He ever liveth to make intercession for them 1. HEE showeth the Fruite of Christ's keeping still the Priesthoode altogether in his owne person to bee The perfect Salvation of all Believers for ever Hee is able to saue to the vttermost them that come vnto GOD through Him THEN 1. Who-so-ever communicateth Christ's Priesthoode with anie other beside his owne person maketh Christ not able alone to saue to the vttermost those that come vnto GOD through Him 2. From this ground also it doeth followe that Christ not onelie beginneth the Believers salvation but perfecteth it also Hee doeth not worke a parte of a man's salvation and leaue the rest to his owne merites or the merites of others but perfecteth it Himselfe even to the vttermoste 3. And if a man joyne anie thing meritorious vnto Christ's Priesthoode or anie Mediator for intercession beside him or seeketh by his owne workes to purchase salvation hee denyeth Christ to bee able to saue him to the vttermoste 2. Hee descrybeth Believers to bee those that come to GOD through CHRIST THEN 1. Christ is the Doore and the Way through which onelie Accesse is gotten to GOD. By Saynctes or Angels there is not a way to come to GOD but by Christ onelie 2. They that come not through Him alone to GOD seclude themselues from the sufficiencie of salvation to bee had in Him 3. The nature of Believing is to make a man come towardes GOD to get communion with Him through Christ. 4. And none but such as come in Fayth to GOD through Christ can take comfort from His Priesthoode or looke for salvation 3. Hee giveth a Reason why perfect Salvation is to bee had for such as come to GOD through CHRIST Because Hee liveth for ever to make intercession for them Hee sayeth not To offer or cause offer vp the Sacrifice of his bodie for them But Hee liveth and is not to bee offered anie more and liveth to make intercession THEN 1. The sacrificing parte is done and ended His intercession hath now the place and by His intercession wee get the Merite of His Death and Passion applyed vnto vs and not by anie newe Oblation 2. If Hee brooke His lyfe Hee will not fayle to intercede for vs who come vnto GOD through Him and not through Saynct or Angell or anie person beside For Hee liveth for ever to make intercession for vs. Vers. 26. For such an High Priest became vs who is holie harmlesse vndefiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens TO the ende hee may force the Hebrewes to forsake the Priesthood of Levi hee draweth a strong Reason from the nature of our Estate vnder the Gospell where-by hee prooveth not onelie that the priests of Aaron 's Order are abolished but also everie sonne of Adam is excluded from the Office of the Priesthood except IESVS CHRIST in his owne person onelie Because everie Priest that wanteth the properties of IESVS CHRIST is vnbeseeming for vs vnder the Gospell A sinfull man might haue beene a Priest vnder the Lawe to praefigure CHRIST before Hee came But nowe no sinfull man may bee a Priest by Office but CHRIST onelie in whom there is no sinne When the sacrifice was a beast then a sinfull man might be a priest But now when the Sonne of GOD is the Sacrifice and hath offered vp himselfe alreadie and is gone in into the Sanctuarie with his owne bloode to make intercession there must bee no more anie sacrificing till hee come out of the Sanctuarie agayne at the Day of Iudgement nor anie priest but he till hee haue ended his Intercession For such an High Priest became vs who is holie harmlesse c. Question But why is it vnbeseeming vs vnder the Gospell to haue a priest without these properties I aunswere The Sacrifice of the Newe Testament is the vnspotted Lambe of GOD IESVS CHRIST holie harmlesse c. Therefore it becommeth vs to haue such a priest who is holie harmlesse and vndefiled For it were vnseemlie that the priest should bee worse than the sacrifice Next our Priest hath our sinnes originall and actuall to remooue and Heaven to open vnto vs And therefore it were vnbeseeming that anie should bee our priest who hath not his owne sinnes altogether remooved nor yet hath gotten entrie as yet into Heaven himselfe 1. In that hee draweth them of necessitie to quyte all mens priesthoode and betake them vnto Christ as Priest onelie WEE LEARNE That our necessities being well weyghed with the insufficiencie of anie beside CHRIST to doe our Turne wee shall bee forced to quyte all priestes but CHRIST onelie For vvhat priest can knowe all our needes all our sinnes all our thoughtes all our desires all our prayers all our purposeâ— and wayt on vpon our businesse with GOD night and day to see that no wrath breake out vpon vs Who can doe this but CHRIST onelie What Man What Saynct What Angell 2. In that hee reckoneth a number of Perfections necessarie to bee in a priest in the tyme of the Gospell all of them in CHRIST and all such as wee stand in neede of WEE LEARNE That all the perfections whereof wee haue neede in a priest are all in CHRIST And the perfections which are in CHRIST wee haue neede of them all and should make vse of them all 