Christ It is a Priesthood of power and of an endless life Here are three things to be observed First Christs Priesthood is a Priesthood of power able to bring that to pass it was appointed for Pray look into Heb. 7. 18. There you will find that there was a disannulling of the Commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof to work upon the Soul of man But this of our Lord Jesus Christ is a Priesthood of power for what he did for us he did perfectly He cleanses us from our sins and he doth reconcile us to God He doth justifie us and he doth save us Thus Christs Priesthood is a Priesthood of power 2. It is not only a Priesthood of power but of an endless life How is that why it brings all Believers into a state of life Hence our life is said to be hid with Christ in God And when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory And then 3. It is a Priesthood of an endless life How is that All men die in this World sooner or later And the Priesthood of Aaron that is dead They could not continue by reason of death But Jesus Christ he ever liveth he is a Priest for ever and abideth our Intercessor and he hath brought everlasting life to us Hence you have those words of his in John 11. 26. Whosoever believeth on me shall never die He shall have an endless life How never die he shall be changed but not die in some sense Tho' there is a separation of Soul and Body yet that is a Believers gain and not his loss There is a change of a mortal life for an immortal life He shall lay down this earthly Tabernacle of the Body for a spiritual for an endless life And this is useful to us to quiet our minds and to make us patient under all afflictions and changes we find or meet with This may be comfort against approaching death to Believers For if there be an endless life we may triumph with the Apostle in 1 Cor. 15. 55. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Thus you have heard that our Lord Jesus Christ hath a Priesthood of power and of an endless life SERMON VI. Hebrews 7. 17 18 19. For he Testifieth Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck For there is verily a disannulling of the Commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof For the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did by the which we draw nigh unto God THE last time I spoke to you from this chapter I concluded with v. 16. where it is said that Jesus Christ is made a Priest after the power of an endless life These were the last words spoken to Now the Apostle to prove this he goes on to demonstrate it in these three verses which I have read unto you and to be opened this morning as God shall assist Christ Jesus was made a Priest after the power of an endless life our Apostle proves it First In v. 17. in these words for he testified Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck Is made a Priest after the power of an endless life But Jesus Christ is made a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck And to prove this still more evidently he tells us in v. 18. That there is a disannulling of the Commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof God disannulled the Commandment going before He disannulled the old Priesthood to set up the Priest-hood of Jesus Christ for ever And the reason why God disannulled the Commandment going before is given in the latter end of verse 18. Because of the weakness and unprofitableness thereof And this he further amplifies in verse 19. For saith he the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did These particulars to be opened in the three verses To begin with verse 17. For he testifies thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck he testified why who testified why David testified or the Spirit of God by David testified In Psal 110. 4. there is the testimony The Lord he sware and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck Mind it when David testified this the Levitical Priesthood was then in its greatest glory For David lived in a time when the service of God was performed according to the order of Aaron and the Levitical Priesthood yet David testified of another Priesthood David was in his day a Prophet in the Church of God and a great Prophet and he was inspired by the Holy Ghost to testifie this many hundred years before it came to be fully accomplished To testifie that Jesus Christ was the everlasting High Priest according to the order of Melchisedeck I shall not stand much upon this verse at this time because you have the same thing repeated again in verse 21. of this chapter There 't is brought in as a repetition of the Oath of God The Lord sware and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck Here you have it twice together I shall therefore leave the more full handling of this till I come to the 21th verse In the words of v. 17. you may observe the Apostles scope in them why he mentions it here in v. 17. His scope is this to shew the excellency of the Priesthood of Christ above that of Aaron in two respects First That Jesus Christ is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck The Apostle would have us to understand that Christ is not made Priest by the Law of a carnal Commandment which I spoke of in the verse before The Levitical Priesthood was made by the Law of a carnal Commandment I opened that the last day There was nothing in the service of that Priesthood but was meerly outward and bodily But Jesus Christ being