the Priests of the Romish Church so and consequently cannot be after the order of Melchisedec and they that have written the lives of the Popes have sufficiently declared what righteousness and peace they have procured for the true and faithful servants of Jesus Christ as I shall shew at large elsewhere Secondly The Apostle Heb. 7. represents Melchisedec to us as a man come from heaven without father without mother without descent having neither beginning of days nor end of life not that he was really such a one but because Moses hath wholy concealed from us his Father Mother Descent Birth and Death that he might be the type of Christ who was without Father as he is Man without Mother as God without Descent both as God and as man having neither beginning of days as God nor end of life as God or as Man But the Fathers Descent Birth and Death of Aaron and other High Priests are exactly described by Moses And there were never any Popes Bishops or Priests whose Parents Birth and Death were not known and consequently they cannot be after the order of Melchisedec Thirdly The Apostle adds that Melchisedec being made like unto the Son of God abideth a Priest for ever because Moses makes no mention of his death nor of any one that succeeded him in his Priestly office that so he might be the type of Jesus Christ who never left his Priestly office but will exercise it until the end of the World always interâ—â—ding for those that are his by presenting his sacrifice to God the Father continually As for Aaron and other Priests they are dead and have had successors And the Popes Bishops and Priests die daily and have successors and consequently are not after the order of Melchisedec Fourthly The Apostle saith likewise that Melchisedec took tithes of Abraham and adds that Melchisedec blessed him that had the Promises viz. Abraham and that the less is blessed of the greater Whence it appears that Melchisedec having taken tithes of Abraham and blessed him and Levi and all the Priests in his person was more excellent then Abraham Levi and all the Priests In which respect he was a type of Jesus Christ who was infinitely more excellent then Abraham and all his successors because he in whom all the promises were fulfilled must needs be incomparably more excellent then he that received them only But I do not believe that the Priests of the Romish Church are so bold as to prefer themselves before Abraham the Father of the Faithful in whose seed all the Nations of the Earth are blessed and consequently are not after the order of Melchisedec Fifthly The Apostle never spake of the sacrifice of Melchisedec so far was he from comparing it with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as being like it or with that of Aaron as being unlike it so that all that our Adversaries say of it is nothing else but meer humane invention 29. I conclude my answer with this Argument Jesus Christ hath offered no sacrifice but after the order whereof he was established a Priest But he was established a Priest after the order of Melchisedec only as the Apostle observes Therefore he hath offered no sacrifice but after the order of Melchisedec But according to the Romish Doctors there is no other sacrifice after the order of Melchisedec but that of the Mass Therefore according to the Romish Doctors Jesus Christ hath offered no other sacrifice but that of the Mass And seeing according to them the sacrifice of the Mass is an unbloudy sacrifice it follows that Jesus Christ hath offered no other sacrifice but an unbloudy sacrifice and consequently he hath not offered a bloudy sacrifice on the Cross which is blasphemy THE END
begun is reputed by God perfect and compleat And St. Paul shews clearly the truth of what hath been said 1 Tim. 2. 8. in these words I will that men pray every where listing up holy hands without wrath and doubting And Ephes 5. Jesus Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish Objection 6. 20. The sixth Objection is drawn from Gen. 14. in these words And Melchisedec King of Salem bringing forth bread and wine for he was a Priest blessed him And from Psal 110. and from Heb. 7. where it is said Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec From which words our Adversaries argue thus First They say that Jesus Christ is a Priest not after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchisedec the difference between Aaron and Melchisedec consisting in this viz. that Aaron and the other Levitical Priests offered bloudy Sacrifices killing and shedding the bloud of Beasts which they sacrificed to God as a sign and figure of the bloudy sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross But Melchisedec offered an unbloudy sacrifice for when he went to meet Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings he offered to God Bread and Wine And seeing this Bread and Wine offered to God by Melchisedec were signs and types of Christs body and bloud Jesus Christ was obliged to offer an unbloudy sacrifice viz. his body and bloud under the species of bread and wine which he did at the institution and celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist that so the reality of the thing typified might answer those shadows and types Secondly That although Melchisedec had brought all this bread and wine for the refreshment of Abraham and his Army that returned from the slaughter of the Kings yet he first offered it to God and then gave it to them that so they might partake of the sacrifice of bread and wine And the reason of this is because the Scripture saith that Abraham