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Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive 
 
 in 2011 witii funding from 
 
 Princeton Tiieoiogicai Seminary Library 
 
 littp://www.arcliive.org/details/commissiongivenb1823mlea 
 
COMMISSION 
 
 GIVEN BY 
 
 JESUS CHRIST 
 
 TO IIIS 
 
 APOSTLES, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 BY ARCHIBALD llLEAN, 
 
 ONE OF THE PASTORS OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH, EDINBURGH. 
 
 THE FIFTH EDITION. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED FOR W, JOXES, LOVELL'S COURT, 
 PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 1823. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 \-i-^X;^' 
 
 The design of this publication is to diaw the 
 Reader's attention to that kind of Christianity which 
 was instituted by Christ himself, and propagated 
 by his inspired apostles according to the commis- 
 sion which he gave them, and which is to be found 
 pure and unadulterated only in the writings of the 
 New Testament. 
 
 It has been the practice of those who have 
 written on primitive Christianity to collect th© 
 greater part of their materials from the records of 
 the first three or four centuries, whence they have 
 exhibited a picture of that divine and heavenly re- 
 ligion in many respects very unlike the original. 
 
 The Christian religion began very early to be 
 corrupted. False teachers were propagating their 
 pernicious doctrines even in the days of the apos- 
 tles. In the age immediately succeeding, its origi- 
 nal purity and simplicity were much defaced by a 
 mixture of vain philosophy, error, mysticism and 
 superstition, adopted and propagated by such as 
 were reputed the most pious and orthodox fatliers 
 of the church. In the beginning of the fourth cen- 
 tury it must have been essentially corrupted, other- 
 wise it could never have been accommodated to the 
 A 2 
 
 ^tV^M- 
 
IV PREFACE. - 
 
 nations of this evil world, incorporated with the 
 civil constitution, and adopted as the established 
 religion of the Roman empire. This union of 
 church and state paved the way for the kingdom of 
 the clergy, which gradually advanced to the sum- 
 mit of its power and glory in the Romish hierar- 
 chy ; a kingdom as opposite in all respects to the 
 kingdom of Christ which is not of this world, as 
 the mystery of iniquity is to the mystery of godli- 
 ness. As therefore we cannot form a proper judg- 
 ment af piH*€ and genuine Christianity from any 
 records posterior to the apostolic age, much less 
 from the modern forms of it which are at present 
 established among the nations c?i\\ed Christian,! 
 have in the following work confined myself entirely 
 to the sacred scriptures, which are the only pure, 
 unerring and unalterable standard of Christian 
 faith and practice. 
 
 The objections of infidels to the truth and excel- 
 lency of the Christian religion, are many of them 
 founded on the corruptions of it, and the unworthy 
 conduct of many of its professors, with which it has 
 no concern. Butiftheywould not deceive themselves 
 in such an important matter, they ought first to learn 
 from the scriptures what real Christianity is, and 
 then judge of it from its own evidence, pretensions, 
 and merits. If they consult the New Testament, 
 they may easily perceive, that it was never intended 
 as an engine of state, a foundation for priestcraft, 
 or to be subservient in any respect either to the 
 religious pride, or worldly lusts of men : they 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 may also see, that it was never desired to be a rule 
 for any form of godliness which in the present state 
 of things the nations of this world, as such, may he 
 supposed to assv.rae ; and that it is altogether im- 
 possible to apply it to such purposes without essen- 
 tially corrupting it. Its great object is to make 
 known the way of salvation from guilt and misery 
 through a crucified Saviour, and by this means to 
 reconcile men unto God, to separate them from the 
 communion of infidels and ungodly professors, to 
 unite them among themselves in the closest union 
 and most fervent love for the truth's sake, and to 
 direct and influence them in their conformity and 
 obedience to Christ in this world, that they may 
 partake of his glory in the next. In this view the 
 New Testament appears a plain, perfect and con- 
 sistent rule, but in no other ; for its chief design is 
 to promote the interests of that kingdom which is 
 declared to be not of this world. 
 
 The evidence of the truth of the Christian religion 
 does not rest solely upon human authority. It 
 claims our belief and regard as a revelation from 
 God, and bears such proofs of its divine origin, as 
 will undoubtedly leave every one who rejects it 
 without excuse. It clearly evinces itself to be the 
 exact and circumstantial fulfilment of Old Testa- 
 ment prophecies ; and who but the omniscient God 
 could possibly foresee or reveal before-hand such a 
 wonderful scheme and series of events, so remote, 
 and so different from the ordinary course of things ? 
 A 3 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 who but the almighty Governor of the universe 
 could so over-rule the determinations of free agents, 
 and so order and dispose all things in a subser- 
 viency to his purpose, as to ensure and effectuate a 
 circumstantial accomplishment of such predic- 
 tions ? — The miracles which at first attended the 
 publication of the gospel were so many divine 
 attestations of its truth, for none but the Almighty 
 could possibly perform them. They were so 
 mightj', wonderful and numerous, and done so 
 openly in the sight of multitudes, that the most 
 prying and obstinate opposers could not deny 
 them ; and though some most absurdly ascribed 
 them to the agency of demons, yet others no less 
 inimical to the cause, were constrained to acknow- 
 ledge that they were effects of divine power ; so 
 that it was reserved for the infidels of latter times 
 to dispute the reality of them. — The resurrection 
 of Jesus Christ from the dead is another demon- 
 strative proof of the truth of his religion. He 
 referred his enemies to this evidence of his divine 
 mission, and the precautions they took to prevent 
 all imposition in this matter, served only to esta- 
 blish more clearly the truth of the fact. He shew- 
 ed himself alive to his apostles after his passion 
 by many infallible proofs, and was also seen of 
 above five hundred brethren at once, who were 
 appealed to as living witnesses of it many years 
 after. As the chosen witnesses of this important 
 fact had every possible means of satisfying them- 
 selves, so they could not be deceived ; and they 
 confirmed the truth of their testimony to others by 
 
PREPACK. Vii 
 
 miracles, and demonstrated the sincerity of their 
 own belief by sealing it with their blood.— Besides 
 these, the internal characters of the Christian reli- 
 gion clearly demonstrate its divine original. It 
 gives such a glorious manifestation of the true God, 
 as infinitely transcends all our best natural concep- 
 tions of him. It exhibits such an amazing plan of 
 redemption, so admirably calculated to display the 
 divine character, and so well suited to the perishing 
 condition of guilty mortals, that none but God 
 could either contrive, execute or reveal it. Its 
 doctrines are so sublime and heavenly, its precepts 
 so pure and perfect, its motives so noble and power- 
 ful, and the whole of it so worthy of God, so greatly 
 surpassing all that could have entered into the 
 heart of man to conceive, and yet, when revealed 
 so consonant to his enlightened reason and consci- 
 ence, and so conducive to his best end and interest, 
 that it clearly manifests itself to be from heaven. 
 Such, however, as have no discernment of divine 
 excellence, nor any relish for the things of God, 
 cannot properly perceive this last kind of evidence. 
 " The natural man receiveth not the things of the 
 Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, 
 neither can he know them, because they are spiri- 
 tually discerned." Hence the necessity of divine 
 illumination. 
 
 Those who profess the Christian religion ought to 
 try their faith and practice by the New Testament, 
 which is the infallible rule, and the only standard that 
 
Viii PREFACE. 
 
 Christ hath authorised and established in his king- 
 dom. So far as their profession does not agree with 
 the word of Christ and his inspired apostles it is un- 
 doubtedly false, however sanctioned by universal 
 custom, human systems, or national establishments : 
 " We are of God/' says the Apostle, " he that 
 knoweth God heareth us ; he that is not of God, 
 heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth 
 and the spirit of error." 
 
 If we take a view of what currently passes for 
 Christianity in what is called the Christian world, and 
 compare it with the religion contained in the New 
 Testament we shall scarcely be able to trace a resem- 
 blance. The greater part think they have a title to 
 be called Christians from their country, birth, or 
 what they call baptism, though they know little more 
 of the religion of Jesus than Mohammedans or Pa- 
 gans do. Multitudes are zealously attached to the 
 authorised forms of their country, whose faith is 
 founded on human instead of divine authority, and 
 whose fear of God is taught by the precepts of men. 
 
 Among those who acknowledge in general that 
 the word of God is the only rule of Christian faith 
 and practice, there are many who, in direct opposi- 
 tion to that principle, claim a liberty to add to, or 
 dispense with that rule, according as the difference of 
 times, established customs, or other circumstances 
 may, in their opinion, require. Many pass high 
 encomiums on primitive Christianity, and profess to 
 
PREFACE. ix 
 
 admire the divine purity of its doctrines, and the 
 beautiful simplicity of its institutions, worship, or- 
 der and dicipline, who yet freely censure every 
 attempt to revive it.* It is impossible for candour 
 itself to reconcile this with a due regard for the word 
 of God, unless we can suppose that they look upon 
 that word as calculated only for the first age of 
 Christianity, or as authorising the superstitious insti- 
 tutions of succeeding generations. Those who 
 would be thought liberal in their sentiments despise 
 what they call the little singularities of parties, and 
 they are right so far as these singularities are of 
 human invention. They do not, however, stop 
 here, but treat many things in the New Testament 
 itself as matters of indifference or non-essentials : 
 but whatever may be said of the comparative im- 
 portance of things, it is essential to the character of 
 a true Christian to consider himself as indispensibly 
 bound to believe and practise all things whatsoever 
 Christ hath revealed or enjoined in his word, so far 
 as he understands it ; so that no article of the faith 
 once delivered to the saints, nor any one of the least 
 of Christ's commandments, however singular and 
 unfashionable they may be, can, in the fear of God, 
 be treated as the trivial nostrums of a party. True 
 Christianity is the most benevolent and generous 
 religion that ever appeared on the earth ; but at the 
 
 • Take for an instance of this, the censure which Dr. Moshelm and 
 his translator pass upon ^rius for condemning the superstition of his 
 time, and attempting to reduce Christianity to its primitive simplicity, 
 though they allow that the design, considered in itself, was noble and 
 laudable. Eccles. Hist. Vol. I. p 314, 315. 2nd Edition. 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 same time it is a very singular institution ; it is not 
 of this wch'ld, but quite opposite to the spirit and 
 course of it : therefore such as unreservedly follow 
 Christ, and conscientiously observe his sayings, 
 must necessarily be distinguished from the world, 
 and looked upon as a party. 
 
 Several additions have been made to this new 
 edition. At the end I have given a sketch of the 
 prophetic visions of the Apocalypse, with the cor- 
 responding prophecies in the Old Testament, and 
 marked the distinguished events in which many of 
 these predictions seem to have been already ac- 
 complished. I have also, taking the prophets for 
 my guide, set forth in several particulars the happi- 
 ness of the Millennium period, without presuming 
 to fix the times or seasons of future events. 
 
 As to the execution of this work, I leave tlie 
 Reader to judge for himself, and only request that 
 he would not hastily reject any thmg advanced till 
 he has first carefully consulted the scripture autlio- 
 rities referred to at the bottom of the pages : and in 
 so far as it tends to promote the glory of God and 
 the cause of pure and undefiled religion, I earnestly 
 pray that it may be attended with the divine 
 blessingi 
 
CONTENTS^ V, %. ^, 
 
 vJf Christ's power and dominion, - - - ' ^ Jr 
 
 His power and dominion the ground and reason of th^i^.,^;^;^ 
 
 commission, - - - - o 
 
 Plain inferences from Christ's power, - - 6" 
 
 Of the apostolic office, and what was peculiar to it, 9 
 
 The commission not confined to the apostles, - - 12 
 
 PART I. 
 
 THE SENSE AND EXTENT OF THIS PART OF THE COMMIS- 
 SION, HOW THE APOSTLES EXECUTED IT, AND WHAT 
 IT WAS THEY TAUGHT THE NATIONS. 
 
 That MATHETEUEIN signifies to make disciples only by 
 
 teaching, - - - _ - 15 
 
 The extent of this part of the commission, - - 17 
 
 How the apostles executed it, - - - 21 
 The subject matter of the apostolic doctrine, viz. the 
 
 gospel, - - - - -26 
 Presupposes man's guilt and misery, " - ib. 
 Various epithets given to the gospel, - - 29 
 A general idea of it from short scripture summaries, 30 
 Comprised under a testimony and promise, - 32 
 The TESTIMONY respccts the person, mission, and work 
 of Jesus, viz. 
 That he is the Christ, and what that imports, 35 
 That he is the Son of God, and in what sense, 39 
 His work : which includes his ministry and example 
 on earth, - - _ - . 45 
 His death, which is - - - - 47 
 That obedience whereby we are made righteous, 48 
 A true and proper sacrifice for sin, - - 49 
 By which the new covenant was made and dedi- 
 cated, - - - - - 51 
 A short view of that covenant, - - 52 
 His burial, and its import, - - - 55 
 His resurrection, which demonstrates, _ - 57 
 That he is the Son of God, - - - 58 
 That his atonement was complete, - - tb. 
 That his people shall be raised at the last day 50 
 
I 
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 His ascension, which imports, - - 6l 
 
 His victory over all enemies, - - 62 
 
 He ascended to bestow the Spirit, - - ib. 
 
 To take possession of his throne and kingdom, 63 
 
 To officiate as high-priest, and - - 64 
 
 ' As the forerunner of his brethren, - - 6^ 
 His second coming to raise the dead and judge the 
 
 world, - - - - ^7 
 The PROMISE of the gospel. That " whosoever believeth 
 
 shall be saved," - - - - 71 
 This promise an essential branch of the gospel, - ib. 
 The salvation held forth in this promise, - - 73 
 The gospel testimony and promise must not be separated, ib. 
 The nature of that faith which has the promise of salva- 
 tion annexed to it, - - - - 74 
 The evil of confounding it with its effects in the matter 
 
 of justification, - - - - 82 
 
 The declaration and call of the gospel is unto all, - 86 
 
 The promise of salvation restricted to him that believeth, 89 
 All who believe are immediately conscious of it, and so 
 
 have evidence of their own particular salvation, 93 
 The fruits of faith an additional evidence of this to a 
 
 man's own conscience, - - - 102 
 
 How a man attains to the full assurance of hope, - 106 
 PART II. 
 
 THE FORM, SUBJECTS AND IMPORT OF CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 What baptizing is, . _ _ . jos 
 
 The element, - - - - -111 
 
 The Name into which believers are to be baptized, 112 
 
 The subjects of this ordinance, - - - 115 
 
 Arguments in behalf of infant-baptism answered, - II9 
 
 The import and design of Baptism, viz. - - 129 
 
 To be a sign of regeneration, or the new birth, - 130 
 
 Of the washing away of the guilt and pollution of sin, 132 
 
 Of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, - 136 
 
 Of the believer's union and communion with him 
 
 therein - - - - - 138 
 
 Of his spiritual conformity to him, by dying unto sin, 
 
 and rising again to newness of life, - - 141 
 
CONTENTS. Xlll 
 
 Of his complete conformity to Christ in the death of 
 his mortal body, and resurrection from the dead 
 to inherit eternal life, - - - 148 
 
 PART III. 
 
 THE COMMANDMENTS AND INSTITUTIONS OF CHRIST, WHICH THE 
 APOSTLES TAUGHT BELIEVERS TO OBSERVE. 
 
 Wherein this teaching differs from the former - 158 
 
 The order in which these teachings are placed, not 
 
 arbitrary - - - - - ib. 
 
 General import of the words, - _ . l6*0 
 
 The commands and institutions of Christ which the 
 
 apostles taught the disciples to observe, - ib. 
 
 The eternal rule of righteouness, commonly called the 
 
 Moral Law - - _ - i^. 
 
 The foundation of it, - - - - t*. 
 
 The principle or spirit of it, - - - l6'l 
 
 Written on Adam's heart as the law of creation, l62 
 
 Traces of it remaining in the natural conscience of 
 
 every man, . _ - - ih. 
 
 In what sense, and for what end, delivered in the Sinai 
 
 covenant - - - - - 16. 
 
 Fulfilled by Christ, and delivered in a more excellent 
 
 manner under the new covenant, - - l6^ 
 
 The gospel carries the rule of duty to a higher degree 
 
 of perfection than any preceding revelation, I67 
 
 Christ's sayings considered, with respect to 
 
 Murder, - - - - - l6'8 
 
 Adultery, - - - - I69 
 
 Swearing, - - - - -171 
 
 Retaliation and resentment, - ^ - 172 
 
 Forgiveness of injuries, - - - 175 
 
 Love of enemies, - - - - 178 
 
 Evil judging, - - - - - 181 
 
 Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, - - 183 
 
 Laying up treasures, not on earth, but in heaven, 185 
 Anxious carefulness about the things of this life, I91 
 Self-denial and bearing the cross, - - 195 
 
 Entertaining the poor, _ - - 202 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 Respect of persons, _ . . . 203 
 
 Honour to whom clue, and upon what grounds 206 
 
 A summary of Christian duty under three heads, viz. 212 
 
 Sobriety, - - - - - 213 
 
 Righteousness - - - - - 214. 
 
 Godliness, ----- gip 
 
 The principles influencing the whole, - - 221 
 
 The separation of Christians from the world, - 224 
 
 Their union in a visible church-state - - 231 
 
 Scripture idea of a church, - _ - 232 
 
 The nature and grounds of Christian union, - 234 
 
 The duties of church members in relation to each other, 239 
 
 Christ's new commandment of brotherly love, - 240 
 
 Why called a new commandment, - - ib. 
 
 Its importance and excellence, - _ . 245 
 
 Has a special respect to the visible churches of Christ, 247 
 
 Essential to their union and edification, - - 248 
 
 The practical exercise of this love in a church in the 
 
 various duties which result from 
 
 The nature of their union, - _ - 249 
 
 The variety of their gifts, - - - 250 
 
 Their different conditions and circumstances - 255 
 
 The rules of discipline in dealing with offenders, - 26l 
 
 Of private offences, . - _ _ 26'2 
 
 Of public offences, - - - £66 
 
 The public ordinances of divine service, - - 272 
 
 The day appointed for observing them, - - ib. 
 
 Consist of the apostles' doctrine, - _ . 275 
 
 The fellowship, - - . . 279 
 
 The breaking of bread, _ . . 280 
 
 The prayers, - ^ - - 201 
 
 The singing of praise, - - - 293 
 
 The Promise. And lo, I am with you nlway, Ssc. 
 
 This promise made in the first place to the apostles, 296' 
 
 How it was accom))lished to them, - - 298 
 
 Is made to all his faithful ministers, - - 304 
 
 And to his church, _ _ _ _ 306 
 
 Imports the fulfilment of all the prophecies and promises 
 
 relating to his kingdom to the end of the world, 309 
 

 COMMISSION >^^< I 
 
 GIVEN "'-^ . A 
 
 TO HIS APOSTLES 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 Matt, xxviii. 18, 19, 20. 
 
 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All 
 
 power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 
 
 Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing 
 
 them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
 
 and of the Holy Ghost : Teaching them to observe 
 
 all things ivhatsoever I have cominanded you : and 
 
 lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
 luorld. 
 
 1 HESE words were spoken by Jesus after he 
 had risen from the dead, convinced his disciples 
 of the truth of his resurrection, and instructed 
 them in the things pertaining to the kingdom of 
 God. They contain his last and solemn charge or 
 commission to his apostles respecting the part they 
 were to act in setting up and promoting his king* 
 
2 CHRIST S COMMISSION 
 
 dom in the world, now that he was about to leave 
 them, and ascend unto the throne of his glory. 
 
 Christ's Power and Dominion. 
 
 This charge he introduceth by asserting his uni- 
 versal power, authority, and dominion : " All 
 power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. " 
 
 All power in heaven is given unto him. There 
 his royal seat, the throne of his kingdom, is placed, 
 whi ch he was then going to take possession of. The 
 saints who have died in the faith since the begin- 
 ning of the world, and who are now in heaven, are 
 all his subjects ; for he is Lord both of the dead 
 ^ and living ; ^ he reigns before his ancients glori- 
 ously, whilst they cast down their cro^^^ls before 
 him, and worship the Lamb that was slain.^ Nay, 
 the highest created beings, angels, authorities and 
 powers, are made subject unto him,*^ and com- 
 manded to worship him.^ They are all servants of 
 the Son of man to fulfil his pleasure, and minister 
 at his command to the heirs of salvation.^ 
 
 All power in eai-th is given unto him. For though 
 his kingdom is not of this world, nor promoted and 
 supported like earthly kingdoms ; yet the heathen is 
 given him for an inheritance and the uttermost parts 
 of the earth for a possession,^ that all people, na- 
 tions, and languages, should serve him :^ for he is 
 the governor among the nations,'' and takes out of 
 
 a Rom. xiv. 9. b Rev. iv. 10, 11. and v. 9. c 1 Pet. iii. 22. 
 
 d Psal. xcvii. 7. Hcl). i. 0. e Heb. i. 14. f Psal. 2. 8. 
 
 g Dan vii. 14. b Psal. x\ii. 28. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. S 
 
 them a people for his name ;^ haviiii^ power given 
 him over all flesh, that he should give eternal life 
 to as many as the Father hath given him.'' His 
 power also extends over all the adversaries of his 
 kingdom in the world, whether men or dcAils. He 
 rules in the midst of his enemies ;' and makes all 
 their determinations and measures, however wick- 
 edly intended, subservient to his own glory and the 
 real good of his subjects; and all who will not have 
 him to reign over them, he shall break them with a 
 rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's 
 vessel."" And though we see not yet all things ac- 
 tually reduced mider him, according to the full ex- 
 tent of the Father's promise ; yet being crowned 
 with glory and honour at the right hand of God, 
 and vested with all power and effective might to sub- 
 due all things unto himself, he is from henceforth 
 expecting till his enemies be made his footstool, 
 and must reign till that be fully accomplished."^ 
 
 This includes a power to judge the world. Ac- 
 cordingly, he is ordained of God to be the judge of 
 quick and dead ;° he hath given him authority to ex- 
 ecute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. ^ 
 On the appointed day,** therefore, he will summons 
 before his awful and equitable tribunal the living 
 and the dead of all nations, judge them according to 
 their works,"^ and pronounce upon them the irrevo- 
 cable sentence of everlasting happiness or misery.* 
 
 i Acts XV. 14. k John xvii. 2. 1 Psal. ex. 2. mPsal. ii. 9. 
 n Heb. ii. 8, 9. Phil. iii. 21. Heb. x. 12, 13. 1 CJor xv. 25. 
 
 o Acts X. 42. p John v. '27 q Acts xvii. 31 . r Matt. xxv. 31, 32. 
 2 Cor. V. 10. Rev. xx. 12, IS. s Matt xxv. 34. 41. 
 
4 Christ's commission 
 
 What an amazing power is this ? He terras it 
 «// power. Tt is immense in its degree, and unli- 
 mited in its extent. None are exempted from it 
 but He who put all things under him.^ It extends 
 over heaven, earth, and hell — angels, men, and de- 
 vils — the world which now is, and that which is to 
 come. It is various in its manner of exercise, ac- 
 cording to its different objects in nature, providence, 
 and grace ; but with unity of design, which is to 
 display the Divine perfections in rectifying the dis- 
 orders introduced by sin amongst the works of God. 
 This power, he says, was given unto him, viz. by 
 his Father ; so he elsewhere declares, " All things 
 are delivered to me of my Father." " " The Fa- 
 ther" (says John) " loveth the Son, and hath given 
 all things into his hand."'' It is in the economy of 
 redemption, and as connected with human nature, 
 that God hath constituted him heir of all things.^ 
 He was fore-ordained to this power and dominion 
 before the foundation of the world ; he manifested 
 his title to it, and was animated by the prospect 
 of it in the days of his flesh, when he appeared in 
 the form of a servant ; '^ but he did not obtain the 
 full and actual possession and exercise of this 
 power, nor of the glory, honour, and dignity con- 
 nected with it, till after his death and resurrection 
 from the dead.* 
 
 t J Cor. XV. f?7. Hcb. ii. 8. u Matt. xi. 27. x John iii. .1^. 
 
 V Heh i. 2. and v. 5, 6. z Malt. xi. t'7. Ifeh. xii. 2. a I'liilip. 
 li "^^S^y JO Luke xxiv. '26. Compare I'sal. cxxxii. 11. with Acts ii. 
 30, 31. and Psal. ex. 1. with Acts ii. 3i-- 37. and Fsal. ii. 7. with Acts 
 xiii. 33 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES, & 
 
 Chris fs Power and Dominion the Ground and 
 Reason of the Commission, 
 
 "When Jesus declares his power, and adds, "Go 
 ye therefore," &c. he evidently, by the word («y) 
 therefore, refers to his power as the ground or rea- 
 son of the commission. And an obvious reason it 
 is : For if Jesus has all power in heaven and in 
 earth ; if all judgment is committed to him, that all 
 men should honour the Son even as they honour 
 tlie Father ; ^ if every man is accountable to him, 
 and so under his administration, that he that be- 
 lieveth on him shall be saved, and he that believeth 
 not shall be damned,^ — then it highly concerns 
 every one to know this, that they may believe and ^ 
 call on him as the Almighty Saviour, and honour 
 and obey him as their sovereign Lord and King : 
 But " how shall they call on" and obey " him in 
 whom they have not believed ? and how shall they 
 believe in him of whom they have not heard ? and 
 how shall they hear without a preacher ? and how 
 shall they preach except they be sent" or commis- 
 sioned ? ^ Here, therefore, he sends forth his apos- 
 tles as heralds, to proclaim to all the world the 
 dignity of his person and character, to publish his 
 salvation, and to make known to the sons of men 
 the nature and extent of his power, and the glorious 
 majesty of his kingdom. 
 
 b John V. 22, 23. c Mark xvi. 16. John iii. 35, 36. 
 
 d Rom. X. 14, 15. 
 
6 ■ Christ's commission 
 
 Plain Inferences /rowi Christ's Power. 
 
 If Christ is possessed of all power and authority, 
 he must have an undoubted right to the obedience 
 of his servants ; and when he gives them a commis- 
 sion, they must be under an indispensible obliga- 
 tion to perform it, whatever difficulties they may 
 have to encounter. *' Though I preach the gospel 
 (says Paul) I have nothing to glory of; for neces- 
 sity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is unto me, if I 
 preach not the gospel."^ 
 
 If his authority is supreme, and extends to hea- 
 ven and earth, it must necessarily set aside all ad- 
 verse authority, either of men or angels, that w ould 
 oppose the execution of this commission. Ac- 
 cordingly, when the Jewish council prohibited the 
 apostles from speaking or teaching in the name of 
 Jesus (which was a principal branch of their com- 
 mission) they boldly rejected and disclaimed their 
 authority, saying, " Whether it be right in the sight 
 of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, 
 judge ye."^ And again, " We ought to obey God 
 rather than men."** 
 
 If «//powerand authority be vested in Christ him- 
 self, this excludes not only all rival but also all con- 
 junct authority. It admits of no arhitrary power in 
 his ministers over their fellow-subjects in managing 
 the afl'airs of his kingdom. None are allowed to be 
 lords over the heritage in conjunction with him,'' 
 
 '^ 1 Cor. ix. 16. f \cts iv. 17, 18. g Acts v. 29. L Mat. xx. f^— 28. 
 IPct.v -^ 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 7 
 
 lor he alone is king. Even the apostles, in exe 
 ciiting this commission, had no authority to teach 
 the nations any other doctrine than what they had 
 received from him ;' nor to baptize any in their own 
 name, but in his \^ neither were they to teach the 
 disciples their own laws, but " to observe all things 
 whatsoever he had commanded them."^ Nor were 
 they to enforce even these by their own authority : 
 " We preach not ourselves (says Paul) but Christ 
 Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for 
 Jesus' sake.""' And lest any should think the exer- 
 cise of the instituted discipline upon offenders a 
 stretch of human authority, the apostle on that sub- 
 ject saith, " Not for that we have dominion over 
 your laith, but are helpers of your joy ;"" it being 
 a power which the Lord had given them to edifi- 
 cation, and not to destruction.^ 
 
 Again, if Christ has all power and authority as the 
 great Prophet and Lawgiver of his church, this ex- 
 cludes all discretionary power in his servants to 
 make the least alteration either in his doctrine or 
 ordinances. The apostles did not, under pretence 
 of decency, order, or conveniency, elude their Lord's 
 authority, and model the commission agreeably to 
 the corrupt inclinations of men ; nor by critically 
 (or rather profanely) torturing his words, did they 
 seek to explain them in a manner most conducive to 
 their own worldly ease, honour, or advantage. They 
 adhered as scrupulously to the form and order, as to 
 
 i Gal. i. 8, 9. k 1 Cor. i. 13, 14, 15. 1 Mat. xxviii. 
 
 m 2 Cor. iv. 5. n 2 Cor i. 24. o Chap. x. 8. and xiii. 10. 
 
8 Christ's commission 
 
 the matter and scope of the commission. They kept 
 nothing back as being redundant, superfluous, or of 
 little moment ; nor did they add any thing to it of 
 their own invention, from a notion that it was in 
 any respect defective ; it being every way contrary 
 to their commission to teach for doctrines the com- 
 mandments of men, which, in matters of religion, 
 must ever make the commandments of God of no 
 efFect.p In short, every deviation from, alteration 
 of, or addition to, this commission, upon the foot of 
 human authority or discretionary power, is in effect 
 to deny that all power and authority is given unto 
 Christ. It is to say upon the matter, that his laws 
 are improper or imperfect, and may be amended 
 by erring mortals, as if they were wiser than he. 
 
 Of the Apostolic Office, and what was peculiar 
 to it. 
 
 Before we enter upon the commission itself, we 
 shall consider the office and qualifications of those to 
 whom it was at first delivered. It is plain, both 
 from this and the parallel place in Mark's gospel, *» 
 that Jesus is here addressing his apostles whom he 
 had selected from the other disciples/ Apostle 
 (attosoxos) is a Greek word, and literally signifies one 
 who is sent,^ The term will apply as well to civil 
 as religious missionaries, and even in the New Tes- 
 tament it is given to otliers besides the twelve, and 
 tendered messenger:^ yet the first select ministers of 
 
 p Mat. xr. 4, 5, 6. q Mat. xxviii. 16. Mark xw. 14. r Mark iii. 14. 
 Luk« vi. 13. s John xiii. 16. t 2 Cor. viii. 23. Philip, ii. 25. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 9 
 
 Christ were called Apostles by way of eminence, 
 and in distinction from evangelists, pastors, and 
 teachers." It was essential to their office, 
 
 1. That they should have seen the Lord, and been 
 eye and ear witnesses of what they testified to the 
 world. ^ This is laid down as an essential requisite 
 in the choice of one to succeed Judas .^ All of 
 them could say, " That which we have seen and 
 heard, declare we unto you."^ Paul is no excep- 
 tion here ; for speaking of those who saw Christ 
 after his resurrection, he adds, " And last of all he 
 was seen of me."^ And this he elsewhere men- 
 tions as one of his apostolic qualifications : " Am 
 I not an apostle ? have I not seen the Lord V'^ so 
 that his seeing that Just One, and hearing the voice 
 of his mouth, was necessary to his being a witness 
 of what he thus saw and heard.*^ 
 
 2. They must have been immediately called and 
 chosen to that office by Christ himself. This was 
 the case with every one of them,** Matthias not 
 excepted, for as he had been a chosen disciple of 
 Christ before, so the Lord by determining the lot, 
 declared his choice, and immediately called him 
 to the office of apostle.^ 
 
 3. Infallible inspiration was also essentially ne- 
 cessary to that office.^ They had not only to ex- 
 plain the true sense and spirit of the Old Testament/ 
 
 u 1 Cor. xii. 28, 29. Eph. iv. 1 1. x John xv. 27. y Actsi. 
 
 ?1, ^iJ. z 1 John is. a 1 Cor. xv. 8. b 1 Cor. ix. 1. 
 
 Acts xxil. 14, 15. d Luke vi. 13. Gal. i. 1. e Acts i. 24-26. 
 
 John xvi. 13. 1 Cor. ii. U). Gal. i. 11, 12. g Luke xxiv. 27. 
 
 Actsxxvi. 22, 23. aud xxviii. 23. 
 
10 Christ's commission 
 
 which was hid from the Jewish doctors ; but also 
 to give forth the New Testament revelation to the 
 world, which was to be the unalterable standard of 
 faith and practice in all succeeding generations.^' 
 It was therefore absolutely necessary that they 
 should be secured against all error and mistake by 
 the unerring dictates of the Spirit of truth. Ac- 
 cordingly Christ promised, and actually bestowed 
 upon them, the Spirit — to teach them all things — 
 to bring all things to their remembrance whatsoever 
 he had said unto them^ — to guide them into all 
 truth, and to show^ them things to come.*^ Their 
 word therefore must be received not as the word 
 of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God,^ 
 and as that whereby we are to distinguish the Spi- 
 rit of truth from the spirit of error."' 
 
 4. Another apostolic qualification was the power 
 of working miracles ^"^ such as speaking with divers 
 tongues, curing the lame, healing the sick, raising 
 the dead, discerning of spirits, conferring these 
 gifts upon others, &C.'' These were credentials of 
 their apostolic mission ; " Truly (says Paul) the 
 signs of an apostle were wrought among you in 
 all patience, in signs and wonders, and mighty 
 deeds."'' Miracles wxre necessary to conlirm their 
 doctrine at its first publication, and to gain credit 
 to it iii the world as a revelation liom God ; and 
 by these God bare them witness.'* 
 
 5. To these qualifications may be added the uni- 
 
 h 1 Pit i. 'i">. 1 Join) \\. 6. i John xiv 26 k John xvi. 13. 
 
 1 1 Thcss ii. 1.",. m 1 John iv. (5 u Mark wi. W. Acts ii -ICi. 
 
 o I C»»r. \ii. 8---11. Y "^ ^'°''- ''^''- ^'^- M I''^'^'- ''• "^^ 
 
, TO HIS APOSTLES. 11 
 
 versality of their mission. Their charge was not 
 confined to any particular visible churcli, like that 
 of Qr.din<iry. pastors ; ])ui, beir^g the oracles of God 
 to , men, they had the care of all, the churches.' 
 They had a power to settle their faith and order as 
 models to future ages— to determine all controver- 
 sies* — and to excrete the rod of discipline upon 
 all oft'enders, whether pastors or flock.' 
 
 TKe Commission riot confined to the Apostles; ^ 
 
 Thouqh this commission was at first delivered 
 to the apostles, who have no successors in their 
 office, yet the execution of it was not restricted to 
 tiieir personal, ministry, nor to persons so qualified. 
 — rNot to iYieiv personal ministry; for they had 
 many fellow-la-bourers in performing the different 
 branches of. this commission" — Nor to persons so 
 qualified; for though many of their assistants were 
 possessed of extraordinary gifts, such as evange 
 lists, prophets, &c. yet none of them had the dis- 
 tinguished and peculiar qualifications of apostles, 
 who had the power of conferring these gifts, and 
 of directing the exercise of them.'' And besides 
 these, there were pastors and teachers appointed 
 for the work of the ministry,^ among whose essen- 
 tial qualifications none of the extraordinary gifts 
 are mentioned.^ 
 
 Inspiration was at first necessary to reveal the 
 
 r 2 Cor. xi. 28. s Acts xvi. 4. 1 1 Cor. ■» . 3—6. 2 Cor. x. 8. 
 
 and xiii. 10. u Acts viii. 1, 4. and xi. 19,20. 2 Cor. viii. 23. 
 
 Philip, ii. 25. and iv. 3. 1 Thess. iii. 2. Pliilem. 1, 2, 24. x Acts 
 
 viii. 17. and xix. 6. 1 Cor, xii. and xiv. v Eph. iv. 11, 12. 1 Cor. 
 
 ^ii. 28. z 1 Tim. iii. 1—8. Tit. i. 5—10. 
 
 Ji 
 
12 Christ's commission 
 
 gospel, and miracles to confirm it. The apostles 
 were eminently qualified in both these respects. But 
 when the gospel- revelation with all its evidence was 
 completed by their ministry, and committed to 
 writing, there was no further use for these extraordi- 
 nary gifts, because the Scriptures of the New Testa- 
 ment answer all the ends for which such gifts were 
 originally bestowed ; and accordingly they have 
 ceased, as was foretold.^ The work enjoined in this 
 commission, however, was not to cease with the 
 gifts of inspiration and miracles, but to devolve up- 
 on a succession of faithful men who should be able 
 to teach others.^ These are the standing and ordi- 
 nary pastors and teachers whom Christ hath ap- 
 pointed iis stewards over his house,^ and who are to 
 be engaged in executing this commission until his 
 second coming."^ That this is a work intended for 
 ordinary teachers, and competent for them to per- 
 form, is plain from the commission itself, and the 
 promise annexed to it. 
 
 There is no part of the commission itself which 
 men possessed of ordinary gifts cannot now per- 
 form. They can joreac/t the ^/ojfpeZ contained in the 
 Scriptures to every creature, and produce (he evi- 
 dence by which it was at first confirmed : they can 
 baptize disciples upon a profession of their faith ; 
 and they can form them into churches in separation 
 from the world, teacJiing them to observe all tilings 
 whatsoever Christ hath commanded in his word. 
 
 al Cor. xiii. 8-- n. bSTiin.ii. 2. c Tit. i. 7. d Luke .\ii. 41— 45. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 13 
 
 The promise annexed is, " Lo, 1 am with you 
 alway even unto the end of the world." This pro- 
 mise cannot be restricted to the apostles person- 
 ally ; for these were not to remain on earth to the 
 end of the world : Nor can it be confined to a suc- 
 cession oJ men endowed with miraculous gifts; 
 for Christ knew that such gifts were soon to cease : 
 Neither can it respect merely the apostolic writings; 
 for though these will continue to the end of the 
 world, as a complete and unalterable rule of faith 
 and practice, and have Christ's blessing attending 
 them to the latest posterity, yet it cannot be said 
 that Jesus is here addressing himself to writings, 
 commanding them to preach and baptize, and pro- 
 mising only to be with them. This promise evi- 
 dently respects persons who should be actively 
 employed in his service, and was made to the 
 apostles in the first place, and in them to all suc- 
 ceeding teachers who shall faithfully prosecute the 
 same work to the end of the world, according to 
 the rules laid down in the apostolic writings. 
 
 But it ought to be noticed, that this commission 
 is given only to teachers. All Christ's disciples are 
 not teachers \^ all have not the scriptural character 
 and qualifications necessary to that office.® Though 
 men should think themselves qualified, nay though 
 they should actually be so ; yet, if they are not 
 'ailed and ordained according to the scripture 
 rule, they cannot regularly execute this commis- 
 sion : for " how shall they preach, except they be 
 
 d 1 Cor. xil. 29. e 1 Tim. iii. 1—8 Tit. i. 6—10. f Rom. x. 15. 
 
14 CHRIST*S COMMISSION 
 
 ^fe'rit,'"^ either immediately by Christ himself, as the 
 ^piostle^s' were, to wMoh none can now < reasonably 
 i^\eitn^, ox mediately by such as he hath. appointed 
 tb ' judgie of their qualifieationsy ' aad i to- set them 
 apart to' that work ?•« " m» . x^>/. i. !,.,// >*h *.. lu > 
 
 :»U.J3 CHMln ...n.u .ih V 1, ,j;..\ui > .1 .,.. o nni:;c.o, 
 
 •■' '" •'" ' •"(> *'• XHfiiM.. > 11,/, ,. ..h .l:> h ,oJ 
 
 *i'i* i '••' »I»<I ..lil,;, >H,;Mn |.,M: .1 .l.j.uo . ,, :. ,, J . i, . > ,r 
 
 hliiiS h,l I.MUU: » hi .7 .7J,i .!;.(., J |;;..tKl ..!»«.» Mlo.H 
 >H'«iH.7, oi H»,.<ni.| i;„i;.;.-,,|»L,, „,.,.| y, .,,;,^|, ),,,(, 
 
 ouj \,uu . .v.KjK.I J.M/c .1 Mr.H| <>J *...». I) uMilMUMirni.. > 
 vVvi^n. mI l.huuly 4,, I// tu<.^»c^<^ •:>>>. |:..H v'»"»»» 
 
 •-'iil OJ .'.|,f;(M CC.if |),u; ,0 ,,/,>:; o \ d ni I. ♦7mI.|.,|.» 
 
 'li >l«" -^nu, yllwld.,,.! ll.:,L. oil/, £,,,,1 m:U linif*.,,, 
 <►» }iUiJ.|o , ,,: J, 1,07/.., I) i. .!.,.> uh oJ Jh.//.>„u:P 
 
 tun'aaicnjfii* . t^uiJ .■, .; . ,i'<.,f ,i\ ,,) l, !■;,,,» ti »nil 
 
 » ♦! »»;t«wl » Ii:mi)<,., ,. ,.h loM .,7/:il lil: '. . ,..,1 ,1. ») lo:, 
 iii^.M.^l r - ^ m||<, ,,:,h 01 7 „j::po ,.>„ j „..j|,: ,i|.l,:n,, \,nr. 
 /lij»..'.h .'f;„ J.-,itih r,p ./loPiii-Mh JmiiII l.|iin,L=M„„ 
 '"" 'Xl /ll/.liJ .»; i.lnoif;; 7 .,(» 
 '""''i" •' "'^ ^" /^'"i »: I..,. ..;!,,'. Imh. f,.rio 
 
 o.i '^'xn i. ,>,>:■, ,j .,; ,,<{ 7 ..(> II,.. I, ,-,.,.1 " ,,.» . n.n-.^ 
 
 f\ . .....u . .... 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 15, 
 
 PART 1 
 
 ■ •" ■•" '" ""■ '•' ^'^l <*' 'VIM -.1 ,,,l •■ ^ . .!.;>,,! .-,;,,,' ,..,.( 
 
 TMl^'MAl^l!<rG"i^N'D'yXTEWT 'OP THfcS FART OR. 
 
 fnt; b'6Sr-\!'lssiDN] vkrW the'IApostlesiIexk-ij 
 
 "dtjfEii lT','kKO %'^HAt' It WA*"T»EY m-UGH.Tp 
 
 Go ye therefore and teach all aiation^,.', , > 
 
 We are irifed'ex^ress^ly forbidden' tc^strivrc about, 
 words, but tliis prohibitioti t^speidtsotlly'^feiieli' strife i 
 as tends to no profit, but to the feubT^tiiig of the> 
 hearers 1^' Every word of Gbd is pure J and as tbe* 
 whole counsel of God is communicated to us by, 
 wordsj'sb our ftiith and practice must be regulated 
 by ^e sense in which we understand them. We 
 cannot therefore contend for the faith once delivei?- 
 ed to the saints, without contending' at the same 
 time for the sense of the form of sound words 
 wherein that faith was delivered. 
 
 Jesus here commands his apostles to' '< teach all 
 nations." Tlie original *wclrd (jidOyirsua'ait is rightly 
 rendered teach, and is never used in a sense which 
 excludes it. We have the s^me word in Actsxiv. 21. 
 '*^ And when they had preached the gospel to that 
 city, 3il^6.((MxQii'rs'Mvrsi) had tazffghimsiny .'' — Here the 
 jweaw5 used determine the sense. They taught many ; 
 how? the text informs us it was hy preaching the 
 gospel. We find this word also in Matth. xiii. 52, 
 
 h 2 Tira. ii. 14. 
 
16 CHRIST S COMMISSION 
 
 "Therefore every scribe (jj^xQ'nrivQtis)who is instructed 
 unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that 
 is an householder, who bringeth forth out of his trea- 
 sures things new and old." Here the sense is clear 
 from the effect. The scribe by being instructed ac- 
 quires a ^rea^wre of knowledge, from which he bring- 
 eth/o7'thinstY\ictionto others. It no doubt imports to 
 make cl'iscij^les ,* but (^i^o^Q-orrn^ disciple is not an arbi- 
 trary designation: it signifies a learner, or one ivho is 
 /aw^A^, which is expressive ofteacldng as the cause ; 
 so that a person can no more be a disciple without 
 being taught, than he can be a convert without being 
 converted. To make disciples is neither less nor more 
 than to teach with effect. It is plain therefore that 
 iJLscOvrEveiv properly signifies to teach, and it only im- 
 ports to make disciples as the efiect of teaching. 
 
 And what demonstrates this beyond all possibility 
 of doubt, is the parallel place in Mark's gospel/ 
 where, instead of the words teach all nations, the ex- 
 pression is preach the gospel to every creature. In- 
 deed if fA.cii9vrtvaxrE were not a command to preach 
 the gospel, the commission as recorded by Matthew, 
 would be deficient as to the principal part of the 
 apostolic mission ; for the teaching afterwards men- 
 tioned, verse 20. does not so much respect the doc- 
 trine to be believed eis the commands and ordinances 
 to be observed by those who are already made dis- 
 ciples, as shall be shown in its proper place. 
 
 MxQyjTtvu, ofixxvOxvu, to teach or lear7i, whence comca fJix9r)rt)S 
 disciple, i. e. a learner, scholar, or one taught ; even as the English word 
 dwci/)/e comes of the Latin verb discere, to learn, 
 i Mark xvi. 16 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 17 
 
 Further, the word in this place cannot so proper- 
 ly be rendered disciple as teach, because it respects 
 all nations, and our Lord well knew, that all the na- 
 tions of this world, would not actually be made 
 disciples according to his own description of such> 
 He can therefore only mean, that they should teach 
 or preach the gospel to all nations, and by this 
 means make disciples among them. 
 
 The Extent of this Part of the Commission — All 
 Nations. 
 
 "When Jesus formerly sent forth his disciples to 
 heal diseases, and preach that the kingdom of God 
 was at hand, he restricted their commission to the 
 lost sheep of the house of Israel, and forbad them to 
 go into the way of the Gentiles.^ To old Israel, in 
 distinction from the nations, belonged the adoption, 
 and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of 
 the law, and the servdce, and the promises ; and of 
 them, as concerning the flesh, Christ came."" There- 
 fore the promises which God had made unto their 
 fathers were to be accomplished to them in the first 
 place ;" and so Christ was a minister of the circum- 
 cision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises 
 made unto the fathers." Hence, in reference to his 
 personal ministry upon earth, he says to the woman 
 of Canaan, *' I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep 
 of the house of Israel.''^ Though the gospel had 
 
 k John viii. 31 . x. 27. xiii. .?5. xv. ] 8. and xviii. 57. Luke xi v. 27. 
 1 Mat. X. 5, 6. m Hojn. ix. 4, 5. n Acls iii. 25. auii 
 
 xiii. o% 33. o Rom. xv. 8. p Mat. xv. 24. 
 
18 Christ's commissio?^ 
 
 been preached before to Abraham respecting* the na- 
 tions,*! and though the Jewish prophets had foretold 
 that God would call them to partake of the blessings 
 of the Messiah's kingdom Y yet this could not take 
 place until Christ by his death had abolished the old 
 peculiar covenant with Israel/ and established the 
 new covenant in his blood with his people of all na- 
 tions/ and until he had ascended on high, and ta- 
 ken possession of his kingdom, which came in place 
 of the Jewish theocracy, and included the heathen 
 for an inheritance/ Till then th€ Gentiles were with- 
 out Christ, having no hope, and without God in the 
 world." But Christ, having made peafce by the 
 blood of his cross, and broken down the middle wall 
 of partition between Jews and Gentiles,'' sent forth 
 his apostles with a more extensive commission, 
 preaching peace to them that were afar off, as well 
 as to them that were nigh.y He commanded them, 
 to go into all the world, and not to Judea only ; to 
 preach the gospel to every creature, and not the 
 Jews only ; to teach all nations, or to preach repent- 
 ance and remission of sins in his name among all 
 nations, beginning at Jerusalem.^ 
 
 But though their commission to preach the gospel 
 extended to all nations without exception, yet we 
 must not hence infer, that Christ intended to take all 
 the nations of this world, or any one of them, as 
 such, for his church and kingdom ; for he hath ex- 
 pressly declared, that his kingdom is not of this 
 
 q Gal. iii. 8. r Isa. xlix. 6. s Rom. i\. 8. 24, 25. 26. 
 
 t Psal. ii. 8. u Rph. ii. 1.;. x Eph. ii. 14, 15. y Eph. ii. 17 
 
 /, Mark xvi. 15. Luke xxiv. 47. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 19 
 
 world/ as earthly natioiLS certainly arc^ whatever 
 shape they may cussume.: He distiiii^uishes his peo- 
 plelVom tlK3 world as not of it, but chosen out of it,^ 
 and foretels they shall be hated of alliialions for his 
 name's sake,*^.: Tihe promise made tO;!Abi:ahain of 
 blessing a// 7ta//o/45 in his seed (Christy) does not re- 
 spect such political bodies of mem as constitute 
 eardily nations, but only the nations of them that are 
 savcd;'^ a great multitude, which no man can number, 
 o{ all nations J and kindreds, and people, and tongues,.^ 
 Old Israel were indeed the church and kingdom of 
 God, though a nation of this world;' but, as a nation, 
 they were only a fi|^ure of his true church and king- 
 dom ; and the old temporal covenant whereby they 
 Were related to' God, \vas but a type; of th^ new 
 covenant in Christ's blood. The nations of this 
 world arc neither typically nor spiritually related to 
 God as his church and kingdom. Not hjincaltij ; 
 for that relation was peculiar to the fleshly seed of 
 Abraham by the old covenant, which is now done 
 away 'J — ^ or spiritualhj ; for that is peciuliarto the 
 subjects of the nfew covenant ; who are described 
 as all knowing the Lord from the least to the greati- 
 est, as having his law in their hearts, and their ini- 
 quities forgiven.^ When our Lbrd foretels that the 
 kingdom of God shoiild betakeiifrbm^theJews^he 
 does not say it should be given to any otller earthly 
 nation sucli^s they, but '" to a fa atiOn bringing forth 
 thefriifts liiereof."^ The ch6sen generation, rbyal 
 
 a John xviii, 36. b John xv. 19. c Mat. xxiv. 9. 
 
 dRev. xxi. ei. e Rev. vii. 9. f H«ib. Tiii. 9, 13. Gal. jv^ 30. 
 
 g Jcr. xxxi. 33, 34. Heb. viii. 10, 11, VI. h Mat. xxi. 43. 
 
20 CHRIST S COMMISSION 
 
 priesthood, holy nation, and peculiar people which 
 came in place of old Israel,^ are described as " elect 
 according- to the fore-knowledge of God the Father, 
 through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience, 
 and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."^ 
 They are indeed termed a holy nation as being the 
 antitype of the nation of Israel, but they had no 
 earthly national form or establishment ; on the con- 
 trary, the apostle calls them *^ strangers scattered 
 abroad,^ — -strangers and pilgrims," and exhorts 
 them, as such, to have their conversation honest 
 among (sQvscnv) the nations, and to imitate Chiist in 
 patiently suffering their hatred.*" The words of 
 the prophets respecting the nations began to be ac- 
 complished when God did visit them, not to take 
 them in gross, or by nations,, but (xa^s/v e| sOvujv >.xov) 
 ** to take out of the nations aj^eojjle for his name."" 
 Christ therefore has his nation of redeemed ones 
 among all nations of the earth. For them he prays, 
 and not for the world ; and describes them as be- 
 lieving on him through the word of his apostles." — 
 For their sakes he commands the gospel to be 
 preached to every creature ; and to them he express- 
 ly restricts the saving benefit of it : " He that he- 
 lieveth, and is baptized, shall be saved ; but he that 
 helieveth not, shall be damned. ''" 
 
 From these hints we may learn what to think of 
 national or political establishments of Christiiinity ; 
 and judge how far they consist with the nature of 
 
 i Compare Exod. xix. 5,6. with 1 Pet. ii. 9. k 1 Pet. i. 2. 
 
 1 1 Pot. i 1. ml Pet. ii. II --2.5. n Acts xv. U. 15. 
 
 o John xvii. 9, 'iO. p Mark xvi. 16. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 21 
 
 Christ's kingdom, ^vhich is not of this \vorlcI, or with 
 that visible separation from the world in religious 
 fellowship to which he calls his disciples /» 
 
 Though the heathen is given to Christ for an in- 
 heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for a 
 possession ; yet he will not actually inherit all na- 
 tions till Satan is bound, and all opposing rule, 
 authority and power is put down.* Then indeed 
 *' the kingdoms of this w^orld will become our 
 Lord's and his Christ's ; and the kingdom and do- 
 minion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the 
 ^vhole heaven, shall be given to the people of the 
 saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an ever- 
 lasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and 
 obey him."*" But this kingdom in its most exten- 
 sive and prosperous state w ill not change its nature, 
 but will still be spiritual and heavenly as at its first 
 erection, and so essentially different from worldly 
 kingdoms, and the direct opposite of that kind of 
 spiritual domination wliich claims the sanction, 
 support and enforcement of civil power. 
 
 How the Apostles executed this Part of the Commission. 
 
 It will be allowed by all Christians, that the 
 apostles (at least after they were fully instructed by 
 the unerring Spirit) both understood and executed 
 their Lord's commission according to its true intent 
 and meaning ; and if so, their practice mil furnish 
 us with the best comment upon it. 
 
 qActsxix. 9 2Cor. vi. 14--18. Heb. xiii. 13, 14 
 
 a Rev. XX. 1—5. Cbap. xix. 19, 20. 1 Cor. xv. 24, 2.^ 
 
 b Rev. xi. ^i Dan. vii. 27. 
 
22 Christ's commission 
 
 On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit was poured^ 
 out upon them from the risen and glorified Jesus, as 
 he had promised. Immediately they began to speak 
 with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance ; so 
 that the vast multitude from all nations, then at Je- 
 rusalem, were amazed when they heard the illiterate 
 Galileans speak to each of them the grand things of 
 God in his own tongue wherein he was born/ This 
 miraculous gift of tongues was a qualification an- 
 swerable to the nature and extent of their mission ; 
 for they could not teach all nations without speaking 
 their different languages. 
 
 Being now qualified for their work, they began 
 their ministry at Jerusalem as they had been com- 
 manded ;^ and Peter's first discourse was attended 
 with the conversion of three thousand.' Soon after 
 Peter and John preached in the temple to a numer- 
 ous audience with still greater success ;" and being 
 apprehended and brought before the Jewish council, 
 because they taughtthe people, and preached through 
 Jesus the resurrection from the dead, they still went 
 on with their work even in the presence of the coun- 
 cil, and refused to desist, notwithstanding all their 
 threatenings.-^ Again they were apprehended and - 
 imprisoned ; but were set at liberty by an angel, 
 who commanded them to speak in the temple to 
 the people all the words of this life.^ While thus 
 engaged, they were brought a second time before 
 the sanhedrim, and charged with having filled Je- 
 rusalem wit'h their doctrine ; but instead of being 
 
 r A.ls ii. 3— 1'2. s T.iike xxiv. 47. t Acts ii. '29— 42. 
 
 u CLap iii. 12 -2d. x Chap. iv. 1--T3. y Cliai). v. 17—26. 
 
TO HI^ AfOSTLES. 23 
 
 intimidated, tlicy boldly disclaimed the authority of 
 their judges in tliatiliatldr, and openly avowed their 
 steady resoltition t6 t)Cf^evferei. Thb\igh beaten, they 
 i^ejoiccd that they ' wferfe cotititfed worthy to sufler 
 shame for Chri^t'^'ntiine:'Th6iighstri(itly prohibited 
 frbtti speaking aiiy mor'e in the natne of Jfesus, yet 
 daily in the teriipl'^ ahd in ^very hoii^e they ceased 
 not to teach and preach tfesnfe ChHst.'^ Stephen the 
 deacOn taught with such evidence and energy, that 
 none w^re abl6 t6 resist the spirit with which he 
 spoke; whioh so extispferated his adversaries, that 
 they soon brought him to seal his testimony with his 
 blood.'' This was the commen(5ement of a great per- 
 secution against the thutch at Jerusaletn, by w hich 
 many of them were scattered abroad throughout the 
 regions Of Judea and Samaria, and wen'tever^'^ where 
 publishing the gospel.^ Of thbs6 teiachers some 
 travelled as far as Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch, 
 preaching the word to none but uritO the Jews only ;** 
 for as yet they did not fully understand the extent of 
 *iie commission, till God directed ' Peter to preach 
 the gospel to Cornelius and his house, and testified 
 his acceptance of them by ^iviiig them the extraor- 
 dinary gifts of* the Spirit.^ Tliis totixinced the Apos-^ 
 ties and Jewish converts that God had alsb'^o the 
 Gentiles gtatit^d i-epehtance uttt6 life ;^ and though 
 they coptinued afterwards to make their first ad- 
 dresses to their cptintrymen,^ yet they no longbr cbri-. 
 
 B Acts V. 27—42. , aCh^p,vi!'8-^'lfe. , b Chap. vii. 59, 60. 
 
 Cbap. viii. 1,4. fi Clia^. xi. 19» ' e Chap. x. t^O— 48. jtqd 
 
 XV. 7—10. f Chr.p > i. is. . g. Acls xiii. 5—14. xiv.^ ." 
 
 xvii. 1, 2, 10, 17. xviii. 4, 5, 19. and xix. 8. 
 
24 ^ Christ's commission 
 
 fined the gospel to them, but published it to eveiy 
 creature, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.^ 
 
 Y/e iiave a particular account of the travels of 
 Paul and his fellow-labourers in teaching the na- 
 tions. Paul was in an especial manner chosen to 
 that work. He preached the gospel first at Damas- 
 cus ;'' afterwards in Arabia,^ Jerusalem/ Syria, and 
 Cilicia ;"^ then at Antioch in Pisidia," Iconium/^ 
 Lystra, Derbe,^ Perga,'^ Philippi,^ Thessalonica/ 
 Berea,^ Athens," and Corinth •/ at which last place 
 he and his companions continued a year and six 
 months teaching the word of God.^;, After this ho 
 preached at Ephesus near three years ; so that all 
 they who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, 
 both Jews and Greeks.'' Reciting his own travels 
 and labours, he says, " From Jerusalem, and round 
 about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the 
 gospel of Christ."^ He had not then been at Rome ; 
 but, being afterwards sent there a prisoner he con- 
 tinued two whole years in that city preaching the 
 kingdom of God, and teaching those things ^^hich 
 concern the Lord Jesus Christ.^ 
 
 Sacred history does not furnish us w^th so full an 
 accomit of the labours and travels of the other apos- 
 tles and their assistants ; but we may be sure they pro- 
 secuted their mission with unwearied diligence and 
 
 li Rom. i. 16. i Acts ix. 15. xxii, 21. and xxvi. 17, 18. 
 
 Rom. xi. 13. k Acts ix. 20- 2^. 1 Gal. i. 17. a Act.s ix. 29. 
 
 m Gal. i. 21. u Acts xiii. 14—49. oChap. xiv. 1,3. 
 
 p Chap, xiv.6, 7, 21. q Cliap. xiv. 2r). r Cliap. xvi. 9, 13, 32. 
 
 s Cliap. xvii. 2, 3, 4. t Cliap. xvii. 10, 11, 12. u Vcr. 17, &c. 
 
 X Chap, xviii. 4,5, y Vcr. 11. z Chap. xix. 8, 10, audxx.31. 
 a Rom. XV. 19. b Acts xxviii. 30, 31 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 25 
 
 fidelity in different parts of the world * Peter 
 writes his first epistle from Babylon f and the gos 
 pel ^vas received at Rome before Paul went there, 
 and so must have been published by some otliers.* 
 Our Lord foretold, that the gospel of the kingdom 
 should be preached in all the w^orld, for a witness 
 unto all nations, before the destruction of Jerusa- 
 lem,*^ i. e. within forty years ; and about nine years 
 before that dreadful event, Paul tells tlie Colos- 
 sians that this had actually been accomplished/ 
 So rapid and universal was t!ie spread of the gos- 
 pel, that the same apostle applies what is said of 
 the heavenly luminaries to the publishers of it : 
 '* Their sound went unto all the earth, and their 
 words imto the end^ of the world. "^ Thus we see 
 how the apostles and their assistants executed the 
 first part of tlie comoiission in teaching all nations. 
 
 * It appears from the most credible records, that the gospel was 
 preached in Idutnca, Syria, and ]Mesopotamia, by Jude ; in Egypt, 
 Mamorica, Mauritania, and other parts of Africa, by Mark, Simeon, and 
 Jude ; in Ethiopia by the Eunuch and INIatthias ; in Pontus, G alalia, and 
 the neighbouring parts of Asia, by Peter ; in the territories of the seven 
 Asiatic churches by John ; in Parthia by Matthew ; in Scythia by Philip 
 and Andrew ; in the northern and western parts of Asia by Bartholomew ; 
 in Persia, by Simeon and Jude ; in Media, Cannania, and several eastern 
 parts, by Thomas ; from Jerusalem to Ulyricum, by Paul, as also in Italy, 
 and probably in Spain, Gaul, and Britain. In most of which places Chris- 
 tian churches were planted in less than thirty years after Christ, and ten 
 before the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 
 Ar. Young on Idolatry, vol. ii. p. 216 — 234. 
 
 c 1 Pet. V. 13. d Rom. i. 10---14. e Mat. xxiv. 14. 
 
 f Col. i. 6, 23. g Psal. xix. 4. Rom. x. 18. 
 
26 CHRiSt's COMMISSION 
 
 The Subject-matter of the Apostolic Doctrine^ 
 . or what it was they taught the Nations. 
 
 They were commissiohed to go into all thd 
 world, and preach the gospel (i. e. to publish the 
 glad tidings of salvation) to every creature^— to 
 preach repentance and remission of sins in Christ's 
 name among all nations.^ As pardon has n6 
 meaning but in relation to guilt, nor salvation hni 
 as it respects danger or inisery, it will be needfiil 
 here to premise a few things. 
 
 That man was originally created upright and hap- 
 py, the word of God clearly testifies;^ that his pre-i 
 sent state is the sad reverse, experience as well as 
 scripture sufficiently evince. But how this change 
 took place can only be learnt from revelation. Thi^ 
 informs us. That by the one offence, or disobedience 
 of the first man, sin entered into the world, and death 
 by sin; and so death passsed {us) unto allmen(f?>' ai,) 
 in whom all have sinned :^-— That hereby the whole 
 of Adam's posterity are become naturally sinful as 
 well as mortal, being shapen in iniquity and con- 
 ceived in sin;"" alienated froni the life of God 
 through the ignorance that is in them, because of 
 the blindness of their hearts;" enemies to God in 
 their minds by wicked works,;° walking according 
 to the instigations of the prince of the power of the 
 air, the spirit that worketh in the children of dis- 
 
 h Mark xvi. 15, i Lnlce itxiv. At. k Gen. i. 26, if7. 
 
 Keel vii. 29. IRom. V. 12. m Psal li. 5. n Eph. iv. IS.' 
 
 o Col. i. 21. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. , 2? 
 
 obedience,* by whom they ^re blinded and taken i 
 captive at his will :'» And being thu^ dead in tres-,: 
 passes and sins/ and wholly oorrnpted in their sen- . 
 timents; dispositions, and practices, -they are not,: 
 only deprived of a sense of thd Divine favour, sub- 
 jected to ' the toils and ' ihiscries' of this life, and 
 doomed to return to the dusty according to the sen- 
 tence pronounced upon Adam's otie oj^^/tce/'but are 
 also liable to the curse of God's violated law/ and 
 to be punished with everlasting destruction from the , 
 presenceof the Lord, and froriithe glory of his power 
 in the world to come, for their own many offences, I - 
 All mankind v.ithout exception are by i^ature in 
 this guilty, helpless> and miserable state. The (Greztr, 
 tiks by sinning against the manifestation of God in 
 his visible works, and the natural notices of his law 
 in their consciences, were worthy ot death. ''^The 
 /eM>5, though more higlily favoured than the former, 
 in having the wTitten law of God, were in no respecjt^ 
 better than they ; for by transgressing that law, they, 
 dishonoured God, and so were equally obnoxiousto 
 his just displeasure .y The law, which demanded 
 perfect love to God and their neighbour, manifested 
 at the same time their guilt and the curse due to 
 every the least failure;? so that,' instead of justifying 
 them, it gave the knowledge of sin^ made the offence 
 abound, and ministered death and condemnation>* 
 Thus the scripture concludes all the world, both 
 
 p Eph. ii. 2. q ? Cor. iv. 4. 2 Tim. ii. 16. r Eph. ii, 1. 
 
 6 Gen. iii. 16* t Gal. iii. 10. u Eph. v. 6. 2 TLess. i. 9. 
 
 Mat XXV. 41, 46. x Rom. i 18— 32. y .Gh?p.,ii. 17--25' 
 
 and iii. 9—20. z Gal. iii. JO. a Rom. iii. iO, and y. 20t 
 2 Cor. iii. 7, 9 
 
28 Christ's commission 
 
 Jews and Gentiles, under sin, and unable either to 
 atone for their past oflfences, or to obey perfectly in 
 time to come ; and so are condemned by the law, 
 and obnoxious to the everlasting wrath and righte- 
 ous judgment of God. 
 
 The design, however, of this melancholy but just 
 representation, is to make men duly sensible of their 
 guilt and wretchedness, and by this means to recom- 
 mend to them the righteousness of God in justifying 
 the ungodly freely by his grace through the redemp- 
 tion that is in Jesus Christ.^ Were there no reve- 
 lation of mercy, the knowledge of our lost condi- 
 tion could serve no other purpose than to increase 
 our misery. Hence those who believe not the gos- 
 pel are averse to admit the scripture account of 
 sin and its consequences, because it lands them in 
 absolute despair. None can have a just view or 
 estimation of the gospel-salvation, but such as have 
 a proper conviction of sin and its demerit ; for these 
 are relative, and answer to each other like disease 
 and remedy. Every attempt, therefore, to extenu- 
 ate the guilt and wTctchedness of our natural state, 
 must in proportion derogate from the great salva 
 tion, and betray our ignorance of, or disaflection 
 to it. None will really believe or love the gospel 
 but such as absolutely despair of relief from any 
 other quarter, and are shut up to it alone as exhi- 
 biting the sole and all-sufficient remedy. Such 
 only can discern the wisdom, necessity, and suit- 
 ableness of that glorious plan of Divine mercy and 
 grace^ and find all their salvation and desire in it, 
 
 b Roin. iii. 21, 24. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 29 
 
 Having premised these things, let us now see 
 what the apostles taught the nations. 
 
 THE GOSPEL. 
 
 The subject of their message has several epithets 
 given to it in scripture, which are all expressive of its 
 general nature. It is called (ivxyyiXiot) the evangel, 
 or gospel which signifies a good message or glad 
 tidings, as the same word is sometimes rendered.*^ 
 — The gospel of peace ;'^ because it proclaims peace 
 with God to guilty rebels through Jesus Christ. — 
 The word of reconciliation ;^ because it shows how 
 God is reconciled to sinners, and contains the great 
 motive or argument for reconciling their minds to 
 him.^ — The gospel of salvation ;^ because it holds 
 _orth salvation or deliverance to the lost or miserable. 
 —The gos2:)el of the grace of God;^ as being a decla- 
 ration of God's free favour and unmerited love and 
 good- will to the utterly worthless ajid undeserv^ing. 
 — The gospel of the kingdom ;^ because it proclaims 
 the power and dominion of the Messiah, and the 
 nature and privileges of his kingdom, which is not of 
 this world.— It is termed the truth,^ not only as be- 
 ing the most important of all truths, and the testi- 
 mony of God who cannot lie ;^ but also because it 
 is the accomplishment of Old Testament prophe- 
 cies,"" and the substance, spirit, and truth of all the 
 shadows and types of the former economy.^ 
 
 c Luke ii. 10. Acts xiii. 32. d Rom. x. 5. e 2 Cor. t. 19. 
 
 f Ver. tiO, '21. g Eph. i. 13. h Acta xx. 24. i Mat, 
 
 xxiv. 14. k John xviii. o7. 2 Thew. ii. 13. 1 John 2. 21. 
 
 1 1 John V. 9 m Rev. jax. 10 b John i. 17. Col. ii. IT, 
 
# 
 
 3^ Christ's commission 
 
 A geriieral idea of the gospel may also be formed 
 from the short summaries gircn of it in various parts 
 of the New Testament. Jesus sums up the gospel 
 to Nicodemus thus : '' As IVIOseslifted up the serpent 
 in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be 
 lifted up, that whosoever belie ve<^ on him should 
 not perish, but have etdinal life. For God so 
 loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten 
 Soil, that whosoever believeth on him might not 
 perish; but have everlasting life."° Paul gives se- 
 veral brief comperids of the' g6spel, from which we 
 shall select the following : " Moreover, brethren, !■ 
 dfeclare unto you the gospel which I preached 
 unto you — by the which also y© " are saved— 
 how that Christ died for our sins, according to 
 the scriptures ; aiid that he was buried, and that he 
 rose again the third day, according to the scrip- 
 tAres."p— " God hath given to us the' ministry of 
 reconciliation,' to wit; that God was in Christ re« 
 conciling the world to himself, ^not imputing their 
 trespasses unto thetii. ' For he hath made him 
 (<x.fA,x^Ttav) a sin-offering'^ foi^ us, wh<!> kne\V no sin, 
 that we might be made the righteousness of God f 
 in him/'^J— " This' is a faithful saying, and worthy 
 
 • To make a beast a sin-hffering is, in th6 Sa^rifical style of the law, 
 (t?o/flp iX(xx^r((xv).to make it iiri. see-h^li-h^y. iv. 2(». Numb. vi. 11. 
 and viii. 12, which is t)ie very expression here used by the Apostle, and 
 must therefore signify that Christ was made a sacrifice for our sins, 
 
 t To be made the righteousness' of God iri him, ii^to ^e "jiihioned, justi- 
 fied, or accepted through his sacrifice or blood-shedding ; so it is said, 
 " By the obedience of one shall many be (xaraya^tjcrovTa/) constituted 
 righteous." Rom, v. X9' .. ■ 
 
 John iii. 14, 15, 16. ' 'pi Cor. xv. 1—5. q 2 Cor. v. 19, 21. 
 
of ali acoeptation^ tliat Christ Je.^us came ii^to Uie 
 world to save dinners;, qf .^Y^lQm Jam chief."'— 
 -John giwB the^ub&tance of,.tl?e gospel-tcslimony 
 ^in these words : " Tliisfis thiC recprd (M^^rf^ '«, w.it- 
 ness or testimony,), Thajfe .Qpdihath^iven to us 
 eternal life ; and this life is^wtiM .?9?- i ^9 }lf^ 
 
 hath the ^on hath life."* ,M i;.,,i ,, i ; i. 
 
 Ifl the history of the Actg,. wfi ^ay^ three remark- 
 able sermons of tlie apostles, which, may serve as a 
 specimen both of their doctrine ?ind of the beautiful 
 and artless simplixjity witliwhicji they delivered it 
 As every onehas.a Bible, I shall ^ot here transcribe 
 them • but the reader is desired to peruse them with 
 attentionathis leisure. The ^rst is Peter's discourse 
 - to the Jews at Jejusalemx)U the, day of Pentecost, 
 when the Spirit was poured down from the glorified 
 Messiah. Chap; ii.22-^40.—ThQ next is Peter's dis- 
 course to Corneliusy his house, and kiusmen, when 
 God at the first dM visit the Gentiles to take out of 
 them a people for his mime, and njiaide choice among 
 ^*^the apostles, that by Peter's mouth, they should heai- 
 '»'fhe word of the gospel, and believe. Clxap, x. 34— 
 44.— The last ie Paul's sermon, fet to the Jews, and 
 
 then to the Gentiles at Antiocb in Pisidia. Chap, 
 xiii. 23—42. These discoursies ppntai^ a few l)lain 
 facts respecting Jesus ; such as, that he sprung from 
 -^ 'David according to the fleshyan<J was the roya^l seed 
 promised to him:^— That he, was ^ppjpoyqd of Go 1 
 as the Messiah by the miracles, wonders, and signs 
 which God did by him :'^— That he suffered the 
 
 rlTim.i.l5. s ijohnv. 11, 12. t Acts ii. 30. and xili. 23. 
 
 u Chap. ii. 22. and x. 38. t 
 
32 Christ's commission 
 
 death of the cross,''— was buried/ — was raised 
 again from the dead on the third day/ — and ex- 
 alted at the right hand of God, being made both 
 Lord and Christ :*— That he was ordained of God 
 to be the judge of quick and dead/ and that who- 
 soever believeth on him shall receive the remission 
 of sins and eternal life:*^ — All which particulars 
 are shown to be the exact accomplishment of the 
 predictions of the Old Testament/ 
 
 As these apostolic sermons were dictated by the 
 unerring Spirit of truth sent down from heaven, and 
 were attended with remarkable success in the con- 
 version of multitudes ordained to eternal life, we 
 may reasonably conclude, that they contain every 
 essential article of the one faith, and all that is ab- 
 solutely necessary to be believed unto salvation. 
 And here we might close this branch of our sub- 
 ject : But as there is still much room for true be- 
 lievers to go onto perfection, and to grow in grace, 
 and in the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Je- 
 sus Christ,^ we shall consider the import and con- 
 nection of these first principles as more fully opened 
 and explained in the rest of the apostolic ^VTitings. 
 
 The whole gospel may be comprised under the 
 two following heads : 
 
 '& 
 
 I. A Testimony respecting the person, mis- 
 sion, and work of Jesus Christ. 
 
 X Acts ii. SS. X. 39 atid xili. 27, 28. y Chap. xni. 29. z Chap. ii. 
 ?4 — 33. X. 40, 41. and xiii. 3", 31. a Chap. ii. .SS— 37. and x. 36. 
 
 b Chap. x. J'.^. c Chap. ii. 38—41. x. 43. and xiii. 38, 39, 46, 47. 
 
 d Chap. ii. '2,3—36. x. 'J3, and xiii. 32—38. c Ilcb. vi. 1. 2 Pet. iii. 18. 
 Epb. iv. 12---16. 
 
 1 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 33 
 
 TI. A Promise of the remission of sins and 
 everlasting life to all who believe on him. 
 
 I. The Testimony concerning the person and 
 mission of Jesus is frequently contained in one short 
 proposition ; such as, " That Jesus is the Christ the 
 Son of God " This is the grand foundation truth 
 of the gospel which supports all the rest, and in the 
 confirmation of which all the lines of evidence unite. 
 To this truth gave all the j9rop7ie ^5 witness;^ for as the 
 descriptions they gave beforehand of the Messiali ex- 
 actly apply to Jesus, and to him only, they clearly 
 prove him to be the Christ the Son of God. When 
 he actually came in the flesh, John the Baptist (the 
 messenger who went before his face to prepare his 
 way) proclaimed this truth as the substance of his 
 testimony: " Andl saw and bare record that this is 
 the Son of God."^ It was also the principal sub- 
 ject of the apostles testimony. John giving the scope 
 of his gospel, says, " These are written, that ye 
 might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of 
 God/'^ Peter sums up his discourse to the Jews 
 thus : " Therefore let all the house of Israel know 
 assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus 
 whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ."* 
 The scope of Paul's preaching was to prove, *' That 
 Jesus was very Christ — the Son of God/'^ This 
 is the truth testified by the Divine Three} The Fa- 
 
 f Acts X. 43. ff Jolin i. 3k h CLap. xx, 31. 
 
 i Acts ii. 36. k Chap ix. 20, 22. and xviii. 5. 1 1 John 
 
 V. 5—10. 
 
34 Christ's commission 
 
 ther proclaimed from the exciellent glory that Jesus 
 
 was his beloved Son, an^ determined him to be so 
 
 by raising him from the dead."' Jesus himself wit- 
 
 /.nessed the same eonf^s^ipn,? proved it by his mi- 
 
 iTSitles,°, and sealed, it, with hi^ blood.p The Holy 
 
 '.Spirit also concurred. in this testimony, by descend- 
 
 ring and abiding oa Jesu/?,"^ revealing , this truth to 
 
 -;the apostles/ and confirming the declaration of it 
 
 with his miraculous gift$.,''.T-Thi&, truth, is that roqk 
 
 '.upon which Christ promises to build his church/ 
 
 -/which his disciples conte;ssed as their faith^ and 
 
 with the belief of which salvatiou is CQunected."-- 
 
 We shall now consider its impprt. v/ ./ / 
 
 1. The declaratioii th9.t J.ESU$ is the Christ evi- 
 dently points out that p;arjticul^r person whose name 
 - is Jesus, ev^n Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary,^^s 
 ^the promised and expected Messiah, in distinction 
 from every other man, .The. Jews believed that the 
 ■. Messiah was to con^e, and were looking for him about 
 -i the time in which he appeared ;'' but they did not be- 
 > lieve that this Jesus was.the person, and so their faith 
 -■ was of no avail ; for he tells them, " if ye belieye 
 ''HOt that I am he, ye. shall die in your sins. "^ It 
 ^ wa^ not enough to believe that Christ was to come, 
 or even that he had already come, unless they also 
 '< believed that Jesus was he. Without this they might 
 
 m Mat. ill. n. 
 
