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
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
say Doth not our Lord Jesus Christ himself tell us that he came not to send peace on the earth but a sword and to set men at variance Mat. 10. 34 35. how then is he the Prince of Peace Ans Know there is a worldly peace which lies in agreement in all that which is evil Christ did not come to send that peace Christ did not come to make peace between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent The Church of God would want her tryals if there were not enmity between the two seeds But why doth he say that he came not to send peace but a sword The meaning is this It is by way of consequence for where the Gospel comes it is a Gospel of peace in it self But when Jesus Christ calls any to his Kingdom by the Gospel the World is then at enmity with them and quarrels with them The Scripture is full of Instances of this But I shall wind up this with a brief Application Is our Lord Jesus Christ King of Righteousness and Prince of Peace then what great reason have all men that hear of Jesus Christ to pay their homage unto him and to submit to his Soveraignty Jesus Christ he did not set up himself in opposition to Magistrates but he is the Head of all Magistracy By me Kings Reign and Princes decree Justice But the meaning is we must make him our Spiritual King and submit to his Rule and Laws Proud men of the World will not submit to the Rule and Laws of Christ therefore if we would be wise to Salvation we should subject our selves to his Word for he is our King and blessed are they that are in Covenant with him and can make Christ their King and obey him in all his commands Though you be despised in the eyes of the World If you look into 1 Tim. 6. 13 14 15. I give thee charge in the sight of God who quickeneth all things and before Jesus Christ who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession that thou keep this Commandment without spot unrebukeable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ which in time he shall shew who is the blessed and only King of Kings and Lord of Lords It may be while we speak of this Authority of Jesus Christ you see few men regard it But I give thee charge before God and Jesus Christ as thou wilt answer it at the day of Judgment that thou keep the command of Christ which in time shall be the only Potentate And therefore beloved let us subject our selves to Jesus Christ in all his ways in all his commands He is the King of Righteousness He is the Prince of Peace He will keep us in the ways of Righteousness He will keep us in inward peace in the worst of times And therefore if you desire Righteousness and to live in peace subject your selves to the Lord Jesus Christ SERMON III. Hebrews 7. from verse 4. to 8. Now consider how great this man was unto whom even the Patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of his spoils And verily they that are of the Sons of Levi who receive the Office of the Priesthood have a Commandment to receive Tythes of the people according to the Law that is of their Brethren though they come out of the loins of Abraham But he whose Descent is not counted from them received Tythes of Abraham and blessed him that had the Promises And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better GOD the Father having promised to his Son Jesus Christ and confirmed it to him by an Oath that he should be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck Upon this Promise and Oath much of the Faith and Comfort of the Church of God springs Therefore the Apostle is so large here in this chapter to set forth the Priviledges Prerogatives and Dignities of Melchisedeck of whose order Christ is a Priest for ever Last day the three verses were opened where Melchisedeck is said to be without Father without Mother without Descent having neither beginning of days nor end of life made like unto the Son of God abideth a Priest continually I have not time now to repeat what was said then We shewed in what sense Melchisedeck is said to be without Father without Mother without Descent without beginning of days or end of life And how in all these things he was made like unto the Son of God I proceed now to the words I have read and the scope of the Apostle in them is still to amplifie and set out to us the greatness of this Melchisedeck who was the fore-runner of the Son of God and in his days did represent to the Church the Son of God Now the greatness of this Melchisedeck the Apostle proves three ways in the words which I have read 1. In that this great man Abraham the Patriarch gave him the Tenths of all the spoils verse 4. 2. He proves Melchisedecks greatness by this that he blessed him that had received the Promise And The third proof of his greatness is this that while Levi dies Melchisedeck liveth These are the three main points the Apostle insists upon in these words I have read The first proof that the Apostle brings of Melchisedeck's greatness is v. 4. Consider how great this man was unto whom even the Patriarch Abraham gave the Tenths of the spoil He calls Abraham the Patriarch for this reason because he was the first Father of all the Jewish people they all proceeded out of his Loins in that promised seed Isaac Now consider saith the Apostle how great this Melchisedeck was in that the Patriarch the first Father of the Church of God gave to him the tenth of the spoil when Abraham returned from the slaughter that was spoken of before And here the Apostle brings it over again for a great proof of Melchisedecks greatness But now