returned from the battel with great spoils amongst which there was meat and drink enough for the refreshment of himself and his people also it saith expresly that Abrahams people had taken such refreshment as was necessary before Melchisedec met them and consequently they had no need of the bread and wine which he brought except it had been to partake of the sacrifice of the bread and wine which he offered Thirdly They say this is strongly proved by the following words for he was Priest of the most high God which shew the reason why Melchisedec brought bread and wine viz. to make an oblation or offering of it to God for if he had brought this bread and wine for the refreshment of Abraham and his people the Scripture would have said that he had brought this bread and wine because that Abraham and his Army being faint and tired had need of meat and drink but it speaks nothing of this on the contrary it saith that he brought bread and wine for he was Priest Fourthly They say that Jesus Christ is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec and seeing there can be no Priest without a sacrifice there can be no eternal Priest without an eternal or perpetual sacrifice But the sacrifice of the Cross was offered but once and cannot be reiterated for Jesus Christ dieth no more Rom. 6. Therefore there must be another perpetual sacrifice in the Church which Jesus Christ offereth by the hands of Priests which can be nothing else but the sacrifice of the Mass viz. the sacrifice of Christs body and bloud under the species of the bread and wine typified by the sacrifice of the bread and wine of Melchisedec Answer 21. To this I answer First That the Hebrew word doth not signifie bringing but brought drew out caused to be brought c. but our Adversaries falsifie the Text thus to make way for another falsification viz. to put these words in a Parenthesis for he was Priest in stead of putting them without a Parenthesis and he was Priest so that we may say that in these few words they have made three falsifications first when they translate it proferens that is bringing in stead of translating it protulit that is brought or drew out secondly when they translate it erat enim sacerdos that is for he was Priest in stead of translating it and he was Priest thirdly when they translate it benedixit ei that is blessed him instead of translating it benedixit ei that is and he blessed him And so of three different propositions viz. Melchisedech also brought bread and wine and he was Priest and he blessed him they have made but one with a Parenthesis thus Melchisedec bringing bread and wine for he was Priest blessed him 22. Secondly I answer that the Hebrew word used by Moses signifies commonly brought drew out caused to be brought caused to be drawn out caused to come c. But we must not stray from the proper signification of words but upon very great necessity which appears not in this Text. And although this Hebrew word should signifie brought to offer and that it should be taken for offered yet our Adversaries would gain nothing by it for it is not said in the Text that he brought bread and wine to offer unto God but we must rather expound it thus viz. that he brought bread and wine to offer and present it to Abraham And indeed the following words viz. and blessed him do clearly shew it for the Pronoun Relative him relates to Abraham according to the exposition of the Apostle Heb. 7. where he saith expresly that Melchisedec met Abraham and blessed him And a little after he saith that Melchisedec blessed him that had the promises and that the less is blessed of the greater But if these words he brought bread and wine must be expounded thus he offered bread and wine to God then it must necessarily follow that Melchisedec blessed God and not Abraham for in these words viz. he offered bread and wine to God and blessed him the Pronoun him can relate to none but God 23. Thirdly I answer That Melchisedec brought bread and wine to Abraham to refresh him and his people and not to offer unto God Bellarmin in Book 1. of the Mass chap. 6. confesseth that Melchisedec brought bread and wine to Abraham to refresh him and his people who returned faint and tired from the slaughter of the Kings which is true but he adds that Jesus Christ had offered it to God before which is false and cannot be proved Jerome in his Epistle to Euagrius writes that the Jews understood it that Melchisedec meeting Abraham after his victory brought bread and wine to refresh him and his people Josephus writing this History saith
that Melchisedec presented bread and wine to Abraham to refresh him and his Army Damascene Book 4. of the Orthodox Faith saith that Melchisedec treated Abraham with bread and wine 24. Fourthly The Reasons of our Adversaries mentioned in the Objections to prove that Melchisedec brought bread and wine to Abraham that he might partake of the sacrifice which he had offered are not considerable viz. because Abraham returned from the battle with great spoils and so there was meat and drink enough for him and his people and that they had taken their repast before Melchisedec met them c. These Reasons I say are inconsiderable because although Abraham had great spoils yet he restored all to the King of Sodom and though his people had eaten and drank of such as they found amongst the spoils yet it is not said that Abraham did eat and drink and though both he and his people had eaten and drank yet it is not said how long it was since and that they had no need of more provision and though they had no need of more yet Melchisedec