3. The first propertie of a priest vnder the Gospell is this Hee must bee holie that is of his owne nature holie in his originall holie THEN No sinful man can be a sufficient priest in the New Testament to doe for vs who wants holinesse by nature 4. The next propertie Our priest must bee harmlesse ill-lesse free from anie originall guiltinesse THEN No man come of Adame by naturall propagation can bee a priest for vs nowe to satisfie our necessities who haue sinne originall in vs. 5. The third propertie Wee haue neede of a priest vndefiled that is free from actuall sinne THEN No priest can suffice vs who are defiled with actuall sinne but CHRIST vvho never sinned 6. The fourth propertie A priest meete for vs must bee free from the pollution of these amongst whom hee converseth THEN Wee who are of polluted lippes and lyues and dwell amongst such a people communicating manie wayes of their guiltinesse can not haue sufficient comfort through anie priest who can bee infected with sinne And hee who is a man of polluted lippes is not meete to bee a priest for vs. 7. The fift propertie A priest meete for vs behooved to haue his Residence in Heaven and haue commaundement over Heaven to open it vnto vs and giue vs entrie THEN None other but CHRIST could suffice vs on whome by nature the Doores of Heaven are closed No priest out of Heaven is meete for vs. Vers. 27. Who needeth not daylie as those High Priestes to offer vp Sacrifice first for his owne sinnes and then for the peoples For this Hee did once when Hee offered vp Himselfe 1. THE sixt propertie of a fit priest
blacke Feares are alwayes before it yet Fayth looking to God's Omnipotencie seeth an out-gate 2. Christ's Prayers in our behalfe receaue no Repulse but are heard 3. Christ both died and was saved from Death also because it could not keepe dominion over him So shall wee bee saved from Death though wee die Vers. 8. Though Hee were a Sonne yet learned Hee obedience by the thinges which Hee suffered HEE remooveth the scandall of his Crosse by showing the necessitie and vse thereof Albeit Hee was the Sonne yet He learned obedience by those thinges which Hee suffered THEN 1. In the tyme of Christ's deepest humiliation the vnion betwixt his Godhead and Manhead was not loosed hee remayned the Sonne of God still 2. The Excellencie of his person exempted him not from suffering having once taken on our debt 3. Christ knewe what suffering was before hee suffered but hee knew not by experience till hee actuallie suffered 4. Christ's holie Lyfe was a parte of his Obedience to the Father but his Obedience in suffering for our sinnes was Obedience in an higher degree 5. To obey God by way of Action is a common Lesson to everie holie creature but that a sinnelesse and holie person should suffer for sinne was a New Lesson proper to Christ a Practique which never passed but in Christ's person onelie Vers. 9. And beeing made perfect He became the Author of eternall Salvation vnto all them that obey Him 1. THE Suffering of CHRIST is called his Perfection THEN 1. CHRIST though perfect in his person yet hee wanted something to make him perfect in his Office till hee suffered for hee could not satisfie the Father's Iustice till hee suffered nor yet could hee haue fellow-feeling from experience of the miseries of his members 2. After suffering Christ lacketh nothing that may pacifie God or comfort and saue sinners 2. The Fruite followeth Beeing perfected hee is become the Author of Salvation to all that obey him THEN 1. The proper cause of our salvation is to bee sought in Christ perfected by suffering not in anie one parte of his holinesse or obedience in doing or anie part of his suffering but in him perfected by his obedience even to the death of the Crosse. VVee may take Comfort from and make vse of his holie Conception Lyfe and severall Vertues but wee must remember that his accomplished Obedience in doing and suffering is our Ransome joynctlie considered and not anie particular Act looked on alone 2. None should stumble at Christ's sufferinges which perfected him in his Office and lykewyse perfected our Ransome to the Father 3. Christ felt the Bitternesse of his owne sufferinges himselfe but wee got the sweete Fruite thereof even Eternall Lyfe 4. Onelie they who obey Christ can clayme Title to the Purchase of Eternall Lyfe by him Nowe these are they who obey him who in vprightnesse of heart belieue in his promises and ayme to drawe strength out of him for newe obedience Vers. 10. Called of GOD an High Priest after the Order of Melchisedek HEE prooveth that Christ is Author of Eternall Salvation to his Followers from the nature of his Priesthoode which is Eternall not after Aaron's Order but Melchisedecke's THEN The nature of Christ's Priesthoode after Melchisedecke's Order and the Father's authorizing him in the Office is the Evidence of our Eternall salvation to bee had by him with the Father's Approbation Vers. 11. Of Whome wee haue manie thinges to say and harde to bee vttered seeing yee are dull of hearing BEEING to speake more