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
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
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
We begin with the first verse This Melchisedeck saith the Apostle was King of Salem and Priest of the most high God Here is his Office It is much disputed amongst many who this Melchisedeck was Some have thought him to be an Angel because 't is said he was without Father and without Mother and without descent But that is clearly answered and confuted by the Apostle in the 5th chapter and the 1st and 2d verses For every High Priest was to be taken from among men not from among Angels but from among men And therefore Melchisedeck was a man and not an Angel And whereas it is said that he was without Father without Mother without descent which leads to that Opinion that he was no man That is spoken of him as to his Genealogy For it was the Custom of the Jews to keep Genealogies and Records of their Parentage in the Church that they might read them in their Church-Book But Melchisedeck had not this Record But he was a man and the most received Opinion is that this Melchisedeck was Shem the Son of Noah For you know that Noah had three Sons Shem Ham and Japheth These three Sons replenished the whole Earth after the Flood as you may read in Gen. 9. 18 19. And that this Melchisedeck was Shem and had his Name given him afterward Melchisedeck from his Kingdom and Goodness and the reasons for it are these First of all Shem lived Six hundred years he lived a Hundred years before the Flood and Five hundred years after the Flood as you may see in the 11 of Gen. the 10 and 11. verses He was One hundred years before the Flood and Five hundred years after it when the World was planted again and this is given as a reason why his Genealogy could not be found for the Flood destroyed all Persons but a few and their Records and Genealogies might be lost The Second reason given for Shems being this Melchisedeck is That he was the Person that in the 9th of Gen. God stiled him self the Lord God of Shem the 26. verse Thirdly Shem the Son of Noah had the Promise made to him as you may read in that 9th of Gen. he had the Promise of Propagating the Church of God and therefore it is said God shall perswade Japheth to dwell in the Tents of Shem and Shem was great Grand-sire to Abraham for Abrahams stock did spring out of this root of Shem. Fourthly Another reason is this that of this Son of Noah of his stock came Christ according to the Flesh that you have in the Third of Luke speaking of the Genealogy of Christ according to the Flesh the 36th verse Which was the Son of Shem which was the Son Noah so that Christs Genealogy according to the Flesh is reckoned from Shem and for these Reasons it is most generally believed that this Melchisedeck was Shem the Son of Noah but whether that be so or no he was a Man for he could not be an Angel because he was a great and honourable Person in the World in whom the Propagation of the Church consisted Now we must not only consider his Person but his Place KING OF SALEM What is that Country Salem It was a Country that bordered upon the Land of Canaan where Abraham Sojourned and this Country of Salem bordered upon Canaan and in this place was the Temple built afterward and the City of Jerusalem For you must know Jerusalem is a word compounded of two words Jeru and Salem Salem is the latter part of the word Jerusalem Jeru signifies God will provide It is the same word which Abraham said to his Son when he was Offering him up for a Sacrifice he said God will provide and Salem signifies Peace as you may see in the 76 Psal in the 1 and 2. ver In Judah God is known in Salem is his Tabernacle i. e. in Jerusalem Now of this Place Melchisedeck was King He was King of that Country that bordered upon Canaan and he was Priest of the most High God Here he Governed as King and here he Governed as a Magistrate and here he kept up the Word of God as a Minister Hence you may observe That God would never in any Age of the World let his true Worship fall in the World but there should be some to keep it up Here you have a Melchisedeck that was King of Salem that kept up the true Worship in the Land of Canaan he kept up the Name of the most high and great God So that we may comfort our selves with this that God will never let his Worship fall to the ground This Melchisedeck was King of Salem and Priest of the most High God King of Salem There is a Mystery in that it is said he was Priest of the most high God and for this reason good Abraham shewed him that respect he did as to give him the Tenths of all the Spoils If Mechisedeck had been a Priest of Baal or of an Idol God Abraham would have turned his back upon him for it is the property of Godly men to bear their Testimonies against Idol-priests and from hence we may briefly take notice of this from Abrahams practice to shew our respects to the Ministers of God who faithfully labour in the Word and Doctrin But that which I would chiefly take notice of in this branch of the Text is this He is stiled Priest of the most high God that is one of the glorious Titles of our Lord Jesus Christ The Scripture speaks much of God as the most high in the 113. Psal 2 3 4. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore from the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same the Lords Name is to be praised The Lord is high above all Nations c. The most high God This should teach us to use the Name of God always with a holy awfull Reverence not to speak of God as you do of Man You know Men look for their Titles when they come into place of greatness and honour they will be called your Highness and your Majesty and the like Shall we speak so to Man And shall we not speak to the most high God with an awful Reverence and Fear Our Lord Jesus Christ though he was the Son of God and equal with God yet taking upon him our nature when he comes to speak to God the Father he speaks with a holy Reverence Holy Father Our Lord Jesus Christ remembred the greatness of God the Father I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth Matt. 11. 25. So when he spoke to his Disciples about Prayer saith he Pray to your Father in Heaven all this is to shew how we must use the holy Name of God with Reverence There is a passage in Malachi where the Lord rebuked his People that carried it irreverently under his service For I am a great King saith the Lord of Hosts and my Name is dreadful among
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
people that if they are able to give to the Ministers they think themselves as great as the Minister Whereas all those gifts are but as Tributes Prov. 3. 10. Honour the Lord with all thy Substance and with the first Fruits of all thy Increase so shall thy Barns be filled with plenty and thy Press burst forth with new Wine Thus Abraham he had got a great Spoil from the Enemies He honoured God with the substance he had got and he carried it to Melchisedeck and gives it him as Tribute due to God and expected a blessing thereupon Many people complain of their streights and losses when they come to render God his due But here is the promise Honour the Lord with thy Substance so shall thy Barns be filled with plenty and thy Press burst forth with new Wine The more you take from the heap the more you add to the blessing of of what you have I will but read that passage in Mal. 3. 8 9 10. Will a man rob God Yet ye have robbed me but ye say Wherein have we robbed thee In Tythes and Offerings Ye are Cursed with a Curse for ye have robbed me even this whole Nation Bring ye all the Tythes into the Store-house that there may be Meat in mine House and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts if I will not open to you the Windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it Commonly blessings fall upon such Families as make Conscience of these things Abraham the Patriarch gave unto Melchisedeck the Tenths of the Spoils This is the First thing to shew Mechisedeck's greatness that he received Gods Tribute In the next place the Apostle goes on and compares this Melchisedeck with the Tribe of Levi Now saith he in the 5. ver they that are of the Sons of Levi Who are they Why Levi was one of the Sons of Jacob and the third Son that he had by his Wife Leah Of this House God raised the Priesthood of Aaron God set that Tribe apart for his holy Service and appointed them their maintainance for though they had as good a right to the Land of Canaan as any of the other Tribes had yet when God comes to share the Land among the Twelve Tribes he would give no part of it to the Tribe of Levi But he would be their portion in the 18. Numb 20. And the Lord spake unto Aaron Thou shalt have no Inheritance in their Land neither shalt thou have any part among them I am thy part and thy Inheritance among the Children of Israel Why would not God give them a part of the Land Because God would have them to attend upon the Service of the Tabernacle and the Commandment was that they should have the Tenths They should not follow secular Callings and Imployments as other people did but they should spend their days in the Service of the Tabernacle The moral equity whereof still abideth though the Ceremonies be abolished But then it is said that this Melchisedeck that received Tythes from Abraham his descent was not to be accounted from them that is from Abraham or from the Tribe of Levi he was without descent We know not certainly what Parentage he was of Only God had a mind to set up another Priesthood than that of Levi which our Lord Jesus Christ shall keep up which shall not be in that Line that was to die but this shall live for ever He whose descent was not from them blessed him that had the promises and without all controversie the lesser is blessed of the greater who had the promises Why the Patriarch Abraham he is the Person here meant He is singled out to be the Father of the Church For Abraham was set up of God above all men then living in the World to be the Head and Father of the visible Church of the Jews that was to come that was a people separated from all the World besides for many Ages and Generations And Abraham was not only made the Father and Head of them the visible Church of the Jews but of the invisible of Believers to the end of the World they are all to be planted in and by the Faith that was in Abraham according to the promise Rom. 4. 