Mediators Furthermore they could not have that honour to be Priests or mediators of that Testament wherein there was but the shadow of good things to come Heb. 10. 1. unlesse it had beene given them of God as it is expressed Heb. 5. where he speaketh of that Priesthood of the lawe which hath now ceased Seeing none could have this honour to be a Priest of the old Testament but such as were called of God as was Aaron then how much lesse shall any be partakers of this dignity with the sonne of God to be the Priests mediators of the new covenant but such as can shew that God hath given them this honour Christ did not take this honour to himselfe Hebr. 5. but he that said Thou art my sonne this day have I begotten thee gave it him The Lord sware that he should be a priest Let the Papists shew any calling which they have of God unto this glory of the Pristhood Let them shew any Christ ordaineâ— no Priest in thâ— New Testament one place out of the new Testament where Christ did ordeine Priests Finally let them shew where ever Peter or Paul or any Apostle or minister of the Gospel have called themselves priests or have been so called by others otherwise than that which they give unto all the faithfull that being washed and sanctified in the bloud of Christ they be made Kings and Priests unto God 1. Pet. 2. Revel 1. 5. which is in another sence than this which they challenge No the word of the Lord is directly against you ye priests of Baal For it speaketh of one Priest which should arise after the order of Melchisedech and not of priests It saith there is one Mediator betweene God and man 1 Tim. 2. And therefore also it followeth that there is but one Priest Because the Priest of the new Testament is the mediator of the same is there any man so mad as to ascribe this glory to the Pope and his priests as to say they be mediators of the new Testament If not then are they no priests Now although this is sufficient to proove their priesthood to be counterfait that they can shew no calling in the word nor no mention that any one of the Apostles was a priest or that any man should have such honour yet to make the matter more evident I will shew by further reasons that their priesthood is such that it cannot stand with the priesthood of Christ We all know that the Lord swore that his sonne should arise up a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech Psal 110. Then if it fall out as it shal be manifestly shewed that the Priesthood of the Papacy is directly contrary unto that order of Melchisedech It must needs also follow that the same is not of God The order of the priesthood of Melchisedech is gathered out of that which Moses saith of him Genesis 14. the words are these and Melchisedech King of Salem brought foorth bread and wine which was also a priest of the most high God And he blessed him saying Blessed be Abram of the most high God possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be the most high God which hath delivered thine adversaries into thine hand and he gave him tythe of all This man was greater than the Patriarch Abraham as it is proved by two reasons Hebr. 7. the one that Abraham paid him tithes The other that he blessed Abraham Then Moses writing of so great a man not mentioning father nor mother nor kindred beginning nor end of his life although he had a father and a mother and kinred and had both a beginning and an end yet because Moses mentioneth not any of these it is said that he was without father without beginning of dayes and without end of life as though he were one that had suddenly come downe from heaven When it is said that he was a Priest of the most high God no mention made of any annoynting of any ministring garments of any temple altar or sacrifice not yet of any that did succeed him it is gathered that he doth continue a priest for ever And moreover that in his Priesthood all things are spirituall and full of endles power By this argument the holy Ghost proveth Heb. 7. ver 16. 17. 18. that the priesthood of the Levites was abrogate and could not stand with the Priesthood of Christ seeing it could give no strength nor furtherance thereto for the one being spirituall and according to the power of the life that is not dissolved the other as he speaketh being after the law of the carnall commandement they could not be joyned so together as that the one might be a supply unto the defect of the other For although the law of the carnall commandement which is so called not in respect of the founder thereof which was God but for that the substance of the things were bodily and carnall did profit and benefit men thus farre that by outward carnal things they had the resemblance of things spirituall to strengthen their faith Yet when he was come in whom was all the spirituall and heavenly power of the Priesthood those carnall and earthly things were to cease As for example Aaron was annointed with materiall oyle he was clothed with the ministring garments he entred into a tabernacle upon earth which was built with hands he had the bloud of calves and goates slaine beasts for sacrifice he presented the names of the tribes before the mercy seat All these and such like are the carnall commandement these did not take away sinne nor restore into favour with God But Christ alone is the priest that wrought that His annoynting was not with oyle but with the holy Ghost He needeth no holy garments for there was no spot of uncleannesse in him to be covered He came not with the bloud of slaine beastes but with his owne bloud He entred not into the Tabernacle made with hands to appeare for us and to present us before the Arke but he is entred into the very heavens even unto the throne of God to present us there Thus then it followeth that the Priesthood of Aaron being after the law of the carnall commandement that is to say the consecration was with things that were earthly and of a bodily substance the sacrifices also of the same sort it could do nothing But the Priesthood of Christ wherein all things are heavenly and spirituall and full of â—…e power hath fully and perfectly accomplished the worke of reconciliation If this order then of Melchisedech wherein there is nothing carnall did abolish the order of the Priesthood of Aaron wherein all things were carnall because the carnall things cannot helpe at all to bring men to heaven and because the order of the one Priesthood did so differ from the other as being of a quite contrary nature It must needs follow that the Priesthood of the Papacy cannot stand with the Priesthood oâ— Christ because it