here the Question will be How this can be a proof of his greatness while he received from Abraham the tenths of the spoil for according to the account that men have of things the Receiver is inferiour to the Giver He that gives seems to be greater than he that receives And our Saviour saith It is a more blessed thing to give than to receive How is this then a proof of Melchisedecks greatness I Answer to that The Giver is greater than the Receiver where the giving and receiving is in a way of Alms that is our Saviours meaning It is a more blessed thing to give than to receive in a way of Alms but this was not the case between Abraham and Melchisedeck For mind it Melchisedeck did not receive of the Patriarch Abraham the Tenths of the Spoils as an act of Abrahams kindness but as Tribute that Abraham paid to God and to Melchisedeck who was the Priest of the most high God Abraham gave to Melchisedeck the Tenths of the Spoil as due to God It is a very false and fantastical notion of
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
as white as snow You know the Prophet cured Naaman of a Leprosie and it was transferred to the Prophets Servant and to his Seed for ever so that Gehazi's Children were all Lepers and his Grand-children all Lepers so that these poor Children and Grand-children they might rise up and curse the base Spirit of Covetousness of their Father and Grand-father that brought this curse upon them So you have many a poor wretched Father and Mother given to Drunkenness and the poor Children they follow the same You know how it is with the Law of Nations If a man be a Traitor to the same his Blood is tainted his Children are tainted You know how it was with poor Covetous Achan that he and all his Family suffered for it so Corah Dathan and Abiram for envying Moses and Aaron they and their whole Posterity perished and suffered for their Fathers sin Levi paid Tythes in the Loins of Abraham and it was his mercy that he paid homage to God in the Loins of his Fore-father Now to proceed to open the following words Levi that received Tythes paid Tythes in Abraham If therefore perfection were in the Levitical Priest-hood c. Now here we come to the particular scope of the Apostle that Levi paid Tythes in the Loins of Abraham And tho the Priest-hood of Levi was holy yet it was not so holy as Melchisedecks So that here are three Points to be considered The First is That the Church and People of God of old received the Law under a Priest-hood Secondly The Law that they received under the Levitical Priest-hood was not perfect Thirdly There is a necessity of the change of the Law and the Priest-hood To the First of these That the Church and People of God of old that had the Laws and Ordinances of God they received them under a Priest-hood For the holy God never dealt with man immediately in a way of grace since the fall but by some middle person that stood between God and Man Therefore before God gave a Law Melchisedeck was set up a Priest and Head to be a Typical Mediator between God and Man between God and his People of which Jesus Christ was afterwards to come in the Flesh and shew himself the real Melchisedeck Heb. 5. 1. For every high Priest taken from among men was ordained for men in things pertaining to God Men may in things pertaining to man go without a Priest but in things pertaining to God they must have a Priest-hood for God is a holy God There is a vast disproportion between a holy God and sinful Man and considering his Greatness his Holiness and Righteousness the people receive the things of the Law under a Priest-hood Quest But you will say There was no Levitical Priest-hood for many hundred years after Mans fall for this Levitical Priest-hood was not till the Children of Israel came out of Aegypt I Answ Not so for then before the Levitical Priest-hood was every First-born of the Family the Priest of the Family as you may see in Numb 3. 12. And I behold I have taken the Levites from among the Children of Israel instead of all the First-born I have taken the Levites instead of the First-born that was the Priest of the Family This was the Law before the Levitical Priesthood that the first-born of the Family was the Priest of the Family to offer Gifts and Sacrifices And in allusion to this Jesus Christ our great High Priest is called the first-born of many Brethren Rom. 8. 29. And therefore this should teach us this duty That as God gives his Law and Ordinances first typical and then real That we should never go to God but by our great High Priest We ought always to have such a holy Reverence of the great God that we should never draw near to God without our great High-priest the Lord Jesus Christ 2. Though God did give the Levitical Law of old to his Church yet this Law did not make any thing perfect They were blessed Means and Ordinances of God and were of great use themselves but they did not make the comers thereto perfect All the Priesthood of the Law could not effectually cleanse sin away No and if he did come with his Sacrifice yet it could not justifie him neither could it truly sanctifie him But you will say If this Sacrifice did not take away sin to what end then served the Law I answer First to keep the Church in obedience till the fulness of time came that Christ should come in the flesh For if the Lord had not given them his Laws and Ordinances there would have been no distinction between the Church of God and the Heathen World Yea they would have run into all kind of Will-worship with the Heathen-world if they had not had his Laws and Ordinances 2. Though they could not make the