a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck he is not a Priest after the Law of a carnal Commandment an outward and bodily Worship but the Worship of Christ is a spiritual Worship And this is the first branch of the excellency of Christs Priesthood above that of Levi. 2. The Apostles scope also is to prove that Christ is a Priest for ever after the order of an endless life because he is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck So that now we do not depend upon a dying Priesthood or upon such Ordinances and Ceremonies that are to be abolished before the time of the consummation of all Worship in this World But we are to worship God under such an High-priest as abideth for ever And we come to one who is able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God by him He testified Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck From whence we may learn this Lesson
can in this short life But a life of ease sloth and pleasure is a bad preparation for death 'T is true God doth allow Rest to the Aged where the body is abated in strength where the mind is grown dull and heavy through infirmity of Age God allows that But where people are in their full strength full of life and vigour for these to give themselves up to sloth and idleness and not doing the work of their day this is an iniquity that shall not go unpunished saith the Lord of Hosts And this is further to be observed for encouragement That as God appoints every one their work for their day so if they be faithful he will spirit them for the work of the day If they give not themselves up to a life of ease sloth and pleasure he will spirit them to what he calls them to in that day As you read of Saul when God called him to be King it is said God gave him another heart a publick heart So you also read in Numbers that when God appointed seventy Elders to bear part of the Government with Moses it is said Numb 11. v. 25. The Lord came down in a Cloud and gave of the spirit of Moses unto the seventy Elders and it rested upon them and they prophesied God called them to service he gave them of Moses his spirit So when he laid aside the Ministration of Moses and sent forth Apostles for the Ministration of his Spirit Read what the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 3. 5. We are not sufficient of our selves All our sufficiency is of God Who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament So that God was never wanting in affording his holy Spirit to mortal men for that which he called them to which is great encouragement to be doing the work of God in our day Moses and Aaron were two great blessings to the people in their day tho' they could not continue long by reason of death And if we would have Magistrates and Ministers to be blessings we are to pray for them that God would spirit them for the work he hath called them to But then there is another thing to be observed in the Priesthoods Mortality and that is their succession They could not continue by reason of death yet they had their succession one after another And we ought to pray that there may never want a succession of men to carry on the work of God And this ought to be our care also as far as in us lies that there may be a Generation brought up for the service of God when another goes away When Abraham died his Son Isaac succeeded him When Aaron died Eleazar succeeded his Father and took up the work of God that his Father had laid down So it would be the happiness of Families and a happiness to Children that Children would take up the work that their Fathers have laid down by reason of death We live in an Age wherein there is a great decay of godly Ministers The old Generation wearing off and many gone to the dust and but few come in that have the same Spirit the same Grace and shine with the same Light as their Fathers did who are dead and gone We ought all of us to pray as our Saviour saith that as the Harvest is great the Lord would send forth Labourers into his Harvest A good succession speaks a great favour of God to Families Churches and Nations See how careful Moses was in that When God had told him that he must die in Numb 27. 16. Let the Lord the God of the spirits of all flesh set a man over the Congregation These were the words of Moses when God told him that he must die and be gathered to his Fathers And truly so should all godly Parents and godly Ministers say Let the God of the spirits of all flesh bring in some to my Family that may go out and in before my Family And let the God of the spirits of all flesh bring in some to his Church to guide them and to teach them But now God he answered Moses's prayer as you may see in the following words And the Lord said unto Moses Take thee Joshua the Son of Nun a man on whom is the Spirit Lay thine hand upon him And thus much for the Mortality of the Levitical Priesthood Come we now to the second Point and general Observation And that is The Immortality of our great High priest our Lord Jesus Christ Here our chief comfort lies that though all Mankind die and are not suffered to continue by reason of death But this man because he ever liveth hath an unchangeable Priesthood Now what is spoken of our Lord Jesus Christ of his abiding for ever it must be understood and applied to him as Man as he is Man God-Man and Mediator between God and Man as he is taken from among men to stand for Man in things pertaining to God And so he is the same yesterday to day and for ever He continues for ever And saith our Lord Jesus Christ The Son abideth in the house for ever John 8. 