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was an aftonishing inftance of his power; it was not after the ordinary way of generation; he was without father.

Secondly, He is faid to be without mother; this is true of Christ as God; as man, he had a mother, but no father; as God, he has a father, but no mother: he was from all eternity begotten by the father, in a way ineffable and unspeakable to us; the modus of his generation who can tell? We are not to entertain any carnal conceptions of Christ's generation, nor compare it with that of ours, nor any other creature's; for he is without mother; it is true, the virgin Mary is fometimes called by the antients the mother of God"; but this is said by reason of the hypoftatical union of the two natures in one perfon, upon the account of which fometimes what is proper to one nature is afcribed to the other.

Thirdy, He is faid to be without defcent; that is, there is no account of his pedigree, kindred, and anceítors, in any authentic genealogy: this is true of Christ as God; for his genealogy as man is given us both by Matthew and Luke; but as God, without genealogy; and hereby is diftinguished from the gods of the heathens, of whom are given long, tedious, and unaccountable genealogies: but he is the first and the last; before him was no God formed, neither shall there be after him.

ift, He is faid to have neither beginning of days, nor end of life; this is true of Christ as he is God; for he is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, from everlasting to everlasting: and he is the fame yesterday, to day, and for ever; he who was born in Bethlehem, bis goings forth were of old, even from everlasting: there never was a time when he began to be, and there never will be one when he will ceafe to be: and alfo, though as he is man he had a beginning of days, and an end of life, in this world, yet being rifen from the dead, he lives, and will live for evermore; death fhall no more have dominion over him.

2dly, Thefe things may be referred to the priesthood both of Melchizedek and Chrift: Melchizedek may be faid to be without father and without mother, &c. because his father was not a priest, nor did his mother defcend from thofe that were priefts; his defcent either on father or mother's fide was not counted from them, nor had he any predeceffor or fucceffor in the priesthood; now this was, or at least ought to have been, carefully obferved during the Levitical difpenfation, that none be admitted to fervice as a priest, but who appeared from their registers and genealogies to be of the right line: and therefore we find in Ezra's time, when there was a reformation in the Jewish church ftate, that thofe who were not found in the registers and genealogies, were looked on as polluted, and put from the priesthood: and herein Melchizedek was different from the Levites, and was a proper type of Chrift; who did not defcend from parents of the

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the priestly line, for neither his fupposed father Jofeph, nor his real mother Mary, were of Levi's tribe, but of the tribe of Judah; of which tribe no man gave attendance at the altar; as alfo of which Mofes fpake nothing concerning priesthood; and out of this tribe, it is evident, our Lord fprang, who never had one that went before him, nor never will have any come after him in the priesthood.

Thirdly, There is a likeness or fimilitude between Chrift and Melchizedek, in the conjunction of the kingly and prieftly offices in him: Melchizedek was both king of Salem, and príeft of the most high God; and there are fome particular actions which are recorded of him, which concern him in both characters; in which he prefigured Christ.

ift, As a king, there is one fingle action of his in which he typified Christ, and that is, his bringing out bread and wine to refresh Abraham and his wearied foldiers he did not do this as a priest, but as a prince; here is no facrifice to God, but an instance of his regard to one of his faints: this royal and generous act of his, is expreffive of the great regard which Chrift has for his people, who are engaged in a warfare, are fighting the Lord's battles, and are enduring hardnefs as good foldiers of Chrift; What royal entertainments? What large and rich provifions of grace has he made for them? He feedeth them with himself, the bread of life; whofe flesh is meat indeed, and whofe blood is drink indeed; and fheds abroad his love in their fouls, which is better than wine; he has made a gospel-feaft, and it is a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things, full of marrow; of wines on the lees, well refined; and to this feaft does he invite his people, and brings it forth unto them, and bids them heartily welcome; and says, Eat, O friends; yea, drink abundantly, O my beloved: and then, when the good fight of faith is fought, when the battle is ended, and the victory is obtained, then will he lead them into his banqueting-house above, and bring forth his best wine, which is referved till last, and cause them to fit down at his table, where they shall feed for ever on those inexpreffible joys and everlasting pleasures which are at his right hand.

