Go ye therefore
Into all the world; some into one place, and some into another;
since his power and authority, and so now the commission he gave
them, reached every where: before it was confined to Judea, but
now it is extended to all the nations of the world; see (
Matthew
10:6 Matthew 10:7
) ( Mark
16:15 ) ,
and teach all nations;
Jews and Gentiles, first the one, and then the other, the
doctrines of the Gospel, and the ordinances of it; whatever they
had learned from Christ, or were ordered by him, or "disciple all
nations": make them disciples by teaching them; or, as the Persic
version, by way of explanation, adds, "bring them to my religion
and faith": not that they were able to do this of themselves, but
they were to teach men externally, or outwardly minister the
word, whilst the Spirit of God internally applied it, and taught,
and made men true disciples of Christ: and they are such, who
have learned to know themselves, their sin, and lost estate by
nature; to deny themselves, both sinful and righteous self; who
have learnt to know Christ, and the way of righteousness, peace,
pardon, life, and salvation by him; and who are taught and
enabled to part with all for Christ, and to bear all for his
sake, and to believe in him, and give up themselves to him, and
follow him whithersoever he goes:
baptizing them;
not all nations, for the antecedent to the relative "them",
cannot be "all nations"; since (panta ta eynh) , the words for "all nations", are of
the neuter gender, whereas (autouv) , "them", is of the masculine: nor can it be
thought that it should be the mind of Christ, that all the
individuals of all nations should be baptized, as Heathens,
Turks, and Jews; but (mayeutav) , "disciples", supposed and contained in the
word (mayeteusate) ,
"teach", or "make disciples"; such as are taught, and made
disciples by teaching, or under the ministry of the word by the
Spirit of God: Christ's orders are to "baptize": (wlbj) , "dip" them, as Munster's
Hebrew Gospel renders it; that is, in water, which, though not
expressed, is implied; for with no other baptism could the
apostles baptize: not with the Holy Ghost, and with fire; for
this was Christ's peculiar prerogative; but with water, which
they in obedience to this commission practised, ( Acts 8:36 Acts 8:38 ) ( 10:47 ) , and which was
to be done
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost;
by the authority of these three divine persons, who all appeared,
and testified their approbation of the administration of this
ordinance, at the baptism of Christ: and as they are to be
invocated in it, so the persons baptized not only profess faith
in each divine person, but are devoted to their service, and
worship, and are laid under obligation to obedience to them,
Hence a confirmation of the doctrine of the Trinity, there are
three persons, but one name, but one God, into which believers
are baptized; and a proof of the true deity both of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost; and that Christ, as the Son of God, is God;
since baptism is administered equally in the name of all three,
as a religious ordinance, a part of divine instituted worship,
which would never be in the name of a creature. This is the
first, and indeed the only, place in which the Trinity of persons
is expressed in this order, and in the selfsame words. Galatinus
F6 pretends, that the ancient Jews used
the same way of speaking. It would be well if proof could be made
of it: he asserts it to be in Zohar on ( Deuteronomy
6:4 ) , and in the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel on (
Isaiah 6:3 ) .
In the former he says, it is expressed thus, "hear, O Israel; the
Lord", he is called "the Father; our God", he is called the Son;
"is one Lord", this is "the Holy Ghost", who proceeds from both;
and again, by the same R. Simeon, it is said, "holy", this is
(ba) , "the Father";
"holy", this is (Nb) ,
"the Son"; "holy", this is (vdqh
xwr) , "the Holy Ghost": and in the latter after this
manner, "Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Holy Ghost"; but no such
words are now to be found in either of these places. He affirms,
that he himself saw a copy of Jonathan's Targum that had these
words. The Jews often speak of the Tetragrammaton, or name of
four letters, the name Jehovah, which they say is not lawful to
be pronounced; and also of the name of twelve letters, which the
above writer F7 makes to be "Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost"; and of forty two letters, which from a book called Gale
Razia, he says is,
``Father God, Son God, Holy Ghost God, three in one, and one in three;''which in the Hebrew language make up so many letters; but this wants better authority.
F6 L. 2. c. 1.
F7 Ib. c. 11, 12. Vid. Buxtorf. Lex. Heb. in voce (hwh)