remaine in us because of the weakenes and imperfection of our faith for in these we are not to looke to any satisfaction yet behind but to take hold of that perfect one which hath already satisfied If that act of theirs be propitiatory then is not sinne fully discharged by the other Thus blasphemous they are not onely in this their God of dough but also in all other their satisfactions for sinne and in their doctrine of Purgatory For if there remaine any satisfaction or purgation to be ◅ are fully charged be◅e God for ◅ made then is it not true that he hath made perfect for ever neither was his death then of full and sufficient price True it is that although we are by his one oblation fully and perfectly discharged for ever before God from the guiltinesse of our sinnes yet we are not in the full possession of this benefit nor shall not be untill the last day for then shall his enemies be made his footestoole The Divell sinne and death are these enimies which he hath overcome that they cannot raigne over us but yet we must in the meane time wrestle with thē not therefore esteeming the power of Christs death to be the lesse because they be not already utterly abolished as the wicked unbeleeving Papists do and therefore set up trash of their owne to destroy sinne but waiting for that appointed time when the full power of his death shall appeare in the meane time staying by faith and resting our selves on that one sacrifice once offred To conclude then hath not the mighty spirit of God power to apply unto us the vertue of that bloud but such silly virmin as the Popish priests must helpe The holy ghost calling upon us and teaching us to apply Gods spiri◅◅plies to us◅ death of C◅ these benefits willeth us to draw neere with a true heart with full assurance of faith Heb. 10. ver 22. we come unto him with the heart after a spirituall manner because all things in him are spirituall we are bid to approch to lay hold of him by faith for we can not either with the hand or with the mouth And seeing there is not so much as one sentence in all the booke of God which speaketh of any application of his death any other way it must needes be concluded againe that they may be as good priests as the priests of Baal and no◠better and that when they hold up their idol Christ is not betweene their fingers Let us go forward It shall yet be more manifest by the words of the holy Ghost that this sacrifice of the masse is so farre from being the sacrifice of the New Testament that it doth flatly goe against it For he saith as concerning Christ that he did not offer himselfe often as the high priest went yerely into the holy place with other bloud Heb. 9. ver 25. and then in the next verse he giveth a reason namely that then hee should have suffered often since the beginning of the world This sentence is very mighty against the Papists because it driveth them from all their shifts and leaveth them naked and destitute but the force of it will not appeare unlesse we looke upon what principles it is grounded to prove that if Christ should have offred himselfe often then must he also have suffered death often since the beginning of the world Among the which this offereth it selfe as the first to be considered that all the holy fathers the Patriarches and Prophets from the beginning could have no entrance unto God but by remission of sinnes and that whereas otherwise they had the dore shut against them by this they were restored into favour and received For it cannot be denyed but that by nature they were sinners as we be and that God cannot receive sinners Being therefore out of controversie that they obteined life it must needes follow that they had pardon for if either there had beene no sinne or no pardon to be graunted what necessity could there be of a sacrifice The second principle without which the reason of the Apostle cannot stand is this that there can bee no remission but onely by the sacrifice of Christ for if any other sacrifice or any other way or meane might obtaine it then were there not a necessity why hee should often suffer For although there were a necessity of remission of sinnes unlesse all should be damned yet he might be set free from the same necessity of offring himselfe seeing there were other wayes to obtaine it but the holy Ghost standeth upon this as a matter not to be doubted of that neither there is nor never hath beene any thing able to destroy sinne or to take away the guiltinesse of it by makeing satisfaction but onely the sacrifice of the Sonne of God For howsoever the idolatrous Infidels do ascribe unto many things the power of purging and satisfying for sinne yet the holy word of God and those which beleeve it do give that glory onely unto Christ and euen as his great glory wherein he hath no fellow The third thing without which an exception might be iustly taken against the foresaid reason is this that there could be no oblation of Christ but he must suffer death for when he sayeth he should not offer him selfe often he addeth this cause that then he should have suffred often It were and easie matter if the offring of Christ were any thing available without suffring death to say there were no necessity wherefore he should suffer often seing he might be offred and not be slaine But this is strengthened by that which goeth before in the same Chapter where he hath shewed that Heb. 9 the testament is confirmed when men are dead because it is of no force while the Testator liveth and so he is the Mediator of the New Testament but yet through death Wherefore also the former testament in which there were but the shadowes and paterne of heavenly things was ratified by death as it is proved by this that it was not dedicated without bloud For when Moses had read the law unto the people he tooke the bloud of Calues and Goates with water and purple Woll and Hyssop he sprinkled both the booke and the people saying this is the bloud of the Testament which God hath commanded unto you Likewise also he sprinkled the Tabernacle and all the ministring vessels with bloud and almost all things sayeth he by the law are purged with bloud and without shedding of bloud there is no remission Here is then a manifest reason wherefore Christ could not be offred often but he must then also dy often even because the testament is of no force without the death of the testator Here is further shewed wherefore it cannot be available without death that is to say there is no remission of sinnes without shedding of bloud Christ therefore could not be offred often unlesse it should be to no purpose which is most absurd