37. The Servant abideth not in the house but the Son abideth for ever The house of God hath the Son of God always there as their High-priest he is set over them The very Adversaries of Christ acknowledge this Joh. 12. 35. The people answered him We have heard out of the Law that Christ abideth for ever It was a stumbling to them And therefore here lies the Objection How is it said that Christ abideth for ever and liveth for ever when it is certain that he died We read in Matth. 2. 50. that he gave up the Ghost He died and gave up the Ghost How is it then said that he abideth for ever and liveth for ever as our High-priest I answer To that we must consider four things to clear that Obiection First of all Tho' Christ did die for a time yet his death was not such a forced death as man's is but a voluntary death He laid it down and took it up again of himself So you have it in John 10 17 18. Therefore doth the Father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it again No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again Here you see our Lord Jesus Christ did not die as we die by a forced death he laid it down and he took it up again when he pleased 2. Tho' our Lord Jesus Christ as to his Humanity was in the state of death yet it was impossible that he should be holden of death or the grave Acts 2. 24. Why not possible You see that men are holden of death thousands of years and they are not risen to this day Why not possible that he should be holden of death Why because the Divine Nature was Hypostatically United to the Humane Nature God
coming to God by Christ It may be you come to hear the Word of God and you do well Sometimes you come to pray to pray for mercy in affliction you do well But there is another coming to Christ which is by Faith and therefore never rest in any thing of hearing and praying until you have brought up your hearts to come to Christ by Faith rest upon him And saith Christ No man cometh to me except my Father draw him I know that a Natural Conscience will put a man upon coming to God in Prayer But no Natural Conscience will put a man to come unto God by Christ A second Use is to those that act Faith and come to God by Christ Remember that he is able to save to the uttermost Rest upon the power of our Lord Jesus Christ I remember when God did set up Saul to be King over Israel it is said in 1 Sam. 10. There you may read that many of the people despised him and said How can this man save us They looked upon him as a weakling But the Lord Jesus Christ he is able to save to the uttermost by his Almighty Power You may believe he is our great High-Priest You find there in the first Book of Sam. chap. 17. that the Philistines trusted in their Champion Goliath who was but a man But our Lord Jesus Christ he is the great Goliath he encountred with Devils with Hell and with the World and overcame all of them He hath satisfied the Law and Justice and ever liveth to make Intercession to God for all those that come unto God by him But of that afterward SERMON X. Hebrews 7. 25. Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them THE last day I handled the first Branch of this Text It tells us that Christ is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him To save a Soul from Death and Misery is a work that none can accomplish but he that is Mighty to Save The work of Salvation is so great as we cannot possibly comprehend it in this Life But as our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God who was made Flesh hath undertaken this great work so he is able to carry it on Able to save all that come unto God by him These words have been opened and applyed and I shall not look back but come to a second Branch of this Text where a reason is given Why our Lord Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Now these words carry a great deal of comfort for them that believe the Word But they require some care and diligence in the opening of them and giving the right sense of them lest we should be led away with gross and dull apprehensions of this Spiritual Mystery First therefore for the right understanding of this phrase here in the Text Whereas it is said that Christ ever liveth to make Intercession for us this is not to be understood as if the Intercession of Christ should never have an end For the Intercession of Christ is a work that belongs to his Mediatory-Kingdom and that shall have an end When all Gods Elect shall be gathered to him and the whole mystery of our Redemption finished then shall all be given up to God for he shall be All in All In 1 Cor. 15. 