them, may both be useful and requifite, and fuch denunciations are far from deferving to be condemned as uncharitable. But then they must be understood, like most other general expreffions, with due limitations. And, before we can apply them to particular perfons, there are fo many unknown circumftances to be taken into the account, and fo many allowances to be made, which, without feeing into the heart, cannot be made justly, that the rational, as well as christian, rule is, not to judge another man's fervant. Our concern is, to believe and act right, ourselves: as for thofe around us, to their own mafter they ftand or fall, and we fhould be very backward to caft those out, whom perhaps God will receive. Or, however bad an opinion we may conceive any peculiar aggravations oblige us to entertain of their future condition in the next world; or, however neceffary we may judge it, after a first and fecond admonition to reject them from communion with us; we are bound by the moft facred ties, neither to do them any private, nor procure them any public, injury or hardship; but ufe them with all poffible prudent mildness and tenderness: which is likely to reclaim them if any thing can: and should it not, they will furely remain objects of pity, as well as diflike. These are the rules, which plainly fuit our present state of imperfection. And may the careful obfervation of them bring us all fafely to a better: wherein, that which is perfect being come, that which is in part shall be done away. For now we fee through a glafs darkly; but then face to face; now we know in part; but then shall we know as also we are known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, thefe three: but the greatest of thefe is charity t Rom. xiv. 3, 4 ↑ Tit. iii. 1o. I Cor. xiii. 10, 12, 13. SER. WORLD, AND THE Rational MANNER OF ITS PROPAGATION. MATTH. xxviii. 19, 20. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. Teaching them to obferve all things, whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. THESE words contain that great commiffion and charter, granted by our Saviour to his apoftles and their fucceffors, by virtue of which we and all mankind have been called to the knowledge and practice of true religion, inforced by the motives of eternal felicity or mifery. As it had been chiefly in Galilee, that he inftructed his difciples before his death: fo he appointed them to retire thither after his refurrection, that he might add to his inftructions whatever then became proper; and more fully acquaint them with fuch things, as pertained to the kingdom of God. There, our Evangelift informs us, he appeared to thein on a mountain: perhaps the fame, on which he had begun to open the doctrine of christianity, in that noble difcourfe, which we have in the fifth and following chapters of this gospel; and given them a specimen of his and their future glory, at his transfigurationt. When they faw him the generality immediately worshipped him: but fome, we are told with the ufual fairness of the facred writers, doubtedt. Whether these were only perfons, who accompanied the apostles, and VOL. II. · A&ts i. 3. had Grot. in Loc. faith, There is ancient tradition for the last. See Reland Palæft. p. 334, &c. 1 v.17. had not yet feen him fince he rose again : or whether some of the apostles themselves, who might not with certainty know him at a distance, is not clear. But the doubts of either could not but vanish, when Jefus came up to them, as St. Matthew affures us he did, for fo the original word fignifies*, and com verfed familiarly with them. Many fuch conversations he held with these his followers: for St. Luke in their acts informs us, that they continued forty dayst. But the fubftance of them all muft be, what the text expreffes: where, in confequence of that fullness of power, which he tells them in the foregoing words, was given him over all things in bean and in earth; as the Father had fent him, he fends them‡, to make difciples, for that is the more accurate renderings, not of the Jews alone, but of all nations. And that they may do it rightly and ef. fectually, he diftin&tly sets forth, I. The doctrines, they were to teach. II. The duties, they were to enjoin. III. The protection and happiness, of which they might affure, both themselves, and all thofe, who faithfully preached his gofpel, and who fincerely embraced it. I. The doctrines they were to teach. These are briefly, but fufficiently, comprehended in the direction of baptizing men in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft: for the better understanding of which phrase, it will be proper to explain, 1. What is meant by being baptized in the name of any one, and particularly of these three. 2. What is the faith in thefe three, which our baptifm requires us to profess. 1. For the completer apprehenfion of the former of thefe points, it will be useful to obferve, that in our Saviour's days, it had been an ancient custom amongst the Jews, when any Gentile forfook idolatry, and believed the law of Moses, to receive him into their religion, amongst other ceremonies, by baptifm as indeed they had themfelves been prepared for the + Acts i. 3. reception John xx. 21. Προσελθών, ν. 18. ManTru is not used in the Septuagint: nor Mars. In the New Teftament it is found thrice, befides in the text: and fignifies to make difciples, Acts xiv. 21. to be a difciple, Matth. xxvii. 