and commiffions them to preach and baptize. fhall be damned. 645 Mark XVI. but he that believeth not, gagement, shall certainly be faved with a com- Sect. 202. pleat and everlasting Salvation: But he who believeth not this my Gofpel, when opened with 16. fuch convincing Evidence (i), and finally perfifts in wilful Impenitence and Unbelief, as he rejects the most gracious Counsel of GOD for his Recovery, fhall be condemned, by his righteous Judgment, to future and everlasting Punishment, and fhall to his dreadful Experience find that Gofpel, which he has despised, to be a Savour of Death to him. Obferve then the Extent of your Commiffion; Matth. and go forth therefore, not only into Judea, but XXVIII.19, into all the reft of the World, and profelyte all the Nations of the Earth to the Faith and Obedience of my Gospel (k), baptizing them in the awful and venerable Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (1); that by this fo (i) When opened with fuch convincing Evidence.] This is by no Means a proper Place,. to enquire into the Proportion between the Evidence which was peculiar to the Days of the Apoftles, and that which is common to our own. But I hope it will be confidered, on the one Hand, how improbable it is, that a Divine Revelation, introduced as the Gospel was, fhould ever be left fo deftitute of Proofs in After-Ages, that an honeft Man, after impartial Confideration, might reject it; and on the other, how fit it was, that the Danger of neglecting it should be ftrongly declared, left it should feem itself to have left Men at Liberty to trifle with it. (k) Profelyte all the Nations of the Earth.] The whole Tenour of the fucceeding Books of the New Teftament fhews, that Chrift defigned by this Commiffion, that the Gofpel fhould be preached to all Mankind without Exception, not only to the Jews, but to all the idolatrous Gentiles: But the Prejudices of the Apostles led them at first to mistake the Sense, and to imagine, that it referred only to their going to preach the Gospel to the Jews among all Nations, or to those who should be willing to become Jews. I render the Word panμαθηTevoale, profelyte, that it may be duly diftinguished from diaoxoles, teaching, (in the next Verfe,) with which our Verfion confounds it. The former feems to import Inftruction in the Effentials of Religion, which it was neceflary adult Perfons fhould know and fubmit to, before they could regularly be admitted to Baptifm; the latter may relate to thofe more particular Admonitions in Regard to Chriftian Faith and Practice, which were to be built upon that Foundation. It is certain, that no Argument can be drawn from hence to the Prejudice of Infant Baptifm; for had Chrift fent out thefe Miffionaries to propagate Judaifm in the World, he might have used the fame Language; "Go, and profelyte all Nar "tions, circumcifing them in the Name of the GOD of Ifrael, and teaching them to "obferve all that Mofes commanded." (1) Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, &c.] Tho' I dare not affert, that the Ufe of thefe very Words is effential to Chriftian Baptifm, yet furely the Expreffion muft intimate the Neceffity of fome diftinct Regard to each of the Sacred Three, which is always to be maintained in the Adminiftration of this Ordinance; and confequently it muft imply, that more was faid to thofe, of whofe Baptifm we read in the Acts, than is there recorded, before they were admitted to it. The Chriftian Church in fucceeding Ages has acted a wife and. 646 Matth. 20. He promises to be with them to the End of the World. Sect. 202. lemn initiatory Ordinance they may profess their Subjection to each of thefe Divine Perfons, and, maintaining fuitable Regards to each, may receive from each correspondent Bleffings : And fee that you inftruct the Converts whom you fo baptize, teaching them, to keep and obferve all Things whatsoever I have commanded you; as remembering, that I am their Lord, and you only the Meffengers of my Will. And, while you act in Pursuance of thefe Directions, tho' numberless Difficulties will appear in your Way, yet be not discouraged at them; for behold, I am always with you, and will be with all my faithful Ministers, who fhall fucceed you in the Work, even to the End of the World (m). Amen! Oh bleffed Jefus, fo may it indeed be! And may this important Promife be fulfilled to us, and to our Succeffors, to the remotest Ages, in its full Extent (n)! Mark XVI. 17. And he yet farther added, So far as is neceffary and expedient, a Miraculous Power fhall attend you, and others, who fhall join with you, or fucceed you, in the first Plantation of my Church: And in particular, thefe Signs, and others no less wonderful, fhall