Page images
PDF
EPUB

of death." Death "suffered them not to continue" in the execution of their office. It forbad them, in the name of the great sovereign Lord of life and death; and hereof an instance was given in Aaron, the first of them. God, to show the nature of this priesthood to the people, and to manifest that the everlasting priest was not yet come, commanded Aaron to die "in the sight of all the congregation," Numb. xx, 25-28. It is not surely without some special design that the apostle thus expresseth their dying; "they were by death prohibited to continue." They were seized upon by death, whether they would or no, when it may be they would have earnestly desired to continue, and the people would also have rejoiced in it. Death came on them, neither desired nor expected, with his prohibition. It kept them under its power, so that they could never more attend to their office.

$3. "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath "an unchangeable priesthood. (d) but this; we render it, this man, not improperly; he was the mediator between God and man, "the man Christ Jesus." Nor doth the calling of him "this man," exclude his divine nature; for he was truly a man, though God and man in one person.-"Hath an unchangeable priesthood;" the ground and reason whereof is, "because he continueth ever.”

The sole reason here insisted on by the apostle, why the Levitical priests were many, is, because they were forbidden by death to continue. It is sufficient therefore, on the contrary, to prove the perpetuity of the priesthood of Christ that he abideth for ever.

This was the faith of the Jews concerning the Messiah and his office. We have heard, say they, out of the law, (ότι ο Χριστος μενει εις το αιώνα, John xii, 34,) "that Christ abideth for ever;" whereon they could

not understand what he told them about his being "lifted up by death." And so the word (Eve) signifieth to abide, to continue in any state or condition, John xxi, 22, 23. And this was what he was principally typified in by Melchisedec, concerning whom there is no record, as to the beginning of days or end of life, but, as to the scripture description of him, hẹ is said to "abide a priest for ever."

It may be said, in opposition to this, that Christ died also: true; yet he was not forbid by death to abide by his office as they were. He died as a priest, they died from being priests. He died as a priest because he was also to be a sacrifice; but he continued not only vested with his office, but in the execution of it, even in the state of death. Through the indissolubleness of his person, his soul and body still subsisting in the person of the Son of God, he was a capable subject for his office; and his being in the state of the dead, belonged to the administration of his office no less than his death itself. So that from the first moment of his being a priest he abode so always, without interruption or intermission. This is the meaning of the passage, (dia to pɛverv avlov) “he in his own persón abideth." Nor doth the apostle say, that he did not die, but only that he abideth always. It followeth from hence, that he hath (Egoσuvn Tagaßalos) an unchangeable priesthood," a priesthood that doth not pass from one to another; which the apostle directly intends, as is evident from the antithesis. The priests after the order of Aaron were many, by reason of death; wherefore it was necessary that their priesthood should pass from one to another by succession: but Christ, as he received his priesthood from none, so hẹ hath none to succeed him.

The expositors of the Roman church are greatly perplexed in reconciling this passage with the present priesthood of their church; and well they may, seeing they are undoubtedly irreconcilable.

§4. (II.) From the number and succession of the Levitical priests observe,

1. God will not fail to provide instruments for the work he hath to accomplish. If many priests be needful, many the church shall have.

2. There is such a necessity of the continual administration of the sacerdotal office in behalf of the church, that the interruption of it by the death of the priests was an argument of the weakness of that priesthood.

The high priest is the sponsor and mediator of the covenant; wherefore all covenant transactions between God and the church must be through him: he is to offer up all sacrifices, and therein represent all our prayers. And it is evident from thence, what a ruin it would be to the church to be without an high priest

one moment.

$5. On the perpetuity and unchangeableness of Christ's priesthood observe,

1. The perpetuity of the priesthood of Christ depends on his own perpetual life.

Hereon depends the
And his "abiding
of the same care
The same love

2. The perpetuity of Christ's priesthood as unchangeably exercised in his own person, is a principal part of the glory of that office. church preservation and stability. for ever," manifests the continuance and love for us that he ever had. wherewith, as our high priest, he laid down his life for us, still continues in him; and every one may with the same confidence, go to him now as poor diseased persons went to him when he was upon earth-be

sides, hereon depends the union and communion of the church with itself in all successive generations. The prayers of the church from first to last are lodged in the hand of the same high priest, who abides for ever. He returns the prayers of one generation to another; we enjoy the fruits of the prayers, obedience, and blood of those that went before us; and if we are faithful in our generation, serving the will of God, those who come after shall enjoy the fruits of ours. Our joint interest in this our abiding priest gives, as it were, a line of communication to all believers in all generations: moreover, the consolation of the church depends on Christ's unchangeable priesthood. Do we meet with troubles, trials, difficulties, temptations, and distresses; hath not the church done so in former ages? What do we think of those days wherein prisons, tortures, swords, and flames were the portion of the church all the world over? But did any of them miscarry? Was any true believers lost for ever? And did not the whole church prove victorious in the end? Did not Satan rage, and the world gnash their teeth, to see themselves conquered, and their power broken, by the faith, patience, and sufferings of them whom they hated and despised? And was it from their own wisdom and courage that they were so preserved? Did they overcome merely by their own blood, or were they delivered by their own power? No, but all their preservation and success, their deliverance and eternal salvation, depended merely on the care and power of their merciful High Priest. It was through his blood, the "blood of the Lamb," or the efficacy of his sacrifice, that they overcame their adversaries, Rev. xii, 11. By the same blood were their "robes washed and made white," chap. vii, 14. Is he not the same that he ever was, vested with the same office? and hath he

not the same qualifications of love, compassion, care, and power for the discharge of it, as he always had? Whence then can any just cause of despondency in any trials or temptations arise? We have the same high priest to take care of us, to assist and help us, as they had, who were all finally victorious.

3. The addition of sacrificing priests, as vicars of Christ in the discharge of his office, destroys his priesthood as to the principal eminency of it above the Levitical,

VERSE 25.

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

51. The apostle's design, and the subject stated. 2. (I.) The note of inference. $s. (II) Christ's ability $4. (II.) As the effect of that power, he is able to save, $5. to the uttermost, $6. those who come to God, $7. by him. §8. (IV.) The special reason of this efficacious power. 9. First, he lives for ever. $10. Secondly, he acts with God for us, he interecdes. §11. Thirdly, the connexion between the mediatory life of Christ, and his intercession. $12—16. (V.) Observations,

§1. In this verse the apostle brings his whole preceding mysterious discourse to an issue, in the application of it to the faith and comfort of the church. It was not his design merely to open mysterious truths in the notion of them, but to demonstrate the spiritual and eternal advantages of all true believers by these things.

There are in the words,-A note of inference, for he is, &c. An ascription of power to this High Priest, "he is able."-The end or effect of that power, “to save to the uttermost those that come to God by him." And-The reason of the whole, "because he ever liveth to make intercession for them;" his perpetual life and his perpetual work.

« PreviousContinue »