from the words That we must always keep close to Scripture-testimony to take up that which is the matter of our Faith We must take it up on Scripture-testimony and not by the will of man And so I come to the 18th verse For there is verily a disannulling of the Commandment going before A Disannulling And then he shews the reason of it and that is for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof First saith he Verily there is a Command going before What Command was that why the Command of the Levitical-way of Worship which did go before Christs coming in the flesh That is the meaning For the Law as to the Administration of it it was before the Gospel it was before Christ came to be our spiritual High-priest and Sacrifice tho' he was promised before yet it was before Christ came in the flesh and all those things were but types and shadows of heavenly things of things which were to come As the shadow sometimes goes before the body so did the Law come before Christ The Levitical Priesthood goes before the Evangelical Priesthood of Jesus Christ But saith the Apostle there is a disannulling of the Command going before disannulling what is that why it is an abrogating and making void so as no man is bound to this Command to that kind of Worship that was under the Law He is not bound to offer those Sacrifices the command of those Sacrifices is disannulled He is not bound to observe those Rites those manifold Ceremonies for the command is disannulled and made void by the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh Pray attend to those things for it may be of use to them that are studious to know the mind of God in the Scripture The Apostle gives the reason why there is a disannulling of the Command and Law of the old way of Worship What Reason Why saith he Because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it The weakness and unprofitableness of all the Levitical Priesthood and Service is the reason why God removed it Weakness and unprofitableness that is if a Man did spend all his days in that kind of Worship and Service without looking beyond it it profited nothing it was not able to effect the great things the Soul stood in need of and therefore in Gal. 4. 9. the Apostle calls them weak and beggarly Elements you see what he calls those things that were once the Ordinances of God But he so calls them in respect of Gospel dispensations so here they are weak and unprofitable There are several things in Scripture that are said not to profit us As First the knowledge of Christ after the Flesh see John 6. 13. It is the Spirit that quickeneth the Flesh profiteth nothing he spake it in reference to his Doctrin The Flesh that is the Fleshly knowledge of Christ As those people the Papists who count themselves the only wise people it profiteth nothing to know Christ after the Flesh tho if they were certain they could lie in the manger where Christ lay and Kiss the Cross and go to the Sepulchre of Christ it is only filthy knowledge and profiteth nothing So again the Scripture tells us that Bodily Exercise profiteth little 1 Tim. 4. 8. For Bodily Exercise profiteth little but Godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come Bodily Exercise profiteth nothing Some have no other Religion but what lies in Bodily Exercise Thirdly The Scripture tells us that meats profit nothing see Heb. 13. 9. It is a good thing to have the Heart established with Grace and not with Meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein The Jews of old made a great distinction about Meats so the Papists now hold it a great sin to eat Meat in Lent and to eat Flesh on Wednesdays and Fridays but saith the Apostle this profiteth nothing This distinction of Meats profiteth nothing to the Soul Now saith the Apostle here in the Text the Commandment is disannulled for the weakness and unprofitableness of it How is that Why if Men went no further in the Law than bringing a Lamb or a Bullock for a Sacrifice go up to Jerusalem to Worship and be very strict in observing all the Rites and Ceremonies of the Law of Moses these things profited nothing The Lord disannuled the Commandment concerning all the Jewish Rites and Ceremonies for the weakness and unprofitableness in them But then you will say Why did God appoint them seeing they were weak and unprofitable I Answer Though they were weak and unprofitable as to reach the main end of Mans Salvation yet God had other holy ends in appointing of them First of all to keep his Children and People under obedience until the fulness of time did come that Christ was to be manifested in the Flesh for this is to be observed that all Mankind are addicted to Worship a Deity some God or other or something that they made their God All the Heathen Worshippers are for Worshipping some God or other and if God had left this people without Divine Rites and Ceremonies they would have run into the Rites and Ceremonies of the Idolatrous Heathens which were worse God did by his Children in the time of the Law as Parents do with their Children they set them about things that are little worth or of little effect to keep them from doing worse So God left his People the Divine Rites and Ceremonies to keep them from running into Heathenish Idolatry Secondly God had still a further end and that is Tho they were not perfect of themselves yet by this they were directed to look unto Jesus Christ and his Priesthood and his Sacrifice and tho they were no more perfected by them than the body is by the shadow yet the shadow shews that there is a Body so those things were weak and unprofitable in themselves but they led to Christ the substance so they were of holy use to all the Faithful and Elect of God But to come to the application of this Point and so to pass on If this be so that all the Mosaical Rites and Ceremonies were weak and imperfect and God for that reason abolished them because they could not reach the main end of Mans happiness Then here you may see the folly of those Men that set up these Rites and Ceremonies and humane Inventions in part of their Worship If Gods own Institutions were weak and unprofitable what are Mens Inventions Are their Priestly Vestments profitable Their Crossings and Cringings profitable What profit is there in bowing the Knee at the word Jesus What profit is there in these things And yet many Men Glory in these things and magnifie them above the Gospel of Jesus Christ Some say these things are Edifying I remember a dispute between a Martyr and a Popish Priest the Martyr objected that he could not comply with that kind of Worship because of their many Ceremonies said