not knowing that they had eaten and drank did that which prudent men are wont to do viz. provide all that may be needful in case of necessity 25. Fifthly I answer That the principal reason which our Adversaires bring to prove that Melchisedec offered unto God bread and wine viz. because it is in the Hebrew Text for he was Priest is a manifest falsification for it is in the Hebrew Text and he was Priest Also the old Latine Interpreter and the Greek Septuagint translate it as we do viz. and he was Priest And it is very probable that this passage hath been corrupted in Jeroms Latine Translation because in his Hebrew Questions and in his Epistle to Evagrius he translates it and he was Priest St. Cyprian in his Epistle to Caecilius and St. August Book 4. of Christian Doctrine chap. 21. and elsewhere translate it and he was Priest So that although the Hebrew particle used by Moses do sometimes signifie for yet seeing that both its proper and common signification is and and that for one place where it signifies for there are a thousand at least where it signifies and and that there is nothing that obligeth us to translate it for it is evident that the Argument of our Adversaries is of no force at all Therefore it is more pertinent to refer these words and he was Priest to what follows viz. and blessed him then to what goes before viz. brought bread and wine For as Melchisedec being a liberal King brought bread and wine to Abraham to refresh him and his people so as he was a Priest much more excellent then Abraham he blessed him And though it should be translated for he was Priest yet it would not follow that Melchisedec did sacrifice bread and wine unto God for it might be said that Moses would shew the reason of the good will of Melchisedec toward Abraham viz. it was very fit that he that was Priest of the most high God should testifie his kindness to so eminent a servant of God as was Abraham by presenting bread and wine to him whereof he thought there was need 26. Sixthly I answer That from what is said Psal 110. and Heb. 7. viz. that Jesus Christ is a Priest for ever it will not follow that he must offer himself every day in the Mass under the species of bread and wine by the ministry of Priests for the Apostle writing to the Hebrews placeth the perpetuity of the Priesthood partly in this viz. that there is no need he should be offered any more seeing by one oblation he hath consecrated for ever those that are sanctified and partly in this viz. that being exalted far above the heavens he intercedes continually for us for the Priesthood consists in certain functions and in the virtue and efficacy of them And seeing there are two parts of Christs Priesthood whereof one relates to the oblation of himself which he offered on the Cross and the other to his intercession it is certain that the virtue and efficacy of the oblation is eternal and that the intercession will continue unto the end of the World 27. Seaventhly I answer That in all the holy Scripture where the Priesthood of Melchisedec is spoken of three things only are mentioned of him viz. that he was a Priest that he was a Priest for ever and that he was so with an oath according to the application that is made of it to Jesus Christ in Psal 110. and Heb. 7. in these words The Lord hath sworn and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec but there is nothing at all spoken of the sacrifice of Melchisedec nor is it said wherein it did consist for as it was fit that all the offices which we find were born by the greatest Kings Priests and Prophets under the Old Testament should be collected in the person of the Messiah which was done by proposing them as types and figures of Jesus Christ and that the most illustrious type was Melchisedec so it was more expedient not to speak of the nature of the sacrifice of Melchisedec because it was not expedient then to speak of the nature of the sacrifice of the Messiah And therefore although we know not the nature and quality of the sacrifice of Melchisedec yet we know that he was a Priest Even as we know that Melchisedec was a King though we know not in what manner he executed his Kingly Office 28. Lastly I answer That it is false that the difference between the Priesthood of Melchisedec and that of Aaron did consist in this viz. that Aaron offered the bloudy sacrifices of Beasts and Melchisedec offered an unbloudy sacrifice of bread and wine It is also false that the likeness of the Priesthood of Melchisedec to that of Jesus Christ doth consist in this viz. that as Melchisedec did sacrifice bread and wine so Christ did sacrifice his body and bloud under the species of bread and wine these are humane inventions and are founded neither on Scripture nor Reason for on the contrary the Apostle writing to the Hebrews placeth the difference between the Priesthood of Melchisedec and that of Aaron and its likeness to that of Christ in quite another thing First He is called Melchisedec which being interpreted as the Apostle saith Heb. 7. is King of righteousness and then King of Salem that is King of Peace and herein he very well represents our Lord Jesus Christ who is truly King of righteousness not only because he is righteous and was always without sin but also because by his satisfaction he hath purchased righteousness for us being made unto us of God righteousness He is also truly King of peace in that he hath reconciled men unto God made their peace with the Angels and hath particularly recommended peace to them As for Aaron and other High Priests they were no Kings much less are