2dly, There are several actions of his as a priest wherein he was typical of Christ.

ft, He bleffed Abraham, and faid, Blessed be Abraham of the most high God: this he did as a priest, it being the priest's work to blefs the people: it is probable this might be a ratification or confirmation of the bleffing of the promised feed to Abraham; for the apoftle fays, he blessed him which had the promises; which is introduced by him as an argument of his being greater than he now Chrift in this is reprefented by Melchizedek, who bleffeth his with all fpiritual bleffings, such as a juftifying righteousness, the pardon of fin, adoption, and eternal life:, and thefe bleffings are lafting and durable; for those who are bleffed

k Heb. vii. 6, 70.

by

by Chrift, are bleffed for ever; he never removes them himself, nor is it in the power of men or devils to reverse them: these then are bleffings indeed; and happy are those who are poffeffed of them.

2dly, He gave thanks to God for the victory obtained by Abraham over his enemies for thus we read he faid, and blessed be the most high God, which bath delivered thine enemies into thy hand': this may very well be referred to Christ's praising his Father in the great congregation, and his paying vows there before them that fear him; he has obtained a complete victory over all his and our enemies, and has made us more than conquerors; and now he is fet down at the right hand of God, and is there bleffing his father, and giving thanks unto him for ftrengthening, affifting, and enabling him to do this work, as man and mediator. He asked of his father, and he gave him the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost part of the earth for his possession; and now is praifing him for it; he has delivered all our enemies into his hands, and us out of the hands of them all, and now is bleffing God for both.

3dly, Another act recorded of him as a priest, is his receiving tithes from Abraham. Chrift is our great high priest, by whom we should offer up all our facrifices to God; and in whom alone they are acceptable to him; and alfo to him should we prefer our facrifices of praise and thanksgiving for those many bleffings wherewith we are bleffed by him; he should have not only a tenth of what we have, but even all we have; we should give him our hearts, and prefent our bodies a living, holy and acceptable facrifice to him.

Thus we have confidered thofe actions of Melchizedek, which concerns him both as king and priest, wherein he was a peculiar type of Chrift the royal priest. Samuel was a prophet and a priest, but not a king. David was a king and prophet, but not a priest; nor any of his pofterity. Uzziah once attempted the prieftly office, but was feverely rebuked by God, and struck with a leprofy, which continued with him to his death, Melchizedek alone was king and priest; these two met together alone in him, and therefore more especially on this account, Chrift is faid to be a priest of his order; that is, he is juft fuch a priest as Melchizedek was, who was both king and priest; but Chrift exceeds all his types, for he is prophet, prieft and king; he is faid to be the faithful witues", which is expreffive of his prophetic office; and the first begotten of the dead, which denotes his priestly office; and the prince of the kings of the earth, which directs us to his kingly office; all those three, which meet in one perfon, are clustered here in one verfe; and perhaps the conjunction of the regal and priestly offices is intended in Zech. vi. 12. and he shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace fhall be between them both; he that fits upon the throne is a priest, and

there

1 Gen. xiv. 20.

m Rev. i. 5.

there is nothing interferes to hinder the difcharge of either office, but an entire harmony between them.

Fourthly, As Melchizedek was a greater priest than Levi, or any of his fons, fo is Chrift: Melchizedek appears to be greater than Levi, by the account that is given both of his perfon and priesthood; by his bleffing Abraham, from whom Levi fprang, and by his receiving tithes, not only from Abraham, but also from Levi, who was then in Abraham's loins. Chrift now is greater than Melchizedek, and therefore must be greater than Levi, or any of his fons,