 , and xvii. 5. Rom. i. 4. n Jolm iv. ?6. i\. 35, 
 
 57- au'l X. S6. 
 
 
 o John X. 2,=>. p Mat. xxvi. 6S—6? 
 
 Lnkc wii. 66^- 
 
 -71 
 
 . John xviii. r57. wilh Nix. 7. q Jol.n i. 32, 33 
 
 Acts X. SH. 
 
 
 rjohuxvi. l3. s Jolm xv. 'Jo. Acts v. .S2 
 
 Jh;l). ii. 4. 
 
 
 t Mat. >vi. 8. u Mat. xvi. 16 Jolin vi. 69 
 
 Acts viii. S7. 
 
 
 X Luke ill. 15. John iv. 2b, 29. and \ii. 41, 42. 
 
 Acts xxvi. 7. 
 
 
 y Jobu viii. 2-1. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 35 
 
 still be looking for another, or embrace an imposter, 
 instead of him whom the Father sanctified and sent 
 into the world. The apostles therefore testified 
 and proved to the Jews, that Jesus was the very 
 Christ whom, they were expecting, in whom all the 
 prophecies were fulfiled ;' that that very individual 
 Jesus whom they had crucified was he :'^ and, to 
 cut ofl:' all their expections from any other, Peter 
 says, " Neither is there salvation in any other : for 
 there is no other name under heaven given among 
 men whereby ye must be saved."* 
 
 2. When of this Jesus it is affirmed, that he is the 
 CHRIST, or Anointed, it imports his mediatorial 
 character and offices. Under the law men were con- 
 secrated to, and invested with offices by pouring 
 upon their heads the holy oil, which was prepared 
 by Divine appointment, and kept sacred to that 
 use :^ hence they were called the Lord's Messiahs 
 or Christs, i. e. anointed ones f in which character 
 they typified God's true Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, 
 whom he hath anointed with the Holy Spirit and 
 with power,'* with the oil of gladness above his 
 fellows,^ as head over all things to his church. 
 
 He is the anointed Prophet or Teacher sent from 
 God, by whom he has spoken unto us in these last 
 days/ So when he opens his prophetie; mission, he 
 says, " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because 
 he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the 
 
 7. Acts ix. 22. g Chap. il. 36. a Chap. v. 12. 
 
 b Exod. xxix. 7. and xxviii. 41. 1 Sam. x. 1. and xvi. 13- c 1 Sam. 
 xxiv. 10. and xxiii. 1. Ps. cv. 15. d Acts x. 38. e Heb. i. 9. 
 
 fHeb.i. a. 
 
 C 
 
36 Christ's commission 
 
 poor ; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, 
 to preach deliverance to the captives, and recover- 
 ing of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty them 
 that are bruised ; to preach the acceptable year of 
 the Lord."s This is that prophet whom the Lord 
 promised to raise np like unto Moses, and whom we 
 are commanded to hear in all things whatsoever he 
 shall say unto us.*^ 
 
 He is the anointed High-Priest over the house of 
 God ;' who having laid down his life once as a sacri- 
 fice for the sins of his people,*" hath risen from tlie 
 dead, and entered into the heavenly holy place with 
 his own blood,* being, by the word of the oath which 
 was since the law, consecrated for evermore an im- 
 mortal High-priest in the heavens after the order of 
 Melchisedec ; where he continues to ofiiciate as a 
 minister of the sanctuary and of the true taberna- 
 cle ; and is able to save them to the uttermost that 
 come unto God by him, seeing he ever livetli to 
 make intercession for them."' 
 
 He is the anointed King whom God hath set upon 
 his holy hill of Zion," and to whom he hath given 
 all power and dominion in heaven and in earth." In- 
 deed it is to his kingly character that the title Christ 
 or Messiah more especially applies. It comes origi- 
 nally from the covenant of royalty which God made 
 with David, wherein he swore unto him with an 
 oath, that of the fruit of his loins according to the 
 
 V. 18, 19. li Dcut. xviii. 15—20. 
 
 .. 21. k 1 Pet. iii. 18, 1 Heb. 
 
 at— 20. aiul \ iii. 1,2. u Psal. ii. 6. 
 
 g Isa. l\i. 1 . 
 
 Luke 
 
 Acts iii. '22. 
 
 i Ikl). 
 
 ix.r.\'J4. 
 
 in Ilcb. vii 
 
 P.Mat. 
 
 <r. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 37 
 
 flesh he would raise up Christ to sit lor ever on his 
 throne ;^ and so David gives him that title, when 
 foretelling his sufferings and his ibllowing glory and 
 dominion. "1 All the succeeding prophecies of the 
 Messiah, as a king, have a retrospect to this promise 
 made unto David ; and are just so many renewals, 
 enlargements, and illustrations of it.'' The gospel 
 applies the whole directly to Jesus, testifying that he 
 is the Christ or royal seed promised unto Da\id, in 
 whom the prophecies have their accomplishment.^ 
 The Jew s did not believe this testimony ; they under- 
 stood not the prophecies concerning the humiliation 
 and sufferings of the Messiah,^ and so were preju- 
 diced at the mean appearance of Jesus. '^ Those 
 which foretold his exaltation, kingdom and govern- 
 ment, they applied to a kingdom of this world ; and 
 finding nothing in Jesus answerable to their carnal 
 expectations, but every thing the reverse, they re- 
 jected him, as was also foretold.^ But in the New 
 Testament account of Jesus, the most lofty and sub- 
 lime predictions of the Messiah are, without any hy- 
 perbole, realized in their fullest sense; the consisten- 
 cy and connection of his lowest abasement with his 
 highest glory are clearly unfolded, as w ell as the 
 important ends of both : Ends, the most worthy of 
 
 p 2 Sam. Tii. 11—17. 1 Cbron. xvii, 9—15. q Psal. ii. 2. 
 
 Actsiv. 26, n. r Psal. Ixxxix. S,4,S5, 36. Psal. cxxxii. 11. 
 
 Isa. ix 6, 7. xi. 1—10. and Iv, 1—5. Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. and xxxiii. 14—^6. 
 Ezek. xxxiv. !^3, 24. and xxxvii 24. 25. Hos. iii. 5. s Luke i. 
 
 31, 32, 33, 68, 69, 70. Acts ii. 30--37. and xiii. 23, 33, 34, 35. 
 Heb. i. 5—10. t Psal. xxii. Psal. Ixix. isa. Iii. 14. and liii. 
 
 Dan. ix. 26. Zech. xiii. 7. u Psal. l\ix. 8. Isa. liii. .'. 
 
 X Cliap. viii. 14, 1.5. and liii. 3. John i. 10, 11. Rom. ix. 32,33. Acls 
 iv. 11. Psai.cxviii. 2:2. 
 
38 Christ's commission 
 
 God, honourable to Jesus, and beneficial to men, 
 and such as infinitely transcend all the natural con- 
 ceptions of the human mind. '^ For it became him 
 for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, 
 in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Cap- 
 tain of their salvation perfect through sufterings."^ 
 And in pursuance of this gracious design, the Di- 
 vine Word {ixvrov exevwo-e) " emptied himself" of the 
 the form of God wherein he originally existed, 
 " took upon him the form of a servant, and was 
 made in the likeness of men ; and being found in 
 fashion as a man, he hmnbled himself, and became 
 obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 
 For this cause God also hath highly exalted him, 
 and given him a name which is above every name; 
 that at the name of Jesus cA^eryknee should bow, of 
 things in heaven, and things in earth, and things 
 under the earth ; and that every tongue should con- 
 fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God 
 the Father."'' Thus he " who was made (/3f *%y n) a 
 little while lower than the angels, for the suffering 
 of death, was crowned with glory and honour,-^ an- 
 gels, authorities and powers being made subj'ect 
 unto him ;"^ and thus the promise to David was 
 fulfilled when God raised up Jesus from the dead 
 to sit for ever on his heavenly throne,^ and said 
 unto him, " Sit thou at my right-hand, until I 
 make thine enemies thy footstool."*^ In this exalted 
 
 y Heh. ii. tO. z PbilJp. ii. 6—12. a Heb. ii. 9 
 
 b 1 Pet. iii. 22. c Acts ii. 24«~j7. and xiii. 32—38. d Psal. ex. 1. 
 
 Acts ii. 34, 3j. Heb. i. 13. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 39 
 
 state he is invested with sovereign power over all 
 flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as 
 the Father hath given him ;'' and must reign till he 
 hath put all enemies under his feet/ and judged the 
 quick and the dead according to their works.^ His 
 kingdom is not of this world, like the ancient king- 
 dom of David, which was only its type ; nor is it 
 defended or promoted by the sword, but by bear- 
 ing witness unto the truth ; and his true subjects 
 are only such as are of the truth and hear his 
 voice.^ 
 
 3. When Jesus the Christ is declared to be the 
 SON OF GOD, it imports, 
 
 That he is truly God. The Jews who saw him a 
 man, but did not believe him to be God, charged 
 him ^vith blasphemy in calling himself the Son of 
 God ; which they rightly understood to be making 
 himself equal with God, or, being a man, to be 
 making himself God.' As they called themselves 
 the sons of God,^ and their rulers were termed gods 
 in their law,^ they could not charge him with blas- 
 phemy for saying that he was the Son of God either 
 in a federal or official sense ; but when they heard 
 him affirming that he and his Father were one,"" that 
 he did the works peculiar to God," and so claiming 
 the same divine honour with his Father,^ they con- 
 cluded, that he called God his Father in such a 
 sense as would be blasphemy in any mere creature ; 
 
 c John. xvii. 2. f 1 Cor. xv. 25. g Acts x. 42. 
 
 Rev. XX. 13. h John xviii. 36, 37. i CLap. v. 18. and x. 33. 
 
 k Chap. viii. 41. 1 ^xod. xxii. 28. m John x. 30. 
 
 n Chap. X. 37. o Chap. x. 23. 
 
40 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 and so condemned him to die by their law against 
 blasphemy, " because he made himself the Son of 
 God.p" His disciples also in confessing their 
 faith, express their highest notions of his person 
 by calling him the Son of God,^ and worshipped 
 him as such/ Every thing whereby the true God is 
 made known or distinguished from his creatures is 
 ascribed unto the Son.— 1. Every divine tiame is 
 given unto him, excepting such, as serve to mark 
 the other two personal distinctions. He is ex- 
 pressly called God : " Make straight in the desert 
 a way for our God."^ — " Say unto the cities of 
 Judah, Behold your God."* " In the beginning was 
 the Word, and the Word was wdth God, and the 
 Word was God.^"— " Feed the church of God 
 which he hath purchased with his own blood.^'* 
 — " God was manifest in the flesh. y" — " Thy throne, 
 O God, is for ever and ever."^ And that he is 
 God in the strictest sense, is evident from his 
 being called the Mighty God,^ — the great God,^ — 
 ovei^ all God blessed for ever.^ The incommunica- 
 ble name Jehovah is given unto him. " Prepare 
 ye the w^ay of Jehovah."^— " Jehovah of hosts. "^— 
 " Jehovah our Righteousness."^ By what names 
 or titles shall we know the true God if these 
 distinguish him not ? 2. Every essential and in- 
 communicable dxwine perfection is ascribed to him: 
 
 p John xix. 7. q Mat. xri. 16. John ri. (.9. Acts viii. 37 
 
 r John ix. So— 39. s Isa. xl. .S. t Ver. 9, 10. u John i. 1 
 
 X Acts XX. 28. y I Tim. iii. 1(5. z Heb. i. 3. a Isa. ix. 6. 
 
 bTit. ii. 13. c Rom. i\. o. e Isa. xl. 3. with Luke iii. 4. 
 
 f Isa. vi. 3, 5. with John xii. 41. g Jer. xxiii. 6. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 41 
 
 such as, eternity,''— immutability,' — omnipresence,'' 
 — omnipotence,' — omniscience,'" — knowing the 
 thoughts," — and searching the reins and heart/''* 
 3. Every divine ivork is attributed to him ; such 
 as creation,^' — upholding all things,^ — raising the 
 dead/ judging the world.^ Now creation is the ex- 
 clusive and immediate w^ork of God,^ and by this 
 the eternal power and Godhead of the First Cause 
 are clearly seen.'^ It is God who quickeneth the 
 dead ;'^ it is God himself that is judge.^' 4. Re- 
 ligious honour and divine worship belong unto 
 him; this he claims even as the Father/ Christians 
 are denominated callers upon his name ;^ and they 
 actually did so.'' Stephen and the thief on the 
 cross commended their departing spirits unto him.^ 
 The highest order of created beings are commanded 
 to worship him \^ accordingly he is worshipped in 
 heaven in conjunction with the Father.^ Yet divine 
 w orship and honour belong only to God.^ What- 
 ever else, therefore, is imported in the name Son 
 of God, it implies in the first place that he is really 
 a divine person. 
 
 It also imports that he is truly man as well as 
 
 h Isa. xliv. 6. -with Rev. i. 8. and xxii. 13. Mic. v. 2. Col. i. 17. 
 1 Tim. i. 17. i tfeb. i. VL and xiii. 8. k jMat. xviii. -20. 
 
 and xxviii. 20, 1 Hev- i. 8. m John xxi. 17. n Mat. 
 
 ix. 54. Mark. li. 6, 8. John ii. 24, 2.5. o Rev. ii. 24. p John 
 
 i. 1—4. Eph. iii. 9. Col. i. 16. Heb i. 2. 10. Rev. iv. 1 1. 
 
 q Heb. i. 3. r John v. 21, 28. s 'I Tim. iv. 1. t Isa. 
 
 xliv. 24. n Rom. i. 19- -21. x Rom. iv. 17. y P.sal. 
 
 1.6. zjolriv. 23. a Acts ix. 14, 21, 1 Cor. i. 2. 
 
 h Mat. vili. 23. xiv. .53. and xv, 2.'i, 23. Luke xvii. 5. John i\. 38. 
 Rom. i. 7. 1 Cor. i. 3. 2 Thess. ii. 16, 17. c Luke xxiii. 42. 
 
 Acts vii. 59. d Psal. xcvii. 7. with Heb. i. 6. I^a. xlv. 
 
 22--2.5. witJi Rom. xiv. 10, 11. Philip, ii. 9, 10, 11. e Rev. v. 
 
 8. Sic. f Mat. iv. 10. 
 
42 Christ's commission 
 
 God. The scripture clearly holds forth the eternal 
 pre-existence and Godhead of his person, as has 
 been shown ; but it does not seem to give us a view 
 of his sonship altogether abstract from his human- 
 ity. He is expressly called the Son of God on 
 account of his incarnation. The angel, fortelling 
 the birth of him who was to be called the Son of 
 the Highest, thus explains to the Virgin his divine 
 generation : " The Holy Ghost shall come upon 
 thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow 
 thee ; (^/o xa<) and therefore that holy thing 
 which shall be born of thee shall be called the 
 Son of God.*'s Here is a plain reason given for 
 his being called the Son of God. That holy thing 
 conceived and brought forth by the Virgin was not 
 a human person, but Emmanuel, i. e. God with us.^ 
 The child born and son given was the Mighty 
 God,* — the Saviour Christ the Lord,^ — the Word 
 made flesh,^ — God manifested in the flesh."' If 
 such was the person born, then this passage gives 
 the reason, not why his human nature alone, but 
 why his whole person, now constituted of both 
 natures, is denominated the Son of God. We per- 
 ceive not the chief glory of this great mystery of 
 godliness, if we view it only as a miraculous con- 
 ception of his human nature. The Holy Ghost 
 came upon the Virgin, and so she was with child 
 of the Holy Ghost ;"— that which was (yiwr^v) be- 
 gotten in her was of the Holy Ghost.° — The power 
 
 s; Luke i. 31, 32, 35. h Mat. i. 23. with Isa. vii. 14. 
 
 I Isa. ix. 6. kLukeii. 11. 1 Johu i. 14. in 1 Tim. 
 
 iii. 16. n Mat. i. 18. o Ver. 20. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 43 
 
 of the Highest overshadowed her. By the Highest 
 is meant the Father : for a little above it is said, 
 that Christ should be called the Son of the High- 
 est ;P and, addressing the Father, he says, " A 
 
 body hast Tiiou prepared me."** Lastly, the 
 
 eternal AVord (t7r/Xa/>tCaȣTa/) took upon him, or took 
 hold of, the human nature thus prepared for him of 
 the seed of Abraham, in such a manner as to make 
 it his own/ Thus he took part of the same flesh 
 and blood with the children which God had given 
 him ;^ and the result is, that his person thus con- 
 stituted is the Son of God.*^ Though the eternal 
 and unchangeable Word did not hereby cease to 
 be what he was before, yet he was madejlesh, and 
 in this respect is the only begotten of the Father in 
 a sense peculiar to himself ;" for never was a per- 
 son so begotten or constituted before, nor ever will 
 be, whereby two distinct natures so infinitely dis- 
 tant as the divine and human are united in one in- 
 dividual SELF. From this reason of his sonship 
 given by the angel, it would appear that it lies 
 neither in his divine nor human nature separately 
 considered, but in the union of both in his one person . 
 He is also the Son of God in respect of his being 
 begotten from the dead, and of the consequent 
 glory and dominion conferred upon him. As in 
 the first creation he was before all things, and the 
 first born, or supreme Lord,* of every creature, 
 
 • Christ is stvled (zj^uroroxos zsoccrns ktio-sus) the First-born of 
 every creature. Col. i. 15. not because he was the first created of all the 
 
 p Lake i. 31'. q Heb. z. 5. r Chap. ii. 16. s Ver. 14. 
 
 t Luke i. 35. u John i. 14. 
 
44 Christ's commission 
 
 since by him were all things created as their cause, 
 and lor him as their end ;'' so in the new creation 
 he is the Beginning,t the First-born or First-be- 
 gotten from the dead -J and that not only as being the 
 First-begotten of all the children of God, considered 
 as the children of the resurrection,^ and who are also 
 Waiting for this adoption or sonship, to wit, the re- 
 demption of their bodies ;* but also in respect of 
 his sovereignty and dominion as Lord and Heir of 
 all things,^ being God's First-born,*^ to whom, by 
 right of primogeniture, belongs the excellency of 
 dignity and the excellency of power :'^ *' For to 
 this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, 
 that he might be Lord both of the dead and 
 living."® It was when God raised him from the 
 dead, and conferred upon him the kingdom and 
 priesthood, that he said unto him, *' Thou art my 
 Son, this day have I begotten thee."^ It was thep 
 
 creatures, but the reason given is, because by Jiim were all things created 
 ver. 16. therefore it must respect his dominion as Lord over all, wliicli 
 was the right and prei-ogative of the first-born ; and so to give one the 
 dominion is to make hira fiist-born, Psal. Ixxxix. 27. altliough he was not 
 so by birth, Gen. xxvii. 37. 
 
 t The titles of Christ which are prefixed to the epistles to the seven 
 churches of Asia in the Revelations, are all takeu from chap. i. though 
 the lang-uage is sometimes a little varied ; so tliat " the Amen, the faithful 
 and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God," chap. iii. 1 1. 
 answers to " the faithful W^ituess, the First-begotten of the dead, and the 
 Prince of the kings of the earth," chap, i, 5. 
 
 X Col. i. 15, 16, 17. y Col. i. 18. Rev. i. 5. and iii. 14. 
 
 « Luke XX. 36. Acts xxvi. 23- 1 Cor. xv. 20, 23. a Rom. 
 
 viii. 23. b Heb. i. 2. c Psal. Ixxxix. 27. Heb. i. 6. 
 
 d Gen. xlix. 3. ^ Rom. xiv- 9. f Psal. ii. 7. with Acts 
 
 xiii. 33, Heb. i. 4, 5. and v. 5. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 45 
 
 that the promise made to David concerning him 
 was fully accomplished : " I will be to him a Fa- 
 tlier, and he shall be to me a Son.**" This last view 
 of his sonship supposes the divine dignit}^ of his 
 person, as before set forth, and is founded upon it ; 
 for who but the mighty God could sustain such a 
 government upon his shoulder,*^ or manage the key 
 of David,^ the keys of the invisible world and of 
 death 1^ Who but he was worthy to receive all 
 power in heaven and in earth as the Father's heir, 
 and to be the object of all that divine homage, 
 honour, and worship, both from men and angels, 
 which is connected with it T These are some of the 
 leading senses in which Jesus is declared to be the 
 Christ the Son of God ; but I pretend not to have 
 given the whole import of that gospel proposition. 
 
 We shall now proceed to consider more particu- 
 larly what the gospel testifies concerning his work 
 as the Saviour of lost sinners. 
 
 During his personal ministry upon earth he 
 preached the glad tidings of salvation as the great 
 Prophet of his church ;"' and for this he was com- 
 missioned of the Father and inspired by the Holy 
 Spirit,*" according to the promise, " I will put my 
 words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them 
 all that I shall command him.*'° This Jesus applies 
 to himself when he says, " I do nothing of myself ; 
 
 g 2 Sam. vii. 14. Psal. Ixxxix. ^6y 27. with Heb. i. 5. Ji Isa. 
 
 ix. 6. i Rev. iii. 7. k Chap. i. 18. 1 John v. 22, 23. 
 
 Philip, it 9—12. Heb. i. 6. Rev. v. 9---14. m Heb. ii. 3. 
 
 u Luke iv. 18, o Deut. xviii. 18. 
 
46 Christ's commission 
 
 but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these 
 thmgs : — The word which you hear is not mine, but 
 the Father's who sent me : — I have not spoken of 
 myself, but the Father who sent me ; he gave me a 
 commandment what 1 should say and what I should 
 speak. "p " The law," which both condemned the 
 sinner and typified the gospel, " was given by 
 Moses; but grace," instead of condemnation, 
 ''and truth" in place of shadows, "came by Jesus 
 Christ. No man," no not even Moses, " hath," 
 like him, " seen God at any time : the only-begot- 
 ten Son, who is in the bosom," and so privy to the 
 whole counsels and will " of the Father, he," as 
 the true prophet, "hath declared him."'^ 
 
 To confirm his mission and doctrine, he, by the 
 same Spirit,* performed miracles, wonders, and 
 signs ;^ such as instantaneously heeding all manner 
 of diseases, ejecting demons, controuling the ele- 
 ments, raising the dead, &c. ;^ by all which he was 
 approved of God the Father as the Messiah his 
 Son. To this proof he refers the Jews : " I have 
 greater witness than that of John ; for the works 
 which the Father hath given me to finish, the same 
 works that I do bear witness of me that the Father 
 hath sent me." — " The works that I do in my Fa- 
 ther's name, they bear witness of me."—" Say ye of 
 him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into 
 the world. Thou blasphcmest ; because I said, I am 
 the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, 
 
 pjohnviii. 28. xii. -^9. aud xiv. 24. q John i. 17, 18. and 
 
 xvii. 6, 8, 26. r Mat. xii. 28. s Acts ii. 23. 
 
 t Chap. X. 38, 39. 
 
TO Ills APOSTLES. 47 
 
 ^ believe me not. But if I do, though you believe not 
 me, believe the works ; that ye may know and be- 
 lieve that the Father is in me, and I in liim."" 
 
 He hath also exhibited in his life a pattern of the 
 most perfect holiness, patience, humility, and self- 
 denied obedience, even unto death, and he hath left 
 his disciples this example for their imitation, that 
 they, having the same spirit of faith, might follow 
 his steps, ^ and walk as he walked.^ 
 
 But the gospel chiefly insists upon what Christ 
 bath done as the substitute and representative of the 
 guilty ; such as, that " he died for our sins, ac- 
 cording to the scriptures; — that he was buried, and 
 that lie rose again the third day, according to the 
 scriptures ;"^ that " he ascended up far above aU 
 heavens,"'' and sat down on the right-hand of the 
 Majesty on high,"*^ where he continues to make in- 
 tercession for his people.^ We shall briefly touch 
 at each of these particulars, and show their import. 
 
 1. The Death of Christ is such an important 
 article of the gospel which the apostles preached, 
 that their whole doctrine is denominated, *' preach- 
 ing Christ crucified^— the preaching of the cross of 
 Christ."^ Paul " determined not to know any 
 thing," either as the foundation of his own hope 
 and glorying, or as the subject of his preach- 
 ing to others, " save Jesus Christ and him 
 
 u John V. 36. and x. 25, 36, 37, 38. y 2 Cor. iv. 15. 1 Pet. 
 
 ii. 21. Mat. xi. 29. and xvi. 24. John xiii. 1.5. and xv. 12. 
 
 z 1 John ii. 6. a 1 Cor. xr. 3, 4. b Eph. iv. 10. 
 
 c Heb. i. 3. d Rom. Tiii. 34. Heb. vii. ^5. e 1 Cor. i. 23. 
 fChap. i. 18. 
 
48 Christ's commission 
 
 crucified. "8 And no wonder, if we only consider 
 
 the import of this fact. 
 
 (1.) Christ's death is that obedience which stdLuds 
 opposed to the disobedience of the first man.^ 
 Adam is expressly called the type of him that was 
 to come/ he being the public representative of his 
 posterity, even as Christ the second Adam is of 
 those whom the Father hath given him ;^ and the 
 obedience of Christ is contrasted with the disobe- 
 dience of Adam in these words : " For as by one 
 man's disobedience many were made sinners ; so by 
 tlie obedience of one shall many be made righte- 
 ous."^ By obedience here is principally meant his 
 laying down his life, for that is the subject upon 
 which the comparison of Adam with Christ is intro- 
 duced."* Christ's death was a voluntary act of obe- 
 dience to the commandment of his Father ; so he 
 says "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I 
 lay down my life that I might take it again. No 
 man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. 
 I have power to lay it down, and I have power to 
 take it again. Tliis commandment have I received 
 of my Father."" The will of God which he came to 
 do, and by which his people are sanctified, was the 
 oflering up of his body once.° By this act of obe- 
 dience he at once fulfilled the law to the utmost, 
 exercising the perfection of love to God and 
 man, and satisfying all its penal demands upon 
 
 g 1 Cor. ii. 2. Gal. vi. 14. h Rom. v. 19. i Yp.r. 14. 
 
 j£ 1 Cor. XV. 45. Heb. ii. 13. 1 Rom. v. 19. m See 
 
 the connection of vcr. 9, 10, 11, 12. n Johu x. 17, 18. 
 o Heb. X. 9, 10: 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 49 
 
 his guilty peoplc.p The spotless holiness of his heart 
 and lite qualitied him for this obedience, and the di- 
 vine dignity of his person gave it infinite worth and 
 efficacy.** This is that Q* ^iKxiufAo.) one righteousness, 
 which is not only an adequate opposite to the (Vr zyx^x- 
 'jtrx'fAx) one offence,^ but (zjoXXw t^axxov^viuchviore abun- 
 dant in its merits and effects: for it justifies not only 
 from that one offence, but also from our own many of- 
 fences; redeems not merely from the death which 
 came by Adam, but also saves from the wrath to 
 come, or the second death, and intitles to a life far 
 more excellent than that which was forfeited, a hea- 
 venly life from the dead, such as Jesus now enjoys.' 
 (2.) The gospel exhibits Christ's death as a true and 
 proper sacrifice for sin. A sacrifice is a victim sub- 
 stituted in the place of the guilty, slain for their sins, 
 and presented unto God as an atonement for them, 
 with a view to satisfy his justice and procure his 
 favour.' Sacrifices have in all ages, and by almost 
 all nations of the world, been looked upon as indis- 
 pensibly necessary to render the Deity propitious. 
 The heathens, though they had lost the knowledge 
 of the true God, still retained such a sense of this, 
 that some of them sacrificed their own children for 
 that purpose. Whether this universal notion, that 
 the Deity was to be appeased by sacrifice, took its 
 rise from an original revelation, or was suggested by 
 conscious guilt, and a dread of the Divine displea- 
 sure, is not perhaps very material to know. It proba- 
 
 p Gal. iii. ?3. q 1 Pet i. 19. ii. 22. and iii. 18. Heb. ix. 14 
 
 Acts XX. 28. r Rom. v. 18. s Chap. v. 15, 16, 17, 20, 21 
 
 t Lev. i. 3, i. and iv. 32 — 35. 
 
50 CHRxftf'S COMMlfe^jION 
 
 bly originated from the former, and was contmaed 
 under the influence of the latter. Whatever be in this, 
 it served to make the doctrine of Christ's sacrifice 
 easier understood when it came to be preached 
 among the nations. Sacrifices were instituted by 
 Divine appointment immediately after the entrance 
 of sin, to prefigure the sacrifice of Christ; accord- 
 ingly we find Abel, Noah, Abraham, &c. off'ering 
 sacrifices in the faith of this. Under the law, the 
 Lord appointed divers kinds of sacrifices for the 
 children of Israel : The paschal lamb ;'' — the holo- 
 caust, or whole burnt-ofifering ;^ — the sin-off"ering, or 
 sacrifice of expiation ;^ — and the peace-offbring, or 
 sacrifice of thanksgiving;^ all which emblemati- 
 ^ cally set forth the sacrifice of Christ, being the ia- 
 stituted types and shadows of it.* Accordingly 
 Christ set them all aside when he oifered his sacri- 
 fice : '' Above when he said> Sacrifice, and offer 
 ing, and burnt-offerings, and offering for sin, thou 
 wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein (which 
 are offered by the law :) Then said he, Lo, I come 
 to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, 
 that h« may establish the second. By the which 
 will we are sanctified through the offering of the 
 body of Jesus Christ once for all."'' 
 
 As in the comparison with Adam, so on this sub- 
 ject the Apostle sets forth the excellency of Christ's 
 sacrifice above those of the law. The legal sacrifices 
 were only brute animals ; such as bullocks, heifers, 
 
 u Exod. xii. 3. x Lev. vii. 8. v Chap. iv. 3, 4, &c 
 
 z Chap. vii. 1 1, 12, &c. a Heb. ix. 9—15. and x. 1. 1 Cor. v. 7. 
 
 b Hob. X. 8, 9, 10. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 61 
 
 goats, lambs, &c.;'= but the sacrifice of Christ was 
 himself,'^ a person of infinite disunity and worth. 
 The former, though they sanctified to the purifying 
 of the flesh from ceremonial uncleanness, yet it was 
 not possible for them to expiate sin, or purge the 
 conscience of the worshipper from the guilt of it, 
 and so it is said that God was not well-pleased in 
 them ;^ but Christ hath effectually and for ever put 
 away sin by the sacrifice of himself, having made 
 an adequate atonement unto God for it,'' and there- 
 by also purges the conscience from dead works to 
 serve the living God.^ The first were offered year 
 by year continually, which showed their insufQ- 
 ciency, and that God was still calling sins to re- 
 membrance :^' but the last needs not to be repeated, 
 because it hath fully and at once answered all the 
 ends of sacrifice ; upon which account God hath 
 declared that he will remember the sins and iniqui- 
 ties of his people no more. " Now, where remis- 
 sion of these is, there is no more offering for sin."' 
 
 (3.) By the death of Christ the old covenant was 
 set aside, and the new covenant made, dedicated, 
 and confirmed. 
 
 The old or first covenant is that which God made 
 with the nation of Israel at Sinai by the mediation of 
 Moses,^ in pursuance of his promise to Abraham 
 respecting his fleshly seed.^ This covenant was but 
 
 cHeb. ix. 12, 13. d Heb. i. 3. ix. 14, 26. and x, 10. eCbap. x. 
 4,5,8,11. fChap. ix. 26. Eph. v. 2. g Heb. ix. 14. and x. 22. 
 
 h Chap, x, 3. i Heb. vii. 27. and x. 14-19. k See Exod. chap. xix. 
 to xxir. 1 Deut. xxix. 12, 13. 
 
52 Christ's commission 
 
 a temporal earthly shadow of the new and better 
 
 covenant which was to be made after those days. 
 
 The new or second covenant is that which God 
 made by the mediation of Christ with the true Israel, 
 the spiritual seed of Abraham, consisting of Jews 
 and Gentiles, according to the promise he had 
 made him of blessing all nations in his Seed, which 
 is Christ."* 
 
 These two covenants* were allegorically repre- 
 
 * Many view these two covenants as only different dispensations of one 
 and the same covenant, though the Apostle expressly calls them two, Gal. 
 iv. 24. Had they been one covenant, then it behoved the mediator, peo- 
 ple, priest, sacrifice, sanctuary, and inheritance, to be the same also, or at 
 least of the same kind ; but in all these the scripture makes such a differ- 
 ence as is between flesh and spirit, earth and heaven, shadow and sub- 
 stance, things temporal and things eternal. This mistake leads them also 
 to contrast the new covenant with a covenant supposed to have been made 
 with Adam ; whereas the scripture always speaks of it with reference to, 
 and m distinction from, the old covenant made at Sinai, which was its 
 type. The law given to Adam is not held forth under the notion of a co- 
 venant, that being applied in scripture to God's entering into a friendly 
 relation with sinful men, which could uot take place but by shedding the 
 blood of sacrifice : hence the original expression for making a covenant 
 signifies to cut off a purifying victim, as explained Jer. xxxiv. 18. and ex- 
 emplified Gen. XV. 17, 18. Exod. xxxiv. 5, 11. but for this there was no 
 occasion while Adam stood naturally in friendship with his Maker. Yet 
 the law given to Israel, in the Sinai covenant, represented and called to 
 mind, in several respects, the original law given to Adam ; and in this 
 view it was the ministration of death and condemnation to siunors, and is 
 opposed to the promise, Gal. iii. 18. — to grace, Rom. xi. 6 — to faith, Gal. 
 iii. 12. — to the righteousness of faith, Rom. iv. 13. and x. 5, 6. It was 
 given to that people with a view to make them sensible of their sin and 
 danger, and of their need of salvation by the promised Seed, and so 
 was subservient to the promise. See Rom. v. 20. and vii. 13. Gal. iii 
 18— SJ5. 
 
 m Heb. viii. and ix. 15. ard xii. 24. Rom, iii. 29, 30. and ix. 6 — 9 
 Gal. iii. 7—19. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 53 
 
 sentcd in Abraham's family ; the liist by Ilagar the 
 bond-^voman, the hist by Sarah the Irce-uoman; 
 and the people of these covenants were represent- 
 ed by their respective sons Ishmael and Isaac." 
 
 The old covenant and the new could not be both 
 in force at the same time, because the former was the 
 type of the latter. They were also incompatible with 
 each other in this respect, that the first included only 
 the nation of Israel, and shut out the Gentiles as 
 aliens and foreigners ;° whereas the last compre- 
 hends believers of all nations, whether Jews or Gen- 
 tiles. ^ It is evident, therefore, that the new cove- 
 nant could not take place till the first was made old 
 and ready to vanish away.** The Lord had pro- 
 mised of old to make this new covenant ;'' but it was 
 not actually made till Christ by his one offering had 
 set aside the legal sacrifices, and perfected for ever 
 them that are sanctified ; for this is what the Apos- 
 tle gives us as the accomplishment of that promise;* 
 so that it was made upon Christ's sacrifice. The 
 first covenant was not dedicated without blood : 
 " For when Moses had spoken every precept to all 
 the people according to the law, he took the blood 
 of calves and of goats, mth water and scarlet-wool 
 and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and all 
 the people, saying. This is the blood of the cove- 
 nant which God hath enjoined unto you."*^ Jesus 
 shows what answers to this in the second, when he 
 says, " This is the new covenant in my blood ; "" 
 
 n Gal. iv. 22,31. o Eph. ii. 12. p Chap. ii. 13---17, 
 
 Col. 11. li. q Heb. viii. 13. r Jer. xxxi. 31—35. 
 
 8 Heb. X. 5—19. t Heb. ix. ly, 19, 20. u Luke xxii. 2C 
 
54 Christ's commission 
 
 or, '^ This is my blood of the new covenant, which 
 is shed for many for the remission of sins ;"'^ plainly 
 intimating, that the new covenant was made in or 
 by his blood ; and hence his blood is called " the 
 blood of sprinkling,"^ " the blood of the everlasting 
 covenant/'^ It is through Christ's blood that all 
 the promises of the new covenant take effect. By 
 it he redeemed or purchased the people of this co- 
 venant out of every kindred, and tongue, and peo- 
 ple, and nation,^ and sanctified or consecrated them 
 unto God, as a royal priesthood, an holy nation, 
 and peculiar people.^ Thus the covenant relation 
 took place, as expressed in the promise, " I will 
 be their God, and they shall be my people/' — By 
 this he also made a complete and everlasting atone- 
 ment for their sins,*^ and upon this ground the pro- 
 mise is fulfilled, " I will forgive their iniquity, and I 
 will remember their sins no more.""^ — It is only in 
 the atonement that the true character of God is mani- 
 fested as the just God and the Saviour;^ and hereby 
 all the people of this covenant "know the Lord from 
 the least of them unto the greatest of them." — It is 
 through the application of this blood by the Spirit, 
 that the conscience is purged from dead works to 
 serve the living God;^ and the faith of it working by 
 lo ve,^ is the accomplishment of that promise, " 1 will 
 put my law in their inward parts, and write it in 
 their hearts." Thus they are " elect according to 
 
 X Mat. xxvi. 28. y Heb. xii. 24. z Chap. -xui. 20. a 1 Pet. i. 
 18,19. Rev. V. 9, 10. b Heb. xiii. 12. 1 Pet. ii. 9. c Mat xxvi. 28. 
 Heb. ii. 17. 1 John ii. 2. d Heb. x. 14, 17. e Rom. iii. 23, 26. 
 Isa. xlv. 21. fHcb. X. 14. g Gal. v. 6. and vi. 15. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES* 56 
 
 the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanc- 
 tification of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling 
 of Uie blood of Jesus Christ.""^ It was the blood 
 of Christ which confirmed the covenant, and rati- 
 fied all the exceeding great and precious promises 
 upon which it is established. It is the ratification of 
 promises that gives them a covenant form : in this 
 respect the new covenant is compared to a testa- 
 ment,* which is of force by the death of the testator, 
 but of no strength at all whilst he liveth> When 
 God made promise to Abraham he confirmed it by 
 an oath ; not as if his word had been insufficient, 
 but that it might more abundantly show unto the 
 heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, and 
 give them strong consolation.' This was the highest 
 confirmation that w^ords could give, for he could 
 swear by none greater than himself. But the new 
 covenant is confirmed in a still more striking and 
 wonderful manner, even by the precious blood of his 
 own Son; which, as it is the meritorious ground of 
 the promises, and the highest demonstration of the 
 Divine love and good- will to men, is suited to remove 
 
 • ^ixQr,xyt signifies either a covenant or testament; but when that 
 word is expressive of the old or new economy, it ought always, in my 
 opinion, to be rendered covenant. Even in Heb. ix. 16, 17. it may be so 
 translated, if instead oi testator, ^iix.9£iJ.EV0S be understood to signify the 
 appointed sacrifice by which covenants were ratified, and «7r/ UKpois ■ 
 be rendered, not after men are dead, but literally, upon the dead, viz. sa- 
 crifice or animals ; for the Apostle is evidently speaking of Christ under 
 the character o{ mediator and high-priest, and of the blood of his sucrijice ; 
 which do not properly belong to the idea of a testament or latter-will, but 
 to that of a covenant betwixt God and sinful men. 
 
 alPet.i. 2. h Heb. ix. 16, 17. i Chap. vi. 13— 19. 
 
56 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 every ground of suspicion from the human heart, 
 and to give the strongest assurance of all stipulated 
 blessings ; such as the remission of sins, the adop- 
 tion of children, eind the eternal inheritance :^ for if 
 " God spared not his own Son," (a person of infinite 
 dignity and worth, and the object of his supreme 
 love,) " but delivered him up for us all, how 
 shall he not with him also freely give us all tilings 1^'' 
 and especially when we consider that he was deli- 
 vered up for this very end. Thus we see how the 
 new covenant was made and ratified in Christ's 
 blood, or upon his sacrifice. 
 
 2. Another fact recorded in the gospel is the bu- 
 rial of Christ."" It was predicted that he should 
 make his grave with the wicked, and with the rich 
 in his death," and also typified by Jonah in the 
 whale's belly.'' It is an article of the gospel which 
 the apostles preached mito the nations. Paul 
 preaching at Antioch, says, " When they had ful- 
 filled all that was written of him, they took him 
 down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre ;"p 
 and he mentions it among the other particulars 
 which he delivered to the Corinthians first of all.'* 
 The burial of Christ was, 
 
 (1,) A strong evidence of the reality of his death. 
 His enemies indeed had made sure work of him by 
 piercing his side with a spear, after they saw that he 
 was dead already / but his being wrapped up in 
 
 k Rom. viH. S3, SI. Gal.iv. 4,5. Hel). ix. 1.5. ] Rom. viii. 32. 
 m Mat. xxvii. 57--61. Mark xv. 43---47. Luke xxiii. oO— ,'>l-. Jftfiii xix. 
 38— 4"2. nisa. liii. 9. o Mat. xii. 40. p Acts \iii. 29. 
 
 q 1 Cor. XV. 4. r Jolui xix. 33, 34. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 57 
 
 linen clothes, with his mouth and nostrils filled with 
 spices, as the manner of the Jews was to bury,' and 
 in this situation lying three incomplete days in a 
 cold sepulchre, is a further demonstration to all 
 the world that he was really dead, and that there 
 was no latent principle of life remaining in him. 
 
 (2.) It affords a strongproof of his resurrection; 
 for the precautions taken by his enemies to secure the 
 sepulchre, by sealing the stone and setting a watch, 
 cut off every possibility of deceit in that matter.^ 
 
 (3.) It was the last and lowest step of his humi- 
 liation. The last part of the curse denounced 
 against Adam was, that he should return unto the 
 ground from whence he was taken ;'^ and so the 
 grave is the house appointed for all living.'' To 
 redeem from this curse, the Prince of life submit- 
 ted to be brought into the dust of death,^ and to 
 be retained for a while in the gloomy mansions of 
 the dead. " Death and the grave (as one beauti- 
 fully observes) might be proud of such a tenant as 
 this." But he stoops thus low that his victory over 
 both might be the more conspicuous and complete; 
 for hereby he became the plagues of death, de- 
 spoiling it of its sting and power, and the destruc- 
 tion of the grave, by bursting asunder its gates, and 
 opening a passage through it to everlasting life.^ 
 
 3. The RESURRECTION of Christ from the dead 
 is another article of the gospel.^ This fact holds 
 such an important place in the gospel system, that 
 
 s John xix, 40. t Mat. xxvii, 62—66. u Gen. iii. 19. 
 
 X Jolt XXX. 23. y Psal. x;xii. 15. / Hos. xiii. 14. 1 Cor. xv. 
 
 54, 55. a Acts ii. 2i, 32. x. 40, 41. and xiii. 30, 31. 
 
58 Christ's commission 
 
 the truth of the whole stands or falls with it.^ 
 The chief end of the apostolic office was to bear 
 witness to it;^ salvation is connected with the 
 belief of it/ and by it believers are begotten again 
 to the lively hope of the heavenly inheritance.* 
 
 (1.) By his resurrection he was determined to he the 
 Son of Go J with power/ according to what was fore- 
 told of him in ancient prophecy.^ Jesus himself re- 
 fers his enemies to his resurrection as the decisive 
 proof of his character and mission;'' and so gave 
 them the fairest opportunity to satisfy themselves 
 as to the truth of that fact, and to guard against 
 every imposition.' Had his body remained in the 
 grave, all his pretensions would have been refuted; 
 but his resurrection from the dead on the appointed 
 day, justified all his claims, and demonstrated that 
 he was the true Messiah, the Son of God, the Sa- 
 viour and Judge of the world,^ who had thus re- 
 ceived power from his Father, not only to lay down 
 his life, but to take it again.^ 
 
 (2.) His resurrection proves the perfection of the 
 atonement which he made by his death for the sins of 
 his people, and that God is fully and for ever w ell- 
 pleased in it. Had he continued under the power of 
 that death which he suffered for our sins, we could 
 have no evidence that he had made full satisfaction: 
 On the contrary, his remaining in the prison of the 
 grave would have shown him unable to pay our debt 
 
 h \ Cor. XV. 14—19. c Act.s i. '2'2. iv. 3:K and x. -iO, 41. 
 
 d Rom. X. 9. e 1 Pet. i. 3, 4. f Rom. i. 4. g Psal. xvi. 
 
 10. Willi Alls ii. '24—29. Psal. ii. 7. with Acts xiii. :>3. li Mat. xii. 
 
 .S3— -10. Joliii ii. 18— !22. i Mat. xxvii. e^i—bo. k Acts xvii. Si. 
 
 I J'jIiu X. lU. 
 
TO IfIS APOSTLES. 59 
 
 cind obtain remission. " If Christ be not raised," 
 (says the Apostle,) '' your faith is vain ; ye are yet 
 in your sins.""' But in his resurrection we see 
 him obtaining^ a full discharge in the name of all 
 for whom he died, and justice acquitting him from 
 all further demands ; for the God of peace, in 
 bringing him again from the dead by the blood of 
 the everlasting covenant which was shed for the 
 remission of sins," raised him again for our justifi- 
 cation,° and removed the curse. Thus he was jus- 
 tified by the Spirit p quickening him from death, the 
 wages of our sins -j"^ so that none can lay any thing 
 to the charge of God's elect, seeing " it is Christ 
 that died, yea rather, that is risen again .'''^ 
 
 (3.) It is the evidence, earnest , and example of the 
 resurrection of the saints at the last day. The con- 
 nection whicji believers have with Christ in his resur- 
 rection is compared to that which they have with 
 Adam in the death which came by his sin: " For 
 since by man came death, by man came also the 
 resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, 
 so in Christ shall all be made alive."^ Christ in 
 his resurrection is compared to the first fruits under 
 the law, which being offered to the Lord, consecrated 
 the whole harvest, and was a sample as well as cer- 
 tain pledge and earnest of it:* " But now is Christ 
 risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of 
 them that slept — Christ the first-fruits, afterwards 
 
 m 1 Cor. XV. 17. n Heb. xiii. 20. o Rom. iv. 2.5 
 
 p 1 Tim. iii. 16. q 1 Pet. iii. 18. r Rom. \iii. .:3J, 34. 
 
 s 1 Cor. XV. 21, 22. t Lev. xix. 24. Deut. xxvi. 2. 
 
 D 
 
60 cpirist's commission 
 
 they that are Christ's at his coming/'" He is also iu 
 this respect called the First-born, the First-begotten 
 from the dead;'' which imports his connection with 
 many brethren who shall in their order succeed him 
 in that birth, and be the children of God by being 
 the children of the resurrection.^ This is that adop- 
 tion or sonship which the Spirit leads them to wait 
 for, to wit, the redemption of their bodies.^ Christ 
 was raised from^lhe dead as the vital /iearf of his body, 
 the church, and the Spirit which quickened him is 
 communicated to all his members;^ so that those 
 who partake of the Spirit of the risen Jesus, and are 
 thereby quickened from death in trespasses and sins 
 to a new life of conformity to him in this world, ^ 
 have the very quickening principle already dwelling 
 in them which raised Christ, and which shall also 
 raise up their mortal bodies at last : for, says the 
 Apostle, " If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus 
 from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ 
 from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bo- 
 dies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."*^ In short, 
 such is the connection between the resurrection of 
 Christ and that of his people, that to deny the latter 
 amounts to a denial of the former : " Now if Christ 
 be preached that he rose from the dead, how say 
 some among you that there is no resurrection of 
 the dead ? But if there be no resurrection of the 
 dead, then is Christ not risen.""^ Thus we see 
 
 ul Cor. XV 20,23. x Col. i. 18. Rev. i. 5. y Luke 
 
 XX. 36, .S8. z Rom. viii. 23. a Chap viii. 9. 
 
 h Cliap. vi. 4. Col. ii. 12, 13. and iii. 1. c Rom. viii. 11. 
 d 1 Cor. XV. 12, 13. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 61 
 
 that they ^taud or fall together, so that we cannot be 
 more certain of Christ's resurrection from the dead 
 that we are of the resurrection of those that sleep in 
 him.^ With regard to the nature of the resurrection 
 body, we are assured that Christ's risen and glo- 
 riiied body is the original and pattern of it. As in 
 this life the saints bear the image of Adam in their 
 earthly mortal bodies, they shall then bear the 
 image of Christ in having their vile bodies changed 
 and fashioned like unto his glorious body.^ The 
 body, as derived from Adam, is sown not only into 
 the grave, but also into this world, (4^vx'>toii) an ani- 
 mal, corruptible, dishonourable, and weak body ; 
 but in the resurrection it shall be raised, like Christ's, 
 a spiritual, incorruptible, glorious, and powerful 
 body.* — Thus they shall not only see him as he is, 
 but be like him.^' 
 
 4. Another article of the gospel-testimony is 
 Christ's ASCENSION into heaven and glorifica- 
 tion at the Father's right hand.^ Of this fact the 
 apostles were witnesses.'' They could not indeed 
 with their bodily eyes see him enter into the high- 
 est heavens (though some of them had afterwards 
 visions of him in his glorified state ;') ])ut this was 
 fully proved by his pouring down the Spirit accord- 
 to his promise,™ which could not take place till he 
 was glorified.'' This was such an evidence as fell 
 under the examination of men's senses ; for (says 
 
 e 1 Thess. iv. 13, 14. f 1 Cor. xv. 45—50. Phil. iii. 21. 
 
 » 1 Cor. XV. 4^-46. h 1 John iii. 2. i Mark xvi. 19. 
 
 k Acts i. 10. 1 Acts vii. 56. 1 Cor. xv. 8. Rev. i. 13—16. 
 
 m John xvi. 7. n John vii. 39. 
 
62 Christ's commission 
 
 the Apostle) " he hath shed forth this which ye now 
 see and hear.""^ 
 
 ' (1.) His ascension into heaven imports his victory 
 over all his and our enemies. Having in his own 
 person overcome the world/ expiated sin,"^ spoiled 
 principalities and powers/ and abolished death,' 
 he ascended on high amidst thousands of attending 
 angels, making an open show of his enemies, and 
 leading captivity captive,*^ like a mighty conqueror 
 returning from battle, and gracing his triumph with 
 spoils of war and captives in chains. Well might 
 the gates of the celestial temple be addressed on 
 this triumphant occasion : " Lift up your heads, O 
 ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and 
 the King of glory shall come in. Who is this 
 King of glory ? The Lord strong and mighty, the 
 Lord mighty in battle."" 
 
 (2.) He ascended that he nn^ihestow the Spirit 
 upon his church. While he was on earth the Holy 
 Spirit was not yet given in that manner and degree 
 that was suited to his New Testament kingdom, 
 " because he was not yet glorified '."'^ And so he 
 tells his apostles, " It is expedient for you that I go 
 away ; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not 
 come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him 
 unto you."^ This promise began to be accom- 
 plished when, " being by the right hand of God ex- 
 alted, and having received of the Father the promise 
 
 o Acts ii. r?;j. p John xvi. 3S. n Ilib ix 26. r Col. 2. 15. 
 
 s2'rini. i. 10. t Psal. Iwiii. 17, 18. rpb. iv. 8. u T.^al. xxir. 7, 8. 
 ■%. John vii. 38, 39' y Chap. xvi. 7. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. G3 
 
 of the spirit," he shed him forth iipou his disciples.^ 
 Thus " he ascended on high, and gave gifts unto 
 men,'*^ like a victorious prince, who, upon his tri- 
 umphant entry into his capital, scatters liberal do- 
 nutions among the people. As head of influence to 
 his body, he gave to some tlie extraordinary gifts of 
 apostles, prophets, and evangelists ; to others, the or- 
 dinary gifts of pastors and teachers ; and all for the 
 purpose of (xara^T/cr/ixoy) bringing into joint the saints, 
 for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of his 
 body the church.^ This Spirit, which acts as the 
 Spirit of the truth, and the animating soul of the 
 whole body he communicates also to every in- 
 dividual member ; for " if any man have not the 
 Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."'' Hereby they 
 are enlightened,"^ regenerated,^ sanctified,* and 
 comforted;^ have the knowledge of their adop- 
 tion, '^ the earnest of the inheritance,' and are 
 sealed unto the day of redemption.'' 
 
 (3.) He ascended to take possession of his throne 
 and kingdom. This kingdom was promised under 
 the Old Testament,^ typified by the Jewish theo- 
 cracy,™ and proclaimed at hand in the days of his 
 flesh ; but he did not actually take possession of 
 it till he ascended far above all heavens, and sat 
 dow^n on the right hand of the Majesty on high. It 
 was then that God his God anointed him with 
 the oil of gladness above his fellows f crowned 
 
 7. Acts ii. 33. a Eph. iv. 8. b Chap. iv. 1 1. 12, 
 
 c Rom. viii. 9. d Eph. i. 17, 18. e John iii. h. 
 
 f '■I Thess. ii. 13. 1 Pet. i. 2. z Rom. v. 5. b Chap. viii. 15, 16. 
 
 Gal.iv. 6. i Eph i. 14. k Chap, i v. 30- lPsal.cxxxii.lt. 
 
 Isa- ix. 6, 7. Dan. vii. 14. m Luke i. 32, 33. n Mat. iii. 2. Luko x. 9. 
 
1 
 
 64 Christ's commission 
 
 him with glory and honour ;p set him as king upon 
 his holy hill of Zion,"^ saying unto him, " Sit thou 
 at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy 
 footstool ;'" and commanded all the angelic hosts 
 to worship him.* It was in consequence, and as 
 the reward of his voluntary humiliation and obe- 
 dience unto death, that God thus highly exalted 
 him, and vested him with supreme dominion over 
 all things in heaven, and earth, and under the 
 earth,*^ and also bestowed upon him the highest joy 
 and blessedness. Hence we find his royal en- 
 thronement and happiness connected : " Thou pre- 
 ventest him with the blessing of goodness ; thou 
 settest a crown of pure gold upon his head. He 
 asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even 
 length of days for ever and ever. His glory is 
 great in thy salvation : honour and majesty hast 
 thou set upon him. For thou hast made him most 
 blessed for ever : thou hast made him exceeding 
 glad with thy countenance.*'" This is that joy 
 which was set before him, and for which he en- 
 dured the cross, despising the shame. "^ 
 
 (4.) He ascended to officiate as high-priest in the 
 heavenly sanctuary. We are expressly told that " if 
 he were on earth, he should not be a priest," i. e. 
 he could not on earth complete the service answer- 
 able to his appointment as high-priest; and the 
 reason is given, " seeing that there are priests that 
 offer gifts according to the law, who serve unto the 
 
 o Heb. i. 8, 9. p Heb. ii. 9. q Psal. ii. d. r Psal. 
 
 ex. 1. Acts ii. 31, 35. s Psal. xcvii. 7. Heb. i. 6. t Phil. 
 
 ii. 9—12. u Psal. xxi. 3, 4, 5, 6. x Heb. xii. 2. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 66 
 
 example and shadow* of heavenly things ."^ The 
 law appointed no earthly priesthood but one, which 
 was restricted entirely to the tribe of Levi and or- 
 der of Aaron \^' but Christ having sprung of the 
 tribe of Judah, had no appointment to the service 
 of the earthly sanctuary/ and so could not be an 
 high-priest on earth. He indeed suffered on earth 
 as a sacrifice for sin ; but the mere slaying of the 
 sacrifice did not complete the atonement even un- 
 der the law. In order to this, it was necessary that 
 its blood should be brought within the vail into the 
 holiest of all, and there sprinkled upon the mercy- 
 seat, after having offered the insense ;^ and this 
 was a service peculiar to the high-priest. Jesus 
 could not thus oflGiciate on earth, there being no 
 holy place appointed for him there in which he 
 might offer his gift and sacrifice. He was con- 
 stituted a high-priest by the word of the oath which 
 was since the law,*' when the Lord sware unto him, 
 " Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Mel- 
 chisedec '^'^ but this oath does not make him a 
 priest on earth, but in heaven ; for it connects with 
 these words, " Sit thou at my right-hand, until I 
 
 * "Tbe (vTTodc^y/xa;) exemplar and shadow of tbe lieavenlies," is the 
 tabernacle and all that pertained to it, where tbe bigb-priest performed 
 tbe service, and which is afterwaids called tbe fTrodeiy^tara, patterjts 
 or exemplars of tbin<i;s in the heavens, chap. ix. 20, 23. ; tbe holy places 
 made ^\■^th hands, tbe^'»ures of tbe true, ver. 24. For it was concerning 
 the tabernacle and its utensils that the Lord said to Moses, " See tliat 
 thou make all things according to tbe pattern showed thee in the mount," 
 Exod. XXV, to. with Acts vii. 44. Heb. viii. 5. 
 
 y Heb. viii. 4,5. z Exod. xl. 1.=). a Heb. vii. 14. 
 
 b Lev. xvi. c Heb. vii. 28. d Psal. ex. 4. 
 
DO CHRIST S COMMISSION 
 
 make thine enemies thy footstool ;"^ which did not 
 take place till having risen from the dead, he as- 
 cended into heaven, and sat down at the right-hand 
 of God/ And so the Apostle sums up his expli- 
 cation of that oath thus : *" We Iiave such an high- 
 priest who is set on the right-hand of the throne of 
 the Majesty in the heavens ; a minister of the sanc- 
 tuary, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord 
 pitched, and not man."^ His ascension into hea- 
 ven therefore, corresponds with the entry of the 
 high-priest into the most holy place on the great 
 day of atonement ; and this the Apostle expressly 
 declares : " But Christ being come, an high-priest 
 of good things to come, by a greater and more per- 
 fect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, 
 not of this building ; neither by the blood of goats 
 and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in 
 once into the holy place, having obtained eternal 
 redemption for us : — For Christ is not entered into 
 the holy places made with hands, which are the 
 figures of the true ; but into heaven itself, now to 
 appear in the presence of God for us."^' In this 
 exalted state, the oath declares him a priest /or 
 ever ; not subject to mortality, as in the days of his 
 flesh, nor dying out of his office like the mortal 
 sons of Aaron, but made a priest after the power 
 of an endless life ; and as he ever livcth to make 
 intercession, he is able to save them to the utter- 
 most that approach unto God by him.' 
 
 (5.) Lastly, He ascended into heaven as the 
 
 ePsal. ex. J. f Acts ii. ;>}, 3.5. sr Hcb. viii. J 9. 
 
 h Chap. ix. 1 1 , 12, 24. i Heb. vii. :i j — 26. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 67 
 
 forerunner of his brethren.**^ Agreeably to this he 
 says to his disciples, " I go to prepare a place for 
 you ; and if I go and prepare a place for you, I 
 will come again and receive you to myself, that 
 where I am there ye may be also."^ This hope he 
 gives to all his followers : " If any man serve nle, 
 let him follow me ; and where I am, there shall 
 also my servant be."'" For this he prays to his 
 Father : " Father, I will that they also whom thou 
 hast given me be with me where I am ; that they 
 may behold my glory which thou hast given me."" 
 As soon as they are absent from the body they shall 
 be present with the Lord ;^ and when their bodies 
 shall be ransomed from the grave, they shall in 
 their complete persons be caught up in the clouds 
 to meet the Lord in the air, and so they shall be 
 ever with the Lord.^ 
 
 5. Christ's second coming to raise the dead 
 and judge the world at the last day, is another 
 most important branch of the gospel revelation, 
 and is ranked among the foundation principles of 
 it.** Indeed the whole mediatorial economy refers 
 to this, and without it the justice of the Divine ad- 
 ministration could not fully appear, for there is no 
 proper retribution in this life. As there cannot be 
 a general judgment without a resurrection of the 
 dead, so the power of both is vested in Jesus. " As 
 the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to 
 the Son to have life in hinaself ;" and " as the Father 
 
 k Heb. vi. 20. IJohn xiv, 2, 3. mCliap. xii. 26. 
 
 n Chap. xvii. 24. o 2 Cor. v. 8. pi Thess. iv. 16, 17, 
 
 q Heb. vi. 2. 
 
68 
 
 raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so 
 the Son quickeneth whom he will."^ With this 
 stands connected his power to judge the world : 
 " For the Father judgeth no man," i. e. immediately 
 by himself ; " but hath committed all judgment to 
 the Son — and hath given him authority to execute 
 judgment also," i. e. to dispense rewards and 
 punishments, " because he is the Son of man."** 
 Therefore he commanded his apostles " to preach 
 unto the people, and to testify, that it is he who 
 was ordained of Gx)d to be the judge of quick and 
 dead."*^ Accordingly they declared, that God now 
 " commandeth all men every where to repent, be- 
 cause he hath appointed a day in the which he will 
 judge the world in righteousness by that man whom 
 he hath ordained : whereof he hath given assurance 
 unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the 
 dead."" On that appointed day, *' the Son of 
 man shall come in his glory, and all the holy 
 angels with him, and shall sit upon the throne of 
 his glory. Before him shall be gathered all na- 
 tions ;"^ *' for we must all appear before the 
 judgment-seat of Christ."^ The quick who are 
 alive and remain at his coming,^ and the dead 
 
 • Not merely because he is a man, for that is no proper reason ; but be- 
 cause he is that very person spoken of in Dan. vii. 13, 14. under the de- 
 signation of the Son of man, who was to come with the clouds of heaven, 
 and to whom the dominion, glory, and kingdom is given, that all prople, 
 nations, and languages, should serve him. See Mat. xxvi. 64. Uev. 
 i. 7. 
 
 r John V. 21, 26. s Ver. 22, 27. t Acts x. 42. 
 
 n Acts xvii. 30, 31. at Mat. xxv. 32. y 2 Cor. v. la 
 
 z 1 Tiiess. iv. 17. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 69 
 
 small and ^eat of all generations,'' even all that 
 arc in their graves, shall hear his voice, and shall 
 come forth. ^ Then will he judge the world in 
 righteousness,*^ i, e. by the most just and equitable 
 rule of procedure ; not reaping where he hath not 
 sowed, nor gathering where he hath not strawed,'^ 
 but according to the advantages and talents be- 
 stowed upon every one respectively, so will he de- 
 mand an account in the judgment.^ The heathens 
 will be judged by the natural law written in their 
 conscience, whereby they knew the judp^ment of 
 God •/ the Jews by the law of Moses ;s and those 
 who enjoy the light of the gospel will be judged ac- 
 cording to their superior privileges ; " for to whom 
 much is given, of him shall be much required."'' 
 During the accepted time and day of salvation, 
 enemies are reconciled, and ungodly sinners par- 
 doned and received into favour, through faith in 
 Christ's blood, without works ;' but then he will 
 judge every man according to his works. ^ To dis- 
 play distributive justice in rewards and punish- 
 ments, it seems necessary that a foundation for both 
 should appear in the characters of those who are 
 judged. And though none can be acquitted in the 
 judgment by that law which requires perfect per- 
 sonal obedience as the condition of life,' and de- 
 nounceth a curse iipon every failure ;'" yet Christ, 
 
 a Rev. xv. 12. b John v. 28, 29. c .lets xvil. SI . 
 
 >\ Mat. XXV. 24,26. e Ver. t4— 31. f Rom. i. Si. and 
 
 ii. 12, 1.5. g Cliap. ii. 12. John v. 45. li Luke xii. 43. 
 
 i Rom. iii. 28. and v. W. k iMat. xvi. "27. Rom. ii. 6. 2 Cor. 
 
 V. 10, 1 Pet. i. 17. Rev. ii. 23. and sx. 12. 1 Ruin. iii. 20. and 
 X. a. m Gal. iii. 10. 
 
70 Christ's commission 
 
 having redeemed his people from the law in this 
 respect," and given it to them as a law of love and 
 liberty suited to the new constitution of grace esta- 
 blished in his blood, he will judge them by this law 
 according to their work of faith and labour of love 
 to his name,*^ and approve of them as good and 
 faithful servants who have well done.p Lastly, He 
 will pass the final and irrevokable sentence upon 
 men according to their works ; and then shall the 
 wicked go away into everlasting punishment, but 
 the righteous into life eternal /* 
 
 This doctrine contains the strongest motives not 
 only to induce all men every where to repcnt,*^ but 
 also to stimulate believers to " labour, that, whe- 
 ther present or absent, they may be accepted of 
 Ir >^ -,"5 and " seeing they look for such things, to 
 be diligent, that they may be found of him in 
 peace, without spot, and blameless \'^ that they 
 *' may have confidence, and not be eishamed before 
 him at his coming."" 
 
 The judgment of the world is the finishing work 
 of Christ's mediatorial reign ; for " then cometh 
 the end, when he shall have delivered up the king- 
 dom to God, even the Father ; when he shall have 
 put down all rule, and all authority, and power. 
 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies un- 
 der his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed 
 is death. — And when all thim^s shall be subdued 
 
 n Rom. vii. 4. Gal. iii. 15. o James i. 25. Mat. x xv. 3o---41. 
 
 Heb. vi. 10. p Mat. xxv. 21, 23. q Cliap. xxv. S4, 41, 46. 
 
 Rev. XX. 12— 15. r Acts xvii. 30, s 2 Cor. v. 9. t 2 Pet. iii. 14. 
 u 1 John ii. 28. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 71 
 
 unto him, then shall the Son also himself be sub- 
 ject mito him that put all things under him, that 
 God may be all in all."^ 
 
 Thus we have considered the gospel testimomj 
 with its import ; which is all summed up in this. 
 That Jesus is the Christ the Son of God ; and that 
 he was delivered for the offences, and raised ag-aia 
 for the justification of sinners.*' 
 
 II. The gospel also contains a promise. That 
 whosoever believeth this testimony shall be saved. 
 
 This promise is an essential branch of the gos- 
 pel, and so we find it included in the commission to 
 preach it : " He that believeth, and is baptized, 
 shall be saved.""^ I shall just add a few other pas- 
 sages to the same purpose. " He that believeth 
 on the Sou, hath everlastmg life."'^ " This is the 
 will of him that sent me, that every one that seeth 
 the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlast- 
 ing life ; and I will raise him up at the last day. 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you^ He that believeth on 
 me hath everlasting life."'' ** To him gave all the 
 prophets witness, that through his name whosoever 
 believeth in him shall receive the remission of 
 sins."^ " Be it known unto you, therefore, men and 
 brethren, that through this man is preached unto 
 you the forgiveness of sins : and by him all that 
 believe are justified from all things, from which ye . 
 could not be justified by the law of Moses."'* 
 
 X 1 Cor. XV. ?4— 29. y Joha xx. 31. Rom. iv. 2.5. 1 Cor. xv. 
 
 1— -5. zMarkxvi. 16. a John iii. 36. b Cljap. vi. 
 
 40, 47. c Acts X. 45. d Chap. xiii. 38, 39. 
 
72 Christ's commission 
 
 " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
 be saved, and thy house."® " But what saith it V* 
 (viz. the gospel declaration of the righteousness 
 which is of faith,) " The word is nigh thee, even in 
 thy mouth and in thy heart ; that is, the word of 
 faith which we preach ; that if thou shalt confess 
 with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine 
 heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shall 
 be saved : For with the heart man believeth unto 
 righteousness, and with the mouth confession is 
 made unto salvation ; for the scripture saith. Who- 
 soever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."^ 
 
 These and such like passages clearly show, that 
 the same faithful God who testifieth that Jesus is the 
 Christ his beloved Son, promiseth with equal cer- 
 tainty, that w hosoever believeth this shall be saved ; 
 for " this is the promise that he hath promised us (viz. 
 who believe,) even eternal life. "^ If men believe not 
 this promise, they can have no true faith in Jesus as 
 the Christ the Son of God. The revelation of his 
 Godhead is to show him mighty to save. He is call- 
 ed Jesus, because he saves his people from their 
 sins ;^— the C/im^, because he is anointed to and in- 
 vested with all saving offices. To believe that he is 
 the Christ, is to believe not only that he is able to save 
 (which is a truth though he should never save any ;) 
 but also, that whosoever believeth on him shall cer- 
 tainly he saved by him. Salvation is the end of his 
 incarnation, death, and resurrection from the dead.* 
 The design of declaring him the Christ the Son of 
 
 e Acts xvi. 31. f Rom. x. 8—12. g 1 John ii. 25» 
 
 k Mat. i. 21. » llel). ii. 14—18. Rom. iv. 25. 
 
TO III8 APOSTLES. 73 
 
 God is, that men might believe it; and why believe 
 it ; " that believing they might have life through 
 his name."^ AVithout this, their believing could 
 answer no end. ''We have believed in Jesus" 
 (says the Apostle) "that we might be justified by 
 the faith of him."* Our Lord declares the gospel 
 thus : " God so loved the world, that he gave his 
 only-begotten Son," — for what end ? — ** that who- 
 soever believeth on him might not perish, but have 
 everlasting life.""^ Without this, where would be 
 the love? or how could the gift of his Son be such 
 an amazing expression of it? In short, salvation 
 is both the import and end of all that the gospel 
 testifies concerning the person, mission, and work of 
 Christ; ahd therefore there is no believing the gospel 
 testi mo7iy vfiihout admitting the prowise, thatwhoso- 
 ever believeth it shall be saved ; for God hath de- 
 clared the one as well as the other ; nay, hath declared 
 the latter as the end and import of the former 
 
 The salvation held forth in this promise is a deli- 
 verance from the guilt, power, and consequences of 
 sin ; and consists in the free remission of sins and 
 acceptance into favour," the adoption of sons,° the 
 sanctification of the Spirit, victory over death,^ and 
 eternallife with Jesus Christ in the heavenly state.'i 
 
 The gospel testimony and 'promise cannot be sepa- 
 rated without destroying both. Take away the tes- 
 timony, and you remove the foundation of the pro- 
 
 k John XX 31. 1 Gal. ii 16. m Jofin iii. 15. n Epb. 
 
 i. 6, 7. Gal. iv, 5. p I Pet i. 2. 1 Cor. xv. 67. 
 
 q 1 John ii. Q5. 
 
74 
 
 mise ; for if Jesus is not the Christ the Son of God, 
 who hath finished the work of redemption, there 
 can be no salvation to the believer in him. Take 
 away the promise, and the testimony will be no 
 longer glad tidings ; for unless he that believeth 
 shall be saved, it is of little consequence to the 
 guilty whether Jesus be the Christ or not. 
 
 OF FAITH. 
 
 Much has been said and written on the nature 
 of that faith to which the promise of salvation is 
 made, and various have been the definitions given 
 of it, many of which have served no other end 
 than to perplex the subject. 
 
 Every body knows that faith or belief, in the or- 
 dinary sense of the word, is that credit which 
 we give to the truth of any thing which is made 
 knoTMi to us by report or testimony, and is ground- 
 ed either on the veracity of the speaker, or on the 
 evidence by which his words are confirmed. 
 
 But many are of opinion, thatjustifying faith must 
 be something more than this.* They do not think 
 
 * Some profess to admit, that " f-dhh is credence and noth'nig else," 
 yet at the same time aflirm, that " there are some truths A\hich 
 cannot be known or believed without a corresponding temper of 
 heart." By a corresponding temper of heart cannot be meant some 
 good disposition previous to faith ; for as the question relates to faith 
 itself, that would be foreign to the point ; and it is certain tliat true 
 faith does not exist previous to the knowledge of the truth, for it 
 cometh by hearing the word of God, Rom. x. 17. Nor can it be 
 meant that this* temper of heait is the immediate and Insepjirgblw 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 75 
 
 that mere belief ^ be its object what it may, contains 
 in it any real virtue or moral excellence, that may 
 rationally account for a sinner's being justified, and 
 therefore include in its very nature the exercise of 
 
 effect of faith ; for that is freely granted, and it is not the effect, bat 
 nature or essence of faith tliat is the point in question. The meaning 
 therefore must be this, that faith in its ueci/ nature is a temper or disposi- 
 tion of heart corresponding to the truth believed } which is to maintain 
 that it is something else than credence, and so to retract what was before 
 granted. 
 
 That this is the sense is clear, for it is argued in support of it, that " if 
 faith was a mere exercise of the understand! n<^, it would contain no vir- 
 tue, and if faith contained no virtue, unbelief could contain no sin." By 
 a mere exercise of the understanding must be meant a believing exercise 
 of it, otherwise it is not to the point. To affirm that this " contains no 
 virtue" when it has God or his word for its object, is rather too bold, 
 considering how highly the scripture speaks of it, representing it as the 
 root or principle of all Christian virtues. Gal. v. 6. 1 Tim. i. 5. aS 
 that which gives glory to God, Rom. iv. 20. and without which it is 
 impossible to please him, Ileb. xi. 6. Surely it is right to believe 
 all that God says. 
 
 But though we should grant the unfounded assertion, that mere 
 belief contains no virtue, it would not follow that " unbelief could 
 contain no sin :" for such an argument proceeds upon this princi- 
 ple, That if there is no virtue in a thing, there can be no sin in its 
 opposite ; but this does not hold true in innumerable instances. 
 There is no positive virtue in abstaining from many crimes that 
 might be mentioned ; yet the commission of them, or even the neg- 
 lect of the opposite duties would be very sinful. There is no mo- 
 ral virtue in taking food when hungry; but wilfully to starve one's 
 self to death would be suicide : And to come nearer the point, there 
 is no moral virtue in believing the testimony of a friend, when 1 have 
 every reason to do so ; yet, in these circumstances, were I to discre- 
 dit his word, he would feel the injury very sensibly. Now, supposing 
 there was no more virtue contained in believing the witness of God 
 than in believing the witness of men, to which it is compared, it 
 does not follow that there would be no sin in unbelief, which is to 
 make God a liar, 1 John v. 10. To deny that faith is the exercise 
 
76 Christ's commission 
 
 love and other holy dispositions of heart. Yet 
 they would not be understood to mean that sinners 
 are justified by the exercise of holy dispositions, 
 or (as they speak) by faith considered as a work, 
 A caution which intimates an apprehension that 
 
 of a virtuous temper of heart, is to refuse some praise to the creature ; 
 but to deny that unbelief is a sin, is to impeach the moral character 
 of God. 
 
 But why so solicitous to find virtue or moral excellence in faith? 
 Is it with a view to account for the efficacy ascribed to it in jus- 
 tification? This design is disavowed, for we are told, " That though 
 faith be a moral excellency, jet it is not on account of that excel- 
 lency that justification is ascribed to it ; for if we were justified by 
 faith as a virtue, we might as well be justified by love, &c. either 
 would be justification by our own righteousness." The question then 
 returns, Of what use is it to contend for the moral excellence of 
 faith in point of justification ? The answer given to this is, " That 
 if faith includes the acquiescence of the heart," i. e. of the will and 
 affections, " and so be a moral excellency, then there is a fitness in 
 God's juftifying those persons who thus acquiesce." But as this^t- 
 ness in God's justifying is placed upon faith's being a moral excel- 
 lency, it must be such a fitness as is between virtue and its reward, 
 and so this is only a round-about way of saying, that we are justified by 
 faith as a virtue, which is above acknowledged to be justification by our 
 own righteousness. 
 