24. speaking of Christ then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God even the Father When he shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power For he must Reign till he hath put all Enemies under his Feet The last Enemy that shall be destroyed is Death For he hath put all things under his Feet And when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all Here the Apostle is treating of Christs Mediatory-Kingdom And when all the Elect shall be gathered together When the World shall come to an end Then the last Enemy that is to be destroyed is Death And there shall be no more die in the Church All shall be swallowed up in the Eternal God-head And God shall be all in all Then there will be no need of his Intercession or of a Mediator But still remember the blessed effects of Christs Death and Resurrection and Intercession are to Eternity Therefore when the Apostle here in the Text saith Christ ever liveth to make Intercession for us This is to be considered two ways First In opposition to the Levitical Priesthood who are dead and gone and the Church of God hath no present help from them but all their help is from Jesus Christ They were not suffered to continue by reason of Death but Christ ever liveth our great High-Priest when all others are dead and gone But Secondly and specially When it is said that he ever liveth to make Intercession for us this Ever is to be taken for every Age and Generation to the end of the World for at the end of the World there shall be an end of those things as you have heard he ever liveth to all Ages and Generations For this must be observed that the Church of Christ which is his Mystical Body are not all born in one Age of the World But one Generation passeth away and another cometh But Christ he ever liveth in all Ages a Priest of God for all those that come to God by him he ever liveth we have not a new Priest to rise up with a new Generation but we have the same Jesus who was yesterday to day and for ever the same He liveth in all Ages and Generations to the end of the World I say a new Age doth not bring forth a new Saviour nor a new Priest but he is the same He ever liveth and we of this Age and Generation have the same benefit by Jesus Christ's Priesthood and Intercession that the old and primitive Saints had thousands of years ago For he abideth for ever till the whole work of Mans Redemption is fulfilled And this is the true and proper meaning of this Phrase He ever liveth to make Intercession that is he ever liveth in all Ages and Generations He is the same yesterday to day and for ever He is to be our High Priest to the end of the World In the Second place we are to consider what is meant by Christ's making Intercession for us in Heaven Now for that you must first consider the Speech as Metaphorical and borrowed from Advocates that plead in Kings Courts Or from Counsellors that stand up for a Client to procure the Sentence on their side Hence the Apostle John hath that expression in 1 Joh. 2. 1. If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous
the Priest 't is true those Ceremonies are not necessary to Salvation but they may be used to Edification the Martyr replyed again Give me the Salvation and give me the Edification to be sure there is an unprofitableness in all these things But some will say these are Ornaments of the Church of God To that I Answer So is a painted Glass an Ornament to the House yet it shuts out the Light more than a plain Glass the Light doth not shine out so clear through a painted Glass These painted and carnal Ceremonies do shut out the Light of the Gospel for the Light of the Gospel shines out more pure and clear in the plain Administration of the Gospel and therefore all those things that carnal Men so magnifie are unprofitable Now I proceed to the 19. ver For the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did by which we draw nigh to God This is still to demonstrate the point in hand The weakness and unprofitableness of the Law The Law made nothing perfect i. e the Levitical and Ceremonial Law could not Cleanse the Conscience neither Justified the Person it never could reach the main end which is the happiness of Men. But God brings in another thing a higher thing for that see Heb. 10. 1. For the Law having a shadow of things to come and not the very Image of the things can never with those Sacrifices which they offered Year by Year continually make the comers thereto perfect They could never make the comers to them perfect and still they had dark apprehensions of God 'T is true the Elect could see Christ but they that went no further than these Ceremonies and Levitical Worship tho they were very strict in them yet these were very short in cleansing them from sin It made not the comers to them perfect When the People of God of old had offered a Sacrifice and performed all their Sacrifice according to the Law yet they were to look to a higher Priesthood and a higher Sacrifice for the cleansing of their sins Heb. 9. 9. Which was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both Gifts and Sacrifices that could not make him that did the service Perfect as pertaining to the Conscience It could not cleanse him from the guilt of sin which lay upon his Conscience This is done by the bringing in of a better hope by the which we draw nigh to God These are the Words which I shall spend the remaining part of my time in But the bringing in of a better hope by the which we draw nigh to God Here the Question is What is meant by this hope 1. For the word hope here it is to be taken for the thing hoped for That is the hope here the coming of the Messiah the Salvation by Christ the Priesthood of Christ and the blessings that attend it And this is called hope in a twofold respect 1. In respect of the time when David did testifie this of Christs coming So it was a blessing to come and a thing to be hoped for by the Fathers of old For this is to be observed that all the time the Church lived under the Levitical Priest-hood they lived in the hopes of the coming of Christ and of the Messiah which was the great thing hoped for and looked for And therefore when Jesus Christ was born and the Angels came to give intimation of his Birth see how Zechariah who was one of the Levitical Priesthood expresses himself in his Song Luk. 1. 