comers to them perfect yet they were led by them to Jesus Christ where their perfection was Their Sacrifices led them to Jesus Christ This was the great end of all the Jewish Laws and Ceremonies to lead them to Jesus Christ For Gods Elect in those days did feed upon Jesus Christ as you may see in the Apostles words 1 Cor. 10. They did all eat of the same spiritual meat and they did all drink of the same spiritual drink The same that we eat and the same that we drink Those that had Faith in Christ did live under a dark dispensation yet they did eat the same spiritual bread that we do So that the Law you see was of use though it did not make the comers to it perfect This is the second thing 3. The Law being imperfect not making any person or things perfect therefore saith the Apostle there was a necessity of the change of the Law of the Priesthood This he proves thus If this Levitical Law and Priesthood could have made the Church and People of God happy God would never have spoken of another Priesthood after Melchisedeck and God would never have set up another Priest made by his Oath And therefore there was a necessity of another Law and another Priesthood a necessity of a change And here you may take special notice of a change of the Priesthood But what is to be understood by the change of the Law I answer By changing of the Law we are to understand an Abolition or Abrogation of the Levitical Law and all setled in a more clear manner on the Priesthood of Jesus Christ so that we now receive the Law by Christ in the room of the Ceremonial Law And it is a blessed change for us and it should abundantly raise our hearts in that now we have another Priesthood and another Law Why because the old Priesthood and the old Law could not make the comers to them perfect And it was a burdensom Priesthood and a burdensom Law See I pray you Acts 15. 10. you will find there that the old Law the Ceremonial Law is called a Yoke And
there were some so fond of this old Yoke as that they would have imposed it upon those that had received the Christian Faith Now saith the Apostle Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a Yoke upon the neck of the Disciples which neither we nor our Fathers were able to bear Yet they were forced to bear it till God removed it And in Gal. 5. 1. Stand fast therefore in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the Yoke of Bondage 'T was a Yoke of Bondage How a Yoke of Bondage The Rites and Ceremonies of the Law they were painful and burdensom chargeable and burdensom to all the people to have all their Male-children circumcised which was to have their Fore-skin pulled off which was painful To have the first of their Flocks given to the Priests for Sacrifices To go three times a year to Jerusalem to appear in the City of Jerusalem In a word the Ceremonial Law was so painful and burdensom that the carnal people of that Church did complain of it Mal. 1. 7 8. Ye offer polluted bread upon mine Altar and the blind and the lame and the sick And in v. 13. Ye said Behold what a weariness is it ye have snuffed at it saith the Lord and ye brought that which is torn and the lame and the sick Thus you see the Law was so burdensom as they snuffed at it They were called upon for Sacrifices and they would bring the lame and the torn and the weak They were loth to bring to best of their Flocks when God required it But our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by his coming the Priesthood and Law is abrogated And saith Christ My yoke is easie and my burden is light Why for he hath taken the burden upon himself Our dear Lord Jesus instead of calling for the best of our flocks to be offered for Sacrifice he offered himself a Sacrifice for sins for ever and he accepts of our lame and weak performances that are done with a humble sincere heart relying upon his perfect Righteousness He hath offered up himself his blessed self for a Sacrifice for sin My yoke is easie and my burden is light Yea our Lord Jesus Christ by the change of the Priesthood doth not impose upon us a going three times a year to a certain place at a great distance to worship but he left us to our liberty to worship him in spirit and truth in any place As Christ said to the woman of Samaria in John 4. 21. The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father This is the sum of Christs Law that you should come to him by Faith and receive the Gospel and repent of your sins and to be holy as he is holy The Law of Christ calls for Faith calls for Repentance It also gives power to believe A true Believer he knows that he doth not only command a duty but he gives power also to perform it in some measure to his people The Apostle here gives you the reasons of the change of the Priesthood and of the Law and we are bound to bless the Lord for his new Law and this his new Priesthood and therefore they do very ill that do mingle the Worship of God with the Jewish Ceremonies when the Lord Jesus Christ hath abrogated them SERMON V. Hebrews 7. 13 14 15 16. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another Tribe of which no man gave attendance at the Altar For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda of which Tribe Moses spake nothing concerning Priest-hood And it is yet far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchisedeck there ariseth another Priest Who is made not after the Law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless life HAving undertaken through the Lords assistance briefly to go thorow this chapter Last day we concluded the 12th verse of this chapter The change of the Priest-hood and so of the Law Now in these words which I have read we have that great point proved namely That Jesus Christ and his Priesthood is of another kind differing from the Levitical Priesthood And the Apostle proves it thus The Priesthood under the Law was of the Tribe of Levi But Jesus Christ and his Priesthood sprang out of the Tribe of Judah Two different Tribes therefore two different Priesthoods The Priest-hood of Aaron was after the Law of a carnal commandment the Priesthood of Christ after the power of an endless life It is of great concern to all our Souls to have a right apprehension of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ for therein lies our Salvation To begin with the 13th verse For he of whom these things are spoken pertained to another Tribe These things are spoken That is the things spoken of before in this chapter Our Lord Jesus Christ who was prefigured by Melchisedeck who was the Priest of the most high God without beginning of days or end of life without Descent he of whom those great and excellent things are spoken This Jesus Christ he pertained to another Tribe not to the Tribe of Levi what is that A Tribe in Scripture signifies all those that spring out of one Stock Jacob had twelve Sons and the people that came of them were called twelve Tribes distinguishing one from another The Tribe of Levi and the Tribe of Judah c. Now Jesus Christ of whom these things are spoken pertained to another Tribe than that of Levi. Whence first observe The great condescention of our Lord Jesus Christ in associating himself with the Children of men That he that is the Eternal Son of God was willing to be reckoned among men amongst the Tribes of men For you read of him Prov. 8. That he was with the Father from Eternity Yet he rejoiced in the habitable parts of the Earth and his delight was with the Sons of men in v. 31. That the Eternal Son of God should so far abase himself to be reckoned among the Tribes of men This is great condescention But. saith the Apostle It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah i. e. that he took his Humanity out of that Family which did belong to the Tribe of Judah it is evident And how is it evident that Jesus Christ according to flesh came out of the Tribe of Judah It is evident in the Genealogy in Matth. 1. There you may read that Jesus Christ came out of the Tribe of Judah That chapter and other such chapters in the Scripture may seem to be unprofitable places of Scripture to them that do not understand the scope of them But such Scriptures are as necessary as any thing in the Bible to prove by the Genealogy that Jesus Christ the second person of the sacred Trinity did come out of the Tribe of Judah And for this he is called The Lion of the Tribe of Judah having power to
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
tho' near in respect of his Omnisciency You know how it is among men tho' they live in the same Town or near to one another in respect of Neighbourhood yet if there be enmity and strife between them you will say they are at a distance So God in respect of his Omnisciency is not far from any of us For 't is through him we live move and breathe and have our being But in respect of Love Peace and Union God and sinful man is at a great distance 'T is said God is angry with the wicked every day Psal 7. 11. He is an offended God He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity He is at a distance from us and if men were but sensible of this they would never presume upon his mercy in a day of affliction Isa 1. 15. And when you shall spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not hear When people come into affliction and distress they are ready to cry unto God for mercy But saith the Lord I will hide mine eyes from you There is a vast and infinite distance between God and a poor sinful creature But by the Priesthood of Jesus Christ he offering himself as a Sacrifice for sin and ever liveth to make intercession for us And by virtue of this every Believer may come to God by the Lord Jesus Christ as Mediator to pray to him It is not believing or repentance will bring us to God if we had not an High-priest See Heb. 10. 19. Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the Veil that is to say his flesh Boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies If you go into the Presence-chamber of a King with your Petition if you know the King hath respect and favour for you and the Son at his right hand to pacifie his Father and you come in the way appointed with a full assurance to have your Petition granted So saith the Apostle you may have full assurance to go to God in the new and living way And therefore say Lord I draw night to thee but it is by the new and living way that Jesus Christ hath consecrated by his blood I draw nigh for mercy but it is because thy Son is the great High-priest whom thou hast set over thine own house Let us therefore saith the Apostle come in full assurance of Faith Haply some poor doubting Soul may say How can I draw nigh to God to a-holy God I that have so much sin and guilt upon me were I holy and innocent I should go with more boldness To that I answer If thou wast holy and innocent thou shouldst not need an High-priest If thou hadst no sin nor guilt upon thee thou shouldst not need to go to God in the new and living way But tho' we have sin and much guilt upon us yet the Lord Jesus Christ he is our High-priest It was sin that was the occasion of making the Lord Jesus Christ the great High-priest Oh bless God for Jesus Christ and for bringing so great