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A53504
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Christ set forth in several sermons upon the 7th chapter to the Hebrews. By Mr. Robert Ottee, late pastor to a congregation in Beckles in Suffolk
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Ottee, Robert, d. 1690.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing O535; ESTC R213916
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87,424
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178
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he armed his three hundred and eighteen Servants and goes and ventures his life for their Rescue so that when Kindred and Relations and Friends are in any eminent danger or distress we are to venture far for their Rescue or Deliverance 3. That when people fall into distress and streights we ought to forget all former injuries unkindnesses and affronts and appear for their help and assistance For so did Abraham who appeared for the deliverance of Lot from whom he had formerly received affronts As you may see in Gen. 13. 7. and so on And there was a strife between the Herd-men of Abrahams Cattel and the Herd-men of Lots Cattel and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the Land And Abraham said Let there be no strife I pray thee between me and thee and between my Herd-men and thy Herdmen for we are Brethren See how calmly Abraham expostulates with Lot their Herd-men being at strife But Abraham a holy man said to Lot Is not the whole Land before thee separate thy self I pray thee from me if thou wilt take the left hand then I will go to the right or if thou depart to the right hand then I will go to the left He bid him chuse and take which side he would And Lot in a carnal manner looked not so much to the manners of the people as to conveniency and situation of the place He beheld the Plains of Jordan and that it was well watered every where and chose that way like many here amongst us who do not so much regard the people where they live or whether the Means of Grace be there as they do their carnal Interest and Profit But Abraham he gives him his choice and after these affronts offered to him went out to his Rescue when he was in distress And this we ought to do in the course of our lives if differences happen among Friends and Neighbours not to retain prejudices but be ready to help them in the time of their streights and necessities SERMON II. Hebrews 7. 1 2 3. For this Melchisedeck King of Salem Priest of the most high God who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all First being by interpretation King of Righteousness and after that also King of Salem which is King of Peace Without Father without Mother without descent having neither beginning of days nor end of life but made like unto the Son of God abideth a Priest continually YOU have already heard of this Melchisedeck King of Salem Priest of the most high God How he met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him c. Precious Mysteries are hidden under this name Melchisedeck King of Salem King of Peace which are here applied by our Apostle to Jesus Christ our great King and high Priest Something hath already been spoken about the person of Melchisedck As for his name it is interpreted in the 6th and 7th verses who he was and of his being King of Salem and Priest of the most high God How in this respect he was so great a type of Christ Something also hath been spoken of his meeting of Abraham when he returned from the slaughter of the Kings Abraham was a Believer and one of those that the Apostle speaks of in Heb. 11. who by Faith waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens And something hath been spoken of a just War And about the helping and succouring our Friends and Relations that are in distress And doing good to them that did wrong or injury to us as Abraham did to Lot who had injured him There is one passage more in this verse that must be opened and applied And that is Melchisedeck's blessing of Abraham This Priest of the most high God met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him And how he blessed him How he blessed Abraham It is set down at large in Gen. 19. It 's said there that he came and met him in a Princely manner brought Abraham Bread and Wine to refresh him and his men of their hard Warfare Labour and blessed him in the name of the most high God There is a Mystery contained in this Melchisedecks blessing of Abraham which at present we are to consider the reason why Melchisedeck met Abraham and blessed him after lie had returned from the slaughter of the Kings There are several Reasons which may be profitable for us to consider 1. That Melchisedeck was neighbour unto Abraham for he was King in Salem which bordered upon the Canaanites where Abraham dwelt and went forth out of that Countrey to war with the Kings And Melchisedeck as a Neighbour met him to congratulate good Abraham in his success For indeed Christian Nations are to rejoice when a common Enemy is cast down But that 's not all 2. Melchisedeck and Abraham were men of the same Religion they both worshipped the same God though the Country round about them were Heathens yet Abraham was the Servant of the most high God And Melchisedeck was the Priest of the most high God And always good men of the same Religion rejoice at the good success of each other Melchisedeck was not a man of an envious spirit at Abrahams good success in his undertaking but he could rejoice with him He did rejoice as the Apostle hath it in Rom. 12. v. 15. with them that did rejoice It is a hard and difficult thing to a corrupt nature to rejoice at the good success of our Neighbours or Brethren The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy if men have any great good success Men of corrupt Natures they are afraid they should out-shine them and go beyond them and therefore there is a bad spirit among men which cannot rejoice at others good at the success of other men if they have it not themselves But Melchisedeck being a gracious man and a Servant of God he did not envy Abrahams good success he did not fear Abrahams greatness but he goes out and meets him and blest him 3. The Third and most special reason why Melchisedeck goes out to bless Abraham was because that Melchisedeck was the Priest of the most high God and Abraham was a Believer a great Believer in the true God Abraham was the man with whom God had made a Covenant and therefore in the 7th ver of this chap. it is said that Melchisedeck blessed him that had the promise How had Abraham received the Promise Why God singles him out of his Fathers Country and brings him into a strange Place and makes a Covenant with him and gives him a promise of a Seed in which all the Nations of the Earth shall be blessed Now that Abrahams Faith might be firm in believing Gods promises it is said in the 6th of the Heb. 13. For when God made promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he swore