 It is argued, that " hope implies desire, and desire includes love," and 
 that " believing the loveliness of an object and loving it are the same." 
 If so, then to be justified by faith is the same as to be justified by hope 
 and love, which is also admitted to be justification by our own righte- 
 ousness. To avoid this obvious conclusion, it is alleged that " tliough 
 hope and love be moral excellencies as well as faith, yet none of 
 them have that relation to Christ which faith has." But if faith, 
 hope, and love be all one, or included in each other, as is alleged, then 
 they must all have the same relation to Christ, consequently the same place 
 in justification. Indeed it is simply impossible to point out any distinction 
 in the relation which faith, hope, and love have to Christ, without 
 admitting that they are distinct in themselves, which is to give up th« 
 ai-guuicnt. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 77 
 
 their idea of faith is very liable to such a miscon- 
 struction ; and indeed if faith be a work at all, it 
 is not easy to conceive how sinners are justified by 
 faith without works. The apostle Paul, however, 
 never gave any such caution, because he did not 
 look upon faith as a work, but, on the contrary> 
 opposeth it, both in its own nature and in point of 
 justification, to all works of every kind, and makes 
 it to correspond with pure grace.* 
 
 The word 'rrisis, faith or belief is evidently used 
 by the inspired writers in the same sense in which 
 it is commonly used and understood among men 
 in ordinary cases. They never gave the least hint 
 that they had any uncommon idea annexed to that 
 term, nor did they give any directions how to be- 
 lieve, or act faith, though they insist much upon 
 what men are to believe, and upon the divine evi- 
 dence of its truth. It is also remarkable, that we 
 do not find any of the first converts enquiriBg- what 
 faith is, or in w hat manner they were to believe. 
 Hence we may reasonably infer, that the apostles 
 used the word faith in its ordinary sense, which re- 
 quired no explanation, and that their hearers did 
 in fact so understand them. 
 
 The WTiter of the epistle to the Hebrews defines 
 faith in this manner, " Now faith is the (virotxa-ts) 
 CONFIDENCE* of things hoped for, the (£>^£y%oO 
 
 • TLongh the word suhstayice comes nearer the etymology of 
 vzjosxcns, yet its use in scripture ought chiefly to be consulted, 'ffae 
 Seventy frequently use it to express confidence, or confidence of ex* 
 
 a Rom. iii. 28. Chap. iv. 5, 16. Eph. iL 8, 9. 
 
78 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 CONVICTION^ of things not seen." Chap. xi. 1. 
 Faith is here expressed by the two words confidence 
 and conviction, and its objects are things hoped for ^ 
 things not seen. Things hoped for must be future 
 good things revealed and promised ; and confidence 
 in relation to such things must be a confidence of 
 persuasion, founded on God's faithfulness and 
 power, that what he hath promised he will un- 
 doubtedly perform; for it is explained thus, — a 
 being persuaded of the promises^— a judging him 
 faithful who hath promised*^— a being fully per- 
 suaded, that what God hath promised he is able 
 also to perform."^ This conlidence of faith in di- 
 Tine promises is inseparable from hope ; for it is 
 the confidence of things hoped for, and so is said to 
 be a believing in hope,^ viz. of obtaining the good 
 things promised. Again, faith is here defined more 
 generally, the conviction of things not seen. Things 
 not seen include not only things promised but 
 
 pectation, Ruth i. 12. Psal. xxxix. 7. Ezek. six. 5. It occurs five limes 
 in the New Testament, in three of which it is translated confidence, viz. 
 2 Cor. ix. 4. chap. xi. 17. Heb. iii. 14. and even in this place the trans- 
 lators have so rendered it in the margin. 
 
 * The substantive f^fy%oj', translated evidence, occurs only in one 
 other place in the New Testament, viz. 2 Tim. iii. 26. where it is trans- 
 lated reproof, but without any necessity. Many render it conviction botli 
 there and in this place, and this best agrees with the sense of the verb 
 •Xey^^w, which is generally translated convince, as in John viii. Q. Acts 
 xviii, 28. 1 Cor. xiv. 2 L Tit. i. 9. James ii. 9. Jude verse 15. as it should 
 also be in John wi. 8. 2 Tim. iv. 2. Though t\iy^os sometimes sig- 
 nifies the evidence, proof, or demonstration which produceth conviction, 
 yet when expressive of faith it must necessarily mean conviction itself, 
 which is the elfect of evidence upon the mind- 
 
 b Ileb. xi. 13. c Ver. 11. d Rum. iv. 21. c Ver. 18. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 79 
 
 things testified-/ not only good things to be hoped 
 for, but evil things to be dreaded ;s not merely 
 things future, but things past and present :*' All of 
 them, however, so far as they are the objects of faith, 
 must be tilings not seen ; for faith is opposed to sight,' 
 it being a conviction of the truth and reality of things 
 made known by revelation, and is grounded on the 
 authority of that revelation, considered as the word 
 of God."^ To illustrate and confirm this simple 
 notion of faith a little farther, we may observe, 
 
 1. That the gospel is held forth as a (iJixfiv^ia) 
 witness, record, or testimony concerning this great 
 truth. That Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, 
 and that God hath given eternal life in him to all 
 who believe '} Those who were sent to testify 
 the gospel of the grace of God are termed luitness- 
 es : John Baptist " came for a witness to bear wit- 
 ness of the Light i""' The apostles were " chosen 
 witnesses" to testify this truth unto the world :" 
 Not only so, but the Father, the Word, and the 
 Holy Spirit are represented as three concurring 
 witnesses to the same important truth ;° and hence 
 it is termed the witness or testimony of God,^ 
 
 2. The immediate design of all testimony or wit- 
 ness-bearing is to 2^J^oduce a belief of the truth of 
 what is testified. This is the declared design of 
 testifying the gospel. John " came to bear witness 
 of the Light, that all men through him might be- 
 
 f John iii. 33. 2 Thess.i. 10. g Heb. xi. 7. h Ver. 3, 6. 
 
 i2Cor. V. 7. klThess.ii.l3. llJohnv. 5— 13 m John i. 7. 
 n John XV. 27. Acts X. 39, 11, olJohnv. 7. pVer. 9. 1 Cor. ii. 1. 
 q John i. 7. 
 
80 Christ's commission 
 
 lieve/'^— " He that saw it bear record— that ye 
 might believe."'' This is also the design of the 
 miraculous works by which the gospel testimony 
 was confirmed : — " Say ye of him whom the Fa- 
 ther hath sanctified and sent into the world. Thou 
 blasphemest, because I said I am the Son of God ? 
 If T do not the works of my Father, believe me 
 not : But if I do, though ye believe not me, be- 
 lieve the works, that ye may know and believe that 
 the Father is in me, and I in him."* — " The same 
 works that I do bear witness of me, that the Father 
 hath sent me."'—" These signs are wTitten, that ye 
 might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of 
 God."" Agreeably to these observations, 
 
 3. Faith is described to be a belief corresponding 
 to that which is spoken, testified or preached. Abra- 
 ham, whose faith is set before us as an example, 
 " believed according to that which was spoken."^ 
 Such also was the faith of the Thessalonians, *' our 
 testimony among you was believed -"^ and of the 
 Corinthians, " so we preached, and so ye believed."^ 
 We all know what it is to receive or believe the wit- 
 ness of men in the most important aff'airs of human 
 life, and by this the apostle John gives us an idea 
 of that faith which the gospel requires, without 
 making any difference whatever in the nature of be- 
 lieving, but only substituting the testimony of God 
 in place of men's ; " If we receive the witness of 
 men, the witness of God is greater."* We receive 
 
 rjohnxix.35. s Chap, x. 36, 37, 38. t Chap. v. 36. 
 
 u Chap. XX. 31. X Rom. iv. 18. y 2 Thess. i. 10. 
 
 r 1 Cor. xr. 11 a 1 John v. 9. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 81 
 
 men's testimony by believing that they are true 
 in what they declare; so " He that receiveth 
 his testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true."^ 
 In the former case we believe men^ in the latter, 
 God ; but this difference respects only the object, 
 the nature of belief being the same in both cases. 
 The witness of God is greater than that of men ; 
 but this does not alter the nature of belief, but only 
 increaseth the degree of it, by giving us greater as- 
 surance ; for men are fallible, and may be deceived 
 tliemselves, or wish to deceive us ; but neither of 
 tliese is possible with God, to whom omniscience 
 and faithfulness are absolutely essential. That by 
 RECEIVING ihe witness of God, the apostle means 
 nothing more than simply believing it, is clear, for 
 he expresseth its opposite thus, " He that be- 
 LiEVETH NOT God hath made him a liar, because 
 he BELIEVETH NOT the record that God gave of 
 his Son."*^ From the whole, therefore, it is evident 
 that faith is neither more nor less than belief, and 
 that saving faith is a belief of the gospel, or of God's 
 testimony concerning his Son. 
 
 This knowledge and belief of the truth as it is in 
 Jesus, though a duty incumbent on all who hear the 
 gospel, is nevertheless the special gift of God,"^ being 
 the effect of divine teaching by means of the word,® 
 and peculiar to the elect :^ So that whatever appear- 
 ances there may be of it in false professors, they have 
 not at bottom the same perception of the truth, nor 
 that persuasion of it upon its proper evidence which 
 
 b John iii. 33. c 1 John v. 10 d Eph. ii. 8. Philip, i. S9; 
 
 John \\. 40 Rom. x. 17. f 1 John v. i. 
 
1 
 
 82 Christ's commission 
 
 real believers have. But as we cannot discern the dif- 
 ference by the confession of the mouth, when that 
 confession accords with the form of sound words, it is 
 therefore necessary that true faith should be distin- 
 guished by its genuine effects upon the heart and life. 
 
 As to its effects upon the heart such is the im- 
 portant, interesting and salutary nature of the 
 saving truth testified in the gospel, with its suit- 
 ableness and freeness for the chief of sinners, that 
 it is no sooner jjerceived and believed than it takes 
 possession of the will and affections, and becomes 
 in the soul the ground of its hope, trust, and reli- 
 ance ; the object of its desire, acceptance, esteem 
 and joy ; and the principle of every holy, active 
 and gracious disposition of heart. 
 
 But these effects of faith, or, which is the same, of 
 the truth believed, ought not to be confounded with 
 faitJi itself, as is commonly done. Though faith is 
 the confidence oithimjs hoped for, and also worketh 
 
 love ; yet it is neither hope nor love, for the 
 Apostle distinguisheth it from both,^ " And now 
 
 * Some afTirin, that " faith, hope and love are three considered only 
 in respect of their objects ; the object of faitli beinjj revealed truth 
 — of hope, future good— tiad of love, the Itoly amiabloiess of God, 
 and of whatever bears his image." But the Apostle is not speaking 
 of the objects of faith, hope, and love, but of themselves ; and if they 
 are not three as distinguished from each other, their objects can ne- 
 ver make them three. The Apostle says, " the greatest of these is 
 love ;" but love is not greater than faith and hope in respect of its 
 object but in its own nature, which shows that faith, hope and love 
 are diflbrent from each other, and properly termed t/jrcc Mr. Sande- 
 inan accurately distinguishes them thus : " The gospel presents a 
 faithful testimony to be believed, exhibiting an amiable object to be 
 
 loved, and ^ooil i}ii)ii^s to come to be hoped for ; J'aiili then respects 
 the truth of the testimony, love what is amiable in it, and hope the 
 
 good things in prospect." 
 
TO HIS ArOSTLES. 83 
 
 abideth faith, hope, love, these three. "« The 
 same may be said of all its other eflfccts upon the 
 heart ; for whatever is more than belief is more 
 than laith, and oiii;ht to go by another name. 
 
 It will perhaps he asked. Why so nice in distin- 
 guishinjj here ? \Vhat harm can arise from including 
 in the nature of faith such holy dispositions, affec- 
 tions and exercises of heart as are confessedly inse- 
 parable from it ? In answer to this let it be considered, 
 
 1. That unless wc carefully distinguish faith from 
 its effects, particularly on the point of a sinner's ac- 
 ceptance with God, the important doctrine of free 
 justification by faith alone will be materially affect- 
 ed. The scriptures pointedly declare. That God 
 justifies sinners " freely by his grace, through 
 the REDEMPTION that is in Jesus Christ,"^' and thai 
 this justification is received '' through faith in 
 Christ's blood."' Faith in this case is always dis- 
 tinguished from, and opposed to the works of the 
 law ;^ not merely of the ceremonial law which was 
 peculiar to the Jews ; but of that law by which is 
 the knowledge of sin,^ which says, " Thou shalt not 
 covet,""" and which requires not only outward f/ood 
 actiotiSjhut love and every good disposition of heart 
 both towards God and our neighbour ;" so that the 
 luorks of this law respect the heart as well as life. 
 The distinction therefore between faith and works, 
 on this subject, is not that which is between inward 
 and outward conformity to the law ; for if faith is 
 
 g 1 Cor. xiii. 13. h Rom. iii. 24. i Ver. 25. k Rom. iii. 
 
 20, 27, 28. Chap. ix. S'L Gal ii. 16. Chap. iii. 9—15. 1 Rom. 
 
 iii. 20. mCLap.\ii. 7. n Mat. xxii. 37 — 41. 
 
 E 
 
84 Christ's commission 
 
 not in this case distinguished from, and opposed to 
 our conformity to the law both outwardly and in- 
 wardly, it cannot be said that we are " justified by 
 faith without the deeds of the law,"° or that God 
 *' justifieth the ungodly J'^ Faith indeed, as a prin- 
 ciple of action, *' worketh by love ;" but it is not as 
 thus working that it is imputed for righteousness ; 
 for it is expressly declared, that righteousness is 
 imputed " to him that worketh not, but be- 
 LiEVETH on him that justifieth the ungodly.*'^ — 
 *' It is of FAITH that it might be by gr ace,""^ and 
 grace and works are represented as incompatible 
 with each other;'' for " to him that worketh is 
 the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt."' 
 Now, when men include in the very nature of jus- 
 tifying faith such good dispositions, holy affec- 
 tions and pious exercises of heart as the moral law 
 requires, and so make them necessary (no matter 
 under what consideration) to a sinner's acceptance 
 with God, it perverts the Apostle's doctrine upon 
 this important subject, and makes justification to 
 be at least " as it were by the works of the law." 
 
 2. The effect of such doctrine upon the mind of 
 an awakened sinner is obvious. He who conceives 
 that, in order to his pardon and acceptance with God, 
 he must first be possessed of such good dispositions 
 and holy affections as are commonly included in the 
 nature of faith, will find no immediate relief from 
 the gospel, nor any thing in it which fully reaches 
 his case, while he views himself merely as a guilt}'^ 
 
 o Rom. ill. 28. p Chap. iv. 5. q Ibid. r Chap. iv. 16. 
 
 sChap. xi. 6. t Chap. iv. 4. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 85 
 
 sinner. Instead of believing on him that justifieth 
 the ungodly, he believes, on the contrary, that he 
 cannot be justified till he sustains an opposite cha- 
 racter. Thou^rh Christ died for sinners — for the un- 
 godly ; yet he does not believe that Christ's death will 
 be of any benefit to him as a mere sinner, but as pos- 
 sessed of holy dispositions; nor does he expect relief 
 to his conscience purely and directly from the atone- 
 ment, but through the medium of a better opinion of 
 his own heart or character. This sentiment, if he 
 is really concerned about the salvation of his soul, 
 must set him upon attempts to reform his heart, and 
 to do something, under the notion of acting faith, that 
 he may be justified ; and all his endeavours, prayers 
 and religious exercises will be directed to that end. 
 The religion of thousands consists in a train of 
 successive attempts of this kind throughout the whole 
 course of their lives, while they are agitated by alter- 
 nate hopes and fears, according as they apprehend 
 they have been successful or not in such self-justify- 
 ing labours. And as, upon this plan, they can re- 
 ceive no relief from the atonement till they perceive 
 some favourable symptons about themselves, those 
 whose consciences are the most tender, and who have 
 the quickest sense of their guilt and depravity, will 
 be the most uneasy and distressed ; in which case it 
 has been thought necessary to extract comfort to 
 them from their very convictions, doubts and per- 
 plexities, to keep them from absolute despair. But 
 should others, less pinched upon the score of guilt, 
 "work themselves up to some degree of hope a^^d 
 
86 Christ's commission 
 
 peace by exertions of this kind, such hope does not 
 arise from the work finished by the Son of God, as 
 alone sufficient to justify the ungodly, but from some 
 supposed change wrought upon their own hearts 
 entitling them to trust in him. So that the effect of 
 this principle is either tormenting fear, or self-righ- 
 teous confidence, and therefore it is equally inimi- 
 cal to true peace and real gospel holiness. 
 
 The Declaration and Call of the Gospel is unto all. 
 
 Jesus commissioned his apostles to go into all 
 the world and preach the gospel to every creature.* 
 They were to except to none on account of their 
 country or descent ; " For there is no difference be- 
 tween the Jew and the Greek ; for the same Lord 
 is rich unto all that call upon him."^ Nor were 
 they to make any distinction of condition or sex , 
 but proclaim it equally to poor and rich, bond and 
 free, male and female.^ Neither were they to pay any 
 regard to the difference of characters among men. 
 The whole world are declared guilty before God ;^ 
 and they were to proclaim salvation to the chief of 
 sinners, as well as to the more decent and strict. 
 Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners 
 to repentance \^ for he supposed none righteous 
 before God, but in their own conceit : hence he 
 carried a more benign and inviting aspect to self- 
 condemned publicans and harlots, than to self-righ- 
 teous Pharisees.^ While the gospel sets aside 
 
 7. Mai^ xvl. 16 a Rom. x. 12. b Gal. iii. 28. 
 
 c Rom. iii. 19. d Mat. ix. 13. e Mat. xxi. 31. 
 
 Luke xviii. 9 — 15. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 87 
 
 every claim to the Divine favour founded upon a 
 man's own righteousness, it also removes effectually 
 every reason of despair from the most guilty and 
 awakened conscience, by presenting an all-suffi 
 cient remedy. There are instances on record of the 
 most notorious sinners obtaining mercy, such as 
 Mary Magdalene,^ the thief on the cross,^ some of 
 the very betrayers and murderers of the Lord of 
 glory .^^ Several of the Corinthian converts had 
 been fornicators, idolaters, effeminate, abusers of 
 themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drurdc- 
 ards, revilers, extortioners, &c. •/ and Paul con- 
 fesseth that he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, 
 and injurious, yet he obtained mercy .^ These in- 
 stances are recorded, not to encourage men to con- 
 tinue in sin that grace may abound, nor yet as ex 
 traordinary stretches of divine grace, which none 
 have now any ground to expect ; but that in them 
 « Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, 
 for a pattern to them who should hereafter believe 
 on him to life everlasting/'^ The gospel declara- 
 tion, therefore, is to all of every nation, condition, 
 and character, without any limitation or restriction 
 whatever. 
 
 The gospel holds forth ^free salvation, without 
 any consideration of men's good works or qualifi- 
 cations, either to merit it, or prepare and fit them- 
 selves for it. Salvation in general, and in all its 
 parts, is every where ascribed to the sovereign free 
 grace of God. " By grace are ye saved.'"" " Not 
 
 f Luke vii. .S7-50. g Chap, xxiii. 43. h Acts ii. 37-4a 
 
 1 Cor. vi. 9-12. klTirn. i. 13. 1 Ver. 15. ra Eph. lu 5 
 
88 Christ's commission 
 
 by works of righteousness which we have done, 
 but according to his mercy he saved us."" Elec- 
 tion, justification, adoption and the heavenly inhe- 
 ritance, are all declared to be of grace ;° and grace 
 and works are stated in direct opposition to each 
 other in this matter.^ Salvation is indeed by faith ; 
 but faith is also opposed to works,^ and corresponds 
 with grace ; for " it is of faith that it might be by 
 grace/''' We are saved by grace through faith ; 
 and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.^ 
 
 The gospel also calls all men every where to faith 
 and repentance, and invites them in the most earnest 
 manner to partake of a full and free salvation/ Jesus 
 himself calls sinners to come unto him ;" and repre- 
 sents the preaching of the gospel under the notion of 
 inviting guests to a marriage supper, where all things 
 were ready prepared, and free for their use. All sorts 
 of guests are commanded to be invited, and particu- 
 larly those who might he apt to suppose themselves 
 excluded ; such as the poor, the maimed, the halt, 
 and the blind ; and that from every place that could 
 be supposed the haunts of the miserable and the des- 
 titute ; such as the streets and lanes of the city, the 
 hedges and highways of the field ; nay, the master 
 enjoins the servants to '* compel them to come in, 
 that his house may be filled with guests/''' This 
 surely means more than a mere declaration of the 
 gospel testimony : it imports also the most earnest 
 calls and pressing invitations to believe the gospel 
 
 n Tit. iii. 5. o Fiom. xi. 5. and iii. 24. Eph. i. b, 6. Rom. iv. 16. 
 
 p Rom. xi. 6. <| Chap. iv. 5. r Chap. iv. 16« s Eph. i. 8. 
 
 t Isa. Iv. 1—8. u Mat. xi. iiS. John vii. 37, 38. x Luke xiv. 16—24. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 89 
 
 and partake of its blessings. Accordingly the apos- 
 tles, in executing their commission, not only de- 
 clared " That God was in Christ reconciling the 
 world to himself, not imputing tlieir trespasses unto 
 them ;" but also urged it home with the most ear- 
 nest calls and intreaties ; " Now then we are am- 
 bassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech* 
 .by us ; we pr:;y * in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled 
 unto God/'^^ They declared, that God " now com- 
 mandeth all men every where to repent ;"^ and 
 testified " both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, 
 repentance towards God, and faith towards our 
 Lord Jesus Christ."* So that they not only de- 
 clared the gospel testimony, but called every one to 
 believe it unto their salvation ; and urged this call 
 by every motive and argument which the gos- 
 pel furnished them with, and which are the strong 
 est that possibly can be proposed to the humai 
 mind. 
 
 The Promise of Salvation is restricted to him 
 that believeth. 
 
 Though the gospel declaration and call be uni- 
 versal to every creature, yet the j^romise of salva- 
 
 • The pronoun you is not in the Greek, The Apostle is not here urg- 
 ing the believing Corinthians to be reconciled unto God, for he considered 
 them as already reconciled ; but he is setting before them the apostolic 
 message to the world at large, as appears from the foregoing verse ; and 
 therefore the supplement ought to be men, or the world. 
 
 y2Cor V. 18— 21. z Acts xvii. 30, 3L aChap. iii. 19 
 
 XX. 21. and xxvi. 'M. 
 
90 Christ's commission 
 
 tion is only to him that helieveth : " He that be- 
 LIEVETH, and is baptized, shall be saved." — '' If 
 thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, 
 and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath rais- 
 ed him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. "^ The 
 gospel does not declare that all shall be saved, nor 
 indeed that any shall be saved who do not believe ; 
 on the contrary, Jesus says, " He that believeth 
 not shall be damned :'' — " If ye believe not that 1 
 am he, ye shall die in your sins.""^ Neither does 
 it reveal who in particular shall believe and be 
 saved ; but it declares the testimony of God con- 
 cerning his Son, and the salvation that is in him, 
 calls upon all mankind to believe that testimony, 
 and promises salvation to every one that believeth 
 it, but to none else. The gospel promise of sal- 
 vation, therefore, is not universal, but restricted to 
 him that believeth. Hence it is plain. 
 
 That the gospel does not hold forth an " univer- 
 sal grant or gift of Christ made to all mankind •/' 
 nor does it contain " a promise of eternal life to 
 sinners of mankind as such." Consequently, the 
 faith which it requires of all its hearers at first 
 hand is not " my being verily persuaded that Christ 
 is mine, upon the grant and offer of him in the 
 word to me in particular, believing that he loved 
 me, and gave himself for me ; — that / shall have 
 life and salvation by him ; and that whatever he 
 did for the redemption of sinners, he did it for 
 
 b Mark xvi. 16, Rom. x. 9. c Mark xvi. 17 John 
 
 viii. 'U. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 91 
 
 me"* For the gospel does not declare to every 
 mail that he shall have life and salvation by Christ, 
 nor is it a truth with respect to a great part of man- 
 kind ; and therefore cannot be that which all man- 
 kind are called to believe unto their salvation. 
 That which men are called to believe is a truth in 
 itself independent of their belief, and will always 
 continue a truth though they should never believe 
 it ; for their unbelief cannot make the faith of God 
 without effect. Tt is a truth openly testified to all. 
 That Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, that he 
 hath finished the work of redemption, and that 
 whosoever believeth this shall be saved : but it is 
 
 * This and the foregoing quotation is from the Associate SvTiod's Cate- 
 chism, Part II. On faith in Jesus Christ. Bat it is not easy to conceive, 
 how God should make a gift to all, which conveys nothing but to some ; 
 and promise eternal life to mankind sinners as such, yet never bestow it 
 on any who do not believe. As to their definition of justifying faith, I 
 would observe, That if all mankind are called to believe that Christ is 
 theirs, that he loved them and gave himself for them, and that thev shall 
 have life and salvation by him, then it must either be true or false. If 
 true, then all mankind must be saved ; i^ false with respect to a great part 
 of mankind, then the gospel can never propose it as a truth to be believed 
 by all. Falsehood can never be converted into truth by believing it ; 
 nor can men be reasonably called to believe any thing without evidence, 
 and which is not equally true whether they believe it or not. Thev en- 
 deavour to qualify this by saying, " That faith is not a persuasion that 
 Christ is mine in possession, or that I am already in a state of grace : but 
 apersiiasion that he is mine in the gift of God, and offer of the gospel." 
 But this distinction only serves to form another contradiction : tor how 
 IS it possible for me to believe " that Christ loved me, and gave himself 
 for me ; that I shall have life and salvation by him ; and that whatever 
 he did for the redemption of sinners, he did it for me ;" and vet " not 
 be persuaded that he is mine in possession, or tJiat I am already in a 
 state of grace ?" 
 
92 Christ's commission 
 
 not true " that Christ is mine," or " that / shall 
 have life and salvation by him/' unless I believe 
 the former ; for the promise is only to him that be- 
 lie veth. Further, 
 
 As the gospel does not promise salvation to any 
 but believers, nor tell any particular person, ex- 
 pressly and directly, that he himself is a believer : 
 so the assurance of a man's own justification is not 
 founded merely upon the db^ect testimony of 
 God, * but also upon the testimony of his own 
 
 * Mr. John Barclay (the author of a new appropriating scheme) asserts, 
 " That the assurance of faith," (b}' which he means the assurance of a 
 man's own justification) " is established, along with the resurrection of 
 Jesus from the dead, upon the direct testimony of God, believed in the 
 ieart." Assurance of Faith Vindicated, Tit\e-pa.ge, 
 
 A direct testimony is that which absolutely affirms, in so many express 
 words, the truth of the particular thing testified. He must therefore 
 mean, that God hath absolutely, positively, and expressly testified in the 
 g-ospel, " that John Barclay in particular is justified;" for such is the 
 nature of the testimony given to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead 
 and he affirms it to he precisely the same with that. " Tlius verily before 
 God, (says he) by whatever evidence I hold the resurrection of Jesus for 
 a truth, by the same precise evidence 1 must hold it for a truth that I am 
 justified, else 1 do verily hold God for a liar ; for God himself hath equally 
 asserted both the one and the other in words of inseparable connection." 
 Assurance of Faith Vindicated, p. 66. And, in A Letter on the Assurance 
 of Faith, vol. iii. p. 208. he says, " I see the same evidence precisely, that 
 the law is fulfilled for me, even for me myself, by Jesus, as tliat there is 
 a law at all ; the same evidence that I am passed from death unto life, as 
 that ever 1 was tinder a death, and needed a life ; the same evidence pre- 
 cisely, that Christ is made to me of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctifi- 
 calion, and redemption, as that there is a God at all." — As therefore the 
 truth of his particular justification stands upon the same precise evidence 
 with the resurrection of Jesus and the existence of Gou, the additional 
 words "believed in the heart," are altogether redundant: for as Christ's 
 resurrection and the being of God are truths in themselves whether he 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 93 
 
 conscience, bearing him witness in the Holy Spi- 
 rit, that he believes the gospel testimony concern- 
 ing Christ, and so is justified according to the tenor 
 of the gospel promise. 
 
 All who realhj believe the Gospel have Evidence of 
 their own particular Salvation. 
 
 There are two important and interesting ques- 
 tions, which all who are truly concerned about their 
 salvation will be anxious to have solved. The first 
 is. How may I, a guilty and condemned sinner, be 
 justified, or find pardon and acceptance with God ? 
 The gospel answers this directly, declaring, That 
 
 believe or not ; so must his justification be, if, according to him, it stand 
 precisely upon the same ground. 
 
 This is so absurd that it scarce needs any refutation. The resurrec- 
 tion of Jesus is a foundation principle : a truth which stands independ- 
 ent of my believing, and is the subject of direct testimony, which I aui 
 called to believe absolutely. But my particular justification is not de- 
 clared to be a truth until I believe the former ; '• If thou shalt believe 
 in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be 
 saved," Rom. x. 9. I cannot therefore know that I in particular am 
 justified by any thing openly and directly testified, till I knov? that I 
 believe ; for it is only those who believe that are declared to be justified. 
 Acts xiii. 39. 
 
 But after all that this aathor has advanced in order to establish the 
 assurance of his own pai-ticular justification upon the direct testimony of 
 God, he is obliged at last to depart entirely from that principle, and 
 draw his justification as an inference from his believing, thus, " All who 
 believe the record are justified. 1 believe the record ; therefore I be- 
 lieve 1 am justified." Assurance of Faith Vindicated, p. 38. Here 
 the assurance of his justification turns out to be the conclusion of what 
 logicians call a syllogism ; in which the second proposition (viz. / 
 believe the record) is not the direct testimony of God, but that of his owh 
 conscience. 
 
94 Christ's commission 
 
 God justifies sinners " freely by his grace, through 
 the redemption that is in Jesus Christ ; whom God 
 hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in 
 his blood, to declare his righteousness for the re- 
 mission of sins. '''^ As this exhibits the foundation 
 of hope, so all who believe it must necessarily 
 have hope from it. 
 
 The other question is. How shall I know that 
 I am already justified and in a state of salvation ? 
 To this the gospel answers in general, *' If thou 
 believest with all thine heart," — " By him all that 
 believe are justified from all things." It assures 
 him that believeth of justification ; but it leaves it 
 with every man s conscience to say whether he 
 really believes or not. But then. 
 
 All who really believe the gospel must be in- 
 stantly more or less conscious of it. We are so 
 constituted, that we cannot hear, feel, or see ob- 
 jects without knowing it. The impressions which 
 objects make upon our senses, and our conscious- 
 ness of these impressions, are inseparable. Our 
 minds are also so framed, that we cannot believe 
 the truth of any report without being immediately 
 conscious that we do so. Whatever produces be- 
 lief, excites at the same instant an inward consci- 
 ousness of it ; and, in all ordinary cases, we cannot 
 be more sure that a thing is true, than that we our- 
 selves perceive it to he so. This every man knows 
 by experience. When therefore the light of the 
 glorious gospel shines into the heart of a simier 
 
 d Rom, iii. 2i, 25. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 95 
 
 with divine evidence, so as to produce conviction 
 that it is the truth and testimony of God, it must 
 necessarily be accompanied with a present con- 
 sciousness in his mind that he believes it, and is 
 afl'ected by it. 
 
 The scripture supposes, that a believer is imme- 
 diately conscious of his faitli ; for it calls him at 
 the very first to confess it with his mouth unto sal- 
 vation.^ Jesus asks the man whom he had cured 
 of blindness, *' Dost thou believe on the Son 
 of God V'^ He also asks his disciples, " But 
 whom SAY YE that I am?"^ And Philip says to 
 the eunuch, '' If thou believest with all thine 
 heart.''^ The confession demanded is that of a 
 man's own belief y which no man could make in sin- 
 cerity and truth without knowing that he believes. 
 Accordingly, the scripture confessions run in this 
 manner; " We believe, and are sure that thou 
 art that Christ the S^« of the living God."^— *' By 
 this WE believe that thou earnest forth from 
 God.''^— " Lord, I believe."' — '* I believe that 
 Jesus Christ is the Son of God."'" — These con- 
 fessions express not only their belief, but also their 
 consciousness of it ; and, if we allow them to be 
 sincere, and not spoken in ignorance or hypocrisy, 
 they clearly prove, that those who believe the gos- 
 pel, know immediately that they do so, and can 
 say, 7 believe. The most of these confessions 
 were made upon their first believing, and before 
 
 e Rom. X. 9. f John ix. 35. ? Mat. xvi. 15. h AcU 
 
 Tiii. 37. ijobavi. 69. k Cliap. xvi. 30. 1 Cliap. ix. 38 
 
 m .\cts ^ iii. 37. 
 
96 Christ's commission 
 
 their faith had been evidenced by their works. 
 This was evidently the case with the man whose 
 sight was restored, and with the eunuch : while 
 as yet they had done no good works, they de- 
 clared, without hesitation, that they believed. 
 Indeed, none were then admitted to baptism (the 
 very first ordinance of the gospel) without making 
 the same declaration. They could not, perhaps, 
 answer all the metaphysical questions that men 
 have since agitated about the nature and different 
 kinds of faith ; its various acts ; the distinction be- 
 tween believing with the head and with the heart ; 
 the different manner in which devils and men be- 
 lieve the same truth ; what faculties of the soul 
 are engaged in it ; how, or by what manner of ope- 
 ration the Spirit works it in the heart, &c. any more 
 than the blind man could philosophize upon the 
 nature of light and vision, or tell how Jesus open- 
 ed his eyes ; yet like him th?ic could say, and with 
 the like consciousness, " One thing I know, that 
 whereas I was blind, now I see/'" The power of 
 Jesus in giving sight to the blind man, made him 
 instantly sensible that he saw, and left no room for 
 reasoning upon the subject ; even so, when the im- 
 port and evidence of the truth shines into the heart 
 by the enlightening Spirit, it has at once the dou- 
 ble effect of producing belief and the consciousness 
 of it. This consciousness of faith is the first and 
 radical evidence to a man that he is justified accord- 
 ing to the gospel promise, and upon this must all 
 
 n John ix. 25. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 97 
 
 additional and succeeding proofs of it ultimately 
 rest ; for good works cannot prove to him that he 
 is justified, unless he is at the same time conscious 
 that they are the fruits of faith and love. 
 
 It is recorded as matter of fact, that the first con- 
 verts to Christianity were filled with peace and joy as 
 soon as they believed the gospel.° Peace with God, 
 and rejoicing in the hope of his glory, are immedi- 
 ately connected with being justified by faith.p The 
 " belief that they may be justified," or " the hope of 
 being made just,"* though a relief from despair. 
 
 * Mr. Glas admits that " the word of God" not only " testifies 
 abundantly the sufficiency of Christ's righteousness to justify the 
 ungodly," but also " assures him that believeth of justification ;" 
 yet he denies " that he who is certain of the sufficiency of Christ's 
 righteousness to make him just" (which is justifying faith,) " is yet 
 assured that this righteousness is imputed to him, and that he is 
 made iust by it," and the reason lie gives why a believer is not as- 
 sured ■ of what the word of God assures him, is, that " it does not 
 assure him that believeth not of justification, but the contrary." — He 
 makes the believer to consider his justification merely as a thing 
 possible and future : " When we believe (says he) on him that 
 raised up Christ, for the justification of the ungodly, Ave believe that 
 we may be justified by this ;" and he describes the hope arising from 
 this faith to be " the hope oi being made just, or of becoming juit 
 by the imputation of this righteousness ;" whereas the word of God 
 assures him that believeth, not only that he may be, but that he ac- 
 tually is justified, John iii. 36. Acts xiii. 39. He admits that the 
 knowledge of a man's own justification is attainable ; but he says, " It 
 cannot appear any other way that God imputes this righteousness to 
 us, but by our faith working with our works, as Abraham's faith did with 
 his works, when he was declared to be just." Glas's IVoi-ks, vol. ii, p. 
 73. Kdin. edit. 
 
 o Acts ii. 24. viii. 39. x. 43, 46. xiii. 48. and xvi. 31 --35. 1 Thesi. 
 5, 6. p Rom. y. 1, 2. 
 
98 Christ's commission 
 
 will not fully account for this peace and joy. Be- 
 lievers enjoy peace with God in proportion to the 
 evidence they have that their sins are forgiven them ; 
 and their joy is described to be a joy in God through 
 
 It is freely granted that good works are an evidence to a man of his own 
 justification, additional to what he had when hejirst believed ; but they 
 are neither the only nor Jirst evidence of this. A man must be conscious 
 that he believes before his faith work with his works ; and in proportion 
 to the degree of this consciousness must be the assurance of his justi- 
 licafion from the promise. Abraham was justified when he believed 
 Cod's promise, Gen, xv. 6. and it cannot be supposed that he had 
 not the least intimation or enjoyment of this until about forty years 
 after, when his faith wrought with his works in olfering up Isaac, James 
 ii. 21, 22. for long before this God assured hitu of his blessing, Gen. xii. 
 2, 3.— declared himself to be his shield, and exceeding great reward, 
 chap. XV. 1. and gave him the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righte- 
 ■* ousness of the faith which he had while he was yet uncircunicised. 
 Rom. iv. 11. 
 
 Mr. Sandeman admits, that " tifc first efTect or faith is joy and 
 peace with God ;" but then he says, " If the nature and ground of 
 this joy be inquired into, it will appear that it does not proceed 
 on any persuasion that I am a justified person, or that righteousness 
 is imputed to me." Ephst. Corresp. Let. iv. The wliole ground of 
 this peace and joy, according to him, amounts to this. That there 
 is a possibility of salvation, or that God is able to save the most 
 guilty, if he pleases. Accordingly, he terms the gospel, " The Di- 
 vine truth, affording hope to the vilest that he viay be justified, that 
 he viay escape the curse and find favour with God. — The revealed 
 possibility of deliverance," &c. Lett, on Theron, &c. vol. ii. p. 76. 
 All who are not satisfied with the bare possibility of their salvation, 
 he charges with ignorance of the Divine ju.stice, and contempt of 
 the Divine sovereignty. Ignorance of the Divine justice, as " ima- 
 gining that something besides this bare truth may contribute more Qi' 
 less to their escape" — Contempt of the Divine sovereipitij, " bocauso 
 this truth leaves a man, even in the full a.s.surance of faith, — entire] v at 
 the mercy of God for his .salvation, — without Jiaving aiiv claim 
 upon God whatsoever, or finding any reason why God should re- 
 gard him more than those ^^ho perish.,' Id. p. 76, 83. Indeed if 
 
ro HIS APOSTLES. 99 
 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom they have now re- 
 ceived the atonement.''. The conscience is said to 
 be purged, or made perfect, by the blood of Christ."^ 
 The sense of guilt in the conscience is a sure and^er- 
 
 the gospel revealed only a possibilitif of salvation, without any prO' 
 mise of it to him that believeth, no believer of this bare truth, even 
 in the fullest assurance of faith, could have any knowledge of his 
 own salvation in this life. But if God has passed his word, that 
 " he that believeth shall be saved," is it any contempt of his sove- 
 reignty to believe him, or to say, that his faithfulness is pledged to 
 make it good ? His sovereignty, justice, and faithfulness, perfectly 
 harmonize in their fullest exercise ; so that a believer, having the 
 clearest view of the Divine justice, and the greatest reverence for, 
 and submission to the Divine sovereignty, may at the same time have 
 the most joyful hope of his own salvation from the Divine promise. 
 Bat this author maintains, " that the Divine promise leaves it as 
 much a secret who shall be saved, as the Divine purpose or elec- 
 tion does." Id. p. 87. The promise indeed leaves it a secret wlu* 
 shall believe; this is unknown till it actually takes place. But when 
 once a man believes, it leaves it no secret that he shall be saved, 
 for this it expressly declares ; so that he has as much evidence from 
 the promise of his own salvation, as he has that he really believes 
 the saving truth. To show that a believer, even in the full assurance 
 of faith, has no evidence that God i* willing to save him, both he 
 and Mr Glas produce the faith of those who applied for bodily 
 cures, which appears to be only a persuasion of Christ's ability. Id, 
 p. 90, 91. Glus's Works, vol. ii. p. 74. But the answer is easy. 
 There was no universal declaration made that Christ would heal all the 
 diseased who believed his po-xer. Such a declaration would have re- 
 moved all doubts of his willingness from those who believed his ability, 
 and have left no room for saying, " If thou wilt thou canst make me 
 clean." But the gospel openly declares it to be the will of God, 
 *' that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have 
 everlasting life." John vi. 40. And Jesus says, " Him that cometh 
 unto me I will in no wise cast out." ver. 37. This gives the be- 
 liever a claim upon his faithfulness, and lea^'es him no room to suspect 
 his toillingness. 
 
 q Rom. V. 11. r Heb. ir. 14. and x. 2 
 
100 Christ's commission 
 
 sonal thing, and the pain occasioned by it is the fear 
 of Divine wrath upon the individual. The atone- 
 ment alone, or without more, is sufficient to remove 
 this fear, perfect the conscience, and give peace 
 with God ; but it does not produce this effect upon 
 the conscience while the sinner views it only as a 
 possible relief, or that by which he may be justified, 
 and remains entirely uncertain whether he is, or 
 ever shall be justified by it or not. A concealed 
 pardon cannot fully relieve or cleanse the con- 
 science. A purged conscience, anri the conscious 
 sense of being purged, are one and the same thing. 
 Tliis is stated as a pre-requisite to our serving the 
 living God with freedom and acceptance,* and 
 supposes that we both believe the truth, and are 
 conscious that we do so. 
 
 The Spirit of adoption is also represented as the 
 common privilege of all believers ; for as they are 
 *' all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus ;"' 
 so because they are sons, God hath sent forth the 
 Spirit of his Son into their hearts.*'" By this Spi- 
 rit they know their filial relation to God ; for it 
 witnesseth with their spirits, that they are the chil- 
 dren of 'God, and emboldens them to cry, Abba, 
 Father.* Agreeably to which, Christ hath taught 
 his disciples to pray, " Our Father," &c.y 
 
 Another immediate effect of believing the gospel 
 is love to God, which supposes the knowledge of his 
 love to us. It is indeed admitted, that w hen we 
 perceive his good- will towards sinners in general, as 
 
 s Heb. ix. 14. t Gal. iii. 26. u Chap. iv. 6. 
 
 X Rom. viii. 15, 16. y Mat. vi. 9. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 101 
 
 maniiested in the gospel, and know that there is for- 
 giveness with him so as to hope in his mercy, it will 
 reconcile us to his character, lead us to esteem and re- 
 verence him, and desire his favour above everything, 
 though we should not yet be assured of his love to 
 ourselves in particular; and this, no doubt, is love. 
 But that love which is of the nature of gratitude, 
 cannot take place without some degree of persuasion 
 that we ourselves are beloved or benefited by the ob- 
 ject of it. Accordingly the Apostle says, "We love 
 him, because he first loved us ;"^ i. e, because we 
 know this ; for he had said before, " We have 
 known and believed the love that God hath to us."* 
 0&ef?«ewce is another efiect of the belief of the truth. 
 But believers are exhorted to obedience from the 
 consideration of their being redeemed, and already 
 in a justified stat^. They are commanded to lov^ 
 one another, and to walk in love, because God hath 
 loved them, and even as Christ loved them, and 
 gave himself for them -^ — to forgive one another, 
 because God for Christ's sake hath forgiven them ;° 
 — to liberality in alms-giving, because they know 
 the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he 
 was rich, yet for their sakes he became poor, that 
 they through his poverty might be rich;"* — to abstain 
 from fornication, because their bodies are the 
 members of Christ, and the temple of the Holy 
 Ghost;® — to glorify God in their body and spirit 
 which are God's, because they are not their own, 
 
 «lJohoiv.l9. aVer,16. b John xiii. 34. IJohn iv. 11. 
 
 Eph. V. 2. c Eph. iv. 32. Col. iii. 13. d 2 Cor. viii. 9. 
 
 e 1 Cor. vi. 15, 19. 
 
102 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 but bought with a price •/ and to be holy in all man- 
 ner of conversation, passing the time of their so- 
 journing here in fear ; forasmuch as they know that 
 they were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, 
 as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.* 
 These motives evidently suppose that believers 
 know they are in a state of salvation ; and that not 
 as a consequence of their obedience, but as a ground 
 or reason of it ; for motives, in the order of nature, 
 must be known and believed previous to the conduct 
 which is influenced by them. The knowledge of 
 their salvation, therefore, must originate in, and be 
 constantly supported by the gospel itself standing 
 true in their minds, and so drawing forth the testi- 
 mony of their conscience that they believe it. 
 
 This testimony of conscience will be more or 
 less explicit, according to the degree of faith which 
 is the subject of it ; even as faith itself is weak or 
 strong in proportion to the degree of light and evi- 
 dence with which the gospel by the Spirit shines 
 into the mind, which is the foundation of both. 
 
 The Fruits of Faith are an additional Evidence to 
 a Mans Conscience of his own Salvation, 
 
 But this first and radical evidence which a man 
 has of his own salvation in believing the gospel, does 
 not supersede every other proof of it to his own con- 
 science. It still leaves room for additional evidence, 
 not that God is true, but that he himself is a true 
 
 f Ver. 20. g I Pet. i. 15—20. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 103 
 
 believer;* and for this the scripture refers him to the 
 genuine effects of the gospel on his heart and life. 
 The word of God supposes that men may deceive 
 themselves in this important matter;^ and repels the 
 vain pretensions of such as say they believe, know 
 
 • No doubt the truth of God is more and more confirmed to a 
 believer as he experiences the effect of his word, and tlie accomplish- 
 ment of his promises: but the point in hand is the evidence of a 
 man's own salvation ; and it is one thing to know that God is true, 
 and anotlier to know that I am a true believer. Mr. Barclay always 
 confounds this distinction, and makes the least doubt of my own 
 justification to be my holding God for a liar. He also absolutely 
 denies that the fruits of faith are any evidence to a man's own conscience 
 that he is justified : and though the word of God plainly and repeat- 
 edly declares, that by these we know that we are of the truth — that 
 he abideth in us— that we dwell in him — that we have passed from 
 death unto life, &c. 1 John iii. 14, 29,24. and iv. 14.; yet he boldly 
 wrests these passages, and imposes upon the ignorant, by turning the 
 words (o/oa//,sv and yivutTKOfxev) we know, into tie acknowleda^e, con- 
 trary to the sense of the original, the plain scope of the passages, and 
 all propriety of language. He thinks believers are exhorted to the 
 fruits of faith merely to make their justification manifest to others, 
 L e. to gain the good opinion of their fellow-men. But Paul thought 
 man's judgment a small thing to him in this matter, 1 Cor. iv. 3. 
 His rejoicing was the testimony of his conscience, not merely to the 
 soundness of his belief, but also to the simplicity and godly sincerity 
 of his coniersation in the world, 2 Cor. i. 12. He supposes that a 
 man may deceive himself by thinking himself to be something when 
 he is nothing ; and thei-efore exhorts every believer to prove his own 
 work, that he may have rejoicing (in men's good opinion of him ; 
 nay, but) in himself alone, and not in another, Gal. vi. 3, 4. Peter 
 exhorts believers to give all dilligence to make their culling and election 
 sure, by adding to their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, pati- 
 ance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity ; and adds, " For if 
 " ye do these things, ye shall never fall ; for so an entrance shall be 
 " ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of 
 
 g Gal. vi. 3. James i. 22, .26. 
 
104 Christ's commission 
 
 God, and have fellowship with him, whilst they 
 walk in darkness and keep not his commandments :^ 
 Nay, it supposes that men may be enlightened, re- 
 ceive the word with joy, for a while believe, know 
 the way of righteousness, and even escape the pol- 
 lutions of the world through the knowledge of the 
 Lord and Saviour ; and yet after all fall away irre- 
 coverably/ These things are set before believers 
 with a view to guard tliem against presumption, 
 and to awaken in them a cautious fear lest they 
 should grow barren and unfruitful in the knowledge 
 of Christ, and depart from the living God through 
 unbelief.'' — On the other hand, Jesus said to those 
 who believed on him, " If ye continue in my word, 
 then are ye my disciples indeed." — " If ye keep 
 my commandments, ye shall abide in my love."^ 
 His beloved disciple writes in the same strain: 
 " But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the 
 love of God perfected : hereby know we that we 
 
 " our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," 2 Pet. i. 5 — 12. Bat it does uot 
 follow, that because others may think our calling and election sure, 
 tlierefore we shall never fall but obtain the heavenly kingdom : he must 
 therefore mean, that we should make our calling and election sure 
 to ourselves, to our 0W7i consciences in tlie sight of God. The Apostle 
 John opposes this assurance to our heart condemning us as destitute 
 of the fruits of faith, particularly love to the brethren ; and makes it 
 to consist in confidence towards God, the assurance of our hearts before 
 him, knowing that we are of the truth from its genuine effects upon us, 
 1 John iii. 18—2^. 
 
 h 1 John i. 6. and ii. 4, 5. James ii. 20. i Luke viii. 13. Hebt 
 
 vi. 4, D, 6. and X. I'd. 2 Pet. ii. 20. 21. k John xv. 2, 6. Rom.xi. 
 
 19--28. 1 Cor. X. 11, 12. Heb. iii. 12. 2 Put. iii. 17. 2 John ver. & 
 1 John viii. Si. and xv. 19 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 105 
 
 are in him.— We know that we have passed from 
 death unto life, because we love the brethren. — 
 Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall 
 assure our hearts before him. — And he that keepeth 
 his commandments dwelieth in him, and he in him : 
 and hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the 
 Spirit which he hath given us."^° These and such 
 passages clearly show, that believers know their 
 connection with Christ, not merely by conscious 
 belief, but also by faith working by love, and in- 
 fluencing them to keep his commandments. Ac- 
 cordingly they are exhorted to give diligence to 
 make their calling and election sure, by adding to 
 their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, 
 godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity f^ and 
 to show the same diligence to the full assurance of 
 hope unto the end.° 
 
 "When the gospel first shines into a man's mind 
 \vdth divine light and evidence, making itself ma- 
 nifest in his conscience as the word of the living 
 God, it does not leave him in painful uncertainty 
 either as to his faith or state,* though he be not as 
 
 • It is affirmed by some, that when we believe the gospel, and 
 even " rejoice in hope of the glory of God, — it will yet admit of a 
 "jealousy lest we have deceived ourselves, mistaken the truth, or 
 " believed in vain." Letters on Therou and Aspasio, vol. ii. p. 305. 
 It indeed not only admits, but promotes self-diffidence, and a cau- 
 tious fear of sin and its consequences ; for rejoicing in Christ Jesus im- 
 plies our having no confidence in our own righteousness or strength ; 
 and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God consists well with the 
 
 ra 1 John ii. 5. and iii. 14, 19, 24. n 2 Pet. i. 5—12. 
 
 o Heb. vi. 11. 
 
106 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 yet conscious of all those effects by which he must 
 afterwards try his faith. But when his faith works 
 with his works, brings forth the fruits of the gos- 
 pel, and purifies his soul unto the unfeigned love 
 of the brethren, he sees it distinguished from that 
 faith which is dead, being alone.p When it over- 
 comes the world, and raises him above the prevail- 
 ing influence of the cares, riches, and pleasures of 
 this life, his conscience bears him witness that he 
 does not class with the thorny-ground professors.^ 
 When it supports him under tribulations and tri- 
 als, so that he does not faint or give way, this trial 
 
 constant persuasion, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, 
 and that if we draw back from the faitli, or live after the flesh, Lis 
 ooul shall have no pleasure in us, we shall die. This cautious fear, 
 which is not tormenting, but holds that place in the spiritual life 
 which the principle of self-preservation does in the natural, is one of 
 the very means of our stability and perseverance. But then, if I 
 suspect that I am deceived or mistaken as to tJie truth itself which 
 is the foundation of faith and hope, it is evident, that, while this 
 suspicion remains, I am not believino; the gospel. I may indeed 
 have some general persuasion that the gospel contains the savin"- 
 truth ; but what that is, I cannot with certainty say ; for any tiling 
 1 know, all 1 perceive of it may be a deception. This, in the verr 
 nature of it, is inconsistent with believing ; for no man can believe 
 any thing with certainty while he suspects it to be a mistake, far 
 less can he have joy or hope from it till that suspicion is removed. 
 It is a perfect contradiction to afTirm, that a man is believing the gospel 
 while he is sus|)ecting he has btUeved in vain ; for, according to the 
 Apostle, believing in vain is to believe a falsehood which cannot profit 
 as the gospel would have been had not Christ risen from the dead, 
 1 Cor. XV. 1, 2, 14. If the gospel is true, no man can believe it in vain ; 
 and if he suspects he may, he is not believing it, nor rejoiciu"- iu 
 hope of the glory of God. 
 
 p James ii. 17, 20, 26. q Luke viii. 14. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 107 
 
 of his faith working patience, and being attended 
 with Divine support and consolation/ gives him 
 experience that God is with him, and that he is 
 distinguished from those who receive the word with 
 joy, and for a while believe, but in time of temp- 
 tation fall away.^ By this his hope is confirmed 
 that he shall endure mito the end, and that his faith 
 will be found unto praise and honour and glory at 
 the appearing of Jesus Christ.*^ So that as he 
 continues in Christ's word, and grows in conformity 
 to him, his experience of the love of God is 
 enlarged, and the testimony of his conscience 
 strengthened, by the Holy Spirit the Comforter 
 giving him additional manifestations, and more 
 abundant fellowship with Christ in his joy, as thr 
 earnest of the heavenly inheritance." 
 
 r James i. 3, 4. Rom. v. 3, 4. s Luke viii. 1.3. t 1 Pet. i. 'J 7 
 
 u Rom. V. 5. John xiv, 21, 23. and xv. 9—12. Eph. i. 13, 14. 
 
108 Christ's commission 
 
 PART II. 
 
 THE FORM, SUBJECTS, AND IMPORT OF CHRIS- 
 TIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 Baptizing them in tlie name of the Father^ and 
 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
 
 The next branch of the commission which fol- 
 lows in Older, is a command to baptize : " Bap- 
 tizing them." Here I shall inquire a little into the 
 outward form, the subjects, and import of this 
 institution. 
 
 What Baptizing is. 
 
 The ACTION enjoined is baptizing ; but the 
 question is. What kind of action is that ? Is it 
 washing, pouring, sprinkling, or dipping? Many 
 will tell us, that it is any of them we please ; which 
 indicates no great reverence for Christ's authority. 
 He surely must have meant one kind of action, and 
 have used a word sufficiently determinate to express 
 the manner of it, and to distinguish it from every 
 other. It is of importance to know what particu- 
 lar kind of action he intends by hap>tizing. No 
 less depends upon it than obedience to his com- 
 mand; for any other action is not his ordinance 
 at all. 
 
 Baptize i^xtilt'C^cS) is a Greek word which our trans- 
 lators have only anglicised, but never translated. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 109 
 
 when expressive of this ordinance. It sii^ifies 
 properly to dip, plunge, or immerse ; and that in 
 distinction from every other mode of washing, as 
 well as from sprinkling or pouring, which are 
 expressed in the original by other words. This 
 sense of the w ord is admitted by all the Pedobap- 
 tists of any note ; and no instance has yet been 
 produced, either from scripture or any ancient 
 Greek writer, where it must necessarily bear ano- 
 ther sense. 
 
 Neither the words pour nor sprinhle make sense 
 when substituted in the place of baptize ; for the 
 original expression is always baptizing in or into a 
 thing. For instance, — en or Eis, in or into Jor- 
 dan;*^ — EN, in water, in the Holy Ghost r'^—Eis into 
 the name,^ into Moses,^ iw^o Christ,*^ into his death.^ 
 Eis cannot be translated unto or towards in the 
 case of baptism ; because it would be nonsense to 
 say, that John baptized unto or towards Jordan. 
 Nor can en be rendered by in this case, for it 
 would be awkward to say, John baptized by Jor- 
 dan. Neither can it be rendered with, for the rea- 
 son just now mentioned, and also because eis, 
 which is used indifferently with it on this subject, 
 cannot be so rendered. As, therefore, baptism is 
 always represented as being performed in or into a 
 thing, it must be immersion, and not sprinkling or 
 pouring ; for persons cannot be sprinkled or pour- 
 ed into water, though they may be dipt or immers- 
 ed into it. 
 
 c Matt. iii. 6. Mark i. 9. d Matt. iii. 11. e Chap, 
 
 xxviii. 19. f 1 Cor. x. 2. g Gal. iii. i7. L Rom. vi. o. 
 
110 CHRIST S COMMISSION 
 
 The English reader may be fully satisfied from 
 other circumstances, that baptism is immersion. 
 Jesus having been baptized in Jordan, went up out 
 of the water, which shews he had been down into 
 it/ After Philip and the eunuch had already come 
 unto a certain water, we are told, they went both 
 down into the water that he might baptize him ; and 
 when this was performed, they came up out of the 
 water. ^ John required a large quantity of water 
 to baptize in, and so we find him using the river 
 Jordan for that purpose.^ He also baptized inEnon 
 near to Salim, for this very reason, because there 
 ivas much water therej^^ Now there was no need 
 for much ivater, or for going down into it, in order 
 to pour or sprinkle a little of it on the face ; but 
 these circumstances were absolutely necessary in 
 order to dip or immerse the whole body, which 
 therefore must have been the action originally per- 
 formed, as all the judicious and candid Poedobap- 
 tists have acknowledged. 
 
 The allusions made to baptism as the sign of a 
 burial and resurrection, clearly point out the man- 
 ner of administering it. Believers are said to be bap- 
 tized into the death of Christ, to be buried with him 
 by baptism, and therein also to be risenvfiih. him." 
 Now, in whatever sense Christians are buried and 
 risen with Christ, it cannot be in baptism, if there 
 is no exhi])ition of a burial and resurrection in that 
 ordinance ; but if baptism is a burial in, and re- 
 surrection from water, then the sign strikingly cor- 
 
 i Malt. iii. 16. Mark i. 10. k Acts viii. 36, 38. 39. 1 Mark 
 
 i. 3. m John iii. 23. u Rom vi. 3. 4. Col. ii. 12. 
 
TO IIIS APOSTLES. Ill 
 
 responds with the thing signified, and the allusion 
 to it is pertinent and just. Upon the whole, there- 
 fore it is clear, that the action enjoined is immer- 
 sion ; and that any other action is not merely a 
 different 7node of baptism, but a different thing al- 
 together. It is not haptizing, and so not Christ's 
 institution. 
 
 The Element. 
 
 The body is to be buried or immersed in Wa- 
 ter. This admits of no dispute. John says, " I 
 " baptize you in water "° He baptized in the river 
 of Jordan, and at Enon, because there was much 
 water there. ^ The apostles understood their com- 
 mission as a command to baptize in water ; for 
 when the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his 
 kinsmen, Peter says, '' Can any man forbid watei 
 ** that these should not be baptized, who have re- 
 " ceived the Holy Ghost as well as we ? And he 
 " commanded them to be baptized,"^ &c. And 
 here I cannot but notice hoAv widely the apostle 
 differs from some modern professors, who maintain, 
 that if they have w hat they call the baptism of the 
 Spirit, it is of little consequence whether they are 
 baptized in water or not. Cornelius and his friends 
 had really obtained what our Lord calls baptism in 
 the Spirit-/ yet Peter was so far from considering 
 this as superseding baptism in water, or rendering 
 it needless, that he, on the contrary, makes the for- 
 mer an argument for the latter, and looks upon it 
 
 D Matt. iii. . .. p John iii. 25. q Acts x. 47, 48. r Acts 
 
 i. 5. -vvitli chap. xi. 15, 16. 
 
112 Christ's commission 
 
 as withstanding God to forbid water to such as 
 had received the Holy Spirit.^ 
 
 The Name into which believers are to he baptized. 
 
 Our Lord here commands his apostles to baptize 
 the disciples {vs) " into the name of the Father, and 
 ^' of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The phrase 
 in the 7ia??ie, sometimes signifies, for the sake of, in 
 the strength of, hy the authority of, invoking the 
 name of, &c. and doubtless baptism ought to be ad- 
 ministered with a view to God's authority, depend- 
 ing on his assistance and blessing, and calling upon 
 his name for that purpose. But here, 1 apprehend 
 the expression into the name, chiefly signifies, into 
 the faith of the gosjyel. Old Israel are said to have 
 been ^* baptized i?ito Moses in the cloud and in the 
 sea f^ that is, into the religion established by the 
 ministry of Moses. So Christians are said to be 
 baptized into Christ \^ that is, into the faith or reli- 
 gion of Christ : And this is frequently called his 
 name. Philip preached the things concerning the 
 name of Jesus Christ ;^ the apostles rejoiced that 
 they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his 
 name '^ Paul thought he ought to do many things 
 contrary to the name of Jesus '^'^ he was a chosen 
 vessel to bear his name before the Gentiles,* &c. In 
 these passages it evidently means the faith or the 
 doctrine of Christ. So he himself explains it : 
 " Thou boldest fast my name, and hast not denied 
 
 8Cliap.xi.l7. tlCorx. ^'. uGal.iii.C?. x Acts viii. 12. 
 
 y Acts V. 41. z Chap, xxvi. 9. aChap. ix. 15. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 113 
 
 *' my faith ;"'^— " Tliou hast kept my ivord, and hast 
 not denied my name''^ Here his name si^ifies the 
 same thing with his /rti7/i or word: which may very 
 properly be called his name, as it makes him kno\vn 
 or reveals his true character. Agreeably to this he 
 addresses his Father, saying, " I have manifested 
 " thij name unto the men whom thou gavest me out 
 " of the world." — And he shows how he did so ; 
 *' For I have given unto iliem tJie words which thou 
 gavest me.""^ To baptize, therefore, " into the 
 " name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 " Holy Ghost," is to baptize into the faith or doc- 
 trine of the gospel, which is testified by the Divine 
 Three who are one f which reveals them in their 
 distinct and relative characters, and manifests their 
 glory as acting their respective parts in the economy 
 of redemption ; the gospel being a revelation '' of 
 " the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of 
 " Christ."^ 
 
 Christians are to be baptized " into the name of 
 ** the Father and of the Son,** in distinction from 
 idolatrous heathens, who do not acknowledge the 
 one true God, but have many false gods and lords : 
 " For (says the Apostle) though there be that are 
 '* called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as 
 " there be gods many, and lords many ;) but to us 
 " there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all 
 *' things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, 
 " by whom are all things, and we by him."^ And 
 also in distinction from unbelieving Jews and De- 
 fa Rev. ii. 13 c Chap. iii. 8. d John xvii. 6, 8. 
 e 1 John V. 7. f Col. ii. 2. g 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6. 
 
114 Christ's commission 
 
 ists ; who, though they acknowledge one God, yet 
 deny the So/iy and consequently the Father, who is 
 revealed only by and in relation to him : for " who- 
 " soever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Fa- 
 " ther ;" and, " whosoever transgresseth, and abid- 
 " eth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God." 
 But the true believer " acknowledgeth the Son" in 
 the dignity of his person, mission, and supreme 
 authority, as the one Lord, and so " hath the Father 
 also ;" as he ^* abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he 
 " hath both the Father and the Son."'^ The faith 
 of the Father and Son must therefore be professed 
 in baptism, for it is a baptism into that faith ; and 
 so the Apostle connects with the one baptism, the 
 one faith which respects one Lord, and one God 
 and Father of all/ They must also be baptized 
 into the name of the Holy Ghost, who is the Spirit 
 of the Father and of tlie Son, and whose office it 
 is to testify of Christ, and apply his salvation to 
 men, by enlightening, convincing, comforting, 
 sanctifying, and sealing them unto the day of re- 
 demption.^ The Holy Spirit was not given in a 
 way peculiar to the gospel dispensation during 
 John's baptism,^ nor till Christ was glorified ;°' but 
 when Jesus ascended on high, and received of the 
 Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he poured 
 him forth upon his church, botli in his gifts (some 
 of which were extraordinary and miraculous, for 
 revealing and confirming the gospel at first,) and 
 
 hlJohnii23. 2 Jolin ver. 9. i Eph. ir. 5, 6. k John xvi. 
 
 7—16. Rom. V. 5. 2 TLess. ii. 13. Epii. i. 13. 14. and iv. 30. 
 
 1 Mat. iii. 11. Acts xJx. 2, 3. m John vii. 38, 39. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 115 
 
 also ill his saving influences, which arc common to 
 all the saints." And as the soul in the natural 
 body is the principle of life, action, and unity ; so 
 the Holy Spirit, communicated from Christ the 
 risen and living head, is as the common soul of his 
 mystical body the church, which animates and ac- 
 tuates every particular member, diffuses a mutual 
 sympathy through all the parts, and unites the whole 
 as it were into one living system." Thus by one 
 Spirit they are all baptized into one body, and are 
 all made to drink into one Spirit.^ Now as this is 
 signified to them in baptism, so they are baptized 
 into the name of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, 
 holiness, and consolation. Accordingly we find 
 the Apostle connecting the one Spirit with the one 
 baptism.^ 
 
 The Subjects of this Ordinance. 
 
 The Subjects of baptism are signified in \\\q 
 commission by the word them:—'' Baptizing them." 
 Not every individual in the nations ; but only sucli 
 as they should previously teach with effect, or 
 make disciples by teaching. The word (autous) 
 the?n in the original is masculine, and does not agree 
 with (pant A ta ethne) all nations, which is neu- 
 ter; but refers to (mathetas) disciples, which is 
 included in the verb (matheteuein) to teach or 
 disciple. So the sense is. Teach all nations, baptiz- 
 ing them that are taught or 7?iade disciples. This is 
 clear from the parallel place in Mark, which restricts 
 
 n Acts ii. S3. Epli. iv. 7—14. Gal. v. 22—25. Rom. viii. 9. 
 o 1 Cor. xii. Eph. iv. 16. p 1 Cor. xii. 13. q Eph. iv. 4, 5 
 
116 Christ's commission 
 
 baptism to him that believeth : *' He that helieveth 
 
 and is baptized." It is plain, therefore, that none 
 
 are commanded to be baptized, but such as are first 
 
 taught or made disciples, and profess to believe the 
 
 gospel. 
 
 But what puts this beyond all possibility of doubt, 
 is the uniform practice of the inspired apostles in 
 executing- this commission, who never baptized any 
 till once they had made them disciples by teaching. 
 Peter on the day of Pentecost began with preaching 
 the gospel to the Jews, and none but " they who 
 gladly received his word were baptized.""^ He first 
 taught Cornelius and his house, but he baptized none 
 of them till the Holy Ghost fell upon them, and they 
 magnified God, having their hearts purified by faith.^ 
 Philip in the first place preached the gospel to the 
 Samaritans ; but it was not till " they believed Phi- 
 lip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom 
 of God, and the name of Jesus," that " they were 
 baptized, both men and women."*^ He also preach- 
 ed Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, but did not bap- 
 tize him till he made an explicit profession of his 
 faith.'' Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord 
 at Philippi to Lydia and other« ; but they did not 
 baptize her till the Lord opened her heart to attend 
 unto the things which were spoken. Her household 
 also were baptized in consequence of their believ- 
 ing, for they are called hretkreny and were comforted 
 by the Apostle and his company at their departure.'^ 
 
 I Acts ii. 41. s Cliap. x. 44—48 ami xv. 9. t Cliap. vili. 12. 
 
 u Ver. 35, 37, 3a. x Cliap. xvi. 13, 14, Ic) 40. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 117 
 
 They also '* spake the word of the Lord unto the 
 " Jailer and to all that were in his house," but they 
 baptized none of them till they believed; for >\ e are 
 told, that he " rejoiced, hdievingm God wUJl all his 
 house.^'^ * Many of the Corinthians were baptized : 
 but we are expressly told that it was in consequence 
 of their hearing the gospel and believinf/ it/^ AV'e 
 read also of two households being baptized at Co- 
 rinth ; one of them w^as that of Crispus the chief 
 ruler of the synagogue, of whom it is said that he 
 believed on the Lord with all his Jiouse:^ the other 
 was the house of Stephanas ;^ and that these were 
 believers is evident from the Apostle's account of 
 them a little while after ; " I beseech you, brethren^ 
 (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first 
 fruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted them- 
 selves to the ministry of the saints,) that ye sub- 
 mit yourselves unto such, and to every one that 
 helpeth with us and laboureth."*^ I might also 
 mention the baptism of Paul himself,*^ and of the 
 beloved Gaius his host ;^ but I suppose none will 
 
 * The adverb VotvoiKi (of "nxs all, and otx,os house) is rightly rendered 
 with all his house ; for in this sense the LXX. use that word in Exod. i. 1. 
 •' Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into 
 " Egvptj every man (TH^Dl, 'Trx-jorx.t) and hishoiise," or icith all his house. 
 Josephus also, speaking of the law respecting the offerings allotted for 
 the priests' maintenance, says, it was appointed, «' that they ("Travooc/), 
 " with their whole families, might eat them in the holy city." Aiitiq. b. i\'. 
 ch. iv. §4. The law he refers to runs thus: " In the most holy place 
 shall thou eat it. — I have given thera unto thee, and to thy sons, and to 
 thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever ; every one that is clean in 
 thy house shall eat of it." Numb, xviii. 10 — 20. 
 
 y Acts ii. 32,33, 34. z Chap. ?:viii. 8. a Chap, xviii. 8. 
 
 1 Cot. i. 14. b 1 Cor. i. 16. c 1 Cor. xvi. 1.5, 16. d Acts 
 
 i\. 18. e 1 Cor. i. U. Rom. xvi. 23. 3 John ver. 1—7. 
 
118 Christ's commission 
 
 question that they were believers previous tP their 
 baptism. 
 
 These are all the instancesof baptism, in conse- 
 quence of our Lord's commission, which are ex- 
 pressly recorded in the scriptures ; and we see it 
 was administered to none but professed disciples. 
 I had almost forgot the baptism of Simon Magus ; 
 but this is no exception ; for, previous to his bap- 
 tism, it is said, " Then Simon himself 6e/?ei;e<^ also ;"^ 
 which imports, at least, that he professed to believe ; 
 and this was a sufficient warrant for Philip, who 
 could not know his heart, to administer baptism to 
 him. Whether, therefore, we consider the plain 
 words of the commission itself, or the uniform prac- 
 tice of the inspired apostles in executing it, it is 
 evident to a demonstration, that baptism does not 
 belong to professed infidels, ignorant persons, or 
 mere infants, but only to professed believers of the 
 gospel. 
 
 What has been said may satisfy any simple un- 
 prejudiced person as to the subjects of this divine 
 ordinance ; but as many sophistical arguments have 
 been invented in support of infant-sprinkling, it 
 may be proper to take notice of those of them upon 
 which the chief stress is laid. 
 
 ThePoedobaptists in general confess, that there is 
 neither express precept nor indisputable example in 
 the word of God for the baptism of infants ; yet 
 they think it may be established by analogy and 
 inference. But it should be carefully remembered, 
 
 f Acts viii. 13. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 119 
 
 that baptism is not like natural or moral duties, 
 \vliich are founded in, and may be inferred from 
 the nature and relation of things. It is a ])osUive 
 institution, ^vhich depends entirely upon the will of 
 the Institutor, both as to its nature and all its cir- 
 cumstances ; and it becomes our duty, merely by 
 the revelation of that will, either in express precept, 
 or in such clear and approved precedents as neces- 
 sarily infer that such a precept was originally given. 
 If neither of these can be produced for the baptism 
 of infants, all argumentation on the subject is vain ; 
 for a positive institution can never be made out by 
 mere reasoning. Further, if the commission restricts 
 baptism to professed heUevers, and if it was admi- 
 nistered only to such, as has been shown, then every 
 argument for the baptism of infants must be false, 
 because infants fall not mider that description; 
 and this as clearly forbids their baptism, as their 
 inability to examine themselves, or discern the Lord's 
 body, prohibits their admission to the Lord's supper. 
 
 1, It is argued, that as the infants of Old Israel 
 were circumcised, therefore the infants of believers 
 should be baptized. 
 
 But circumcision and baptism materially differ in 
 many things, and therefore we cannot infer the lat- 
 ter from the former. Circumcision was annexed to 
 the peculiar covenant of promise made with Abra- 
 ham, which respected tvvo future covenants ; the 
 old, made at Sinai with his fleshly seed ;^ and the 
 new, made in Christ's blood wdth his spiritual seed 
 
 g Deut. xxix. 13. 
 
120 Christ's commission 
 
 of all nations :^^ but it was appropriated to the first 
 of these covenants, which was temporal and typical, 
 and accordingly was set aside along with it; where- 
 as baptism pertains only to the new covenant, which 
 is the antitype of the former. Circumcision be- 
 longed to the natural seed of Abraham' as such, 
 ^vithout any distinction, or regard to the spiritual 
 birth :^ and accordingly Ishmael was circumcised ;^ 
 but baptism belongs only to such as appear to be 
 the sjnritual seed of Abraham by faith in Christ 
 Jesus, and heirs according to the promise.^ And 
 so we find John the Baptist setting aside the Jew- 
 ish claims founded upon their descent from Abra- 
 ham ;'" for though this was a valid plea for circum- 
 cision, it could not avail for baptism, which belongs 
 only to those wiio appear to be regenerated or born 
 again." Circumcision was restricted to males, whilst 
 It was extended to a man's servants and slaves ;° but 
 baptism extends to females as well as males, to Jew 
 and Greek, bond and free, without difierence, whilst 
 It is resti'icted to such of these as helieveJ' The 
 circumcision made by hands in the jlesh of Abra- 
 ham's natural seed, prefigured the circumcision of 
 the heart oihXs spiritual seer/, the circumcision made 
 without hands in putting ofi" the body of the sins of 
 the flesh ;^ but baptism presupposes the subjects 
 of it already circumcised in heart, and signifies their 
 communion witli, and conformity to Christ in his 
 
 h Gal. iii. and iv. Ileb. %iii. 7— 13. i Ceii. xwi. 9— lo. k \ or, '25. 
 1 Mark x\i. 16. Acls viii. .S7 Gal. iii. 26 — 29. aud iv. 1.'8. ni Mat. 
 
 iii. 9. n Jolin i. 1'2, IS. and iii. 3. 5. o Goii. x^ii. 10 — \S. 
 
 p Acts viii. I'J. Ga!. iii. 'J?, US, '29. q Rom. ii. '29. C'ul. ii. 1 1. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 121 
 
 death, burial and resurrection/ Much stress has 
 been laid upon circumcision bein*^ termed a seal of 
 the righteousness of the faith i" as if it had been such 
 a seal to the infant seed of Abraham. But the 
 whole weight of this argument rests upon the 
 sound of words taken out of their connection. The 
 Apostle is showing that faith was reckoned to 
 Abraham for righteousness in uncircumcision/ and 
 that " he received the sign of circumcision, a seal 
 of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet 
 being uncircumcised :" i. e. Abraham himself was 
 justified by faith before he was circumcised,"" and 
 he received circumcision afterwards as a seal that 
 he was thus justified, and that the Gentile should 
 in like manner be justified in uncircumcision.^ But 
 he did not receive it in this sense as the father or 
 representative of his natural seed 3.s such, but only 
 as the father of all who like him should believe, whe- 
 ther they are Jews or Gentiles ; for the Apostle 
 expressly tells us, that Abraham was justified by 
 faith, and then received circumcision as the seal of 
 it, for this end, " that he might be the father of all 
 them that believe, though they be not circumcised 
 {i. e. of believing Gentiles), that righteousness might 
 be imputed unto them also ; and the father of cir- 
 cumcision unto them (t'zz. believing Jews), who are 
 
 * The ori^nal is, (T(p§xytdx rris ^tx.citoo-'j9ns rvs 'ujissus sv rn 
 ttK^oQvsict, " a seal of the righteousness of that faith which is in tlie iin- 
 circumcisiou," i. e. of God's justifving the heathen through faith without 
 circumcision, as he did Abraham. 
 
 r Rom. vi. 3--8. Col. ii. 12, 13. s Rom. ir. 11. t A'er. 
 
