The Badges of Christianity, Book 2 · Chapter 4
Chap. 4. Of the second outward part of baptisme.
THe second outward part of baptisme is the word of institution, aWord of institution is the forme of baptismewhich is as the forme of the Sacrament, as Eph. 2, 26. Christ loued the church and gaue himselfe for it, that he might sanctifie it and clense it by the washing of water bEph. 2, 26 Math. 28, 19through the word. This also is expresly set downe Math. 28. Go, teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the father, and of the sonne, and of the Holy-ghost. This both declareth the vse of the Sacrament, and promiseth Christ with all his benefits. For to be baptized into the name of the blessed Trinity, is to be made one of Gods family which is his church, and to be partaker of the priuiledges thereof. I his promise is contained vnderunder the commaundement, cGen. 48, 19as we may see by sundry testimonies of the Scripture as Gen. 48. Iacob saith, The Angell that hath deliuered me from all euil, blesse the children, and let my name be named vponupon them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac: whereby he meaneth, they should be ioyned to his family & accounted in the number of them. Now the vses remaine to be considered. First, heereby it is manifest, what a solemne couenant and contract, and what Vse. 1.a neere coniunction is made by the washing in baptisme betweene God and the persons baptized: for god the father vouchsafeth to receiue them as his children into fauour, the sonne to redeeme …, the Holy-ghost to purifie and preserue them, to comfort and regenerate them, to protect and defend them from all euil. This is the staffe and stay of our hope and comfort.
Secondly, consider on the other side, that the parties thus Vse. 2.baptised, do promise and vow, to acknowledge, beleeue, serue, worship and call vponupon the name of no other Gods but of the true God, which is the father, the sonne, and the Holy-ghost, and consequently to renounce the works of the deuil, the fashions of the world & the lustes of the flesh. Baptisme is as it were a solemne othe taken in the sight of God and in the face of the congregation, whereby the person baptized bindeth himselfe wholly to God, three in persons, but one in substance. Indeede we deserue to be cast out of the fauour and family of God, yet he vouchsafeth to entertaine vsus, to receiue vsus, and to acknowledge vsus for his children: therefore we must in eueryevery estate depend vponupon him, honor him as our God, serue him as our maister, obey him as our Lord, and looke for saluation from him as from our redeemer. Againe, as we hauehave beene baptised, not in the name of one person alone, not in the name of the father alone, or of the son alone, or of the holy ghost alone, but in the name of the father, and of the son, & of the Holy-ghost: so we must all beleeue … confesse as an article of our faith, that the Trinity in vnity, and vnity in trinity is to be worshipped. For albeit here are three reckoned vp as speaking of many: yet heere is also mentioned their name, as speaking only of one, not of their names, baptise them in the name of the three persons. So many as deny the doctrine of the trinity, are iustly to be condemned of falsehood and heresie. Such is the religion of the Iewes, Greekes, Turkes, Persians, and in some sort the Papists, albeit in words these last acknowledge one God in three persons. The Greeke church at this day denyeth the God-head of the holy ghost: the Turks and Iews deny the deity both of the sonne and of the Holy-ghost: the present church of Rome more glorious in shew, but not much more sound in saith, hath defiled the whole trinity with their Imagerie, and set vp a false CHRIST, partly denying him to be GOD of himselfe, and partly repealing all his offices: so that howsoeuer they professe him in wordes, and leaue him the name of a sauiour: yet they make a mocke of his sacrifice and hauehave turned Christian religion into Antichristian …. Wherefore, as we are baptized into the most worthy name of the blessed Trinity, let vsus hold fast the true profession thereof, and renounce al errors and heresies oppugning our holy …, and … vsus of the sweete comfort we hauehave therein.
Thirdly, are these words of institution baptizing them into the name of the father, and of the son & of the Holyghost, Vse. 3.the outward forme of baptisme? Then we hold that manner of baptizing must bee retained, this ought not to be changed, no other ought to be vsed then this, prescribed by Christ our sauiour. We must not therefore let passe or leaue out, any of the three persons in trinity (as some heretiks hauehave done) though we shall vnderstand the other by naming and speaking of one. If any say, that the Apostles baptized in the name of Christ, as Act. 2, 38, and Ch. 10, 48, and 19, 5. To this … I answere, the Apostles do not set downe in those places the forme of baptisme, Obiection Answer.or the words of institution: but the substance and end, which is, to assure remission of sinnes in the name of Christ. They shew not the forme, but the fruite: not how it should be ministred, but what spirituall grace is signified thereby. For why should the Disciples change the ordinance of their maister, who deliuered nothing to the churches, but what d1 cor. 11, 23they receiued of the Lord? Againe, it cannot be denyed, but that the Apostles eact. 10, 47 and 19. 2baptized in this forme, in the name of the father, and of the sonne, and of the holy ghost, as Act. 10, 47. Can any forbid water that these should not be baptized, which hauehave receiued the holy-ghost as well as we? As if he should say, these hauehave receiued the gifts of the Holy-ghost, therefore they may be baptized in the name of the Holy-ghost. And more plainely Act. 19, when the Diseiples had answered Paule that they knew not whether there were an holy ghost, he saith, VntoUnto what were ye then baptized? Whereby he sheweth, it was the manner and custome to baptize in the name of the Holy-ghost, and consequently of the whole Trinity. The Euangelists also teach, that at the baptisme of Iohn, the father, sonne and Holy-ghost were present. And as hee baptized with the same matter, why should we imagine he obserued not the same forme, that Christ eommaunded expresly to his Apostles? Nay seeing in the baptisme of Iohn we hauehave proued, there was the same promise, the same grace, the same vertue, the same signe, the same signification, which was in the baptisme of the apostles (as we hauehave proued before) why should we onelyonly doubt of the wordes of institution? Wherefore, we conclude, that the Apostles would not alter any thing of the direct-and expresse wordes of their lord and maister, fMath. 28, 19prescribed Math. 28, where he chargeth them both what to preach and how to baptize. For as hee enioyneth them to teach the nations, to obserue whatsoeuer he commaunded them: so he willeth them to baptize in the name of the father, of the sonne, and of the Holyghost. And as they altered nothing in the matter of teaching: no more did they in the manner of baptizing, considering that as the doctrine they preached was the doctrine of God, so the Sacraments they deliuered were the Sacraments of God, and they had no more leaue in the one, then liberty in the other. If then, any should baptize otherwise then in the name of the Trinity, or should name the sonne to be vnequall to the father, or should deny the proceeding of the Holy-ghost, or should baptize in the name of the Virgin Mary and the Saints, this cannot be the Sacrament of baptisme instituted by Christ, but a Ceremony made voide and frustrate by our owne inuentions.