We have first that the twelve Apostles were sent "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,"and commanded to preach "that the kingdom of God was at hand."Now preaching,in the original,is that act which a crier,herald,or other officer useth to do publicly in proclaiming of a king.But a crier hath not right to command any man.And the seventy Disciples are sent out as "Labourers,not as lords of the harvest";and are bidden to say,"The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you";and by kingdom here is meant,not the kingdom of grace,but the kingdom of glory;for they are bidden to denounce it to those cities which shall not receive them,as a threatening,that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for such a city.And our Saviour telleth his Disciples,that sought priority of place,their office was to minister,even as the Son of Man came,not to be ministered unto,but to minister.Preachers therefore have not magisterial,but ministerial power:"Be not called masters,"saith our Saviour,"for one is your master,even Christ."
Another point of their commission is to "teach all nations";as it is in Matthew,28.19,or as in St.Mark,16.15,"Go into all the world,and preach the gospel to every creature."Teaching,therefore,and preaching is the same thing.For they that proclaim the coming of a king must withal make known by what right he cometh,if they mean men shall submit themselves unto him:as St.Paul did to the Jews of Thessalonica,when "three Sabbath days he reasoned with them out of the Scriptures,opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered,and risen again from the dead,and that this Jesus is Christ."But to teach out of the Old Testament that Jesus was Christ,that is to say,king,and risen from the dead,is not to say that men are bound,after they believe it,to obey those that tell them so,against the laws and commands of their sovereigns;but that they shall do wisely to expect the coming of Christ hereafter,in patience and faith,with obedience to their present magistrates.
Another point of their commission is to "baptize,in the name of the Father,and of the Son,and of the Holy Ghost."What is baptism?
Dipping into water.But what is it to dip a man into the water in the name of anything?The meaning of these words of baptism is this.
He that is baptized is dipped or washed as a sign of becoming a new man and a loyal subject to that God whose person was represented in old time by Moses,and the high priests,when He reigned over the Jews;and to Jesus Christ,His Son,God and Man,that hath redeemed us,and shall in his human nature represent his Father's person in his eternal kingdom after the resurrection;and to acknowledge the doctrine of the Apostles,who,assisted by the Spirit of the Father and of the Son,were left for guides to bring us into that kingdom,to be the only and assured way thereunto.This being our promise in baptism;and the authority of earthly sovereigns being not to be put down till the day of judgement;for that is expressly affirmed by St.Paul,where he saith,"As in Adam all die,so in Christ all shall be made alive.But every man in his own order,Christ the first fruits,afterward they that are Christ's at his coming;then cometh the end,when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God,even the Father,when he shall have put down all rule,and all authority and power."It is manifest that we do not in baptism constitute over us another authority by which our external actions are to be governed in this life,but promise to take the doctrine of the Apostles for our direction in the way to life eternal.