 9,10. u Gen. XV. 6. 
 
122 CHRIST S COMMISSION 
 
 not of the circumcision only, but also loalk in the 
 steps of that faith of our father Abraham ^vhich he 
 had being yet uncircumcised."'' If, therefore, cir- 
 cumcision was not a seal of the righteousness of 
 faith to Abraham, in relation to his natural seed as 
 such, no argument can be drawn from it for the bap- 
 tism of the natural infant seed of believers. If w^e 
 admit the scripture doctrine concerning the differ- 
 ent state of things under the two covenants, and the 
 distinction of Abraham's tv/ofold seed,^' the argu- 
 ment from analogy must stand thus : That as under 
 the first covenant circumcision belonged to all the 
 natural seed of Abraham, who were known to be 
 such in infancy by their fleshly birth ; so, under the 
 new covenant, baptism belongs to all the spiritual 
 seed of Abraham by faith in Christ Jesus, who are 
 known to be such only by their profession of that 
 faith. So that it does not conclude for the bap- 
 tism of infants, but the contrary. 
 
 2. Jesus says, *' Suffer the little children to come 
 unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the 
 kingdom of God."^ From this it is argued, that 
 since the infants of believers belonsr to the kins:- 
 dom of God, they must have a right to baptism. 
 
 Eut this passage does not distinguish the infants 
 of believers from those of infidels, nor conclude for 
 the baptism of the former more than for that of the 
 latter. The kingdom of God, to which little children 
 are declared to belong, is his real invisihle kingdom, 
 which will not truly appear until Christ's second 
 
 X Rom. i<. 11, 12. y Cbap. ix.C 7. 8. Gal. iii. and iv. Heb. 
 
 viii. z Mark x. 14. 
 
 ly. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 123 
 
 coming ;* for it is that kingdom which none can 
 enter but such as receive it as a little child,*' and 
 are really converted and horn agciin.^ But baptism 
 belongs to the present visible appearance of that 
 kingdom in this world, which includes many false 
 professors, because men are unable to distinguish 
 them •/ and as this appearance is only to be seen in 
 the outward profession of the faith, so infants being 
 incapable of that profession, are not visible subjects 
 of his kingdom, and so have no right to baptism, 
 which belongs only to his kingdom as it is visible 
 to men. But there is no room for much reasoning 
 on this passage. Either these infants were baptized, 
 or they were not. If they were, the controversy is 
 at an end ; if they were not, then they ought not. 
 That they were not baptized is evident : They were 
 not brought for that purpose, but " that he should 
 put his hands on them and pray."® Jesus himself 
 did not baptize them, for he baptized none •/ nor 
 did he order his disciples to do it ; nor would they 
 have forbidden infants to be brought unto him, if 
 they had known any thing about infant-baptism. 
 If, therefore, while Jesus was rebuking his disciples 
 for forbidding infants to come unto him ; if w hile 
 tie was declaring infants to be of his kingdom, tak- 
 ing them up in his arms and blessing them ; if while 
 he had such a fair opportunity of being explicit as 
 to their baptism, and of setting an example of it, 
 that might have prevented all the disputes which 
 
 a 2 Pet. i. 11. 2 Tim. iv. 1. b Mark x. 15. c Mat, xviii. 3. 
 
 Johniii. 3. d Mat. xiii. 47, 48. and xxv. 2, Acts viii. 13. e Mat. 
 xix. 13. f Johniv. ?. 
 
124 Christ's commission 
 
 he foresaw would arise on that subject : I say, if on 
 such an occasion, be neither baptized them himself; 
 nor commanded them to be baptized, nor so much 
 as gave the least hint of his will that such should be 
 baptized in future ; what can we reasonably infer 
 from all this, but that infant-baptism is no institution 
 of his, nor was ever intended by him? We may also 
 learn from this passage what some do not seem to 
 understand, viz. that infants may be acknowledged 
 of Christ's kingdom, brought unto him, and obtain 
 his blessing, without being baptized. 
 
 3. Peter, addressing the convicted Jews, says, 
 '* Repent and be baptized every one of you in the 
 name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and 
 . ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For 
 the promise is unto you, and to your children, and 
 to all that are afar oflf, even as many as the Lord 
 our God shall call."^ Hence it is pleaded. That 
 since the promise of salvation is made unto the 
 infant children of believers as well as to themselves, 
 therefore they ought to be baptized. 
 
 But this argmnent is grounded upon a complica- 
 tion of mistakes. The p?'omise here referred to is not 
 the promise of salvation in general, but the promise 
 of the Spirit in particular, which he had before cited 
 from Joel ii. 28—32,*' and which includes the ex- 
 traordinary gifts which were peculiar to the first age 
 of the gospel. This promise began to be accom- 
 plished on the day of Pentecost, as the apostle shows 
 verse, 16, 33. and was made in the first place to the 
 
 g Acts ii 33, 39. b See Acts ii. 16— :^2. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 125 
 
 Jews and their children, to whom he directly applies 
 it as an encoiirag;cment to repentance ; for he did not 
 properly understand till afterwards that the Gentiles 
 were to partake with them in these extraordinary 
 gifts.^ The children to whom this promise is made 
 must of necessity be the very same that are mentioned 
 in tlie promise itself, and who are tliere termed your 
 sfins and your daughters '^^ and therefore cannot sig- 
 nify infant children, for they are such as should pro- 
 joAe^y upon receiving the Spirit, as we see was actual- 
 ly the case.^ When our Lord says," If I by Beelzebub 
 cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them 
 out?"™ By your children, he neither means infants 
 nor the particular offspring of those he is immedi- 
 ately addressing. Nor is this promise restricted to 
 the children of believers , for many of the children of 
 unbelieving Jews received the Spirit. Neither does 
 it extend to the whole Jewish nation, but only to who- 
 soever shall call on the name of the JLorcZand be deli- 
 vered, whether in mount Zion, or in Jerusalem, or in 
 the remnant whom the Lord shall call^ as the apostle 
 Paul also observes." If this, therefore, is the sense 
 in which Peter understood and applied the promise 
 of the Spirit in Joel, as it evidently is, then it can 
 furnish no argument for infant-baptism, because in- 
 fants are not intended in this passage. But though 
 we should, for argument's sake, take the promise in 
 the most extensive view, as signifying the ordinary 
 influences of the Spirit which are common to all 
 
 i Acts X. 24—48. and xi. 15, 16, 17. k Acts ii. 17. Joel ii. 2a 
 
 1 Acts ii. 4. X. 46. xix. 6. and xxi. 9. 1 Cor. xii. 8— 1 "^i. in Mat, xii. tl * 
 nJoelii.32. Acts ii. 2J,3.>. o Horn. ix. ii7. and xi. 5. 
 
126 Christ's commission 
 
 Christians to the end of time,^ and as extending both 
 to Jews and Gentiles with their offspring ; yet un- 
 less we also expunge the limiting clause, it will never 
 conclude for their baptism while infants. The ori- 
 ginal promise is restricted to " the remnant whom 
 the Lord shall call ""^ or, as Peter quotes it, " even 
 to as many as the Lord our God shall call :"^ but 
 mere infants, while such, cannot manifest that they 
 are actually called of the Lord or partakers of his 
 Spirit : and therefore have no right to baptism upon 
 that ground. Had this promise respected infant 
 children, and been understood as a warrant for their 
 baptism, then they must have been immediately bap- 
 tized with their parents ; but we read of none re- 
 ceiving baptism on this occasion, but such as gladly 
 reccivedVetQv& word, were the same day added to the 
 church, and continued stedfastly in the apostle's 
 doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, 
 and in prayers ;^ even as the multitude baptized in 
 Samaria are expressly declared to be believing men 
 and women} It is the extremity of folly and per- 
 verseness to argue against plain facts. 
 
 4. The apostle says, " For the unbelieving hus- 
 band is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving 
 wife is sanctified by the husband; else were your 
 children unclean ; but now are they holy."" The 
 argument from this is. That as the children even of 
 one believing parent are holy, as being in cove- 
 nant with God; therefore they ought to have the 
 seal of that covenEuit in baptism. 
 
 p Rom. viii. 9. q Joel ii. 32. r Acts ii. 39. s Chap, 
 
 ii. 41. 42. t Cliap. viii. 12. u 1 Cor. vii. 14. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 127 
 
 But the apostle had no such thing in his eye ; nor 
 would this sense of the passage have suited his pur- 
 pose, or have satisfied the scruples of the believing 
 Corinthians. Their question was not. Are our chil- 
 dren possessed of new-covenant holiness, and so 
 intitled to baptism? but (as appears from the answer) 
 it was this. May we lawfully retain our unbelieving 
 wives, or must we put them away as Old Israel were 
 obliged to do by the law of Moses?'' To this he an- 
 swers, " If any brother hath a wife that believeth 
 not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him 
 not put her away," &c. And he gives this reason 
 for it, " For the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the 
 husband." — This sanctification of the unbelieving 
 wife to the believer, being opposed to the legal un- 
 cleanness of an alien to a Jew, must relate purely to 
 the marriage relation, and signify that she was dilaw- 
 ful icife to him, even as the meats formerly held un- 
 clean by the law of Moses were now sanctified to 
 him, or made lawful for his use.^ And what other 
 sanctification or holiness can we suppose an unbe- 
 liever, while such, capable of ? He farther observes, 
 that unless their unbelieving wives were thus sanc- 
 tified, their children would also be unclean ; " Else 
 were your children unclean." — The uncleanrtess of 
 the children being stated as a consequence of the 
 supposed unlawfulness of the unbelieving party, 
 must necessarily signify illegitimacy ; for though they 
 were begot in marriage, yet upon supposition that 
 the marriage itself were unlawful, they must of con- 
 sequence have been an unlawful issue. — " But now 
 
 X Deut. vii. 3. Ezra x. y 1 Tim. iv. 3, 4, 5, 
 
128 Christ's commission 
 
 are they holy/' This holiness of the children can sig- 
 nify nothing more than legitimacy ; because it is op- 
 posed to their uncleanness, as above explained ; and 
 because it is stated as an effect of the sanctification 
 of the unbelieving parent, without which, the apostle 
 affirms, they would be unclean : it must therefore be 
 a holiness of the same kind ; for spiritual holiness can 
 never depend upon, or flow from, the sanctification 
 of an unbeliever. As the unbelieving party is sanc- 
 tified, or made holy, only in respect of her being a 
 lawful wife to the believer, so the children can have 
 no holiness in consequence of this, but that of be- 
 ing a lawful issue, which afi'ords no argument for 
 their baptism. 
 
 5. We read that Lydia was baptized and " her 
 household ;""=— that the Jailer "was baptized, he and 
 all his, straightway;"^ and that Paul "baptized also 
 the household of Stephenas."^ These passages are 
 urged as exhibiting examples of baptizing infants, 
 taking it for granted that those houses contained 
 infants who were baptized upon the faith of their 
 parents. 
 
 But this is only begging the question in debate. 
 It must first be proved that there were infants in the 
 houses mentioned, for there are many houses without 
 them ; and though this were done, which it never 
 can, it still remains to be proved that they were bap- 
 tized ; for the universal expression all the house, 
 sometimes signifies only the adult part of it.^ But 
 the scripture account of these baptized houses de- 
 monstrates that they were not infants, ylll the house 
 
 z Acts \vi. 5. a Ver. S3. b 1 Cor. i. 16. c Jndjf. ix 6. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 129 
 
 of Cornelius feared God, and received the Holy 
 Ghosts Lydia's household were comforted as bre- 
 thren.'' The word of the Lord was spoken to all in 
 tlie Jailer's house ; and they all rejoiced, helievlng in 
 God as well as himself.^ All the house of Crispus 
 believed on the Lord,'* and the house of Stephanas 
 addicied themselves to the ministry of the saints} 
 Now if these things, which are affirmed of all the 
 baptized, will not apply unto infants, then it is plain 
 there were no infants baptized in those houses. 
 Let us now consider. 
 
 The liMPORT and Design of Baptism. 
 
 This is a branch of the subject which has been too 
 little attended to by many. The universal practice 
 of sprinkling infants, with the principles adopted and 
 arguments used in support of that human invention, 
 have not only set aside the subjects and fonu of 
 Christ's institution, but in a great measure obscured 
 and perverted its signification ; so that it is amazing 
 to observe the ignorance which prevails among pro- 
 fessors on this head, though they have the New Tes- 
 tament among their hands. Some look upon it as 
 little more than the ceremony of giving a name to 
 their child. Many consider it a christening, or mak- 
 ing them Christians; hence their anxiety to have 
 them sprinkled betimes lest they should die Pagans. 
 Others who pretend to more knowledge, view it as a 
 sign whereby their infants are initiated into the visi- 
 ble church, though they are neither agreed as to what 
 
 d Acts X. ii. 44, 47. e Acts xvi. 40. f Ver. 32. g Acts 
 
 stvi. 34. h Chap, xviii. 8. i 1 Cor xvi. 15. 
 
130 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 < that church is, nor admit them into the full commu- 
 nion of any visible church. They also look upon it 
 as the ^eaZof some covenant , which, they say, is made 
 with a believer and his natural seed ; yet they are not 
 agreed as to the nature of that imaginary covenant, 
 or whether it entails salvation, or only a right to 
 some outward privileges. Many view it as the pa- 
 rent's dedication of his child to God, accompanied 
 with a vow or engagement to bring it up in the nur- 
 ture and admonition of the Lord ; while others, dis- 
 claiming dedications, vows, and engagements, make 
 it to be a sign to the parent that Christ is as ahle 
 to save his child as himself, and that he must en- 
 ter the kingdom of God as destitute of any good 
 qualification as his infant is. Thus every one an- 
 nexes a signification to baptism agreeable to his 
 own favourite hypothesis, whilst all of them have 
 been accommodated to the baptism of infants. But 
 as the scripture contains no such institution, so nei- 
 ther does it give us any of tlie above views as the 
 design of baptism. If we consult the word of God, 
 we shall find that this di\ine ordinance is intended, 
 1. To be a sign of regeneration^ or that the person 
 baptized is horn of the Sjririt. Jesus says to Nicodc- 
 mus, " Except a man be born of water and of the 
 Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."'' 
 Water here undoubtedly means the water of bap- 
 tism,* for it is distinguished from the Spirit ; so that 
 
 * So this passaj^c ami Tit.iii. 5. >vere universally understood until the 
 days of Calvin ; since which time some modern writers, with a view to set 
 aside the necessity of baptism to salvation, and the horrid doctrine of tiie 
 
 k John iii. 5. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 131 
 
 to be horn of water is to be baptized, even as to be 
 horn of the Spirit is to be regenerated ; and as the 
 former is connected with the latter, and termed a 
 hirth in reference to it, it must be the visible sign or 
 representation of the spiritual birth. This is farther 
 evident from Tit. iii. 5. " According to his mercy he 
 
 Romish chiircli coucerniii!^ the state of unbaptized infants, have explained 
 the expressions born of water, and the later of regeneration, of the purify- 
 ing operations of the Spirit, which are indeed sometimes spoken of under 
 the metaphor of water, Isa. xliv. 3. Ezek. xxxvi. 25. John vii. 37. 38, 
 Butthis gloss converts these passages into the most unmeaning repetitions. 
 Surely our Lord could never mean to say, " Except a man be born of the 
 Spirit, and of the Spirit ;" or his inspired Apostle to affirm, that " he saved 
 us by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, and the renewing of the Holy 
 Ghost." They produce Mat. iii. 11. as a tautology of the same kind; 
 " Baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." But the cloven tongues 
 like as of fire, to which this refers (Acts ii. 2, 3.) were only the visible 
 symbol in which the Spirit, who is invisible, descended upon the y^postles 
 and so is no tautology, because distinguishable. As to the necessity of 
 baptism to salvation, it is not stronger expressed in these passages than in 
 some others, concerning which there is no dispute ; such as " He that be- 
 lieveth and is baptized shall be saved," Mark xvi. 16. " The like figure 
 whereunto baptism doth also now save us," 6cc. 1 Pet. iii. 21 . — " Be bap- 
 tized and wash away thy sins," Acts xxii. 16. If it be said that the chief 
 stress is here to be laid upon believing, and the thing signijicd in baptism, 
 the same may be said of the passages under consideration, withoutexclud' 
 ing baptism itself, which is evidently intended in them. Baptism cannot 
 be necessary to infants, for whom it was never intended, who can neither 
 observe nor reject it, any more than they can believe or disbelieve the 
 gospel, and so are entirely out of the question. Nor is it absolutely ne- 
 cessary to such as never heard of it, or who cannot possibly obtain it. 
 Christ requires no impossibilities. It is not the mere want, but wilful 
 contempt or neglect of it, which condemns men ; ^or li \?, {he thing signi- 
 fied which saves. But should they make light of baptism, knowing it to 
 be a standing institution of Christ, and neglect it when it is in their power, 
 however high their pretensions may be in other respects, we are warranted 
 from our Lord's words to tell them, they cannot enter his kingdom with- 
 out repentance : and this is no more than what may be said of the like 
 treatment of his other commaudmeuts. 
 
132 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and re- 
 newing of the Holy Ghost/' Two things are here 
 pointed at, One is baptism, called the washing, or 
 rather (X8Tfo») laverof regeneration, because it is the 
 sign of it. The other is regeneration itself, or the 
 renewing of the Holy Ghost, which is the thing sig- 
 nified in baptism. Our Lord makes this ordinance 
 necessary to our entering into the kingdom of God ; 
 which imports at least, that as none can really enter 
 that kingdom without being bom of the Spirit ; so 
 none can visibly enter it without being born of wa- 
 ter, nor indeed have they ground to think that they 
 shall enter it in any sense, if they wilfully despise 
 this ordinance, and throw contempt upon the au- 
 thority of its Institutor, which is expressly declar- 
 ed to be no less than " rejecting the counsel of God 
 against themselves."^ 
 
 2. It represents to the repenting believer the re- 
 mission or washing away of his sins in the blood of 
 Christ. Accordingly Peter exhorts the convicted 
 Jews, " Repent, and be baptized every one of you 
 in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
 sins."'" Ananias, in his address to Paul, expresses 
 this still stronger : " And now why tarriest thou ? 
 Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, 
 calling on the name of the Lord,"" This manner 
 of speaking will appear very extravagant to many 
 now-a-day s, who look upon baptism as a mere empty 
 rite or arbitrary precept. To be baptized )or the 
 remission or washing away of sins, plainly imports, 
 
 1 Luke vii, "29, 30. m Acb; ii. 38. n Chap. xvli. 16. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 133 
 
 that in baptism the remission of sins is represented 
 as really conferred upon the believer. The gospel 
 promises in g^eneral, that through Christ's name, who- 
 soever believeth in him shall receive remission of 
 sins."° Baptism applies this promise, and repre- 
 sents its actual accomplishment to an individual 
 believer ; assuring him, that all his past sins are 
 now as really washed away in the blood of Christ, as 
 his body is washed in water. Baptism represents 
 the atoning blood of Christ, not merely as shed upon 
 the cross when he bore the curse for us ;p but as ob- 
 taining deliverence from that curse, and the reward 
 of eternal life from the God of peace in his resurrec- 
 tion,"! (he being raised again for our justification),'' 
 and also carried with him into the heavenly sanctua- 
 ry, and presented unto God, where, as our High- 
 priest and Advocate, he appears with acceptance 
 in the Divine presence for us.' It is this manifested 
 and applied to the conscience that perfects or purges 
 it from dead works to serve the living God, which 
 the legal purifications could not do ;* and as bap- 
 tism is the visible representation and application of 
 this, Peter calls it {a^nrvrrof) the antitype of the sal- 
 vation of Noah and his family from water by the 
 lifting up of the ark, while he also contrasts it vrith 
 the ceremonial cleansings which sanctified only to 
 purifying of the flesh. His words are : " The an- 
 titype of which, baptism, doth also now save us, 
 (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the 
 answer of a good conscience towards God), by the 
 
 o Acts. X. 43. p Gal. iii. 13. q Heb. xiii. 20. r Rom 
 
 iv. 26. a Heb ix. 12. 24. t Cbap. ix. 15, 14. 
 
134 Christ's commission 
 
 resurrection of Jesus Christ ; who is gone into hea- 
 ven, and is on the right hand of God/'" &c. 
 
 Baptism also represents the washing away of the 
 filth ox pollution of sin both from the heart and fu- 
 ture life of a Christian. Hence the Apostle connects 
 with it the *' putting off the body of the sins of the 
 flesh ;"-^ the destruction of the body of sin, that 
 henceforth we should not serve it.^ Considered 
 therefore SiS^washing or cleansing ^ it represents both 
 owr justification from the guilt of sin by the blood of 
 Christ, and our sanctification from its inherent pol- 
 lution and power by his word and Spirit That 
 baptism imports this twofold cleansing is clear from 
 Eph. V. 25, 26. " Christ also loved the church, and 
 ^ gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her (xa9a- 
 
 qtaxs ru Xar^u m voxros sv pVfAxrt) having clcanSCd in 
 
 the laver of water by the word, that he might pre- 
 sent her to himself a glorious church, not having 
 spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that she 
 should be holy and without blemish." 
 
 Three things are here mentioned in sanctifying and 
 cleansing the church. 1. Christ's giving himself for 
 her, that he might sanctify or cleanse her from the 
 guilt of sin, and dedicate or consecrate her unto 
 God by his own blood. Thus, " we are sanctified 
 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ 
 once for all ;"^ and thus ''Jesus, that he might 
 sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered 
 without the gate."'' He also gave himself for her to 
 cleanse her from the pollution of sin, and free her 
 
 « 1 Pet. iii. 21, 22. x Col. ii. 11. y Eloin. vi. 6. 
 
 z Heb. X. 10. a Chap. xiii. 12. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 135 
 
 from its dominion and servitude, tliat so she may be 
 without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. 
 Both which ends of Christ's death are also mentioned 
 in Tit. ii. 14. " Who gave himself for us, that he 
 might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto 
 himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." 
 — 2. This twofold cleansing is here said to be (t« 
 \ti\u TH v^xros) in the laver of water, i. e. in baptism ; 
 because it is the outward sign of it, whereby it is 
 visibly represented as actually taking place upon the 
 believer. This is that one baptism which Christ has 
 instituted to be as it were the nuptial washing of his 
 one bride the church, for which he gave himself, and 
 which he hath appointed to continue until his second 
 coming.*^ — 3. Lastly, this sanctification or cleansing 
 of the church is also (ev pyiiAxn) by the word, i. e. the 
 word of the truth of the gospel ; without which we 
 cannot know any thing of Christ, and of the ends of 
 his death and resurrection, or be benefited thereby. "^ 
 It is in understanding and believing this word by the 
 Spirit, as it testifies of Christ, that we are actually 
 connected with him, regenerated, receive the remis- 
 sion of sins, and have our hearts purified.® It is 
 this word which gives a meaning to baptism, which 
 pronounces the believer clean by what is therein sig- 
 nified, and which furnishes him with every motive 
 to holiness in heart and life. Thus we may see the 
 import of Christ's declaration, " Now ye are clean, 
 through the word which I have spoken unto you ;"^ 
 
 • c Mat. xxviii. 19, 20. d Rom. x. 14, 15, 16. e Chap. x. 8, 9. 
 
 1 Pet i. 23. Acts xv. 7. 8, 9. f John xv. 3. 
 
136 Christ's commission 
 
 and of bis prayer, " Sanctify them through thy 
 truth ; thy word is truth."« To be sanctified hy the 
 word or through the truth, is the same as to be 
 sanctified hy the Sjnrit ; for the Holy Spirit is the 
 Spirit of the truth,^ and exerts his enlightening- and 
 sanctifying influence, not separate from, but by 
 means of the truth. Hence the same effects are 
 ascribed sometimes to the word, and at other times 
 to the Spirit, though both must always be under- 
 stood. 
 
 Thus I have considered baptism as it represents 
 a washing or cleansing ; but that is not the only, nor 
 indeed the principal view of this ordinance. It 
 holds forth the believer's connection with Christ in 
 a manner still more close, striking, and complete, 
 than any thing included in that idea. For, 
 
 2. It exhibits the death, burial, and resurrection 
 of Christ, whereby he fulfilled all righteousness, to- 
 gether with the Christian's communion with,8ind con- 
 formity to him therein. This the apostle expressly 
 declares, and chiefly insists upon : '* Know ye not, 
 that so many of us eis were baptized into Jesus 
 Christ, were baptized into his death ? Therefore 
 we are buried with him by baptism into death, that 
 like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the 
 glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in 
 newness of life,"' &c. He gives the same view of 
 it in Col. ii. 12, 13. " Buried with him in baptism, 
 wherein also you are risen with him, through the 
 faith of the operation of God, who hatli raised liim 
 
 g John xvii. 17. h Chap. xv. 26. and xvi. 13, i Rom. y\. 3, 4. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 137 
 
 from the dead. And you being dead in your sins, 
 and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath lie quick- 
 ened tog:ether with Christ, liaving forgiven you all 
 trespasses." — From these passages we learn, 
 (1.) That baptism represents Christ's death, burial, 
 and resurrection ; and so exhibits in a figure what 
 the gospel declares by way of testimony, viz. That 
 he was delivered for our offences, and w as raised 
 again for our justification.''^ This is what was re- 
 presented by his own baptism, as appears from the 
 reason he assigns for it to John ; " Suffer it to be 
 so now ; for {aru) thus it becometh us to fulfil all 
 righteousness ;"^ q. d, " Permit me to be baptized ; 
 for my baptism is a figure of the work which I have 
 imdertadien to finish ; for in like manner as I am bu- 
 ried under, and raised again out of the w ater even 
 so it becometh me to fulfil all righteousness by dy- 
 ing and rising again from the dead/' Accordingly, 
 this being transacted in a figure, the whole exhibi- 
 tion was completed when (o^nQn) he ascended up 
 from the water, and the Holy Ghost descended upon 
 him, accompanied with the Father's voice from hea- 
 ven announcing him his beloved Son, and declaring 
 his good pleasure in him f which w^as fully verified 
 at his resurrection from the dead," and ascension 
 to the right hand of God.° The mystery of Christ's 
 baptism, therefore, appears to be this : The water, 
 which is the emblem of distress, and an instrument 
 of suffocation and death, denoted the vindictive jus- 
 
 k Rom. iv.25. 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4. 1 ^fat. iii. 15. in Vw. 
 
 16, 17. n Rora. i. 4. o Acts ii. 33. 
 
 .---U*-^ 
 
138 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 tice of God, or the indispensible punishment due to 
 sin, according to the sanction of the divine law.^ — 
 His immersion under the water, signified his taking 
 this punishment upon himself, and bearing it in his 
 own sufferings and death, whereby he made a com- 
 plete atonement, and so removed the curse. "^ — His 
 emersion, or rising again out of the water, repre- 
 sented his resurrection from the dead, wherein he 
 was justified or acquitted, as having fully satisfied 
 all demands, and also obtained eternal life, domi- 
 nion, and glory, as the reward of his obedience unto 
 death/ Thus he came by water and hlood;'^ and this 
 is the mystery of his baptism concerning which he 
 says, " I have a baptism to be baptized with, and 
 how am I straitened till it be accomplished !"' From 
 the forecited passages we also learn, 
 
 (2.) That the baptism of believers represents their 
 union and communion with Christ in his death, bu- 
 rial, and resurrection. The expressions " baptized 
 into his death — buried with him in baptism — wherein 
 also ye are risen with him," &c.* evidently imply. 
 That, by a gracious divine constitution, Christ sus- 
 tained the persons of all the elect in his dying and 
 rising again ; that they were so comprehended in, 
 and accounted one with him, as to have died in his 
 death, been buried in his burial, and raised again in 
 
 * The original compounds are exceedintrly expressive on tbis subject; 
 
 <7VVTX(ptvrss (xvrujcontombed with him ; so also avsxv^oofjLxi, a-vts- 
 yei^ofjiat, a-v^woironu, 6c C. 
 
 p Psal. Kix. 1, 2. Gal. i'h. 10. q Isa. Hii. 5, 6, 8. 1 Pet. iil. 
 
 18. C^al. iii. 13. r Pliil. ii. 9, 10, 11. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Htb. i. 3. 
 
 1 Pet. iii. 21, 22. s 1 John v. Q. t Lake xii. 50 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 139 
 
 his resurrection ; and that now, upon their believ- 
 ing the gospel, this is signified to them l)y their bap- 
 tism, wherein Christ's death, burial, and resurrec- 
 tion are reacted in a figure upon their own persons. 
 The scripture abounds with this delightful doctrine. 
 As to communion ivith Christ in his death, the 
 apostle says, " AVe are dead to sin— dead with 
 Christ;"" viz. as having been comprehended in him 
 when he died. In the same sense he affirms, " that 
 our old man (avnsocv^:o9v)') was crucified ^^ith him."'' 
 For understanding which it may be proper to notice. 
 That by our old man is meant not merely our sinful 
 inclinations and actions, for these are its lusts and 
 deeds ;^ but it signifies the whole of our natural 
 state which we derive from Adam, with all that per- 
 tains to it ; such as— sm, both in its guilt whereby 
 we are liable to condemnation and in its indwelling 
 power by which it has infected our whole constitu- 
 tion, and subjected us to its service.^ — Our con- 
 nection with the law as the killing letter, which de- 
 mands of us perfect obedience for life, gives the 
 knowledge of sin, and denounces the curse upon 
 every failure f the efiect of which upon the carnal 
 mind is to irritate the ('cjx9r,[x.xroc,) passions of sins, 
 excite the fear of wrath, and so increase our natu- 
 ral alienation from God?"— Death also belongs to 
 this state, it being the curse threatened in the law, 
 and the wages of sin ; for the end of these things is 
 death.*^ This is that state which is called the old 
 
 n Rom. vi. 2, 8. x Ver. 6. y Eph. iv. 22. Col. iii. 9. 
 
 z Rora. iii. 19. and vi. 20. Eph. ii. 2. 3. a Rom. vii. 1. x. 5. and 
 
 iii. 20. Gal. iii. 10. b Rom. vii. 5, 8. iv. 15. and viii. 7. c Rom, 
 
 vi. 21, 23. vii. 5. and viii. 6, 13. 
 
140 Christ's commission 
 
 man, or the flesh: a state under the dominion of the 
 condemning law, sin and death ,• for " the sting of 
 death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law."'^ 
 When, therefore, it is said " that our old man was 
 crucified with him," it imports, that Christ by his 
 death hath freed us from the law as the condition of 
 life, by satisfying all its claims upon us in this re- 
 spect ; that he hath expiated our sins by bearing the 
 punishment due to them in our stead, with a view 
 to free us also from the indwelling power and ser- 
 vice of sin; and consequently hath delivered us from 
 that death which is the wages of sin and the curse 
 of the law. The same doctrine is taught, 2 Cor, v. 
 14. " The love of Christ constraineth us, because we 
 , thus judge, that if one died for all (af a ol wavrss a-mOavov) 
 then all have died," viz. in Christ's dying. Accord- 
 ingly the Apostle says of himself,^ " I through the 
 law am dead to the law," i. e. through the law by 
 which Christ died, or through the body of Christ 
 slain for his sins,^ he was dead to the law, so that it 
 had no farther claim upon him for satisfaction, or 
 in point of justification, (for " he that is dead is 
 freed from sin,"«) he having already suffered its ut- 
 most penalty in the person of his Substitute when 
 be bore the curse for him, which he terms his being 
 crucified with Christ, 
 
 As to communion with Christ in his resurrection, 
 the same Apostle says, " God, who is rich in mercy, 
 for the great love wherewith he loved us, g\q\\ when 
 Vfe were dead in sins, hath quickened us toc ether 
 
 d 1 Cor. XV. 56. e Gal. ii. 19, 20. f Ilom. vii- 4. g Chap vi.T. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 141 
 
 WITH CHRIST, (by grace ye arc saved), and hath 
 raised us up together, and made us sit together in 
 heavenly places in Christ Jesus."*" For when 
 Christ was discharged from the guilt of his people 
 for whom he died, and was raised up from the dead 
 to the enjoyment of eternal life and glory, then they 
 also were quickened and raised up together loilh 
 him, being included in him as their head. Accord- 
 ingly believers are exhorted to reckon themselves 
 thus connected with Christ both in his dying and 
 living : " For in that he died, he died unto sin once ; 
 but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise 
 reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto 
 sin; but alive unto GodCsy) in Jesus Christ our 
 LoRD."^ And this reckoning answers to what was 
 just a little before declared to be the import of their 
 baptism;^ for their burial in, and rising again out 
 of the water, exhibited what Christ underwent, not 
 singly, but, as involving them in it, nay, as passing 
 upon themselves, even as if they had undergone it 
 in their own persons. Such is the intimate connec- 
 tion between Christ and his members in his dying 
 Eind rising, and such is the reckoning which believ- 
 ers are called to make of their baptism ; the faith 
 which answers to the mystery of it according to the 
 word of God. As the effect of this, 
 
 (3.) Baptism also imports the believer's spiritual 
 conformity to Christ in his death and resurrection, 
 by dying unto sin, and rising again to a new life of 
 holiness. This is a necessary consequence of the 
 
 h Eph. ii. 4—7. i Rom. \i. 10, 11. k Rora, vi. 3, 4. 
 
142 CHRIST S COMMISSION 
 
 former, an essential and important branch of the 
 salvation by Christ, and produced by a communi- 
 cation of his Spirit, whereby they are made to per- 
 ceive, believe, and love the truth, and so to fall under 
 its habitual and prevailing influence. It consists 
 of two things ; the mortification of sin, or putting 
 off the old man with his lusts and deeds ; and a 
 resurrection to a new spiritual life, or putting on 
 the new man, which after God is created in righte- 
 ousness and holiness of the tiuth. 
 
 That immersion represents the death or mortifica- 
 tion of sin, is clear from the passages already men- 
 tioned. The chief scope of the Apostle in Rom. 
 vi. is to show, that believers must not ** continue in 
 sin that grace may abound ;" for, says he *' ho%v 
 shall we that are dead to sin," viz. by Christ's death, 
 '^ live any longer therein," namely, in our own per- 
 sons, as w as the case before we knew the grace of 
 God in truth V- He reminds us that our death unto 
 sin by the death of Christ was signified by our bap- 
 tism : wherein we " were immersed into his death, 
 — buried with him," or " planted together in the 
 likeness of his death ;"''' by which we were ^iven 
 to " know this, that our old man was crucified with 
 him, (Ux) to the end that the body of sin might be 
 destroyed (viz. in us), that henceforth we should 
 not serve sin."" Agreeable to these principles, he, 
 in the first place, directs Christians to reckon them- 
 selves to be dead indeed unto sin in Christ Jesus, 
 or by his dying for sin once,'' and then urges them 
 
 1 Rom. vi. 1,2. m Vcr. 3, 4, b. n Vcr. 6. o \c\\ 10. 11. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 143 
 
 from that consideration to throw off the service of 
 sin : " Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal 
 body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof; 
 neither yield ye your members as instruments of 
 unrighteousness unto sin."p And he encourages 
 them in this by the advantage which their new state 
 in Christ gave them over sin, being freed from the 
 condemning law which gave strength to it : " For 
 (says he) sin shall not have dominion over you ; 
 for ye are not under the law but under grace."** 
 The mortification of sin is also held forth as the im- 
 port of baptism in Col. ii. 11, 12. *' In whom also 
 ye are circumcised \\dth the circumcision made with- 
 out hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the 
 flesh by the circumcision of Christ ; buried with 
 him in baptism," &c. The " body of the sins of the 
 flesh" is the whole frame of indwelling sin, which 
 is both influenced by the fleshly body, and also 
 exerts itself by means of it, using the members there- 
 of as its instruments in fulfilling its various desires 
 and lusts, which are wholly earthly, sensual, and 
 devilish. To be governed by this body of sin is to 
 be in thejlesh, to mind the things of the flesh, and 
 to live after the flesh ;^ and such are termed (^]-y%/xo/) 
 soulish, animal, or sensual, in opposition to their be- 
 ing spiritual, or having the Spirit.* Now our burial 
 in baptism represents the destruction of this body 
 of sin, or our putting it off*, as the body is put off 
 by death ; for "they that are Christ's have crucified 
 the flesh with the afi'ections and lusts,"^ and " through 
 
 p Rom. vi, 12, 13. q Ver. 14. r Chap. viii. 5, G, 13. 
 
 ilCor. ii. 14. Judever.l9. tGal.v " 
 
144 CHRIST*S COMMISSION 
 
 the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body/'" Pe- 
 ter also considers this as signified in baptism, and 
 an effect of Christ's death and resurrection. He 
 says, " Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the 
 just for the unjust (that he might bring us to God,) 
 being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the 
 Spirit/'"" And having observed that baptism doth 
 now save us by this,^ he shews that the influence 
 of Christ's death upon us must be mortification of 
 sin, and conformity to him in his sufferings: "Foras- 
 much then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, 
 arm yourselves likewise with the same mind ; for he 
 that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin ; 
 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in 
 the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God/'^ 
 But as Christ's death will not have this effect unless 
 it be published and made known, he adds, " For, 
 for this cause also was the gospel preached to the 
 dead,'' viz. in trespasses and sins, " that they might 
 be judged according to men in the flesh,'' i. e. mor- 
 tified as to their former lusts, though they should 
 be judged and condemned by carnal men, "but live 
 according to God in the Spirit."^ So Paul, speaking 
 of the effect of Christ's cross upon himself, says, 
 *' by which the world is crucified to me, and I unto 
 the world. "^ In short, baptism represents the old 
 man to be slain, put off, and buried in such a man- 
 ner as that he shall neither ever rise in judgment 
 to our condemnation>nor any longer exercise domi- 
 nion in our bodies that we should obey his lusts. 
 
 oRom. viii. 13. xlPet. ili. 18. v Ver. 20, 21, 22. 
 
 X Chap. iv. 1, 2. a Ver. 6. h Gal. vi. 14. 
 
TO IJIS APOSTLES. 145 
 
 Our revivisccuce, or resurrection to a new life of 
 holiness, in conformity to Clirist's resurrection from 
 the dead, and by virtue derived from it, is also re- 
 presented in baptism by our rising again out of the 
 water. This view of it is likewise held forth in 
 the forecited texts : " We are buried with him by 
 baptism into death, Qvx) to the end that like as 
 Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of 
 the Father, even so we also should walk in newness 
 of life."*= Christ was raised up from the death 
 which he suffered for our sins by the glory, i. e. by 
 the Spirit of the Father,"^ called also the power of 
 God,^ his mighty power ;^ and it is the energy of 
 that same Spirit which quickened Jesus, and dwells 
 in him as the risen head, that begets us to the faith 
 of him by the word, unites us to him as living mem- 
 bers of his body, and so quickens and raises us up 
 to a new life of conformity to him in holiness. Thus 
 by participating of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, 
 we are " married to him who is raised from the 
 dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."^ 
 Answerable to this import of baptism, the Apostle 
 exhorts believers to " yield themselves unto God 
 as those that are alive from the dead ; and their 
 members as instruments of righteousness unto 
 God."^' In his epistle to the Colossians, having 
 shown that they were " buried with Christ in bap- 
 tism," he adds, " wherein also you are risen with 
 him through the faith of the operation of God who 
 
 c Rom. vi. 4. d 1 Pet. iii. 18. e 2 Cor. xiii. 4. f Epb. 
 
 I. 19. 20. g Rom. vii. 4. li Chap. vi. 13. 
 
146 Christ's commission 
 
 hath raised him from the dead. And you being 
 dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your 
 flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having 
 forgiven you all trespasses/'^ This explains the 
 nature of our spiritual resurrection with Christ in 
 baptism ; it is *' through faith," or believing on 
 God as having raised up Jesus our Lord from the 
 dead, who was delivered for our offences, and was 
 raised again for our justification ;^ and this faith is 
 not of ourselves, but " of the operation of God," 
 being produced by the same divine power " w hich 
 raised Christ from the dead."* When therefore 
 the Holy Spirit which quickened Christ, by his al- 
 mighty and inexplicable energy, makes men per- 
 eeive the import and evidence of the gospel testi- 
 mony respecting Christ's death and resurrection, 
 so as to believe it in their heart as the testimony of 
 God, wh glory shines forth therein, then they 
 who were dead in their sins by a legal sentence of 
 condemnation, and also in the uncircumcision of 
 their flesh by the dominion of the body of sin, are 
 quickened together with him ; being not only for- 
 given all their former trespasses, but also furnished 
 with the principles of a new life of holiness. For 
 
 * " The operation of God" is here mentioned either as the productive 
 cause of faith itself, accordinij to Eph. ii. 8. or of Christ's resurrection, as 
 in chap. i. 19, 20. which is the object of faith, Rom. x. 9. 1 have taken 
 in both senses ; and in either view it proves to a demonstration, thai none 
 are benefited by baptism, or raised with Christ therein, but sucli as have 
 the faith of the operation of God which raised Christ ; nor can they have 
 any visible right to that ordinance till they profess this faith. 
 
 i Col, ii. 12, 13. k Rom. iv. 24, 25. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 147 
 
 such is the nature of the gospel testimony, that if we 
 believe it, it must produce in our minds jyeace with 
 God, joy in him, and the hope of his gloiy :' and tliis 
 must be attended with love to him for his great love 
 therein commended towards sinners.™ And as the 
 life which we now begin to live in the flesh is not 
 by our own righteousness, but by the faith of the 
 Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for 
 us ;" so this love of Christ will constrain us to live 
 unto him, " because we thus judge, that if one died 
 for all, then all have died ; and that he died for all, 
 that they who live should not henceforth live unto 
 themselves, but irnto him who died for them and 
 rose again."^ Such motives prevailing in our 
 minds through the power of the Holy Spirit, and 
 exciting our supreme affection and joyful hope, 
 must necessarily influence us to live no longer the 
 rest of our time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but 
 to the will of God ;p whilst, at the same time, we 
 will often find it needful, in this imperfect state, to 
 attend to the cautions of the same Spirit, not to be 
 *' high-minded but fear ;""* and that *' if we live 
 after the flesh we shall die."'^ The apostle says to 
 the believing Galatians, " For as many of you as 
 have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ."' 
 Baptism represented their putting on Christ as their 
 righteousness, in whom they have acceptance, the 
 adoption of children, and a title to the inheritance, 
 and, in consequence of this, their putting on con- 
 
 1 Rom. V. 1, 2, 11. m Vcr. 8. 1 John iv. 19. n Gal, ii. 
 
 HO. o 2 Cor. V. 14, 1.5. p 1 Tet. iv. 2. n Rom. xi. 'JO, 21. 
 
 r Chap. viii. 13. s Gal. iii. 27, 
 
 tsr- 
 
148 Christ's commission 
 
 formity to him in his holy character and life ; and 
 so the phrase " putting on the Lord Jesus Christ" 
 is opposed to '' making provision for the flesh to 
 fulfil the lusts thereof;"' and it is equivalent to our 
 putting on the new man, which is renewed in 
 knowledge after the image of him that created 
 him." This is that spiritual resurrection which is 
 represented in baptism, wherein believers are risen 
 with Christ through the faith of the operation of 
 God who hath raised him from the dead, that like 
 as he was raised up by the glory of the Father, even 
 so they also should walk in newness of life. And 
 in reference to this, the Apostle exhorts the believ- 
 ing Colossians, ** If ye then be risen with Christ, 
 seek those things which are above where Chirst sit- 
 teth on the right hand of God. Set your affections 
 on things above, not on things on the earth." This 
 he enforces by motives drawn both from their pre- 
 sent state and future glory ; *' For ye are dead," viz. 
 to the law, sin, and the world, by communion with 
 Christ in his death ; " and your life," to which ye 
 are risen with Christ, and enjoy at present by faith 
 and hope, " is hid with Christ in God." But *' when 
 Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye 
 also appear with him in glory .""^ 
 
 (4.) Lastly, Baptism ultimately signifies the death 
 of this mortal body, and our resurrection from the 
 dead to inherit eternal life ; which is our complete 
 conformity to Christ, who was " put to death in 
 the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." 
 
 t Uoni. xiii. U. u Col. iii. l-~5. x 1 Pet. iii. 18. 
 
 •^0mmm$mmmmmamm^mmm,^i^muit0i^*^^*^^m^ 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 149 
 
 As to the death of the body ; it has been already 
 observed, that immersion represents a death and 
 burial^ which imports an entire extinction of life, 
 £Uid so signifies, not a partial, but total destruction 
 of the body of sin ,^ and that not merely as to its 
 reigning power over us, but as to its very being and 
 existence in us. It represents our putting it off, as 
 we put off this earthly tabernacle by death.^ Now 
 this will never be fully accomplished until we actn- 
 adly put off the body itself, in which it remains as a 
 law in tlie members warring against the law of the 
 mind :^ for while believers are in this life, " the flesh 
 lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the 
 flesh ; and these are contrary the one to the other ; 
 so that they cannot do the things that they would, "b 
 Though our old man was crucified with Christ in his 
 death, as to his power to condemn f and though 
 believers, through the Spririt of Christ dwelling in 
 them, have already put him off in respect of his do- 
 minion and rule f yet the remains of him still lurks 
 and stirs in their flesh ; so that while they are in the 
 body they have always need to be exhorted to ** put 
 off, concerning the former conversation, the old 
 man which is corrupt according to the deceitful 
 lusts."® Paul, during the whole course of his Chris- 
 tian race and warfare, had to keep under his body, 
 and bring it into subjection,^ and did not expect a 
 complete freedom from the law in his members till 
 he should be delivered from the body itself; and 
 
 yRom. vi. 6. z Col. ii. 11. A\ith 2 Pet. i. 14. aRom. vii. 21, 
 
 S'J, as. b Gal. V. 17. c Rom. vi. 6. d Col. iii. 9, 10. 
 
 cEph. iv. 22. flCor. ix. 27. 
 
150 Christ's coiMmission 
 
 therefore exclaims, " O wretched man that I am, 
 who shall deliver me from this body of death V i. e, 
 from this mortal body.^ He considered sin so in- 
 veterately rooted in his flesh, that, like the fretting 
 leprosy under the law,^ it could never be entirely 
 eradicated till the earthly house of this tabernacle 
 was pulled down ; and for this, as for other rea- 
 sons, he groans, being burdened, to be absent from 
 the body.^ As, therefore, immersion signifies the 
 entire destruction of indwelling sin, it must refer 
 ultimately to the death of the mortal body, when the 
 following words shall be verified not only in their 
 spiritual, but full and literal sense, " He that is 
 dead is freed from sin,"^ "he that hatli suflered in the 
 flesh hath ceased from sin."^ Christ's immersion in 
 Jordan was a figure of his being put to death in the 
 flesh, as well as of his being quickened by the Spi- 
 rit, in allusion to which he terms his death a bap- 
 tism ;*" and as he informs Nicodemus, that a man 
 must be born of water in order to his entering the 
 kingdom of God,^ so he also intimates to his disci- 
 ples, that they must undergo the baptism of death 
 before they can enjoy the honours and happiness 
 of his heavenly kingdom f for flesh and blood can- 
 not inherit it.^ Though believers are already jus- 
 tified through faith in the blood of Christ, and quick- 
 ened to a new spiritual life by his Spirit dwelling in 
 them ; yet still " the body is dead because of sin,"*» 
 
 cr Rom. vii. 24. li Lev. xiv. 4i, 45. iSCor. v. 1— 9. 
 
 k Rom. vi. 7. 11 P<'t. iv. 1. m Lukexii. 50. n John 
 
 in. 5. o Mat. xx. i-2, 23, . p 1 Cor. xv. 60. q Rom. 
 
 riii. 11. 
 
 .AiArfiaMiitarfbdHMiMMMMHMMHPMitfllll^ '^91 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 151 
 
 it being under the sentence of death denounced 
 upon the transgression of Adam/ The redemption 
 by Christ does not prevent the execution of this ori- 
 ginal sentence upon the body, but converts it into 
 a benefit */ for hereby they arc entirely freed from 
 all their remaining connection with, and confor- 
 mity to the first man, in order to their being com- 
 pletely conformed to the second.' 
 
 That baptism also signifies the resuiTCction of the 
 saints from the dead to inherit eternal life with 
 Christ, is plain from 1 Cor. xv. 29. " Else what 
 shall they do who are baptized for the dead, if the 
 dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized foi 
 the dead?" Some among the Corinthians denied the 
 resurrection of the dead."^ This error, the Apostle 
 shows, subverted the whole gospel which he had 
 preached unto them ;^ implied that Christ himself 
 was not risen, consequently, that they were yet in 
 their sins ; and that they who are fallen asleep in 
 Christ are perished. ^ In the words above quoted, 
 he intimates, that by denying the resurrection they 
 set aside the crowning design of their baptism, and 
 rendered it of no consequence, making it merely a 
 baptism /or the dead; i. e. for, or in the name of 
 Christ, considered only in the state of the dead, 
 without any reference to his having risen as the first 
 fruits of them that slept, or to their own resurrection 
 in consequence thereof; * whereas baptism repre- 
 
 * This seems to be the meaning of" baptized (vzye^ ruv viy-^ui) "for 
 the dead." But whatever be the precise sense of that expression, the 
 
 r Gen. iii. 19. Rom. v. 12. s 1 Cor. iii. 22. Rev. xiv. 13. 1 1 Cor, 
 XV. 47, 48, 49. u 1 Cor. xv. li.\ x Ver. 1—12. y Ver. 15? -iQ, 
 
152 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 sents not only Christ's death and burial, but also 
 his rising again from the dead, and our resurrection 
 by him. It has been already observed, that bap- 
 tism is ihe sign of regeneration, as that word is com- 
 monly taken for conversion or the new birth, ac- 
 cording to John iii. 3, 5. But the scripture sense 
 of the word (wax^yyEVEo-^a) REGENERATION is morc 
 comprehensive. It occurs but in two places of the 
 New^ Testament : in one of which it evidently sig- 
 nifies the resurrection of the just, or the restitution 
 of all things. Thus when Peter said to Christ, 
 " Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee, 
 what shall we have therefore? Jesus said unto them. 
 Verily, I say unto you, that ye who have followed 
 me*, in the regeneration when the Son of man 
 shall sit upon the throne of his glory, ye also shall 
 sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
 Israel.""^ q, cL Ye who have forsaken all and fol- 
 lowed me in this world, shall, in the regeneration, 
 or at the resurrection, sit upon twelve thrones, &c. 
 for that is the time when they shall be recompens- 
 ed.^ The resurrection is a regeneration in the most 
 proper sense, and is that to which our baptism and 
 
 scope of the passaa:e, and the questions, " What shall they do who are 
 baptized, if the dead rise not at all ? why are they then baptized ?" evi- 
 dently show, that the Apostle considered baptism as a pledge of the re- 
 surrection, and was at a loss to assign any meaning or end to it upon sup- 
 position that the dead rise not at all. 
 
 • By inserting a comma after the words followed me, as is done in a 
 great many Greek and other copies, regeneration will refer to the time 
 " when the Son of mau shall sit upon the throne of his glory," and the 
 sense appear at once. 
 
 z Mat. xix. 27, 28, a Luke xiv. 14. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 153 
 
 spiritual regeneration ultimately refer ; lor ** he saves 
 us by the laver of regeneration and renewing of the 
 Holy Ghost — {Jvx) to the end that wc should ])e made 
 heirs according to the hope of eternal life."^ Though 
 believers are now the adopted sons of God,"" and 
 regenerated of the incorruptible seed of the word 
 by the Spirit/ yet still they are " waiting for the 
 adoption, to wit, the redemption of their body,"® 
 when they shall be regenerated from death, in con- 
 formity to Christ the first-begotten of the dead/ and 
 be the children of God as the children of the resur- 
 rection,^ having the body of their humiliation 
 changed and fashioned like unto Christ's glorious 
 body.^ — The Apostle, distinguishing the present 
 from the resurrection body, says/ " There is an 
 animal * (or soulish) body, and there is a spiritual 
 body," i. e. a body relined from every gross and 
 corruptible quality, and quickened by the Holj 
 Spirit ; and he gives Adam as the pattern and ori 
 ginal of the former, and Christ of the latter : " Anc 
 so it is written,'' The first man Adam was mad( 
 (syEVETo became J a living soul ff his body, formea 
 
 • Not (pviJiKOi, natural, bat vu^/xovj soulish, animal, or sensitive. ; 
 hence the mere sons of Adam, with their highest endowments, whether 
 natural or acquired, are termed (vt'^i^'xo/) sejisual or animal, as not hav- 
 ing the Spirit of Christ, Jude, ver. 9. and so the same word should also b« 
 rendered in 1 Cor. ii. 14, and in ver. 4i, 46, of this chapter. 
 
 t ^'fX*'* soul, here, is his proof for the (^(Tujxx -^l^v^tKov) soulish or 
 animal body mentioned above ; and is opposed to the {TTVEVfxoc) Spirit 
 which is the quickening principle of the (a-cofxx 'nnv^xTtKov) spiritual 
 bodti. 
 
 b Tit. iii. 5, 6, 7. c 1 John iii. 2. d 1 Pet. i. 23 John iii. 5. 
 
 e Rom. viii. i23. f Rev. i. 5. g Luke xx; 36. h Philip, 
 
 iii. 21. i 1 Cor. xv. 44, 45. k Gen. ii. 7 
 
154 Christ's commission 
 
 of the dust, being quickened by the breath of God 
 (sis) into an animal sensitive frame, fitted for the 
 functions, and enjoyments of the earthly life. This 
 was the quickening of all his posterity in their root, 
 the original of that life which animates them for a 
 season, but is now loaded with much trouble, and 
 forfeited by his transgression.^ But "the last Adam 
 was made (or became *) a quickening Spirit ; being 
 not only quickened by the Spirit'" to a hea\ enly and 
 immortal life from the dead," but also possessing 
 this life in himself to quicken whom he will.'' Thus 
 he is the beginning of the new creation of God,'' 
 the source of a life infinitely transcending that 
 which was forfeited even in its best estate. This 
 Spirit of life which is in Jesus the risen head, he 
 communicates to all his members to quicken them 
 to a spiritual life of conformity to him in tliis 
 world, and it is in them a well of water springing 
 up into everlasting life;'^ being not only the first 
 fruits and earnest of it,*^ but the very living princi- 
 ple that shall quicken their mortal bodies at the 
 last day, and fully conform thera to the image of 
 the heavenly man.^ With this agrees what the 
 Apostle says to the Romans in chap. viii. 9, 10, 11. 
 
 * This supplement ap-ees better with syevBTo in ihe former clause. 
 Adam, Ijy the hrealli of life breathed into him, bccatni. a li\iiig soul, and 
 the source of natural life to his posterity: Christ being quickened from 
 death by the S|»irit, became the source of a spiritual, hcavcjiiy, and eter- 
 ual life to as many as the Father hath given him, John xiv. 19. and x\ii. 2. 
 
 1 Gen. iii. l7-.-§(). m 1 Pet. iii. 18. n Rom, vi. 9 o John 
 
 V. 21, i6. 2 C(M-. iv. 14. p Rev. i. 5. witlj iii. 14. <| jol.n iv. 
 
 14. r Rom. viii. 25. Eph. i. 14. s 1 Cor. xv. 49. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 155 
 
 ' But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so 
 be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if 
 any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
 his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead 
 because of sin ; but the Spirit is life, because of 
 righteousness. And (^e) if the Spirit of him that 
 raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that 
 raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken 
 your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in 
 you." Christ is represented as the Bridegroom of 
 his church, whom he loved and purchased by giv- 
 ing himself for her, having cleansed in the laver of 
 water by the word. It has already been shown that 
 baptism is here referred to, and it is considered 
 under the notion of a nuptial washing or purifica- 
 tion,^ in the view of her being presented to her hus- 
 band, or, " that he may present her to himself, a 
 glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any 
 such thing, but that she should be holy and with- 
 out blemish."" This must ultimately refer to the 
 time of Christ's second coming, when the whole cho- 
 sen company w^hom he hath washed in his blood, 
 and sanctified by his Spirit, shall be delivered from 
 the bondage of corruption, redeemed from the 
 grave, and presented faultless before the presence 
 of his glory with exceeding joy.'' For then, in the 
 fullest sense, shall the marriage of the Lamb be 
 come, when his espoused wife, having made her- 
 self readj^, shall be presented unto him prepared as 
 
 t See Kstli. ii. 3, 9. u Epli. v. 23, 26, 27. x Jude ver 24 
 
 H 
 
156 Christ's commission 
 
 a bride adorned for her husband/ a glorious church, 
 not having spot or wrinkle, but perfectly free from 
 all sin, blemish, or deformity of every kind. Then 
 shall the royal nuptials be celebrated with never- 
 ending gladness, and the blessedness of the saints 
 be complete in being ever with the Lord, behold- 
 ing his glory, in being made like unto him, and in 
 partaking with him in the fulness of joy and plea- 
 sures for evermore.^ 
 
 Thus I have endeavoured to set forth the import 
 or signification of baptism ; and from the various 
 passages of Scripture where it is mentioned, we 
 have seen. That it is the sign of spiritual regenera- 
 tion^ or the new birth, without which we cannot 
 enter into the kingdom of God ;— of the it-a^/iiw^r 
 away of sin, both as to its guilt and pollution, or of 
 justification and sanctification ; and especially that 
 it represents the death, burial, and resurrection of 
 Christ as the ground of hope— the believer's union 
 and communion with him therein— his spiritual con- 
 formity to him, in dying unto sin and rising to a 
 new life of holiness — and his full and complete con- 
 formity to him in the death of his mortal body, and 
 in his resurrection to a heavenly and immortal life 
 from the dead. So that this divine ordinance is 
 pregnant with the richest meaning, and is wisely 
 and graciously appointed as a means for strength- 
 ening the faith, confirming the hopes, exciting the 
 love, and promoting the holiness and consolation 
 
 y Rev. 3(ix 7, 8. 9. aqd xxi. 2. z John xvii. 24. iJoLu iii. 2. 
 
 Psal. xvi. 11. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 157 
 
 of believers, for whom only it is intended, and who 
 alone can reap any benefit from it. 
 
 I have dwelt rather too lon^ upon this head ; but 
 r imagine the importance of the subject, and the 
 general inattention paid to it, will plead my ex- 
 cuse. 
 
158 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 PART III. 
 
 THE COMMANDMENTS AND INSTITUTIONS OF 
 CHRIST, WHICH THE APOSTLES TAUGHT BE- 
 LIEVERS 10 OBSERVE. 
 
 Teaching iliem io observe all tilings whatsoever I 
 have commanded you. 
 
 1 HE teaching here enjomed differs from that men- 
 tioned in the preceding verse, and so is no tauto- 
 logy. It is not only expressed in the original by 
 another word {^i^xa-y.oy'lis), but is distinguished from 
 it in several other respects. 
 
 The first teaching has for its object all nations ; 
 but the object of this is ba2:)tized disciples gathered 
 out of the nations.— The subject of the former is 
 the gospel,^ or glad tidings of salvation ; but the 
 subject of the latter is all things whatsoever Christ 
 hath commanded, i. e. his laws and institutions. — 
 The design of the first is to make disciples, or pro- 
 selyte unbelievers to the faith of Christ ; but the de- 
 sign of the last is to instruct disciples (rn^ttv) to ob- 
 serve, keep, or obey, his commandments.— By the 
 former, men are to be taught what to believe ; by 
 the latter, what to practise in consequence of be- 
 lieving. 
 
 The apostles strictly followed the order in which 
 the different parts of the commission are arranged ; 
 for that order is not arbitrary or accidental, but 
 
 a Mark xvi. 15. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLKS 150 
 
 founded in the very nature of things. Though they 
 called all men every where to faith and repentance ;•* 
 yet they never imagined that any could truly obey 
 the sayings of Christ till once tliey believed the gos- 
 pel, and had their minds furnished with proper prin- 
 ciples. As they made no account of that obedi- 
 ence which does not spring from love, a pure heart, 
 a good conscience, and faith unfeigned ;'^ so all their 
 practical instructions are SiddreHsed to professed dis- 
 ciples^ and enforced by arguments and motives 
 diawn from the principles of the gospel which such 
 are supposed already to believe. They did not 
 urge the peculiar precepts of the gospel even upon 
 disciples till they were baptized ; for baptism itself 
 was the very first ordinance which they called be- 
 lievers to observe, whereby they initiated them intr 
 the obedience of the rest, and from which they drew 
 arguments for their walking in newness of life.^ 
 
 The words, *' Teaching them to observe all things 
 whatsoever I have commanded you," import, 1. 
 That the apostles were to make no addition to his 
 commands. They were not to make laws of their 
 own, and impose them upon the disciples, nor to 
 teach them the doctrines and commandments of 
 men;^ hut only to teach what Christ had commanded 
 them, or should afterw^ards reveal unto them by his 
 Spirit, which last are also to be acknowledged as 
 the commandments of the Lord.^ 2. The words 
 also clearly import. That they were to keep back 
 
 b Acts XX. 21. and xxvi. 20 c i Tim. i. .5. Heb. xi. 6, 
 
 d Rom. vi. Col. ii. 1 1—14. and iii. 1, Sec. e Mat. xv. 9 Col. 
 
 ii. 8, 5J0, 21, 22 f 1 Cor. xiv. 37. 
 
160 Christ's commission 
 
 nothing which he had commissioned them to teach ; 
 but to instruct the disciples to observe all things 
 whatsoever he had commanded, without exception; 
 not holding any of his precepts as a matter of in- 
 difference, or dispensing with the least of theni.* 
 
 I do not here propose to give a full detail of all 
 things whatsoever Christ hath commanded ; but 
 only to mention some leading particulars, which in- 
 clude others, and notice the general spirit of the 
 whole. 
 
 Of the Law of Creation, or eternal rule of Righte- 
 ousness, commonly called the Moral Law. 
 
 Christ hath adopted the eternal rule of righte- 
 ousness, or moral law, as the law of his kingdom ; 
 and delivered it to his disciples to be the rule of 
 their obedience and conformity to him, and that in a 
 suitableness to the more perfect state of things 
 under the new covenant. 
 
 This law is not like positive or temporary institu- 
 tions, which depend entirely upon the will of the 
 Institutor ; but is founded on the very nature of 
 God, being a transcript of his holiness, justice, and 
 goodness ; — on our relation to him as his creatures, 
 and the subjects of his moral government : — and 
 on our relation to one another, as possessed of the 
 same common nature, and connected by various 
 ties. It stands upon the immutable and essential 
 distinction between moral good and evil, right and 
 
 g Mat. V. IQ. James ii. 10, 11 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 161 
 
 wrong; and so, for substance, must remain the same 
 under every dispensation. 
 
 The principle or spirit of this law is perfect love 
 to-God and our neighbour. Our Lord sums it up 
 thus, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
 thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
 mind. This is the first and great commandment. 
 And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy 
 neighbour as thyself. On these two command- 
 ments hang all the law and the prophets. "^^ As God 
 is possessed of every perfection and excellency 
 in himself, and is the author and end of our be- 
 ing, and the source of all happiness ; so the first 
 and great commandment of the law requires, that 
 we should love him in the first place, with a su- 
 preme, perfect, and undivided afl^ection, possessing 
 our whole heart, soul, and mind ; and therefore this 
 love is not compared with that which we owe to 
 ourselves or to fellow-creatures. But the second 
 command of the law, " Thou shall love thy neigh- 
 bour AS THYSELF," makes the love of ourselves the 
 rule and measure of our love to others. Upon this 
 principle our Lord establishes a plain and compre- 
 hensive rule to direct us in the practical exercise 
 of love to our neighbour ; " All things whatsoever 
 ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so 
 to them ; for this is the law and the prophets."' Love 
 is the end of the commandment,'' the fulfilling of the 
 law ; and the different precepts are just so many 
 directions to the proper and practical exercise of 
 
 h Mat. xxii. 37— 41. i Mat. vii. ]'^. k 1 Tim. i. 5- 
 
162 Christ's commission 
 
 love '} so that '^whosoever shall keep the whole law, 
 and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all ;""' 
 for, in that instance, he violates the common prin- 
 ciple which pervades the whole, namely, love. 
 
 As Adam was originally made upright," and cre- 
 ated after the image of God,° he must have had 
 this law written on his heart as the law of creation, 
 answerable to the manifestation he had of God in 
 the paradisaical state. 
 
 !N otwithstanding the fall, there are still traces of 
 this law remaining in the conscience of every man 
 sufficient to constitute him a sinner, render him in- 
 excusable, and condemn him : and from these na- 
 tural notices of God and his law, the apostle con- 
 vinceth the heathen of sin.'' 
 
 When God separated the fleshly seed of Abra- 
 ham from the nations, redeemed them out of Egypt, 
 and entered into a covenant with them at Sinai, he 
 delivered them this law as the very words of that 
 covenant,^ and wrote it with his own finger in ten 
 commandments upon two tables of stone/ But 
 here the apostle distinguishes the law intofesh or 
 letter, and spirit. — 1. As it stood in that peculiar 
 covenant, it was suited to the manifestation which 
 God made of himself to that earthly nation as their 
 God who had redeemed them out of Egypt/ It 
 bound them to observe all the statutes and judg- 
 ments, ceremonial and judicial, contained in the 
 book of the INIosaic law ; for these were the expli- 
 
 1 Rom. xiii. 8—11. Gal. v. 14. James ii. 8, 9. m Jaiiics ii. 10, 1 1. 
 
 n KccA. vii. '29. o Gen. i. 'i>6, 27. p Rom. i. 20, ,S'^. aiid ii. U, 15. 
 
 q E\o<J. \x. r Chap. xxx. ly. s Chap. xx. '.i. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 163 
 
 cation at large of the ten precepts of the covenant, 
 as applied and adapted to the peculiar state of that 
 people; so that in breaking any of these, they trans- 
 gressed the law written on the tables. Thus it was 
 the rule of their national righteousness, according 
 to which they enjoyed the good things of the earthly 
 inheritance •/ and it was sanctioned by temporal re- 
 wards and punishments, suited to that worldly es- 
 tablishment," wherein God stood related to them as 
 their political Sovereign. This was the letter of the 
 law; and touching the righteousness which is in it, 
 the Apostle says he was blameless.'' — 2. But when 
 we consider this law as requiring perfect love to 
 God and ourneighbour,^ forbidding every lust and 
 irregular motion of the heart, ^ promising eternal life 
 upon condition of perfect obedience,^ and denounc- 
 ing the curse of God upon every the least failure ;^ 
 it is evident, that neither Old Israel, nor any of the 
 sinful race of Adam, could ever personally stand 
 in covenant with God, or obtain eternal life upon 
 such terms. ^ And so the Apostle, who had been 
 blameless as to the outward righteousness of the 
 letter, found himself condemned by the precept 
 against covetousness, which led him to see the spi- 
 ritual extent of the rest.'^ The law in this sense, 
 therefore, was given to convince of sin and its de- 
 merit,^ and with a view to the promised Seed, who 
 
 t Deut. V. 31, 33, 3". u Chap, xxviii. -x Pliilip. iii. 6. 
 
 y Ucut. vi. 5. Lev. xix. 18. z Exod. xx. 17. a Rosn. 
 
 ii. 13. and x. 5. Alat. xix. 16— '<J2 Luke x. W. b Gal. iii. 
 
 10. c I'sal. cxxx. 3. F.ccl. vii. 20. Rom. iii. 9- -23. 
 
 d Rom. vii, 7—14. e Horn. iii. i^O. and v. i.'i). Gal. 
 
 iii. 19. 
 
164 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 was to come of that people, to be made under this 
 law, fulfil it, and bear its curse for his guilty peo- 
 ple of all nations,^ and thus obtain for them the re- 
 mission of sins, and the eternal inheritance.^ This, 
 with the law written on the hearts of the true Isracl,^^ 
 is the spirit of that law which was delivered to Is- 
 rael according to the flesh, in the peculiar covenant 
 made with them at Sinai. 
 
 Accordingly, when Jesus began his public mi- 
 nistry as the great Prophet and Lawgiver of his 
 church, he said to his disciples, " Think not that I 
 am come to destroy the law or the prophets ; I am 
 not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say 
 unto you. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle 
 shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfil- 
 led/'^ He came to fulfil all the types of the cere- 
 monial law, and to accomplish all the predictions 
 in the writings of Moses and the prophets respecting 
 himself, so that not the least iota or tittle of them was 
 to pass away till all was completely accomplished 
 in him. He also came to satisfy all the demands of 
 the moral law upon his guilty people by his own 
 most perfect obedience unto death,' whereby he hath 
 freed them from that law in respect of its curse, and 
 as it is the condition of their acceptance to life ; not 
 by abolishing it in these respects, but by luIfiJlino- 
 it in their stead,*' and so becoming the end of the 
 law for righteousness to every one that believeth.* 
 
 fPsal.xl. 6-9. Gal.iv.4,5. andiii. 13, 14. - Flom r 19 
 
 Gal. ii. 16--'J4. Heb ix 1.=,^ h 2 Cor. iii. 5. fjd, , ii I" a 
 
 aMat. V. 17. 1 Gal. iv. 4. 5. Heb. x. 5, 6. 7. k r-.l 
 iii. 13. Rom. v. 19. I Rom. x. 4. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 165 
 
 At his baptism he professed his undertaking to ful- 
 fil all righteousness, and that ordinance was a fi- 
 gure of the manner in which he was to do so, name- 
 ly, by his death and resurrection from the dead."* 
 Thus the law stands eternally honoured and magni- 
 fied by the obedience of Ihe Son of God, in which 
 JehoA^ah declares himself well pleased." 
 
 But as the holy law of God is the unalterable 
 standard of righteousness and true holiness ; as vvith- 
 out holiness no man shall see the Lord, or, in tlie 
 very nature of things, be capable of enjoying him;'' 
 as sin is the transgression of the law, and as Christ 
 was manifested to take away our sins, and to save 
 us from the power as w^ell as guilt and punislimeut 
 of them,p— so our Lord's words may probably im- 
 port, that he came not {y-urjc'/va-xi) to dissolve tlie 
 moral law as a rule of life, or to relax the standard 
 of holiness, as the J ewish doctors did by their cor- 
 rupt glosses and traditions ; but [iT>.r,PX'rrxi) to fill up, 
 or explain it fully '^ in its highest sense, and deliver 
 
 * Tlie word -ctXij^ow is frequently translated to fill, or fill vp, as ia 
 Mat, xxiii. 32. Eph. iv. 10. 1 Thess. Ji. 16. John xvi. 6. Acts. ii. '2. 
 and sometimes fo preac/i ^h//7/, Rom. xv. 19. Col. i. 25. mar<?. In this 
 passage it refers both to the law and the prophets. As it relates to prophe- 
 cies, types or promises, it signifies to.fulfil or uccomplish them ; but so far 
 as it refers to the moral law, which is the main subject of this discourse, 
 it must signify either to do it fully, or to teach it fiiilly. Our Lord men- 
 tions both doing and teaching, ver 19. and it is certain he himself did 
 both ; but as he taught as one having authority, chap. vii. 29. or as the 
 great Prophet and Lawgiver of his churcli, it is natural to understand 
 
 m Mat. iii. 15 Rom. vi. 3,1. n Isa. \lii. 21. o Hcb. 
 
 xii. 14. p 1 John iii. 4, 5. Tit. ii. \'d — io. 
 
lt)6 Christ's commission 
 
 it to his followers as the rule of their obedience and 
 conformity to him : At least this sense agrees well 
 with the design of that admirable discourse, and 
 affords a clear reason for what he says, ver 19. 
 " Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of 
 these least commandmenis, and shall teach men so, 
 shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven ; 
 but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same 
 shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 
 For I say unto you. That except your righteousness 
 shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and 
 Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the king- 
 dom of heaven. ''1 Here the moral law is established 
 by the authority of the Lord Redeemer as the law 
 of his kingdom, and none of the least of its precepts 
 is permitted to be broken ; and so we find his apos- 
 tles, tlirough tlie whole of their writings, teaching 
 the disciples to observe this law, both in its ge-iieral 
 principle and particular precepts/ James terms 
 it the 7'oyai law, the i^erfect law of liberty, and ex- 
 horts Christians so to speak and do, as they that 
 shall be judged by it.* 
 
 In the new covenant, this law is given in a more 
 excellent manner than ever it was before, cither to 
 Adam in Paradise or to Israel at Sinai ; being de- 
 livered by Christ to his redeemed people under the 
 
 'aXfi^uaxt in this place as more immediately expressive of liis work in 
 the capacity of a teaciier or legislator; for it is opposed to his authorita- 
 tively dissolving or abrogating tlie law. 
 
 qMat.v. 19,20. r Rom. xiii.8— 11. 1 Cor. vi. P, i:>. Gal. 
 
 V. 14. 1 Tim. i.5— 12. s James i. 25. aud ii. 8 --13. 
 
TO Ills APOSTLES. 1G7 
 
 covert of his own blood, as was prefigured by 
 sprinkling the book of the law in the first covenant 
 with the blood of the sacrifices :* — written not on 
 tables of stones, but by the Spirit of the living Cod 
 on the hearts of his subjects ;"— recommended by 
 the endearing example of Christ himself;'' — enforc- 
 ed by his redeeming love, and the rewards and pu- 
 nishments of a future state.^ In tliis covenant it is 
 a law of liberty, no more binding them under the 
 curse,^ keeping them in bondage through fear of 
 death,^ or irritating the passions of sin ;^ but suited 
 to their state of liberty, as the children of God made 
 free by the Son,^ and influenced by the free-moving 
 principle of love to keep his commandments."^ 
 
 Under the gospel, the rule of duty is carried to 
 a higher degree of spirituality and perfection than 
 in any former revelation of the mind of God. It is 
 accommodated to the kingdom of Christ, which is 
 not of this world ; and so contains a perfect system 
 of non-conformity to the world, enjoining mortifica- 
 tion, self-denial, and crucifixion to it in all its lusts 
 and favourite pursuits.^ It is suited to the subjects 
 of the kingdom of heaven, considered in the situa- 
 tion of strangers and pilgrims on the earth as Christ 
 was, and, like him, sustaining the opposition and 
 hatied of the world ; answ^erable to which, it enjoins 
 poorness of spirit, humility, meekness, patience, 
 
 tHeb. ix. 19, 20, 23. n2 Cor. iii. 3. Heb.viii. 10. x Mat. 
 
 xi. W. 1 Pet. ii. '21. 1 John ii. 6. y John xv. y, K). Mat. v, 
 
 S. 10, 1^,29, 30. Rom. ^i. 16, 2-2, 2,3. z Uom. viii. 1. a Rom. 
 
 viii. 15. Heb. ii. 13. b Rom vii. .5, n. cGal.v. 1. John 
 
 viii 31—37. d 2 Cor. v. 11. 1 John v. 2, 3, el John 
 
 ii. 15, ^6. ^ 
 
168 Christ's commission 
 
 non-resistance of evil, forgiveness of injuries, love 
 of enemies, &c. its great and leading design being 
 their conformity to Christ in this world, that they 
 may share with him in his glory when he appears/ 
 Our Lord says to his disciples, ** Except your righ- 
 teousness shall exceed the righteousness of the 
 Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter 
 into tiie kingdom of heaven."^ The Scribes and 
 Pharisees were the strictest sect among the Jews ; 
 yet their righteousness at best was but the righte- 
 ousness of the outward letter of the law, as adapt- 
 ed to that earthly nation ; but the righteousness 
 which Christ requires of his disciples is conformity 
 to the spirit of it, as explained by his sayings and 
 exemplified in his life. To illustrate this, we shall 
 :jollect some of his sayings from his discourse to 
 lis disciples on the mount and elsewhere, which 
 are but too little attended to by many of tliose who 
 profess his name. 
 