follow them that believe, and be performed by thofe, who in a lively Manner exercife their Faith in GoD, when he is inwardly exciting them to fuch Operations (0): In my Name they shall caft out the most obftinate and mischie Vous 20 Teaching them to ob ferve all Things whatsoever lo, I am with you alway, I have commanded you: and even unto the End of the World. Amen. and fafe Part in retaining thefe Words; and they contain fo ftrong an Intimation, that each of thefe Perfons is properly GOD, and that Worship is to be paid, and Glory ascribed to each, that I cannot but hope, they will be a Means of maintaining the Belief of the one, and the Practice of the other, among the Generality of Chriftians, to the End of the World. (m) I am always with you, even to the End of the World.] As Chrift's Prefence with his furviving Apoftles, and other Minifters, was as neceffary after the Deftruction of Jerufalem, as before it, nothing feems more unreafonable than to limit thefe Words by fuch an Interpretation, as to refer them only to that Period. I (n) Amen! -fo may it indeed be !] Tho' the Word Amen, with which each of the Gofpels ends, feems chiefly to have been intended, as an Intimation of the Conclufion of the Book, and as an Affeveration of the certain Truth of the Things contained in it; yet think the Turn here given to it in Matthew very natural, confidering its Connection with that Promife, which was undoubtedly the greateft Strength and Joy of that good Man's Heart. St. John ufes the like Turn in more exprefs Language, in the last Verse but One of the Revelation. Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even fo come Lord Jefus. (0) Exercise their Faith in GOD, when he is inwardly exciting them &c.] It is exceeding evident, that the Word believe, in this Place, muft fignify fomething different from that Faith, which had in the preceding Verfe of Mark been required as indifpenfibly neceffary to Salvation; and can have no other rational Interpretation, than what is here given. (P) They A Miraculous Power should attend them that believe. WIT 17. 647 vous Dæmons, who may have poffeffed the Bodies Sect. 202 of Men; they shall by an extraordinary, and hitherto unknown Effufion of my Spirit, be ena- Mark XVI. bled with the greatest Fluency and Propriety to Speak in various new Languages, which they have never learnt ; They fhall take up Serpents with- 18 out being bitten or endangered by them (p); and if, by fome fecret or open Attempt made to deftroy them, they drink any deadly and malignant Poifon, it shall not hurt them (g); [and] when they fhall lay [their] Hands on the Sick and Infirm, it shall be attended with a healing Virtue, and they fhall immediately recover, without the Ufe of any farther Means. So that in Confequence of this extraordinary Confirmation, my Gospel shall meet with a very general Reception, and my Heavenly Father, according to his Promife, "fhall give me the Heathen for mine In"heritance, and the uttermoft Parts of the Earth " for my Poffeffion." (See Pfalm ii. 8.) Such was the Purport of our Lord's Difcourfe, and in this Manner he converfed with his Difciples till his Afcenfion, with the Account of which illuftrious Fact we fhall conclude this important History of his Life.. IMPROVEMENT. Mat. xxviii.. ITH how ill a Grace could the Jews complain, of any DefiMa ciency in the Evidence of our Lord's Refurrection, when he ap- 16. peared alive to fo great a Number as Five hundred at once! How glad muft (p) They shall take up Serpents.] Jamblichus (Vit. Pythag. cap. 28.) says, that Pythagoras could do this; and very credible Writers have afferted, that in the Eastern Nations there is an Art of charming Snakes and Serpents by the Force of Mufick, fo as for a while to fufpend their Difpofition to hurt. (See Bochart. Hierozoic. Part 2. Lib. iii. Cap. 6. and compare Pfal. Iviii. 4, 5. and Ecclef. x. 11.) But this Power was undoubtedly exerted without any fuch Artifice, and included (as in the Cafe of Paul, Acts xxviii. 3-5.) an Ability to heal the most dangerous Wounds, given by the Bite of the most noxious Animals. (q) If by fome fecret or open Attempt made to deftroy them, they drink &c.] I add this Claufe, that none may imagine GOD ever intended, that these miraculous Powers fhould be ufed merely for Oftentation, or to gratify the Curiofity of Spectators. Confidering to what Degrees of curfed Refinement, the Art of Poifoning was by this Time brought, as well as how frequently Execution was done, by giving Poifon to condemned Perfons, in the Age and Country in which the Apostles lived, fuch a Promife as this will appear more. important, than the Reader might at firft apprehend. 