people that if they are able to give to the Ministers they think themselves as great as the Minister Whereas all those gifts are but as Tributes Prov. 3. 10. Honour the Lord with all thy Substance and with the first Fruits of all thy Increase so shall thy Barns be filled with plenty and thy Press burst forth with new Wine Thus Abraham he had got a great Spoil from the Enemies He honoured God with the substance he had got and he carried it to Melchisedeck and gives it him as Tribute due to God and expected a blessing thereupon Many people complain of their streights and losses when they come to render God his due But here is the promise Honour the Lord with thy Substance so shall thy Barns be filled with plenty and thy Press burst forth with new Wine The more you take from the heap the more you add to the blessing of of what you have I will but read that passage in Mal. 3. 8 9 10. Will a man rob God Yet ye have robbed me but ye say Wherein have we robbed thee In Tythes and Offerings Ye are Cursed with a Curse for ye have robbed me even this whole Nation Bring ye all the Tythes into the Store-house that there may be Meat in mine House and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts if I will not open to you the Windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it Commonly blessings fall upon such Families as make Conscience of these things Abraham the Patriarch gave unto Melchisedeck the Tenths of the Spoils This is the First thing to shew Mechisedeck's greatness that he received Gods Tribute In the next place the Apostle goes on and compares this Melchisedeck with the Tribe of Levi Now saith he in the 5. ver they that are of the Sons of Levi Who are they Why Levi was one of the Sons of Jacob and the third Son that he had by his Wife Leah Of this House God raised the Priesthood of Aaron God set that Tribe apart for his holy Service and appointed them their maintainance for though they had as good a right to the Land of Canaan as any of the other Tribes had yet when God comes to share the Land among the Twelve Tribes he would give no part of it to the Tribe of Levi But he would be their portion in the 18. Numb 20. And the Lord spake unto Aaron Thou shalt have no Inheritance in their Land neither shalt thou have any part among them I am thy part and thy Inheritance among the Children of Israel Why would not God give them a part of the Land Because God would have them to attend upon the Service of the Tabernacle and the Commandment was that they should have the Tenths They should not follow secular Callings and Imployments as other people did but they should spend their days in the Service of the Tabernacle The moral equity whereof still abideth though the Ceremonies be abolished But then it is said that this Melchisedeck that received Tythes from Abraham his descent was not to be accounted from them that is from Abraham or from the Tribe of Levi he was without descent We know not certainly what Parentage he was of Only God had a mind to set up another Priesthood than that of Levi which our Lord Jesus Christ shall keep up which shall not be in that Line that was to die but this shall live for ever He whose descent was not from them blessed him that had the promises and without all controversie the lesser is blessed of the greater who had the promises Why the Patriarch Abraham he is the Person here meant He is singled out to be the Father of the Church For Abraham was set up of God above all men then living in the World to be the Head and Father of the visible Church of the Jews that was to come that was a people separated from all the World besides for many Ages and Generations And Abraham was not only made the Father and Head of them the visible Church of the Jews but of the invisible of Believers to the end of the World they are all to be planted in and by the Faith that was in Abraham according to the promise Rom. 4. 11. He received the sign of Circumcision a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith which he had yet being Uncircumcised that he might be the Father of all them that Believe though they be not Circumcised that Righteousness might be imputed to them also Hence you have it that when the Saints die in Scripture they are said to go to Abrahams Bosom Lazarus died and was carried by Angels into Abrahams Bosom And saith our saviour They shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven Abraham was the Father of all Believers all Believers take hold of that Covenant and are United with Abraham in that Glory that follows Faith Therefore Melchisedeck was a great man to receive Gods Tribute and to bless him that had the Promise It was a great dignity to Abraham and his Seed to have the promise If a man have not an interest in Gods promises he is nothing though he seems to have all Let Worldly men boast of their Honours Wealth and Dignities yet if they have not a right to Gods promises they are never the better This was Abrahams dignity that he had the blessing for himself and for his Posterity and for all that should Believe in Jesus Christ 'T is a great mercy to have Gods promises For this should teach Three things The