 1. " Ye have heard that it was said (rois oc^x^ms) 
 to the people of old. Thou shalt not kill : and who- 
 soever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judg- 
 ment. But I say unto you, That whosoever is an- 
 gry with his brother without a cause, shall be in 
 danger of the judgment;* and whosoever shall 
 say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the 
 council;* but whosoever shall say. Thou fool, 
 shall be in danger of hell-fire."'' 
 
 * By \.\\e judgment and council he alludes to the courts of jiulicaturs 
 amon^ the Jews as a figure of eternal judgment. 
 
 f John Nil. '25, ^('. Rom. viii. 17, 18. 1 Pet. iv ]'2, IX 
 
 g .V«» V it';). h Cliap. V. 'ii— 25. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 169 
 
 The law prohibited actual murder, or taking away 
 life, under pain of death, to be inflicted by the 
 judges:' Buthere our Lord shows, that all causeless 
 anger, and words expressive of contempt and hatred 
 of a brother, make a man liable to the judgment of 
 God as a murderer. The Apostle John teacheth the 
 same doctrine, " Whosoever hateth his brother is a 
 murderer ; and ye know that no murderer hath 
 eternal life abiding in him/'"^ Jesus supposeth that 
 his disciples may find themselves coming short of 
 the perfection of this precept ; and therefore adds, 
 " Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar,* and 
 there rememberest that thy brother hath ought 
 against thee ; leave there thy gift before the altar ; 
 first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come 
 and offer thy gift."^ Hereby he teacheth his dis- 
 ciples, that if they harbour any ill-will against their 
 brother, or have given him any just cause of ofience, 
 they can have no access to God ; he will not accept 
 their services, nor hear their prayers, until they re- 
 pent and give satisfaction to their injured brother. 
 This he urges as the first thing to be done, and that 
 without delay, lest Divine justice should take hold 
 of them."^ 
 
 2. " Ye have heard that it was said to the people 
 of old. Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say 
 unto you. That whosoever looketh on a woman to 
 
 * By tbe gift and the altar he alludes to ihe Jewish manner of 
 ^Torship. 
 
 i Exod. XX. 13. and xxi. 12 — 1.5. k 1 John iii. Ijw 
 
 1 Mat. V. 23, 24. • m Chap. v. 95, 26. 
 
170 Christ's commission 
 
 lust after her, hath committed adultery with her 
 
 already in his heart."" 
 
 The letter of this precept forbids all outward acts 
 of uncleanness;" but here our Lord shows, that every 
 impure tliought,or unchaste desire,is the commission 
 of adultery in the sight of God. And as he knew 
 that this and other fleshly lusts would still war in the 
 members of his people, he urges them to subdue and 
 mortify them, whatever uneasiness itmightoccasion, 
 and that as they would avoid the fire of hell . " And 
 if thy right eye offend thee,* pluck it out, and cast 
 it from thee ; lor it is profitable for thee that one 
 of thy members should perish, and not that thy 
 whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy 
 right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from 
 thee ; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy 
 members perish, and not that thy whole body 
 should be cast into hell.''^ The same thing is in- 
 culcated by his apostles : " Mortify therefore your 
 members which are upon the earth ; fornication, 
 uncleanness, inordinate affections, evil concupis- 
 cence, &c. for which things sake the wrath of 
 God cometh upon the children of disobedience. "*» 
 *' Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and 
 pilgrims, a])stain from fleshly lusts, which war 
 against tlie soul."^ Upon this head our Lord for- 
 bids all divorces among his disciples, except for the 
 
 * Gr. Scandalize thee, i. e. cause thee to sin, stumble, or fall. See 
 Chap, xviii. 6 — 10, 
 
 B Mat. V. '27, ea o Exod. xx. U. p Mat. v. 29, 30. 
 
 q Col.iil. 5, 6. r 1 Pet. ii. 11. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 171 
 
 cause of fornication,* as being the occasion of 
 adultery." 
 
 3. " A^ain, ye have heard that it hath been said 
 to the people of old. Thou shalt not forswear thy- 
 self, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths : 
 But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by 
 heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, 
 for it is his footstool ; neither by Jerusalem, for it 
 is the city of the great King ; neither shalt thou 
 swear by thy head, because thou canst not make 
 one hair white or black. But let your communi- 
 cation be Yea, yea. Nay, nay ; for whatsoever is 
 more than these cometh of evil."' 
 
 The law given to Israel forbad the taking of God's 
 name in vain by swearing or vowing falsely." The 
 Scribes and Pharisees taught, that men did not break 
 this commandment if they only swore by heaven, the 
 earth, Jerusalem, the temple, the altar, their head, 
 gcc."^ But Jesus prohibits all manner of swearing, 
 whether true or false, by any kind of oath w^hatever, 
 in common conversation, as a taking the name of 
 God in vain ; and enjoins that the communication of 
 his disciples should be only by simple affirmations or 
 
 • It is my opinion, that our Lord here, and in chap. xix. 9. speaks 
 of equal marriages. Paul refers the Corinthians to our Lord's words 
 •when treating of the same subject, 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. but in the case 
 of unequal marriages, i. e. believers with uubelievers (of which our 
 Lord had said nothing, ver. 12.) the Apostle shows, that not only 
 fornication, but also the obstinate and irreclaimable desertion of the 
 unbelieving party, sets the believer at liberty, ver. 15. 
 
 s Mat. v.Sl, 32. t Mat. v. 33— 58. u Exod. xx. 7. 
 
 Lev. xix. 12. Deut. xxiii. "21—^4. x Mat. xxiii. 16— '^3. 
 
172 Christ's commission 
 
 denials, because whatever exceeds these is of evil, 
 or (tK rs 7rovr)§fi) of the evil one. The Apostle James 
 strongly inculcates this saying of Christ : " But ahove 
 all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by hea- 
 ven, neither by the earth, neither by any other 
 oath ; but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay ; 
 lest ye fall into condemnation."^ 
 
 4. " Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye 
 for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth : But 1 say unto 
 you. That ye resist not evil ; but whosoever shall 
 smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the 
 other also. And if any man will sue thee at the 
 law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy 
 cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to 
 JO a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that 
 asketh of thee ; and from him that would borrow 
 of thee, turn not thou away."^ 
 
 By the law of Moses injuries were to be punished 
 in kind by the judges, in case the injured party in- 
 sisted for it;* so that if a man, for instance, lost an 
 eye or tooth by a blow, he might demand the eye or 
 tooth of the offender.* This law was suited to a 
 nation of this world, and intended to deter lawless 
 men from the commission of such injuries, and also 
 to prevent the more dreadful effects of private re- 
 venae. But Christ admits of no such law in liis 
 
 'O" 
 
 • The Hebrew canons ailmifted of a compensation in ipoiu-y or 
 goods lor hurts, blemishes, or loss ofmcubers. Sec Aitiswuith on Lev. 
 xxiv. 19, tiO. 
 
 y James v. 12. /- Mat. v. 38—43. a ExoJ. x\i. C4, 'J5. 
 
 Lfv. xxiv. '20. Deut. xi\. 21. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 173 
 
 kingdom, it being entirely incompatible ^vith the ge- 
 nius of his religion ; and therefore he absolutely for- 
 bids his subjects to resist evil, or retaliate injuries, 
 in any manner of way whatever. 
 
 The heart of man naturally rebels against this pro- 
 hibition ; and various have been the attempts to ex- 
 plain it away by a number of distinctions and ex- 
 ceptions, all tending to make way for the keenest 
 resentments in what is called a lawful way. Many 
 strict professors would reckon it perfectly ridiculous 
 to understand our Lord as he speaks, and are ready- 
 to demonstrate, tliat the conduct here enjoined would 
 be productive of the worst consequences to society. 
 Yet the history of all ages will testify, that mankind 
 have never sufiered so much by patience, meekness, 
 and non-resistance, as by their opposites. The pecu- 
 liar laws of Christ, however, were not made lor 
 worldly societies, but for his disciples as distinguish- 
 ed from the world, and bearing its hatred ; nor can 
 they be interpreted by their conduciveness to worldly 
 ease, honour, or advantage, for these are not their 
 o])jects. Our Lord's words here are best explained by 
 his own example, which is set before his disciples 
 for their imitation : " But if when ye do well, and 
 sutler for it, ye take it patiently ; this is acceptable 
 with God : For even hereunto were ye called; be- 
 cause Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an ex- 
 ample, that we should follow his steps : who did no 
 sin, neither was guile found in his mouth : who when 
 he was reviled, reviled not again ; when he suft'ered, 
 he threatened not ; but committed himself to liim 
 
174 Christ's commission 
 
 that judgeth righteously."'' As this is so contrary 
 to corrupt nature, it is repeatedly pressed upon the 
 disciples : " Recompense to no man evil for evil."'' 
 — " See that none render evil for evil unto any man ; 
 but ever follow that which is good, both among 
 yourselves, and to all men."*^ — " Not rendering 
 evil for evil, or railing for railing ; but contrari- 
 wise, blessing ; knowing that ye are thereunto 
 called, that ye should inherit a blessing."^ — 
 " Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather 
 give place unto wrath ; for it is written. Vengeance 
 is mine ; I will repay, saith the Lord."*" 
 
 This prohibition respects not only private revenge 
 taken at our own hand, but also avenging ourselves 
 at law under colour of public justice ; for such was 
 the demand of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a 
 tooth. If a disciple, for instance, is tricked of his 
 coat at law, though he may represent the injury, yet 
 he is forbid to retaliate it in that or in any other way, 
 or even to enterinto a contentious law-suit for the re- 
 covery of his property ; but rather be disposed to yield 
 his cloak also. Paul blames the believing Corin- 
 thians for going to law one with another, instead of 
 referring their differences to their brethren, and asks, 
 " Why do ye not rather take wrong ? Why do ye not 
 rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded 7"^ As to 
 himself, when falsely accused, and treated injuri- 
 ously in his person under colour of law, thougli he 
 made his defence, and pleaded his privilege as a 
 
 b 1 ret. ii. 20— 24. c Rom. xii. 17. d 1 Tliess. v. 15. 
 
 e 1 Tet. iii. 9. f Rom. xii. 19. g 1 Cur. \i. 7. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 175 
 
 Roman citi/cn ;'' yet in no instance did he seek to 
 avenije himself by siiin«^ Tor retribution. Like his 
 Master, he committed his cause to him that judgeth 
 riglitcously, to>\hom alone vengeance belonj^s, and 
 who hath promised to redress the >vrongs of his 
 people. 
 
 This precept also requires, that Christians should 
 be of a yielding disposition in things indifierent; and 
 rather comply even with the unreasonable demands 
 of others, when they can do it without sin, than 
 quarrel with them, or resist by force, ver. 41. 
 
 5. ''And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye 
 have ought against any, that your Father also who 
 is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses : But 
 if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who 
 is in heaven forgive your trespasses."' Again, 
 " For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your hea- 
 venly Father will also forgive you : But if ye for- 
 give not meft their trespasses, neither will your 
 Father forgive your trespasses."^ 
 
 In Mark's gospel, this precept of forgiveness comes 
 in upon an exhortation to faith in prayer : " Therefore 
 I say unto you. What things soever ye desire when 
 ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall 
 have them." And in this connection it imports, 
 that we cannot exercise this faith, or expect the an- 
 swer of our prayers, if we do not forgive those who 
 trespass against us. In Matthew it stands connected 
 with the form of prayer which he taught his disciples, 
 and refers particularly to the fifth petition of it, viz. 
 
 1) Act's xvi. 37. cliap. xxii. xxiii. xxiv. xxv. xxvi, 
 i Mark xi. 25, 26. k Mat. vi. 14, 15. 
 
176 Christ's commission 
 
 ^' And forgive us our debts, as wc forgive our debt- 
 ors." He had before forbid them to offer their 
 gift unto God while they remembered that their bro- 
 ther had ought against them, for Avhich they had 
 not given him satisfaction ;^ and here, if, on the 
 other hand, they have ought against any which they 
 do not heartily forgive, he assures them that God 
 will not grant their petition for pardon to themselves. 
 Indeed he hath so framed that petition, as to cut out 
 any expectation of Divine forgiveness from the per- 
 son who uses it, while he is conscious that he is not 
 disposed to forgive others. In the mouth of such a 
 person it turns into a request that he may not be for- 
 given ; for it is a prayer that God may forgive us 
 our debts, as we forgive onr debtors. 
 
 Though men are justified freely by God's grace 
 through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, when- 
 ever they believe the gospel, having the remission of 
 sins that are past,™ or being purged from their old 
 sins ;" yet they are daily sinning and coming short of 
 the perfect rule.° Our Lord supposes this, and 
 therefore directs them to pray daily lor forgiveness, 
 even as for their daily bread. For this continued par- 
 don there is abundant provision made in the new 
 covenant. Jesus is the propitiation, whose blood 
 cleanseth from all sin ;p he is also the High-priest 
 and Advocate with the Father, making continual in- 
 tercession for his people ;"* and a throne of grace is 
 established in heaven, to v^^ich they have free access 
 through him, that they may obtain mercy, and find 
 
 1 Mat. V. 23, 24. in Rom. iii. 24, 25. n 2 Pet. i. 9. o James iii. 2. 
 1 Jobu i. 8. pi John i. 7. and ii. 2. q Heb. vii. 25. 1 John ii. 1. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 177 
 
 grace to help in time of need;'' so that if they confess 
 their sins, God is faithful and just to foi j^ive them 
 their sins, and to cleanse them from all unrighteous- 
 ness.^ But as they do not obtain this forj^iveness 
 without confession and repentance ; so neither have 
 they ground to expect it, unless they forgive those 
 who trespass against them. Our Lord illustrates this 
 subject by a parable of a certain king who freely 
 forgave his insolvent servant the enormous debt of 
 ten thousand talents ; but that servant, instead of 
 being moved by his lord's compassion towards him- 
 self, takes his fellow-servant by the throat, who owed 
 him the small sum of an hundred pence, and, regard- 
 less of all his intreatics, cast him into prison till he 
 should pay the debt. AVhen his lord was informed 
 of this, he called him and said, " O thou wicked 
 servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou 
 desiredstme ; shouldst not thou also have had com- 
 passion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on 
 thee ? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to 
 the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due 
 unto him." The application is this, " So shall my 
 heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your 
 hearts forgive not every one his brother theii 
 trespasses."' 
 
 But there is a difference between our forgiving an 
 unbeliever and a Christian brother. Though the first 
 should not repent, or make any acknowledgement ol 
 his offence, we must forgive him, i. e. we must har- 
 bour no resentment against him ; but, on the con- 
 
 r Heb. iv. 16. s 1 John i. 9. t Mat. xvii. 23--35. 
 
178 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 trary, bear him sincere good-will, do him all the 
 good that lies in our power, and wish him repentance 
 and forgiveness of God. But this is not all that is 
 incumbent upon us in forgiving a brother: we must 
 also restore to him our complaccntial love or charity 
 for the truths sake which dwcllcth in him, which 
 cannot take place till he confess his fault; and so 
 our Lord makes this forgiveness to proceed upon 
 the ofl'ender's profession of repentance." 
 
 6. " Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 
 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them 
 that curse you^ do good to them that hate you, 
 and pray for them who despiteful ly use you and 
 persecute you, that ye may be the children of your 
 Father who is in heaven : for he makcth his sun to 
 rise on the evil and on the good, and scndeth rain 
 on the just and on the unjust."^ 
 
 The sum of the second table of the law is, " Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."^ The Scribes 
 and Pharisees seem to have explained the word, 
 neighbour by the phrase iJie children of iJiy people/ rc- 
 stricting it to those of their own country, kindred, or 
 religion, and considered it as implying a command to 
 hate their enemies ; and by this partial and limited 
 view of the law they endeavoured to justify them- 
 selves. But our Lord, in the parable of the good 
 Samaritan, shows, that the word neighbour must be 
 ujulerstood in an universal sense :*'' and, in this place, 
 he nut only forbids his disciples to hate any one, but 
 
 II Mdi will l.S— 18. Luke xvii. 3,4. x Mat. v. 43— 46. 
 
 ) Rom kill 8, 9. z Lev. xviii. 19. a Luke x. 23—38. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 179 
 
 positively commands them to love even their most 
 malicious enemies. Not indeed with a love of com- 
 placency or delight in their character or conduct, 
 for this would be to approve of their wickedness, and 
 is inconsistent either with the love of God or of our- 
 selves ; but with a love of benevolence, or good-will 
 to their persons, as appears from the various expres- 
 sions of it condescended on :--" Bless them that curse 
 you." This is sincerely to wish them all true hap- 
 piness : so the Apostle exhorts, " Bless them who 
 persecute you ; bless, and curse not."^ — " Do good 
 to them that hate you." We are not to rest satis- 
 fied in mere good wishes, however sincere ; but also 
 to exert ourselves in acts of beneficence and kind- 
 ness towards them, according to their need and our 
 ability : " Therefore," says the Apostle, " if thine 
 enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him 
 drink."*^— " And pray for them who despitefuUy use 
 you and persecute you." We are not only to re- 
 turn them blessing for cursing, and good offices for 
 evil ; but to have such a real concern for the salva- 
 tion of their souls, as ^vill lead us to put up our sin- 
 cere and fervent requests for them at the throne of 
 grace ; and that whilst they are insulting, maltreat- 
 ing, and persecuting us. This is not a strained in- 
 terpretation of our Lord's w ords ; but is confirmed 
 by his own example, who prayed for his enemies 
 when they had nailed him to the cross : " Father, 
 forgive them ; for they know not what they do."^ 
 Stephen imitated the example of his divine Master ; 
 
 b Rom xii. 14. c Ver. SO. d Luke xxiii. 34. 
 
180 Christ's commission 
 
 and while his murderers were stoning him to death, 
 he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, 
 " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."® The 
 same spirit breathed in the apostles under all the 
 despiteful usage they met with/ 
 
 Few of those who bear the Christian name will 
 admit this and the two foregoing precepts even so 
 much as in principle, and fewer still make any con- 
 science of obeying them, though essential to the cha- 
 racter of disciples. The greater part would ascribe 
 the conduct here recommended to a mean, cowardly, 
 pusillanimous disposition, or, in the modern phrase, 
 to want of spirit; because they love not the character 
 of Jesus, nor savour the things that be of God ; 
 whereas patiently bearing insults, forgiving injuries, 
 and loving enemies, discovers the most exalted gene- 
 rosity, greatness, and fortitude of soul, that can possi- 
 bly be exhibited in human nature. When the wrongs 
 received from our enemies kindle our resentment, 
 extinguish our benevolence, or induce us to retaliate, 
 they have conquered us, we are then overcome of 
 evil: but if we freely and heartily forgive them, and 
 return them blessing for cursing, good for evil, and 
 love for hatred, this is to overcome evil with good ;- 
 which is a conquest infinitely more noble, honour- 
 able, and glorious, than all the victories of Alexander 
 and Caesar, those scourges of mankind, who were 
 themselves overcome of evil. Our Lord says, " If 
 ye love them who love you, what reward have ye ? 
 do not even the publicans the same ? And if ye sa- 
 
 • Acts vii. 60. f 1 Cor. ir. 12, 13. g Rom. xii. 21. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 181 
 
 lute your brethren only, what do ye more than 
 others ? do not even the publicans so?"^ Gratitude 
 and natural affection, however commendable, do 
 not distinguish Christ's disciples from the world ; 
 but the love of enemies shows them to be partakers 
 of the divine nature, the children of their Father 
 who is in heaven ; for hereby they imitate his mer- 
 cy and undeserved goodness, who is kind unto the 
 unthankful " and to the evil ;" and " maketli his 
 sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth 
 rain on the just and on the unjust/'^ 
 
 7. " Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with 
 what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and 
 with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to 
 you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that 
 is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam 
 that is in thine own eye ? Or how wilt thou say to 
 thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine 
 eye ; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye ? Thou 
 hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own 
 eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the 
 mote out of thy brother's eye."*' 
 
 Our Lord does not forbid his disciples to form a 
 just and candid judgment of men, according to their 
 avowed principles and outward conduct ; for a little 
 after he says, " Beware of false prophets who come 
 to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are 
 ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their 
 fruits :''' by these they were to detect and judge of 
 them. He also enjoins them to hold an offending 
 
 h Mat V. 46, 47. i Luke vi. 55, 56. k Mnt. v. 45, 18. 
 
 hMat. ^ii.l — 6. Lukevi. 37. i Mat. \ ii. 15, lo. 
 
182 Christ's commission 
 
 impenitent brother as an heathen man and a pub- 
 lican,^ which imports their judging and censuring 
 him :^ But the judging here prohibited is rash, un- 
 just, and evil-judging, upon groundless suspicions, 
 or from a censorious, malevolent, unmerciful dis- 
 position, which is gratified in detecting, magnifying, 
 exposing, and condemning the faults and infirmities 
 of others, without any view to their good. This is 
 not only opposite to charity but to common bene- 
 volence, and is frequently masked under a cloak 
 of zeal for the truth."' The apostle James also for- 
 bids this evil judging, " Speak not evil one of ano- 
 ther, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his bro- 
 ther, and judge th his brother, speaketh evil of the 
 law, and judgeth the law : but if thou judge the law, 
 thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There 
 is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to de- 
 stroy : who art thou that judgest another?"'' To 
 speak evil of, and judge a brother unjustly, is prac- 
 tically to do the same to the law itself, in as far as 
 it allows what he condemns in others, or forbids 
 what he allo^^ s in himself. By this he sets himself 
 up in place of the one Lawgiver, and assumes the 
 office of a judge and censor, instead of being a 
 humble subject, or doer of the law." 
 
 Christ's words also intimate, that he who is invi- 
 diously intent upon spying out the faults of others, 
 is quite inattentive to his own, and whilst he se- 
 verely judges and condemns his brother for the 
 
 k Mat. xviii. 17. 1 1 Cor. v. 3, 12, 13. 2 Cor. ii 6. m Jamea 
 
 iii. 14 — 17. n Chap. iv. 11, 12. o See also Rom. xiv. 4, 10, 
 
 11,12,13. 1 Cor. iv. 5. James iii. 1 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 183 
 
 smallest failing, indulges himself in much greater. 
 Therefore he terms him a hypocrite, and directs him 
 to begin at home, and first cast the beam out of his 
 own eye, and then he should see clearly to cast the 
 mote out of his brother's eye : for till then he is in- 
 capa])le of dealing with his brother with judgment, 
 conscience, and affection, or to any good end ; but, 
 on the contrary, exposes himself to judgment and 
 condemnation. This saying of our Lord can ne- 
 ver be too much attended to by his disciples. 
 
 8. ** Take heed that ye do not your alms before 
 men to be seen of them : otherwise ye have no re- 
 ward of your Father who is in heaven. Therefore 
 when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trum- 
 pet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the syna- 
 gogues, and in the streets that they may have glory 
 of men. Verily, I say unto you, they have their 
 reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left 
 hand know what thy right hand doeth ; that thine 
 alms may be in secret ; and thy Father who seeth 
 in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.''^ 
 The same directions he gives as to prayer '^ and 
 fasting." 
 
 Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, are here suppo- 
 sed to be duties incumbent upon Christ's disciples. 
 The two first are much insisted on both by our Lord 
 and his apostles.*^ The last, he intimates, would 
 also be observed by his disciples, when he, the 
 
 p Mat \'i. 1—5. q Ver. 5—7. r Ver. 16—19. s Chap, 
 
 xix. 21. Luke xi. 41. and xii. 33. Rom. xii. 13. Heb. xiii. 16. 1 John, 
 iii. 17. Luke xviii. 1. and xxi. 36. Rom. xii. 12. Epb. vi. 18. Col. 
 iv. 2. iThess. V. 17. 
 
184 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 Bridegroom, should be taken from them/ But here 
 he chiefly insists upon the right manner of perform- 
 ing these duties ; and particularly cautions them 
 against ostentation, vain-glory, and hypocrisy. 
 Acts of liberality and devotion are both public 
 church-ordinances" and private duties of individu- 
 als. Our Lord here speaks of them chiefly in the 
 latter sense ; and though ostentation is equally cri 
 minal in either; yet when that which ought to be 
 done in secret, is industriously exposed to view, it 
 strongly indicates hypocrisy and vain-glory. The 
 Pharisees did their alms in such an open ostentatious 
 manner, as if they had summoned people by sound 
 of trumpet to witness their liberality. Their prayers 
 were put up in the most public places, where there 
 was the greatest concourse of people to obsere them. 
 And when they kept a fast, they took care to let it 
 be known by a slovenly dirty appearance, and a rue- 
 ful dejected countenance. Thus they did all their 
 works to be seen of men, that they might be applaud- 
 ed, admired, and revered for their liberality, devo- 
 tion, and mortification. This was their highest aim, 
 and it was all their reward. Jesus also tells his dis- 
 ciples, that if they performed their alms and devo- 
 tion w ith such views, they should have no reward of 
 their Father who is in heaven; and therefore directs 
 them to perform them in secret, without the least 
 wish of being observed or applauded by men, but in 
 singleness of heart, purely as in the sight of their 
 heavenly Father, being fully satisfied with this, that 
 
 t Luke V. 33—36. u Acts ii. 42. xiii. 2. 1 Cor. xvi. 1. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 185 
 
 he alone sees them, approves and accepts of these 
 fruits of their faith and love, and will at last openly 
 acknowledge, and amply reward them before men 
 and angels.'' All this is perfectly consistent with 
 that other direction, " Let your light so shine be- 
 fore men, that they may see your good works, and 
 glorify your Father who is in heaven."*' 
 
 9. " Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon 
 eaith, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where 
 thieves break through and steal ; but lay up for 
 yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth 
 nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not 
 break through nor steal. For where your treasure 
 is, there will your heart be also. The light of the 
 body is the eye ; if therefore thine eye be single, thy 
 whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye 
 be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. I 
 therefore the light that is in tliee be darkness, hov 
 great is that darkness ! No man can serve two mas- 
 ters; for either he will hate the one, and love the 
 other; or else he \vill hold to the one, and despise 
 the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."^ 
 By treasure here our Lord does not mean the heart 
 and affections, as many explain it (a sense in which 
 it is never used) ; for he speaks of this treasure as 
 one thing, and of the hear^ which loves it as another, 
 in these words, " For where your treasure is, there 
 will your heart be also." This treasure consists of 
 such things as may be laid up, stolen by the thief, 
 or corrupted by the moth and rust ; and therefore 
 
 X Mat. XXV. 34—38. y Chap. v. 16. z Mat. vL 19—45 
 
186 Christ's commission 
 
 can mean nothing else than worldly riches or sub- 
 stance, which he afterwards calls mammon, — To lay 
 uj} this treasure, is to accumulate, hoard, or (Oyiaxv^i^u) 
 treasure it up in store ; and it is plain, that our Lord 
 here absolutely forbids his disciples thus to lay it 
 up for themselves upo7i earth, where they were in 
 danger of being deprived of it by the thief, the moth, 
 or the rust, and where their enjoyment of it at any 
 rate was but uncertain and momentary. 
 
 But though they are forbid to accumulate riches, 
 ])y laying them up for themselves upon earth ; yet 
 they must neither be slothful in the means of at- 
 taining them, nor consume ithem upon their lusts ; 
 for he commands them to lay them up in heaven, 
 where they will be secure against all accidents, 
 unfailing or inexhaustible, and preserved as in bags 
 that wax not old.* He elsewhere explains the man- 
 ner in which they are to lay them up in heaven ; 
 "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide for 
 yourselves bags that wax not old, a treasure in the 
 heavens which faileth not, where no thief appro ach- 
 eth, neither moth corrupteth."'' "Sell that thou hast, 
 and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure 
 in heaven."*^ So that the way to lay them up for 
 ourselves in heaven, is to give them in alms to the 
 needy on earth. It is by being rich in good works, 
 ready to distribute, willing to communicate, tliat we 
 lay up in store for ourselves a good foimdation 
 against the time to come, and lay hold on eternal 
 life."^ It is thus we " make to ourselves friends of 
 
 a Luke xii. 33. h Ibid. c Mat. xix. 21. d 1 Tim. vi. 18, 19. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 187 
 
 the mammon of unrighteousness ;" who, when we 
 fail, receive us into everlasting habitations.^ So 
 that this giving, instead of impoverishing, is the 
 way to make " rich toward God."^ 
 
 He shews that all attempts to lay up treasures for 
 ourselves both on earth and in heaven, are vain, im- 
 possible, and delusive, and that these two ways of 
 treasuring are incompatible with each other. The 
 man who '* lays up treasures for himself on earth, 
 he describes as *' not rich towards God."^ — Many 
 imagine they may accumulate treasures on earth, 
 w^hile their hearts are set on things above ; but he 
 afl^ms that the heart and treasure will always go to- 
 gether ; "for where your treasure is there will your 
 heart be also."— They may say, that they do not 
 make their wealth their treasure ; but the change of 
 the name does not alter the thing. Our Lord calls 
 that a man's treasure which he industriously " lays 
 up for himself," and carefully retains as his own. — 
 The greater part imderstand this precept not in an 
 absolute but comparative sense ; as if he had said, 
 " Lay not up for yourselves treasures only upon 
 earth; but lay them up also, and chieflij, in heaven." 
 But as the heart and treasure always go together, 
 this gloss would make it lawful for us to divide our 
 hearts between earth and heaven ; whereas he for- 
 bids us to have our hearts on earth at all. If the 
 heart is thus divided, the eye cannot be sinyle, ^ 
 
 * The single eye is the bountiful or liberal eye or heart, Prov. xxii. 9. 
 The original word rendered bountifulness, or liberality, is {ctfrKoTins) 
 
 c Luke xvi. 9. fProv. xix. 7. 2 Cor. ix. 6. gLukexii. 21. 
 
188 Christ's commission 
 
 nor the whole body full of light. However we may 
 pretend to prefer the true riches, yet our eye to what 
 we lay up on earth will be evil, or opposite to that 
 bounty in almsgiving which is connected with the 
 heavenly treasure, and so make us sow sparingly, 
 or give grudgingly ; and he intimates, that, in this 
 case, the evil eye will prevail, filling our whole body 
 with darkness, ver. 22, 23. But this appears still 
 clearer from what he says in ver. 24. " No man 
 can serve two masters : for either he will hate the 
 one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the 
 one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God 
 and mammon." f Here God and mammon are re- 
 presented as two masters, having opposite demands 
 and interests. Mammon requires we should lay 
 up for ourselves treasures on earth; God commands 
 lis to lay them up in heaven, by giving to the poor. 
 To serve both, therefore, is impossible ; for in pro- 
 portion as we love and hold to the one, we must 
 of necessity hate and despise the other. 
 
 He enjoins his disciples to make to themselves 
 friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, namely, 
 by giving to the poor ; and urges it in point of faith- 
 
 $ingleness or simplicity, Rom. xii. 8. 2 Cor. viii. 2. and ix. 11. 13. Tlie 
 LXX. haveCaTT^rj) single soul for /<6er«isoul, Prov. \\. 25. and God is 
 said to give to all men \ccitXus) siiiglu, i. e. liberally, James i. 5. — Tlie 
 evil eye is the opposite of this ; see Deut. xv. 9. Prov. xxiii. 6, 7. and 
 xxviii. 22. Mat. xx. 15. 
 
 t Mammon is a Syriac word, and, according to tlie heathen mytliologv, 
 was the god of plenty ; hence it signifies riches, gains, or treasures. To 
 lay up is to serve this god ; and so the principle, covetousucss, is called 
 idolatry, Col. iii.5. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 189 
 
 fulness and justice; "He that is faithful in that 
 which is least, is faithful also in much ; and he that 
 is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much. If 
 therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighte- 
 ous mammon, who will commit to your trust the 
 true riches ? And if ye have not been faithful in 
 that which is (ax>.or^ioi) another's, who will give 
 you that which is your own ?"^' Here he leads us 
 to look upon our riches as not our own, but ano- 
 ther's (i. e. God's), and that we are only intrusted 
 with them as stewards. To use them therefore as 
 our own, by hoarding them up on earth for ourselves, 
 or consuming them upon our lusts, and so >\ithhold- 
 ing them from the needy, especially those of the 
 household, is to be unfaithful in that which is ano- 
 ther's, and, like the unjust steward, to betray our 
 trust, and waste our master's goods. He asks such 
 unfaithftU stewards, *' Who will commit to your 
 trust the true riches? — Who will give you that which 
 is your own ?" The true riches is the better and en- 
 during substance in heaven ; and is called our own, 
 because not given in trust for others, but for our 
 own enjoyment; nor for a season, but for ever, it 
 being that good part which shall never be taken 
 away from us. This true riches we have no ground 
 to expect, if we are unfaithful in the unrighteous 
 mammon. 
 
 This precept will never be admitted, even in prin- 
 ciple, by any national profession of religion in this 
 world ; accordingly the compilers of the national 
 standards have in a great measure made it void in 
 
 h Luke xvi. 10 — 13. 
 
190 Christ's commission 
 
 their explication of the eighth commandment 
 against stealing, which they say, " requireth the 
 lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and out- 
 ward estate of ourselves and others." * Surely 
 this procuring and furthering our wealth, is to make 
 rich if we can. By lawful means, no doubt ; but 
 what more lawful means can we use than the man 
 who obtained it by the culture of his ground ? and 
 what better ends can we propose in laying it up for 
 ourselves upon earth than his, namely, that his soul 
 might take ease, and that he might eat, drink, and 
 be merry ? Yet he stands condemned as a fool for 
 so doing, and all who follow his example : " So is 
 he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not 
 rich towards God."' 
 
 It is indeed possible that a man may bestow all 
 his goods to feed the poor without love ;^ but in 
 vain would he pretend either to faith or love, if he 
 make no conscience of laying up treasures in hea- 
 ven by works of mercy to the poor.^ There has 
 been a great deal of talk and empty speculation 
 among men about religion ; but this is " pure reli- 
 gion and undefiled before God and the Father.*'"^ 
 Much has also been said about what is called the 
 great work of believing, and its various acts, in or- 
 der to distinguish it from the belief of the truth ; but 
 clothing the naked, and feeding the hungry brother 
 or sister, is an important branch of what the scrip- 
 ture terms the work of faith , and by which it is dis- 
 
 • Assembly's Shorter Catechism, Quest. 74 
 
 i Luke xii. 16, 19, 20 21. k 1 Cor. xiii. 3. I 1 John 
 
 iii. 17, 18, 19. m James i. 27. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 191 
 
 tinguishcd from a dead faith, or the faith of devils." 
 It is that ministering labour of love to Christ's name 
 which is preferred to illumination and tasting of 
 the good word of God," and which he hath promis- 
 ed to rewar(J in the judgment." But whether the 
 generality of professors are any better reconciled to 
 such acts of faith as would hinder their laying up 
 treasures upon earth, than they are to the simple 
 belief of the truth, as opposed to every idea xy^ work- 
 ing in order to be justified, is a question which con- 
 cerns every one to solve in his own case. One thing 
 is certain, that the strictest professors in our Lord's 
 time derided his doctrine on this head ;•* for, in con- 
 nection with their attempts to establish their own 
 righteousness, they esteemed it their indispensible 
 duty to *' procure and further their wealth and out- 
 ward estate." 
 
 10. " Therefore I say unto you. Take no thought 
 for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall 
 drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put 
 on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body 
 than raiment V'^ &c. 
 
 Our Lord does not here forbid his disciples to be 
 diligent in business, both for their own support, and 
 that they may have to give to him that needeth, 
 which is a duty frequently enjoined elsewhere;* but 
 he forbids all anxious solicitude or distracting cares* 
 
 * The original (^ff /xv:zw) imports such anxious cai-e as divides or 
 rends the heart. 
 
 n James ii. 14—21 o Heb. vi. 4, 5, 9, 10, p ^fat. xxr. 34—41. 
 
 q Luke xvi. 14. r Mat. vi. 25—34. s Acts xx. 33, 34, 35. 
 
 Rom. xii. 11. Eph. iv. 28. 1 Thess. iv. 11, 12. 2 Thess. iii. 11,12 
 
192 
 
 even as to the necessaries of this life, which arise 
 from covetousness, or a distrust of divine Provi- 
 dence.* 
 
 This prohibition is nearly allied to the former; 
 for the anxious fear of future want is one reason 
 why many are so industrious to scrape together 
 wealth, and so loth to part with it. 
 
 He sums up the things which are absolutely 
 necessary to the body in food and raiment. A mo- 
 derate competency of these is all that is needful for 
 our present subsistence ; and if we are truly in the 
 spirit of pilgrims and strangers in this world, having 
 our affections set on things above, we will not be 
 anxious for more ; '* for a man's life consisteth not 
 , in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."* 
 Accordingly the Apostle exhorts Christians, " HaVf 
 ing food and raiment, let us be therewith content ;" 
 and he intimates, that all who are not satisfied with 
 these, are under the influence of avarice and other 
 lusts which threaten their destruction and perdi- 
 tion ; *' But they that will be rich fall into tempta- 
 tion and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful 
 lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
 For the love of money is the root of all evil ; which 
 while some coveted after, they have erred from the 
 faith, and pierced themselves through with many 
 sorrows ."^•^ Men's greatest anxiety as to the tilings 
 of this life proceeds, for the most part, from imagi- 
 
 * In Luke xii. 29. we have also /x>) fxtrtu^i^sa-Os, which signifies to 
 be in anxious suspense, or of a fluctuating doubtral mind, in opposition 
 to its being staid upon God. 
 
 t Luke xii. 15. u 1 Tim. vi. 8, 9, 10. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 193 
 
 nary aiid artificial wants, occasioned by their covet- 
 ousncss, love of pleasure, ambition, and distrust. 
 When the Apostle says, " Let your conversation be 
 without covetousness, and be content with such 
 things as ye have ; for he hath said, I will never 
 leave thee, nor forsake thee;"^ he plainly sup- 
 poseth, that discontent with such things as we have 
 arises from covetousness and want of trust in God. 
 Were we content with necessary food and raiment ; 
 were our desires bounded by the petition, " Give us 
 this day our daily bread ;" and did we, instead of 
 anticipating future evils, put our trust in the living 
 God ; our minds would be freed from anxious care, 
 and our wants would be few and easily supplied. 
 Moderation and temperance in the use of worldly 
 things are also necessary to our being without care- 
 fulness: Accordingly the Apostle joins them toge- 
 ther ; " Let your moderation be known unto all 
 men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing ; 
 but in every thing by prayer and supplication with 
 thanksgiving, let your requests be made known 
 unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth 
 all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds 
 through Christ Jesus."*" 
 
 Jesus does not remove the anxious fears of his dis- 
 ciples, by promising them worldly riches as a secu- 
 Tit\f against future want, for these he forbids them to 
 accumulate : but he gives them infinitely better secu- 
 rity , namely, the paternal affection, care and constant 
 attention of their heavenly Father ; assuring them 
 
 X Heb. xiii. 5. y Philip, iv. 5-8 
 
194 Christ's commission 
 
 that he well knows their wants, and will certainly 
 supply them in every thing necessary to their present 
 subsistence. He condescends to reason with them 
 on this subject in a manner inimitably simple, strik- 
 ing, and convincing. " Is not the life (says he) more 
 than meat, and the body than raiment ? Behold the 
 fowls of the air ; for they sow not, neither do they 
 reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Fa- 
 ther feedeth them. Are ye not much better than 
 they ? Which of you by taking thought can add one 
 cubit unto his stature ? And why take ye thought 
 for raiment ? consider the lilies of the field how 
 they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin ; and 
 yet I say unto you, that even Solomon^ in all his 
 f, glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Where- 
 fore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which 
 to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall 
 he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ? 
 Therefore take no thought, saying. What shall we 
 eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall 
 we be clothed ? (for after all these things do the 
 Gentiles seek :) for your heavenly Father knoweth 
 that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye 
 first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and 
 all these things shall be added unto you. Take 
 therefore no thought for the morrow ; for the 
 morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. 
 Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."^ In 
 Luke it is added, " Fear not, little flock ; for it is 
 " your Father's good pleasure to give you the king- 
 
 z :YIat. vi. 25—34. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 195 
 
 dom."* It is not easy to conceive how men C2ui 
 be seeking the kingdom of God in the first place, if 
 they are in anxious perplexity as to the things of this 
 life ; or how they can really believe that it is their Fa- 
 ther's good pleasure to give them the kingdom, if they 
 cannot even trust him for daily bread. Christ would 
 have his disciples, in the unsuspecting simplicity of 
 little children, to depend entirely upon their heavenly 
 Father for every thing they really need, casting all 
 their care upon him, believing that he careth for 
 them ;^ and that without anticipating the evils of to- 
 morrow, which either may never happen, or be 
 attended with suitable support, and over-ruled for 
 •their good. 
 
 11. " If any man will come after me, let him deny 
 himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For 
 whosoever shall save his life, shall lose it ; and who- 
 soever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it. 
 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the 
 whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall 
 a man give in exchange for his soul V'^ 
 
 Self-denial and bearing the cross after the example 
 of Christ, are two very comprehensive and essential 
 precepts of the Christian religion, whereby it stands 
 distinguished from all others, as well as from every 
 accommodation of it to the nations of thi^ world. 
 
 (1.) To deny ourselves, is to give up not only \vith 
 the sinful gratifications of corrupt nature, but also 
 with the most innocent and lawful enjoyments of this 
 
 a Luke xii. 32. b 1 Pet. v. 7. c Mat. xvi. 24, 25, 26. 
 
 Mark viii. 34, 38. 
 
196 Christ's commission 
 
 life, when in any case they interfere or stand in 
 
 competition with our allegiance to Christ. 
 
 As to sinful gratifications, there are three principal 
 lusts in the world, which are inconsistent with the 
 love of the Father, namely, " the lust of the flesh, 
 the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life/'^— 1. We 
 must deny ourselves as to the lust of the fleshy or the 
 love of sensual pleasure, taking heed lest at any time 
 our hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunk- 
 enness,® and fornication and all uncleanness must 
 not be once named among us, as becometh saints/ 
 We must also avoid every temptation and incentive 
 to these fleshly lusts, such as chambering, revellings, 
 and banquettings,^ among which may be reckoned 
 plays, masquerades, balls, and other fashionable 
 entertainments, with all the delicate and refined arts 
 of luxury, softness, and dissipation, which are only 
 so many ways of making provision for the flesh to 
 fulfil the lusts thereof.^ In opposition to all these, 
 we must be temperate in all things, keep under our 
 body and bring it into subjection,^ pluck out a right 
 eye, and cut off a right hand ;^ and thus through the 
 Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, and crucify the 
 flesh w ith the affections andlusts.^ — 2. We must deny 
 ourselves the lust of the eyes, which is covetousness, 
 or the love of riches.* I have already spoken of this 
 
 • Covetousness is called the evil eve, as lias been observed, and here 
 it is called the Ixist of the eyes; accordingly Solomon describiua: a miser, 
 says, " There is no end of bis laboar, neither is his eye satisfied with 
 riches," Eccl. iv. 8. 
 
 d 1 John ii. 15, 16. e Lake xxi. 34. f F.pli, v. 3. jj Rom. 
 
 xiii. 13. iPet. iv. 3, 4. Kev. xviii. 7, 9. h Rom, xiii. iK 
 
 i 1 Cor. ix. 2b,-i7. k Mat. v. 28---31. 1 Rom. viii. 13. Cial. v. 2 J. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 197 
 
 under tlie head of laying up treasures, and shall only 
 ol)scrve, that Paul affirms the love of money to be the 
 root of all evil.'" This maxim will hold good, whe- 
 ther we consider it in relation to God, ourselves, or 
 others. — It is the root of all evil as opposed to our 
 duty to God. Covetousness is expressly called ido- 
 latry," because riches occupy the chief place in the 
 covetous heart, and become the ground of trust and 
 confidence in place of the living God.° — In relation 
 to ourselves, it becomes the occasion of pride and 
 high-mindedness ;p and is a source of many compli- 
 cated evils ; " for they that will be rich, fall into 
 temptation and a snare, and many foolish and hurt- 
 ful lusts, which drown men in destruction, and per- 
 dition ; and while some have coveted after money, 
 they have erred from the faith, and pierced them 
 selves through with many sorrows.''^ And as to 
 the life to come, the covetous have not " any inhe- 
 ritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.""^ — 
 The love of money is also the root of all evil in re- 
 gard of our conduct towards others. It supplants na- 
 tural affection ; makes us envy the rich ; shuts up our 
 bowels of compassion from the needy; is a source of 
 oppression, falsehood, fraud, and injustice in our 
 dealings, and sometimes breaks out in the more atro- 
 cious acts of theft, robbery, and murder.^ — 3. We 
 must deny ourselves the pride of life , or the love of 
 worldly honours, fame, grandeur, dignities, pre-emi- 
 nence, &c. with all their supports and appendages, 
 
 m 1 Tim. vi. 10. n Eph. v. .5. Col. iii. 5. o 1 Tim. 
 
 vi. 17. p Ibid. q Verse 9, 10. r Epli. v. 5. 
 
 s James v. 4. Prov. i. 11 — 20. 
 
198 Christ's commission 
 
 such as riches, power, titles, pomp and splendor in 
 houses, furniture, table, equipage, and dress. As 
 many place their life and happiness in such empty va- 
 nities, and as they are all calculated to feed the joWcfe 
 and gratify the ambition of the human heart, so they 
 are called the pride of life,* and the love of them is 
 opposed to the love of the Father. Nothing is more 
 diametrically opposite to the whole spirit of the 
 Christian religion than pride and vain ambition. Our 
 Lord frequently cautions his disciples against it, 
 when striving among themselves who should be ac- 
 counted the greatest ;t and he corrects them by set- 
 ting a little child in the midst of them, saying, " Ex- 
 cept ye be converted, and become as little children, 
 ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Who- 
 soever therefore shall humble himself as this little 
 child, the same is greatestin the kingdom of heaven."* 
 The rule of preferment which he hath established in 
 his kingdom is this, " Whosoever shall exalt himseb 
 shall be abased ; and he that shall humble himsel 
 shall be exalted."" In opposition therefore to tha/ 
 desire of worldly distinction, lordship, and pre-emi- 
 
 • The word C/or, rendered life, frequently signifies that upon which 
 a man lives, such as money, food, raiment, possessions, &c. and so is 
 ti-anslated living, Luke viii. 43. ch. xv. 12, 30. ch. xxi. 4. and good, 
 1 John iii. 17, It also signifies a man's course of life in relation to his 
 use of these things, Luke viii. 14. 1 Tim. ii. 2. 2 Tim. ii. 4. hoth these 
 ideas appear to be included in the text. 
 
 t Some confine this to spiritual pride and ambition ; but as the 
 disciples had worldly notions of Clirist's kingdom, secular preferment 
 must at least have been one ob'cct of their ambition. 
 
 t Mat. xviii. 1 — 5. u Chap, xxiii. IS. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 199 
 
 nencc, which take place among the men of this 
 world, he says, " But it shall not be so among you ; 
 l)ut whosoever will be great among you, let him 
 be your minister ; and whosoever will be chief 
 among you, let him be your servant;" and this he 
 urges by his own example, " Even as the Son of 
 man came not to be ministred unto, but to minister, 
 and to give his life a ransom for many."^ Accord- 
 ingly they are exhorted not to " mind high things, 
 but (rois rwrrsivots avvxTtuyoixsvoi) be Contented with low 
 things ;"^ the brother of low degree is called to 
 " rejoice in that he is exalted, but the rich in that 
 he is made low ;'"■ and all of them, without excep- 
 tion of station or circumstances, are enjoined to 
 *' be subject one to another, to be clothed with 
 humility,"* and to " be kindly affectioned one to 
 another, with brotherly love, in honour preferring 
 (not themselves but) one another."^ 
 ' But this is not all ; we must deny ourselves even 
 the most innocent and lawful enjoyments of life, when 
 either the wants of our brethren or our allegiance to 
 Christ require it. Jesus directs his disciples to count 
 the cost, and bids them lay their account with parting 
 with houses and lands, and even with all that they 
 have, for his sake f nay, that they must often forego 
 the favour and sustain the hatred of Uieir nearest and 
 dearest relations ; and adds, "He that loveth father 
 or mother more than me, is not worthy of me ; 
 and he that loveth son or daughter more than me. 
 
 X Mat. XX. 25—29. Luke xxii. 24—23. y Rom. xii. 16. z Jamei 
 
 i. 9, 10. a 1 Pet. r. 5. b Rom. xii. 10. c Mat, xix. 29. Luke xir. 33. 
 
200 Christ's commissiojs 
 
 is not worthy of me."^ It is by things which 
 are in themselves lawful, that we are most apt to be 
 deceived and entangled, because a certain degree of 
 attention is due unto them, and they only become 
 sinful when they stand in competition mth our duty 
 to Christ, and are preferred. It is the duty of a man 
 to love his parents and children, to marry a wife, 
 to see the ground and prove the oxen he hath pur- 
 chased, and to pay attention to his farm or mer- 
 chandise ; yet our Lord specifies such lawful things, 
 to show, that if they are preferred to the great sal- 
 vation, they will effectually ruin the soul, and ex- 
 clude from the kingdom of heaven.^ 
 
 (2.) To take up our cross and follow Christ, is to 
 sustain the hatred and maltreatment of the world for 
 righteousness sake, even to the loss of life itself, after 
 the example of Christ. Our Lord here points to the 
 instrument of his death, which was the cross ; and 
 thereby intimates, that his followers must have fel- 
 lowship with him in his sufferings, and be conformed 
 to him in his death. He forewarns them that they 
 shall be hated of all nations for his sake •/ and gives 
 the follo^ving reason for it, " If the world hate you, 
 ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If 
 ye were of the world, the world would love his 
 o\\Ti : but because ye are not of the world, but I 
 have chosen you out of the world, therefore the 
 world hateth you. — All these things will they do 
 unto you for my name's sake, because they know 
 not him that sent me."* He pronounceth them 
 
 fl Mat. X. o4— ."58. e Mat. xxil. .5. Luke xiv. IB— 25. 
 
 f Chai). x\iv, 9. g John xv. 18—22. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 201 
 
 blessed who are persecuted for righteousness sake ; 
 and when men shall revile, persecute, Eind say all 
 manner of evil against them falsely for his sake; 
 assuring them that their reward is great in heaven.'' 
 This bearing of the cross was not to be confined to 
 the Apostles and first Christians : for the apostle 
 Paul says, " Yea, and all that will live godly in 
 Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution '"' it being part 
 of their conformity to, and fellowship with Christ in 
 this world,^ and occasioned by the irreconcileable 
 enmity of the world towards him and his real fol- 
 lowers.^ Nor must it be considered as a strange and 
 singular thing,™ " Whosoever (says Christ) doth not 
 bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my 
 disciple."" A great part of the New Testament was 
 WTitten for Christians in a suffering state, and can 
 neither be properly understood nor relished but in 
 circumstances somewhat similar. The cross is a 
 needful course of discipline, suited to this imperfect 
 state, which both exercises and improves every 
 Christian virtue, such as faith, hope, patience, humi- 
 lity, meekness, passive courage or fortitude, forgive- 
 ness of enemies, &c. and so is subservient to the 
 leading design of the Christian religion, which is to 
 make us meet for the heavenly state. To enforce 
 the duty of taking up the cross, our Lord adds, " For 
 whosoever ^viIl save his life, shall lose it ; and^j^ho- 
 soever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it." 
 i. e. If he seeks to save his present life, or what per- 
 tains to it, by sinful compliances, he shall lose 
 
 h Mat. V. 10—13. i 2 Tim. iii. 11, 12. k Phil. iii. 10. 1 Pet. ii. 21. 
 1 John xvii. 14. m 1 Pet. iv. 12—15. I John iii. 12, 13. n Luke xiv. 27. 
 
202 Christ's commission 
 
 eternal life ; but if he suffer the loss of his earthly 
 life for Christ's sake, he shall obtain the heavenly 
 life, which is infinitely better. He farther shows, 
 that this vain and transitory life, thouj^h it had all 
 the pleasures, riches and honours of the whole 
 world annexed to it, would be a poor and unpro- 
 fitable exchange for the everlasting happiness of 
 the immortal soul. 
 
 12. " When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call 
 not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, 
 nor thy rich neighbours ; lest they also bid thee 
 again, and a recompence be made thee. But when 
 thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the 
 iame, the blind : and thou shalt be blessed ; for 
 they cannot recompense thee : for thou shalt be 
 .ecompensed at the resurrection of the just."° 
 
 This precept does not absolutely prohibit a Chris- 
 tian from occasionally entertaining any of his rich 
 relations or neighbours, who may be able to treat him 
 in their turn ; but it evidently forbids the frequent 
 costly entertainments wherewith the wealthy mutu- 
 ally treat one another, to the exclusion of the poor, 
 the wasting of their substance, and the hindering of 
 their liberality where it may be really needed ; in 
 which they are only feeding their own luxury, pride, 
 and selfishness. Such have their honour and reward 
 from one another, and it is all they shall receive for 
 the ostentatious elegance and liberal expence of 
 their table. But in opposition to tliis, our Lord 
 directs us, when we make a feast, to call or invite 
 
 Luke xif. 12, 13, 14. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 203 
 
 the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, not 
 merely to partake of the crumbs and ofi'als in com- 
 mon with the dogs, but to share of the entertainment 
 as guests. And as we can expect no returns of 
 worldly honour or reward from such, he assures us 
 that we shall be blessed, and fully recompensed at 
 the resurrection of the just. How few pay any 
 regard to this saying of Jesus, or whose feasts have 
 any connection with the future reward ! 
 
 13. " My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ the Lord of glory, with respect of per- 
 sons. For if there come unto your assembly a man 
 with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come 
 in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have re- 
 spect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and 
 say unto him. Sit thou here in a good place ; and 
 say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here un- 
 der my footstool: are ye not then partial in your- 
 selves, and are become judges of evil thoughts ? 
 Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God cho- 
 sen the poor of this w orld, rich in faith, and heirs 
 of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them 
 that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do 
 not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the 
 judgment seats ? Do not they blaspheme that wor- 
 thy name by the which ye are called ? If ye fulfil 
 the royal law according to the scripture, Thoushalt 
 love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. But if 
 ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are 
 convinced of the law as transgressors,"^ &c. 
 
 T^ p James ii. 1 — 10. 
 
204 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 That which the Apostle here forbids is respect of 
 persons, or partiality ; making a difference among 
 men on account of their outward circumstance and 
 appearance, or respecting the rich more than the 
 poor. To illustrate his purpose, he supposes two 
 persons coming into their assembly ; one with a gold 
 ring, in (Aa/xTr^a) splendid apparel ; the other a poor 
 man in vile raiment. The instance of partiality he 
 condescends upon is, their furnishing the first with a 
 seat in a good place, whilst they ordered the last to 
 stand there, or sit here under their footstool. This 
 is only a specimen of what he condemns in general ; 
 it is one of the least and most common instances of 
 partiality, and includes a prohibition of every higher 
 degree of it ; yet such an instance as this he thought 
 suflicient to convict them, and puts the question 
 upon it, " Are ye not partial in yourselves ?" He 
 shows that this respect of persons is inconsistent 
 with the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of 
 glory 'I— that it proceeds from a judgment influenced 
 and biassed by evil (^/aAoy/(r/x£.y) reasonings ■ — runs 
 counter to God's thoughts and ways in the dispen- 
 sation of his grace to men, he having chosen the 
 poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the king- 
 dom ; whereas they had despised the poor w hom 
 God had chosen, and honoured the rich,whom he had 
 for the most part rejected as oppressors of the saints, 
 and blasphemers of the name of his Son*— and that 
 it is a most flagrant transgression of that royal law, 
 which enjoins us to love our neighbour as ourselves.^ 
 
 q James ii. 1. r Vcr. 4. s Ver. 5 — 8. t Ver. 8—12. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 205 
 
 Every religion in the world but that of Jesus ad- 
 mits this respect of persons. Even national Chris- 
 tianity adopts it as a sacred article of its creed. In 
 every worldly nation pride and ambition must ever 
 have scope, and wealtli will always be attended 
 with power and influence, and be held as a founda- 
 tion of distinguished honour in itself, whatever be 
 the character of its professors. Even such profes- 
 sors as condemn respect of persons in the gross, 
 admit it in detail, and think it their bounden duty to 
 make such a difference between the rich and the 
 poor as the Apostle here condemns. They figure 
 to themselves what an appearance impartiality car- 
 ried this length would have in the world ; and by 
 this rule of judging they reject it at once as altoge- 
 ther ridiculous, rude, and absurd. 
 
 Commentators have also endeavoured to explain 
 away the sense of this passage. They tell us, the 
 {(Tvvaiyuyy)) assembly here spoken of, is the Jewish sy- 
 nagogue, which was used for civil and ecclesias- 
 tical judicature, as well as for religious worship ; 
 and that as the footstool Judges, a.nd judgment-seats, 
 are also mentioned, so the respect of persons for- 
 bidden must be a partial decision in favour of the 
 rich in judicial proceedings, which is also forbid- 
 den in the law." But it is evident that the Apostle 
 addresses his Christian brethren who had the faith 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ ;^ and calls this assembly 
 your synagogue, which must therefore be a Christian 
 assembly.^ The scripture never mentions afoot- 
 
 u Lev. xix. 15. x James ii.l. y Ver. 2. 
 
20G Christ's commission 
 
 stool with any reference to a court of judicature. 
 The Apostle speaks not of judges by office, but of 
 any of the brethren who might be guilty of partiali- 
 ty ; such, he says, were become judges of evil 
 thoughts or reasonings/ As to ihe judgment-seats, 
 these did not belong to Christians ; for they had 
 then no civil authority. It was before tlie Jewish 
 and heathen tribunals that the rich oppressors of 
 the saints, and blasphemers of the name of Jesus, 
 dragged the Christians, and not before their bre- 
 thren.^ The rich and the poor men are not here 
 supposed impleading one another, or demanding 
 judgment upon any cause between them ; but sim- 
 ply coming in to their assembly, without the least 
 hint of their having any concern with each other. 
 Nor is it supposed that Siny judicial sentence or de- 
 termination was given upon that occasion, but only 
 a piece of respect paid to the rich man in preference 
 to the poor with regard to a seat. In short, there 
 is nothing in the whole passage that has the least 
 appearance of a judicial proceeding. 
 
 But it will be objected, that we are exhorted to 
 gire honour to whom honour is due.^ This is freely 
 granted ; but the question is. To whom, and on what 
 account, is honour due ? All the honour due to men, 
 according to the scripture, is on account of some 
 faint resemblance which they bear to God, who is the 
 perfect standard and sum of all excellence, and to 
 whom every just honour given to the creature ulti- 
 mately refers. Were this principle admitted and 
 properly understood, it might serve to adjust all our 
 
 z J;iuies ii. i. a Vcr. 6, 7. b Rom. \iii, 7. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLFS. 207 
 
 ideas as to the foundation of honour, and enable us 
 to judge of the justice of men's various claims and 
 pretensions to it. Let us see if we can trace this prin- 
 ciple in all the scripture injunctions to honour men. 
 We are commanded to honour kings, (jovemors, 
 and magistrates,'^ because they are ordained of God 
 as his ministers for the punishment of evil doers, and 
 the praise of them that do well. In their office they 
 exhibit a faint image of God's dominion and rule, 
 and ought to be sul)jected to and honoured, not for 
 wrath but conscience sake. — Servants are to " count 
 their own masters vsoxihy of all honour -j"*^ because 
 masters, in their power and authority over their ser- 
 vants, bear some resemblance of God, who says, 
 *' If I be a master, where is my fear?"® Christ is 
 the master of Christians; therefore the honour and 
 obedience which they give to their masters accord- 
 ing to the flesh ought to have areference to him.^ — 
 Honour is due to parents from their children ;^ for, 
 as parents, they are a lively image of God, who is 
 the father of his people, and claims the honour due 
 to that relation : " If I then be a father, where is 
 mine honour?"^ — Wives are to be subject to and 
 reverence their oicn hushands ;' because their hus- 
 bands, in relation to them, are a representation of 
 Christ as head of his church. — Pastors are to be held 
 (eyVay) in honour, and esteemed very highly in love 
 for their works sake.*^ The ground of this is the re- 
 semblance they bear in their work and office to Jesus 
 
 cRoin. xiii 1— 8. I Pet. ii. 13— 18. d 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2. e ^ral. i. 6. 
 f Eph. vi. 5. Col. iii. '■^■l—25. <- Eph. vi. 1. 2. h Mai. i. 6. 
 
 i Eph. V. '^2, 23, 24, So. k Philip, ii. 2y. 1 Thess. v. 12. 13. 
 
208 Christ's commission 
 
 Christ the chief Shepherd and Bishop of souls. ^— 
 Benefactors, or men eminently useful in the good 
 works of liberality and mercy, are worthy of honour, 
 which is according^ly promised them ;"* because in 
 these they imitate God, who is good to all, and his 
 tender mercies are over all his works." — Christians 
 are exhorted with brotherly love and honour to pre- 
 fer one another, and " in lowliness of mind to es- 
 teem others better than themselves."" This mutual 
 honour is due from the rich as well as poor; is the 
 effect of humility and love ; and the foundation of 
 it is their honourable relation to God and conformity 
 to his Son. Lastly, we are commanded to " honour 
 all men"^ If this means any thing more than what 
 has been already mentioned, it must have a respect 
 to human nature, wherein all are upon a level; and 
 the foundation of this honour must be, that " men 
 are made after the similitude of God."'^ This calls 
 for a benevolent, humble, and respectful carriage 
 tow^ards mankind in general ; as they are possessed 
 of a nature capable of immortal honour, and as God 
 hath regarded men to such a degree as to give his 
 Son to die for the lowest and vilest of them. 
 
 It appears, therefore, from scripture, that there is 
 a special honour due to rulers, relations, benefac- 
 tors, and Christian brethren, and also a common ho- 
 nour due to all men ; and that the foundation of this 
 honour is some similitude or resemblance which 
 they bear to God. Now if these comprised all the 
 
 1 Heb. xiii. 20. 1 Pet. ii 25. and v, -1. m Psal cxii. 9 Pror. 
 
 x>.:. il. n Psal. cxiv. 0. o Rora. xii. 10. Philip, ii. :?. 
 
 p 1 Pet. ii. ir. q James, iii. 9. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 209 
 
 classes of men to which distinguished honour is due 
 by the law of Christ, and if the only just foundation 
 of it be some imitation or resemblance of God ; then 
 every pretension to distingiiislicd honour upon other 
 grounds must be the claim of vanity and ambition, 
 which Christians ought not to gratify either in them- 
 selves or others. 
 
 The scripture calls us to honour no man on ac- 
 count of his wealth. The New Testament treats 
 riches with contempt ; calls them the unrighteous 
 mammon and filthy lucre ; forbids Christians to lay 
 them up ; shows at large their evil and dangerous 
 influence, and how hard it is for those that possess 
 them to enter uito the kingdom of heaven. They can- 
 not therefore be a foundation of honour among Chris- 
 tians. True, indeed, the man who does not trust ir 
 them, or value himself upon them, who enjoys then 
 with temperance, moderation, and a humble mind 
 and distributes them liberally to the needy, is trul} 
 honourable : but the ground of honour in this rare 
 case is not the j^ossiession, but proper use of riches, 
 or the character of the possessor. 
 
 Nor are we commanded to honour any on account 
 of their gay clothing or splendid apparel, which is 
 one of the ingredients of the pride of life. The Lord 
 ascribes the gaudy ornaments of the daughters of 
 Zion to their pride and wantonness •/ and the apos- 
 tles absolutely forbid Christian women, of whatever 
 station, to wear broidered or plaited hair, or gold, 
 or pearls, or costly aiTay ; under which particulars 
 
 r Isa. iii. 16—24. 
 
210 Christ's commission 
 
 all other costly and gaudy fineries are prohibited. 
 In opposition to which, they not only recommended 
 the inward adorning of the hidden man of the heart, 
 but also another kind of outward dress answerable 
 to it, viz. modest apparel.^ It would therefore be 
 very inconsistent in Christians to respect others on 
 account of that which they are prohibited them- 
 selves, and which is the undoubted effect of pride 
 and vanity. So that from the whole it is evident, 
 that no particular honour was due to the rich man 
 mentioned by James ; and that the preference they 
 gave him to the poor man on account of his riches, 
 gold ring, and splendid apparel, was a criminal 
 respect of persons, unbecoming their holy profes- 
 sion, and which showed that their own minds were 
 too much under the influence of worldly things. 
 
 Thus I have given a specimen of some of Christ's 
 remarkable sayings, which clearly demonstrate that 
 his kingdom is not of this world ; for the peculiar 
 laws of this kingdom contain a perfect system of 
 non- conformity to the world in the most of its sage 
 and approved maxims, and in all its favourite lusts 
 and pursuits. The New Testament every where op- 
 poses the religion of Jesus Christ to this present 
 evil world, even in its most decent and creditable 
 appearances. It declares, " that which is highly 
 esteemed among men, is an abomination in tlie sight 
 of God;"' that '' if any man love the world, or the 
 things that are in the world, the love of the Father 
 is not in him;"" that " the friendship of the world 
 
 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10. 1 Pet. iii. 3, 4. t Luke nvi. 15. u 1 John ii. 15 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 211 
 
 is enmity with God," so that " whosoever will be a 
 friend of the world is the enemy of God."'' There- 
 fore Christians are exhorted not to be conformed to 
 this world, but to be transformed by the renewing 
 of their mind, that they may prove what is that good, 
 and acceptable, and perfect will of God.^ The dis- 
 tinguishing precepts of Christ are not intended for 
 the world, but for his o\vn peculiar people, who are 
 not of the world, but strangers and pilgrims in it, 
 chosen out of it, and redeemed from it ; and there- 
 fore they cannot be accommodated to national esta- 
 ])lishments, interpreted by the rules of human pru- 
 dence, or reconciled with the pursuit of worldly 
 pleasures, honours, or interest, without being either 
 explained away or greatly corrupted. Their most 
 simple and obvious sense best agrees with their lead- 
 ing design, which is to direct Christians in their con- 
 formity to Christ in this world, that they may par- 
 take of his glory when he appears. The character 
 of Jesus Christ, which is drawn by the four Evan- 
 gelists, and so often referred to in the apostolic wri- 
 tings, is the best comment upon his sayings. In 
 his life he set an example of what he taught his dis- 
 ciples, leaving it for their imitation ; and therefore 
 every gloss upon his words, which does not accord 
 with his example, must undoubtedly be false. 
 
 To sum up and conclude this part of the subject, 
 I shall add a few ol)servations upon that short but 
 comprehensive summary of Christian duty given by 
 the apostle Paul in his epistle to Titus : " For the 
 
 X James iv. 4. y Rom. \ij. 2. 
 
212 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared 
 to all men ; teaching us, that denying ungodliness 
 and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righte- 
 ously, and godly in this present world ; looking for 
 that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the 
 great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ : Who 
 gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from 
 all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar peo- 
 ple, zealous of good works. "^ 
 
 " The grace of God that bringeth salvation," is 
 his free favour and sovereign mercy in saving guilty 
 sinners through the death and resurrection of Je- 
 sus Christ, and which is published to all sorts of men 
 by the gospel. This is mentioned first as the found- 
 ation of all that follows ; for till a man believes the 
 grace of God as revealed in the gospel, he is desti- 
 tute of the proper principles of gospel-obedience ; 
 and Christ's sayings will appear to him unreason- 
 able, grievous, and many of them utterly impractica- 
 ble. But when once he is made to know and believe 
 the grace of God which bringeth salvation, it fur- 
 nishes him with new principles and motives which 
 excite to obedience, give strength for it, make it de- 
 lightful, and in a manner unavoidable, nay, con- 
 strain to it. This grace of God teacheth us, 
 
 1. To deny ungodliness ; i. e. to renounce and ut- 
 terly forsake all infidelity, idolatry, impiety, profa- 
 nity and superstition, either in principle, disposition, 
 or practice, and every thing which is opposite to the 
 belief, acknowledgement, love, fear, and service of 
 
 2 Tit. ii. 11—15. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES 213 
 
 the one true God, or to the purity of his institutions 
 and worship. It tcacheth, 
 
 2. To deny icorldly lusts ; i. e. to subdue and mor- 
 tify all inordinate affections and irregular desires 
 after the enjoyments of this world ; such as—" the 
 lust of the flesh," or the love of sensual pleasures — 
 " the lust of the eyes," or the love of riches — and 
 " the pride of life," or ambition for worldly honour, 
 fame, pomp, and pre-eminence ; together with all 
 those impious and malignant dispositions and pas- 
 sions which arise from disappointments and inter- 
 ferences in the gratification of these lusts ; such as 
 discontent and murmuring against God, and envy, 
 hatred, wrath, strife, resentment, &c. against men, 
 with all their practical effects. 
 
 But this grace of God teacheth not only the ne- 
 gative part of duty, or what we are to avoid, but 
 also what we are to practise : not merely to " abhor 
 that which is evil," but to " cleave to that which is 
 good."^ It teacheth us, 
 
 1. To live soberly, in the due government of our 
 appetites, passions, and affections respecting the 
 things of this world. Not only to subdue every sin- 
 /w/ inclination and disposition, but also to moderate 
 such as are in a certain degree lawful ; that so our 
 desires and aversions, our joys and griefs, our hopes 
 and fears, may never be disproportioned to the na- 
 ture, importance and end of their objects, or be- 
 come sinful through excess. And as the effect of 
 this, to be moderate in the use of lawful enjoyments ; 
 
 a Rom. xii. 9. 
 
214 Christ's commission 
 
 that so we raay not by them be unfitted for the Chris- 
 tian race and warfare, but be sober and vigilant, 
 and, like those who strive for the mastery, to be 
 temperate in all things, keeping under our body, and 
 bringing it into subjection;^ letting our moderation 
 be so conspicuous as to be known unto all men, 
 under the constant conviction that the Lord is at 
 hand.^ This sobriety is described by the Apostle 
 in the most emphatic language ; " But this I say, 
 brethren, the time is short. It remaineth that both 
 they that have wives, be as though they had none ; 
 and they that weep, as though they wept not ; and 
 they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not ; and 
 they that buy, as though they possessed not ; and 
 they that use this world, as not abusing it ; for the 
 fashion of this world passeth away."'^ Again, the 
 grace of God teacheth us, 
 
 2. To live righteously in all our transactions with, 
 or conduct towards men : To do no manner of in- 
 jury, by word or deed, to any person, either in his 
 character, person, or property, much less in his 
 spiritual concerns ; but, on the contrary, to be true 
 in our words, exact in performing our promises, 
 just and honest in all our dealings, and faithful to 
 
 our trust. 
 The word (^/xai^O rendered righteousli/, sometimes 
 
 signifies benevolently, which sense it likewise re- 
 quires in this place, where it is expressive of the 
 whole of our duty to our neighbour ; for the law en- 
 joins us to love our neighbour as ourselves. Upon 
 
 b 1 Cor. Jx. 25, 27. c Philip, iv. 5. d 1 Cor. vii. 29, 30, 31. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 215 
 
 which principle our Lord establishes the following 
 rule of conduct : " Therefore all thini^s wheitsoever 
 ye would that men should do to you, do yc even 
 so to them ; for this is the law and the prophets."* 
 By tliis rule we are as it were to exchange condi- 
 tions with our neighbour, then consult our own 
 breast what we would have him to do to us in that 
 situation ; and, having formed a reasonable wish 
 for ourselves, to make that the rule of our conduct 
 towards him. This is a short, plain, comprehensive 
 rule, full of reason, self-evidence, and conviction ; 
 and it is a rule not merely of strict justice, but also 
 of good-will, kindness, and beneficence ; for in this 
 manner we wish others to act towards ourselves. 
 To live righteoushj, therefore, imports, that we 
 should abound in all the offices of justice and hu- 
 manity towards men, bearing them an unfeigned 
 good-will, and having a sincere concern for their 
 good, so as to rejoice in their prosperity, and be 
 ready to promote it ; to sympathize mth them in 
 adversity and affliction, and, according to our abi- 
 lity, to supply their wants, relieve their distresses, 
 and contribute to their ease and comfort, both with 
 regard to body and mind ; to exercise patience and 
 long-suflfering toward them, bearing with their in- 
 firmities, and even putting up with injuries from 
 tJiem, without retaliation or resentment, &c. &c. 
 
 To live righteously includes also the faithful and 
 conscientious performance of all relative duties ; a 
 ievf of which I shall just mention in scripture lan- 
 guage. 
 
 e Mat. vii. 12. 
 
216 Christ's commission 
 
 (1.) The duties of ChYistism subjects to their civil 
 rulers. " Let every soul be subject unto the higher 
 powers ; for there is no power but of God : the 
 powers that be are ordained of God— for the pu- 
 nishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them 
 that do well. — Wherefore we must needs be sub- 
 ject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience 
 sake. For, for this cause pay you tribute also ; 
 for they are God s ministers attending continually 
 upon this very thing. . Render therefore to all their 
 dues ; tribute, to whom tribute is due ; custom, to 
 whom custom ; fear, to whom fear ; honour, to 
 whom honour. — I exhort therefore, that, first of all, 
 prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be 
 made — for kings, and for all that are in authority, 
 that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all 
 godliness and honesty."^ * 
 
 (2.) The mutual duties of husbands and wives. 
 " Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands 
 as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of 
 
 * The New Testament Avas not written to direct the political affairs of 
 the nations of this world. It gives no instructions Iiow to model their 
 constitution, nor determine which is the best form of government. It 
 stands clear of all discussions about the rights of princes and subjects, 
 and leaves such things to be decided by the principles of natural equity, 
 or the opinion of communities as to what is most conducive to the general 
 good. Nor does it prescribe to kings the dulies which they owe their 
 subjects, though these are clearly deducible from the description it gives 
 of the nature and ends of their office. But it enjoins Christians every 
 where to be subject to the existing powers in all civil matters consistent 
 with their duty to God, and rather to sufier patiently for a good consci- 
 ence than in any case to resist them by force. 
 
 f Rom. xiii. 1,5, 6,7. 1 Pet. ii. IT., 14. 1 Tim. li 1, i. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES 217 
 
 the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church : 
 and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as 
 the church is subject unto Christ, so let the >vives 
 be to their own husbands in every thing. — Teach* 
 the young women to be sober, to love their hus- 
 bands, to love their children ; to be discreet, chaste, 
 keepers at home, good, obedient to their own 
 husbands, that the word of God be not blas- 
 phemed. — AVhose adorning — let it be the hidden 
 man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, 
 even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 
 which is in the sight of God of great price. For 
 after this marmer in the old time, the holy women 
 also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, be- 
 ing in subjection unto their own husbands ; even 
 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord.'— 
 *' Let not the wife depart from her husband; but, 
 and if she depart, let her remain umnarried, or be 
 reconciled to her husband."^ On the other hand, 
 it is enjoined, " Husbands, love your w ives, even as 
 Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for 
 it. — So ought men to love their wives as their own 
 bodies : he thatloveth his wife loveth himself. For 
 no man ever yet hated his own flesh ; but nourish- 
 eth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. 
 —Let every one of you in particular so love his 
 wife even as himself.— Be not bitter against them 
 — dwell w ith them according to knowledge, giv- 
 ing honour unto the wife as unto the weaker 
 vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of 
 
 g Epb. T. 22, 23, 24, 53. Tit. ii. 4, 5. 1 Pet. iii. 1—7. 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. 
 