72 73. To perform the mercy promised to our Fathers and to remember his holy Covenant the Oath which he sware to our Father Abraham This was the great promise The coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah that should do what the Law could not do The Law made nothing perfect but Jesus Christ the Messiah made all things perfect This was the hope the Father had therefore if you look into Luk. 2. you shall find that good and just man old Simeon who waited for the consolation of Israel which was the Lord Jesus Christ At ver 29. Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation Oh this was a joyful thing to him When he came into the Temple he took the Child in his arms and said Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation This was the hope of them of old 2. Christ in his Priesthood Death and Suffering is stiled our hope also For saith the Apostle we are saved by hope and where is our hope but in the Death and Intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ all our hope is in him But then he is stiled here a better hope How is it a better hope In two respects than all the Jewish Sacrifices and Levitical Priesthood could give for that Priesthood gave hope only of temporal blessings clearly but very darkly of spiritual blessings We can scarcely read one word of the Kingdom of Heaven under the Mosaical dispensation See I pray Lev. 26. 2. and so on Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary I am the Lord If ye walk in my Statutes and keep my Commandments and do them then will I give you Rain in due season and the Land shall yield her increase and the Trees of the field shall yield their fruit And your threshing shall reach unto the Vintage and the Vintage shall reach unto the sowing-time and ye shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your Land safely These are all promises and blessings and encouragements to serve God according to the command of God But not a word of Heaven here This was the tenour of the first Covenant they had hopes of Legal Priviledges and Temporal Blessings These are the great things the Law of Moses runs upon But now we have a better hope Jesus Christ our High-priest If any man will follow me he shall have the light of life The New Testament runs all upon heavenly things But 2. Better hope in respect of the manner of revealing of it For this must not be denied but that all the true Saints and Believers under the Old Testament had their hope of Heaven as we have but very poorly and darkly They had their hopes of Grace and heavenly things and therefore it is said of Abraham in Heb. 11. 10. He looked for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God They had all these things in sight but darkly And while Moses was read amongst them they had a Veil upon their face But we with open face behold the glory of God and are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. But then the next is By which we draw nigh to God The bringing in of a better hope by which we draw nigh to God How is that You must know that God and sinful man are at a great distance
on all He is called a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation He is merciful and faithful Pray observe that the High Priests under the Law tho they were good men and godly men yet they fell short much in point of faithfulness to God and his People as for Example Aaron was a good Man yet he was not faithful in his Office for you know he turned aside with the People and made a Golden Calf here Aaron shewed his wickedness and unfaithfulness So old Eli he was a Godly man yet he failed of his faithfulness he suffered his Children to make themselves vile and restrained them not and so brought Judgment upon his House and therefore saith the Apostle the Law made Priests of men that had infirmities Aaron was a man that had infirmities and his Sons had infirmities that they were destroyed by Fire before the Lord. Eli had his infirmity but our Lord Jesus Christ he is without infirmity he is holy and harmless and therefore he had his Priesthood put upon him The Lord hath sworn and will never repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck But to proceed to the next verse Christ being thus solemnly Instituted in his office never to be changed saith the Apostle in the next words By so much was Jesus made a Surety of a better Covenant By so much that he was made a Priest by the Oath of God by so much he was made a Priest of a better Covenant of a better Testament Now for that we must consider what the Office of a Surety is and then why Christ is said to be Surety of a better Covenant as he is the Priest of God and confirmed by his Oath First For the Surety you know he is a person that engageth himself for another Prov. 6. 1. My Son if thou be Surety for a Friend if thou hast stricken hands with a stranger c. How is that It may be a stranger he comes and challenges a debt of your Friend and your Friend he carries it very friendly with you to have you engage with the stranger for his debt and strike hands with him and to become Surety for your Friend In this sense Christ is called our Surety because it is the Office of the Priest to stand between God and Man and to offer up satisfaction by way of Sacrifice either typical or real Thus our Lord Jesus Christ in this respect is called our Surety Why because he undertakes for us to God and for God to us again He undertakes to satisfie the will of God And what is the will of God Why the will of God is to fulfil all Righteousness that is the will of God Jesus Christ as our Surety hath fulfilled all Righteousness Rom. 5. 19. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous So 2 Cor. 5. 21. For he hath made himself to be sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him And thus as our Surety he hath fulfilled all Righteousness for us And then as the Surety of the Covenant so he doth confirm all the Promises of God in the Covenant to us He engages for the Promises Hence you have that in 2 Cor. 1. 20. For all the Promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen So that we look to our Surety to fulfil all things for us And we look to our Surety that we have the Covenant and Promises made good to us For all the Promises are in him Yea and in him Amen But saith the Apostle he is made a Surety of a better Covenant or a better Testament For the word is rendred both ways Sometimes a Covenant sometimes a Testament But how is Christ Surety of a better Covenant I answer not better in respect of the matter of it or the substance of it For God in that Covenant did make himself over to his people to be their God And all Believers were saved by Faith as we are It was not better in respect of the matter of it But better in a threefold respect 1. Better in respect of a clearer and fuller manifestation to God in the Covenant The Covenant before us was under a Veil therefore saith the Apostle Eph. 3. 4 5. Whereby when ye read ye may understand the knowledge of the Mystery of Christ which in other Ages was not made known unto the Sons of men as it is now revealed 2. Better in respect of the confirmation of it Heb. 9. 15 16. For this cause speaking of Christ he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of death for the Redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of Eternal Inheritance So that now the Covenant is confirmed by the death of Christ which is a better confirmation than that of the old Law with the Sacrifices of Beasts 3. A better Covenant in respect of the fulness of the Spirit that goes along with the Gospel and so is made a Surety of a better Covenant than the Levitical Priesthood To come to some Application If this be so that our Lord Jesus Christ is made Surety of a better Testament then stand here and see the great and endless love of our Lord Jesus Christ 1. The greatness of his Love For you know that it is a good evidence of a mans love and kindness when he will be a Surety for one that he thinks can pay the debt But if a man will be Surety for one that is in debt and knows that he must pay the debt if he be Surety this is still greater love But yet farther if a man will be Surety for a man that is condemned to die and engage his life for him this is love beyond all love This is the case of our Lord Jesus Christ to take Mans Nature suffer himself to be under the Curse and suffer himself to be put to death Oh the great Mercy and unspeakable Love and Grace of Christ Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friend But then secondly Here you may see his endless love because he undertakes to be our Surety for ever You have many a man in a sit of love or kindness will be drawn in to be a Surety but will repent of it and will get out of it as soon as he can and will never come into it again But our Lord Jesus Christ he engages to be an Everlasting Surety for us what then remains but that every one that understands these things should look to Jesus Christ Here is a special prop for our Faith As you have it in the verse before Christ brings in a better hope than was before He is a Surety of a better Covenant Therefore when fears arise in you about your sin remember that you have a
High-priest who hath undertaken to fulfil all Righteousness for us and undertakes as a Surety for us SERMON VIII Hebrews 7. 23 24. And they truly were many Priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death But this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood BEing in our course of going through this Chapter the last day in the Morning Exercise we concluded with v. 22. where Jesus is said to be made a Surety of a better Covenant The scope of the Apostle in all this Chapter is to magnifie the Priesthood of Christ above the Levitical Priesthood His Argument that we insisted upon the last day was taken from his solemn Institution in his Office He was made a Priest with an Oath and by vertue of that he became a Surety of a better Testament These things have been opened Now these two verses which I have read for our consideration and instruction this morning contain another Argument that the Apostle useth to prove that the Priesthood of Jesus Christ doth far excel all the Priesthoods under the Law And the Argument is drawn from the mortality of the Levitical Priests and the immortality of Jesus Christ the Son of God That Priesthood that was mortal was never so excellent as that which was immortal The Priests of Levi were mortal but the Priesthood of Jesus Christ is immortal and unchangeable and therefore a more excellent Priesthood We begin with v. 23. For they truly were many Priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death They truly were many Priests These words are two ways to be expounded First They were many together And then they were many successively 1. They were many together For though there was but one High Priest to the Jewish Church yet there were many Priests to offer Sacrifices under him For he was not able one man was not able to offer Sacrifices for all therefore there were many Priests But Jesus our High Priest had the assistance of no creature he is alone There is but one God and one Mediator the Man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2. 