a good and so great an evil so near together No greater evil than sinning against a holy God! But this occasioned God to consecrate his Son by an Oath to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck There are but two ways by which a creature can draw nigh to God a holy God and that is either in the way of his own worthiness or goodness or in the way of Christs worthiness and goodness But for our own goodness or worthiness that is lost Go to God in that way our sins will block up our way that way is stopt But go to God in the way of his Sons worthiness and you will have acceptance with him Come to God and say Lord In the name and worthiness of thine own Son I draw nigh to thee How draw nigh to God why the Scripture makes this difference between drawing nigh to God under the old Priesthood and under the Priesthood of Jesus Christ In the time of the old Priesthood there were none of the people to go into the most holy place the High-priest was only to go and that but once a year Lev. 16. 2. Aaron was commanded not to go into the holy place at all times Now compare this with Heb. 9. 7. there he speaks that the High-priest was to go into the holy place but once a year Now saith the Apostle we have boldness to enter into the holy place Let us come into the holy place Our Lord Jesus Christ having made us Kings and Priests we may come nigh to God Christ hath brought us so nigh to God as we may come to him as a Child cometh to its Father The Lord hath provided better things for us that we might be made perfect Therefore let us mind these things You see here the sum of these words How God hath disannulled and abrogated all the Levitical Service Worship and Rites for their weakness and unprofitableness That he might bring in a better hope by the which we draw nigh to God SERMON VII Hebrews 7. 20 21 22. And in as much as not without an Oath he was made Priest For those Priests were made without an Oath but this with an Oath by him that said unto him The Lord sware and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck By so much was Jesus Christ made a Surely of a better Testament THE last day I concluded with v. 19. of this chapter where the Apostle tells us that by Jesus Christ there was brought in a better hope by which we draw nigh to God And that was his argument in that place to prove the excellency of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ above that of the old Now in these words which I have read you have another argument and demonstration about the Priesthood of Christ to shew that it doth far transcend that of the Levitical Priesthood Why for the Levitical Priesthood was made without an Oath this with an Oath So the Argument maâ— be thus framed That Priesthood which is solemnly confirmed and established by an Oath is more excellent and precious and profitable to the Church than that which was made without an Oath But the Priesthood of Jesus Christ was confirmed with an Oath and therefore more excellent than that which was without an Oath So that the Argument is taken from the more solemn Institution of Christs Priesthood The Lord did swear and would not repent that his Son Jesus Christ should be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck This is the point the Apostle now insists upon the solemn Institution of Jesus Christ in this office of Priesthood by which he is made a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck Now here are two Questions to be opened The first is about Gods
when God is said to revoke a Threatning or disannul a Law he is then said after the manner of men to repent But concerning the Priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ that is so settled not only by Promise but by Oath to take us off from all doubting and hesitation about this matter the Lord hath Sworn and will not Repent concerning his Son Jesus Christ but he has solemnly Justified him to be a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedeck which Law cannot be Abrogated Now here the Question is Vpon what account is it that the Priesthood of Jesus Christ by which we draw nigh to God hath such a solemn Justification above the Levitical Presthood Why Jesus Christ is made a Priest with an Oath when other Priests are made without an Oath There are many Grounds and Reasons of that which may be a great help to our Faith First of all God hath a greater honour for his Son that for all the Children of Men. He is nearer to the Father and dearer to the Father and therefore whatever he bestows upon his Son shall never be taken away from him God set up the posterity of the Tribe of Levi for the Priesthood but he only set them up as Servants for a time for saith our Lord a Servant abideth not in the House for ever but a Son abideth for ever Levi and his posterity they were but Servants and God turns them out but he setteth up his Son for ever The Father Loveth the Son and giveth all things to him he honoureth his Son he will have all his holy Angels to bow down to his Son in Heb. 1. 