First is To take up all our mercies in a way of promise Godliness hath the promise of this Life that now is and of that which is to come saith the Apostle Observe this he that takes up his mercies only in a way of common Providence hath a common Heart in the Use of them but he that takes up his mercies by Faith in the way of Gods promises hath a Spiritual Heart in the Use of them This was Abrahams blessing that what he received was in the way of promise It was this that made the Children of Isaac so blessed when the Son of Ishmael was not because the Son Isaac was the Son of the promise Secondly If Believers have the promise This teacheth them contentment under streights and present wants of Temporal things for the Grave will soon bury all those things but the promises for the Soul live for ever bless God therefore for promises And Thirdly This teacheth us to live upon Gods promises and to plead them as our afflictions and streights are upon us I say to live upon promises and to plead promises for we have no other hold upon the holy God but by his promises Some Christians do wait in their afflictions for the in-comings of a promise I speak not against the in-comings of a promise for there is
the Heathen How is that Why you know how dreadful it was to Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar My name is dreadful among the Heathen and shall my People serve me unworthily and irreverently And so much for Melchisedecks Name and Title King of Salem and Priest of the most high God Here are two Offices met in one Person by which he was a special Type of Christ There was never any Person in the World but this Melchisedeck that did hold these two Offices rightfully Indeed we read of two of the Kings of Judah and Israel that undertook the Priests Office and his Work but they did bear the dreadful mark of Gods Judgment for joyning the Priestly Office with that of the King in the 2 Chron. 26. 17 18 19. We read that Uzziah attempted to burn Incense upon the Altar He went into the Temple of the Lord to burn Incense upon the Altar of Incense but Azariah the Priest went in after him and with him Fourscore Priests of the Lord that were valiant men and they withstood Uzziah the King and said unto him it pertaineth not unto thee Uzziah to burn Incense to the Lord but to the Priests the Sons of Aaron that are Consecrated to burn Incense go out of the Sanctuary for thou hast transgressed neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God Then Uzziah was wroth and had a Censer in his hand to burn Incense and while he was wroth with the Priests the Leprosie even rose up in his Forehead before the Priests in the House of the Lord and Uzziah the King was a Leper unto the day of his death thus the Lord smote Uzziah with Leprosie for joyning the Priestly Office with his Kingly Office Another King you read of was Jeroboam 1 Kings 13. and the beginning the Lord sent a Prophet to him to Prophecy ruin to him and upon his Prophecying against the Altar in Bethel The King put forth his hand from the Altar saying Lay hold on him and his hand which he stretched forth against him dryed up so that he could not pull it in again to him God will never bear it to have these two Offices joyned together but in Melchisedeck and Jesus Christ and therein was Melchisedeck a Type of Christ who is all in all to his Church and People for he is our King our Priest and our Prophet This therefore by our Protestant Writers is looked upon to be one mark of Antichrist the Pope who makes himself a Temporal Lord and joyns the same to his Priesthood falsly applying that place to himself in Luke 22. 38. And they said unto him Lord here are two Swords and he said unto them It is enough But Melchisedeck was a type of Christ being both King and Priest Now from hence we may have this comfortable Observation for all Believers That the Lord Jesus Christ is both our King and Priest This is of great use for the comfort of Believers He is a King he is a mighty King to defend his Church and People He is the King that reigns in Righteousness He is a King that governs us by his own Righteous Laws he protects us There is no King on Earth can ever spiritually and eternally destroy Christs Subjects or wholly root out the remembrance of Christs name in the World for he is mighty to save according to that in Psal 72. 11. Kings shall fall down before him and all Nations shall serve him for he shall deliver the needy when he cryeth the poor also and him that hath no helper This is our King our great Melchisedeck King of Salem He is our Priest he offered up himself as a Sacrifice for our sins by him we have an Atonement There may be some good Kings in the World but where is he that can be a Priest for us but our Lord Jesus Christ And therefore look into Heb. 7. 