5. There is but one God and one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus no other And this is brought in ordinarily to confute that Errour of the Papists who offer up Expiatory Sacrifices They have their Priestly Office to offer up Expiatory Sacrifices for the living and the dead And as our Protestant Divines say If they had no other Errour it would justifie our separation from them because they derogate from the Office of Jesus Christ and set up a Priestly Office in Gospel-days to offer an Expiatory Sacrifice But we have but one High Priest and one Saviour which is sufficient for the Salvation of our Souls But then This word many Priests is also to be expounded many successively That is there were many Priests saith the Apostle because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death There were many Priests under the Law but they could not continue by reason of death therefore their Office passed from one to another One takes up the Priestly Office and then dies and then another succeeds him But Jesus Christ he hath an Office that doth not pass from one to another There is none can succeed our Lord Jesus Christ in his Priestly Office There is none can finish that work which he begun But the two general points that lie before us in this Text to be considered of this morning are 1. The Mortality of the Levitical Priesthood which concerns us all And then 2. The Immortality of our High-priest the Son of God He is our Priest for ever 1. The Mortality of the Priests of old saith the Apostle in the Text They were not suffered to continue by reason of death That word death concerns all Mankind How many of the Children of Adam Sons and Daughters of Adam since the beginning of the World They are all dead But this present Generation and a little time will bury all of us That Doom which God denounced against Adam in Gen. 3. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death that reaches all that come out of the Loins of Adam We bring sin into the World with us and sin brings death as you have it in Rom. 5. That death came in by sin By one man sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed upon all men Every one that is born into the World is born in sin Every one that is born into the World by ordinary generation and so cannot continue long in the World by reason of death Indeed there are and ever have been many of the Children of Men that have had great priviledges and dignities above others But none ever were exempted from death except some few as Enoch and Elijah Some have been Kings and great men of the Earth some have been made honourable Prophets some Apostles some Ministers have in their days been burning and shining Lights But all are dead they were not suffered to continue any of them by reason of death All are gone The Prophets do they live for ever and your Fathers where are they Kings Lords and Potentates of the Earth and mighty men death hath Lorded it over them all they were not suffered to continue by reason of death Therefore it should teach us while we live to spend our days well to do what good we can to honour God what we can and to say to our own Souls Let me not lose my time for I cannot continue long by reason of death Solomon tells us in Eccl. 9. 10. which every one should well observe Whatever thine hand findeth to do do it with all thy might because there is no work in the grave whither thou art going But while men are on Earth God hath appointed every one to do something for his honour and glory For mind it the Levitical Priests tho' they were not suffered to continue because of death because they were mortal yet this did not exempt them from the service of God tho' they were chosen from among men and so subject to death yet they were to attend the service of God while they lived There is a sort of people and I mention it for their sakes There are a sort of people I say that because life is short therefore they will give up themselves to ease sloth and pleasure and make as much as they can of a short life These were the people in Isa 22. 13 14. And behold joy and gladness slaying Oxen and killing Sheep eating Flesh and drinking Wine Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die And this thing was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of Hosts surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die Thus says many a poor creature that hath no conscience of duty to God or Man He will take all the pleasure he