3 5. the Apostle speaking of Christs purging us from sin saith he in the 5 ver To which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee and again Let all the Angels Worship him The Angels of God are much better than Men in respect of the excellency of their being One Angel hath more strength than thousands of Men but they must all Worship the Son and he that is set down at the right hand of God the Father the Father hath given his Oath he shall never be removed but abide for ever Secondly The Priesthood of Jesus Christ hath this solemn Institution to be confirmed by a Divine Oath Because he is alsufficient to go through that great work God raised up the Priesthood of Old to do Service but not such Service as our great High Priest He never said unto the People believe in the High Priest but he said believe in my Son Jesus believe in him because he is able to save The other High Priests were not able to Save the High Priests of old could never give their lives for a Sacrifice for the Peoples lives they were only to offer up Bulls and Goats and Heifers and such kind of Offerings but our great High Priest he is appointed of the Father to give himself a Sacrifice for his people and therefore has a higher Priesthood than the Levitical Priest-hood John 10. 17 18. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I might 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 This Commandment have I received of my Father God never put so hard a service upon those High Priests of old but he put this upon his own Son and his Son was willing to bear his Command I am willing to receive this Command from my Father God hath sworn and he will not repent that his Son should be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck because that none were ever able to carry on that work but he Thirdly Jesus Christ is thus solemnly justified and made a Priest by Oath in the Church of God because the Church is his own Body and his own People The Priesthood of old God set them up for his Service and he will reward them for it for they had the Tenths of the People which was then great but still the Church was not their People nor their Body but Jesus Christ he is as a Son over his own House Heb. 3. 6. Christ is as a Son over his own House It is a great blessing to have such a High Priest as hath an interest in the whole People to whom he is a Saviour for he is the head of that People and a Saviour of the Body If the Lord Jesus Christ his Priesthood were disannulled the Church would be lost they could not be brought to Salvation Thine they were and thou gavest them me The Church is given to Christ to be his Mystical Body and he is their Priest for ever to sanctifie and cleanse it that he may present it to himself a Glorious Church without spot or wrinkle But then Fourthly Jesus Christ is made a Priest by Oath for ever because unto him shall be the gathering in of all Gods Elect of all nations in the World and they are all to come to his Priesthood it is of a large extent When the Levitical Priesthood was confined to the Jews only they could not offer a Sacrifice for the Heathens or another People but Jesus Christ he is an Offering for all People in all Nations of those that Believe in his Name And this is according to Jacobs Prophesie in Gen. 49. 10. That when Shilo shall come unto him shall be the gathering of the People compare this with Isa 49. and there you will see the thing further illustrated in the 6 ver And he said It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my Servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayst be my Salvation unto the ends of the Earth Observe it the Father said unto the Son It is but a light thing for thee to be a Priest only for Jacob and Israel I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles It was but a light thing for Christ to be a Saviour to Israel in the Land of Judea But Jesus Christ shall be a Saviour to all the Earth I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles Fifthly He is made a Priest for ever and confirmed therein by an Oath Because of his transcendent Wisdom Mercifulness Faithfulness and Holiness above all the Priests of old He is a High Priest to appear for Man in things appertaining to God and had need of Wisdom And saith the Apostle in him are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge And for mercy it was a necessary qualification in the High Priests of old that he might be a Man of compassion and pity to succour the poor and tempted and afflicted in the Church And our Lord Jesus Christ he is transcendently Merciful He will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoking Flax he will have compassion
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
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
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
are put upon his work of Salvation and therefore we should live to his Glory Our dear Lord may say to us I live for ever I know all things Why then do you slight my Work and slight my Ordinances and slight my People Why do you not live more to my Glory And then Lastly This should be a strong motive for Men to come to Christ Ye trust in dying Friends dying comforts dying Relations and fix your hope upon things that crumble away to dust When Peter made his confession of Christ Joh. 6. 68. To whom should we go thou hast the words of Eternal Life Go from Christ and you go to death and Damnation Go to him and you come to Life and to Everlasting Salvation For he ever liveth an High-priest to make Intercession for us Now the Inference follows in the next words SERMON IX 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 THese words of the Apostle contain the Inference which he makes of all that he had said before of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ He comes to this conclusion Wherefore Christ is able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God by him This Illative or word wherefore hath a reference to what was spoken before And also to what follows after For the Apostle having said before that Jesus Christ the Son of God is made a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck that he was not made