ce
to their present Magistrates.

To Baptize;

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 Baptisme?
Dipping into water. But what is it to Dip a man into the water in the
name of any thing? The meaning of these words of Baptisme is this. He
that is Baptized, is Dipped or Washed, as a sign of becomming a new man,
and a loyall 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 Sonne, God, and Man, that hath redeemed us, and
shall in his humane nature Represent his Fathers Person in his eternall
Kingdome 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 Kingdome, to be the onely, and
assured way thereunto. This, being our promise in Baptisme; and the
Authority of Earthly Soveraigns being not to be put down till the day of
Judgment; (for that is expressely affirmed by S. Paul 1 Cor. 15. 22, 23,
24. where he saith, "As in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be
made alive. But every man in his owne order, Christ the first fruits,
afterward they that are Christs, at his comming; Then Commeth the end,
when he shall have delivered up the Kingdome of 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 Baptisme constitute over us another
authority, by which our externall 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 eternall.

And To Forgive, And Retain Sinnes

The Power of Remission, And Retention Of Sinnes, called also the Power
of Loosing, and Binding, and sometimes the Keyes Of The Kingdome Of
Heaven, is a consequence of the Authority to Baptize, or refuse to
Baptize. For Baptisme is the Sacrament of Allegeance, of them that are
to be received into the Kingdome of God; that is to say, into Eternall
life; that is to say, to Remission of Sin: For as Eternall life was lost
by the Committing, so it is recovered by the Remitting of mens Sins. The
end of Baptisme is Remission of Sins: and therefore St. Peter, when they
that were converted by his Sermon on the day of Pentecost, asked what
they were to doe, advised them to "repent, and be Baptized in the name
of Jesus