by himself Now we may conceive Melchisedeck knew all this and he went forth to meet him and blessed him that had received the Promise for he knew by the Spirit of God that Abraham was the Father of the Faithful and that in his Seed all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed and therefore he went out to bless him Now this is useful to us to all the Faithful for their comfort that are of the Seed of Abraham that they are under the blessing of the Priest of the most high God who was a Type of our Lord Jesus Christ and they shall be blessed Melchisedeck he did but act the part of our Lord Jesus Christ in blessing of a Believer for they are blessed by Christ and blessed with all Spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus therefore in the 24. of Luke you read that when Christ was ready to Ascend to Heaven in the 50. ver He led them as far as Bethany and laid his hands upon them and blessed them Here you have the Lord Jesus Christ who was Typified by this Melchisedeck he is blessing his own Disciples before his Ascention and after his Ascention he sent down his blessing which you read of in the 4. of the Ephesians He gave gifts unto men and all for the perfecting and edifying of the body of Christ Now the blessing of Christ both in the Type and in the Anti-type is of great Use to all Believers against the Curse of prophane men for these whom our great Melchisedeck blesses shall never receive a curse It is the way of the World to Curse the People of God and to imprecate all evil upon them and no doubt but there will be found a sort of men at this day that Curse the people of God But our great high Priest will preserve them the blessing of our Lord Jesus is with them and goes along with them Numb 23. 23. There is no Inchantment against Jacob nor no Divination against Israel therefore Moses tells the Children of God in the 23. Duteronomy and the beginning You shall remember how Balak the King of Moab hired Balaam to Curse you nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken to Balaam When you hear of Idolaters and Prophane men Cursing the People of God and Cursing of them that keep close to God you may know this that those people are under the blessing of our great Melchisedeck This you may observe from Melchisedeck's blessing of Abraham Come we now to the Second verse to consider Melchisedecks Place and Office Now saith the Apostle in the 2d verse to whom also Abraham gave a Tenth of all First being by interpretation King of Righteousness and after that also King of Salem which is King of Peace 1. We have here what Abraham did for Melchisedeck And then we have the Mystery brought in i. e. in Melchisedecks Name and Title 1. What Abraham did He gave him a Tenth part of all the spoil of the Four Kings that had Plundred the Country round about and this he gave to him as he was the Priest of the most high God and as one that was in that Sacred Office And here I might take occasion to shew and observe That the Ministers of God ought to have maintainance allowed means For so Abraham did he allowed this great Minister a Tenth part Before the Law of Moses you shall find that Jacob Vowed a Vow to God that he would give the Tenths of all his increase to him Gen. 28. and the last verse How is that He would not give it to God himself no but the meaning is he would give it to those that belonged to God I know it hath been a long dispute whether Tenths or Tythes ought to be continued any longer or any more than Altars and Sacrifices in a Reformed Christian Church I shall not determine that but this we may all be assured of that if Tythes or Tenths be of the Ceremonial Law and so are abolished yet the moral equity is to abide to the end of the World That those that Minister at Gods Altar should have honourable and comfortable maintainance I confess I never delighted to insist upon such Doctrin as this is nor shall I at this time but because it lies in my way let me give you a few hints If you lay aside the Old Testament in this matter there is nothing more frequently urged in the New Testament the Epistle to the Galatians the 6 and the 6. Let him that is taught in the Word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things so did Abraham he gave Tythes of all i. e. of all sorts of things that he took from the Kings after his Conquest And the Apostle in the 1 to the Corinthians the 9. and the 13. ver saith Do you not know that they which Minister about Holy things live of the things of the Temple And they which wait at the Altar are partakers with the Altar And the Apostle gives a special charge to Timothy who was a Minister in the 1st Epistle to Timothy 4. 13. To give attendance to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrin meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them not to Farming Buying Selling and Trading but give thy self to these things spend thy time in these things But some will say Paul wrought with his hand 'T is true but it was upon a particular occasion And saith he I have power to forbear working And he tells the people of Corinth I have taken Wages of other Churches He calls his Maintainance Wages because it was for Work done And tho' there be a sort of Men that are ready to call these men hirelings that take allowance for their Labour you may see what our Saviour saith to his Disciples in the 10th of Luke and the 7th ver saith he The Labourer is worthy of his Hire and if so they may call the Disciples of Christ Hirelings There is a sort of men that looks upon Ministers maintainance to be a matter of Liberty and Charity and if they be poor they should consider them because of their Poverty sake and not for their Work sake but this is to abase the Doctrin of the Gospel God is my Witness I speak not these things from a greedy covetous disposition to increase my own maintainance but I speak it for your profit But there is one thing to be Observed in Abrahams giving the Tenths to Melchisedeck which is of special Use to us all That is he gave the Tythes of all to Melchisedeck and took nothing for himself for if you read in the 14. of Gen. when the King of Sodom offered him to take of the spoil in the 22. ver said Abraham I will not take from a Thread even to a Shoe-latchet I will not take any thing that is thine lest thou shouldest say I have made Abraham rich Here you may observe Abrahams Piety and Justice he would give unto God his due but would take nothing for himself Why so Is