21S Christ's commission 
 
 life, that your prayers be not hindered — and let not 
 the husband put away his wife."'^ 
 I (3.) The duties oi parents and children. " Children 
 
 , obey your parents in the Lord ; for this is right — 
 
 / well-pleasing unto the Lord. Honour thy father 
 
 and mother (which is the first commandment with 
 promise,) that it may be well with thee, and that 
 thou mayest live long on the earth. — Let them 
 learn to show piety at home, and to requite their 
 parents ; for that is good and acceptable before 
 God."^ And to parents it is said, <* And ye fathers, 
 provoke not your children to wrath, lest they be 
 discouraged ; but bring them up in the nurture and 
 admonition of Ihe Lord/'^ 
 ^ (4.) The mutual duties of masters and servants, 
 " Servants be obedient to them that are your masters 
 according to the flesh — not only to the good and 
 gentle, but also to the froward — with fear and 
 trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto 
 Christ : not with eye-service ; as men-pleasers, but 
 as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God 
 from the heart; with good- will doing service as to 
 the Lord, 2ind not to men : knowing that of the 
 Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance ; 
 for ye serve the Lord Christ. — Let as many servants 
 as are under the yoke, count their own masters 
 worthy of all honour — please them well in all 
 things ; not answering again ; not pmloining, but 
 shewing all good fidelity ; that they may adorn the 
 doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. And 
 
 h Eph V. 25, 28, 29. S.^ Col. ili. 19. 1 IVt. iii. 7. 1 Cor. vii. li. 
 i \L\A\. vi. 1, 2, 5. Col. iii. 20. k Ei)li. vi. ^. Col. iii. 21. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 219 
 
 they that have believing masters, let llicm not de- 
 spise tliera because they are brethren ; but rather 
 do them service, because they are faithful and be- 
 loved, partakers of the benefit."^ The exhortation 
 to masters is, " And ye masters, do the same things 
 unto them ; — give unto your servants that which is 
 just and equal — forbearing threatening ; knowing 
 that your Master also is in heaven ; neither is there 
 respect of persons with him.""^ 
 
 3. Lastly, the grace of God teacheth us to live 
 godly. This includes the whole of the duty we owe 
 more immediately to God, and supposeth — (1.) A 
 firm belief of his being and perfections as manifested 
 in creation and providence,but especially in the work 
 of redemption by Jesus Christ ; for it is a life influ- 
 enced by the grace of God that bringeth salvation, 
 and so must be a life of faith in the Son of God, in 
 whom this grace is displayed, and through whose me- 
 diation it issues forth to the guilty." — (2.) It imports 
 a supreme love to God as manifested in Christ ; re- 
 verencing and admiring, confiding and rejoicing in 
 his wisdom, power, justice, holiness, faithfulness, 
 amazing love, and sovereign rich grace ; esteeming 
 him as our chief and all-sufficient good, and the only 
 proper object of our happiness ; preferring the enjoy- 
 ment of his favour to all the pleasures, riches, and 
 honours of this world, and even to life itself ;° and 
 consequently dreaduig his displeasure,and hating sin 
 
 1 Epb. vi. 5—9. Col. iii. 22— '25. 1 Pet. ii. 18. 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2. 
 Tit. ii. 9, 10. m Eph. vi. 9. Col. iv. 1. n Hcb. xi.6. Gal ii. tO 
 o Mat. xiii. 57. Tsalm i\. 10. Ixxiii. 25, 26- and Ixiii. '6. 
 
220 Christ's commission 
 
 the cause of it, above all temporal evils. p-— (3.) A 
 cheerful, constant, and sincere obedience to all his 
 commandments, esteeming them concerning all 
 things to be right."* — Delighting in the public and pri- 
 vate exercises of his worship f such as, attending his 
 word and ordinances ; addressing him in praise and 
 adoration of his excellencies, in humble acknow- 
 ledgments of our guilt and unworthiness, in earnest 
 petitions for his mercy, and the supply of our mani- 
 fold wants, in grateful returns of thanksgiving for 
 all his benefits, and all in the name of our Lord Je- 
 sus Christ, confiding in his merits and mediation for 
 acceptance.*— Performing all the duties of sobriety 
 and righteousness after a godly sort, under the influ- 
 ence of his fear, authority, and grace ; and even 
 every the most common and natural action of life, 
 whether we eat, or drink, or whatsoever we do, do- 
 ing all to the glory of God.' — (4.) A hearty asquies- 
 cence in all the dispensations of his providence, whe- 
 ther prosperous or afflicting ; fully persuaded that our 
 most minute concerns are under his holy, wise, and 
 gracious management. Content wdth the situation 
 in which he hath placed us, and the portion he 
 hath allotted us of the things of this life." Patient, 
 humble, and submissive under his chastisements, 
 neither despising them, nor fainting when rebuked 
 of him.'' Casting all our care upon him, and resign- 
 
 
 P 
 
 Mat. 
 
 X. 'i8. 
 
 I Pet. 
 
 ili, 
 
 . 1 J, 
 
 15. 
 
 
 
 q Psalin cxix 
 
 .6. 1-27, 
 
 V28. 
 
 1 jo 
 
 lii) ii. 
 
 4. and v. 3. 
 
 
 
 
 r 
 
 Psalm 
 
 Iwxiv. 
 
 1— j. 
 
 Acts ii 
 
 .4.'. 
 
 5 
 
 Hi 
 
 l>l). X. 
 
 19—2:?. 
 
 and ,\ 
 
 iil 
 
 l.«), 
 
 16. 
 
 
 1 Jol 
 
 Iin V. 14, 
 
 15. 
 
 Col.iii 
 
 . 17. 
 
 t 
 
 1 ( 
 
 Jor. X 
 
 .51. 
 
 11 
 
 PI 
 
 lilip, 
 
 , iv. 
 
 11 
 
 . He' 
 
 b. xiii. 5. 
 
 
 X 1 Pet. 
 
 \- 
 
 .6. 
 
 Ho 
 
 1). xii. 5 
 
 -n. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 221" 
 
 in^ ourselves and all oiir concerninents to his dispo- 
 sal ;>" knowing that under his direction all things shall 
 work together for, and finally issue in, our good.^ 
 
 The Apostle next takes notice of the gospel princi- 
 ples or motives which influence the Christian obedi- 
 ence. — 1. Tlie first he mentions is, " that blessed 
 hope;" i. e. the hope of the heavenly inheritance,* 
 the hope which is laid up for them in heaven, the 
 hope of glory.'' This is the grace which is to be 
 brought unto them at the revelation of Jesus Christ;*^ 
 and so is connected here with his *' glorious appear- 
 ing ;" for he hath promised to come again, and re- 
 ceive his people to himself, that where he is there 
 they may be also.'^ True Christians, therefore, are 
 described as waiting for the Son of G od from heaven, 
 looking for him, and loving his appearing.® Now 
 it is in " looking for," or earnestly desiring and ex- 
 pecting, " that blessed hope," that they are influ- 
 enced to give up with every thing that comes in com- 
 petition with it ; " to deny ungodliness and worldly 
 lusts" — " not fashioning themselves according to 
 the former lusts in their ignorance"^ — " that they 
 may have confidence, and not be ashamed before 
 him at his coming f^ but '^ be found of him in 
 peace, without spot, and blameless."*^ It is the 
 joyful expectation of this blessed hope that supports 
 them under the various trials and afiiictions of this 
 life •/ and it is this which powerfully engages them 
 
 V 1 Pet V. 7. Philip, iv. 6, 7. 1 Pet. iv. 19. z Rom. viii. 28. 
 
 a i Pet. i. 3 --6. b Col. i. 5, 27. c 1 Pet. i. 13. d John 
 
 \iv. 3. e IThess. i. 10. Heb. ix. 28. 2 Tim. iv. 8. f 1 Pet. i. t4. 
 g; 1 John ii. 28. h 2 Pet. iii. 14. i Rom. viii. 17, 18. 1 Pet. i. 6, 7. 
 
222 Christ's commission 
 
 to " live soberly, righteously, and godly in this pre- 
 sent world" — " to be holy in all manner of conver- 
 sation, as he who hath called them is holy''" — 
 " to be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in 
 the work of the Lord, forasmuch as they know 
 that their labour is not in vain in the Lord."^ Thus 
 they walk by faith, and not by sight, while they look 
 not at the things which are seen and temporal, but 
 at the things which are not seen and eternal. "" — 
 2. Another influencing principle of the Christian life 
 is, that " the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ 
 gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from 
 all iniquity." Christ's giving himself for us is the 
 highest expression of divine love and condescension 
 that possibly can be conceived,"and indeed it passeth 
 knowledge f it must therefore have the strongest 
 influence upon those who believe it to produce love 
 and obedience. The Apostle felt its influence in this 
 respect to be in a manner irresistible. He spoke from 
 experience when he said, " The love of Christ con- 
 straineth us, because we thus judge, that if one 
 died for all, then all have died ; and that he died 
 for all, that they who live should not henceforth 
 live unto themselves, but unto him who died for 
 them, and rose again. "^ It made him renounce 
 his own righteousness, with the pleasures, riches,and 
 honours of this life, and cheerfully sustain the hatred 
 of the world for Christ's sake : " God forbid (says 
 he) that I should glory, save in the cross of our 
 
 k 1 Pet. i. 15, 16- 1 1 Cor. xv. 58. m <2 Cor iv. 18. and v. 7. n Rom. 
 V. 8. 1 John iii. 16. and iv. 9. o llpli. iii. ly. p ii Cor. v. 11, j.>. 
 
TO IJIS APOSTLES. 223 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified 
 unto me, and I unto the world."** Again, Christ's 
 giving himself for us, is the procuring cause of all 
 spiritual and eternal blessings/ and also the highest 
 evidence that they shall be conferred upon all for 
 whom he died ; for if God *' spared not his own Son, 
 but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not 
 with him also freely give us all things ?"^ There- 
 fore, all the motives to love and obedience arising 
 from these blessings, must refer immediately to the 
 death of Christ, and derive their power from it. In 
 this connection they appear in the most con\4ncing, 
 important, and afiecting point of view% and so must 
 have the strongest influence upon the heart and life. 
 — 3. Lastly, believers are also influenced to live 
 soberly, righteously, and godly in this present 
 world, from the consideration that such a life is one 
 of the great ends of Christ's death ; for he " gave 
 himself for us," not only " that he might redeem us 
 from all iniquity," in respect of the guilt and pun- 
 ishment of sin, but that he might also free us from 
 its pollution and servitude, " and purify unto him- 
 self a peculiar people, zealous of good works." 
 Christians look upon themselves as not their own, 
 but bought with the price of Christ's precious blood, 
 and bought for this end, that they may be his pecu- 
 liar property, and consecrated to his service ; and 
 therefore find themselves under the strongest obli- 
 gations both from gratitude and justice to live unto 
 him that died for them ; and to glorify God in their 
 
 (\ Gal. vi. 14. r Eph. i. 7, Gal. iv. 5. Ileb. i\. 15. s Rom. vin.3%. 
 
224 Christ's commission 
 
 body, and in their spirit, which are God's.* In point 
 of interest too they see the necessity of holiness 
 and good works, as they know that without them 
 no man shall see the Lord," or stand with accept- 
 ance before the judgment-seat of Christ.^ 
 
 These principles of the Christian obedience distin- 
 guish it from mere morality, which proceeds from 
 motives of worldly case and conveniency— from 
 Deism, which acknowledges only the God of nature 
 as discovered by reason or inward feelings — from 
 Judaism which was laid in the constitution of a 
 nation of this world, and was a service in the old- 
 ness of the letter— and from every corruption of 
 Christianity, whereby it is accommodated either to 
 the religious pride or worldly lusts of men. 
 
 Having taken a view of some of Christ's com- 
 mandments to his disciples as individuals, and in 
 relation to their conversation in the world at large, 
 I shall now proceed to mention some others which 
 they are to observe in their united capacity, and in 
 a state of separation from the world. But it will be 
 proper, in the first place, to explain a little the 
 nature and ends of that separation. 
 
 Of the visible separation of Christians from the 
 World, 
 
 By separation from the world, I do not mean that 
 they should withdraw from human society, or shut 
 tliemselves up like monks or hermits, which would be 
 
 t 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. n Hcb. xii. 14. x 2 Cor. t. 9, 10. Mat. xxv. SI— 46. 
 
ro HIS APOSTLES. 225 
 
 to render themselves useless in the world . Our Lord 
 and his apostles kept up a free and open converse 
 with mankind ; and Paul admits that believers can- 
 not altogether avoid keeping company with the for- 
 nicators, the covetous, the extortioners, and idolaters 
 of this world, without going out of the world. ^ 
 Christians are members of civil society, and ought 
 to be useful and exemplary in the discharge of the 
 duties which belong to their different stations and 
 relations therein ; shining as lights in the world, and 
 adorning the doctrine of their Lord and Saviour in 
 all things. But the separation from the world which 
 the word of God enjoins Christians, is to break off 
 all religious connection and fellowship with such as 
 do not appear to be real believers in Christ, and 
 subject to his authority. 
 
 AVhen God chose ancient Israel to be a peculiar 
 people to himself, he separated them from all othei 
 people in the world,^ and strictly prohibited then 
 from intermarrying, or having any intercommunit;y 
 of worship with the nations.^ It was only in this 
 separated situation that they could observe his ordi- 
 nances, or enjoy his special presence and promised 
 residence among them in his tabernacle and sanctu- 
 ary.^ And as all their defections tended to throw 
 down this distinction and mix them with the hea- 
 then ; so in all their reformations they were called to 
 come out from among them, and to separate them- 
 selves from all strangers unto the law of God.® But 
 
 a 1 Cor. V. 9, 10. b Deat. xiv. 2. 1 Kings viii. 53 
 
 c Deut. vii. 1—7. d Lev. xwi. 11, 12. Ezek. xxxvii. 26, '27, 28. 
 
 elsa.lii.ll. Ezraiv.aiidx.il. Neh. ix. 2. x. 28. and xiii 3. 
 
226 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 this separation was only a temporary partition-wall 
 between Jews and Gentiles/ and a figure of the 
 true separation of Christ's people from the world 
 which was to take place under the gospel ; for to this 
 the apostle Paul applies it in the following words. 
 " Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbe- 
 lievers : for what fellowship hath righteousness 
 with unrighteousness ? and what communion hath 
 light with darkness ? and what concord hath Christ 
 with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth 
 with an infidel ? and what agreement hath the tem- 
 ple of God with idols ? for ye are the temple of the 
 living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in 
 them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, 
 and they shall be my people. Wherefore come 
 out from among them, and be ye separate, saith 
 the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and 
 I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, 
 and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the 
 Lord Almighty."^ Here Christians are absolutely 
 ^orbid to be unequally yoked together in religious 
 fellowship with unbelievers ;* alluding to the pro- 
 
 • Many explain this prohibition of the yoke of marriage with 
 unbelievers, though they pay no regard to it even in that view. But 
 the Apostle had wrote to the Corinthians before, " if any brother hath 
 a wife th;it believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let 
 him not put her away," 1 Cor. vii. 12, 1.3. and therolbre cannot in this 
 place be calling them to come out from, or .separate themsches from 
 their unbelieving wives. Nor is he forbidding all civil intercourse with 
 unbelievers ; " for then (says he) must yc needs go out of the woild," 
 1 Cor. V. 10. This prohil)ition therefore must respect cliurch-commu- 
 
 f Eph. ii. 1", 14. g'2 Cor. vi. 14. Ki, 16, 17, 18. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 227 
 
 hibition in the law of yoking an ox and an ass toge- 
 ther.'' The monstrous incongruity and unsuitable- 
 nessof such promiscuous fellowship is set forth by a 
 variety of striking contrasts ; such as that of righte- 
 ousness ^vith unrighteousness, light with darkness. 
 
 nion, wlierein be that belleveth hath fio part with an iufidel, nor the 
 temple of God any agreement with idols. It is such a yoking together 
 as straitened the Corinthians in their own bowels, and which they are 
 directed to give up tliat they may be enlarged in Christian affection, 
 and so must be an exhortation of the same import with that in 1 Cor. 
 V. 7. 
 
 Yet they err on the other hand who atlirm, that the Christian 
 separation has nothing to do with marriage ; for ever since God se- 
 parated a people to himself, there appears to have been a restriction 
 in that matter.-i-Iiefore the flood, the church of God seems to havu 
 been confined to the posterity of Seth, who are said to *' call upon 
 the name of the Lord," Gen. iv. ii6. and are termed the " sous of 
 God," chap. vi. 2, 4. These highly transgressed by taking them 
 wives of " the daughters of men," or of the ungodly race of Caiu ; and 
 the universal corruption introduced by this sinful connection, seems 
 to have been the principal cause of the flood, chap. vi. 2—8. When 
 God separated Israel to be a holy people to himself, he strictly forbad 
 them to intermarry with the idolatrous Gentiles, lest they should turn 
 tJiem aside from the Lord, Deut. vii. 3, 4. aud those who transgressed 
 this law were obliged to put away their heathen wives, together with 
 their issue, Ezra, ix —Under the gospel this law of separation is in 
 part altered. Converts to Ciuistianity already married to unbeliever^, 
 are not to put them away if they are pleased to dwell with them, neither 
 are the children illegitimate as by the law of Moses, 1 Cor. vii. 1:2 — 15. 
 But then, believers who are yet to marry are laid under this restriction, 
 that they marry " only in the Lord," ver. 39. i. e. only such as 
 appear to be in the Lord, or Christians ; even as to receive or salute 
 persons in the Lord, is to receive or salute them as Christian brethren 
 or sisters, Rom. xvi. 2, 11, 22. Phileni. ver, 16. Paul asserts his power 
 to lead about a wife, but he mentious only a sister, 1 Cor. ix. 5. The 
 
 h Deut. xxii. 10. 
 
228 Christ's commission 
 
 Christ with Belial, and the temple of God with idols. 
 Believers are here declared to be the temple of the 
 living- God, wherein, he says, he will dwell and walk, 
 and be their God, and they his people. From these 
 considerations, the Lord most solemnly calls them 
 to give up all religious communion with mibelievers; 
 to come out from among them, and be separated, 
 and not to touch the unclean thing, or meddle in the 
 least degree with any of the defiling abominations of 
 infidels. And he encourages them to this separation 
 by great and precious promises, which are more 
 than sufficient to counterbalance all the worldly 
 disadvantages which attend it, even though they 
 should be cast off and disowned by their nearest 
 relations ; for, " saith the Lord Almighty, I will 
 receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and 
 ye shall be my sons and daughters/* 
 
 Christians are called to separate themselves not 
 only from heathen idolaters, but from all unbelievers 
 of every denomination. The Jewish church was of 
 divine institution, and the members of it God's pecu- 
 
 New Testament exhortations to the mutual duties of husbands and 
 Avives, suppose l)oth parties to be believers ; for they are enforced 
 by the example of Christ and his church, Eph. v. t^2 — 33. and by 
 their state, " as bcinj^ heirs together of the grace of life," and " that 
 their prayers be not hindered," 1 Pet. iii. 7. Without this they 
 cannot be supposed to concur in " bringing up their children in the 
 nurture and adtnonitioii of the Lord," as directed, Eph. vi. 4. I shall 
 only observe farther, that such a near connection with unbelievers mast 
 be attended with snares to a Christian, tending to turn him aside from 
 his profession ; the word of God supposes this, and even Solomon the 
 Wise was unable to resist them, 1 Kiugs xi. 1 — 9. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 229 
 
 liar people ; but when they rejected the Messiali, 
 Peter calls the convicted Jews to " save themselves 
 from that untoward generation ;" this they immedi- 
 ately obeyed by gladly receiving his word, sepa- 
 rating from the Jewish communion, and joining 
 themselves unto the disciples/ In the Jewish sy- 
 nagogue at Ephesus, when Paul saw that " divers 
 were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of 
 that way before the multitude, he departed from 
 them, and separated the disciples."^ 
 
 But this is not all ; they are called to separate not 
 merely from professed unbelievers, but also from 
 all false professors of Christianity ; from all who 
 do not appear to be really of the truth, hearing 
 Christ's voice. Paul forewarning Timothy of the 
 perilous times that should come by a corruption of 
 Christianity under the profession of it, cautions him 
 against the begun appearance of this in those whom 
 he describes as " having a form of godliness, but 
 denying the power thereof;" and exhorts him, "from 
 such to turn away."^ If in the days of the apostles, 
 when Christianity laboured under every worldly 
 discouragement, the mystery of iniquity began to 
 work,™ and many took up with a form of godliness, 
 denying the power of it, how much more must this 
 be the case now, when it has been so far corrupted 
 as to become national, and when worldly honour 
 and interest are connected with a kind of profes- 
 sion of it? The scriptures of the New Testament 
 foretel and clearly describe a general apostacy from 
 
 i Actsu.40, 41. kChap.xix. 9. 12Tim. iii.3. m 2 Thess. ii. 7. 
 
230 Christ's commission 
 
 the most holy faith by a corruption of that faith, 
 and a monstrous power that should arise in opposi- 
 tion to Christianity under the profession of it, and 
 which, by means of the kings of the earth, should 
 draw a form of godliness over the nations, denying 
 the power thereof.'^ This is remarkably verified in 
 the Romish church, mystically called Babylon the 
 Great, the Mother of Harlots ; which is the destin- 
 ed object of divine vengeance, and in relation to 
 which this solemn call is given to the people of God, 
 '* Come out of her, my people, that ye be not par- 
 takers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her 
 plagues."" The generality of Protestants imagine 
 they have sufiiciently obeyed this call in separating 
 from the communion of that false church ; but how- 
 ever important that separation was, it was not a 
 separation of God's people from the world, as in the 
 days of the apostles. The Reformation has indeed 
 brought the scriptures to light, and broken the an- 
 tichristian uniformity ; yet, like the great harlot- 
 mother, it hath formed an alliance with the state, 
 committed fornication with the king's of the earth, 
 accommodated itself unto the course of this world, 
 and drawn the nations, as such, into its communion. 
 Are not the nations called Protestant (whatever 
 may be said of the comparative soundness of their 
 speculative creed) as really of this world, and as 
 fully conformed to it in all its lusts, as those from 
 which they have separated? Are not the generality 
 as glaringly destitute of the real power of godliness 
 
 n 2 Ihess. ii. 3—13. 1 Tim. iv. 1 — i, 2 Tim. iii. 1—10. '2 Pot. ii. 
 Jude vcr. 4 — 20. Rev. xiii. xvi. xvii. x^iii, o Kev. xvUL 4. 
 
TO Ills APOSTLES. 231 
 
 under the Protestant as Popish form of it? If this 
 is the case (and who that knows any thing of true 
 Christianity can deny it ?) then the people of God, 
 who are in such a connection, must be still dwell- 
 ing with the daughter of Babylon, and as effectually 
 mixed with the world in religious fellowship as 
 ever. By such the divine call, •' Come out of her, 
 my people," still remains uncomplied with ; and 
 they would do well to consider seriously the danger 
 of such a connection, and not be deceived with na- 
 tional forms of godliness, whether Popish or Pro- 
 testant, which, however they may differ in other 
 respects, must always agree in dispensing with the 
 power of true godliness, and in connecting the dis- 
 ciples in religious fellowship with those who deny 
 that power, in direct opposition to the word of God, 
 which commands them to turn away from such. 
 
 This separation is not only a duty in itself, but a 
 situation necessary to our keeping many other com- 
 mandments of Christ, which cannot be observed in 
 niixt communion with the vvorld, but only among 
 disciples in a state of separation from it ; such as, 
 his new commandment of brotherly love in its va- 
 rious branches, the ordinances of his house, the 
 faithful and impartial exercise of its discipline, &c. 
 
 Of their JJ^lo^ among themselves in visible Church- 
 fellowship, and the Scripture idea of a Church. 
 
 Christians must not only be separated from the 
 world, but united together in a visible church state, 
 in order to their observing all things whatsoever 
 
232 Christ's commission 
 
 Christ hath commanded. The word (tKxXioa-ia) ren- 
 dered church, signifies any kind of assembly or 
 congregation,, whether lawful or milawful; but 
 when used in a religious sense, it has two different 
 significations in the New Testament. 
 
 1. It signifies the whole body of the redeemed, 
 whether in heaven or on earth, who are called the 
 general assembly and church of the first-born.'* This 
 is that church which Christ loved as his spouse, 
 and for which he gave himself. "^ It is termed the 
 whole family in heaven and in earth ;' all the build- 
 ing fitly framed together, and growing unto an holy 
 temple in the Lord, who is both its foundation and 
 chief corner stone. ^ This church is not many, but 
 one ; it is the same with Christ's one body, which is 
 animated by one Spirit ;^ it has but one tabernacle 
 or seat of worship, one holy place, viz. heaven it- 
 self, one altar, priest, and sacrifice ;^ and was typi- 
 fied by the ancient church of Israel, which was but 
 one congregation. At present tliis church is invisi- 
 ble to us, and will not appear until Christ's second 
 conung, when all the elect shall be gathered in, 
 raised from the dead, and appear with him in glory. 
 This is the only true catholic or universal church, 
 there being no such thing mentioned in scripture as 
 a catholic visible church in this world, as some af- 
 firm ; and it is to the visible members of this church 
 that baptism belongs. 
 
 2. The word also signifies a particular congrega- 
 
 p Acts xix. 32, 39, 41 . q Heb. xii. 23. r Eph. r. 25, 26. 
 
 sChap. iii. 15. t Cimp. ii. 20, 21. u Chap. iv. i. x Heb. 
 
 ix. 11, 1"^, 24. xiii. 10. and x, 12, 19, 21. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 233 
 
 tion of visible believers, with its bishops (i. e. ciders) 
 and deacons, regularly assembling in one place, for 
 the performance of religious worship, and the ob- 
 servation of Christ's institutions. — It signifies a sin- 
 gle congregation ; such was the church at J erusalem, 
 Antioch, Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth, &c. — Each of 
 these societies were composed oi visible helieverSf or 
 such as by their profession and walk appeared to 
 be saints and faithful.^ — It had a plurality of elders 
 or hishops to rule and labour in the word and doc- 
 trine ;^ and also of deacons to take care of the poor 
 and serve tables.^ — It regularly assembled in one 
 placed there being no such thing in the apostolic 
 age as a church made up of different congregations 
 meeting in different places.— The end of its assem- 
 bling was to perform social worship and observe 
 Qh.\\.^^sinsiilutions, of which afterwards. 
 These are the outlines of a visible church of Christ, 
 such as the apostles planted in every place where 
 there was a sufficient number of disciples to com- 
 pose it. Such a church is an organized body, com- 
 plete in all its parts,^ and has the full power of go- 
 vernment and discipline within itself; being subject 
 to no other authority or jurisdiction but Christ's, 
 who walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks, 
 and holds the stars in his right hand. "^ It is a visi- 
 hle representation of Christ's true catholic church, 
 which is at present invisible, and therefore is design- 
 
 ylCor.i. 2. Eph. i. 1. Philip, i. 1. Col. i. 2. z Acts xiv. 
 
 23. \x. 17. Philip i. 1. Tit. i.5. 1 Tim. v. 17. a Acts. vi. 1—7. 
 
 Philip, i.1. 1 Tki. iii. 8— 14. b Acts ii. 1,46. iv. 31. and v. 12. 
 
 1 Cor. xi. 18, 20. c 1 Cor. xii. 27. d Rev. ii. 1. 
 
234 Christ's commission 
 
 ed by the same epithets ; such as, God's building, 
 habitation, temple, house,Christ'sbody, spouse, &c.* 
 To such a church ^vere the ordinances delivered/ 
 as also the instituted discipline ;^ and it is only in 
 such a society, separated from the woild, that they 
 can be observed according to their primitive insti- 
 tution. Now, to such a church as has been described 
 were the baptized disciples added, that they might 
 be edified in the faith, and be in a situation to observe 
 all things whatsoever Christ hath commanded.^ 
 
 Of the nature and grounds of the Christian Union. 
 
 Before we proceed to the duties of church-mem- 
 bers, it will be necessary first to take a view of the 
 nature and grounds of their union upon which these 
 duties are founded. 
 
 The apostle Paul frequently illustrates this by the 
 union which subsists among the members of a liv- 
 ing human body : '* For as w^e have many members 
 in one body, and all members have not the same 
 office ; so we being many are one body in Christ, 
 and every one members one of another."' — " For as 
 the body is one, and hath many members, and all 
 the mem])ers of that one body, being many, are one 
 body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are 
 all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or 
 Gentiles, whether we be bond or free ; and have 
 been all made to drink into one Spirit."*^ By this 
 figure he intends not only the catholic church, but 
 
 el Cor. iii. 9, 10, 17. F.ph. ii. 2i?. 1 Tim. iii. l.S 1 Cor. xii. 27- 
 2 Cor. \i. '2. f 1 Cor. xi. ^2. g Mat. x^ iii. l.i--^2l. 1 Cor. ▼ 
 
 h Acts ii. 41, 47. i Rom. xii. -1, 3. k 1 Cor. xii. it, 13 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 235 
 
 also a particular visible church, like that at Corinth, 
 to which he directly applies it ; " Now ye are the 
 body of Christ, and members in particular ;"^ For 
 the one body of Christ is not to be seen in this 
 world, but as represented by a particular society of 
 the saints, and among them only does its unity ap- 
 pear. The same apostle, exhorting the Ephesian 
 church to keep this unity, sets before them the 
 grounds of it ; " There is (says he) one body and 
 one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of 
 your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 
 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and 
 through all, and in you all."" 
 
 Here we see that the body of Christ is one— 1. 
 By having one Spirit, viz. the Holy Spirit, commu- 
 nicated to it from Christ the living Head. I'his, 
 like the soul in the natural body, is the principle of 
 life and motion ; without which it would be only a 
 dead unanimated mass. It is also the principle of 
 unity among all the parts. Were there different 
 spirits of contrary minds, dispositions, and quali- 
 ties in one body, it would create a strange and un- 
 natural discord among the members; but in the 
 body of Christ there is but one Spirit, which ani- 
 mates every part, diffuses a common feeling and 
 sympathy throughout the whole, and unites it into 
 one living system, having one mind, interest, and 
 affection. This is the unity of the Spirit ; and if 
 any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
 his. In consequence of this— 2. They have one 
 
 1 1 Cor. xii 27. m Eph. iv. 4—7. 
 
236 Christ's commission 
 
 liope of their calling, i. e. one object of hope, viz. 
 the glorious heavenly inheritance, which is " the 
 hope laid up for them in heaven,"" termed the 
 " hope of their calling," because *' God hath called 
 them unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus."" They 
 are begotten again to this lively hope of the inhe- 
 ritance by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the 
 dead,p and have the Spirit as the earnest of it in 
 their hearts."^ This unity of hope gives them all one 
 interest, pursuit, and aim/— 3. They have one Lord, 
 even Jesus Christ, the alone Saviour, Lord, and 
 Head of his church, by whom are all things, and 
 they by him.^ This one Lord they confess to the 
 glory of God the Father as the Lord their Righte- 
 ousness, and as their sole king, lawgiver and judge, 
 exclusive of all other lords, and masters ; esteeming 
 all his laws of indispensible obligation, and so stu- 
 dying to observe all things whatsoever he hath com- 
 manded them. — 4. They have one faith, i. e. one 
 doctrine of faith, which is emphatically styled the 
 truth. The testimony of God concerning his Son 
 is this one faith. This is " the faith of God's 
 elect,"^— " the faith once delivered to the saints," 
 for which they must contend earnestly" — " the faith 
 of the gospel," for which they must jointly strive, 
 standing fast in one spirit, with one mind.'' All the 
 saints have obtained like precious faith with the 
 apostles in the righteousness of God and our Savi- 
 our Jesus Christ,^ and so have an unity of the faith 
 
 nCol.i. 5. olPet. v.lO. 2 Thess. ii. 14. p 1 Pet. i. 3, 4. 
 
 q Eph. i. 13, 11. r PLilip.iii. J'2~-18. s I Cor. viii. 6. t Tit. 
 
 i. 1. u Jude ver. 3. x Philip, i. ST. y 2 Pet, 1 1. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 237 
 
 and knowledge of the Son of God/— 5. They have 
 one baplism, which is connected with the confession 
 of the one faith ; and which, as it is here distin- 
 guished from the one Spirit, must he baptism in 
 water. This is the only baptism which Christ hath 
 instituted, and commanded to be administered to 
 those who are made disciples in all nations unto 
 the end of the world ;^ and therefore must be the 
 one baptism of his church, and an indispensible 
 prerequisite to church fellowship, he having placed 
 it in the very entry to his kingdom ;^ accordingly 
 none were admitted into the visible unity of Christ's 
 body without it.— 6. They have owe God and Father 
 of all, who is above all, being the God and Father 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in him the God and 
 Father of the w^hole family in heaven and on earth f 
 he is also " through all, and in them all" by his 
 Spirit, according to Christ's prayer, '* That they all 
 may be one, as thou. Father, art in me, and I in 
 thee ; that they also may be one in us— I in them, 
 and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in 
 one, and that the world may know that thou hast 
 sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved 
 me."'^ 
 
 These are the catholic unities of the body of 
 Christ, and no particular society can visibly repre- 
 sent that one body which does not appear to be one 
 in these particulars. This union can only become 
 visible in their joint and explicit confession of the 
 one faith and hope of the gospel, and declared pur- 
 
 t. Eph. iv. 13. a Mat. xxviii. 19, 20. b John iii. 5, 
 
 e Eph. iii. 14, 15. d John xvii. 21, 23. 
 
238 Christ's commission 
 
 pose of heart to cleave unto the Lord and to one 
 another in observing all things whatsoever he hath 
 commanded them. By this they discern one ano- 
 ther to be of the truth and hearing Christ's voice, 
 and upon this ground they are " knit together in 
 love " for the truth's sake, which completes their 
 union; for" charity is the bond of perfectness/'^ 
 
 It is evident from the nature and grounds of this 
 union, that they must be all of one mind in the faith 
 and obedience of the gospel. For how can they 
 have fellowship in the truth, or love one another for 
 its sake, if they differ about the truth itself, and are 
 not one as to the foundation of their hope? and how 
 can tliey walk together as a body in observing the 
 commandments of the one Lord, if they are not 
 agreed as to what he hath commanded them, and do 
 not hold all his laws of indispensible obligation ? 
 Therefore the Apostle most solemnly exhorts the 
 Corinthian church, " Now I beseech you, brethren, 
 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all 
 speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions 
 among you; but that ye be perfectly joined toge- 
 ther in the same mind, and in the same judgment."^ 
 Without this unanimity they cannot ''with one mind 
 and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ;"* nor can they have a conver- 
 sation becoming the gospel, which consists in 
 " standing fast in one spirit, with one mind, jointly 
 striving for the faith of the gospel.'*** The Lord 
 hath promised, in relation to New Testament times, 
 to give his people one hearty and one icai/, that the) 
 
 e Col. iii. 14. f i Cor. i. 10. g Rom. xv. 6. h PJiilip. i. 27 
 
TO Ills APOSTLES. 239 
 
 may fear him for evcr;"^ and Christ hath prayed that 
 his disciples may be one, and that as an evidence 
 to the world that the Father hath sent him.'' This 
 was actually exemplified in the church at Jerusa- 
 lem, where " the multitude of them that believed 
 were of one heart and of one soul f and this is what 
 every church of Christ must aim at, and will attain, 
 in so far as the truth is the bond of their union and 
 hinge of mutual love. 
 
 Societies that are not united upon the truth are 
 not much affected with differences about it. They 
 speak of being one in the essentials of religion, as if 
 the religion of Jesus contained non-essentials which 
 they may avowedly dispense with at pleasure. But 
 if we come to particulars, it will be found, that 
 their union does not stand upon any determinate 
 view or explicit agreement even in what they call 
 essentials, but upon one another's supposed since- 
 rity or conscientiousness in their different opinions. 
 This is the hinge of modern charity, which, instead 
 of rejoicing with the truth, makes light of Christ's 
 authority, and pays its devotion to human pride. 
 
 The Duties of Church-niemhers in relation to each other. 
 
 These duties are all comprehended in love, and 
 are just the practical exercise of it, answerable to 
 the nature of their connection, and the various cir- 
 cumstances and conditions of each other. We 
 shall therefore, 
 
 1. Consider the principle which must influence 
 
 a Jer. xxxii. 39. b John xvii. 21, L'2, 23. c Actsiv. 32. 
 
240 
 
 and pervade all these duties, viz. brotherly love; 
 *' A new commandment (says Christ) I give unto 
 you. That ye love one another : as I have loved 
 you that ye also love one another. By this shall 
 all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have 
 love one to another."' 
 
 Our Lord terms this a new commandment, and 
 that most properly. Tlie love enjoined in it is quite 
 different from that universal benevolence which, 
 both by the law of nature and of Christ, we are bound 
 to have to our brethren of mankind in general, and 
 from that love and affection we owe to our natural 
 relations and connections in particular. It is also 
 very different from that peculiar love which by the 
 law of Moses was enjoined old Israel as brethren 
 of the stock of Abraham, and members of the Jew- 
 ish church. This will appear, if we consider, 
 
 (1.) That he gives this commandment only to his 
 disciples; "A new commandment I give unto 
 YOU." The Apostle connects it with the command 
 to believe on him ;^ and indeed none but they who 
 really believe on the name of the Son of God are 
 capable of obeying it. 
 
 (2.) The objects of it are not the world at large, nor 
 any particular earthly nation like the Jews, but one 
 another; '* A new commandment I give unto you, 
 That ye love one another ;" that is, all of every 
 nation whom they can discern to be saints and faith- 
 ful brethren in Christ, judging by the visible cha- 
 racters whereby he points them out to them in his 
 
 i Join xiji. 3-1,33. k 1 John iii. 23. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 24l 
 
 word. Every one who appears to be of the truth, 
 hearing Christ's voice, is the object of this love, 
 and none but such ; for it is the love of those ^vho 
 know the truth to one another, and that for the 
 truth's sake which dwelleth in them, and shall be 
 with them for ever.^ 
 
 (3.) The motive or reason enforcing it is the ^a^am- 
 ple of his own love to them ; " as I have loved 
 YOU, that ye also love one another.'* This he after- 
 wards repeats, " This is my commandment. That 
 ye love one another, as I have loved you ; and 
 he intimates how he loved them in the very next 
 words,™ Greater love hath no man than this, that a 
 man lay down his life for his friends."* Yet in this 
 manner he manifested *he greatness of his love 
 towards them ; for, says the Apostle, " Hereby per- 
 ceive we the love of God, because he laid down his 
 life for us ;" and he makes the same use of it, " Be- 
 loved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one 
 another — we ought to lay down our lives for the 
 brethren/'" This is a new motive to brotherly 
 love, peculiar to the gospel, and which respects 
 only Christ's friends, whom he so loved as to lay 
 down his life for them ; and it supposes them be- 
 lieving this, and on that account loving one another 
 as brethren for whom he died. 
 
 • Christ did more, he laid down his life for enemies, Rom. v. 10. Lut 
 as he is not here speaking of love to enemies, as in Mat. v. 44. but to 
 one another as friends and brethren, he enforces it by this instance of his 
 love towards them considered as his friends. 
 
 I 2 John ver. 1, 2. m John xt. 12, 13. n 1 John iii, It". 
 
 and iv. \(\ 11. 
 
242 Christ's commission 
 
 (4.) He makes their obedience to this command- 
 ment the great evidence of their being his disciples ; 
 " By this shall all men know that ye are my dis- 
 ciples, if ye have love one to another.'' From this 
 it is plain, that the love he requires is not a mere 
 latent inactive principle in the heart, for no man 
 could know them by that ; but a fervent, active, be- 
 neficial love ; a love in deed and in truth, appearing 
 by its most genuine fruits and eflects in the whole of 
 their conduct towards each other, so as strikingly to 
 distinguish them from all the world besides, and mark 
 them out to all men as his disciples. This love is 
 not only an evidence to others, but also to their own 
 consciences, that they are Christ's disciples : We 
 *^ know (says the Apostle) that we have passed from 
 death unto life, because we love the brethren : he 
 that loveth not his brother abideth in death.— My 
 little children, let us not love in word, neither in 
 tongue, but in deed and in truth. And hereby 
 we know^ that we are of the truth, and shall assure 
 our hearts before him. For, if our heart condemn 
 us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth 
 all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not," 
 (viz. as void of this love,) " (hen have we confi- 
 dence towards God."'' Lastly, by this love to the 
 saints, as arising from love to his name, will Christ 
 distinguish his people at last from all false pro- 
 lessors, when he comes to judge the w orld ,p and 
 then the world shall know% that the Father hath 
 loved them as he hath loved him.*^ 
 
 o 1 John Hi. 14, 18, IP, 20, 21. p Mat. xxv. 34—41. q Jolin xvii. 23 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 243 
 
 Thus it appears that Ch rist's coraraandment of bro- 
 therly love is a new commandment, and peculiar to 
 the New Testament. It was not indeed new among 
 Christians when John wrote his first epistle ; and 
 therefore he says, " Brethren, I Avrite no new com- 
 mandment unto you, but an old commandment 
 which ye had from the beginning : the old com- 
 mandment is the word which ye have heard from 
 the beginning ;* viz. of the gospel ;"" " For this is 
 the message that ye heard from the beginning, that 
 we should love one another."^ Yet, in respect of 
 the former state of things, he again terms this com- 
 mandment neiu : " Again, a new commandment I 
 write unto you, which thing is true in him and in 
 you ; because the darkness is past, and the true 
 light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, 
 and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until 
 now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the 
 light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in 
 him."' 
 
 it is chiefly in relation to this law of brotherly love 
 that believers are termed righteous, and are said not to 
 sin,"^ and that in distinction from the children of the 
 devil, who co*mmit sin and transgress this law, by 
 hating the truth and those who are of it,^ according 
 to the original enmity put between the seed of the 
 serpent and the seed of the woman .^ When this 
 enmity appeared in the Jews against Christ, he tells 
 them, '' If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do 
 
 aljohnil.7. r Philip, iv. 15. 2 John rer. 5, 6. slJohniii.il. 
 t Chap. ii. 8, 9, 10. u Chap. iii. 6. 7. x Ver. 4, 10, 12. y Gen. iii. 15. 
 
I 244 Christ's commission 
 
 the works of Abraham. Bat now ye seek to kill 
 / me, a man that hath told you the truth which I 
 
 ' have heard of God — Ye are of your father the 
 
 devil, and the lust of your father ye will do : he 
 was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not 
 in the truth, because there is no truth in hira," 
 &c.^ Agreeable to this the Apostle says, '' lie that 
 committeth sin is of the devil ; for the devil sinneth 
 from the beginning."^ By sin here is evidently 
 meant hatred to the saving truth, and to the children 
 of God for its sake ; for it is the sin of the devil, who 
 was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. Now 
 the children of God cannot commit this sin of the 
 devil and his children. They may be weak in faith, 
 imperfect in love, and have differences on other ac- 
 counts ; but they can never hate the truth, nor one 
 another on that account, like " Cain who was of 
 that wicked one, and slew his brother, because his 
 own works were evil, and his brother's righte- 
 ous ;"^ for '^ whosoever hateth his brother is a 
 murderer ; and ye know that no murderer hath 
 eternal life abiding in him."'' In this sense, '' who- 
 soever abideth in him sinneth not : whosoever sin- 
 neth hath not seen him, neither known him. — 
 AVhosoever is born of God doth not commit sin ; 
 for his seed remaineth in him ; and he cannot sin, 
 because he is born of God :"^ Accordingly Peter 
 says, " Ye have purified your souls in obeying the 
 truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the 
 brethren— being born again, not of corruptible seed, 
 
 z John viii. 37—46. a 1 John iii. 8. b Vcr. 12. 
 
 c 1 John iii. 15. d Ver- 6, 9. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 245 
 
 but of incorruptible, by the ^^ord of God uhich 
 livcth and abideth for ever."'' This therefore is 
 the great diflerencing law, by which Christ's disci- 
 ples are distinguished from the world as not sinning, 
 and as doers of righteousness ; for " In this the 
 children of God arc manifest, and the children of 
 the devil : whosoever doeth not righteousness is not 
 of God, neither he that loveth not his brother,"' 
 and Christ in the judgment will denominate them 
 righteous J from their labour of love to his name, in 
 feeding, clothing, entertaining, and visiting him in 
 his needy members.^ 
 
 From the whole it is evident, that obedience to this 
 new commandment holds an important place in the 
 religion of Jesus, and that there is no true Christi- 
 anity wdthout it. It is not only the visible distinction 
 betvvixt Christ's disciples and the world ; but the 
 ^eat evidence of our being born of God, and of our 
 knowing him'^ — of his dwelling in us, and we in 
 him.' It is the main proof of our loving him, and 
 of his love being perfected in us :^ so that in vain 
 would we pretend to love God, or to enjoy his love, 
 while we hate our brother ; " for he that loveth not 
 his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love 
 G od whom he hath not seen ?''^ — It is the principal 
 thing wherein we resemble God and bear his image, 
 " for God is love ;""' and wherein we imitate Jesus 
 in that most endearing part of his character, his love 
 to his people." — He repeatedly mentions it as the 
 
 e 1 Pet. i. 2:2, 23. f I Jolin iii. 10. g Mat. xxv. 35, S6, 46. 
 
 h 1 John iv. 7. i Ver. 16. k Ver. 12. ch. v. 1. 1 chap. iv. 20. 
 m \ er. 7, 8. u 1 John iii. 16. Eph. v. 2. 
 
246 Christ's commission 
 
 special fruit we are to bring forth by abiding in him 
 the true vine.°— It is every where preferred to the 
 most useful and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and 
 even to those illuminations whereby men may taste 
 of the good word of God, and receive it with joy ;p 
 and as, on the one hand, it is vain to pretend to this 
 love without showing it in deed and in truth by its 
 proper fruits, "^ so, on the other, though we should 
 bestow all our goods to feed the poor, and give our 
 body to be burned, and have not love, it w ill profit 
 us nothing -J nay, love is preferred even to faith and 
 hope,' both for the excellency of its nature, as being 
 more like unto God who is love,' and also for its 
 duration ; for when faith and hope, which respect 
 unseen objects,'' shall have given place to the sight 
 and enjoyment of them, then love shall be per- 
 fected, and continue for ever in the heavenly state. 
 I shall conclude these remarks with the apostolic 
 description of it. " Love (ay^Tr*?) suffereth long, and 
 is kind ; love envieth not ; love vaunteth not itself, 
 is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, 
 seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, think- 
 ethno evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but (o-vy^^xi^v) 
 fejoiceth with the truth ; beareth all things, be- 
 lieveth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all 
 things. Love never faileth. — And now abideth 
 faith, hope, love, these three ; but the greatest of 
 these is love."^ Here we see it is opposed to 
 
 o John XV. 4, 5, 12, 17. p 1 Cor. viii. 1. and xiii. 1, 2. Heh. 
 
 vi. 4, 5, 9, 10. q 1 John iii. 17, 18. r 1 Cor. xiii. .>. 
 
 8 Ver. \3. t 1 John iv. 7, 8. u Rom. viii. 24, 25, 2 Cor 
 
 y. 7. Heb. xi. 1 x 1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 247 
 
 pride, self-seeking, envy, evil-surmising, and every 
 malignant passion and disposition. — It is kind and 
 beneficent, engaging us in all respects to serve one 
 another.^ — In this imperfect state it is attended with 
 much self-denial, and requires the exercise of humi- 
 lity, patience, meekness, and long-suffering in bear- 
 ing one another's burdens. But then it is not blind 
 and indiscriminating ; it " rejoiceth not in iniquity,'' 
 so as to sooth or bear with a brother in any error or 
 practice contrary to the gospel, but is painfully 
 anxious to correct and recover him. It " rejoiceth 
 with the truth ;" viz. the saving truth of the gospel, 
 which manifests the love of God. This is the first 
 object of its delight; and its complacency and joy 
 in the brethren is just in proportion as it perceives 
 this truth dwelling in them ; for it is love to them 
 for the truth's sake.^ 
 
 This command of brotherly love must have a spe- 
 cial respect to the visible churches of Christ ; for 
 though all the saints every where are the objects of 
 it,^ yet it is but few of them we have access to 
 know ; and there are some even of these to whom we 
 cannot perform the various offices of love but occa- 
 sionally. But in a visible church of Christ, the dis- 
 ciples, have access to know and distinguish one 
 another as the objects of this love ; for here all the 
 members are united together upon the open and ex- 
 plicit confession of the one faith, which is the foun- 
 dation of their joint hope, and for the sake of which 
 they love one another. Here also they are placed in 
 
 y Gal. V. 13. t 1 Thess. iii. 7, 8, 9. 2 John ver. 4. 3 Johu 
 
 ver. 3,4. a Johu xvii. 20, 21. 1 Cor. i. 2. Col. i. 4. 
 
248 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 a proper situation for the constant and regular exer- 
 cise of the duties of this love towards their brethren 
 whom they have seen, and by which their profession 
 of love to God and to the saints in general whom 
 they have not seen, is brought to a clear and decisive 
 test.^ The greater part of the exhortations in the 
 New Testament to the duties of brotherly love, are 
 addressed to Christians, not as detached indivi- 
 duals, but as members of churches, and in relation 
 to each other in that connection. 
 
 This love is absolutely necessary to the union and 
 edification of a church. It is " the bond of perfect- 
 ness ;" and unless the members are "knit together 
 in love" to the truth, and to one another for its sake, 
 they have no real union of heart and soul ; in which 
 case, their agreement in mere speculations and out- 
 ward forms will prove but as a rope of sand. The 
 most useful gifts will not edify the body without 
 love ; for " knowledge puiFeth up, but charity edi- 
 fieth."*' The church at Corinth were enriched 
 by Christ in all utterance and in all knowledge, so 
 that they came behind in no gift \^ yet being defici- 
 ent in love, instead of being " perfectly joined toge- 
 ther in the same mind and in the same judgment," 
 they perverted these very gifts of the Spirit to the 
 purposes of pride and faction ; and there were among 
 them such " envying, strife, and divisions," that they 
 could neither purge out the old leaven, nor eat the 
 Lord's supper in a proper manner.^ To rectify these 
 disorders, the Apostle describes and recommends 
 
 b 1 John iv. 20. . . ^ 1 Cor. viii. 1. »1 1 Cor. i. 5, 7 
 
 c Chap. iii. 3. v. 1, 2, 6 and xi. 17— til. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 249 
 
 unto them the more excellent way of charity/ 
 Lot us now briefly consider, 
 
 2. The practical exercise of this love in a church of 
 Christ. This in general consists in performing the 
 various duties which result from the nature of their 
 connection, answerable to their several gifts and 
 abilities, and according as the different circum- 
 stances and conditions of each other may require. 
 
 (1.) It has already been noticed, that the union of 
 members in a church of Christ is compared to that 
 which subsists among the members of the natural 
 body. The Holy Spirit is the vital principle in the 
 body of Christ answerable to the soul in the body of 
 a man ; for " he that is joined to the Lord is one 
 Spirit."^ Love to the truth, and to one another 
 for its sake, is like the animal fluid in the natural 
 body, which circulates through all the members. It 
 follo\A s, therefore, that as their faith groweth, so 
 their mutual joy in the truth, and the charity of every 
 one of them towards each other, must abound and 
 circulate freely J' On the other hand, divisions about 
 the truth, and opposition to it, must necessarily ob- 
 struct this circulation.' This obstruction will occa- 
 sion grief, and excite the members to use the appoint- 
 ed means for removing it,^ unless the Spirit is de- 
 parted, and the body become dead and insensible.^ 
 From the nature of such a connection it is evident, 
 that all the members are deeply interested in one 
 another's sentiments, conduct, and circumstances ; 
 and that the duties arising from it chiefly consist in 
 
 f 1 Cor. xii. 31. and xiii. g Chap. vi. 17. li 9. Tliess. i. 3. 
 
 i i Cor. vi. 12. k Chap. vii. 7—13. 1 Rev. iii, 1, 2. 
 
260 Christ's commission 
 
 edifying one another in the faith, cultivating mutual 
 love, abounding in the self- denied labour of it, and 
 in removing every thing that tends to obstruct its free 
 circulation, either in the body at large, or among 
 any of the members. To perform these duties 
 aright, it is absolutely necessary that every one 
 should, in the first place, diligently attend to the 
 dispositions and motives of his own heart, and take 
 heed to his way according to the word of God. 
 
 (2.) Christ hatli bestowed a variety of^z/if5 upon his 
 church, and from hence arise anumber of correspon- 
 dent duties. The Apostle observes, that " the body 
 is not one member, but many. — If the whole body 
 were an eye, w here were the hearing ? if the whole 
 were hearing, where were the smelling? — and if 
 they were all one member, where were the body ?"°^ 
 It is not the number, hwi diversity of members with 
 their different offices, that is here intended, without 
 which the natural body w ould ])e imperfect. In 
 like manner, the church of Christ would not be a 
 complete organised body without a diversity of 
 gifts and offices. If the whole had but one kind 
 of gift, however excellent, it could no more answer 
 all the needful purposes of a church, than an 
 eye or an ear those of the natural body. But 
 Christ by his Spirit hath conferred a variety of gifts 
 upon his church,* dividing to every man, severally 
 
 * Among these the Apostle enumerates sonic miraculous gifts, 
 and also extraordinary olKces ; such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, 
 &c. 1 Cor. xii. 9, 1(>, 23. Eph.i\. 11. which were necessary at first 
 to give forth the gospel revelation and coufirni it ; and this being 
 
 m 1 Cor. xii 1-1, 17, 19. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 251 
 
 as he will ;" and as the manifestation of the Spirit is 
 given to every man, not for his own private advan- 
 tage, or to gratify his pride, but to profit the body 
 withal;" so every one, according to the nature and 
 measure of his gift, should act his part in the body 
 for the good of the w hole. " Having therefore gifts 
 differing (says the Apostle) according to the grace 
 that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us pro- 
 phesy according to the proportion of faith ; or 
 ministry, let us wait on our ministring ; or he that 
 teacheth, on teaching ; or he that exhorteth, on 
 exhortation ; be that giveth, let him do it with 
 simplicity (or liberality ;) he that ruleth, with dili- 
 gence ; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerful- 
 ness."^ " As every man hath received the gift, 
 even so minister the same one to anothet as good 
 stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any 
 man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God 
 if any man minister (deaconize,) let him do it as of 
 
 done, they have ceased, 1 Cor. xiii. 8. Yet the chnches still enjoy 
 the benefit of tliese gifts in the writiua;s of the New Testament, ereu 
 an the Jews had Moses and the prophets in the AATitings of the Old, 
 Luke xvi. 29, 31. But the ordinary standing' office-bearers appointed 
 in the churches are bishops (or elders) and deacons, Acts xiv. 23. 
 Philip, i. 1. among whose essential qualifications none of the extra- 
 ordinary gifts are mentioned, 1 Tim. iii. 1—14. Tit. i, 5—10. Gifts 
 for ruling, teaching, exhorting, ministring, &c. are still to be found 
 in the churches of the saints ; and these, with other gifts useful to 
 the body, are also in various degrees conferred upon the members, and 
 ought to be exercised by them in their proper place, and in orderly 
 subordinatiou. 
 
 B 1 Cor. xii. 11. Ver. 7. p Rom. xii. 6 — 9. 
 
252 Christ's coMxAiission 
 
 the ability which God giveth, that God in all things 
 
 may be glorified through Jesus Christ/''^ 
 
 These exhortations are no doubt addressed in the 
 first place to ofiicc-bearers, who are enjoined to take 
 heed unto themselves and to all the flock over which 
 they are made overseers ; to feed the church of God 
 which he hath purchased with his own blood ]^ to 
 preach the word ; to be instant in season, out of 
 season ; to reprove, " rebuke, exhort with all 
 long-suffering and doctrine/'^ These are pastoral 
 duties which they owe the flock committed to 
 their charge. On the other hand, the flock in 
 relation to them are exhorted, " Obey them that 
 have the rule over you, and submit yourselves ; 
 for they watch for your souls as they that must 
 give account, that they may do it with joy and not 
 with grief; for that is unprofitable for you/'^ — 
 " And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who 
 labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, 
 and admonish you ; and to esteem them very highly 
 in love for their works sake.""—" Let the elders 
 that rule well be counted worthy of double ho- 
 nour, especially they who labour in the word and 
 doctrine.* For the scripture saith. Thou shalt 
 
 * The Apostle is not here speakinjr of ruling and teaching as two 
 distinct ofRccs in the churcli, bnt as diflorent branches of one and the 
 snmc office ; for he elsewhere lays it down as the essential qnalifica- 
 tions of every elder, that he be " apt to teach," and also that be 
 should know how to rnle, or " take care of the church of God," 
 1 Tim. iii. 2, 5. Every elder is alike authorised by office both to 
 rule and teach ; but every one is not equally gifted for both, nor 
 
 q 1 Pet. iv. in, 11. r Acts xx. 28. s 2 Tim. iv. 2. 
 
 t Heb. xiii. 17. u 1 Tbcss. v. 12, IS. 
 
 ^^ 
 
TO HIS APOSTLRS. 253 
 
 not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn ; and. 
 The labourer is worthy of his reward."^—" Let 
 him that is taught in the word communicate to him 
 that teacheth in all good things.''^ 
 
 But whilst we give all that place which the word 
 of God requires to the gifts and office of pastors, 
 we must not imacrine that all the gifts needful for 
 edifying the body are confined to them. Christ 
 hath distributed a variety of gifts in different mea- 
 sures among all the members, and all of them are 
 useful in their place ; so that " the eye cannot say 
 unto the hand, I have no need of thee ; nor, again, 
 the head to the feet, I have no need of you."^ All 
 indeed are not rulers, yet all have their part in the 
 discipline of the church, and nothing can be con- 
 cluded without their unanimous concurrence."* 
 All are not teachers by office, yet all are enjoined 
 to " teach, exhort, warn, and admonish one ano- 
 ther,^ that speaking the truth in love, they may 
 grow up into him in all things who is the head, 
 even Christ; from whom the whole body fitly join- 
 ed together, and compacted by that which every 
 joint supplieth, according to the effectual working 
 
 alike diligent in the exercise of his gifts. The elders that " rule well' 
 (or with diligence, Rom. xii. 8.) are to be counted worthy of double 
 honour or maintenance, especially they who not only rule well, but also 
 labour in the word and doctrine, and so fulfil every branch of their office 
 <vith diligence and faithfulness. 
 
 X 1 Tim. V. 17, 18. y Gal. vi. 6. z 1 Cor. xii. 21. 
 
 a Mat. xviii. 17. J Cor. v. 4, 7, 12. 2 Cor. ii. 6,7 b Col. iii. 16. 
 
 1 The&s. V. 11, 14. Heb. iii. 13. Rom. xv. 14. 
 
254 Christ's commission 
 
 in the measure of every part, maketh increase of 
 the body, unto the edifying of itself in love."^ All 
 are not overseers by office, yet all are command- 
 ed to " look diligently,* lest any man fail of the 
 grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness springing 
 up trouble them, and thereby many be defiled ; lest 
 there be any fornicator, or profane person, as 
 Esau,""^ &c. It is evident, therefore, that all the 
 members have a mutual charge one of another, 
 and that the body edifies itself in love when 
 every one in his proper place acts his part accord- 
 ing to the measure of the gift bestowed. In order 
 to this, they have much need to attend to the ex- 
 hortations, *' Let all things be done to edifying."^ 
 — " Let nothing be done through strife or vain- 
 glory/" — " I say to every man that is among you, 
 not to think of himself more highly than he ought 
 to think ; but to think soberly, according as God 
 hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."« 
 Such as are possessed of superior gifts must not 
 value themselves on that account, nor despise 
 their brethren whose talents are inferior ; nor must 
 the latter envy the former, or aspire after places 
 or functions in the body for which they are no way 
 fitted ; but every one ought to keep his place, and 
 
 • The word (sTritrxoTrttvTfj) here rendered looking diligcntlij, sig-uifies 
 to act the part of an overseer or bishop in mutually inspecting and watch- 
 ing over one another. It is the same word wliich iu 1 Pet. v. 2. is trans- 
 lated taking the oversight. 
 
 c Ep'' .1^'- ^5 1<5. d Heb. \ii. 15, 16. e 1 Cor. xiv. 26. 
 
 f Philip, ii. 3. g Roni. \ii. S. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 255 
 
 exercise his particular gift, with humility and love, 
 for the good of the whole. 
 
 (3.) Iq considering the duties of church-mem- 
 bers, we must also take into our view the difterent 
 cases, conditions, and circumstances of the brethren 
 to which these duties relate. These furnish the 
 occasions for drawing forth their love into action 
 in all the various forms into which it is command- 
 ed to be exercised. To instance in a few : 
 
 Some are weak in the faith, and as children in 
 understanding in comparison of others. Such 
 must not be despised or treated with neglect, nor 
 must a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall be 
 put in their way. " Whoso (says Jesus) shall of- 
 fend one of these little ones who believe in me, it 
 were better for him that a millstone were hanged 
 about his neck, and that he were drowned in the 
 depth of the sea. — Take heed that ye despise not 
 one of these little ones ; for I say unto yon, that 
 in heaven their angels do always behold the face 
 of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of 
 man is come to save that which was lost."^^ On 
 the contrary, they must be received and treated 
 \vith much tenderness and forbearance : " Him 
 that is weak in the faith receive you, but not to 
 doubtful disputations.'" " We then that are strong 
 ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not 
 to please ourselves. Let every one of us please 
 his neighbour for his good to edification."'^ And 
 though we must not yield to them any of the truths 
 
 h Mat. xTiii. 6, 10, 11. i Rom. xiv. 1. . k Chap. xv. 1, 2 
 
256 Christ's commission 
 
 or laws of Christ, but instruct them with meekness 
 and patience ; yet if they scruple at some things 
 which are purely indifferent, we ought to pay a 
 tender regard to their consciences, and rather hu- 
 mour their weakness than offend or stumble them.^ 
 Some may be distressed in their consciences by 
 a sense of guilt, while their minds are clouded as 
 to the ground of hope ; or they may be discouraged 
 and dejected in their minds by various trials, and 
 so ready to faint and give v, ay under their fears 
 and afflictions. In such cases we are called to 
 *' comfort the feeble-minded, and support the 
 weak f^ to " lift up the hands which hang down, 
 and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for 
 their feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of 
 the way, but let it rather be healed ;"" to '' remem- 
 ber them that are in bonds, as bound with them ; 
 and them who suffer adversity, as being ourselves 
 also in the body. "'^— Others may be poor and needy 
 in their circumstances, and unable to procure the 
 necessaries of life. To such we must show our love, 
 not in w ord or in tongue only, but in deed and in 
 truth ;P by '* distributing to the necessity of saints," 
 and being " given to hospitality."** Nor is this 
 duty confined to the rich, who are to be " rich in 
 good works, ready to distribute, willing to com- 
 municate ;"'^ for the poor widow is commended for 
 casting in two mites, which was all that she had ;* 
 and so are the Macedonians, because that, " in a 
 
 1 \ Cor. viii. 9—13. m 1 Tlicss. v. 14. n Il.-b. xii. 12, IS. 
 
 o Chap. xiii. 12, 13. |) 1 J<tlin iii. 17, 18. ij Rom. xii. 13. 
 
 r I Tim. \ i. 18. s Luke xxi. 2 — b. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 257 
 
 great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, 
 and their deep poverty, abounded unto the riclies 
 of their liberality."' In short, all the members 
 must tenderly sympathize with one another in all 
 their weaknesses, trials, and afflictions, whether in 
 mind, body, or circumstances, and contribute to 
 each other's comfort and relief to the utmost of 
 their power. Thus in the natural body, ** those 
 members which seem to be more feeble, are neces- 
 sary. And those members of the body, which we 
 think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow 
 more abundant honour, and our uncomely parts 
 have more abundant comeliness. For our comely 
 parts have no need ; but God hath tempered the 
 body together, having given more abundant ho- 
 nour to that part which lacked ; that there should 
 be no schism in the body ; but that the members 
 should have the same care one for another. And 
 whether one member suffer, all the members suffer 
 with it ; or one member be honoured, all the mem- 
 bers rejoice with it."*^ Agreeably to this, they are 
 exhorted, '' Look not every man on his own things, 
 but every man also on the things of others.^ Re- 
 joice with them that do rejoice, and weep with 
 them that weep.^ Bear ye one another's burdens, 
 and so fulfil the law of Christ."^ 
 
 There are snares and temptations which arise 
 from situation, age, constitution, and other circum- 
 stances ; and as all the members have the same 
 
 t '2 Cor. viii. 2. a 1 Cor. xii. 22—27. x Philip, u. 4. 
 
 T Rom. 3Lii. 15. z Gal. vi. 2. 
 
258 Christ's commission 
 
 care one for another, these ought to be particularly 
 attended unto.— The Tich will frequently need the 
 caution not to be high-minded, nor trust in uncer- 
 tain riches, but in the living God— to condescend 
 to men of low estate,* and to rejoice in being 
 made low.^ — The poor will need to be exhorted to 
 
 * The rich are not exempted more than the poor from performing 
 the hum!)lest oflices of love and condescension to the meanest brother 
 when he stands in need of it. I cannot here omit takinj^ notice of the 
 striking lesson which our Lord gave his disciples on this head, and 
 which is so characteristical of the genius of his religion ; I mean his wash- 
 ing his discipks feet as an example for their imitation. The account of it 
 is as follows : " Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into 
 his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God, he riseth 
 from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel and girded 
 himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash 
 Jhe disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was 
 
 girded. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his gar* 
 
 nients, and was set down again, he said unto them. Know ye what I 
 have done unto you ? Ye call me Master and Lord ; and ye say 
 well ; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed 
 your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet; for I have gi\ea 
 you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verilv, 
 verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord ; neither 
 he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, 
 happy are ye if ye do them," John xiii. 3 — 18. It is evident that our 
 Lord, by this amazing instance of condescension, teacheth in general, 
 that all his disciples without exception should stoop to the lowest and 
 most servile offices of love to each other as occasion may require. 
 But it cannot well be imagined that any are practically complying 
 with this in general, who avowedly neglect, or perhaps ridicule and 
 despise the ))articular duty here exemplified and enjoined, namely, the 
 washing of one another's feet. Yet it is not more amazing than true, 
 that the most of those who would be thought real Christians, pay no 
 regard to the example and authority of Christ in this particular ; on the 
 contrary, many of them reckon it far beneath their station to stoop so 
 low as to imitate him whom they call tlif.ir Lord and Master; which ia 
 
 a 1 Tim. vi. 17. Rom. a\\, 16. James i. 10. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 259 
 
 let their conversation be without covetousness, 
 and to be content with such things as they have, 
 since God hath said, that he will never leave nor 
 forsake them.^ The afflicted must be cautioned, 
 not to despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint 
 when they are rebuked of him ; as he chastiseth 
 them in love and for tlieir profit, that they may be 
 partakers of his holiness.'' — The aged men may 
 need the exhortation to be sober, grave, temperate, 
 sound in *' faith, in charity, in patience,"'^ as be- 
 cometh their profession, years, and experience. — 
 " The aged women like\vise, that they be in beha- 
 viour," whether in word, dress, or deportment, " as 
 becometh holiness ; not false accusers, not given 
 to much wine," under pretence of supporting de- 
 caying nature : and, instead of amusing themselves 
 or others with slander, idle chat, or old wives fa- 
 bles, that they " be teachers of good things ;" and 
 particularly, '' that they may teach the young wo- 
 
 npon the matter to say, that the servant is greater than his Lord. All 
 the petty acquired distinctions whereby one worm of the dust is raised 
 above another, naturally his equal, sink into nothing when compared 
 •with the native dignity of him, " who being in the form of God, thought 
 it not robbery to be equal with God ;" and every the most humble act 
 of condescension which the highest monarch can possibly perform 
 towards the meanest slave, is not once worthy to be named, when we 
 think of HIS condescension, " who emptied himself, and took upon him 
 the form of a servant — humbled himself, and became obedient unto 
 death, even the death of the cross," and that for the sake of his guilty 
 creatures ; yet thij is the example set before Christians, Philip, ii. 4 — 9. 
 and it must be much out of view before they can be either proud of their 
 condescension, or think any ofTice of love to a disciple below them. 
 
 b Heb. xiii. 5, 6. c Chap. xii. 5—12. d Tit. ii. 2. 
 
260 Christ's commission 
 
 men to be sober, to love their husbands, to love 
 their children ; to be discreet, chaste, keepers at 
 home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that 
 the word of God be not blasphemed."^ — Young 
 men likewisse must be exhorted to be sober-mind- 
 ed ;"^ to be prudent, considerate, adviseable, meek, 
 and chaste, guarding against pride, wilfulness, in- 
 temperate passions, and youthful lusts. ^ — Some 
 may happen to be too much entangled with the 
 affairs of this life, or intent upon schemes and pro- 
 jects to get gain ;^' such must be reminded, that one 
 thing is needful, and that the cares of this world 
 and the deceitfulness of riches will choke the word, 
 and make them become unfruitful.* — Others may 
 have got into an indolent idle habit, walking dis- 
 orderly, working not at all, but are busy-bodies, 
 sauntering about and prying into other people's 
 affairs, and perhaps stirring up jealousies and ani- 
 mosities among the brethren.^ Now them that are 
 such must be solemnly commanded and exhorted, 
 *' that with quietness they work, and eat their own 
 
 bread."^ 
 
 Many other cases might be mentioned which re- 
 quire cautions, advice, and exhortations : and these 
 ought to be administered with humility, faitliful- 
 ness, and affection; " Not rebuking an elder, but 
 enteating him as a father, and the younger men as 
 brethren ; the elder women as mothers, and the 
 younger women as sisters, with all purity."'" In 
 
 e Tit. ii. 3, 4, 5. f Ver. 6. g Tim. ii. 22. h 2 Tim. ii. 
 
 41 James iv. l.S. i Luke x. 41, 42. Mat. xiii. t.'2. k I 'Hm. 
 
 Y. 13. \ 2 Tlu'ss iii. tl, 12. m 1 'l\in. v. 1, 2. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 261 
 
 watching over one another, they must beware of 
 indulging groundless jealousies, or of acting the 
 part of busy-bodies in other men's matters ;" curi- 
 ously prying into, and meddling with things where- 
 in they can have no conscientious concern. Like- 
 wise in all their reproofs and admonitions, they 
 must take heed lest they indulge a spirit of cavil- 
 ling, or be angry with their brother without a cause; 
 all which is opposite to that charity which '^ is not 
 easily provoked and thinketh no evil." On the 
 other hand, this mutual oversight requires mutual 
 subjection, without which it could answer no good 
 end. The apostle Paul exhorts to this mutual sub- 
 jection : *' Submitting yourselves one to anotlier 
 in the fear of God."° And Peter having exhorted 
 the younger to submit themselves unto the elder, 
 adds, " Yea all of you be subject one to another, 
 and be clothed with humility ; for God resisteth 
 the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."^ 
 Every one therefore ought to suffer the word of 
 exhortation or admonition, even from the very 
 meanest or weakest of his brethren, and in humi- 
 Lty and godly fear to pay all due attention to it 
 
 The Rules q/* Discipline in dealing with offenders. 
 
 Let us now briefly consider the rules of discipline 
 whereby they are to conduct themselves in dealing 
 with offenders. As all the members are indispen- 
 sibly bound to love one another for the truth's 
 sake, so, to make this duty possible, none must 
 
 n 1 Tim. v. 13 1 Pet, \v. 15. o Eph, v. 21, p 1 Pet. v. 5. 
 
262 Christ's commission 
 
 be received into, or retained in their communion, 
 but such as appear to be the proper objects of this 
 love, or to have the truth dwelling in them. Every 
 opposite appearance in any member must neces- 
 sarily occasion pain to the rest, and obstruct the 
 exercise of their complacential afiection towards 
 him until it is removed. Christ, therefore, hath 
 appointed discipline in his churches for reclaim- 
 ing offenders and recovering backsliders, and also 
 for expelling incorrigible transgressors and ma- 
 nifested hypocrites. This discipline is essential to 
 the very being of a Christian church, and wherever 
 the faithful and impartial exercise of it is neglected, 
 they cannot long preserve their separation from the 
 world, the purity of their communion, or the fer- 
 vent exercise of mutual love for the truth's sake. 
 
 Offences are either private or public, and consist 
 either of error in sentiment or immorality in prac- 
 tice ; and these again may be distinguished into 
 such as admit of gradual dealing, and those which 
 require immediate exclusion. 
 
 A private offence is a trespass committed against 
 a brother, or some irregularity falling under his 
 notice, whereby he is grieved, or his charity weak- 
 ened, and which is not publicly known to the 
 church. In this case, the rule prescribed by our 
 Lord (Mat. xviii. 15— 21.) must be strictly adhered 
 to in the whole of the procedure ; *' JNIoreover, if 
 thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell 
 him his fault between thee and him alone." In this 
 first step two things must be carefully attended to, 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 263 
 
 1. That the party offended do not smother the of- 
 fence in his breast, or harbour secret resentment or 
 grudges against his offending brother, wliich is 
 inconsistent with love, or a due concern for his 
 soul. He must without fail " go and tell him his 
 fault," or " rebuke him""* with faithfulness and af- 
 fection. So the law also enjoins, '* Thou shalt 
 not hate thy brother in thy heart ; thou shalt in 
 any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin 
 upon him,"*^ or, " that thou bear not sin for liim." 
 
 2. This must be done privately, '* between thee 
 and him alone," without exposing him, or commu- 
 nicating his fault to others under any pretence 
 whatever ; which is no more than what genuine 
 love and friendship will dictate, and what Solo- 
 mon also recommends : '* Debate thy cause with 
 thy neighbour himself, and discover not the secret 
 to another."^—" If he shall hear thee, thou hast 
 gained thy brother ;" i. e. if he shall accept the re- 
 proof, acknowledge his sin, and profess repen- 
 tance, he is won and recovered from the error of 
 his way ; and therefore he must be heartily for- 
 given, and the matter buried as if it had never 
 happened. So our Lord commands, " If he re- 
 pent, forgive him ; and if he trespass against thee 
 seven times in a day, and seven times in a day 
 turn again unto thee, saying, I repent,* thou shalt 
 
 • This command to forgive a brother as often as he repents, agrees 
 with Lis answer to Peter's question, " Lord, how oft shall my bro- 
 ther sin against me, and I forgive him ? till seven times ? Jesus 
 
 qLukexvii.3. rLev. xix. 17. iProv. xxv. 9. t Luke xvii. 3, 4. 
 
264 Christ's commission 
 
 forgive him:"' And to this case the exhortation 
 applies — " forgiving one another, if any man have 
 a quarrel against any ; even as Christ forgave you, 
 so also do ye."" 
 
 — " But if he will not hear thee, then take with 
 thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or 
 three witnesses every word may be established." 
 Should the private rebuke fail of success, he must 
 not be discouraged or drop the affair, nor must he 
 make it known to many, or bring it immediately to 
 the church ; but he must take along with him only 
 one or two more of the brethren to hear and judge 
 of the case, to concur wdth him in admonishing the 
 offender, and, if need be, to bear witness of the 
 matter to the church ; as the law also directs, *' at 
 
 saitb unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times ; but. Until se- 
 \enty times seven," Mat. xviii. 21, 22. But this will not apply to such 
 sins as are mentioned in 1 Cor. v. 11. for seventy times seven instances 
 of drunkenness, fornication, extortion, &c. would be more than suCScient 
 to denominate a man a drunkard, fornicator, or extortioner, with whom 
 we are forbid to eat ; and if Ave must retain such characters in the com- 
 munion upon mere verbal professions of repentance, we could never 
 obey the command to put away the evil from among^ us, ver, 13. This 
 frequent forgiveness, therefore, must respect only such offences and 
 provocations among brethren as arise from the imperfection of their 
 love, and the remainder of pride and ambition which still cleaves to 
 them, as appears from the connection of this command with the preceding 
 context ; see Mat. xviii. 1 — 14. Though a brother should often commit 
 trespasses of this kind, he cannot be put away while he h«iars admonition, 
 humbles himself, and confesses his fault witli penitence. So that cut- 
 ting off, according to the rule Mat. xviii. proceeds upon the evidence 
 which the offender gives of reigning pride or enmity, in refusing to hear 
 his offended brother, then the one or two more, and last of all the church. 
 
 ttCol. iii. 13. Eph.iv.32- 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 255 
 
 the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of 
 three witnesses, shall the matter be established/'* 
 If this second step succeed in brini,nug him to re- 
 pentance, the procedure must stop here ; he must 
 be forgiven. 
 