11. He received the sign of Circumcision a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith which he had yet being Uncircumcised that he might be the Father of all them that Believe though they be not Circumcised that Righteousness might be imputed to them also Hence you have it that when the Saints die in Scripture they are said to go to Abrahams Bosom Lazarus died and was carried by Angels into Abrahams Bosom And saith our saviour They shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven Abraham was the Father of all Believers all Believers take hold of that Covenant and are United with Abraham in that Glory that follows Faith Therefore Melchisedeck was a great man to receive Gods Tribute and to bless him that had the Promise It was a great dignity to Abraham and his Seed to have the promise If a man have not an interest in Gods promises he is nothing though he seems to have all Let Worldly men boast of their Honours Wealth and Dignities yet if they have not a right to Gods promises they are never the better This was Abrahams dignity that he had the blessing for himself and for his Posterity and for all that should Believe in Jesus Christ 'T is a great mercy to have Gods promises For this should teach Three things The First is To take up all our mercies in a way of promise Godliness hath the promise of this Life that now is and of that which is to come saith the Apostle Observe this he that takes up his mercies only in a way of common Providence hath a common Heart in the Use of them but he that takes up his mercies by Faith in the way of Gods promises hath a Spiritual Heart in the Use of them This was Abrahams blessing that what he received was in the way of promise It was this that made the Children of Isaac so blessed when the Son of Ishmael was not because the Son Isaac was the Son of the promise Secondly If Believers have the promise This teacheth them contentment under streights and present wants of Temporal things for the Grave will soon bury all those things but the promises for the Soul live for ever bless God therefore for promises And Thirdly This teacheth us to live upon Gods promises and to plead them as our afflictions and streights are upon us I say to live upon promises and to plead promises for we have no other hold upon the holy God but by his promises Some Christians do wait in their afflictions for the in-comings of a promise I speak not against the in-comings of a promise for there is
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
defend his Church In Gen. 49. there you have old Jacob blessing of the Tribe of Judah and Prophecying that Christ should come out of that Tribe The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his Feet until Shiloh come and unto him shall be the gathering of the People The Scepter shall not depart from Judah that is the Kingly power and Government That Tribe did hold it till Christ came in the Flesh and then Herod Reigned who was not of the Tribe of Judah This was old Jacobs Prophecy that our Lord Jesus Christ should come out of Judah And why so This makes him not only a Priest but a Royal Prophet and this was according to the promise made to David Thy House and thy Kingdom shall be established for ever before me Thy Throne shall be established for ever i. e. in his Son that is Christ who came of the Seed of David so that he is a King and a Prophet in that he came of the Seed of David Come we now to the Observations that are plain from this Verse which I have read The 13. ver saith the Apostle For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another Tribe of which no man gave attendance at the Altar not one man of the Tribe of Judah did Minister at Gods Altar Hence we are First to observe That according to that order which God hath set among men no man is to intermeddle with business out of his place For the Tribe of Judah having no part of the Levitical Office no man of them might presume to give attendance at the Altar Solomon tells us That it is the wisdom of the prudent to understand his way but every fool will be medling It is the wisdom of a Man to understand his way i. e. to know what God calls him to and to mind his own work and his proper business in his calling and place The Apostle gives this direction to the Church of the Thessalonians 1 Thess 4. 11. Study to be quiet and to do your own business It is a great point of Godly wisdom to give attendance to what God calls them to and not to meddle with that which God has not called them to There are some that are reproved from this first observation Such as have given attendance to publick Work and to Preaching and also to Trading to as if the work of the Gospel were not sufficient for one man There is nothing more plain in Scripture than this that those whom God hath set to the work of the Ministry are exempted from other Worldly Trades and Callings It hath been an abuse in this Nation to think that men may Trade and Buy and Sell and run into all Worldly business and yet undertake the Preaching of the Gospel Yea some that are called the regular Clergy yet give themselves too much to Farming Buying and Selling and Secular Imployments this doth come short of their Calling for mind what the Apostle saith to Timothy in 1 Tim. 4. 