Oath The Lord sware and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck These words are taken out of Psal 110. 4. Now for an Oath we must consider there are two sorts of Oaths vain and prophane Oaths and sacred Oaths As for vain and prophane Oaths which men use in their common talk are especially forbidden in the third Commandment Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain To swear lightly and vainly by the name of God or by their Faith and Troth these are great provocations to the Lord. As you may see in Jer. 23. 10. For the Land is full of Adulterers for because of swearing the Land mourneth the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up Prophane swearing and false swearing which is a common thing among your bad people causeth the Land to mourn But then as there is a prophane and vain and common swearing which brings a Curse along with it so there is a sacred swearing and that is when men are lawfully called thereto to confirm a testimony An Oath for confirmation is the end of all strife saith the Apostle Now this holy and sacred swearing is here attributed to God the Father concerning the Priesthood of his Son Jesus Christ And you may observe in Scripture that God is said to swear two ways 1. Sometimes he swears in his wrath to confirm his threatnings and often in his mercy to confirm his promise 1. Sometimes God is said to swear in his wrath to confirm his threatnings As you may see Heb. 3. 11. In v. 10. saith he I was grieved with that generation they do always err in their hearts So I sware in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest Mind it The people were now in the wilderness and they were going into the Land of Canaan the Land of Rest the Land of Promise but they grew so bad and so provoking to God whilst they lived upon his mercy in the wilderness that at last God sware they should not enter into his Rest the Land of Canaan God confirmed by an Oath why by an Oath to drive them to the more terrour to take them off from their presumption God threatned they should not enter into his Rest and he confirms it by an Oath that they may have no hopes of entring into his Rest But 2. Often in Scripture God is said to swear in mercy for the confirming of his promise that his people might have stronger consolation Not but that Gods promise of it self is sure But he condescends to our weakness that we might have stronger consolation See Heb. 6. 17 18. Wherein God more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an Oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have strong consolation You see here the Apostle declares the end of Gods adding an Oath to his Promise That Believers might have more comfort that their hearts might be strengthned and their patience might be strengthned till the promise was accomplished He sware by himself because he could swear by no greater he sware by himself Mind that When men swear to confirm a thing they swear by the Great God who knows their ways and thoughts And so they are said to swear by a greater But because God could not swear by a greater saith the Apostle he sware by himself For this was one of the titles of God the Great God When the poor Heathens that had not the Scriptures they by the light of Nature sware by God who made Heaven and Earth Under the title of Optimus Maximus that was the term they gave the great God the best of the great Gods Now because God could not swear by a greater he sware by himself that he would bless Abraham and all the faithful And here in the Text when he is setting up his Son the Lord Jesus Christ as our great High-priest that we might have greater consolation it 's said The Lord sware and will not repent We know God cannot repent both words are true for the Lord is not as man that he should repent Why doth David and the Apostle after him take up these words The Lord hath sworn and will not repent I answer there is a special Emphasis in it First of all God speaks thus of himself after the manner of men that we might be put out of all doubt of his truth and faithfulness For though he is most unchangeable in his words in his promises and in his purposes as the Apostle James hath it James 1. 17. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning God is immutable But he speaks thus after the manner of men that we might be put out of all doubt that he will not repent Secondly There is still a higher intendment of the Holy Ghost in these words The Lord hath sworn and he will not repent i. e. He will never abrogate or disannul the Priestly Office of Christ as he did that of Aaron For so you read in the words before which were spoken to the last day God did abrogate and did make void the Covenant concerning the Levitical Priesthood But now he will never revoke this or disannul this He hath sworn and will never repent Though God be unchangeable yet we find in Scripture that he sometimes revokes his threatnings and calls them back again As for example God threatned by Jonah that Nineveh should be destroyed in forty days But God revoked it because there was a tacit condition in the threatning therefore he revoked it So when God sent Hezekiah the Message concerning his death he sent his Prophet to him to bid him set his house in order For saith he in the name of the Lord thou shalt die and not live Yet upon Hezekiahs humbling himself by prayer the Lord called back that word again and added to Hezekiahs life fifteen years In this sense the Prophet Joel is to be understood You find in chap. 2. in the last part of it that the Lord threatens dreadful Judgments to the people Now in verse 12 13. saith the Prophet Wherefore also now thus saith the Lord Turn ye even to me with all your hearts with fasting and with weeping and with mourning rent your hearts and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil Who knows if he will repent and return and leave a blessing behind As if he should say The threatning is gone forth for your destruction but if ye will return unto God who knows but that he will repent and leave a blessing behind That is he may call in his Threatnings and alter his Dispensation So that