a Priest by the Law of a Carnal Command but by the power of an endless Life That Christ was made a Priest by a solemn Oath The Lord hath Sworn and will not Repent thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck That Jesus Christ is made a surety of a better Testament That he endures and hath an unchangeable Priesthood Wherefore saith he he is able to save to the uttermost The Argument may be thus framed He that is the Eternal Son of God He that is a Priest for ever and made a Priest by the Oath of God He that hath an unchangeable Priesthood He that is the surety of a better Covenant He is able to save to the uttermost But all this is Jesus Christ Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto him But then The words have also a reference to what follows in the last clause of this Verse Seeing he ever liveth to maketh Intercession for them Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them And the Argument may also be framed He that ever liveth to make Intercession for them He is able to save all that come unto God by him So that both these conclusions are proved That Jesus Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him We begin with the first branch of this Text He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him These are the words I shall open and apply this Morning if God permit To save a Soul is a great work a great and glorious work All the powers of Heaven and Earth short of God cannot save a Soul The Devil can destroy Souls by the Righteous and Just Judgment of God And therefore hath that name given him which is opposite to Christ He is called Abaddon and Apollyon which signifies to destroy in Rev. 9. 11. The Devil I say can destroy Souls but he cannot save any he cannot save himself 'T is a great and glorious work to save a poor Soul This is only Christ's work And therefore he is called the Author of Eternal Salvation Heb. 5. 9. And being made perfect he became the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him the Author of Eternal Salvation There have been Temporal Saviours Men that God hath raised up in several Ages and Generations to deliver his People from the power of their Enemies when his People were in distress God did raise them up Saviours And it was accounted a very great Mercy to have a Temporal Saviour To have a Man of Faith and Courage as Sampson and Gideon and Barack and others that would appear for the Church in times of streights There is a Prophecy in Mic. 5. 5. speaking of Christ And this Man shall be the Peace when the Assyrian shall come into the Land and when he shall tread in our Palaces then shall we raise against him seven Shepherds and eight Principal Men that are worthy Instruments that shall rise up to oppose the Assyrians power The Assyrians power is made a Type of the Antichristian power God hath his principal Men and his principal Instruments to save his People These are under Christ But he only is the Author of Eternal Salvation And this Salvation this Eternal Salvation that Jesus Christ brings is an unspeakable mercy The very thoughts of it gives abundance of comfort If we do but consider what he saves us from and what he saves us to First What he saves us from He saves a poor sinner from his sin and from all the misery that comes along with it His name shall be called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins saith the Angel in Matth. 1. 24. He shall save his people from their sins i. e. from all those miseries that their sins bring upon them or would bring upon them For sin is the cause of all misery And to be saved from sin is to be saved from all misery What would the Devils in Hell give to be saved from their misery that their sin hath brought upon them What would the Rich Glutton in the Gospel give to be saved from his misery We are not aware what he saves us from Then if we consider what he saves us to or brings us to by this Salvation Christ brings us into his favour and grace brings us into that blessed state in Heaven where there is all safety and security and blessing where the Devil nor his Instruments can never break in upon us to intercept our peace Rev. 21. 9. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain To be brought into Communion with God with the holy Angels and with the glorified Saints and with Jesus Christ the Head of the Church An Everlasting Communion Oh the Salvation that our Lord Jesus Christ brings us to There is no solitude in Heaven Here we complain of a solitude and a solitary life We want company we want converse in the World But there will be an everlasting converse with the great God so far as our Natures are capable of coming near to him An everlasting converse with our Redeemer with the holy Angels and with the glorified Saints Who is able to express the Salvation our Lord Jesus Christ
