But I muft crave the Reader's Excufe for this Digreffion from the Matter principally intended, tho' I could not tell how to avoid it; nothing being more needful than to rescue the words of our bleffed Saviour from those falfe Gloffes, and horrible Abuses which these laft Ages have put upon them, efpecially it coming fo directly in my way as this did.

Secondly, Here is the extent of their Commiffion, which is very large indeed, not being directed to fome few particular Perfons, but to Nations; nor to fome particular Nations only, but to all Nations, Go ye therefore and difciple all Nations; or, all the World, as it is, Mark xvi. 15. This was that which the Prophet Ifaiah, or rather God by him, foretels, Ifaiah xlix. 6. which our Saviour himself feems to have refpect unto, Luke xxiv. 46, 47. The meaning whereof, in brief, is this, That though the fews hitherto had been the only People of God, and none but they admitted into Covenant with him, now the Gentiles alfo are to be brought in, and made Confederates or Copartners with them in the Covenant of Grace; that the Partition-Wall being now broke down, the Gospel is to be preached to

all

all other Nations, as well as the Jewish; Chrift being now come to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as the glory of his People Ifrael.

But though the words of the Commiffion be fo clear to this purpose, yet the Apostles themselves understood it not, till God had interpreted it from Heaven to St. Peter, fhewing him in a Vifion, that he fhould call no Man common or unclean, A&s x. 28. From which time forward, he, with the reft of the Apoftles, obferved their Commiffion exactly in preaching to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. And this was one End wherefore the Holy Ghost came down amongst them, even to enable them to do what their Master had commanded them. For he had here commanded them to preach unto all Nations, but that they could not do, unless they could fpeak all Languages, which therefore the Holy Ghoft enabled them do, Acts ii. 4, 5. which alfo is a clear demonftration of the the true Meaning and Purport of these words: For there was no neceflity that the Spirit fhould teach the Apostles all Languages, but that the Son had first enjoined them to preach unto all Nations.

Thirdly,

1

Thirdly, Hence is the manner where by they are to admit all Nations into the Church of Chrift, or into the Christian Religion, by baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. For the opening whereof, we must know that Baptifm was a Rite in common ufe amongst the Jews before our Saviour's Time, by which they were wont to admit Profelytes into their Religion, baptizing. them in the Name of the Father, or of God. A little before our Saviour's ap pearances in the World, John Baptift being fent to prepare the way for him, baptized the Jews themselves; As many as came unto him in the Name of the Meffiab to come, which was called, the Baptifm of Repentance. I indeed Baptize you, fays he, with Water, to Re pentance; but he that comes after me, is mightier than I, &c. Mat. iii. 11. But when our Saviour was to go to Heaven, he left Orders with his Apoftles to make Disciples; or, admit all Nati ons into the Religion which he had preached, confirmed with Miracles, and fealed with his own Blood, by baptizing them in the Name of the Father,

Son

Son, and Holy Ghoft; which Form of Baptifm, queftionlefs, his Apoftles faithfully obferved all along, as may be ga+ thered alfo from Acts xix. 2, 3.where we may obferve, how when they said, they had not so much as heard of an Holy Ghoft he wondring at that, asked them, Unto what then were ye baptized? plainly intimating, that if they had been baptized aright, according to Chrift's Inftitution, they could not but have heard of the Holy Ghoft, becaufe they had been baptized in the Nama of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft; but v.5.as alfo Ads ii. 38. c. viii. 16. we read of Baptifm adminiftred in the Name of the Lord Fefus. From whence fome have thought, that the Apoftles baptized only the Gene tiles, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost, but the Jews in the Name of the Lord Jefus only; becaufe they believing in the Father already, if they were but baptized in the Name of Fefus, and fo teftifyed their Belief, that he was the Meffiab, they could not but believe in his Spirit too, but this Expreffion of baptizing in the Name of the Lord Jefus, feems to me ra

ther

ther to intimate that Form of Baptifm which the Lord Jefus inftituted: For doubtlefs, the Apoftle obferved the Precepts of our Lord better than fo, as to do it one Way, when he had commanded it to be done another; and baptized only in the Name of Jefus, when he had enjoined them to baptize in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft.

Neither did the Church ever efteem that Baptifm valid, which was not adminiftred exactly according to the Inftitution, in the Name of all the Three Perfons, which the Primitive Chriftians were fo ftrict in the obfervance of that it was injoyned, that all Perfons to be baptized should be plunged three times into the Water, first at the name of the Father, and then, at the name of the Son, and laftly, at the name of the holy Ghost that fo every Perfon might be diftinctly nominated, and fo our Saviour's Inftitution exactly ob ferved, in the Adminiftration of this Sacrament.