The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 648

the Obrist, the Son of God ; and 1.hat believing we might have li(e through his No.me." 2. The mediaforial lcingdom. "All authority was given to me," said the risen Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect Man. It was given long ago in the eternal purpose of the blessed Trinity. It had been announced in prophecy, more or lees clearly, from the time when sin first entered into t.he world, when it was foretold that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. Now it was given. "To this end Obrist botl: died, and rose, and revived, that he might be the Lord both of the dead and living." That kingdom was won by his death, sealed and ratified by his resurrection. It was because he took upon himself the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, that God highly exalted him, and gave him the Name which is above every name, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is King over the kingdom of heaven which he established. "He must reign till he bath put all enemies under his feet." His authority is unlimited ; he is "the Head of all principality and power." His authority extends over the heavenly host: "Angels, authorities, and powers are made subject unto him" (1 Pet. iii. 22). The angels were bidden to worship him at his incarnation (Heb. i. 6). They are his ministers; his angels he called them, even in the days of his flesh (eh. xiii. 41). He employs them for the service of his kingdom, for the saving of souls. His authority extends over all the earth. All souls are his, bought with his blood; all are bound to render to him obedience, honour, worship. In his Name every knee must bow. All hearts must be yielded up to him in willing love and reverence, for the cross has lifted him up to the eyes of the world as the Incarnate Love, and the Resurrection proves that that Sacrifice of holiest love has been accepted by the Father. 3. The ap01rtolic ccm- mission. As the Lord's authority extended over all the earth, so should the commission of his apostles. The limits assigned to their first mission (eh. x. 5) are now with- drawn. Because all authority was his, they were now to go forth in his Name and in virtue of that worldwide authority. They were to "go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creatur~;" they were to " make disci pies of all the nations." It seems a strange injunction when we think that it was delivered to eleven poor, humble, unlearned Jews; but not strange when we remember who gave that solemn charge-the Lord whom all the angels worship, "who is ovel· all, God blessed for ever." His servants speak in his Name by his authority; the humbler they are, the more deeply they abase themselves and feel their own weakness and sinfulness, the more effectually does his grace work in them : "My strength is made perfect in weakness," saith the Lord. And the answer of his servants, in faith and self-abasement, is, "I can do all things through Church that strengtheneth me." From this time the Church of Christ was to be catholic, universal, open to all who would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. "Thie gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations." The apostles were to begin the work of gathering all nations into the kingdom of heaven, which is the Church of Christ. And that: (1) By bapti.zing them. We have here the institution of the sacrament of baptism. It is the initiatory sacrament of Christianity. In the ordinary course of things it will precede Christian teaching, though whenever it has not been administered in infancy, candidates must be prepared by careful instruction. In virtue of our baptism we become disciples, scholars in the school of Christ. Our baptism binds us to learn of him, to sit at his feet and hear his Word, to follow him, imitating his great example, walking in the blessed steps of hie most holy life. And Christian baptism is into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It is not only in the Name of Christ (as Acts x. 48), that is, by his authority; nor only on the Name of Jesus Christ (as .Acts ii. 38, if /,,-1 be the right reading there), that is, on condition of a confession of Christ, of faith in him; but it is also into the one Name of the blessed Trinity. The children of Israel were baptized into Moses (1 Cor. x. 2), that is, into the society of which Moses was the head-into his authority. We are baptized into the Name of God, into that Church which is his, called by his Name; into the family of God the Father, into the mystical body of Christ the Son, into the communion of the Holy Ghost. The Name is One, and yet Three. "1'heLord our God is one God." Yet in that eternal unity there is a Trinity of Persons. Into this mysterious, this awful Name, we ars ·baptized, May he whoee name we bear keep us steadfast in the true faith cf his aoly gospel I (2) By teaching them. Baptism 1s an initiatory rite. Teaching must 654 THE GOSPEL AOCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [ou. xxvm. 1-20.