ift, Chrift is greater than any of the Levitical priefts in his perfon; for he is truly and properly God; these were but men; hence Chrift is fully qualified for this work, which was too weighty for a mere creature: and all he did was effectual; his blood fufficient to cleanfe, his facrifice to atone, and his righteoufness to justify from all fin; he is alfo the Son of God: Melchizedek was made like to the Son of God; but Christ is really the Son of God; in that fenfe in which none of Levi's tribe were; and as he was the ableft, fo the fitteft for this work. He is God's first and only begotten; who has intereft in his Father, and who would, no doubt, be as faithful to him as merciful to us: and his affuming human nature added yet to his fitnefs, for hereby he was made like unto us, as it behoved him, and had something to offer: and what he offered was in our nature, that fo the benefit of it might redound to us: he was truly and properly man ; and yet herein excelled the Levites; for though he was a man, yet not a mere man; he was united to the Word, the second perfon in the Trinity, so were not they he was perfectly holy, fo were not they, but had need to offer for their own fins as well as for the peoples.

2dly, In his facrifice he is greater than they his was perfect; by it a full atonement was made; fin was entirely put away, and his people perfected: but their facrifices could not take away fin, nor make either them that did the fervice, or those that came thereunto, perfect: and therefore there was a repetition of them the priests stood daily miniftering, and offering the fame facrifices; but Chrift was but once offered, and will never be offered more: there remains no more, neither is there any need of any more or any other facrifice for fin.

Fifthly and lastly, There is a likeness between them in the perpetuity of their priesthood: Melchizedek is faid to abide a priest continually"; because we have no account of the end of his priesthood, or that he ever had any fucceffor therein; moreover, his priesthood, as the Syriac renders it, does abide for ever in Chrift, who is of his order, and the truth of this type; for what is faid mystically and figuratively of Melchizedek, is really and properly true of Chrift: but this leads me to confider,

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Secondly, The everlaftingness of Chrift's priesthood: Thou art a priest for ever, &c. There will never be a change of Christ's priesthood, it will never be antiquated. Offering of facrifices, which is one main branch of the priestly office, began very early; Adam, no doubt, quickly after his fall, was taught by God to offer facrifice for fin; and he taught his children to do the fame and now every man was his own priest: Abel offered facrifice as well as Cain: which practice, perhaps, continued until the Levitical order was inftituted. Though the Jews fay, that before this was fet up, the priesthood belonged to the firstborn: but however, be it how it will, here is a change of the priesthood now, it is appropriated to a particular tribe; and none of another tribe might exercife this office and this continued till Chrift came in the flesh and now, he being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle; this priesthood is changed, as alfo the law thereof, which is difannulled, and abolished, because of the weakness and unprofitableness thereof : though facrifices were of God's own appointing, yet now facrifice and offering, and burnt-offering, and offering for fin, he will not; neither does he take any pleafure in those things that are offered by the law; but now the priesthood is in Christ's hands, and there will never more be another change. There were frequent changes in the Levitical priesthood, by reafon of age and death; they truly, as the apoftle obferves, were many priests, because they were not fuffered to continue. Some by reafon of age; for they were not allowed to be in fervice after fifty years of age and others not fuffered to continue by reafon of death; but this man, because he continueth ever, bath an unchangeable priestbood; or, as it may be rendered, an intranfible priesthood. A priesthood that does not pafs from one to another. Chrift will never have any fucceffors in his priesthood, it will never pass from him to another: there is now no real priesthood among men; minifters of the gospel are no more priests, than the people to whom they minifter: for, in a metaphorical fenfe, all the faints are made Kings and Priests to God; there is none a real and proper priest but himfelf, nor never will be; for he is a priest for ever.

But you will fay, Has not Chrift performed his priestly office? Does he continue to act as a priest? Has he not finished his work as fuch? I answer; it is true Chrift our pafs-over is facrificed for us; and he will never be facrificed more: he was once offered to bear the fins of many, and he will be offered no more: he has offered one facrifice for fin, and he will offer no more: for he is fet down for ever, having done his work: but then the virtue and efficacy of his facrifice will abide for ever; by it he has put away fin for ever; by it he has brought in everlasting righteoufnefs; a righteoufnefs which will laft for ever; by it he

has

• Hebrews vii. 23, 24.

Η απακαθάτον.

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