25. He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him because he ever liveth to make Intercession for us Our Lord Jesus Christ being the true King and Priest oâ— the most high God this makes him an Object of our Faith and Love that we may go to him as our King and our Priest But now we come to the second Branch of the â—ext the action of this Melchisedeck 〈◊〉 and Priest of the most high God He went out and met Abraham when Abraham returned from the slaughter of the Kings of the Countrey and blessed him Now these words relate to what we read in Gen. 14. there you will see how Melchisedeck blessed Abraham at v. 18. and so on And Melchisedeck King of Salem brought forth Bread and Wine And he was the Priest of the most high God and he blessed him and said Blessed be Abraham of the most high God Possessor of Heaven and Earth And blessed be the most high God which hath delivered thine Enemies into thy hand And he gave him tythes of all You see here that Melchisedeck met him and blessed him and carried to him a Royal Entertainment for he carried Bread and Wine to Abraham to refresh him and his Army after he had been fighting with the Kings This Abrahams Warfare was thus Abraham hearing that Lot his Brothers Son was taken captive and the people and goods of Sodom carried away you read that Abraham Armed his trained Servants born in his house three hundred and eighteen and pursued them to Dan And he and his Servants by night and smote them and pursued them to Hobah And he brought all the goods and also brought again his Brother Lot and his goods and the women also and the people Thus did Abraham by a small force overcome four Kings four great Kings This is Abraham that righteous man whom God call'd to fight his Battel And he subdued Kings and made his Enemies as stubble to his Bow It was not Abrahams force that did it He was one that went out in Faith and returns in Faith and Melchisedeck the Priest of the most high God met him and blessed him Here are three things to be observed in Abrahams Warfare 1. Abraham returns from the slaughter of the Kings Hence you may observe That Wars are good and lawful when there is a just cause for it For Abraham he had not done well in going out to fight and make war with those Kings if there had been no just cause for it nor would Melchisedeck the Priest of the most high God come out to bless him I mention this to confute that error and mistake of those who say it is not lawful to fight with carnal weapons But 2. From this action of Abrahams we may learn this special duty That when our Brethren Kindred or Relations are in distress we ought to venture our selves for their relief as far as lawfully we may For the Apostle tells us we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren So Abraham hearing that Lot his Brothers Son his person and family were taken and carried away captive
he armed his three hundred and eighteen Servants and goes and ventures his life for their Rescue so that when Kindred and Relations and Friends are in any eminent danger or distress we are to venture far for their Rescue or Deliverance 3. That when people fall into distress and streights we ought to forget all former injuries unkindnesses and affronts and appear for their help and assistance For so did Abraham who appeared for the deliverance of Lot from whom he had formerly received affronts As you may see in Gen. 13. 7. and so on And there was a strife between the Herd-men of Abrahams Cattel and the Herd-men of Lots Cattel and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the Land And Abraham said Let there be no strife I pray thee between me and thee and between my Herd-men and thy Herdmen for we are Brethren See how calmly Abraham expostulates with Lot their Herd-men being at strife But Abraham a holy man said to Lot Is not the whole Land before thee separate thy self I pray thee from me if thou wilt take the left hand then I will go to the right or if thou depart to the right hand then I will go to the left He bid him chuse and take which side he would And Lot in a carnal manner looked not so much to the manners of the people as to conveniency and situation of the place He beheld the Plains of Jordan and that it was well watered every where and chose that way like many here amongst us who do not so much regard the people where they live or whether the Means of Grace be there as they do their carnal Interest and Profit But Abraham he gives him his choice and after these affronts offered to him went out to his Rescue when he was in distress And this we ought to do in the course of our lives if differences happen among Friends and Neighbours not to retain prejudices but be ready to help them in the time of their streights and necessities SERMON II. Hebrews 7. 