57. and in the paf five voice may fignify, to be made a difeiple, Matth. xiiii. 51. It Eigni Ses alfo in Plutarch, to be a disciple. See Steph. in Voc. reception of that law, by a folemn and religious washing, as we read Exod. xix. Nay even the heathens made ufe of purifications by water, when they initiated, or entered, any one into the mysteries of their deities. And this rite being not only thus universally used, but also naturally expreffive of those two things, which, on profeffing chriftianity, chiefly wanted to be expreffed: a promife, on our part, carefully to preserve ourfelves pure, from the defilement of fin, through the affiftance of the Holy Spirit; and a promife, on God's part, graciously to confider us, as pure from the guilt of it, through the merits of his Son: therefore our bleffed Lord condescended to make this the form of entering into his religion alfo. But at the fame time, he thoroughly diftinguished the chriftian baptism, both from that of the heathens, who were baptized into fuperftitions and idolatrous follies; and from that of the Jewish profelytes, who were baptized, as the apostle expreffes it, into Mofes*, by directing that his followers should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. In the language of fcripture, doing any thing in the name of God, fignifies doing it by virtue of his authority. Thus our Saviour faith to the Jews, I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: If another shall come in his own name, bim ye will receivet. In this fenfe baptifm is administered in the name of the Holy Trinity, being a divine appointment, with a diftin&t reference to each of the three perfons. And in this fense the phrase appears to have been used by St. Peter, when he commanded the family of Cornelixs to bè baptized in the name of the Lord‡; that is, by virtue of his commiffion to baptize all nations. Till that day, the apostles had understood this only concerning Jews and profelytes of all nations. But now, St. Peter being fent by exprefs revelation to Cornelius, a Gentile; and perceiving, in the midst of his difcourfe to him and his friends, that, on their believing, the Holy Ghoft was fallen upon them, Gentiles as they were: after fome aftonishment, he argues very justly, can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghoft, as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord||: that is, in pursuance of our Saviour's general direcQ ૧૧ tion. But 1 Cor. x. 26 Iv. 47, 48, † John v. 43. + Acts x. 48. $ v. 44 had not yet feen him fince he rofe again : or whether some of the apostles themselves, who might not with certainty know him at a distance, is not clear. But the doubts of either could not but vanish, when Jefus came up to them, as St. Matthew affures us he did, for fo the original word fignifies*, and com verfed familiarly with them. Many fuch conversations he held with these his followers: for St. Luke in their acts informs us, that they continued forty dayst. But the fubftance of them all must be, what the text expreffes: where, in confequence of that fullness of power, which he tells them in the foregoing words, was given him over all things in beaven and in earth; as the Father had fent him, he fends them‡, to make difciples, for that is the more accurate renderings, not of the Jews alone, but of all nations. And that they may do it righely and effectually, he diftin&tly fets forth, I. The doctrines, they were to teach. II. The duties, they were to enjoin. III. The protection and happiness, of which they might affure, both themselves, and all thofe, who faithfully preached his gofpel, and who fincerely embraced it. 1. The doctrines they were to teach. These are briefly, but fufficiently, comprehended in the direction of baptizing men in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft for the better understanding of which phrafe, it will be proper to explain, 1. What is meant by being baptized in the name of any one, and particularly of these three. 2. What is the faith in these three, which our baptifm re quires us to profess. 1. For the completer apprehenfion of the former of thefe points, it will be useful to obferve, that in our Saviour's days, it had been an ancient custom amongst the Jews, when any Gentile forfook idolatry, and believed the law of Mofes, to receive him into their religion, amongst other ceremonies, by baptism: as indeed they had themselves been prepared for the reception + Acts i. 3. John xx. 21. Προσελθών, ν. 18. Manteu is not used in the Septuagint: nor Mans. In the New Teftament it is found thrice, befides in the text: and fignifies to make difciples, Acts xiv. 21. to be a difciple, Matth. xxvii. 57. and in the paf five voice may fignify, to be made a difeiple, Matth. xiiii. 51. It figai Les alfo in Plutarch, to be a disciple. See Steph. in Voc. |