13. Till I come give thy self to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrin So that you see it is the wisdom of a man to understand what they are Called to No man gave attendance to the work of the Altar but they that were of the Altar And let me tell you this God hath often had a special respect to them whom he found in their Callings and hath chosen them to more eminent Services You read when Moses was keeping his Fathers Sheep being in his Calling the Lord appeared to him in the Bush And when God set up another Prophet in the room of Elijah he takes another Prophet who was in his Calling he was Ploughing in the Field So in Zechariah when the Angel appeared to him he was found in his Calling God hath always delighted to own men in their Callings and to find them therein And why did not the Tribe of Judah give attendance unto the Work of the Altar The Apostle gives the reason in the 14. ver because Moses spake nothing concerning that Priest-hood How Moses Moses was the man by whom God revealed his mind in the Old Testament and there was no other Prophet for the leading of the Church in that matter Now Moses when he comes to reveal the mind and will of God concerning the Tabernacle and Priest-hood Moses said nothing of the Tribe of Judah Whence observe Secondly That we must not meddle with any thing in the Worship of God without a Divine Warrant from him we must have a Warrant for what we do in the Worship of God The Tribe of Judah would not meddle with any thing in the Worship of God because they had no Warrant from God for it This therefore is to be observed That those that bring in Popish and Superstitious Inventions we may say of them Moses nor any of the Prophets in Scripture speak any thing concerning these things and therefore we look upon the Papists as to their Superstitions to be of an Unscriptural Religion For what Apostle or what Prophet said any thing for the Worshipping of Images Or what Apostle or what Prophet said any thing to warrant the Praying in an unknown Tongue What Prophet or Apostle or Pen-man of Scripture hath said any thing concerning the Sacrifice of the Mass for the Living and the Dead Oh filthy trash What Prophet or Apostle or Pen-man of the Scripture hath said any thing concerning Praying Souls out of Purgatory or to have Mass read for them What Prophet or Apostle or Christ himself said any thing of Purgatory or Crossing themselves or their Childish Crosses and Beads Of these Popish Superstitions as it is here said so we may say of that God hath said nothing in all his Word for these Superstitious things And therefore the people of God must never meddle with these things and if you be tempted or sollicited to any Ceremony ask the Question Have Moses or the Prophets or Christ or his Apostles said any thing to this matter that you are so Zealous for Oh search the Scripture and what you find there you are to practise in Faith and in the fear of God Isaiah 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them The Third thing observable in this Text is the Title that is given to our Saviour Jesus Christ in the 14. ver It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah our Lord Why doth he say our Lord To teach us that we must never speak of Jesus Christ or think of him without an awful fear and reverence for he is our Lord our great Lord He is so by reason of his Deity and because of the Fathers Ordination for he hath set his Son upon his holy Hill Zion as King Psal 2. and in Eph. 1. 22. the Apostle tells us he is made the Head over all things to his Church surely then he is a great Lord. And from this
Oath The Lord sware and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck These words are taken out of Psal 110. 4. Now for an Oath we must consider there are two sorts of Oaths vain and prophane Oaths and sacred Oaths As for vain and prophane Oaths which men use in their common talk are especially forbidden in the third Commandment Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain To swear lightly and vainly by the name of God or by their Faith and Troth these are great provocations to the Lord. As you may see in Jer. 23. 10. For the Land is full of Adulterers for because of swearing the Land mourneth the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up Prophane swearing and false swearing which is a common thing among your bad people causeth the Land to mourn But then as there is a prophane and vain and common swearing which brings a Curse along with it so there is a sacred swearing and that is when men are lawfully called thereto to confirm a testimony An Oath for confirmation is the end of all strife saith the Apostle Now this holy and sacred swearing is here attributed to God the Father concerning the Priesthood of his Son Jesus Christ And you may observe in Scripture that God is said to swear two ways 1. Sometimes he swears in his wrath to confirm his threatnings and often in his mercy to confirm his promise 1. Sometimes God is said to swear in his wrath to confirm his threatnings As you may see Heb. 3. 11. In v. 10. saith he I was grieved with that generation they do always err in their hearts So I sware in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest Mind it The people were now in the wilderness and they were going into the Land of Canaan the Land of Rest the Land of Promise but they grew so bad and so provoking to God whilst they lived upon his mercy in the wilderness that at last God sware they should not enter into his Rest the Land of Canaan God confirmed by an Oath why by an Oath to drive them to the more terrour to take them off from their presumption God threatned they should not enter into his Rest and he confirms it by an Oath that they may have no hopes of entring into his Rest But 2. Often in Scripture God is said to swear in mercy for the confirming of his promise that his people might have stronger consolation Not but that Gods promise of it self is sure But he condescends to our weakness that we might have stronger consolation See Heb. 6. 