of this Mysterie bee prepareth them by checking their dullnesse and advertising them of the difficuâ—tie of expressing himselfe because of the same THEN 1. Even the Children of GOD are not free of this Disease of slownesse to conceaue Spirituall thinges aright 2. The incapacitie of Auditors will breede even vnto the best Preachers difficultie of expressing their mynde 3. Preachers should rebuke the dullnesse of people to stirre them vp the more Vers. 12. For when for the tyme yee ought to bee Teachers yee haue neede that one teach you agayne which bee the first Principles of the Oracles of GOD and are become such as haue need of Milk and not of strong Meat 1. HEE maketh their Fault the more because by reason of tyme they ought to haue beene Teachers that is both well grounded themselues and labouring to informe others THEN 1. As wee haue had longer tyme to learne so should wee make more progresse in knowledge 2. As wee are rooted in knowledge our selues so ought wee to communicate our knowledge and informe others 2. Hee calleth the Catechizing of the Ignorant the Teaching the first Principles of the Oracles of GOD and compareth it to the giving of Milke THEN 1. Catechizing of the rude and ignorant is the first thing must bee done for making sound Christians 2. There is an order to bee kept in bringing men vnto knowledge The first Principles and fundamentall Doctrines must first bee taught 3. Nothing is to bee taught for grounding men in Religion but GOD'S Oracles that which is in GOD'S Worde onlie 4. The manner of teaching the Principles of Religion should bee easie and playne as Milke for Children Vers. 13. For everie one that vseth milke is vnskillfull in the Word of Righteousnesse For hee is a Babe HEE prooveth them to bee rude in knowledge by the description of one weake in knowledge whome hee calleth a Babe vsing Milke and vnskillfull in the Word of Righteousnesse so called because how to bee righteous is the Summe of the Doctrine of it THEN 1. There are degrees of knowledge in Christianitie Some are weake lyke Babes some more instructed of full age 2. All knowledge in Christianitie is to bee reckoned by acquayntance with the Scripture and Skill therein Not by humane learning Vers. 14. But strong Meat belongeth to them that are of full age even those who by reason of vse haue their senses exercysed to discerne both good and evill 1. HEE descrybeth the well-instructed Christian by his Meate and exercysed Senses The Meate that hee is sitte for is strong Meate that is more profound Doctrine THEN 1. All the Scripture and Doctrine frae it is eyther Milke or stronger Meate but whether this or that yet alwayes it is Foode fitte for nowrishment of mens soules 2. Discretion must bee vsed by Teachers to fitte their Teaching as their people are advaunced for Milke or stronger Meate so as they may best bee fedde 2. For the exercyse of his Senses or Wittes to discerne good or evill hee hath it by vse habite and frequent acquaynting himselfe with Scripture THEN 1. The vse of the Scripture and knowledge gotten thereby is to discerne by it what is good what is evill what is Trueth what is Errour what is right what is wrong 2. Though Scripture bee the Rule yet not everie one can take it vp or make right application of the Rule to the poynct in hand 3. To get a man's Wits exercysed requyreth frequent
profitable still till CHRIST came namelie for that ende and vse But when Hee is come no ende nor vse more for it but that iâ— should bee abolished having served the Turne wherevnto it was ordayned THEN 1. Leviticall Ceremonies what-so-ever vse they might haue had before CHRIST are weake and vnprofitable after His comming 2. It is evill reasoning to say such Rites and Ceremonies were vsed before CHRIST came therefore they may bee vsed now also Vers. 19. For the Lawe made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better Hope did by the which we draw nigh vnto GOD. HEE prooveth That those Rites were weake Because the Lawe whether Morall or Ceremoniall could not perfect anie thing that is justifie sanctifie and saue anie man 1. They served as a Pedagogue to leade a man to CHRIST for expiation of Sinne and purchase of Salvation but could not effectuate this by themselues And this maketh good the Aunswere to the Question in the former Verse THEN To seeke to bee perfected justified and saved by workes is to seeke that by the Lawe which could never bee brought to passe by it 2. What then doeth perfect all Hee aunswereth The bringing in of a better Hope perfecteth all That is CHRIST then boâ—ed for and looked vnto who is that Better Thing â—â—en the Ende and the Signification of those Legall Ordinances being brought in vnto Believers Hee dâ—eth perfect all THEN 1. What the Believers could not get vnder the Lawe by their outward service they got it by CHRIST hoped for and believed into 2. The Believers of olde rested not on the shadowes but had the Eye of their Hope on CHRIST 3. Hee commendeth this Better Hope that is CHRIST'S Priesthoode hoped for vnder the Lawe Because by it wee