"Manreben (to make disciples) is here to preach the gospel to all nations, and to engage them to believe it in order to their profession of that faith by baptism, as seems apparent, 1. from the parallel commission, Mark, xvi. 15; 2. from the scripture notion of a disciple, that being still the same as a believer. To be made disciples here is to be taught to believe in Christ, that so they might be his disciples."-Whitby.

"There are manifestly three things which our Lord here distinctly enjoins on his Apostles to execute with regard to the nations, μαθητεύειν, βαπτίζειν, didάone, that is, to convert them to the Christian faith, to initiate the converts into the Church by baptism, and to instruct the baptized in all the duties of the Christian life."- Campbell, Valpy, Bloomfield.

"This was the regular course to change the ἀσέβεια of the converts into ευσέβεια, and render them worthy of baptism . . . . Thus with Christians collected from all nations, baptism was made the distinguishing mark of their profession of a common faith.... μanre is the first initiation into the principles preparatory to baptism; didάons, the more complete instruction afterwards imparted."-Ellesley.

Thus a general consent of the best commentators establishes the sense of the commission to be, that the ministers of Christ should do three consecutive duties: 1st, They should lead men to be disciples of Christ by faith, through instruction in the doctrines

of the gospel; 2dly, They should baptize them as professed believers; 3dly, They should instruct them in the details of Christian obedience, and lead them to obey the will of Christ in all things.

This meaning of the passage being established by the meaning of various passages in the New Testament which have a similar construction, and by the consent of the best expositors, is further established by the meaning of the terms employed. There are three expressions employed—to make disciples, to baptize, to teach obedience. From the sense of the terms these must be consecutive acts with respect to each individual. The text cannot mean to make a man a disciple by baptizing and by teaching to obey; but make him a disciple, then baptize him, and then teach him to obey.

1. The meaning of the word "disciple" shows that this text means disciple and baptize, not disciple by baptizing. Because a disciple means a believer, and to make disciples must be to lead men to believe.1 False professors of faith in Jesus Christ are, indeed, called disciples, because of that profession, John, vi. 60, 61, 66. And Judas, as a professed believer, was called a disciple, Matt. x. 1; Luke, vi. 13. But

"Madnrsów, in the New Testament, to make a disciple."—Liddell. "To train as a disciple, to teach, to instruct."-Robinson. "To draw any one to the Christian religion, to imbue any one with the first elements of the Christian religion ; μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ vn; teach or render followers of my doctrine all the nations, e. g. μatnràs Toisite, John, iv. 1.-Schleusner. « Μαθητής, a disciple (from paliv, to learn), a learner, a pupil."-Liddell. "A follower of Christ, professing his doctrine, a Christian."-Schleusner.

as false disciples were false professors of faith, so true disciples are true believers, Luke, xiv. 26, 27, 33; John, viii. 31; xiii. 35; xv. 8.

The Apostles were simply termed disciples, Matt. x. 1; Luke, vi. 13; ix. 1; John, xxi. 24. The seventy evangelists were simply termed disciples, Luke, x. 1, 17, 23. The members of the church at Jerusalem were simply termed disciples, Acts, i. 15; vi. 1; ix. 1. And the members of other churches are so termed, Acts, xiii. 52; xiv. 22; xx. 1, 7; xxi. 4, 16. No persons are true disciples but those who obey him; according to our Lord's express statements: "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed," John, viii. 31. "Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples," John, xv. 8. Assuming that the name of disciple might be given to any unconverted man who taught instruction in the Christian religion, it was not such a disciple that Jesus desired to make. He surely wished to have true followers not false ones; and when he told them that while they were occupied in making disciples he would be with them to the end of the world, he certainly promised the aid of his grace to make true disciples not spurious ones; not to impart to ungodly men some elementary and abortive notions of Christianity, but to turn them from the power of Satan unto God, Acts, xxvi. 16-18. When, therefore, the Apostles were called to make disciples of the nations, by the power of their Master (verses 17, 20), they were called to make true

disciples, such disciples as apostles, evangelists, and members of living churches. But baptism cannot make such. Persons coming to be baptized are at the time either believers or unbelievers; if they are unbelievers, baptism cannot make them believers, and therefore cannot make them disciples; and if they are believers, they are disciples already. Baptism cannot make a disciple in the lowest sense, because it cannot make a man even a learner of the Christian doctrine; still less can it make a true disciple, a believer in Christ. The children of God are born again by the word of God, James, i. 18; 1 Pet. i. 23; Eph. v. 26. And all who believe are his children, John, i. 12; Gal. iii. 26. But the children of God are disciples of Christ, and all who believe are disciples of Christ. Faith comes by hearing the truth, not by baptism, Rom. x. 17. And, therefore, to make disciples is to bring men to believe by preaching to them the Gospel, not to baptize them; and the text must mean disciple and then baptize, not disciple by baptizing.

If any one still insist that the word "disciple" may be taken in its lowest sense to signify a mere learner, and that, therefore, if discipleship precedes baptism, baptism may precede true faith, I ask what term could have been selected to express that true faith must precede baptism. Had our Lord said, "Go, make men believers, make men saints, convert them, lead them to regeneration and then baptize them;" still objectors, nothing daunted, might have said, "Some men believe without being con

verted. See Luke, viii. 13. Saints do not mean holy persons, but professors of Christianity. See Locke on 1 Cor. i. 1, 2. Conversion means renunciation of idolatry, and men are regenerated by water, John, iii. 5. So nothing need precede baptism but a general belief that Jesus is the Christ." In the infirmity of language, any text may be evaded by applying to its terms low meanings against common usage and against the indications of the context.

To

We may further learn that baptism must follow discipleship from the meaning of baptism itself. The use of water is employed in scripture symbolically, to signify the purification of the soul. wash the soul means, in scripture phraseology, to free it from the guilt and the defilement of sin. Ps. li. 2, 7; Isa. i. 16; Jer. iv. 14. A religious washing must, at the least, signify that the soul requires to be purified; a religious immersion must express the completeness of that required purification. When, therefore, a person voluntarily receives immersion, he voluntarily receives a rite which expresses his need of total purification. But how can any one receive voluntarily a rite which expresses his need of purification without himself expressing that need? And how can a man honestly express his need of purification without seeking to be purified? And how can a man seek to be entirely purified, and not seek to lead a life of holiness and piety? He who does all this is a true disciple; and he who professes all this is a professed disciple.

D