 — " And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it 
 unto the church.''* If he also resist the admoni- 
 tion of the one or two more, and still continue impe- 
 nitent, then his offence must be represented to the 
 church, i. e. to the whole assembly or congregation 
 whereof h^ is a member. This is the last resort, 
 beyond which there is no appeal under heaven. If 
 he hear the church, and with penitence acknowledge 
 his guilt, they, as well as the person originally 
 offended, must forgive him, and confirm their love 
 towards him. — *' But if he neglect to hear the 
 church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man 
 and a publican." The admonition of the church 
 is the last and most solemn means of conviction 
 which Christ has appointed in this world ; and if that 
 has no effect in bringing him to repentance, he must 
 no longer be regarded as a Christian brother, or a 
 member of the body, but excluded from the commu- 
 
 * The word church is no where used for an assembly of bishops or 
 elders in distinction from the people ; but it is frequently used to distin- 
 guish the body of the people from their office-bearers, Acts xi. 26. xiv. 
 ti, 23. XV. 4, 22. aud xx. 17, 28. Here it includes both elders and 
 people. The elders are to preside in conducting discipline ; aud the 
 people are to concur both in binding and loosing, not by a majority of 
 voices, but by unanimous agreement ; so that it is the deed of the whole 
 church, or the punishment injiicted of many, 2 Cor, ii. 6. 
 
 X Deut. xix. 15. 
 
2G6 Christ's commission 
 
 nion, and held as an heathen man and a publican, 
 with whom it was esteemed unlawful for a Jew to 
 keep company, or so much as to eat7 So that a 
 single congregation of saints with its presbytery, 
 when gathered together in the name and by the 
 authority of the Lord Jesus, are commanded (j|af 5^7* 
 rov vovn^ov •! V^" ^'-''^^O to J) It t away the evil from among 
 them,'' answerable to the law directing the supreme 
 judgment in the church of Israel.^ As the whole of 
 this matter ought to be conducted with solemnity, 
 and accompanied with prayer for the Divine bless- 
 ing ; so Christ hath promised to countenance and 
 ratify every step of it, whether public or private, 
 wherein they act or petition agreeable to his will. 
 " Verily, I say unto you. Whatsoever ye shall bind 
 on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever 
 ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. 
 Again, I say unto you. That if two of you shall agree 
 on earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it 
 shall be done for them of my Father who is in hea- 
 ven. For where two or tlnee are gathered together in 
 my name, there am I in the midst of them."*" 
 
 A public offence is such as is committed openly in 
 the world, or is known to the church ; in which case, 
 the two first steps of the foregoing rule will not ap- 
 ply. AYhatever private admonitions may be given, 
 no private satisfaction can be admitted ; for as all 
 are supposed to be oflended, so all require to be satis- 
 fied ; and as no private confession can answer that 
 end, the affair must at all events come before the 
 
 y Acts X. 28, and xi. vS. 1 Cor. v. 11. z 1 Cor. v. 13. 
 
 a Deut. xiii. 5. xvii. 7. and xxi. 21. b Mat. x\iii. 18 — 21. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 267 
 
 church, and the ofTender be dealt with accordinj^ to 
 the third step of our Lord's rule, agreeably to the 
 apostolic direction, " Them that sin rebuke before 
 all, that others also may fear;"*^ where we may 
 also see, tliat the end of public discipline is not 
 merely to reclaim or expel the offender, but also to 
 move others with fear lest they should ofiend in 
 like manner. 
 
 If the offence consist of an error in sentiment which 
 affects the faith or obedience of the gospel, all due 
 pains must betaken for the instruction and recovery 
 of the offender. " Brethren, (says James) if any of 
 you do err from the truth, and one convert him ; 
 let him know, that he who converteth the sinner 
 from the error of his way, shall save a soul from 
 death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."'^ And 
 this more especially belongs to the elders, w ho must 
 " be able by sound doctrine, both to exhort and 
 convince gainsay ers."® In doing which, " the 
 servant of the Lord must not strive ; but be gentle 
 unto all men ; in meekness instructing those that 
 oppose themselves ; if God peradventure will give 
 them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth ."^ 
 But if, after all, he " consent not to wholesome w ords, 
 even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to 
 the doctrine which is according to godliness," he 
 clearly discovers himself to be " proud, knowing 
 nothing, but doting about questions and strifes 
 of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, 
 evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of 
 
 c iTim. V. 20. d James v. 19, 20. e Tit. i. 9. f 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. 
 
268 Christ's coMxMission 
 
 corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth :"s and 
 the command is, " From such withdraw thyself/'** 
 The Apostle beseeches the brethren, " Mark them 
 which cause divisions and offences contrary to the 
 doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. 
 For they that are such, serve not our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, but their own belly ; and by good words 
 and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."* 
 With regard to the false teachers among the Gala- 
 tians, he says, " I would they were even cut off who 
 trouble you/'^ Men of this stamp are denominated 
 heretics : and the rule with respect to such is, " A 
 man that is an heretick, after the first and second 
 admonition, reject ; knowing that he that is such 
 is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of him- 
 self."* No church can long maintain the purity 
 of Christian doctrine unless they are attentive to 
 these directions. 
 
 If the offence be immorality in practice, we must 
 distinguish the case of one who through temptation, 
 seduction, or surprise, has fallen into such sins, from 
 the case of him who lives and walks in them. AYith 
 respect to the first, the Apostle says, " Brethren, if 
 a man be overtaken in a fault, ye that are spiritual 
 restore such an one in the spirit of meekness ; con- 
 sidering tliyself, lest thou also be tempted.""" So 
 that he is not to be immediately cut off like a hope- 
 less mortified member, hwi {kxtxctl^u.) set to rights, or 
 into joint again, like a broken or dislocated bone. 
 Some of the Corinthians wereguilty of uncleanness, 
 
 g 1 Tim. vi. 3, 4, 5. li Vcr. 5. i Rom. xvi. 17, 18. 
 
 k Gal. V. 12. 1 Tit. iii. 10, U, lu Gal. vi. 1. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 269 
 
 fornication, and lascivionsness ; yet the Apostle 
 does not direct the church to cut them oft' at any 
 rate, but expresses himself in such a manner as 
 clearly implies, that their repentance would pre- 
 vent his bewailing them, and using the rod of disci- 
 pline when he came." The procedure in this case 
 must be directed by the rules already mentioned. 
 
 But if a member has repeatedly fallen into sins of 
 this nature, or is living in the practice of any one of 
 them, so that his character may be denominated by it ; 
 whenever this appears, he must be immediately ex- 
 pelled the communion as a wicked person, whatever 
 repentance he may profess in words. Accordingly, 
 the Apostle does not at first direct the Corinthian 
 church to proceed against the incestuous person ac- 
 cording to the foregoing rules, or to accept of a pro- 
 fession of repentam;e in case he should appear peni- 
 tent; but simply, "To deliver such an one unto Satan 
 for the destruction of the flesh," and " to put away 
 the evil from among them."° The characters that 
 fall under this rule are such as these : " But now I 
 have written unto you not to keep company, if any 
 man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or co- 
 vetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard 
 or an extortioner; with such an one no not to 
 eat.*'p Paul warning Timothy, gives another ca- 
 talogue of them : " This know, that in the last days 
 perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers 
 of their ownselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blas- 
 phemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, un- 
 
 n 2 Cor. xii. 21. aod :(iu. 2. o 1 Cor. v. o, 4i,5, 13. p Ver. 11. 
 
270 Christ's commission 
 
 holy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, 
 false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those 
 that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers 
 of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a 
 form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; 
 from such turn away.""^ Yet should persons of 
 such characters afterwards give striking evidence of 
 their repentance, and that they are converted from 
 the error of their ways, they must be received again 
 into the communion of the church ; for so the Apos- 
 tle directs the church at Corinth with respect to the 
 incestuous person: " Sufficient to such amanis this 
 punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that 
 contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and 
 comfort him, lest perhaps such an one should be 
 swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore 
 I beseech you that ye would confirm your love to- 
 wards him. For to this end also did I write, that 
 I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obe- 
 dient in all things."^ 
 
 As the discipline of Christ's house is intended to 
 preserve the pure and unfeigned exercise of brotherly 
 love among the members, so the whole of it ought 
 to be conducted in love to the offender. All the ad- 
 monitions and reproofs ought to be administered in 
 love ; and when he can no longer be loved as a 
 brother, but must be cut off as a wicked person, even 
 that deed must be done with a view to the salvation 
 of his soul, or " that his spirit may be saved in the 
 day of the Lord Jesus ;" and should it be blessed for 
 
 q 2 Tim. iii. 1—6. r 2 Cor. ii. 6—10. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 271 
 
 his conviction and repentance, the church must be 
 ready to imitate the Divine mercy in forgiving, 
 comforting, and confirming their love towards 
 him.* 
 
 • Some deny that a person after he has been twice cast out, ought 
 ever to be received aijain, let his repentance be what it may. "If a 
 person (say they) should incur the censure of the church after his 
 second reception, we dare not receive him again ; because we have no 
 scriptural instance of a third reception of the same person." — To this I 
 answer. Neither have we a scriptural instance of a seco7id eicommunica- 
 tion of the same person ; and is this a sufTicieut reason why none should 
 be cast out a second lime ? If it be said, that the law of Christian 
 separation from the world, and the rule of discipline require that a 
 pei-son should be cast out as often as he appears an impenitent offender ; 
 then, by parity of reason, it must also be admitted, that the command to 
 forgive, restore, and confirm love to a repenting brother (Mat. xviii. 
 
 21, 2J. 2 Cor. ii. 6 — 9.) obliges us to receive him as often as he appears 
 truly to repent. Peter asks if he migiit limit his forgiveness of his 
 brother to seven times, but " Jesus saith to him, I say not unto thee 
 Until seven times, but until seventy times seven," ^Mat. xviii. 21, 
 
 22. Luke xvii. 4.) though any one of the ofteuces supposed, if unre- 
 pented of, would be a sufficient ground for excision, according to Mat. 
 xviii. 15—18. 
 
 They further argue, " That it is impossible we should obtain a fuller 
 evidence of his repentance than that which he hath given before, and 
 which has in fact been proved to be hypocritical." Christian Fractices 
 of the Church in St. Martin's le Grand, London, p. 23. Glas's Works, 
 vol. ii. p. 243. Edin. edit. 
 
 This reasoning makes Christ's law of repeated forgiveness of no eflect. 
 Peter with more reason might have told his Master, that he durst not 
 forgive his brother even seven times, because it was impossible to 
 obtain a fuller evidence of his repentance than that which he had six 
 times given before, and which had as often been proved to be hy|)ocri- 
 lical. But this argument is altogether inconclusive ; for a brother's 
 present offence does not prove that his repentance for a former one was 
 hypocritical. David sincerely repented of his guilt in the matter of 
 Uriah, though he afterwards numbered the people. Peter truly re- 
 pented his having denied his Lord, though he afterwards dissembled 
 
272 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 I shall conclude this subject with observing, that 
 this discipline was never intended for the nations of 
 this world assuming the name of Christian churches, 
 nor even for any district of a nation called a parish. 
 I may likewise add, that societies neglecting this 
 discipline, or whose constitution renders the exer- 
 cise of it simply impossible, can with no propriety 
 be called churches of Christ, though there may be 
 Christians amonsf them. 
 
 The Public Ordinances of Divine Service, 
 
 Before we mention the ordinances themselves, 
 it may be proper to take notice of the day on 
 which the apostolic churches assembled to observe 
 them. 
 
 at Antioch. And though it should appear that a former profession of 
 repentance was hypocritical, it does not follow that the present must be 
 so likewise. 
 
 Some ground this implacable tenet upon Tit. iii. 10. " A man that 
 is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject." But the 
 first and second admonition does not mean the first and second ei- 
 comrminication ; neither does reject here mean such a final rejection as 
 admits of no absolution in case of repentance, so that this text is nothing 
 to the purpose. 
 
 It is admitted, however, that when a person has been oftcncr than 
 once cut ofi' for a repetition of the same oflence, something more than 
 a verbal confession is necessary to evidence the sincerity of his repent- 
 ance, such as a change of conduct in that particular mauifosted for 
 some time ; but to lay it down as a rule never to receive him again 
 after he has lieen twice cast out, appears to me a practical denial of 
 the grace of God, and looks as if men had forgot that they themselves 
 have constant need of divine mercy to pardon their repeated daily 
 oiTences. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 273 
 
 God at first blessed the seventh day, and set it apart 
 in commemoration of his resting from the work of 
 creation ;^ and he gave it to Israel in their law to be 
 observed both hi commemoration of that/ and also 
 of his redeeming them from Egyptian servitude, and 
 making them enter into his rest in the earthly inhe- 
 ritance." But long after Israel had entered into that 
 rest, " he again limiteth a certain day, saying in Da- 
 vid, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not 
 your hearts Z'"' from which the Apostle shows, that 
 there is another rest besides the former two, into 
 which men are still called to enter, viz. the heavenly, 
 and also a limited daij, another day than the seventh 
 spoken of,answerable to that rest, and which remains 
 for a (crxQ^xria-ixos) Sabbatism to the people of God; 
 and the reason he gives for keeping of a Sabbath on 
 this other day is, " For he (viz. Christ) that is entered 
 into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own 
 w^orks as God did from his."^ So that it is 
 to be kept in commemoration of Christ's having 
 finished the work of redemption, and entered into 
 his heavenly rest. The day appointed for the Chris- 
 tian Sabbath appears also to be pointed at in Psal. 
 cx^iii. 25. " This is the day which the Lord hath 
 made, we will joy and be glad in it ;" and if we en- 
 quire what day is there intended, we shall find, that 
 it is the day on which Christ triumphantly ascended 
 to Jerusalem ;^— on which he was "made the head of 
 the corner,"* which Peter explains of his resurrec- 
 
 g Gen. ii. 2. t Exod. xx. 8—12. u Dent. v. 12—16. x Psal. xcv. 7. 
 y Heb. iv. 3 ---11. z Mat. xxi. 8—17. a Psal. cxviii. 22. 
 
274 Christ's commission 
 
 tion and exaltation ;^ — and on which he shed forth 
 the Holy Spirit on his apostles f all which events 
 took place on the first day of the week. Ac- 
 cordingly, it is recorded as matter of fact, that the 
 apostolic churches kept the first day of the week as a 
 day of sacred rest, and came together on that daj to 
 observe the ordinances of divine worship -/^ and as 
 they did this under the direction of the inspired 
 apostles, we must necessarily conclude, that the prac- 
 tice originated in divine institution. A\ hen John 
 wrote the Revelation,this day was universally known 
 among the churches by the name of the Lord's dai/ ;^ 
 which intimates, that it was instituted by the Lord 
 Jesus, sacred to his honour, and commemorative of 
 his work, even as the breaking of bread is for these 
 reasons called the Lord's Siqxper/ We may also ob- 
 serve, that as the earthly rest has come to an end, so 
 the Jewish Sabbath is set aside with all the other 
 types and shadows, as the Apostle show s, " Let no 
 man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or 
 in respect of an holy-day, or of the new-moon, or 
 of the Sabbath-days ; which are a shadow of things 
 to come ; but the body is of Christ."^ 
 
 The ordinances which the apostolic churches ob- 
 served when they came together on the first day of 
 the week, may be gathered from the practice of the 
 church at Jerusalem, which set the example to the 
 rest. Having gladly received the word, and been 
 baptized and added, it is said " They continued 
 
 b Acts IT. 10, 11. c Acts ii. 32, S3. d Acts xx. 7. 1 Cor. xi. 18, 
 
 20, with xvi. 2. e Rer. i. 10. f I Cor. xi. tiO. g Col. ii Id, l7. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 275 
 
 stedfastly in the apostles doctrine, and in the fcl- 
 lowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers 
 — praising Cod,"''&c. 
 
 1. They continued stedfastly inthe apostles doctrine. 
 They not only held fast what the apostles had already 
 taught them, but constantly attended their public 
 ministry in the church, that they might be further 
 confirmed and edified in the faith, and instructed to 
 observe all things whatsoeverChristhad commanded 
 them. All who are born again of the incorruptible 
 seed of the word, will naturally as new-born babes 
 desire the sincere milk of the same word, that they 
 may grow thereby/ For this end Christ hath ap- 
 pointed the ministry of the word as a public stand- 
 ing ordinance in his church ;^ and the first and chief 
 gift he bestowed for this purpose was that of 
 apostles.^ Here it may be necessary to notice, 
 
 (1.) That though the apostles do not now perso- 
 nally teach in the churches, yet their doctrine is con- 
 tained in the writings of the New Testament ; and 
 therefore if the churches would continue stedfastly in 
 the apostles doctrine, they must carefully attend unto 
 the reading of these inspired writings, together Nvith 
 the other scriptures, in their public assemblies. They 
 must not believe every spirit, or implicitly follow 
 uninspired teachers, but try the spirits whether they 
 are of God ; and the standard to try them by is the 
 doctrine of the apostles ; for John says, " We (the 
 apostles) are of God : he that knoweth God hear- 
 
 h Acts ii. 41, 42, 47. i 1 Pet ii 'J, >. k Kph. iv. ]2. 
 
 1 1 Cor. xii. -M. i-.i>h. iv. 11. 
 
276 Christ's commission 
 
 eth us ; he that is not of God heareth not us. 
 Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the spirit 
 of error.""" Peter declares that the design of writ- 
 ing his epistles was, that Christians might be able 
 after his decease to have these things always in re- 
 membrace;" — that they might be mindful of the 
 words which were spoken before by the holy pro- 
 phets, and of the commandments of the apostles of 
 the Lord and Saviour ;° and he also recommends all 
 the epistles of his beloved brother Paul, with the 
 other scriptures, as the only antidote against their 
 being led away w ith the error of the wicked, and fall- 
 ing from their own stedfastness.^ The writings of 
 Moses were read in the Jew ish synagogue every Sab- 
 bath-day. The like end is proposed in writing the 
 New Testament * revelation,*^ which was also com- 
 manded to be read in the churches as it was given 
 
 * The apostolic decrees were the first part of the New Testament re- 
 velation that was committed to writing ; and one end for WTiting them 
 Avas, that they might be read in the churches even as Moses was in the 
 synagogues. This appears from the connection of the 20th and 21st 
 verses of Acts xv. " But that we write unto them, that they abstain 
 from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, 
 and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that 
 preach him, being head in the synagogues every Sabbath-day." 
 
 Now that I have mentioned the apostolic decrees, it may be pro- 
 per to take notice of the prohibition as to thivgs strangled and blood. 
 It is evident that this prohibition was none of the peculiarities of 
 Moses' law ; for long before the giving of that law, when God at 
 first made the grant of animal food to Noah and his posterity, he 
 made it with this reserve, " Every moving thing that livelh shall be 
 meat for you ; even as the green herb have I given you all tilings 
 
 m 1 John iv. 1,6. n 2 Pet. i. 15. o Chap. iii. 1, 2 
 
 p 2 Pet. iii. 15, 16, 17. q Acts xv. 2(), 21. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 277 
 
 forth ;'' accordingly, Timothy is exhorted to give 
 attendance to reading, as well as to exhortation 
 and doctrine.* The reading of the scriptures, 
 therefore, is a public ordinance in the churches of 
 Christ ; and this is what they have in place of the 
 personal ministry of the apostles and prophets. 
 
 (2.) Preaching and expounding the word is ano- 
 ther public institution for edifying the church. 
 This is the proper work of elders or pastors. Mo- 
 ses was of old time not only read but preached in 
 the synagogues ;' and Christ hath not only given 
 apostles, prophets and evangelists, but also pas- 
 tors and teachers for the work of the ministry, for 
 the edifying of his body.*^ Their office is to feed 
 
 but flesh with the Mfe thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall yoa 
 not eat," Gen. ix. 3, 4. By the law of Moses, both the Israelite and 
 the stranijer were forbid to eat any manner of blood under the severest 
 |>ena!ty, Lev. xvii. 10 — 15. Under the gospel, the apostolic decrees 
 which ascertained the freedom of the Gentile converts from circumcision 
 and the peculiarities of Mos'^s law, at the same time most solemnly 
 commanded them to abstain from things strangled and blood, as well 
 as from pollutions of idols and fornication ; and that as necessary tltivgs, 
 which were not to be held indifferent. These decrees were delivered 
 to the Gentile churches to keep, Acts xvi. 4. they are mentioned by 
 James several years after as still in force, chap. xxi. 25. are referred to 
 by our Lord in the epistle to the church of Thyatira, and commanded to 
 be held fast till he come, Rev. ii. 24, 25. It is therefore clear, that 
 blood, either mixt with the flesh of things strangled, or by itself, has 
 been absolutely prohibited in all ages, and still continues to be so under 
 ihe gospel. Yet men under a strict profession of Christianity have 
 jnade void this Divine law, and can plead for blood-eating as part of 
 their Christian liberty. 
 
 r Col. iv. 16. 1 Thess. v. 27. s 1 Tim iv. 13. t Acta 
 
 XV. 21. uEph. iv.11,12. 
 
278 Christ's commission 
 
 the flock, and to labour among them in the word 
 and doctrine;'^ in doing this they must preach 
 the word ; be instant in season, out of season ; 
 reprove, rebuke, exhort,^ &c. For this work the 
 written word of God abundantly furnishes them; 
 for " all scripture is given by inspiration of God, 
 and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor- 
 rection, for instruction in righteousness ; that the 
 man of God (or teacher) may be perfect, thoroughly 
 furnished unto all good works ;"^ so that they have 
 no occasion for any other source of instruction. 
 'And while teachers take heed unto themselves and 
 unto their doctrine, showing themselves approved 
 unto God, workmen that need not be ashamed, 
 nghtly dividing the word of truth contained in the 
 scriptures,^ the flock must attend unto their minis- 
 try as the ordinance of God, and as a special means 
 of their continuing stedfastly in the apostles' doc- 
 trine. Another means of this is, 
 
 (3.) The mutual exhortations of the brethren. 
 This is a duty expressly and repeatedly enjoined ;^ 
 and that not merely in private or occasional meet- 
 ings, but in the public and stated assemblies of the 
 church ; " Let us consider one another, to provoke 
 unto love, and to good works ; not forsaking the 
 assembling of ourselves together ; but exhorting 
 one another ; and so much the more as ye see the 
 day approaching."^ T»ione of the members who 
 have any gifts are exempted from this duty, ex- 
 
 xlPct. V. 2 iTim. V. 17. y ^ Tim. iv. 2. z Chap. iii. Id, 
 
 17. a 1 Tim. iv. 15, 16. 2 Tim. ii. 15. h Rom. xv. 11. Col. 
 
 ill. 16. iThcss. iv. ]8. Hcb. iii. V3. o Ilcb. x. 'Jl, 'IS. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 279 
 
 cept women ; who are enjoined to " keep silence 
 in the churches ; for it is not permitted unto them 
 to speak ; but they are commanded to be under 
 obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will 
 learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at 
 home ; for it is a shame for a woman to speak in 
 the church."'^ Yet in private teaching they have 
 their sphere of usefulness, particularly among their 
 own sex.^ Thus the various gifts of the members 
 have room for exercise, that " speaking the truth 
 in love, they may grow up into him in all things, 
 who is the Head, even Christ."^ And here strict 
 attention must be paid to the general rule, " Let 
 all things be done decently and in order."''' 
 
 2. They continued stedfastly (r»? xo/va;»/a) in the 
 fellowship. This does not mean fellowship in the 
 gospel; for they enjoyed that continuing in the 
 apostle's doctrine, whereas this is added as some- 
 thing distinct; nor does it mean fellowship in break- 
 ing of bread, or in prayers ; for the intervening 
 word (jcxi) mid, plainly distinguishes these as addi- 
 tional articles ; nor can it signify church fellow- 
 ship in a general view ; fOr it is enumerated among 
 the particular duties of such fellowship. It must 
 therefore mean (i» xonuna) " the fellowship of the mi- 
 nistering to the saints."*^ The same word is else- 
 where rendered contribution^ distribution^ commu- 
 nication,^ &c. where it evidently signifies the collec- 
 tion for the support of the poor and other necessary 
 
 d 1 Cor. xiv. 34, 3,'). 1 Tim. ii. 11, 12. o Tit. ii. 3 — 6. 
 
 f Eph. iv. 1-J. ^ 1 Cnr. xiv. 40. Ii 2 Cor. viii. 4 i Rom. 
 
 XV. 26. 2 Cor. ix. 13. Ileb. xiii. 16. 
 
280 Christ's commission 
 
 uses. This is a duty appointed for the first day of 
 the week, when they come together into one place ;'^ 
 and the disciples must continue stedfastly in it ac- 
 cording to their several abilities, for the poor they 
 have always with them: so the Apostle exhorts, 
 " Of the well-doing and the fellowship be not for- 
 getful ; for with such sacrifices God is \\ ell-pleas- 
 ed. "^ Some may be apt to look upon this as a 
 carnal ordinance, but the Apostle speaks of it 
 here in very high terms ; and he elsewhere calls 
 this communicating of our substance *' an odour 
 of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well- 
 pleasing to God/''" 
 
 3. They continued stedfastly in the hreaJcing of 
 breach This expression is sometimes used to sig- 
 nify a common meal; but as the breaking of bread 
 here mentioned is distinguished from their " break- 
 ing bread from house to house," ^ or " eating their 
 meat,"" and classed with the other church-ordinan- 
 
 * Their breaking bread from house to house, and eating their meat 
 with gladness and singleness (or liberalitY) of heart, Acts ii. 46. seems to 
 be their ugapm or feasts of charity, which are afterwards mentioned in 
 2 Pet. ii, 13. Judc ver. 12. Paul, writing to tlie cliurch at Corinth, 
 distinguishes these feasts from the Lnr</'s supper hy calling tlicm tlieir 
 own supper ; and directs them to eat them in tlioir houses along with 
 their poor brethren, whom it seems the more wealthy had neglected or 
 despised, 1 Cor. xi. 20, 21, 22 As these love-feasts were e^identIy 
 kept bv the apostolic churches ; as they were calculated to promote ]o\e, 
 intimacy, and edification among brethren ; asthoy are no where set aside 
 by revelation, but on the contrary enjoined hy the Apostle to be con- 
 ducted in a right manner ; so they ought still to be observed by the 
 churches of Christ. 
 
 k 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2. 1 Heb. xiii. 16. in Pliilip. iv. 14—19. 
 
 n Acts ii. 46. 
 
TO Ills APOSTLES. 281 
 
 ces, it must signify the Lord's Supper, which is 
 afterwards called the breaking of bread by this 
 same historian :" and it is so called, because the 
 action of breaking bread is the most signilicant 
 part of this institution ; for Jesus " took bread and 
 brake it, and said, This is my body which is broken 
 for you ;"P and the Apostle says, " The bread 
 which we break, is it not the communion of the 
 body of Christ ?"« 
 
 The form, nature, and design of this ordinance 
 are best learned from the words of its institution, 
 which we shall collect from the different passages. 
 " The Lord Jesus, the night in which he was be- 
 trayed," as they were eating the passover, " took 
 bread and blessed," or " gave thanks, and gave it 
 to the disciples, saying. Take, eat; this is my body, 
 which is given," or*' broken for you; this do in 
 remembrance of me. After the same manner also 
 be took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he 
 gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it ; for this 
 cup is my blood of the new testament (or cove- 
 nant) which is shed for you,— for many for the re- 
 mission of sins : this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, 
 in remembrance of me." To which the Apostle 
 adds, ** For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink 
 this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he 
 come.""^ From these words we may observe, 
 
 (1.) That the instituted signs in this ordinance 
 are the bread and the cup, or the wine in the cup ; 
 
 o Acts XX. 7. p 1 Cor. xi. 24. q Chap. x. 16. r Compare 
 
 Mat. xxvJ 26—29. with Mark xiv. 22—23. aud Luke xxii. 19—21. and 
 1 Cor. xi. 23—27. 
 
282 Christ's commission 
 
 for it was the fruit of the vine that our Lord gave 
 
 to his disciples.^ 
 
 ^2.) The actions — 1. Of the administi'ator are ex- 
 emplified by our Lord. He " took bread, and 
 blessed it," or " gave thanks" — Then he " brake 
 it ;" which is a significant action, without which 
 the ordinance would not be complete — and *' gave 
 it to the disciples" thus broken.— After this " he 
 took the cup— and gave thanks." Paul calls it the 
 cup of *' blessing which we bless ;"'^ from which it 
 appears that both blessing and thanksgiving * were 
 used at the taking of the cup, as well as before at 
 taking the bread. — Lastly, he " gave it to them," 
 namely the cup, even as he had done the bread be- 
 fore.— 2. The actions of the partakers are implied 
 in those of the administrator, and the words ac- 
 companying them, viz. their taking the broken 
 bread, and eating it, — and afterwards the cup, and 
 drinking it, according to the manner prescribed ; 
 for it is expressly said, '' they all drank of it."'* 
 But this eating and drinking was not to satisfy the 
 bodily appetite, for it was immediately after a full 
 meal ; and the Apostle says, '' If any man hunger, 
 let him eat at home."'' 
 
 (3.) The signification or mystery oi these outward 
 signs and actions must be chiefly learned from our 
 
 • Some tliink that [tvXoysuj) to bless, and {sv^xfistu) to give thanks, 
 signify the same thing in this plare ; but 1 apprehend that the former 
 signifies to pray for a blcssiuf^, and the latter to express gratitude, and tJiat 
 both were done in each address. 
 
 s Lake xxii. 18. t 1 Cor. x. 16. U Mark xiv. 23. 
 
 X 1 Cor. xi. S-t. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 283 
 
 Lord's words. — 1. Of the hread he says, '' This is 
 viy hody." Not his real body, as the Papists affirm, 
 but the sign, representation, or memorial of his 
 body; for it is usual in scripture to call the si^ the 
 thing signified. Thus the paschal lamb is the Lord's 
 passover ;y the rock in the wilderness is Christ ;^ 
 the seven stars are the angels of the seven church- 
 es; and the seven candlesticks are the seven chilrch- 
 es.^ — It represents his body as broken, for he brake 
 the bread before he gave it ; and then says, '' This 
 is my body broken," i. e. crucified or slain. — It re- 
 presents it thus broken /or his people ; for he adds, 
 '•^ broken {lire^ v^c^v) for you — given for you; i.e. 
 in their stead, on their account, and for their ad- 
 vantage. This points out the vicarious and sub- 
 stitutional nature of his death ; and in this view it 
 is every where represented.^ This broken bread 
 holds him forth as the truth of all the sacrifices and 
 sin-offerings under the law,*^ and in keeping this 
 feast we must view him as our passover sacrificed 
 for us."^— 2. Of the cup he says, " This cup is the 
 new testament in my blood, which is shed for you;" 
 or, " This is my blood of the new testament, which 
 is shed for many for the remission of sins." By 
 the cup he means the wine in the cup, even as the 
 altar is put for the sacrifice offered upon it.® This 
 he calls his hlood by the same figure of speech by 
 which he had called the bread his body, namely, as 
 being the sign or memorial of it. — The cup parti- 
 
 y Exod. xii. 11. z 1 Cor. x. 4. a Rev. i. 10, b Isa. 
 
 liii. 4 — 7. Rom. V. 6, 8. iCor. v. 21. Gal. iii. 13. Tit. ii. 14. I Pet. 
 iii. 18. c Heb. x. 1-19. d 1 Cor. v. 7, e Heb. xiii. 10. 
 
284 Christ's commission 
 
 cularly represents that part of the sacrifice which 
 made the atonement, as explained in the law, " For 
 the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given 
 it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for 
 your souls ; for it is the blood that maketh an atone- 
 ment for the soul."^ So Christ's blood was his life, 
 that by which he made the true atonement; the ran- 
 som-price by which he redeemed the souls of his 
 people.^— It represents his blood shed or {sKX'j^ofxivov) 
 poured out, in order to make an atonement ; which 
 imports his giving his life ; for taking away the life 
 is called '' shedding of blood ;" and it is said of 
 Christ, that " he poured out his soul unto death."'' 
 — He says, that his blood was thus shed '' for you ;" 
 i. e. for the believing partakers — " for many," not 
 only of the Jews, but also for a great multitude out 
 of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and na- 
 tion, even the whole church of the redeemed.' — He 
 also declares the end for which it w^as shed for them, 
 viz. " for the remission of sins." The law gave 
 the knowledge of sin, whilst it manifested that 
 " without shedding of blood there is no remis- 
 sion."'' This it did by the continual shedding of 
 the blood of animals, which served the double pur- 
 pose of calling sins to remembrance, and prefigur- 
 ing the true atoning sacrifice, but could never take 
 away sin. But here the cup imports, that the blood 
 of Christ shed for his guilty people hath obtained 
 a full and everlasting remission of sins. This far- 
 ther appears from these words, " This is my blood 
 
 f Lev. xvii. 11. g 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. h Isa. liii. 12. 
 
 i Rev. V. 9. k Ileb. ix. 22, 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 285 
 
 of the new testament;" which answer to the words 
 of Closes when he dedicated the old covenant by 
 tlic sprinklins; of blood, " This is the blood of the 
 testament which God hath enjoined unto you."^ 
 That old covenant was a figure of the new covenant, 
 and the blood whereby it was dedicated a type of 
 Christ's blood. When the Lord promises to make 
 the new covenant, he contrasts it with the old cove- 
 nant made at Sinai, and sets forth its excellency by 
 the better promises upon which it is established : 
 " Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that 1 will 
 make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and 
 with the house of Judah: not according to the co- 
 Tenaut that I made with their fathers in the day that 
 I took them by the hand, to lead them out of the 
 land of Egypt.— But this shall be the covenant that 
 I will make with the house of Israel, after those 
 days, saith the Lord, I will put ray law iij their in- 
 ward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be 
 their God, and they shall be my people. And they 
 shall teach no more every man his neighbour, sa}^- 
 ing. Know the Lord ; for they shall all know me, 
 from the least of them unto the greatest of them, 
 saith the Lord ; for I will forgive their iniquity, and 
 I will remember their sin no more.""" All these 
 promises were ratified upon Christ's blood or sa- 
 crifice ; but the apostle takes particular notice of 
 the last, viz, the remission of sins ; show^s that it 
 took place when Christ had by one ofi"ering perfect- 
 ed for ever them that are sanctified ; and observes, 
 that where remission of these is there is no more 
 
 I Exod. xxiv. 8. Heb. ix. 20, m Jer. xxxi. 32—35. Heb. viii. 10, IJ, 12. 
 
286 Christ's commission 
 
 offering for sin." Now the cup represents Christ's 
 blood as the blood of this new covenant shed for 
 the remission of sins, and on account of which God 
 remembers them no more. And as it was through 
 the blood of this everlasting covenant that Jesus 
 Christ himself was brought again from the dead to 
 inherit eternal life,"" so he gives his disciples this 
 cup as a pledge of their participation of that eternal 
 life that is in him.^ 
 
 (4.) The end or design of this institution is, in ge- 
 neral, — 1. To keep up the remembrance of Christ. 
 So he enjoins them in eating the bread, *' This do 
 in remembrance of me ;" and in drinking the cup, 
 " This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance 
 of me." This implies that we are apt to forget him, 
 which, however strange it may seem, is notwith- 
 standing a truth. He knew this, and graciously 
 instituted this ordinance to keep him in our most 
 grateful and affectionate remembrance. — In this or- 
 dinance we must remember ivho he is, viz. the AVord 
 made flesh, God manifest in the flesh. It is the 
 divine dignity of his person that gives value and 
 efficacy to all that he hath done for the salvation of 
 men ; and if we remember not this, we do not re- 
 member HIM. — We must remember what he hath 
 done for the redemption of sinners, particularly his 
 amazing love in laying down his life for them. In 
 the bread and cup we are to discern his body bro- 
 ken, and his blood shed, with the great ends of both ; 
 and in eating this bread and drinking this cup we 
 *' shew the Lord's death," i. e. exhibit, declare, and 
 
 H Heb. X. 14—19. o Hcb. xiii. '■20. p Johu vi. 54 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 287 
 
 profess it as the foundation of all our hope towards 
 God, makini^ our boast of a crucified Saviour whom 
 the world despise.— We must thus remember and 
 *' shew the Lord's death till he come,** This implies, 
 that as to his bodily presence he is now absent from 
 us, having gone to the Father ; that he will come 
 again to receive his people to himself, that where 
 he is there they may be also ; that this ordinance 
 must be observed during his absence, not only in 
 commemoration of his death, but in the prospect 
 and joyful hope of his coming ; and that when he 
 comes there will be no farther occasion for this me- 
 morial of him. — 2. It is intended as a means to as- 
 sure his disciples of their interest in his death, and 
 of his appearing the second time without a sin-offer- 
 ing unto their salvation. Our Lord did not merely 
 present the bread and cup, assuring them that these 
 were sufficient to feed them ; but he actually gave 
 them to his disciples, bidding them eat the one, and 
 drink the other. Nothing can be more closely 
 applied to our bodies, or more appropriated to our 
 own particular use than what we eat and drink ; and 
 therefore our spiritually eating Christ's flesh and 
 drinking his blood in this ordinance, is more than a 
 general pei suasion that Christ's death is sufficient to 
 save whom he will ; it can be no less than a belief 
 of our own particular interest in his death, and a 
 joying in God through him, by whom we have now 
 received the atonement. But we are not left to 
 argue this from analogy ; for Christ expressly tells 
 his disciples when he gives them the bread to eat 
 and the cup to drink, " This is my body broken 
 
288 Christ's commission 
 
 FOR YOU— This is the *' new covenant in my blood 
 which is SHED for you." These words are ad- 
 dressed to the believing partakers; and if their faith 
 answers to that which is spoken, they must know 
 that his body was broken and his blood shed, not 
 only for the elect in general, but for themselves in 
 particular. When they perceive and believe the 
 sufficiency of Christ's death to reconcile them to 
 God, it frees them from every perplexing question 
 as to the ground of hope, and excites their supreme 
 desire to be found in Christ, having the righteous- 
 ness which is of God by faith ; but this hunger and 
 thirst after righteousness is never fully satisfied till 
 they believe Christ's words, that his body was bro- 
 !cen and his blood shed for them. In the belief of 
 this the meek eat and are satisfied ; they feast with 
 God on the sacrifice of his beloved Son as sacrifi- 
 ced for them, and have fellowship with Christ by the 
 Spirit in the enjoyment of the Father's love, drink- 
 ing the fruit of the vine new with him in his Father's 
 kingdom.^ This? excites their love to God and to 
 one anothei ; and makes them look forward with 
 joyful hope and earnest desire for the second com- 
 ing of Christ, knowing that he will appear for their 
 salvation. And thus they shew the Lord's death 
 till he come. 
 
 In order to partake of this ordinance aright, and 
 enjoy the comfort intended by it, the apostle directs 
 tlie Corinthians to self-examination : " But let a m£ai 
 examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, 
 and drink of that cup."*" He must examine him- 
 
 q Mat. xxvi. 29 r 1 Cor. %\. 28. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 289 
 
 self whether he be in the /aeV/^/ without which he 
 has no liu^ht to that ordinance, cannot discern the 
 Lord's body, or least upon his sacrilice/ — He must 
 examine himself as to his love to the brethren. If a 
 church come toj^etherin divisions or schisms, " this 
 is not to eat the Lord's supper.""* They cannot 
 really feast upon Christ as their passover sacrificed 
 for tliem, unless they " purge out the old leaven," 
 and keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with 
 the leaven of malice and icickedness : but with the 
 unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.""^ And 
 this is true of every individual as well as of the 
 church in general. — He must examine himself as to 
 ihQ fruits of love, how he bears his brethren's bur- 
 dens, and so fulfils the law of Christ, which is the 
 law of brotherly love; concerning which the Apostle 
 exhorts, ^* Let every man prove his own works, and 
 then shall he have rejoicing in. himself alone, and 
 not in another."*" But this duty of self-examina- 
 tion as to brotherly love cannot take place but among 
 those w ho appear to one another to be of the truth. 
 If there be any among them who have not this ap- 
 pearance, they cannot love them for the truth's sake, 
 consequently cannot examine themselves as to their 
 bve to such, and so eat of that bread and drink of 
 that cup with them, which is the symbol of love and 
 union. The only remedy in this case is, what the 
 Apostle prescribes to the churches in that of the in- 
 cestuous person, viz. to purge out the old leaven by 
 
 h 2 Cor. xiii. 5. t 1 Cor. xi. 29 John vi. 35, o6, 
 
 u iCor. w. 18,20. X 1 Cor. v. 7,8. y Gal vi. 2---5. 
 
290 Christ's commission 
 
 discipline, that they may be a new lump, and so 
 keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity 
 and truth ;^ which they cannot do while they either 
 eat in divisions among themselves, or in connection 
 with impenitent offenders and visible unbelievers. 
 
 When the Apostle says, " as often as ye eat this 
 bread and drink this cup," &c. he intimates, that 
 this ordinance must be often celebrated ; and the ex- 
 pressions, " when ye come together in the church," 
 and '^ when ye come together into one place — to cat 
 the Lord's supper,"^ plainly import, that one 
 main end of their coming together was to observe 
 this ordinance. And if it be asked, how often they 
 assembled for that purpose ? the example of the 
 church at Troas will solve this question : " Upon 
 the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, whcn the disciples 
 came together to break bread."'^ If this passage 
 proves that the first churches statedly assembled for 
 worship every first day of the week, as is generally 
 admitted, it proves still clearer that it was for the 
 purpose of breaking bread. Accordingly, we find 
 that the church at Jerusalem continued as stedfastly 
 in the breaking of bread as in the other social ordi- 
 nances of divine worship.*^ And if we only consider 
 the nature and ends of this comfortable institution, 
 it cannot well be conceived how any real Christian 
 should object to its frequency, or think it either bur- 
 densome or improper to observe it every Lord's day. 
 
 The Lord's supper does not, like baptism, belong 
 
 z 1 Cor. V. 5—9. a Cliap. xi. 18, 20, 3.3. 
 
 b Acts XX. 7. c Actsii. -M. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 291 
 
 to single individuals by themselves ; for it is an ordi- 
 nance of visible communion. Nor does it belong to 
 a number of disciples occasionally meeting, and 
 not properly united or set in order ; nor to parts of 
 a church meetinj^ in different places ; but only to a 
 church re<^ularly constituted as a visible body, with 
 its proper pastors, and coming slatedly together 
 into one place to eat it. The bread and cup are the 
 communion, or joint participation, of the body and 
 blood of Christ; and as the bread is one, so the 
 many who all partake of that one bread must be 
 one visible body.'^ And this body is described as 
 organized like the complete body of a man, and 
 furnished with all the necessary parts for perform- 
 ing the various offices.^ 
 
 4. They continued stedfnstly in the prayers. Prayer 
 is an address presented unto God in the name of 
 Christ, the great High-priest and Advocate, through 
 whose mediation alone there is access unto the throne 
 of grace with acceptance. It consists of adoration 
 and praise of his matchless excellencies, confession 
 of our guilt and unworthiness before him, petitions 
 for every needful blessing agreeable to his will, and 
 thanksgiving for all his benefits. This is the duty of 
 Christians every where and in every situation,^ who 
 are enjoined to continue instant in prayer and to 
 watch thereunto with all perseverance f and to this 
 persevering importunity our Lord gives the highest 
 encourajiement.'' As there can be no vital Christi- 
 
 d 1 Cor. X. 16, 17. e Chap, xii. f 1 Tim. ii. 8. Philip, iv. 6. 
 
 g Rom. xii. li. Epb. vi. 18. li Luke xi. 1 — 1-1. aud xviii. 1 — 9. 
 
292 Christ's commission 
 
 anity without the Spirit of grace and supplication ; 
 so the liveliness or languor of a man's soul in the spi- 
 ritual life may be measured by the degree of his de- 
 light in, or aversion from this duty. Prayer is not 
 only a secret and private duty, but a most important 
 branch of public worship, as appears from the 
 passage under consideration. And as prayers are 
 mentioned in the plural, there must have been a 
 number of them put up at every meeting of the 
 church ; and it is probable they w ere distributed 
 or interspersed among the other parts of divine ser- 
 vice. The pastors are distinguished from (lie 
 deacons by their giving themselves to prayer as 
 well as to the ministry of the word ;* and no doubt 
 there were particular public prayers peculiar to 
 them; such as the eucharistical prayers at the 
 Lord's supper, the binding and loosing prayers in 
 discipline, &c. But it does not appear that all the 
 prayers in the public assembly were put up by tlie 
 pastors only. The hundred and twenty disciples 
 continued with one accord in prayer and supplica- 
 tion when met together ;^ the three thousand who 
 were added to them also continued stedfastly in the 
 same divine exercise ;^ and the apostles often gave 
 directions to the members of the churches, as well 
 with respect to their public and social as private 
 prayers.™ We cannot suppose that nothing more 
 is meant by all this, than their saying A^ien to the 
 prayers of their teachers," or their repeating prayers 
 
 i Actsvi.4. k Chau. i. 14. 
 xu. Jii. 1 Cor. xi. 4- and xiv. 14. 
 
 1 Chap. ii. 4'2. m Horn. 
 
 Eph. vi. \H. 1 Tim. ii. 1, i,j,ii 
 
 J4inoi V. Id. Juiic ver. 20. 
 
 a 1 Cor. xiv. Id 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 293 
 
 after them.* It plainly intimates, that the prayers 
 of the brethren had a place in the public worship of 
 the church. The particular manner of conducting 
 this part of divine service is indeed not recorded in 
 scripture ; but as they could not all pray audibly at 
 once without confusion, unless they had common 
 forms of prayer, which the scriptures do not coun- 
 tenance ; so it seems most agreeable to the general 
 rule of decency and order to suppose, that the pre- 
 sident called forth such a number of the brethren to 
 pray in succession as the time allotted for that 
 branch of worship would permit. 
 
 5. Lastly, Singing praise to Godm psalms, hymns, 
 and spiritual songs, is another branch of public wor- 
 ship. When our Lord instituted the Supper as the 
 standing memorial of his sacrifice, he sung an hj^nn 
 with his disciples on that occasion." Paul gives 
 directions ^o the church at Corinth as well with re- 
 
 • The practice of repeating prayers after the presbyter did not take 
 place in the apostolic age, though it seems to have been introduced very 
 early. See Justin Martyr, apulog. 2. p. 98. Yet in Cyprian's time the 
 brethren prajed audibly in the church; for he admonishes them as 
 follows : " Wlien therefore we come together with our brethren into the 
 assembly, to celebrate the divine sacrifices with the minister of God, we 
 ought to be mindful of order and a reverend regard ; and not to throw 
 about our })rayers with a wild and confused voice, or with a disorderly 
 prating, to cast forth these petitions which ought with the greatest 
 modesty to be put up to God." Cyprian, de Orat. Dom, p. 188. 
 
 It cannot be shown that the churches used any set forms of prayer 
 during (he first three centuries, except the Lord's prayer. See King's 
 Enquiry into the constitution, discipline, unity, and worship of the pri- 
 mitive church, p. 33—43 
 
 n Mat. xxvi. 30. Mark xiv. 26. 
 
294 Christ's commission 
 
 gard to their social singing as other parts of divine 
 service f and in his epistles to the Ephesians and 
 Colossians, he expressly inculcates this duty : "Let 
 the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; 
 teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms, 
 and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with 
 grace in your hearts to the Lord." p— Be ye filled 
 with the Spirit ; speaking to yourselves in psalms, 
 and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and mak- 
 ing melody in your heart to the Lord ; giving 
 thanks always for all things unto God and the 
 Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ/'^ 
 "We cannot sing with grace in our hearts unless "the 
 word of Christ dwell in us richly,"' and we be 
 ' filled with the Spirit." Those who through the 
 Spirit believe the gospel of the grace of God, are fur- 
 nished with the most solid grounds of thankfulness, 
 gratitude, and joy ; and singing is not only the natural 
 expression of these happy and devout affections, but 
 also the appointed means of exciting and strengthen- 
 ing them. This delightful duty is to be performed 
 " unto God and the Father, in the name of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ," who hath approached unto 
 God in the name of all his brethren with acceptance, 
 and officiates as the minister of the heavenly sanctu- 
 ary ; where he leads the worship of the whole general 
 assembly and church of the first-born, declaring his 
 Father's name unto his brethren, and inthe midst of 
 the church singing praise unto him.'^ It is only 
 through his merits and mediation that our prayers 
 
 o 1 Cor. XIV. 15, 26. p Col iii. 16. q Kph. v. 18, 19, 20. r IJeb. ii. 1-2. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 295 
 
 and praises come up before God with acceptance ; 
 and it is " by him" we are to " offer the sacrifice of 
 praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our 
 lips, {ofj-oXoyavTis) coufcssing to his name.'"' The 
 whole redeemed company are also represented as 
 celebrating in songs of praise the worthiness of the 
 Lamb that was slain, and has redeemed them unto 
 God by his blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, 
 and people, and nation ;* and it well becomes the 
 churches of the saints upon earth, who represent 
 tliis grand worshipping assembly, to join in the 
 song, saying, " Unto him that loved us, and washed 
 us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made 
 us kings and priests unto God and his Father ; to 
 him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. 
 Amen/'" 
 
 Thus I have endeavoured to point out some of 
 the principal things which the apostles, according 
 to tlieir commission, taught the disciples to 
 observe ; and " blessed are they that do his com- 
 mandments, that they may have right to the tree 
 of life, and may enter in through the gates into 
 the city."^ 
 
 f> Heb. xiii. 15. t Rev. v 9. 14. 
 
 a Chap. i. 5, 6. x Chap. xxii. 14. 
 
296 Christ's commission 
 
 THE PROMISE. 
 
 — And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end 
 of the world, 
 
 1. 1 HIS encouraging promise was no doubt 
 made in the first place to his apostles, and has a 
 particular respect to the commission he had just 
 given them, which was the most important and 
 arduous work that ever was assigned to any of the 
 human race. When the Lord commissioned Moses 
 to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, he 
 encouraged him by this promise, *' Certainly I will 
 be WITH THEE."^ The same promise he repeatedly 
 made to Joshua when he commissioned him to 
 subdue the Canaanites, and lead Israel into the 
 promised possession ; " As I was with Moses, so I 
 will be w ITH THEE : I will not fail thee, nor for- 
 sake thee — Have not I commanded thee ? Be 
 strong, and of a good courage, neither be thou dis- 
 mayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whi- 
 thersoever thou goest."^ This promise imports, 
 that his special presence would attend them ; and 
 that he would give them effectual direction, pro- 
 tection, assistance, and success in the discharge 
 of their mission. 
 
 The redemption of Israel from Egyptian bondage, 
 and putting them in possession of the promised inhe- 
 
 y Exotl. iii. 12. z Josh. i. 5, 9. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 297 
 
 ritance, was a great and important work ; nothing 
 but the out-stretched arm of Jehovah could accom- 
 plish it, and accordingly it is every where ascribed 
 to him ;^ but the redemption by Jesus Christ is infi- 
 nitely more important and glorious. The commis- 
 sion given to Moses and his successor respected 
 only one particular nation ; but that given to the 
 apostles respected all nations. The former had for 
 its object an earthly temporal deliverance : the latter 
 a spiritual and eternal ; they being sent to *' open 
 the eyes" of men in every nation, " to turn them from 
 darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
 God ; that they might receive forgiveness of sins, 
 and inheritance among them who are sanctified by 
 faith that is in Christ."^ This was a work infinitely 
 transcending all created power : but the promise of 
 Jesus, " Lo, I am with you alway," &c. was sufli- 
 cient to answer every objection arising from the 
 consciousness of their own inability ; for they could 
 do all things through the strength of him who has 
 all power in heaven and in earth. 
 
 His bodily presence indeed was not to continue 
 with them ; for he was then just about to enter into 
 his glory, and the heavens must receive him until 
 the times of restitution of all things.*^ He had told 
 them before that he would soon leave them and go 
 to the Father,^ where he would still be mindful of 
 their interest, as he was going to prepare a place for 
 them in his Father's house ; and that he would after 
 a certain period return in person and receive them 
 
 a Exod. xx. 2. Deut. vii. 19. Psal. xliv. 3. b Acts xxvi. 17, 18. 
 
 c Chap. iii. 21. d John xiv. 28. and xvi. 3, 6, 16, 18. 
 
298 Christ's commission 
 
 to himself, when he and they should never more 
 part.^ In the mean time, he assures them, that he 
 would not leave them (of^*v«f) orphans, but would 
 send them another Comforter, even the Spirit of 
 truth, who should abide with them for ever */ and 
 this is what he principally intends in the promise 
 annexed to the commission. This promise was 
 motjt remarkably accomplished to the apostles and 
 first preachers of the word ; for, 
 
 (1.) By his Spirit he enlightened their minds in 
 the subject-matter of their mission, and fully in- 
 structed them in the mysteries of the kingdom. 
 While he was with them in the world, he was con- 
 tinually teaching them ; but they were slow of heart 
 to receive his instructions. They neither properly 
 understood the ends of his death and resurrection, 
 nor the nature of his kingdom.^ Just before he suf- 
 fered, he tells them, *' I have yet many things to say 
 unto you, but ye cannot bear them now ;" and then 
 refers them to the time when they should be fully 
 taught by the Spirit ; " Howbeit, when he, the 
 Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into 
 all truth ; for he shall not speak of himself,* but 
 whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak ; and 
 he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify 
 
 • This does not meau that the Spirit should not speak any tiling of bis 
 own work, as some explain it ; but only that he should not spoak un- 
 corainissioned ; even as Christ says, " 1 have not sjiokeu of niNscU"," 
 John xii. 49 — " tlie words that 1 speak unto you, I speak not of rnvscU," 
 chap. xiv. 10. 
 
 c John xiv. 1—4. f Ver. 16—19. g Mat, xvi. 1'2. 
 
 •^laik i\. 1(1. Acts i. 6. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 299 
 
 inc ; for he sliall receive of mine, and shall shew it 
 unto you."''—" He shall teach you all thin*,^s, and 
 brinj^ all things to your remembrance whatsoever 
 I have said unto you."' Accordingly when the 
 Holy Spirit was poured down upon Uiem from their 
 glorified Master, their remaining ignorance and pre- 
 judices were dispelled, and the light of the glorious 
 gospel broke in upon their minds like a flood of day .^ 
 Tlie things which eye had not seen, nor ear heard, 
 nor had entered into the heart of man, were now re- 
 vealed unto them by the Spirit, which searcheth all 
 things, yea, the deep things of God ; so that they 
 had the mind of Christ,^ and were fully qualified to 
 declare unto the world the whole counsel of God."' 
 This change was so exceedingly remarkable and 
 striking, that it astonished all who heard them.'' 
 Their doctrine was so unlike any thing that had ever 
 entered into the human mind ;— so opposite not only 
 to all the lusts, Avickedness, and impiety of the pro- 
 fane world, but even to whatwas most highly esteem- 
 ed among men ; — so worthy of God, manifestative of 
 his true character, and conducive to his honour ; — 
 so well adapted to the ruinous state of man, and 
 suited to give relief to his mind in the fullest view of 
 his own guilt and wretchedness ; as clearly evidenced 
 it to be a revelation from heaven, and equally surpass- 
 ing the wisdom of the most learned to contrive it, as 
 that of the poor illiterate mechanics who published it, 
 (2.) He was with them in giving testimony to the 
 word of his grace, and granting signs and wonders 
 
 li John xvi. 12, 13, 14. i Chap. xiv. 26. k 2 Cor. iv. 6. 
 
 \ 1 Cor. ii.9, 10, 16. m Acts xx. iJ?. n Chap, ii. 5— 13. 
 
 O 
 
300 Christ's commission 
 
 to be done by their hands for the confirmation of 
 their doctrine to the world.*' This he had formerly 
 promised : " He that belie veth on me, the works that 
 I do shall he do also, and greater works than these ; 
 because I go to the Father,"' viz. to send the Spirit 
 for that purpose. " And whatsoever ye shall ask in 
 my name, that will I do, that the Father may be 
 glorified in the Son."p The apostles accordingly 
 performed the most astonishing miracles in proof of 
 their testimony, the least of which was as much 
 above their own ability as the creation of the world. 
 And indeed they disclaimed all their own power and 
 holiness in performing these works, and ascribed 
 them solely to the name of the risen Jesus, and the 
 powerof the Spirit of God which he had given tliem.'^ 
 (3.) He was with them in strengthening, support- 
 ing, and encouraging them to speak the word with 
 all boldness and freedom in the face of every dan- 
 ger. He had frequently forewarned them of the 
 opposition and persecution which they should meet 
 with from the world on his account."^ " They shall 
 lay their hands on you (says he,) and persecute 
 you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and 
 into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers 
 for my name's sake— and some of you shall they 
 cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated 
 of all men for my name's sake."^ The disciples 
 were no way remarkable for natural firmness or cou- 
 rage. When their Master was apprehended, they 
 
 Acts xiv. 3. p John \iv. 12, 13- Mark xvi. 17, 18. 
 
 q :\ct» iii. 12--17. and ix 3i. Rom. xv. 18, 19. Hoi), ii. I. 
 r Juhn XV, 18— 2*2. and xvi. iJ, 3. s Lake xxi. 12, 16, 17. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 301 
 
 all forsook him and fled like timorous sheep, and 
 were scattered every man to his own ;' even Peter, 
 the most forward and intrepid of them, through fear 
 denied him with imprecations and oatlis," Tt is 
 evident, therefore, that their natural fortitude was 
 not equal to the dangers and sufferings to which their 
 commission exposed them. But no sooner were they 
 endued with power from on high, than they became 
 bold as lions. AVhen they were brought before kings 
 and rulers, the Lord stood with them and strengtli- 
 ened them ;^ and, as he had promised, gave them a 
 mouth and wisdom, which all their adversaries w ere 
 not able to gainsay or resist 'J it was given them in 
 that same hour what they should speak ; for it was 
 not they who spake, but the Spirit of their Father 
 that spake in them.^ And as they ^v ere furnished 
 \iith matter, so they declared it with boldness and 
 freedom in the face of their greatest enemies. IS ei- 
 ther threats, nor stripes, nor imprisonment, nor even 
 the prospect of death itself, could intimidate them, 
 nor cause them to desist f for they were now superior 
 to the fear of them who can on'ly kill the body. 
 " None of these things (says Paul) move me, neither 
 count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might 
 finish my course with joy, and the ministry which 
 I have received of the Lord, to testify the gospel 
 of the grace of God."^ They not only bore their 
 sufferings with patience and fortitude, but even with 
 joy and triumph, "rejoicing that they were counted 
 
 t Mat. xxvi. .56. John xvi. 32. u ^lajt. xxvi. 74. x 2 Tim. iv. 17. 
 y Lukexxi. 15. z Mat. x. 19, 20. a Acts iv. and v. b Chap. xx. 24. 
 
302 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 worthy to suffer shame for his name/'^ and the 
 more they suffered for Christ, the more abundantly 
 did they receive of the consolations of his Spirit : 
 *' For (says the Apostle) as the sufferings of Christ 
 abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth 
 by Christ."^ 
 
 (4.) He was with them in giving success and effect 
 to their ministry. It has already been shown,* that, 
 during the days of the apostles, the gospel was pub- 
 lished throughout the greater part of the known 
 world, and, what is more remarkable, was cro^vned 
 with amazing success. This success was not owing 
 to the natural abilities or human advantages of its 
 publishers. They were not the wise men, scribes, 
 and disputers of this world, nor the mighty and no- 
 ble, whose eloquence, power, or dignity, might be 
 supposed to have influence. On the contrary, they 
 were, in a worldly view, the foolish, weak, base, and 
 despised,^ and were held and treated as the filth of 
 the world, the off-scouring of all things.^ Nor was 
 it owing to the agreement of their doctrine with the 
 sentiments, dispositions, or practices of mankind; 
 for they neither humoured their prejudices, flattered 
 their pride, nor hung out the worldly baits of riches, 
 pleasures, or honours to allure them. The doctrine 
 of Christ crucified cut off the earthly expectations of 
 the Jews, and set at nought all their boasted distinc- 
 tion in point of righteousness ; while it condemned the 
 
 * See page 21. of this book. 
 • Acts V. 41. d 2 Cor. i. 5. el Cor. i. 26, 17, 28. f Chap. iv. 13. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 303 
 
 idolatry and vain philosophy ofthe Gentiles, and was 
 in all respects opposite to the coarse of this evil 
 world, whether religious or profane ; so that it was 
 " unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the 
 Greeks foolishness/'^ The consequence was such as 
 might be expected ; it was every where spoken 
 against/' The apostles, in publishing it, had to en- 
 counter all the moral depravity of the human heart, 
 its gross ignorance, inveterate prejudices, corrupt 
 reasonings, malignant passions, and worWly lusts ; 
 they had to sustain the outward opposition arising 
 from the influence of priests and false teachers, the 
 wisdom of philosophers, the power of princes, and 
 the intrigues of states ; and all these instigated and 
 set on by the god of this w orld / for they wrestled not 
 merely " against flesh and blood, but against princi- 
 palities, against powers, against the rulers of the 
 darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness 
 in high places.''^ Now, can it be rationally suppos- 
 ed, that a few weak, illiterate, mean men, and by 
 means of a doctrine so obnoxious, should, without 
 any supernatural assistance, be able to baffle every 
 opposition, and be a match for the whole w orld with 
 Satan at its head ? Surely no. Their success must 
 be resolved entirely into the power of Christ, who 
 had promised to be with them. And to this the apos- 
 tles themselves always ascribed it, whilst they 
 gloried in their own weakness, that the power of 
 Christ might rest upon them, and be the more con- 
 
 g 1 Cor. i. 23. h Acts xxvi. !22. 
 
 i 2 Cor. iv. 4. ^ k Eph. vi. 12. 
 
304 Christ's commission 
 
 spicuously magnified in them.^ " We have this 
 treasure (says Paul) in earthen vessels ;" and the 
 reason he gives is, " that the excellency of the 
 power may be of God, and not of us."'" The like 
 reason he gives for their manner of preaching it : 
 " My speech and my preaching was not with entic- 
 ing words of man's wisdom — that your faith should 
 not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of 
 God/'" He shows that it w^as only through divine 
 pow er they overcame all the opposition of the hearts 
 of men : " For the weapons of our warfare are not 
 carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling 
 down of strong holds ; casting down imaginations 
 (or reasonings,) and every high thing that exalteth 
 itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing 
 into captivity every thought to the obedience of 
 Christ/'^ Thus we have seen how Christ was with 
 his apostles. But, 
 
 2. This promise must not be restricted to the apos- 
 tles, or to men so qualified, as I have already shown ;* 
 for he says, " Lo, I am with you alway,'' or (Trxa-as 
 rxs-^iJis^ccs) Sill the days, " even unto the end of 
 THE WORLD." The apostlcs were not to continue 
 their personal ministry all the days from Christ's 
 ascension to his second coming at the end of the 
 world; nor wasthe work of making disciples, baptiz- 
 ing and teaching to cease at their death. Christ 
 hath instituted the standing ministry of pastors and 
 teachers in his church unto the end of time, and they 
 
 * See page 13. 
 1 2 Cor. \ii. 9. 10. m 2 Cor. iv. 7. u 1 Cor. iL 1—6. o 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. 
 
TO ins APOSTLES. 305 
 
 arc supposed to be acting- as stewards over bis house 
 when be comes.'' This promise therefore extends to 
 all succeeding ordinary teachers whom he calls to 
 that work, and who in their sphere shall failhlully 
 execute this commission, according to the doctrine 
 and example of the apostles, even unto the end of 
 the world. And it imports, that he will be with 
 them to qualify them for that important office, and 
 to protect, counsel, assist, and give success to them 
 in the discharge of it ; and so he is represented as 
 holding the stars, or angels of the churches, in his 
 right band.^i This promise is well calculated to sup- 
 port the minds of Christ's ministers under eveiy dis- 
 couragement w hich may arise from the weight and 
 importance of their charge, the sense of their own 
 weakness andinsufficiency,and the opposition which 
 they must necessarily encounter in the faithful dis- 
 charge of their office, not only from the world, but 
 also from the remainder of corruption in their own 
 brethren. For if Christ be with them, no work he 
 calls them to perform can be too hard for them ; no 
 opposition can be successful against them. The 
 belief of this must lift them above themselves, and 
 lead them to act in his strength, and to depend upon 
 him alone lor success. But it ought to be carefully 
 noticed, that as this promise is annexed to the com- 
 mission, and made to the apostles in the first instance, 
 so no succeeding teachers have any ground to ex- 
 pect that Christ will be with them, but in so far as 
 they preach the ancient gospel, and teach the disci- 
 
 p Luke xii. 41—45. q Rev. i. 16, 20. 
 
306 Christ's commission 
 
 pies to observe all things whatsoever he hath com- 
 manded, according to the doctrine and example of 
 the apostles, as recorded in the writings of the 
 New Testament. 
 
 3. Lastly, This promise is made not only to his 
 faithful ministers, but also to the whole body of his 
 redeemed church in this world. The end of the com- 
 mission, as well as of all the gifts necessary for ex- 
 ecuting it, was to gather and edify his church. His 
 giving " some> apostles ; and some, prophets ; and 
 some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ;" 
 was " for the perfecting of the saints, for the work 
 of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of 
 Christ."'' He commanded his apostles, as they 
 loved him, to feed his sheep and lambs ;' and elders 
 are enjoined " to feed the church of God which he 
 hath purchased with his own blood.'*^ All gifts and 
 ministries were conferred upon his church ; " for all 
 things are yours (says the Apostle,) whether Paul, or 
 Apollos, or Cephas — all are yours; and ye are 
 Christ's ; and Christ is God's."'' As therefore it was 
 entirely for the benefit of his church that he appoint- 
 ed teachers, conferred gifts upon them, and assigned 
 them their work, so his promise of being with these 
 teachers is in effect a promise of being with his church. 
 Many are the promises in the word of God to this 
 effect. Speaking of his church under the notion of a 
 vineyard, he says, " I the Lord do keep it, I will 
 water it every moment ; lest any hurt it, 1 will keep 
 it night and day.'' All the labourers he hath put 
 
 r Epb. iv. 8, 11, \'i. a John xxi. 15—18. t Acts xx. S8. 
 
 u 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22, 23. x Isa. xxvii. 3. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 307 
 
 into his vineyard would have no eft'ect without this ; 
 for " neither is he that planteth any thing, neither 
 he that watereth ; but God that giveth the in- 
 crease."^ — His church is his building or temple, 
 witli respect to which he hath promised, " Upon 
 this rock (viz. which Peter confessed) I will build 
 my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
 against it ;" for it is " built upon the foundation of 
 the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself be- 
 ing the chief comer-stone ; in whom all the build- 
 ing, fitly framed together, groweth into an holy 
 temple in the Lord."^ ^ In this temple he takes up 
 his residence ; for he riath said, '^ I will dwell in 
 them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, 
 and they shall be my people ;"^ and so he is repre- 
 sented as walking in the midst of the golden candle- 
 sticks, and holding the stars in his right hand.^ He 
 is among them to guide, refresh, and protect them ; 
 for the Lord hath promised to " create upon every 
 dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her as- 
 semblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shin- 
 ing of a flaming fire by night ; for upon all the 
 glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a ta- 
 bernacle for a shadow in the day-time from the 
 heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert 
 from storm and from rain."'^ — When his church 
 is compared to a flock of sheep, the promise is " He 
 shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; he shall gather 
 the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bo- 
 som, and shall gently lead those that are with 
 
 y 1 Cor. iii. 7. z Mat. xvi. 18. Eph. ii. 20, 21. a 1 Cor. vi. 16. 
 
 b Rev. ii. 1. c Isa. iv. 5, 6. and xxxii. 2. 
 
308 Christ's commission 
 
 young."^ Agreeably to this he says, " I am the 
 door ; by me if any man enter in he shall be saved, 
 and shall go in and out, and find pastme. — I am the 
 good shepherd : the good shepherd giveth his life for 
 the sheep. — My sheep hear my voice, and I know 
 them, and they follow me ; and I give unto them eter- 
 nal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any 
 pluck them out of my hand. My Father who gave 
 them me is greater than all ; and none is able to pluck 
 them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father 
 are one."^ — His church is his kingdom ; and it is 
 promised that he whose "name shall be called Won- 
 derful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlast- 
 ing Father (or Father of the age to come,) The 
 Prince of Peace," shall have the government of it 
 upon his shoulder ; and that " of the increase of his 
 government and peace there shall be no end, upon 
 the throne of David and upon his king-dom, to or 
 der it, and to establish it with judgment and with 
 justice, from henceforth even for ever."* This 
 promise is repeated by the angel Gabriel to the 
 Virgin, and applied to Jesus her son ; " Behold 
 thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a 
 son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be 
 great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest ; 
 and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne 
 of his father David. And he shall reign over the 
 house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there 
 shall be no end."« 
 
 d Isa. xl. 11. c John x. 9, 1 1, 27, 23. CS', 30. 
 
 f Isa. ix. <5, 7. g Luke i. 31, 32, 33. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 309 
 
 Christ's provilse imports the fulfilment of all the 
 prophecies and promises relatinr/ to his kingdom^ 
 even unto the end of the world. 
 
 Christ's promise of being with his church was 
 not exhausted in the first ages of Christianity, but 
 extends through all succeeding ages, even unto 
 THE END of THE AVORLD. To this it will perhaps 
 be objected, that there is scarcely any appearance 
 of the fulfilment of this promise in the succeeding 
 history of what is called the church, it being mostly 
 taken up with an account of the growth and preva- 
 lence of a system of universal corruption, replete 
 with deceit, superstition, idolatry and tyranny, and 
 in all respects the reverse of the holy, merciful and 
 heavenly religion of Christ which is taught in the 
 Xew Testament. 
 
 In answer to this let it be observed, that whatever 
 w^ere the wise and holy ends of divine Providence in 
 permitting such evils to spring up under a profession 
 of Christianity, yet the worst of them which history 
 can relate was clearly foretold in the word of God. 
 They were all foreseen by Christ w^hen he gave this 
 promise, and he has actually revealed them in open- 
 ing the sealed book ; so that the history of these cor- 
 ruptions is just an account of the fulfilment of pro- 
 phecy, which, instead of staggering, ought to confirm 
 our faith. It should farther be observed, that amidst 
 all these sad and disordered scenes held forth in pro- 
 phecy, and now realized in history, so far as it goes, 
 Christ is always represented as with his church, (i. e. 
 
310 Christ's commission 
 
 those who keep the commandments of God, and 
 the faith of Jesus) preserving them from the univer- 
 sal corruption, and supporting them under all their 
 conflicts and sufferings ; and, which fully obviates 
 the objection, the united voice of prophecy assures 
 us, that his kingdom shall at last universally prevail 
 and triumph over all opposition. But these things 
 require a more particular consideration. 
 
 In the book of Daniel there are two prophetic re- 
 presentations of four successive monarchies or uni- 
 versal kingdoms, viz. the Babylonian, the Medo- 
 Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman.'' During 
 the last of these monarchies the kingdom of the 
 Messiah was to be set up :* " And in the days of 
 these kings (or kingdoms) shall the God of heaven 
 set up a kingdom which never shall be destroyed ; 
 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, 
 but it shall break in pieces and consume all these 
 kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."' 
 
 This kingdom of God in its beginning was to be 
 small and despised. It is represented as a stone cut 
 out of the mountain without hands."' Clnist him- 
 self compares it to a grain of mustard seed, and to 
 a little leaven," and says, " The kingdom of God 
 
 * This kingdom commenced when reconciliation was made for iniquity 
 and tlje most holy anointed, and this was to be at the end of seventy pro- 
 phetic weeks, or 490 years, reckoning from the seventh year of Artax- 
 erxes Longimanus (B. C. 457.) when he gave forth the commandment 
 to Ezra for restoring the church and state of the Jews, Dan. ix. 24, 25, 
 26. Ezra vii. 
 
 k Dan. ii. vii. 1 Chap, ii- 44- 
 
 m Chap. ii. 45. n Mat. xiii. 31, 32, 33. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLK^. 313 
 
 cometh not with observation,"" i. e. with worldly 
 pomp or outward shew. And though it was gradu- 
 ally to increase, and at last to prevail and fill the 
 whole earth ;p yetits suft'erings and conllicts were to 
 continue for a long period of time. Throughout the 
 greater part of the apocalyptic visions the kingdom of 
 Christ is represented as in a state of depression and 
 tribulation. AVhile he rules in the midst of his ene- 
 mies, his kingdom and patience will still be con- 
 nected together :"* His subjects must therefore lay 
 their account with conformity to him in his humbled, 
 despised and suffering condition in this world, until 
 Satan is bound, and all opposing powers subdued."^ 
 Yet in this situation they have sufficient encourage- 
 ment from his promise that he will be with them 
 always, to preserve and support them amidst all the 
 assaults of Satan and his instruments ; making his 
 grace sufficient for them, and his strength perfect in 
 weakness.^ They may indeed be " troubled on 
 every side, but not distressed (i. e. straitened or shut 
 up without resource ;) perplexed, but not in des- 
 pair ; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but 
 not destroyed,""^ — " because greater is he that is in 
 them than he that is in the world. ""* 
 
 Satan's first attack upon the kingdom of Christ was 
 by means of the Jewish church, and its rulers, who 
 both killed the Lord Jesus himself, and persecuted 
 his followers.'' Their design was to have stifled the 
 
 o Lukexvii. 20. p Dan. ii. 34, 35, q Rev. i. 9. r CLap. xix. 
 19, iJO, 2l.chap. xx.:^, 3. s 2 Cor. xii. 9. t 2 Cor. iv. 8, 9. 
 
 u 1 John iv. 4. x Luke xxi. 12, 16. Acts viii. 1 — 5. 1 Thess. ii. 14. 
 
312 Christ's commission 
 
 cause in its very birth ; but he that sitteth in the 
 heavens laughed at their vain attempts, and so over- 
 ruled their rage as to make it subservient to the re- 
 demption of mankind/ and the spread of the gos- 
 pel :^ and in less than forty years after, he executed 
 the most signal vengeance upon that people by 
 means of the Roman armies, who destroyed those 
 murderers and burnt up their city, as he had clearly 
 foretold,* and as their own historian minutely re- 
 lates.^ This was the entire abolition of the Jewish 
 church and state ; the most awful revolution in all 
 the religious dispensations of God, and which in 
 various ways contributed much to the success of 
 tlie gospel. Their posterity have ever since been 
 dispersed among the nations, and continue unto 
 this day distinct from all other people, as a stand- 
 ing monument of the divine displeasure, as well as 
 of the truth of the Christian faith. 
 