17 18. Wherein God more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an Oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have strong consolation You see here the Apostle declares the end of Gods adding an Oath to his Promise That Believers might have more comfort that their hearts might be strengthned and their patience might be strengthned till the promise was accomplished He sware by himself because he could swear by no greater he sware by himself Mind that When men swear to confirm a thing they swear by the Great God who knows their ways and thoughts And so they are said to swear by a greater But because God could not swear by a greater saith the Apostle he sware by himself For this was one of the titles of God the Great God When the poor Heathens that had not the Scriptures they by the light of Nature sware by God who made Heaven and Earth Under the title of Optimus Maximus that was the term they gave the great God the best of the great Gods Now because God could not swear by a greater he sware by himself that he would bless Abraham and all the faithful And here in the Text when he is setting up his Son the Lord Jesus Christ as our great High-priest that we might have greater consolation it 's said The Lord sware and will not repent We know God cannot repent both words are true for the Lord is not as man that he should repent Why doth David and the Apostle after him take up these words The Lord hath sworn and will not repent I answer there is a special Emphasis in it First of all God speaks thus of himself after the manner of men that we might be put out of all doubt of his truth and faithfulness For though he is most unchangeable in his words in his promises and in his purposes as the Apostle James hath it James 1. 17. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning God is immutable But he speaks thus after the manner of men that we might be put out of all doubt that he will not repent Secondly There is still a higher intendment of the Holy Ghost in these words The Lord hath sworn and he will not repent i. e. He will never abrogate or disannul the Priestly Office of Christ as he did that of Aaron For so you read in the words before which were spoken to the last day God did abrogate and did make void the Covenant concerning the Levitical Priesthood But now he will never revoke this or disannul this He hath sworn and will never repent Though God be unchangeable yet we find in Scripture that he sometimes revokes his threatnings and calls them back again As for example God threatned by Jonah that Nineveh should be destroyed in forty days But God revoked it because there was a tacit condition in the threatning therefore he revoked it So when God sent Hezekiah the Message concerning his death he sent his Prophet to him to bid him set his house in order For saith he in the name of the Lord thou shalt die and not live Yet upon Hezekiahs humbling himself by prayer the Lord called back that word again and added to Hezekiahs life fifteen years In this sense the Prophet Joel is to be understood You find in chap. 2. in the last part of it that the Lord threatens dreadful Judgments to the people Now in verse 12 13. saith the Prophet Wherefore also now thus saith the Lord Turn ye even to me with all your hearts with fasting and with weeping and with mourning rent your hearts and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil Who knows if he will repent and return and leave a blessing behind As if he should say The threatning is gone forth for your destruction but if ye will return unto God who knows but that he will repent and leave a blessing behind That is he may call in his Threatnings and alter his Dispensation So that
But our Lord Jesus Christ as he is the Priest of God as he is the Surety of a better Covenant as he offered himself a Sacrifice for sin he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him And so we come to this Where we have a Limitation in respect of the blessings of Christs Death It is for all that come unto God by him Not but that Christ is able to save all Mankind The dignity of his person God-Man The Merit of his Suffering sufficient to save all Mankind But this Limitation shews That none had benefit by Christ but those that come unto God by him It is one thing to be able to save and another thing for people to have the benefit of that Salvation Suppose a man be able to save all the poor in the Town yet none have the benefit of it but those that come to him for their relief There is a great deal of difference between Ability and Benefit So our Lord Jesus Christ is able to save to the uttermost but it is them that come unto God by him that are saved Not that there is any Merit in our coming to God For what Merit is there in Beggars coming for an Alms We come to God by Christ as Beggars for an Alms. But still we must come and we must come by Jesus Christ if we will have any benefit by his Salvation There are multitudes of people in the World whose case is very deplorable Jews Turks and Heathens they all have their Devotions grounded upon something The Jews come to God according to the Jewish way The Turks have their coming to God for the great Article of their Faith We believe there is is one only true God And the Heathens have their way of coming to God But because none of these have their coming to God by Jesus Christ therefore they have no benefit by Jesus Christ The Papists who prove the Christian Faith do run a great hazard of their Salvation by coming to God by other Mediators than by Jesus Christ For the blessed Saints and the Virgin Mary are not able to save and be a Mediator for them 1 Tim. 2. 