and Man and therefore it was impossible for him to be holden of death Thirdly Christ's death was but to do the great part of his Priestly Office and so there was no intermission of his Priestly Office The Apostle tells us that he being a Priest he must offer something as other Priests had done Now he offered himself as the great Sacrifice for our sins to the Justice of God so that in his death his Priestly Office was so far accomplished and therefore he is said to abide for ever and to have an unchangeable Priesthood Fourthly and Lastly Jesus Christ is Risen again and Dies no more and therefore he is said to live for ever Rom. 6. 8 9. Now if we be dead with Christ we believe that we shall also live with him knowing that Christ being raised from the Dead Dieth no more Death hath no more dominion over him hence you read in Rev. 1. 18. I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore This he spake when he appeared to John walking in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks in his Priestly attire I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Death hath no more dominion over Jesus Christ therefore he is said to continue for ever And saith the Apostle be continuing for ever he hath an unchangeable Priesthood i. e. he hath a Priesthood that can never be separated from his Person to pass from one to another so the word signifies and therefore our Translators put it so in your Margent He hath a Priesthood that passeth not from one person to another Our Lord Jesus Christ his great High-Priest-hood passeth not from one to another and there are these three Reasons for it First Because he is all-sufficient to finish the work of our Redemption He is Almighty and therefore in Psal 89. which is a Prophesie of Christ under David as his Type in the 19. ver Then thou spakest in Vision to the holy one and saidst I have laid help upon one that is mighty I have exalted one chosen out of the people So Isa 9. 6. For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and his Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor the Mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace There is none ever able to take up the work of Christ if he should lay it down but our Redeemer he is mighty and alsufficient to finish the work of our Redemption And then Secondly As he is Mighty and All-sufficient in his Person as God-man so also his death hath a perpetual virtue in it and therefore it is said he offered up himself once for all Heb. 7. 27 the latter part of the Verse for This he did once when he offered up himself he took away sin when he offered up himself Thirdly Christ hath an Everlasting Priesthood an unexchangeable Priesthood For he is admitted to sit at the Lords right hand for ever Heb. 10. 12. So that you may see he hath an unexchangeable Priesthood And thus much for the opening and explanation of this Verse For application these things are divers ways useful First For the Comfort the unspeakable Comfort of them that truely believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Here we have an unexchangeable Priesthood to rest upon Christ for our hope The Apostle tells us that he is our hope of Glory And Oh what a mercy and blessing it is that our hope is not in Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils but in the Eternal Son of God! In him who continues for ever Look into the World and there you will find abundance that live in their Worldly hope but where are their hopes built but commonly upon Men whose Breath is in their Nostrils When their Friends die their hopes die But here we have an Immortal Saviour to build our hopes upon one that continues for ever And this was Jobs comfort in the midst of his affliction as you may see in Job 19. 25. He knew his Redeemer lived his Children were all dead and gone but his Redeemer lived and that was his comfort his estate was gone but still his Redeemer lived and that was his comfort his Friends had left him still his Redeemer lived and he knew himself must die and Worms consume his Body yet still his Redeemer lived Oh Soul rest thou in the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and take comfort of Gospel Truth That Jesus Christ liveth for ever As Jesus Christ liveth for ever So he liveth for the good of all Believers He liveth for our good if we Believe in him and therefore saith the Apostle he is able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us Our Lord Jesus Christ doth live everlastingly for our good our life is bound up in the Everlasting life of Christ saith the Apostle in Col. 3. and the beginning Our life is hid with Christ that is the life of our Souls And when he shall appear then shall we also appear with him in Glory I remember the words in 1 Sam. 25. when that wise Woman Abigail came to David to appease his wrath against her Husband and Family she used this expression in ver 29. But the Soul of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God I allude to it that the Lord Jesus Christ is the bundle of life for all the Saints the Eternal life of every Believer is bound up in him he is the great bundle of life for saith he because I live ye shall live also And again This is the Record which God hath given that he hath given Eternal life and this life is in his Son Oh make Faith of this or else all the Preaching of Christ will not be profitable to you if you cannot make Faith of it And as this doth speak comfort so it also speaks duty And what is that Why that we live to him that liveth for ever remember that Scripture 2 Cor. 5. 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again As Christ did die for us for our Sins so he did rise again for our Justification Oh shall we not then live to him Many are apt to forget their dead Friends and Relations tho they have done much for them and they know it not as Solomon speaks in Eccles 9. 5. for the living know that they shall die but the dead know not any thing neither have they any more a reward for the memory of them is forgotten and they know it not and if their Sons come to honour they know it not and if they be brought low they perceive it not But our Living Redeemer he knoweth all he knows all the Souls that