1 2 3. For this Melchisedeck King of Salem Priest of the most high God who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all First being by interpretation King of Righteousness and after that also King of Salem which is King of Peace Without Father without Mother without descent having neither beginning of days nor end of life but made like unto the Son of God abideth a Priest continually YOU have already heard of this Melchisedeck King of Salem Priest of the most high God How he met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him c. Precious Mysteries are hidden under this name Melchisedeck King of Salem King of Peace which are here applied by our Apostle to Jesus Christ our great King and high Priest Something hath already been spoken about the person of Melchisedck As for his name it is interpreted in the 6th and 7th verses who he was and of his being King of Salem and Priest of the most high God How in this respect he was so great a type of Christ Something also hath been spoken of his meeting of Abraham when he returned from the slaughter of the Kings Abraham was a Believer and one of those that the Apostle speaks of in Heb. 11. who by Faith waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens And something hath been spoken of a just War And about the helping and succouring our Friends and Relations that are in distress And doing good to them that did wrong or injury to us as Abraham did to Lot who had injured him There is one passage more in this verse that must be opened and applied And that is Melchisedeck's blessing of Abraham This Priest of the most high God met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him And how he blessed him How he blessed Abraham It is set down at large in Gen. 19. It 's said there that he came and met him in a Princely manner brought Abraham Bread and Wine to refresh him and his men of their hard Warfare Labour and blessed him in the name of the most high God There is a Mystery contained in this Melchisedecks blessing of Abraham which at present we are to consider the reason why Melchisedeck met Abraham and blessed him after lie had returned from the slaughter of the Kings There are several Reasons which may be profitable for us to consider 1. That Melchisedeck was neighbour unto Abraham for he was King in Salem which bordered upon the Canaanites where Abraham dwelt and went forth out of that Countrey to war with the Kings And Melchisedeck as a Neighbour met him to congratulate good Abraham in his success For indeed Christian Nations are to rejoice when a common Enemy is cast down But that 's not all 2. Melchisedeck and Abraham were men of the same Religion they both worshipped the same God though the Country round about them were Heathens yet Abraham was the Servant of the most high God And Melchisedeck was the Priest of the most high God And always good men of the same Religion rejoice at the good success of each other Melchisedeck was not a man of an envious spirit at Abrahams good success in his undertaking but he could rejoice with him He did rejoice as the Apostle hath it in Rom. 12. v. 15. with them that did rejoice It is a hard and difficult thing to a corrupt nature to rejoice at the good success of our Neighbours or Brethren The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy if men have any great good success Men of corrupt Natures they are afraid they should out-shine them and go beyond them and therefore there is a bad spirit among men which cannot rejoice at others good at the success of other men if they have it not themselves But Melchisedeck being a gracious man and a Servant of God he did not envy Abrahams good success he did not fear Abrahams greatness but he goes out and meets him and blest him 3. The Third and most special reason why Melchisedeck goes out to bless Abraham was because that Melchisedeck was the Priest of the most high God and Abraham was a Believer a great Believer in the true God Abraham was the man with whom God had made a Covenant and therefore in the 7th ver of this chap. it is said that Melchisedeck blessed him that had the promise How had Abraham received the Promise Why God singles him out of his Fathers Country and brings him into a strange Place and makes a Covenant with him and gives him a promise of a Seed in which all the Nations of the Earth shall be blessed Now that Abrahams Faith might be firm in believing Gods promises it is said in the 6th of the Heb. 13. For when God made promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he swore
many times comfort in it But we are not to live upon in-comings of promises but we are to go out to all the promises of God by Faith in Christ For mind what the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 1. 20. all the promises of God are in him yea and in him Amen all the promises therefore thou mayst take up with any promise that is suitable to thy wants that is suitable to thy condition thou mayst plead it with the Lord As for example Dost thou want inward peace Thou mayst plead over the promise of peace The Lord hath promised to keep him in peace whose mind is set upon him Again Do you want outward supplies Are you streightened in Food and Rayment Be diligent in your Calling and plead that promise He will give Bread to them that fear him in the 34. Psal they that fear the Lord shall not want any good thing Plead this promise let hunger and wants drive you to the promise Again Do you want light and counsel and direction in your ways Plead that promise in Isaiah The Lord shall guide thee continually And that in the 25. Psal Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord him will the Lord direct in his ways Oh ye that have Abrahams Faith cleave to the promises hang upon the promises all the promises in Christ are yea and in him Amen They are ratified in Christ And that promise of our Lord Jesus Christ abideth Ask and ye shall have seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you Ask according to the promise seek according to the promise Plead the promises of God when you fall into any Darkness and trouble of mind I say plead promises for God he gives you all the promises to live upon and let not any poor Christian be troubled or discouraged about receiving mercy for his own weakness or the meanness of his condition for you must know that every Believer is an Heir of the promise though a poor weak frail Creature yet an Heir of the Promise This we ought to live upon in times of trouble But then there is another thing concerning Melchisedecks blessing Abraham that had received the promise The Question here may be What need was there of Melchisedecks blessing of Abraham who had Gods promise for Abraham was happy enough in the promise if he had not met Melchisedeck to have blest him For Answer hereunto there are two Reasons given for it First of all It was Melchisedecks Place and Office for he was Priest of the most high God to bless them that did belong to God for you read of Three sorts of Persons in Scripture blessing others Parents blessing their Children Kings blessing their Subjects and Ministers blessing their People as you have it in Numb 6. 23. Speak unto Aaron and to his Sons saying On this wise shall you bless the Children of Israel saying unto them the Lord bless thee the Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Now that this was not a Ceremony of the old Law that Ministers and Priests should bless the People appears by the New Testament because the Apostles of Jesus Christ in their Epistles did use to conclude their Epistles with Benedictions But this is not all here intended and therefore 2. This blessing of Abraham it was a blessing of Ratification to confirm Abrahams in the Promise That was the principal reason of Melchisedecks blessing of Abraham that he might be ratified and confirmed in his Faith concerning the Promise From whence we may observe That the strongest Faith had need of strengthning The Faith of the Saints doth need confirmation It is said of Abraham in Rom. 4. that being not weak in Faith he staggered not at the promise verse 20. yet if you look into another Scripture you will find Abraham sometimes staggering at the promise of God through unbelief For if you look into Gen. 15. 1. The Lord said unto him Fear not Abraham I am thy shield and exceeding great reward Then said Abraham Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I go childless and the Steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus Abraham had the promise of a seed before in chap. 12. But he sometimes staggered at the promise Abraham was at first weak in Faith but after God had confirmed his Faith by this means then Abraham believed the Lord. So Abraham was once weak in Faith but now he was strong in Faith Again Abraham also grew strong in Faith by a higher confirming means and that was the Oath of God Heb. 6. 14. Surely in blessing I will bless thee So that Abraham that was commended for the strength of his Faith he was once weak in Faith till God had confirmed his Faith this way And this was the cause of Melchisedecks blessing him And also the Lord for the strengthning of his Faith carries him abroad and bid him look now towards the Heaven and tell the Stars if thou be able to number them And he said unto him so shall thy seed be And then he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for Righteousness Now the Reasons of weakness in Faith are these 1. Here we know but in part and therefore believe but in part 2. The flesh is weak in all Believers Christ said The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak 3. Those that have most Faith are commonly most assaulted by Satan and therefore have need of the most confirming means When our Saviour saw Peter firm in his profession of Faith saith Christ Satan hath desired to winnow thee like Wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not Ahraham though he had the promise yet he wanted a Melchisedeck to bless him Now the third thing is Melchisedeck's being without beginning of days or end of life Aarons Sons and all the Priests of the Levitical Priesthood they die but Melchisedeck he liveth he liveth in his order in the order of his his Priesthood for Jesus Christ is a Priest for ever after Melchisedeck's order But here men receive their Priesthood that die saith the Apostle so leave their work But Christ Jesus he liveth for ever who was here prefigured by Melchisedeck But the Sons of Levi they must die for it is appointed for all men once to die and after that comes Judgment Your Prophets do they live for ever Many of the Fathers of the Old World lived a great while But Kings Priests and Prophets must die Great and holy men must die I should enlarge upon this but I shall improve it these three or four ways 1. This should teach us to walk humbly as poor mortal creatures such as death will strip of all our glory all our beauty Oh! what is it that makes men proud and haughty and lifts up their spirits It is because they think more of living than of dying You have a strange instance of this