648 Reflections on the Commiffion CHRIST gave his Apoftles. Sect. 202. must these Difciples be, when they faw the Lord? and with what Pleafure muft they hear him fpeaking of thofe Things which concerned the KingActs i. 3. dom of GOD? 47. We have furely perpetual Reafon for Thankfulness, when we think of that Commission which Chrift gave to his Difciples: Nor is it a Circumftance of little Importance, that they had it in Charge, when they pubLuke xxiv. lished this Meffage of Grace, to begin at Jerufalem; tho' the Religious Opportunities that were abufed by that ungrateful City had already been fo great, and their Provocations fo many. Amazing Condefcenfion of the Prince of Peace, that he fent his Embajadors of Peace to them, when they had hardly laid afide the Weapons with which they had flain him, and were fcarce refted after the cruel Fatigue, which their officious Malice had given them, in abetting his Murther! Behold, he offers them all the invaluable Bleffings purchased by his Blood, while it was yet, as we may fay, warm upon Mount Calvary: And on the fame Principles, even unto this Day, where Sin hath abounded, there is Grace abounding much more. (Rom. v. 20.) 15. The Commiffion he gave his Apoftles, tho' it began at Jerufalem, did not end there; nor was it confined within the narrow Limits of Judea; Mark xvi. but they were appointed to go into all the World, and preach the the Gospel to every Creature. We to this Day, in our remote Land, enjoy the Benefit of it. Let us remember the important Confequences, that will one Way or another attend the Gospel thus brought us. If we believe it, we fhall be faved; but if we believe it not, we shall be damned. Life, or Death, oh my Soul, is the certain Iffue of it, with regard to thee in particular. Be Surety to thy Servant, oh Lord, for Good; (Pfal. cxix. 122.) and let my Life be precious in thy Sight! Ver. 16. Luke xxiv. 45. Ver. 49. 20. Chrift opened the Understanding of the Apoftles, to apprehend the Sense of Scripture. Let us ftudy that Sacred Book, with an humble Dependance upon the Aid of that Bleed Spirit, by whom it was dictated. And let these Apostles, who were thus divinely taught, be reverently regarded as our fureft Guides, when we are studying the Oracles of the Old Teftament; confidering the extraordinary Commiffion with which Chrift fent them forth, the Power from on High with which he endowed them, and the ample Credentials which he thereby gave them. Thefe miraculous Donations are now ceased; but that valuable Promife Mat. xxviii. ftill continues in Force, that he will be with his Minifters always, even unto the End of the World. In the Strength of that Affurance, oh thou faithful and true Witness, would thine humble Embassadors ftill go forth, to all the Labours and Difficulties before them: Remember thy Word unto thy Servants, (Pfal. cxix. 49.) and may it be unto us according to it! Amen! SECT. The Difciples are again bid to wait for the Spirit at Jerufalem. 649 SECT. CCIII. CHRIST, after his laft Difcourfe with his Difciples, afcends to Heaven in their Sight, from the Mount of Olives in the Neighbourhood of Bethany; and they joyfully return to Jerufalem waiting for the Spirit. Mark XVI. 19, to the End. Luke XXIV. 50, to the End. John XX. 30, to the End. XXI. ult. Acts 1. 4, 4, I 2. ACTS I. 4. Acts 1. 4. SUCH was the Converfation Jefus had with Sect. 203. his Difciples at Jerufalem, and fuch the Commiffion he gave them: And now at length having gathered them together on the Fortieth Day after his Refurrection, he charged them again, as he had done before, (Luke xxiv. 49. pag. 644.) not to depart from Jerufalem, to employ themselves in any fecular Cares at Home; but rather to spend some fucceeding Days in extraordinary Devotion, in the Temple, or in their fecret Retirements; that they might, with the moft becoming Temper, wait for the Accomplishment of that Promife of the Father, which [faid be,] you have again and again beard from me, both before, and fince my Refurrection. (Compare John xiv. 26. xv. 26. xvi. 7. and Luke xxiv. 49.) For John indeed baptized with Water, 5 when he was fent to call Men to Repentance; but you well know, that he declared at the fame Time, there was one coming after him, who should baptize in a more glorious Manner with the Holy Spirit: (See Mat. iii. 11. Vol. i. pag. 98.) And in Accomplishment of this Prediction, as you are now to be fent forth to preach the Gofpel, and to bear Witness of me as the true Meffiah, that whosoever shall believe in me may obtain Remiffion of Sins, you shall be plentifully furnished from above with all those Graces, that may enable you to fulfil your Ministry, and by my Means fhall be baptized with an extraordinary Nnnn Effufion |