5. For there is but one God and one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus So that here you have the Limitation of that Salvation which is by Christ He is able to save all to the uttermost that come unto God by him But then you will say What are we to understand by the phrase of coming to God by Jesus Christ What is meant by coming I answer Coming is a metaphorical word translated from the Body to the Soul As thus the Body hath its motion you know it goes and comes this or that way So the Soul of Man hath its motion it goes or comes it goes to God or comes from God Now coming in Scripture when it is applied to God and Christ it always imports a believing a trusting in a resting upon God in Jesus Christ For Faith is the foot of a Soul by which the Soul is coming unto God It brings the Soul to Christ to take up with him It is the same with coming unto the Throne of Grace Heb. 4. 16. Let us come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need i. e. Let our Souls go out to Gods Grace in Christ and there Rest As Unbelief is called a departing from the Living God Heb. 3. and the latter end Now you know what it is to depart from God It is when you cast off all hope and trusting in him When your hearts run out to sin and grow dead towards God when you have no delight in keeping up Communion with him this is a departing from him So coming to him is an act of the Soul whereby the Soul goes out to him in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Sacrifice for sin The Soul goes out to him by Faith and rests upon him by such a Faith as doth purifie the heart and reform the life Many that are called Christians they have a notion by which they greatly deceive themselves And that is this They think and say that God is merciful that Jesus Christ died for sinners and therefore tho' they be strangers to the life of Faith and have lived in much Ignorance yet they say they doubt not of their Salvation for God is merciful and Christ died for sinners As it is true that God is merciful beyond all our apprehensions And it is also true that Jesus Christ died for sinners Yet the Scripture must be believed It is only for such sinners as have a Coming-faith to him such a Faith as may unite their Souls to him For mind it You read in Luke 14. where our Saviour compares the Grace of God in the Salvation of poor sinners to a man that made a great Supper for his Guests and invited them but when they all refused to come read v. 24. I say unto you None of them that were bidden shall taste of my Supper Why shall they not taste of it Why because they refused to come upon his Invitation and therefore none of them which were bidden shall taste of my Supper This is to shadow out Gods way with poor slighty sinners That Soul that is taken up with his Farm and Oxen the Lord saith he shall not taste of his Supper You must not therefore rest in general notions For as it is one of the greatest miseries in the World to want a coming-heart to Christ so on the other hand it is one of the greatest mercies that we can enjoy in this life to have a coming-heart to Jesus Christ to have a heart going out to Jesus Christ It is very observable what our Lord Jesus Christ spake in Matth. 7. He tells us In the last days there will be many come to seek admittance into his Kingdom for what they had done In v. 22. Many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils in thy Name have done many wonderful works Then will I profess to them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity Christ will say I never knew them How is this to be understood Pray consider Christ knew all men He did know the persons of these men that did come and plead thus with him But when he said he never knew them his meaning is he never had any Communion with him and they did never come to him and act Faith in him Our Lord will say at the great day You talk of Gifts and Parts and Service but I never had your hearts And therefore it is a great mercy to have a heart to come to Jesus Christ to live that life we live in the flesh in the Faith of the Son of God Come we now to some Application and that is of Direction to poor sinners that are strangers to
who is a propitiation for our Sins We have an Advocate that is we have one that stands up for us in our stead and appears on our side Also it hath reference to a Favourite of the Kings Court that is oft in the Kings presence and ready to speak for his Friend So Joseph was an Intercessor for his Father and Brethren unto King Pharaoh when they came into the Land of Egypt Gen. 47. Joseph was a Favourite of the King of Egypt And he appeared in the presence of the King for his Father and Brethren You shall find the Prophet Elijah offers to make himself an Intercessor to the King for the Shunamitish Woman 2 King 4. 13. Wouldst thou be spoken for to the King In this sense Jesus Christ is said to be our Intecessor He is said to appear in the 〈◊〉 of God for us Heb. 9. 