was not only a man so holy that he was without spot but also God For herein lyeth the strength of the argument which the holy ghost useth to prove that Christ at once by his bloud hath purged the conscience from sinne for ever that this sacrifice was offered by his eternall spirit which is his godhead For the godhead having eternall power of life the flesh and bloud of the manhood joyned so with the godhead that they made one person had also the same power so that although the bloud of Christ of it selfe had not power at once to purge eternally yet because it was the bloud of God it had that force Hereupō it followeth that the power of that purging by his bloud being eternall and that one purgation being perfect the redemption which he hath found is eternal Hereupon we may strongly conclude against the Papists and that with a double conclusion First that seeing no sacrifice hath the vertue to purge away sinne but because it is offered by the eternall spirit And secondly that his purging once made being that which is made by the eternall Godhead is perfect for ever By the first it is manifest that they are not able to offer a sacrifice propitiatory because they are mortall men by the second that there is no place for them the worke of purging sinne being already accomplished for ever If there be a new redemption to be wrought then let them be the priestes in the meane time they are foule idolaters and sacrilegious wretches destroying the power of Christs death when they will take upon them to do that which he hath already perfectly finished Come forth ye blinde Papists and prove that ye are more than men shew also that the sacrifice of Christ once offered hath not an eternall and perfect power to purge away sinne or else confesse that yours is Antichristian We may joyne hereūto that which is used to prove that the sacrifices of the Leviticall priestes did not purge sinne namely that they were so often offered For thereby the holy Ghost doth teach that they were not able to sanctifie the commers therto Heb. 10. 1. For then as he sayeth they should haue ceased because there should have beene no more conscience of sinne in the worshippers being once purged The reason is manifest drawen from the effect of the medicine for if it have taken away the disease and perfected the cure then is it vaine to adde it any more If it be still continually and from time to time applyed to the sore as still remaining then it may be said truely that the same medicine doth not heale Wherefore he addeth this proofe that notwithstanding the sacrifices were offred yet there remained the mention of sinnes yerely when they kept that solemne day of expiation This disease of sinne still remaining as the continuall mention and remembrance thereof doeth shew it followeth that those sacrifices did nor could not purge it away Vnto these is opposed the sacrifice of Christ which because it hath perfectly purged sinne for ever so that there remaineth no more conscience thereof in those that are sanctified it is done but once and never to be repeated or don againe The other which were Priests in the law stood daily ministring and often offring the same sacrifices which could never take away sinne But this man having offered one sacrifice for sinne sitteth for ever at the right hand of God from henceforth waiting untill his enemies be made his footstoole Heb. 10. ver 11. 12. The former did stand daily ministring as those which had not nor could not accomplish the worke of reconciliation although they offred never so often But he having once offered ceaseth from offring and is set downe in the highest throne of majesty and glory because as it is there said he hath with one oblation made perfect for ever those which are sanctified If his sacrifice did abolish sinne but for a time as for a yeere or certaine yeres then should he either bring nothing to passe or else returne often and sundry times from his glory to offer againe This is also confirmed in the same Chapter ver 18. by a conclusion which is drawen out of the forme of words which the Lord useth in the promise which he maketh of the New Testament as namely that he will remember their sinnes and their iniquities no more He reasoneth in this manner where God remembreth not sinne there he hath given pardon and remission for that he collecteth and where there is pardon there is no more sacrifice for sinne Now therefore when we see this to be most manifest by the plaine doctrine of Gods word let us consider the abominable wickednesse of the Papists which by their sacrifice overturne all this For whereas there is remission of sinnes already purchased what place can there be for their sacrifice propitiatory whereas that sacrifice is unperfect and cannot take away sinne which is often offred how is theirs the perfect sacrifice of Christs body which is continually done againe and againe What doe they lesse therefore when they teach that in the Masse they offer Christ to his father to be a sacrifice to take away sinne than affirme that the promise of the Papists deny the promise◅ the New Testament New Testament hath failed and that sinne is yet remembred no remission as yet obtained And further when they will needes have him offred so often is it not as much as to deny the effect and power of the bloud of Christ Is it not quite contrary to this that with one oblation he hath made perfect for ever those that are sanctified But here they take exception and say that they do not offer any new sacrifice but the same And moreover that their oblation is but an application of the fruit of that which Christ offered and that because we see and feele in our selues that we are still guilty all which is but a blinde cavill For what though they say they offer the same did not the Priests the Sonnes of Aaron yeerely offer still the same doth not the power of the reason stand in this to prove that they were not available because then they should have ceased Can they deny but that they offer often Further he doeth not place the perfect worke in the sacrifice of Christ because it was but one but because it was but once offred for he saith not with one sacrifice but with one offering Note this hath he made perfect for ever those which are sanctified This doth cut the throte of their often offring when his one offring had made perfect for ever for it leaveth nothing behinde for such caitives as they be And further where they pretend this necessity because we have still guiltie consciences therein they are more than beasts for the guiltinesse of our consciences is not for this that there needeth any sacrifice to be offered to satisfie and purge sinne but through the remnants of iniquity which