drawe nigh vnto GOD. Nowe Drawing nigh importeth a distance before drawing nigh and agayne Drawing nigh was the Priests prerogatiue vnder the Lawe THEN By Nature and without CHRIST wee are Aliens from GOD and farre away from Him But by CHRIST wee get Libertie to come nigh not onlie is GOD'S people but as Priestes through CHRIST to offer our Spirituall Oblations The Priestes Priviledge of olde is common to Belâ—evers now Vers. 20. And in as much as not without an Oath Hee was made Priest Vers. 21. For those Priests were made without an Oath but This vvith an Oath by Him that sayde vnto Him The LORD sware and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedek Vers. 22. By so much was IESUS made a Suretie of a better Testament 1. HEE goeth on to compare the Leviticall Priesthoode with CHRIST'S Two Comparisons are heere conjoyned First Leviticall Priestes were made without an Oath onelie by way of simple Ordinance and Direction GOD leaving rowme to himselfe howe long hee pleased to holde on the Direction and when hee pleased to chaunge it But CHRIST was made Priest with an Oath that hee should never bee chaunged THEN 1. When GOD gaue foorth the Ceremoniall Lawe hee reserved rowme to himselfe to chaunge it yea gaue evidence that hee was to chaunge it for hee obliedged the people during his will but not himselfe 2. But for CHRIST'S Priesthoode GOD is bound with an Oath Never to chaunge it and it leaneth on his nature which can not alter nor repent and vpon his Oath vvhich can not bee violated 2. Another Comparison betwixt the Leviticall Covenant and the Evangelicall Covenant As farre as the Oath is aboue the chaungeable commaundement by so much is the Newe Covenant better than the Covenant vnder the Lawe TEHN 1. There was a Covenant or Testament vvhereby Believers were saved as well vnder the Lawe as vnder the Gospell 2. The Covenant now though in substance of Salvation one with the former yet in the manner of downe-setting the Articles and the forme of it is better than the Covenant then more cleare more free more full more largelie extended and more firme 3. CHRIST is heere called Suretie of this Covenant THEN 1. CHRIST must see the Covenant keeped and bee good for it 2. GOD hath CHRIST to craue for our performance of the Covenant and wee haue CHRIST to craue for GOD'S parte of the Covenant Yea and CHRIST to craue to giue vs grace to performe that which GOD requyreth of vs in his Covenant 3. IESVS is content to bee Suretie and the Father hath consented and ordayned and made him Suretie So it resteth onelie that wee bee content also and make much of CHRIST that hee may doe all our Worke for vs and all GODS Worke in vs. Vers. 23. And they truelie were manie Priestes because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death Vers. 24. But this Man because He continueth ever hath an vnchaungeable Priesthoode ANother Excellencie of Christ's Priesthoode aboue the Leviticall which may bee braunched out in these particulars following 1. The Leviticall Priestes were manie both at one tyme and one after another by reason whereof that Priesthoode was weakened whyle one parte of the Office for such a tyme was in the handes of this man and another parte for another tyme was in the handes of that man And because one man could not bee readie to take the Sacrifices from all the people therefore severall men behooved to take severall partes of the burden But in Christ's Priesthoode there is but one Man even Himselfe His Priesthoode is vndivided no man beareth a parte of the burden with him Hee alone attendeth all mens Sacrifices by himselfe Hee is at leasure for everie man's employment at all tymes in the greatest throng of Sacrifices THEN As long as CHRIST is at leasure no reason to employ another to carrie our Prayers 2. The Leviticall Priesthoode did passe from one person to another Death made interruption But CHRIST'S Priesthoode can not passe from his owne person to anie other neyther Death nor anie other infirmitie can interrupt his Office THEN 1. To make anie Priest by speciall Office in the New Testament beside CHRIST is to vent the Priesthood of CHRIST and make it imperfect lyke AARON'S which for the same reason That it had manie Priestes was weake and imperfect and inferiour to CHRIST'S 2. To make Priestes by Office in the New Testament to offer vp anie corporall sacrifice is to make CHRIST'S Pristhood separable from his owne person vvhich is agaynst the nature of CHRIST'S Priesthood which can not passe from one to another for so importeth the worde 3. To make pluralitie of Priestes in Christ's Priesthood Vicars or Substitutes or in anie respect part-taker of the Office with him is to praesuppose that Christ is not able to doe that Office alone but is eyther dead or weake that hee can not fulfill that Office contrarie to the Text heere which sayeth Because hee continueth ever hee hath an vnchaungeable Priesthood or a Priesthood which can not passe from one to another Vers. 25. Wherefore Hee is able also to saue them to the vttermost which come vnto GOD by Him seeing