24. For Christ is not entred 〈◊〉 the Holy places which are the figures of the true 〈◊〉 into Heaven it self Now to appear in the presence of God for us and to make Intercession for us This is not to be understood as if Jesus Christ in Heaven did prosâ—rate himself to the Father for us and make actual prayers for us It is not so to be understood In the days of his Flesh he sent up strong cryes to God in his state of Humiliation Heb. 5. 7. but it is not agreeable to his state of Glory that Jesus Christ should now send up Prayers and Supplications to God for us But when it is said that he appears in the presence of God for us and makes Intercession for us the meaning is this That he doth present himself in Heaven as our Surety and as our Sacrifice and as one that hath made satisfaction to all the demands of the Law and also manifesting his Will That all that come unto God by him should have the benefit of his Death He doth appear before God as the Sacrifice for our sins that the benefit may come to every Soul that come unto God by him that is the meaning Therefore it is said Heb. 12. 24. The Apostle tells them they are come to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel Abels blood did speak when Abel said nothing his blood did speak and cry And so the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ speaketh his Death speaketh His Suffering speaketh That is always before the Holy God for an expiatory Sacrifice for sin to them that believe on him An Expiatory Sacrifice And this was typified of old by the High-priests carrying the Blood of the Sacrifice into the most Holy place sprinkling that Blood upon the Mercy-seat see Levit. 16. 15. Then shall he kill the Goat of the Sin-offering that is for the People and bring his Blood within the Vail and do with that Blood as he did with the Blood of the Bullock and sprinkle it upon the Mercy-seat When the Priests of old did kill the Offering whether it was a Goat or whether it was a Bullock he was to take of the Blood of the Beast and carry it within the Vail What is that You must know that in the Temple there were three parts there was the outward Court which the Gentiles might come into as well as the Jews then there was the Temple where the people generally went to Pray and where the Sacrifices were slain and then there was the third place which was called the most Holy place the Sanctum Sanctorum and that was separated by the Vail the Vail was drawn before it and when the Priest had Offered the Blood of the Sacrifice he was to go within the Vail where was the Mercy-seat and where God did give his Answers to his Peoples Requests and this Blood of the Sacrifice was to be sprinkled upon the Mercy-seat Why so Why to signifie that God would shew Mercy unto his People by way of Atonement and Sacrifice that he would shew them Mercy that way because of the uncleanness of the Children of Men therefore God would have no Communion with them but by the Blood of Atonement And this was a Type of Heaven it self Christ saith the Apostle is gone into the most Holy place to Heaven it self there to appear in the presence of God for us And as the High-priest of old did carry the Blood of the Sacrifice into the most Holy place on Earth so our Lord Jesus Christ did carry his Blood into Heaven which is the most Holy place of all which speaks better things than the Blood of Abel which cries for vengeance but the Blood of Jesus Christ calls for mercy for every one that comes to God by him This is the meaning of his making intercession for us But now in the Third place Why doth the Apostle say in the Text that Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Why is Christs ability to save us put upon his ever living to make intercession The Scripture mind it doth lay a great stress here and the weight and burden of our Salvation is laid in this upon Christs ever living to plead and maintain the great end of his death and suffering for poor sinners he ever liveth and the Reasons are these First If Jesus had died and never rose again our hopes of Salvation by him had perished with him and been buried in his Crave If Christ had died and never rose again our hopes of Salvation by him had died also and been buried in the Grave with him Mind what the Apostle speaks to this purpose 1 Cor. 15. 14. If Christ be not risen then is our Preaching in vain and your Faith is also vain If Christ be not risen our Preaching is in vain How is that Our preaching Salvation by Jesus Christ is in vain it is to no purpose if he be a dead man still and your Faith is vain your Believing in him is vain if he be in the state of death still Why so Because in the Grave there is no work nor no knowledge the dead know nothing the dead can do nothing therefore if Jesus Christ were in the state of Death if he were in the Grave and not risen again it is in vain for us to preach Salvation by Jesus Christ and your believing in him for Salvation is vain But in as much as he ever liveth and is come out of the state of Death he is able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God by him You may observe in Scripture that that time that our Saviour Christ died and was laid in the Grave his Disciples and Followers on Earth their hopes died with him as you may read in Luk. 24. of the two Disciples going to Emmaus what a sad discourse they had together when Christ asked them what communication they had together they said unto him Concerning one Jesus of Nazareth which