 The next power which opposed the kingdom of 
 Christ v/as the pagan Roman empire, which is re- 
 presented as a great red dragon, having seven heads 
 and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads,* 
 
 * This monstrous dragon is a fit emblem of the Roman empire. 
 Its red colour fitly represents the imperial purjjle and the bloody 
 cruelty of those who wore it. Its seven heads are explained to be 
 the seven mountains upon which Rome the imperial city stood, Rev. 
 xvii. 9. and also seven kings, yer. 10. or seven kinds of supreme 
 magistrates which successively prevailed there, viz, kings, consuls, 
 decemvirs, military tribunes, dictators, emperors, &c. — Its ten horris 
 are ten kings, ver. 12. or ten independent kingdoms into which the 
 
 y Actsii. 23. Rom. iv. 23. z Acts viii.4. chap xi. 19 — 2t, 
 
 U Mat xxii. 7. chap. xxiv. b Joseph de bell. Jud. lib. v. vi. vii. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 313 
 
 and is called the devil and Satan,*^ because Satan 
 acted in and by that power even as he did in the 
 serpent which beguiled Eve. This opposition 
 was carried on for near three centuries in a series 
 of bloody persecutions, and the chief accusation 
 against the Christians was their non-conformity or 
 opposition to the established idolatry. Yet all 
 that power and policy which had conquered the 
 world could not subdue the faithful and patient 
 followers of the Lamb. On the contrary, they 
 overcame their accusers, not with carnal weapons, 
 but '' by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word 
 of their testimony ; and they loved not their lives 
 unto the death."*^ This conflict issued in the over- 
 throw and punishment of the heathen persecuting 
 powers, and in the downfal of the pagan religion 
 in the empire, which is described at the opening 
 of the sixth seal in such strong figures as if it were 
 the dissolution of the world, and the arrival of the 
 great day of judgment.® The same thing is repre- 
 
 empire was at last broken and divided ; yet they became united in 
 their implicit subjectiou to the Roman hierarchy, to Avhich they 
 gave their power and strength, ver. 1'2, 13. — The heads of the dra- 
 gon were successive, ver. 10, but its horns cotemporary, ver. ISi. — 
 While the empire continued united, the crowns were upon its heads, 
 chap. xii. 3. but when it was broken into ten independent kingdoms 
 the crowns were transferred to its liorns, chap. xiii. 1 . Let it be ob- 
 served, that though in prophetic pictures the whole piece may be 
 exhibited at once, yet it frequently happens that many of the parts 
 succeed each otl'er in a chronological series, as is the case with the 
 image, Dan. ii. 
 
 cRev. xii. 9. d Chap. xii. 10, 11. e Chap. vi. 12; 
 
 ad ult. 
 
314 Christ's commission 
 
 sented by a war in heaven between Michael and 
 his angels and the dragon and his angels, in which 
 the latter prevailed not, but was cast down from 
 that high station in which he persecuted the church.^ 
 This was accomplished when the ruling powers 
 and their adherents, who supported idolatiy, were 
 routed and overcome by Constantino, and when 
 he suppressed paganism, and established in the 
 empire a form of Christianity in its stead, about 
 the year 325. 
 
 Under the reigns of Constantine and his succes- 
 sors, the professors of Christianity enjoyed out- 
 ward peace for about seventy years. ^ But during 
 this period Satan exerted himself in another and 
 more effectual way for the ruin of genuine Christi- 
 anity ; for when the heathen emperors were taken 
 out of the way, when paganism was suppressed, 
 a form of Christianity established in its place, and 
 its teachers exalted to power and opulence, then 
 the mystery of iniquity which began to work in the 
 churches even in the apostolic age,^ and had been 
 gradually increasing ever since, came now to a 
 great height. The primitive purity and simplicity 
 of the Christian faith and worship were greatly 
 corrupted by vain philosophy, heresies and super- 
 stition, and the heathen worship of demons was 
 only exchanged for that of departed saints.' The 
 constitution, discipline, union and order of the 
 apostolic churches were now entirely subverted by 
 
 f Rev. xii. 7, 8, 9. § Chr.p. viii. J. li 2 Tlicss. ii. 7. 
 
 i 1 Tim. iv. L 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 315 
 
 the union of church and state, and by bringing 
 the nations, through worldly power and inlluence, 
 under a corrupted form of Christianity, and sub- 
 jecting them to a covetous and ambitious clergy, 
 who exercised authority over this motly mass like 
 lords of the Gentiles, and contended among them- 
 selves who should be the greatest. Yet while the 
 Christian emperors held the supreme power in the 
 empire, this growing evil did not arrive at its full 
 height. 
 
 During this state of things Christ was not un- 
 mindful of his promise : The true servants of God 
 who mourned over these abominations, were dis- 
 tinguished by liim from the false professors with 
 whom they were mixed; and to secure and pre- 
 serve them from the strong delusions, as well as 
 awful judgments, that were coming upon the out-> 
 ward state of Christianity and its carnal professors 
 w^ho received not the love of the truth,*^ they are 
 represented as sealed with the seal of God in their 
 foreheads,^ alluding to what is said in the prophecy 
 of Ezekiel on a similar occasion."^ The true ser- 
 vants of God being thus secured, the power which 
 patronized and accelerated the corruption of 
 Christianity soon began to be visited by dreadful 
 calamities. The barbarous nations broke in upon 
 the empire like an overflowing flood, and by suc- 
 cessive devastations, slaughter and conquest, 
 wasted and tore it in pieces, and at last overturned 
 its imperial form of government in the West, A. D. 
 
 k 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10, 11, 12. 1 Rev. vii. 2-«-l3. m Ezek. ix. 4— 8. 
 
316 Christ's comaiission 
 
 476.* These severe judgments are represented 
 under strong prophetic figures at the sounding of 
 the first four trumpets." 
 
 It might have been expected that the barbarous 
 heathen nations which were the instruments of 
 these awful judgments, would have subverted the 
 religious as well as civil government of the empire: 
 but the case was far otherwise. The conquerors 
 submitted to the religion of the conquered, which 
 by this time difi*ered little from heathen supersti- 
 tion and idolatry, except in names ; and however 
 much these invading powers diifered among them- 
 selves in other respects, yet all of them at length, 
 partly through delusion, and partly from political 
 views, agreed in one mind to '' give their power 
 and strength unto the beast,° i. e. unto the hierarchy 
 
 • Immediately after the death of the emperor Theodosias, A. D. 
 395. the Goths under Alaric began tlieir irruptions : they ravaged 
 Greece and Italy, took and plundered Rome, and also burnt part of it, 
 A. D. 410. After this the Hunns under Attila wasted Thrace, Macedon, 
 Greece, Italy, &c. by slaughter, burning and pillage for the space of 
 fourteen years, ending about A. D. 452. Next the Vandals, under 
 the command of Genseric, took and plundered Rome for fourteen davs 
 together, A. D. 4n5. and reduced the state to such a weak condition 
 as to become au easy prey to the next invader. Accordingly, abont 
 twenty years after, Odoaccr king of the Heruli can)e to Rome with an 
 army, deposed the emperor Momyllus (called Aiigustulus) divested 
 Lim of the imperial rol)es, and, causing himself to be proclaimed kinjj 
 of Italy, put an end to the very name of the western empire, A. D. 476. 
 Theodoric aiiout seventeen years after overthrew Odoacer, and esta- 
 blished the kingdom of the Ostrogoths in Italy, which continued about 
 sixty years. Justinian extirpated the Gothic kingdom, iiiul Italv be- 
 came for some time a province of the eastern empire, wlion Rome was 
 reduced to a poor dukedom, and made subject to the lv\arch of Ra- 
 venna, A. D. 566. 
 
 u Rev. viii. 7—13. o Chap. xvii. 12, 13. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 317 
 
 of Rome headed by the Pope,* whose supremacy, 
 tyranny, idolatry, and superstition they supported 
 and defended with their riches, arms and authority. 
 By this means the Roman PontiiF gradurJly rose 
 to the summit of power, and the empire, now di- 
 
 * To what other power can we possibly apply the various prophetic 
 einl)lcins and characters by which this dreadful monster is represented 
 and described.'' Not to heathen Rome, though it might possess some 
 of the characters ; for this is a pretended religious power, being that 
 man of sin who " as God sitteth in the temple (or church) of God, 
 shewing himself that he is God," and wlio was to be revealed when 
 the imperial head of the empire should be taken out of the way, 
 2 Tbcss. ii. 4, 6, 7. — It is that little horn in Daniel which sprung up 
 among the ten horns or kingdoms into which the fourth or Roman 
 monarchy was at last divided, which had eyes like the eyes of a man, 
 and a mouth speaking great things, Dan. vii. 7, 8. Rev. xiii. 5. — It 
 is that s;reat whore who rides the scarlet coloured beast with the seveo 
 fallen heads and tea horns ; or who governs and directs the Roinar 
 empire in its last state when divided into ten kingdoms. Rev. xvii. 3, 
 10, 12. which give their power and strength to her, ver. 13. — It is a 
 conjunction of usurped spiritual and secular power, and so is represented 
 as a beast having two horns like a lamb, pretending to have his spiritual 
 authority from Christ the Lamb of God, as his vicar upon earth ; but 
 speaks as a dragon, assuming the highest tone of civil authority, and 
 acting in the spirit of a secular tyrant, as the genuine successor of the 
 heathen Caesars, Rev. xiii. 11. — Its seat of government is that great 
 city which is seated on seven mountains, and which in John's time 
 reigned over the kings of the earth. Rev. xvii. 9, 18, which is well 
 known to be the seven-hilled imperial city of Rome. It must therefore 
 be a Roman power, but not in its pagan state, nor while the empire 
 was united under the Caesarean government; for this beast which now 
 represents the R.oman empire, has its ten horns crowned. Rev. xiii. 1. 
 being divided into ten independent kingdoms, yet still united as one 
 beast though under another form. And this beast is not the dragon, 
 but his successor ; for " the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, 
 and great authority," ver. 2. But no power has ever had the throne 
 and authority of the dragon in Rome since the empire was divided 
 except the Romish papacy. — " Power was given him to continue," 
 
318 Christ's commission 
 
 vided into ten kingdoms, came in a sort to be re- 
 united under him, as its supreme head, both in 
 matters civil and ecclesiastical. 
 
 This is that man of sin whose coming was fore- 
 told to be '* after the working of Satan, with all 
 power and signs, and lying wonders, and with all 
 deceivableness of unrighteousness/'^ And though 
 tlie elect were secured from his deceptions, yet the 
 carnal multitudes, nations and tongues going un- 
 der the Christian name, were, in the righteous 
 judgment of God, given up to the influence of 
 his strong delusions that they should believe a 
 lie, because they received not the love of the 
 truth that they might be saved.'i The satanic 
 pride, tyranny and blasphemous pretensions of 
 this power are also foretold : he '' opposeth and 
 exalteth himself above all that is called God, or 
 that is w^orshipped :"'' claiming dominion not only 
 over kings and emperors in civil matters,^ but also 
 over the consciences of men in matters of faith 
 and worship ; opposing his authority to, and even 
 exalting it above that of God himself over his 
 
 or rather (^lioifiaoci) to practise or prosper, " forty and two iiiontlis," 
 Rev. xiii. 5. which is 1260 years ; but the heatheu Romau einiijre ilid 
 not subsist 300 years after the date of this prophecy. — Deceit or the 
 arts of strong delusions is another characteristic of this power by wliich 
 it stands distinj^uished from heathen Rome, 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10. Rev. 
 xiii. 13. 14. chap, xviii. '■23. and in those cliaracters Avherein (here is a 
 resemblance it p:reatly exceeds, such as its pride and luxury, blaspliemy, 
 superstition, idolatry, tyranny, intolerance and cruelty. 
 
 p 2 Thess.ii. 3, 9. Rev. xiii. 13, 14. q 2 Thess. ii. 10, H. 
 
 Rev. xiii. 3, 4, 8. r J Thess. ii. 4. Dan. vii. 25. Rev. xiii. 
 
 5, 6. s Rev. xvii. 10. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 319 
 
 house, by making void his truths and laws, and 
 with an high hand imposing his own decrees, su- 
 perstition and idolatry in their place ;' " so that 
 he, as God, sittcth in the temple of God, shewing 
 himself tliat he is God.""* This power was the 
 most subtle, dangerous and cruel adversary to the 
 church of Christ tliat had ever yet appeared. It 
 is the mystery of all the ancient enemies of God's 
 people, and the sink of all the abominations of the 
 earth,'' which under a corrupted profession of 
 Christianity, and by all manner of deceit and vio- 
 lence, supported by the kings of the earth, made 
 war with the Lamb, and they that were with him, 
 the called, and chosen, and faithful.^ 
 
 As to the duration of this power we are told, 
 that (i^aa-tx) '^ authority was given unto him 
 {TToiricrxt) to practisc forty and two months,^ which 
 in prophetic language signifies 1260 years, reckon- 
 ing each month 30 days, and taking each day for a 
 year.* This is not the whole time of his exist- 
 
 * In Daniel it is expressed, " until a time and times, and the di- 
 viding of time," chap. vii. 2b. or " for a time, times and an half," chap, 
 xii. 7. as also in Rev, xii. 14. A time is a year, times two years, and 
 an half, or the dividing of time, is half a year, making in whole three 
 years and an half, which is 42 months, as here and in chap. xi. 2. and 
 42 months of 30 days each make 1260 days, as in chap. xi. 3. and chap, 
 xii. 6. So that taking each day for a year, according to Num. xiv. 34. 
 Ezek. iv. 6. it is 1260 years, or 1242 Juliau years. As the man of 
 sin rose to his throne by different steps, it is not easy to fix precisely 
 the commencement of this period. His reign could not begin before 
 the Ca^sarean head of the Roman empire ^s•as wounded to death, Rev. 
 xii. 3. and he who was the obstacle was taken out of the way, 2 Thess 
 
 t Rev. xiii. 12, 16. 17. u 2 Thess. ii. 4. x Rev. xi. 8. 
 
 chap. wii. 1 — 7, y Rev. xiii. 7. chap. xvii. 14. z Chap, xiii, 5. 
 
320 Christ's commission 
 
 ence, but of his reign, when he shouM with autho- 
 rity practise, prosper or prevail.* 
 
 During this long and dismal period, the woman 
 or true church retires into the wilderness from the 
 face of the serpent,* and continues in that ob- 
 scure retreat 1260 days, i. e. years,^ making no 
 open appearance in her proper form and order as 
 she did formerly in the churches of the saints : for 
 this is the time when the court without the temple, 
 or outward profession of Christianity is not to be 
 measured by the rule of God's word, but given to 
 the nations falsely assuming the Christian name, 
 who profane it with their heathenish superstition 
 and idolatry, and tread the holy city under foot 
 
 li. 6, 7« It must have begun in the last state of Daniel's fourth mo- 
 narchy ■when divided into ten kingdoms ; for this power was to spring 
 up as a little horn among the ten kings, Dan. vii. 8/ 24. who receive 
 power as kings one hour (or at one time) with the beast, Rev, xvii. 12. 
 The imperial head of Rome was wounded to death when Augustulus 
 was deposed, A. D. 476. after this the bishop of Rome gradually rose 
 to the summit of power. The emperor Justinian declared him to be the 
 judge of all, but himself to be judged by none, about A. D. 529. The 
 tyrant Phocas engaged him in his party by giving him the title of ani- 
 versal bishop, A. D. 606. But he did not bec:)nie a horn or secular 
 prince till Pepin king of France vested him in a great part of Italy, A. D. 
 756 ; which was confirmed to him by Cbailes the Great, with additional 
 donations and powers, A. D. 774. 
 
 * The woman's flight is mentioned twice in Rev. xii. first in vcr. 6. 
 •where it is placed before the casting out of the great dragon, (hen iu 
 ver. 11. after the dragon is cast out, and a profession of Cliristianjty is 
 established in the empire. Some consider the first period to be the 
 beginning, and the last llie completion of her flight, and reckon the 
 1260 davs of her wilderness stale from bolh. 
 
 a Dan. viii. 11 — 15. b Rev. xii. 6, 14. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 321 
 
 forty and two mouths.*^. It is the time when God's 
 two witnesses * prophesy 1260 days clothed in 
 sackcloth, who are at last overcome and killed by 
 the beast, and whose dead bodies are exposed for 
 a time in the street of the great city, or Antichris- 
 tian church, which for filthiness is compared to 
 Sodom, for tyranny and oppression to Egypt, and 
 for persecution cruelty and bloodshed to Jerusa- 
 lem, which killed the prophets, and crucified our 
 Lord himself.** 
 
 This was a most trying period for those who 
 kept the commandments of God, and the faith of 
 
 * Some by the two witnesses anderstand the Old Testament and 
 the New. Christ appeals to the Old Testament scriptures as testify- 
 ing of hira. John v. 39 — 42. and Christians are directed to attend to 
 the scriptures both of the Old and New Testaments as the great pre- 
 servative against the corruptions of Christianity that were to take place, 
 2 Thess. ii. 15. "Z Tim. iii. 2 Pet. iii. 2. Still, however, it must be 
 owned, that these two witnesses prophesied by means of a succession 
 of men who were raised up from time to time to bring forth the doc- 
 trine of the scriptures in opposition to the corruptions of Antichrist, 
 These witnesses prophesy in sackcloth, in a mourning dejected state ; 
 and in the account given of them there are allusions to Moses and 
 Aaron in Egypt, to Elijah during the apostacy of the ten tribes, and to 
 Zerubbabel and Joshua about the end of the captivity ; and as they de- 
 nounced divine judgments on the apostate church, they are said to smite 
 the earth with all plagues, Rev. xi. 4 — 7. They were at last overcome 
 and killed by the beast for a time, when the divine authority of scrip- 
 ture was entirely subjected to that of the false church, and when those 
 who contended for that authority in opposition to the doctrines and 
 commandments of men, were almost exterminated, or at least silenced ; 
 which seems to have been about the middle of the fifteenth century, 
 when the Bohemians and Moravians agreed to re-nnite with the church 
 of Rome, and comply with her superstitions, and joined in exterminating 
 the Taborites or Vaudois, who stood firm for the authority of the scrip- 
 tures in opposition to that of the Romish church. 
 
 c Rev. xi. 2. d Chap. xi. 3, 7, 8. 
 
322 Christ's commission 
 
 Jesus. But Christ, ever faithful to his promise, 
 was with them always. He prepared a place of 
 retreat for his true church in the wilderness, where, 
 during the time of her obscurity and distress, she 
 was fed and nourished like Elijah when he fled 
 from the face of wicked Ahab and Jezebel, while 
 idolatry and famine prevailed in Israel.*" And 
 though his followers did not in that desolate situ- 
 ation enjoy the public ordinances of the gospel 
 according to their primitive institution, yet they 
 worshipped in the inner temple in spirit and in 
 truth, drawing near to God in the heavenly sanc- 
 tuary, through the veil of Christ's flesh, and so 
 were owned by him, and included in the measure- 
 ment of his house, while the outer court and its 
 worshippers were rejected.^ He also from time 
 to time raised up a succession of men, who brought 
 forth the testimony of his two witnesses, the Old 
 and New Testaments, for their edification and 
 comfort, and to guard them against the reigning 
 con*uptions of the time.^ So that notwithstanding 
 all the delusions and cruel persecutions of the 
 man of sin, they obtained the victory, through 
 faith and patience, over the beast, and over his 
 image, and over his mark, and over the number of 
 his name.'' 
 
 Nor was he less faithful and just in executing 
 the judgments written in his word upon the cor- 
 rupters of Christianity. We have already seen 
 
 e Hev. xii. 6, 14. 1 Kings xvii. 3—7. vcr. 16. cliap. xix. 6 — 9. 
 f Rev. xi. 1, *'. g Vcr. 3—7. h Cbap. xv. 2. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 323 
 
 the downfal of the Roman empire in the AYest, 
 and the rise of the man of sin upon its ruins, whose 
 strong delusions were by divine permission sent 
 as a judgment upon all who received not the love 
 of the truth/ And now three woes are denounced 
 upon the inhabiters of the earth, which were to 
 take place under the three last trumpets.*^ The 
 two first chiefly relate to the eastern empire, though 
 they also greatly affected the western parts, and 
 were sent as a punishment upon false and idola- 
 trous professors, who had not the seal of God on 
 their foreheads.^ The first wo"' appears to have 
 been the impostor Mohammed, whose false reli- 
 gion is compared to thick smoke, bursting from 
 the bottomless pit, and darkening the sun and air. 
 The swarms of locusts issuing from that smoke, 
 were his followers the Arabians or Saracens, for 
 to them the whole description fitly applies. These 
 had power to hurt men five prophetic months, or 
 150 years, during which time they extended their 
 conquests, and propagated their religion over a 
 great part of the world which had formerly pro- 
 fessed Christianity.* The second wo" seems to 
 
 * Mohammed began his pretences to inspiration about A. D. 606, 
 the year that Pope Boniface III. obtained the title of universal bishop. 
 He began publicly to propagate his imposture A. D. 612, and so opened 
 the bottomless pit. The Saracens made their greatest conquests from 
 that time to A. D. 762. They subdued Palestine, Syria, both Armenia's, 
 Asia Minor, Persia, India, Kgypt, Numedia, Barbary, Portugal, Spaiu^ 
 a great part of Italy, Sicily, Candia, Cyprus, &c. 
 
 i 2 Thess. ii. 9- -13. k Rev. viii. 13. 1 Chap. ix. 4, 20. 
 
 m Chap. IX. 1--12. n Chap. ix. 13—20. 
 
 P 
 
324 Christ's commission 
 
 have been the Turks and Othmans, whose four 
 leaders had been restrained from extending their 
 conquests farther than the territories adjoining the 
 Euphrates by the Persians on one hand, and the 
 croisades on the other ; but uniting under Orto- 
 grul and his successors, they begun their con- 
 quests about the year 1281, took Constantinople 
 A. D. 1453, and conquered all the eastern branch 
 of the Roman empire.* Towards the end of this 
 wo there is an account of the death and resurrec- 
 tion of the two witnesses/ They had prophesied 
 in sackcloth from the time of the woman's flight 
 into the wilderness, and the beast had made war 
 against them,t but could not overcome and kill 
 
 * The time allotted for their conquests was " an hour and a day, and 
 a month, and a year," Rev. ix. 15. which by reckoning a year for a day, 
 is 391 years 15 days. But it must be remembered that the prophetic 
 year is 5 days 6 hours shorter than the Julian year. The instruments of 
 this wo are described as horsemen ; a fit representation of the Othman 
 forces which Avere chiefly composed of cavalry. 
 
 t It is shocking to relate the cruelties exercised upon the Waldcnses 
 in the thirteenth century. In France alone about a million of them were 
 slain ; yet still their public testimony was not silenced. With re^-ard 
 to the origin and character of the Vaudois or W'aldenses, we shall 
 take the testimony of two of their enemies. Sesselius archbishop of 
 Turin, in a book which he wrote against them, says, " The sect of tlie 
 Waldenscs took its rise from a most religious person, called Leo, who 
 lived in the time of Constautine the Great, and who, detesting the 
 covetousness of Pope Sylvester, and the immoderate bountv of Con- 
 stantine, chose rather to embrace poverty Avith the simplicity of the 
 Christian faith, than with Sylvester to be defiled with a fat and rich 
 benefice ; and all they that were seriously religious joined themselves 
 to him." Reinerius the (amous inquisitor general, who flourished about 
 the year 3251, says, " Among all the sfects which still are or have been, 
 
 rRev. xi. 3--M. 
 
TO HIS AFOSTLES. 325 
 
 them till their testimony in that mournful condition 
 was about to be finished. The council of Con- 
 stance condemned Wickliff's doctrine, and sen- 
 tenced John Huss and Jerom of Prague to the 
 flames, A. D. 141G : this with the severe decrees 
 of that council against the Hussites and Vaudois, 
 excited great ferments in Bohemia which broke 
 out into a most bloody civil war. In 1434 matters 
 were compromised with the greater part of the 
 Hussites, who, upon being allowed the use of the 
 cup in the sacrament, submitted in all other things 
 to the papal hierarchy, and joined in exterminating 
 the Taborites or Vaudois who stood firm to their 
 principles, and contended for the authority of the 
 word of God against the authority and errors of 
 the church of Rome, so that their public testimony 
 was silenced for a time, and their enemies every 
 where triumphed over them. This looks very like 
 the killing of the witnesses ; for by the year 1467 
 
 there is none that hath been so pernicious to the charch as that of the 
 Leonists ; and that for tliree reasons ; 1 . Because it is the most ancient ; 
 for some adirm tbat it began in the time of Pope Svlvester, and others in 
 the time of the apostles. 2, Because it hath spread itself farthest; for 
 there is scarce any country wherein this sect is not. 3. Because they who 
 are of it have a great show of piety, live virtuously before men, belicTe 
 rightly of tlie Deit}', and all the articles which are contained in the creed; 
 only they blaspheme the church of Rome and the clergy ; whom the mul- 
 titude of the laity is easy to believe." Reiner, contra Hceret. cap. 4. 
 They were most numeroas in the vallies of Piedmont, and hence are 
 called Valdenses or Vaudois, and not from Peter Valdo, and also Pied- 
 montois, likewise Leonists probably from Leo their ancient leader, and 
 not from Lyons as some suppose. They were afterwards variously named. 
 Their creeds, confessions and other writings which have been preserved 
 are most agreeable to scripture. — The reader who desires further infor- 
 mation respecting the Waldenses, and the persecutions they endured, 
 may find it in Mr. W, Jones's History of the Christian Church, 2 vols. 8vo. 
 
326 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 all their public teachers were cut off, and scarcely 
 seventy of them could be collected together to 
 chuse others. But in a short time the scattered 
 remains of them formed themselves into a new sect 
 which went by the name of the Brethren of Bohe- 
 mia : and having with great prudence and impar- 
 tiality reviewed and reformed their religious tenets 
 and ecclesiastical discipline by the word of God, 
 and excommunicated all those whose erroneous 
 sentiments or licentious manners might expose 
 them to reproach, they openly professed their prin- 
 ciples, and held forth the testimony of the scrip- 
 tures against all the corruptions and abominations 
 of the church of Rome. This seems to have been 
 the beginning of the resurrection of the witnesses, 
 when " the Spirit of life from God entered into 
 them, and they stood upon their feet."* For after 
 this period the beast, with all his efforts, could not 
 prevail against them so as to silence their testimo- 
 ny ; on the contrary, various events in divine pro- 
 vidence soon concurred to exalt them above his 
 reach, to the terror and amazement of the whole 
 antichristian community.'^ This completes the 
 second wo. 
 
 The third wo cometh quickly after it, and begins 
 with the sounding of the seventh trumpet." It 
 brings the ruin and downfal of the antichristian 
 kingdom by successive steps, and so makes way 
 for, and introduces the glorious period when, the 
 kingdoms of tliis world shall become our Lord's 
 
 B Rev. xi. U. t Ver. 12, 13. u Ver. 14, 15. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 327 
 
 and his Christ's, and when he shall judj^c the dead, 
 and give reward unto his servants the prophets, 
 and to the saints, and them that fear his name small 
 and great, and shall destroy them that destroy (or 
 corrupt) the earth.'' This is a summary anticipa- 
 tion of all that shall take place under the seventh 
 trumpet unto the end of time, the particulars of 
 which are enlarged upon afterwards ; but the wo 
 part of it includes particularly the seven successive 
 vials of divine wrath,^ which gradually consume 
 the man of sin, and shall at last totally destroy 
 him and all other powers which shall be found op- 
 posing the kingdom of Christ \^ for they are the 
 seven last plagues, and in them is {irikia^y^ com- 
 pleted the wrath of God.* 
 
 I will not presume to attempt an explanation of 
 the particular judgments marked out by the seven 
 vials, or to fix the dates at which each of them be- 
 gins and ends, especially as some of them have not 
 yet been poured out, and as it is most likely that 
 the vials which are first in order are not always ex- 
 hausted when the succeeding ones begin. But we 
 may observe, 
 
 1. That the chief object of these plagues is the 
 kingdom of antichrist and its supporters ; for they 
 affect them that have the mark of the beast and 
 worship his image, who have shed the blood of the 
 saints ; and also the seat of the beast, the great 
 city Babylon, with the cities of the nations.^ 
 
 X Rev. xi. 15—19. y Chap. xvi. z Dan. Tii. 26. 2 The«i. 
 
 ii. 8. a Rev. XV. 1. b Chap. xvi. 2, 6, 10, 19. 
 
328 Christ's commission 
 
 2. The asra of the vials did not commence till 
 the seventh trumpet was sounded. This is clear 
 from the whole frame and admirable arrangement 
 of the book of the Revelation ; for as the seven 
 trumpets are all included under the seventh seal, 
 so are the seven vials under the seventh trumpet ; 
 but the seventh trumpet was not sounded till the 
 second wo was past, after the death and resurrec- 
 tion of the witnesses, and the fall of the tentli part 
 of the city:* and if these events took place be- 
 tween the middle of the fifteenth and the beginning 
 of the sixteenth century, the aera of the vials, which 
 constitute the third wo, must have commenced 
 about the time of the Reformation, which began 
 A. D. 1516. At this period we may date the pour- 
 ing out of the first vial, which was a most grievous 
 plague upon the kingdom of antichrist ; for now 
 the everlasting gospel began to be preached more 
 openly and universally to them that dwell on the 
 earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, 
 and people :^ the scriptures were translated into 
 
 * The kingdom of the Greeks seems to have been one of the ten king- 
 doms into which the Roman empire was divided when the imperial head 
 fell in the West. Its religion was antichristain as well as that of Rome ; 
 one of its emperors greatly advanced the power of the Pope, and another 
 of them granted him the title of universal bishop, A. D. 606; and in tlie 
 year 1439 a kind of union took place between the Latin and Greek 
 churches. It is therefore probable that the fall of the tenth nart of the 
 city was the taking of Constantinople by the Turks. A. D. 14.53, which 
 put an end to the Greek empire. Those who fled from Conj^tantinople 
 into the West, brought with them the knowledge of the language 
 wherein the Mew Testament was written, which contributed much to 
 the Reformatiou. 
 
 c Rev. XIV. 6, 7. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 329 
 
 the living languages, and by means of the art of 
 printing, which had but lately been invented, were 
 published and dispersed among the nations : the 
 arrogance, avarice, deceit, idolatry and supersti- 
 tion of the papal Iiierarchy were now exposed in 
 all their hatefulness, while some of the powers of 
 the earth, minding their worldly interest, withdrew 
 their allegiance from the Pope, and opposed the 
 persecution which he raised against those who 
 published the word of God. Thus the unity of the 
 antichristian kingdom was broken so as never more 
 to be healed ; for we find the great city in a divided 
 state at the pouring out of the last vial i'^ but this 
 great division did not in general produce a sepa- 
 ration of Christ's people from the world, nor such 
 a restoration of the primitive order of his house as 
 could be measured by the rule of God's word. 
 The outer court still remained in possession of the 
 profane Gentiles. 
 
 3. As the first four trumpets represent so many 
 steps of the ruin of the Roman empire, and of its 
 Ca3sarean government, so the four first vials repre- 
 sent so many degrees of the ruin of the Roman hi- 
 erarchy and papal government ; and as the Roman 
 empire is represented by the system of the world, 
 having its earth, sea, rivers and sun, which were 
 affected by the trumpets ;^ so the kingdom of anti- 
 christ is also represented as having its earth, sea, 
 rivers and sun, Avhich are affected in the same order 
 by the vials -J further, as Rome papal is compared 
 
 d Rev. xvi. 19. e Cliap. viii. 7—13. f Chap. xvi. 2—10. 
 
330 Christ's commission 
 
 to Egypt and Babylon ;^ so her plagues are repre- 
 sented as similar to theirs. ^^ 
 
 4. It was the fourth trumpet that put an end to 
 tlie imperial government of Rome,' and as it ap- 
 pears that the man of sin came to his throne about 
 the beginning of the fifth trumpet and first wo : so 
 it is likely that his reign shall end at the pouring 
 out of the fifth vial upon his seat or throne, since 
 it extinguishes his sun and fills his kingdom with 
 darkness ;^ though he will not be finally destroyed 
 till the seventh vial is poured out. 
 
 5. There are two remarkable periods of the ruin 
 of antichrist represented by a harvest and vintage,^ 
 which are figures expressive of very dreadful judg- 
 ments: but as the vials contain the seven last 
 plagues in which the wrath of God is filled up, it 
 is likely that the harvest answers to the fifth vial, 
 and the vintage to the seventh. 
 
 6. The sixth vial is only a preparatory one to the 
 seventh. The drying up of the waters of the great 
 river Euphrates, that the way of the kings of the 
 East might be prepared," alludes to the stratagem 
 of Cyrus in draining the channel of the Euphrates 
 to make way for his taking ancient Babylon, and 
 so must import some notable step towards the ruin 
 of its antitype. On the other hand, the dragon, 
 i. e. the devil, and antichrist in his double capacity 
 of a beast and false prophet, make preparations 
 for the most vigorous attack upon the kingdom of 
 
 ^ Rev. xi. 8. li Chap. xvi. 2, 4, 10. chap, xviii. i Cliap. 
 
 viii. 12. k Chap. xvi. U). 1 Chap. xiv. 13. ad ult. in Joel 
 
 iii. 13. Jer. li. 33. n Rev. xvi. 12. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 331 
 
 Christ, by collecting all their forces ; and for this 
 purpose send forth their wicked and deceitful emis- 
 saries, termed the spirits of devils, mito the kings 
 of the earth, and of all the world, to stir them up 
 to unite in the common cause of tyranny and false 
 religion, and to oppose all reformation and the 
 spread of the gospel : Accordingly these impure 
 spirits, through the influence of delusion, gather 
 them together into a place called Armageddon (i. e. 
 the mountain of destruction,) alluding to Megiddo 
 where Sisera and the host of Jabin were over- 
 thrown.° Thus all things are prepared for the bat- 
 tle of the great day of God Almighty. ^ As Christ 
 will now come suddenly and unexpectedly to de- 
 stroy his enemies, he gives his people warning, 
 that they may watch and be prepared for his com- 
 ing; '* Behold I come * as a thief: blessed is he 
 that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he 
 walk naked, and they see his shame,"^ 
 
 7. The seventh and last vial is poured out into 
 the air, the seat of Satan's residence, who is term- 
 ed " the prince of the power of the air,"^ and there- 
 
 * There are but two personal comings of Christ ; the first when be 
 came in the flesh ; the second when he comes in his glory to raise the 
 dead and judge the world at the last day ; yet he is also said to come 
 when he interposes by any signal act of his administration. Thus he 
 came when he shed forth the Spirit upon his disciples, John xiv. 18. 
 and when he punished the Jewish nation for their intidelity. Mat. xxiv^ 
 27, 39, 42. So the destruction of the man of sin is said to be by the 
 brightness of his coming, 2 Thess. ii. 8. 
 
 o Jadg. V. 19. p Rev, xvi. 13 -17. q Vei-. 15, 
 
 r Eph. ii. 2. 
 
332 Christ's commission 
 
 fore will not only complete the destruction of anti- 
 christ, but shake the kingdom of Satan every where. 
 Upon the pouring out of this vial, a voice out of 
 the temple of heaven, from the throne, proclaims, 
 '' It is done ;" according as it was before declared, 
 that in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, 
 ■when he shall sound, the mystery of God shall be 
 finished.® It is accompanied with voices, and 
 thunders, and lightnings, a terrible earthquake, 
 and great hail, which import great revolutions and 
 awful judgments. We are particularly inform- 
 ed that " the great city was divided into three 
 parts,* and the cities of the nations fell ; and great 
 
 * Some are of opinion that the division of the great city into 
 three parts is not the effect of the seventh vial, but descriptive of 
 the state wherein that vial finds the great city ; and that this divi- 
 sion took place at the time of the Reformation, when the kings or 
 powers of the earth began to differ about the form of Christianity 
 they were to establish, support and defend in their respective domi- 
 nions. Be this as as it may, I think it must be admitted, that the di- 
 visions which then took place came at last to settle into three distinct 
 stated communions, viz. the Popish, the Lutheran, and the Zuin- 
 glian or Calvauistic ; and though there are other smaller divisions in 
 the great city, yet these three are the only national forms of religi- 
 ous communion, which the kingdoms under antichrist have adopted, 
 established and incorporated into their political constitutions : and as 
 they are all worldly establishments comprehending the profane 
 people of the nations, and in this respect opposed to the spiritual 
 nature of Christ's kingdom, and the purity of Christian communion, 
 they may be considered as homegeneal parts of the great city, though 
 divided. And as the unparalleled eartlujuake of the last vial affects 
 all the divided parts of the great city, causing the cities of the nations 
 to fall, the islands to flee away, and the mountains to disappear, it 
 seems to point out the ruin of all national churches, as well as the 
 
 s Rev. X. 6,7. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 833 
 
 Babylon came in remembrance before God to give 
 unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of 
 his wrath. And every island fled away, and the 
 mountains were not found."*^ But the particulars 
 of this vial are more largely set forth in the suc- 
 ceeding chapters. After an account of the great 
 whore," the fall of Babylon the great is proclaim- 
 ed, the people of God are called to come out of 
 her ;'^ her adherents, whose worldly interests were 
 promoted by her traffic, are represented as lament- 
 ing her fall,^ whilst the whole church of the re- 
 deemed are set forth as rejoicing over her, and 
 uniting in praises and thanksgivings to God for 
 his truth and righteousness in judging her.'^ The 
 battle of the great day of God Almighty, which 
 had been before announced,* now takes place: 
 Heaven is opened, and Christ, who is called The 
 Word of God, and whose title is King of kings 
 AND Lord of lords, comes forth seated upon a 
 white horse, having many crowns upon his head, 
 and arrayed in warlike apparel; the armies of 
 heaven follow him riding also upon white horses, 
 and clothed in fine linen, white and clean, as em- 
 blems of victory and sanctity. On the other side, 
 the beast, with the kings of the earth and their 
 armies, are represented as gathered together to 
 
 putting down of all that worldly rale, authority and power by which they 
 are supported. Conipaie Rev. xvi. 19, 20. with Dan. ii. 34, 35. 1 Cor. 
 XV. 24. 
 
 t Rev. xvi. 17. ad ult. n Chap. xvii. x Chap, xviii. 
 
 2—5 y Ver. 9—20. z Chap. xix. 1—8. a Chap. xvi. 14. 
 
 chap.xvii. 14. 
 
334 Christ's commission 
 
 make war against him that sits on the horse, and 
 against his army : but they meet with a total and 
 final overthrow ; for the beast is taken, and with 
 him the false prophet, and both are cast into a 
 lake of fire burning with brimstone ; and the rem- 
 nant are slain with the sword of him that sits upon 
 the horse, and all the fowls are filled with their 
 flesh. ^ Then the dragon, i. e. Satan himself, is 
 bound a thousand years, and shut up in the bot- 
 tomless pit, that he should deceive the nations no 
 more, till the thousand years shall be fulfilled,*^ 
 which must import an effectual restraint of his 
 power and influence during that time. 
 
 The events of the two last vials have not yet 
 taken place ; but the greater part of the apocalyp- 
 tic prophecies respecting the suflering and de- 
 pressed state of the church has been already ful- 
 filled ; and Christ has been with his people always, 
 supporting them under all their conflicts and trials, 
 and making them overcome by faith and patience. 
 He has also by his providence destroyed the suc- 
 cessive powers which formerly opposed his king- 
 dom, and now, towards the end of the eighteenth 
 century, we see the man of sin, once so formidable, 
 in a state of deep consumption by the spirit of the 
 Lord's mouth, and the vials of his wrath. It seems 
 that multiform monster will yet try to regain his 
 tyrannical power, and make a desperate attempt 
 against the kingdom of Christ ; but this is repre- 
 sented as his last efi*ort, his dying struggle ; for then 
 
 b Rev. xix. 11. ad ult. c Chap. xx. 1—4. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 335 
 
 he, and all the powers which compose the body 
 of tlie beast, shall be totally destroyed and j^iven 
 to the burning llanie,'^ and Satan the grand de- 
 ceiver shall be shut up in the bottomless pit.* 
 Here the depressed and afllicted state of the church 
 ends, and the happy period begins when the king- 
 doms of this world become our Lord's and his 
 Christ's, and when the saints of the Most Hig 
 shall take the kingdom, and shall possess it for 
 ever, even for ever and ever. 
 
 Let us now take a cursory view of the prospe- 
 rous state of Christ's kingdom which is to succeed 
 the final ruin of antichrist and of all opposing pow- 
 ers, and which is so much insisted upon in scrip- 
 ture prophecy. 
 
 1. This happy period commences w^ith what is 
 termed in prophetic style, the jirst resurrection. 
 " And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and 
 judgment was given unto them :* and I saw the 
 souls of them that w^ere beheaded for the witness 
 of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had 
 not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither 
 had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in 
 their hands ; and they lived and reigned with Christ 
 a thousand years. And the rest of the dead lived 
 
 * This imports that the saints shall obtain the dominion, and that 
 the administration of justice and judf!;ment shall be given them, 1 Cor. 
 vi. 2. It is the same with what is mentioned in Dan. vii. '■■12. " I beheld— 
 until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of 
 the Most High ; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingc 
 dora." 
 
 dDan. vii, 11. Rev xx. 3. f Rev xi 15 Dan. vii. 18 
 
336 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 not again until the thousand years were finished. 
 This is the first resurrection/''^ Many understand 
 this first resurrection literally of a proper resurrec- 
 tion of the body from the grave, though they are 
 not agreed as to whether it shall be a resurrection 
 of all the saints, or only of the martyrs who suffered 
 during the heathen and antichristian persecutions ; 
 but as there are many weighty objections to the 
 literal view,t I am inclined to think that it should 
 
 t Take for a specimen — 1. This passage does not mention the 
 resurrection of the bodies, but only of the souh of the martyrs. The 
 word rendered souls here occurs six times in this book, and signifies 
 the life or living principle in the body, chap. Tiii. 9. chap. xil. 11. 
 it is distinguished from the body, chap, xviii. 13. and represented as 
 existing in a state of separation from it, chap. vi. 9. but is never put 
 for the body itself, far less for the dead body, which alone is the sub- 
 ject of a proper resurrection, or of living again. — 2. A literal re- 
 surrection of the righteous a thousand years before that of the 
 wicked, seems to contradict the plain account given of that matter 
 in the gospels and epistles : for instance, Christ says, " The hour is 
 coming in which all that are in the graves shall Lear his voice, 
 and shall coine forth ; they that have done good unto the resur- 
 rection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection 
 of damnation," John v. 28, 29. The hour here cannot signify two 
 different periods at 1000 years distance from each other ; yet in 
 that hour all that are in their graves shall hear his voice and come 
 forth : not the righteous dead only, for these are not all that are in 
 the graves } nor the wicked dead only, for these have not done good ; 
 but in that hour both tliey that have done good, and they that have 
 done evil, even all that are in their graves shall come forth, the one 
 unto the resurrection of life, the other unto the resurrection of 
 
 damnation, 3. Our Lord repeatedly declares that he will raise up 
 
 believers at the luit day, John vi. 39, 40, 44, 45. and lie makes this 
 last da}' to be the day at which men shall be judged, chap. su. 43. 
 and describes the judgment both of the righteous and wicked as 
 taking place at the same period. Mat. xxv. 31. ad ult. Now to 
 
 d Rev. XX. 4- -6. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. .J37 
 
 be taken in a metaphorical sense. A resurrection 
 is a well-known prophetic figure for a restoration, 
 revival or advancement of the cause or interest of 
 a people who have been borne down, depressed, 
 and as it were buried by opposition. The Lord, 
 promising deliverance to the Jews, saj^s, " Tliy 
 dead men shall live, together with my dead body 
 shall they arise : awake and sing, ye that dwell in 
 dust ; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the 
 earth shall cast out the dead/'^Ephraim in distress 
 is encouraged to repentance by this promise, 
 *' After two days will he revive us, in the third day 
 he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."^ 
 The restoration of Israel from their captivity is 
 described under the figure of a resurrection of dry 
 bones : God promiseth to open their graves, and 
 
 affirm, tbat there will be a day 1000 years after the last day for the re- 
 surrection and judgment of the wicked, not only contradicts this, but is 
 a manifest impropriety of speech. — 4. The book of the Revelation itself 
 places the proper and general resurrection and judgment, both of the 
 righteous and wicked, after the thousand years reign of the saints, and 
 the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog, Rev, xx. 11. ad ult. 
 But to suppose that the saints, after having reigned with Christ 1000 
 years in their spiritual, immortal and glorified bodies, shall be sur- 
 rounded with enemies in gross earthly bodies, or even appear in judg- 
 ment to receive their final sentence after they had been so long glorified, 
 seems altogether unnatural as well as nnscriptural. — 5. We are ex- 
 pressly told, that " The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death," 
 1 Cor, XV. '26. and the Revelation declares the same, chap, xx. 14. But 
 if the first resurrection be the destruction of death to the saints, tlien 
 death is not the lust enemi/that shall be destroyed; for Gog and Magog 
 are enemies which will be destroyed 1000 years after the first resurrect 
 lion. These considerations convince me that the first resurrection is to 
 be taken in a metaphorical sense. 
 
 e Isa. XX vi, 19. f Hos, vi. 2. 
 
338 Christ's commission 
 
 cause them to come out of their graves, and they are 
 represented as living and standing up upon their 
 feet.« The same metaphor is used in the book of 
 the Revelation :. antichrist is said to have power 
 to give life to the image of the beast, when he re- 
 vived and united the idolatry and tyranny of the 
 Roman empire in his own administration ;*' and of 
 the two witnesses it is said, that " after three days 
 and an half the spirit of life from God entered into 
 them ; and they stood on their feet."' Agreeably 
 to this prophetic use of the figure, the first resur- 
 rection imports, a revival of true and primitive 
 Christianity in the world ; a raising up of tlie church 
 of Christ from its depressed, captive and afilicted 
 state, and the advancement, extension, and pre- 
 valence of his spiritual kingdom among all nations. 
 It is represented as a resurrection of the souls of 
 martyrs, and of such as had kept themselves pure 
 from the abominations of antichrist, and signifies 
 a revival in their successors of that spirit of faith, 
 zeal, fortitude and purity which possessed them ; 
 a resurrection of that cause for which the martyrs 
 and true followers of the Lamb had contended 
 and suffered in all the foregoing ages of the 
 church. They are declared blessed and holy that 
 have part in the first resurrection : they are holy 
 as being sanctified by the Spirit, and consecrated 
 as priests of God and of Christ ; and they are 
 blessed in the enjoyment ol the spiritual privileges, 
 
 g Ezck. xxxvii. 1-—15. h Rev. xiiL 15. i Chap. xi. 11. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 33J> 
 
 honours and dignities of Christ's kingdom ; for they 
 shall reign with him, and on such the second death, 
 or punishment of a future state, shall have no power> 
 From all which it is evident, that none but the saints 
 can really have any part in this resurrection, though 
 others may enjoy some of tlie outward and temporal 
 blessings which shall attend it. The duration of this 
 period is repeatedly said to be a thousand years, 
 hence it is commonly called the Millennium. Some 
 think that each day in this period should be taken 
 for a year, which will amount to 360,000 years ; 
 but it seems most natural to understand it literally. 
 2. There is ground to expect a remarkable down' 
 pouring of the Spirit about the commencement of this 
 happy period, even as there was at the first setting up 
 of Christ's kingdom in the world. Besides the pro- 
 mises of the Spirit which were accomplished in the 
 apostolic age, there are others which from the con- 
 nection appear to refer to the time we are now 
 speaking of. Thus Isaiah, after having described 
 Christ's kingdom which was set up at his first com- 
 ing, and then the succeeding desolate state of the 
 Jews, represents this as continuing, " Until the Spi- 
 rit be poured upon us from on high, and the wil- 
 derness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be 
 counted for a forest."^ The apostle Paul, speak- 
 ing of the conversion of the Jews at this period, 
 refers to a passage in Isaiah where a promise of the 
 Spirit is made to them, " As for me, this is my co- 
 venant with them, saith the Lord, my Spirit which 
 
 k Rev. XX. 6. a Isa. xxxii. 15-19. 
 
340 Christ's commission 
 
 is upon thee, and my words which I have put in 
 thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor 
 out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth 
 of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth 
 and for ever."'' The Lord, having mentioned the 
 forlorn dispersed state of Israel throughout the na- 
 tions, among whom they had profaned his name, pro- 
 mises to gather them, cleanse them, and give them 
 a new heart and spirit, and adds, " And I will put 
 my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my 
 statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do 
 them."*' The promise of pouring upon them the 
 spirit of grace and supplication has also a view to this 
 period.^ Though we are not to expect the miracu- 
 lous gifts of the apostolic age, yet the work of the 
 Spirit will abundantly appear in qualifying men for 
 propagating the gospel throughout the world, filling 
 them with light, zeal, courage and activity in that 
 work— in giving success and effect to the gospel by 
 converting multitudes to the faith, quickening the 
 dead in trespasses and sins, and translating them 
 into the kingdom of Christ ; and in enlightening, 
 quickening, purifying and comforting the children 
 of God, stirring them up to greater liveliness, love, 
 zeal, activity and fruitfulness in his service. This 
 copious effusion of the Spirit, producing these 
 effects by means of the word, will, I apprehend, be 
 the great quickening principle in the first resurrec- 
 tion. The consequence of this will be 
 
 3. An universal spread of the gospel, diffusing the 
 
 b Compare Rom. xi. 26, 27. with Isa. lis. 20, 21. c Ezek. 
 
 ^xx'.i. 27. so« j'l«o chap, xxxix. 28, !^y. d Zech. lii, 10. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 341 
 
 knowledge of the Lord throughout the world in a 
 more extensive and eflectiial manner than ever it w^as 
 before. This is repeatedly promised, " The earth 
 shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the 
 waters cover the sea ;" and this shall take place in 
 that day when the Gentiles shall seek to the branch 
 of the root of Jesse, -svhose rest shall be glorious, and 
 when "the Lord shall set his hand again the second 
 time to recover the remnant of his people,'*— and 
 shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall 
 assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together 
 the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of 
 the earth."® The same promise of the universal 
 knowledge of the glory of the Lord is repeated in. 
 the prophecy of Habakkuk.^ This will be attended 
 with corresponding effects i '* All the ends of the 
 world shall remember and turn unto the Lord ; and 
 all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before 
 him,"^ — Yea, all kings shall fall down before him : 
 all nations shall serve him."^ And though we are 
 not to imagine, that all the inhabitants of the globe 
 will have the true and saving knowledge of the 
 Lord ; yet we may expect such an universal spread 
 of light and religious knowledge as shall root up 
 pagan, mohammedan and antichristian delusions, 
 and produce many good effects upon those who 
 are not really regenerated, by awing their minds, 
 taming their ferocity, improving their morals, and 
 making them peaceable and humane. 
 
 4. The Jews wdll then be converted to the faith of 
 
 e Isa. xi. 9, 10, 11, 12. f Hab. ii. 14. g Psal xxii. 27. h Psal. Ixxii. 11. 
 
342 Christ's commission 
 
 the Messiah, and partake with the Gentiles of the 
 blessings of his kingdom. The apostle Paul in the 
 eleventh chapter of his epistle to the Romans treats 
 of this at large, and confirms it from the prophecies 
 of the Old Testament. He is speaking of Israel in a 
 literal sense, the natural posterity of Abraham ; for 
 he distinguishes them both from the believing Gen- 
 tiles and the Jewish converts of his time, and de- 
 scribes them as the rest who were blinded, had stum- 
 bled and fallen, and so had not obtained, but were 
 broken off and cast away.^ Yet he denies that they 
 have stumbled that they should fall, i. e. irrecover- 
 ably, so as in no future period to be restored, but 
 shows that God's design in permitting this was, that 
 through their fall salvation might come unto the 
 Gentiles, and that this again might provoke them to 
 jegdousy or emulation.^' He argues, that if their fall 
 and diminishing was the riches of the Gentiles, and 
 the casting away of them was the reconciling of the 
 world, their fulness will be much more so, and the 
 receiving of them l)e life from the dead.^ He fur- 
 ther argues, that if the Gentiles ''were grafted con- 
 trary to nature into a good olive tree, how much 
 more shall these which be the natural branches be 
 grafted into their own olive tree.""" Nor did he 
 consider this event as merely probable, but as abso- 
 lutely certain ; for he shows that the present blind- 
 ness and future conversion of that people is the 
 mystery or hidden sense of prophecies concerning 
 them ; and he cites two of these prophecies where 
 
 * Rom. xi. 7, 1 1 . 1% 15, 17. k Ver. 11. 1 Ver. 1 2, 15. m Vor. 24. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES 343 
 
 the context foretels both their rejection and reco- 
 very :" " For I would not, brethren, that ye should 
 be ig^norant of this mystery (lest ye should be wise 
 in your OAvn conceits) that blindness in part is hap- 
 pened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be 
 come in. And so all Israel shall be saved ; as it is 
 written. There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, 
 and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For 
 this is my covenant unto them when I shall take 
 away their sins.''° He affirms positively, that Israel 
 who have not now believed, shall as certainly 
 obtain mercy, as the Gentiles have obtained mercy 
 through the occasion of their unbelief: " For as ye 
 in times past have not believed God, yet have now 
 obtamed mercy through their unbelief; even so 
 have these also now not believed, that through yout 
 mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath 
 concluded all in unbelief, that he might have mercy 
 upon all."p Then he concludes with expressing 
 his admiration of the depth of the riches both of the 
 wisdom and knowledge of God, and of his unsearch- 
 able judgments and ways in this whole matter.'* 
 
 As to the time when this shall take place, the same 
 Apostle says, '^ that blindness in part is happened to 
 Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come 
 in ; and so all Israel shall be saved. "'^ The fulness 
 of the Gentiles must be understood in the same sense 
 with the fulness of the Jews,* and as the fulness of 
 the Jews signifies the great body of that people as 
 distinguished from the small remnant of them who 
 
 n Isa. lix. 20, 21. chap, xxvii. 9. o Rom. xi. 25, 26, 27. 
 
 p Ver. SO, 31, 32. q Ver. 33—36. r Ver. 25, 26. s Ver. 12, 
 
344 Christ's commission 
 
 were converted in the apostles' time ;^ so the fulness 
 of the Gentiles must import a more full and universal 
 conversion of the Gentiles throughout all nations of 
 the world than has ever yet taken place ; for at pre- 
 sent not above a sixth part of the habitable world so 
 much as profess Christianity. But when antichrist, 
 that great stumbling-block shall be removed out of 
 the way, when the gospel shall he preached among 
 all nations in its primitive purity, and the fulness of 
 the Gentiles be come in; then shall the vail betaken 
 off from the heart of the Jews, and it shall turn to 
 the Lord." They shall then acknowledge their own 
 Messiah whom their forefathers rejected and cruci- 
 fied, and shall say, " Blessed is he thatcomethinthe 
 name of the Lord."^ " They shall look upon him 
 whom they have pierced," not with contempt and 
 derision as their progenitors did when he hung on 
 the cross, but under the influence of the spirit of 
 grace and supplication, *' they shall mourn for him 
 as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in 
 bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for 
 his first-born."^' Then " the children of Israel shall 
 return, and seek the Lord their God, and David 
 their king ; and shall fear the Lord and his good- 
 ness in the latter days." The Lord shall then set 
 his hand again the second time to recover the rem- 
 nant of his people from their long captivity and out- 
 cast stale ;'^ and when they shall be received again, 
 and obtain mercy upon the same footing with the 
 
 t Rom. xi. 5. u 2 Cor iii. 15, 16. x Mat. xxiii. 39. y Zecli. xii. 10. 
 zHos. iii. 5. a Isa. xi- 11, li'. Ezek. xxxix. 25, 28, 29. Amos ix. 14, 16. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 345 
 
 Gentiles, it will be " life from the dead," not only 
 to them but to the world, as it will be a notable 
 means in the hand of God of awakening men's 
 attention to the gospel and convincing them of its 
 truth, as well as of confirming, quickening and 
 gladdening the children of God, who have been 
 long waiting and praying for that happy event. 
 Nay, there is ground to believe that the Jews will 
 be distinguished for their zeal, activity and success 
 in spreading the knowledge of the Lord among the 
 nations ; for the Gentiles are represented as in- 
 structed by them, honouring them, and flowing in 
 nnto them.^ 
 
 5. The purity of visible church communion, wor- 
 ship and discipline will then be restored according 
 to the primitive apostolic pattern. During the reign 
 of antichrist a corrupted form of Christianity was 
 drawn over the nations, and established in the poli- 
 tical constitutions of the kingdoms which were sub- 
 ject to that monstrous power. By this means the 
 children of God were either mixed in visible reli- 
 gious communion with the profane world, in direct 
 opposition to the word of God, or persecuted for 
 their nonconformity. In reference to this state of 
 things, the angel commands John to leave out the 
 court which is without the temple, and not to mea- 
 sure it, for this reason, because " it is given to the 
 Gentiles ; and the holy city shall they tread under 
 foot forty and two months :"•= i. e. they shall pollute 
 and profane the worship and communion of the 
 
 b Isa. Ivi. 8. cliap. Ix. 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12. chap. l\i. 6—10. chap. IxiL 
 2,3, 4. chap. Ixvi. 10—15. c Rev. xi. 2. 
 
346 Christ's commission 
 
 church during the 1260 years of antichrist's reign, so 
 that it cannot be measured by the rule of God's 
 word. But when the period we are speaking of 
 shall arrive, the sanctuary shall be cleansed •/ the 
 visible communion, worship, order and discipline of 
 the house of God will then be restored to their pri- 
 mitive purity, and accord with the rule of the New 
 Testament So it is promised to Zion, " henceforth 
 there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcis- 
 ed and the unclean."^^" Thy people shall be all 
 righteous ; they shall inherit the land for ever, the 
 branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that 
 I may be glorified,"^ — " and in that day there shall 
 be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord 
 of hosts."^ And though disguised hypocrites may 
 still find access into the churches of the saints, as it 
 does not appear that there will be a complete and 
 final separation until the day of judgment, when 
 Christ the omniscient judge shall separate the sheep 
 from the goats ;^ yet we may venture to affirm, that 
 such will be the strictness of discipline and purity 
 of communion, that no visible hypocrite or false 
 professor will be permitted to have fellowship with 
 the saints. For when the holy city, new Jerusalem 
 comes down from God out of heaven, then, in tliis 
 qualified sense, *' there shall in no wise enter into 
 it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever work- 
 eth abomination, or maketh a lie ; but they who 
 are written in the Lamb's book of life."' 
 
 6. The Lord's special presence and residence will 
 
 d Dan. viii. 14. e Isa. lii. I. f Isa. Ix. 21. 
 
 g Zech. xiv. 21. h Mat. xxv. o2. i Rev. xxi. ii, '<,7. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 347 
 
 then be in the midst of his people. Christ hath pro- 
 mised to be with his people in every period of the 
 church, even unto the end of the world/ and that 
 he will be in the midst even of two or three of them 
 w hen gathered together in his name :^ he also calls 
 them to purity of communion and personal holiness, 
 and promiseth to dwell in them and walk in them :"2 
 but this will be fulfilled in an eminent and remark- 
 able manner during the millennial period. The Lord, 
 having promised to raise Israel out of their graves, 
 to gather them from among the heathen, and bring 
 them into the church and kingdom of Christ, as one 
 fold having one Shepherd," adds, " and I will set 
 my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore : 
 my tabernacle also shall be with them ; yea, I will 
 be their God, and they shall be my people."" This 
 alludes to his dwelling among Israel in the tabernacle 
 and sanctuary of old, ^ and imports bis manifesting 
 himself unto them, admitting them into the most in- 
 timate correspondence and communion with himself 
 in his ordinances, communicating light, life and 
 consolation to them by his Spirit; and also his pro- 
 tection and care of them as his peculiar people. It 
 is intimated that there will be such visible tokens of 
 the divine presence and residence among them as will 
 fall under the notice of the world and produce con- 
 viction and awe (as was in some measure the case in 
 the first churches,'^) for it is added, " And the 
 heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify 
 
 k Mat. xxviii. 20 1 Chap, xviii. 20. m 2 Cor. vi. 1o, 17. 
 
 a Ezek. xxxvii. 11—26. o Ver. 26, 27. p Lev. xxvi. U, 12. 
 
 q Acts ii. 47. chap. v. 11, 13. 1 Cor. xiv. 24, ^o. 
 
 Q 
 
348 Christ's commission 
 
 Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of 
 them for evermore.""^ Indeed this is that very 
 promise which is represented to John as accom- 
 plished : " And I heard a great voice out of heaven, 
 saying. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with 
 men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall 
 be his people, and God himself shall be with them, 
 and be their God."^ 
 
 7. This will be a time of universal peace, tranquil- 
 lity and safety. Persons naturally of the most 
 savage, ferocious and cruel dispositions will then be 
 tame and harmless ; so it is promised, " The wolf 
 also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall 
 lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young 
 lion, and the fatling together, and a little child 
 shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall 
 feed ; their young ones shall lie down together : 
 and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the 
 sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and 
 the weaned child shall put his hand on the cock- 
 atrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all 
 my holy mountain." And the reason given is, 
 " for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the 
 Lord, as the waters cover the sea.''' The same 
 promise is afterwards repeated, and connected with 
 the promise of new heavens and a new eartli." 
 Whether we consider the persons represented by 
 these hurtful animals to be converted or not, it is cer- 
 tain they will then be effectually restrained from do- 
 ing harm, or persecuting the saints. There shall beno 
 
 r Ezck. xxxvii. 28. s Rev. xxi. 3. t Isa. \i. 6 --10. u Chap. Ixv. 17, 25. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 349 
 
 war nor bloodshed among the nations during this 
 happy period ; for we are told, that, in the last days, 
 when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be es- 
 tablished in the top of the mountains, and shall be 
 exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow 
 unto it— the Lord " shall judge among the nations, 
 and shall rebuke many people ; and they shall beat 
 their swords into plow-shares, and their spears 
 into pruning-hooks ; nation shall not lift up sword 
 against nation, neither shall they learn war any 
 more."'' The same promise is repeated word for 
 word in the prophecies of MicahJ Much to the 
 same purpose is that promise in Hosea,^ " In that 
 day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts 
 of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and v/i(h 
 the creeping things of the ground : and I will break 
 the bow and the sword, and the battle, out of the 
 earth, and will make them to lie down safely.' 
 Though war has hitherto deluged the world with 
 human blood, and been a source of complicated 
 calamities to mankind ; yet when Satan is bound, 
 his influence upon wicked men restrained, and the 
 saints bear rule, it must necessarily cease. 
 
 8. The civil rulers and judges shall then be all 
 maintainers of peace and righteousness. Though 
 Christ will put down all that rule, power and au- 
 thority which opposeth the peace and prosperity 
 of his kingdom ; yet as rulers are the ordinance of 
 God, and his ministers for good, as some form of 
 government seems absolutely necessary to the or 
 
 X Isa. ii. 4- j Mic^. iv. 3. z Hos. ii. 18. 
 
350 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 der and happiness of society in this world, I ap- 
 prehend that, when the kingdoms of this world are 
 become our Lord's and his Christ's, the promise 
 will be accomplished, " I will also make thy offi- 
 cers peace, and thy exactors righteousness :" and 
 in consequence of this, " violence shall no more be 
 heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within 
 thy borders ; but thou shalt call thy walls salva- 
 tion, and thy gates praise."* Peace and righte- 
 ousness are the two great ends of government : 
 Christ himself is King of righteousness and King 
 of peace, and the civil rulers during that happy 
 period will resemble him in their character and 
 administration ; for then shall that promise be ful- 
 filled, *' In righteousness shalt thou be established : 
 thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt 
 not fear ; and from terror, for it shall not come near 
 tliee/'^ 
 
 9. The saints shall then have the dominion, and 
 the wicked shall be in subjection. This is clear 
 from the united voice of prophecy. *' The king- 
 dom and dominion, and the greatness of tlie king- 
 dom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the 
 people of the saints of the Most High."^— " The 
 saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, 
 and possess the kingdom for ever."'^— '* The meek 
 shall inherit the earth f^ — " shall reign on the 
 earth;"^—" shall reign with Christ a thousand 
 years ;"^ — " they shall be priests of God, and of 
 
 a Isa. Ix. 17, 18. b Chap. liv. 14. c Dan. vii. 27. 
 
 d Cliap. vii. 18. e Mat. v. 3. f Rev. v. 10. g Chap. xx. 4. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 351 
 
 Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. "*" 
 The saints are at present made kings and priests 
 unto God — a kingly priesthood;' but then they 
 shall be more eminently so, when by the holiness 
 of their lives, the purity of their faith and worship, 
 and their diligence in promoting pure and undefiled 
 religion, the earth shall be filled with the knowledge 
 of the Lord. Then shall that promise be fully ac- 
 complished, " Ye shall be named the priests of the 
 Lord ; men shall call you the ministers of our God."*" 
 With regard to the nature of their reign, it will un- 
 doubtedly correspond in Ml respects \vdth the spiri- 
 tual and heavenly nature of Christ's kingdom, to 
 the promotion of which all their power will be sub- 
 servient. Those who cannot conceive of any reign 
 on earth, but such as consists in lordly and oppres- 
 sive dominion, maintained by policy and force, and 
 made subservient to the purposes of pride, ambi- 
 tion, avarice and other worldly lusts, can have no 
 idea at all of this reign of the saints with Christ, 
 which is a reign of peace on earth and good will to 
 men ; a reign of truth and righteousness, of true 
 godliness and universal humanity. In short, it is 
 the prevalence and triumph of the cause of Christ 
 in this world over that of Satan and all his instru- 
 ments. 
 
 But " when the thousand years are expired, Satan 
 shall be loosed out of his prison a little season."^ 
 The restraint which was laid upon that restless and 
 malignant spirit will be taken off for a short time. 
 
 h Rev. XX. 6. i 1 Pet. ii. 9. Rev. i. 6. k Isa. Ixi 6. 1 Rev. xx. 3, 7. 
 
352 CHRIST'S COMMISSION 
 
 He shall immediately avail himself of tliat liberty, 
 and " shall go out to deceive the nations which are 
 in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, 
 to gather them together to battle ; the number of 
 whom is as the sand of the sea/* This vast multi- 
 tude seem to be the rest or remnant of those who 
 were slain with the sword of him that sat on the 
 horse," and who live not again until the thousand 
 years are finished,^ but continue during the time of 
 Satan's imprisonment in a state of political death : 
 but when Satan is loosed he raiseth them up from 
 that death, by exciting in them a spirit of pride, 
 envy and enmity against Christ and his saints ; and 
 this he does by deceiving them, or representing 
 things to them in a false light. They are termed 
 Gog and Magog in allusion to what is said of these 
 powerful enemies of God's people in the prophecy 
 of Ezekiel,p there being a similarity between them 
 in several particulars. '' And they went up on the 
 breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of 
 the saints about, and the beloved city.*" The saints 
 are represented as encamped, but not in an hostile 
 manner. The allusion is to the encasnpment of 
 Israel round the tabernacle in the wilderness. 'i The 
 beloved city alludes to Jesusalem where God had 
 placed his name, and where the whole church ol 
 Israel assembled to worship, and which is also fi- 
 guratively put for the true church in its full order 
 and beauty. When this vast army, led on by Sa- 
 
 ni Rev. XX. 8. n Chap. six. 21. o Chap. xx. 5. 
 
 p Ezck. xxxviii. xxxix. q Num. ii. 2. 
 
To ins APOSTLES. 353 
 
 tan, has compassed the camp of, the saints about, 
 and the beloved city new Jerusalem, they arc not 
 able to hurt the church of God ; but are only per- 
 mitted to proceed thus far, that the church's deli- 
 verance and their own destruction might be the 
 more conspicuous ; for '* fire came down from Cod 
 out of heaven, and devoured them. And the de- 
 vil that deceived them was cast into the lake of 
 fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false 
 prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night 
 for ever and ever.""^ 
 
 After this we have an account of Christ's glori- 
 ous appearing : the literal resurrection of all the 
 dead both righteous and wicked, and the judgment 
 of the world, when the wicked shall go away into 
 everlasting punishment, being cast into the lake ot 
 fire which is the second death ; but the righteous 
 into life eternal.* Then " the heavens shall pass 
 away with a great noise, and the elements shall 
 melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works 
 that are therein shall be burnt up;"' for the apos- 
 tle Peter connects this awful event with the day of 
 judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 
 
 In the two last chapters of the Revelation there 
 IS a vision of a new heaven and a new earth, and a 
 description of the holy city new Jerusalem, with 
 the river of the water of life, and the tree of life : 
 and though there is no doubt a great deal of figure 
 in these descriptions, yet they set forth such a happy 
 
 r Rev. XX. 7 — 1 1 . s Ver. 11. ad ult. compared with Mat. xxv. 31. 
 
 ad ult. 1 Thess. iv. 15, 16, 17. t 2 Pet, iii. 10. u Ver. 7, 
 
354 Christ's commission 
 
 and glorious state of things as far exceeds all our 
 present conceptions. But men are divided in their 
 opinions as to whether these two chapters are an 
 enlargement upon the Millennium, which had only 
 been briefly mentioned before, or relate to the ulti- 
 mate glory and happiness of the church in the hea- 
 venly state. As these visions are placed after an 
 account of the destruction of Gog and Magog, the 
 resurrection of the dead and judgment of the world, 
 it is natural to think that they succeed these events, 
 and are descriptive of the final happiness of the 
 saints in heaven. But the order in which the vi- 
 sions are placed does not always mark the order of 
 time ; for the same things are represented under 
 different forms in successive visions, and the his 
 tory sometimes goes back and comes over the same 
 ground again with additional circumstances.* 
 
 The heavens and the earth are often used in diji- 
 gurative sense in prophecy, and particularly in this 
 book, and, in this sense John's vision of the new 
 heavens and new earth "^ may apply to the Millen- 
 nium. It appears to be the same with what is pro- 
 mised in Isa. Ixv. 17. " Behold I create new hea- 
 
 * The Apocalypse is divided into two parts. The first contains a 
 regular succession of events from the apostolic age down to the consum- 
 mation of all tilings, the prophecy beginning with the opening of the first 
 seal, chap. vi. 1. and ending with a summary of the events of the seventh 
 trumpet, chap. xi. 15—19. The second part, which frlls up the remaiu- 
 dnt- of the book, falls within the same period, and is only an enlargement 
 and illustratiou of the things contained in the former part, particularly 
 such as relate to the church and its enemies. It is to this part of the 
 book that the above observation refers. 
 
 X Rev. xxi. 1. 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 355 
 
 vens and a new earth ; and the former shall not be 
 remembered, nor come into mind." And the hap- 
 piness that shall be enjoyed in this new state of 
 tilings is described to the end of that chapter in 
 terms suited to the Millennium, but not to tlie ulti- 
 mate blessedness of the saints in heaven. Yet 
 the apostle Peter, referring to the same promise, 
 applies it to that state of things which shall suc- 
 ceed the literal dissolution of the present heavens 
 and earth by fire,*' which must be the state of hea- 
 venly happiness. It is plain therefore that this 
 promise has a twofold application ; and as there 
 are several prophecies of the Old Testament which 
 have a first and secondary sense, involving in the 
 same prediction th^fi'airs both of the Jewish the- 
 ocracy and of the kingdom of Christ, two con 
 nected though successive dispensations; so, in 
 the present case, the prophetic spirit in dilating on 
 the happiness of the Millennium, runs beyond it, 
 and anticipates the succeeding glories of the hea- 
 venly state, to which it is so nearly allied. 
 
 Indeed, upon any other hypothesis, it is not easy 
 to explain and reconcile the different things con- 
 tained in the two last chapters of the Apocalypse. 
 Some of them do not come up to the account 
 which the scripture gives of the complete glory 
 and happiness of the heavenly state. The new 
 Jerusalem is repeatedly represented as " coming 
 down from God out of heaven :"^ not that John 
 might get a view of it, as some conceive ; for he 
 
 y 2 Pet. iii. l.S. z Rev. xxi. 2, 10 
 
356 Christ's commission 
 
 had visions of things in heaven, and our Lord, in 
 his promise to the church of Philadelphia, de- 
 scribes new Jerusalem as that " which cometh 
 down out of heaven from God.""^ It must there- 
 fore be a happy state of the church on earth, when 
 the tabernacle of God is with men, though of hea- 
 venly origin. But the scripture always represents 
 the place of the saints* final happiness to be hea- 
 ven itself where Christ now is : their great reward 
 is in heaven, and the inheritance is reserved for 
 them there. ^ — It is said, " the kings of the earth 
 do bring their glory and honour into it— And they 
 shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into 
 it."^ It requires some explanation to show how 
 this applies even to the church on earth, but seems 
 altogether inapplicable to the heavenly glorified 
 state. — Again, it is said, *' And the gates of it shall 
 not be shut at all by day ; for there shall be no 
 night there ."'^ i. e. *' its gates shall be open conti- 
 nually ; they shall not be shut day nor night,"® 
 which imports the free and ready access which 
 converts from all nations shall have into it, and 
 who are called " the glory and honour of the na- 
 tions" in the next verse, and in Isaiah " the forces 
 of the Gentiles."^ But there is no continued ad- 
 mission of converts into heaven after the accepted 
 time and day of salvation is past. — Further, it is 
 said of the tree of life " which bare twelve man- 
 ner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month/* 
 
 a Rev. iii. 12. b John xiv. 3. chap. xvii. 24. Mat. v. 12. 1 Pet. 
 
 i. 4. c Rev. -xxi. 24, 26. d Ver. 23. elsa. Ix. 11. 
 
 fRev. xxi. 26. Isa.lx.il. 
 
 \ 
 
TO HIS APOSTLES. 357 
 
 that " the leaves of the tree were for the healing 
 of the nations."^ We cannot apply this to the 
 heavenly state, unless we suppose that the nations 
 of them that are saved will need this healing after 
 they are raised from the dead and glorified. These 
 particulars seem to be applicable only to the 
 state of the church during the Millennium. 
 
 But there are some parts of the description, 
 which, if taken in their strict and full sense, seem 
 too high for the Millennium, or any state of the 
 church short of heaven. — It is promised that 
 " God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; 
 and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, 
 nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain ; 
 for the former things are passed away."^ There 
 are indeed expressions similar to these in Old Tes- 
 tament prophecies which seem to relate to a pros- 
 perous state of the church in this world,^ and in 
 this view must not be taken in an absolute but 
 comparative sense, i. e. considered with relation 
 to tlie foregoing afflicted and persecuted state of 
 the church. But these expressions have also a 
 higher sense, and are undoubtedly descriptive of 
 the heavenly state ; for this promise is the very 
 same with that in the prophecies of Isaiah, ** He 
 will swallow up death in victory ; and the Lord 
 God will wipe away tears from off all faces ;"^ 
 which the Apostle explains of the resurrection of 
 the dead, when mortality shall be swallowed up 
 
 g Rev. x\ii. 2. with Ezek. xlvii. 12. h Rev. xxi. 4. i Isa. 
 
 xxxT. 10. Hos, xiii. 14. Zech. xiv. 11. k Isa. xxr. 8. 
 
358 Christ's commission 
 
 of life.^— It is also said " that the throne of Goa 
 and of the Lamb shall be in it ; and his servants 
 shall serve him ; and they shall see his face ; and 
 his name shall be in their foreheads.""" This cer- 
 tainly must ultimately intend heaven itself, where 
 the Divine Majesty peculiarly resides and has 
 placed his throne, where his glorious presence is 
 most immediately and eminently manifested, and 
 where the redeemed shall for ever enjoy the be- 
 atific vision of his blissful countenance. 
 
 " He who testifieth these things, saith. Surely I 
 come quickly. Amen. Even so, come. Lord 
 Jesus." 
 
 1 1 Cor. x\. 54. Ill Rev. xxii. 3, 4. 
 
 I 
 
 FINIS.