you will object and say Did not God appoint Job to pray for his Friends and interceed for his Friends And did not Abraham pray for Sodom And they were sinners and yet they were injoined to pray for them For that we must distinguish between the Prayer of the Saints and the Intercession of a Mediator By the Intercession of Jesus Christ the Prayers of the Saints are accepted of God why Because they come to him as a reconciled God by Jesus Christ And their Prayers are made at the Throne of Grace But the Intercession of Jesus Christ is not to a reconciled God without Christ but to reconcile God by Christ by his Death and Suffering Christ he appears in the presence of God for us to present his Blood as the means of our reconciliation Jobs Prayer was not to make reconciliation between God and his Friends by his Merits But it was to draw out that Mercy he was willing to bestow upon them It became Jesus Christ to be Righteous to be our Advocate saith the Apostle If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous who is a Propitiation for our sins It was suteable to our condition that he that should appear in the presence of God for us should be perfectly Righteous But then here we have the purity of Christ set forth in four Branches 1. He is said to be Holy 2. Harmless 3. Undefiled And 4. Separate from Sinners And then we have his Exaltation follows in these words made higher than the Heavens These things we shall briefly explicate as God shall assist and then come to some Application First saith the Text He was Holy It became us to have such an High Priest who was Holy Now Holiness as it here stands in distinction from Undefilement it signifies that Holy Consecration which Christ was under in his Priestly Office For the Apostle hath reference in this word Holy unto the Holiness of the High Priest which was his dedication and consecration to God And therefore if you look into the 106. Psalm v. 16. You find there that Aaron is called the Saint of the Lord or the Holy one of God How is that Moses was as much the Saint of the Lord in respect of Spiritual Grace as Aaron was But this is not spoken in reference to their Graces but in reference to their Office Aaron was the Saint of the Lord the Holy one of God by Consecration For God took him out of Israel and set him apart for his Holy Service and as he was to approach to God he was to have Holiness written upon his Breast-plate as you may see Exod. 28. 36. Thou shalt make a Breast-plate of pure Gold and Grave upon it with the Engraveings of a Signet HOLINESS TO THE LORD This was to be Graven on the Breast-plate Holiness to the Lord because he was to go into the Holy of Holies where God manifested himself and God will be Sanctified by all those that draw near to him And therefore he must have a Breast-plate upon him with this Engraving upon it Holiness to the Lord. Why Because he was Consecrated to appear before the Holy God So when Christ is said to be Holy He is the person that is Sanctified and set apart to appear in the presence of God for us Therefore you have those words of our Saviour Joh. 17. 19. And for their sakes I Sanctifie my self that they also might be Sanctified through thy Truth What is the meaning of this Christ was Sanctified from the Womb by the Holy Spirit But saith he for their sakes I Sanctifie my self i. e. I do set my self apart for their service and do give up my self for their sakes to appear in the presence of God for them And such an High Priest became us who is Holy to appear in the presence of God for us Secondly The Text saith he is Harmless Every one of these four words have their particular signification All drives to this to set out the Lord Jesus Christ in his personal excellencies He is Harmless the word signifies one that never did any wrong and therefore in another place it is translated Innocent one that did no wrong either in thought word or deed And saith the Apostle He knew no sin 1 Cor. 5. and the latter end and saith the Apostle Peter there was no guile found in his Mouth 1 Pet. 2. 24. he was harmless He was one that could never be charged with wrong done to the Name of God or to the good of Man-kind he was Innocent and therefore when the Scribes that were his bitter Enemies and always Quarreling with him saith he in way of challenge he made against them which of you convinces me of Sin As if he should say you make great opposition against me of this and that but which of you convinces me of sin Joh. 8 46. and Joh. 14. 30. For the Prince of this World cometh and hath nothing in me If the Devil could have found any thing in Christ but Innocency he would have taken the advantage of him This is the second Branch of the purity of Christ He was Holy and Harmless Thirdly Vndefiled He was undefiled i. e. his Humane Nature was never polluted with Original Sin and Corruption never took hold on the Person of Jesus Christ so he is said to be undefiled We are unclean and we come into the World unclean But our Lord Jesus Christ tho' he took our Nature upon him yet he did not take the sinfulness of our Nature He was undefiled in respect of all Original Sin and Corruption there you read in the first of Luke when the Angel came to Mary to bring her the first Tidings of Christs conception and Birth he said to her in the 35 Verse The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall over-shadow thee Therefore the Holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God He was Holy Pure and Undefiled in his Conception David confessed in his Penitential Psalm That he was conceived in Sin and brought forth in Iniquity as all men are but our Lord Jesus Christ he was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost And he is Holy and Undefiled He hath nothing of the Corruption of Mans Nature upon him And that is his third excellency And then Fourthly It is said he is separate from Sinners This is still to hint out to us that he came not of the sinful Race of Mankind He came of the Race of Mankind but not of the sinful Race For God separated him from the sinful Race of Mankind The Man Christ Jesus separated from sinners i. e. from all sinners that came out of Adams Loins That tho' he was a Man he was separated from Man as a sinner separated from sinners But here it may be objected How can it be said that Christ was separated from sinners when he converst so much with sinners when he was here