it not Lawful for a man to enrich himself by War as well as by Trade Why did not Abraham take a Reward for his great Adventure The reason is plain for it shall not be said that Abraham is made rich by the spoils of the King of Sodoms Country The King of Sodom was a Heathen and an Enemy to Abrahams Religion and Abraham would not bring a scandal upon his Religion by his gettings in the World A Godly Gracious Man is very tender in his ways and dealings that he may not raise a scandal to Religion in his Worldly gettings Indeed men of the World they care not how they get Riches because the World is their God but Men professing Godliness as Abraham did they ought to be careful that they do not bring a scandal to Religion in their Worldly gettings For thus it was with Abraham he was very tender of the name of God he would not inrich himself in these ways Here we may learn both Justice Piety and Self-denial Here was Piety towards God he gave to God his due And here was Self-denial also he took nothing for himself nor for his Servants who were born in his House and such as he was bound to provide for And this should teach us that in all our actions of a publick nature we must take heed that we do not make private Interest our aim and end And so much for these words of Abrahams giving the Tenth of the spoil to Melchisedeck Now the Apostle comes to bring in the Mystery of these things in the following words being by interpretation King of Righteousness and afterwards King of Salem the Apostle found out the Mystery of the Son of God in Melchisedecks Name and Place by way of Interpretation How Why Melchisedeck is a Hebrew name which signifies a King of Righteousness Some Writers say it was given him upon his Righteous Government King of Righteousness And then the providence of God so ordered it that he was King of a Place that was called Salem which signifies Peace and so the Apostle saith by Interpretation this Melchisedeck was King of Righteousness and afterwards King of Salem Why doth the Apostle bring it in by way of Interpretation Because Melchisedeck and Salem were Hebrew words and the Apostle Writing to the people in Greek which Language they understood better than Hebrew therefore he Interprets the Hebrew words to them And here by the way we may briefly take notice That Learning Study and Reading is a necessary quality in a Minister of the Gospel For though Learning without Grace or the Spirit of God is an empty and insignificant thing yet if men are sanctified it is of great use to the Church of God But where is the Mystery contained in Melchisedecks name and place It lies in this that our Lord Jesus the Son of God is the King of Righteousness and Peace He is our King He is our Melchisedeck He is our King of Righteousness and our Peace The Scripture doth so assert Christ to be See Isa 3. 2. 1 2. 'T is a Prophecy of Christ Behold a King shall Reign in Righteousness and Princes shall Rule in Judgment A man shall be an hiding-place from the Wind and a covert from the Tempest As Rivers of Water in a dry place as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary Land Here is a glorious Promise of Jesus Christ A King shall Reign in Righteousness he shall be a hiding-place from the Wind and a covert from the Tempest when he sets up his Kingdom You commonly say in the Prayer of our Lord Thy Kingdom come but how few do understand it The Prophet tells us that a King shall Reign in Righteousness He shall be a hiding-place from the Wind and from the Tempest When storms and winds shall come upon his Church and People he will be as a hiding-place and will be a comfort and refreshment to them He will be as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary Land If you look into Psal 45. penned to set forth the Government of Christ of whom Solomon was a type saith he v. 7. Thou lovest Righteousness and hatest wickedness therefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows Why because thy Scepter is a Scepter of Righteousness for thou hatest wickedness therefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows But then Melchisedeck as a further type of Christ as he was King of Righteousness so also he was King of Salem King of Peace So if you look into Isa 9 6. For to us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his shoulders his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace To us that is to the Church a Child is born and what shall his name be called His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor For Christ is the greatest wonder of any thing in the World For the Son of God to be made flesh Now you see little of Christ he is little set up in the Nation But in time the Zeal of the Lord of Hosts will lift up his Son Jesus Christ as the King of Righteousness and as the King of Peace As soon as Christ came into the World the heavenly Host came down and sang praise to the most High Luk. 2. 14. Glory to God on the highest and on earth peace good will towards men But how is Christ called the Prince of Peace why in two respects 1. As he hath made Peace between God and Man And 2. As he makes Peace among men 1. As he makes Peace between God and Man For upon mans sin there was a dreadful enmity and hatred between the holy God and sinful man man hated God God hated sinful man till Christ this Prince of Peace came Yea the holy Angels that stand close to God they hated man and men hate one another upon that account For there is such a variance in the corrupt Nature of man that men are commonly Tigers Wolves Lions yea Devils one to another But Christ he hath satisfied Divine Justice by the death of the Cross and slain the Enmity between God and Man and so we are at peace with him For Christ hath reconciled us to God Hence you have that in Col. 3. He hath made peace between Jew and Gentile and Eph. 2. 14. saith the Apostle there For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us There was abundance of strife and variance between the Jew and Gentile Before Christ the Gentiles scorned the Jews for their Circumcision and the Jews scorned the Gentiles and called them Dogs But Christ hath taken away all this variance and enmity This Prince of Peace will remove all offences that stand in his way so that upon this account he is called the Prince of Peace Object But some may
many times comfort in it But we are not to live upon in-comings of promises but we are to go out to all the promises of God by Faith in Christ For mind what the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 1. 20. all the promises of God are in him yea and in him Amen all the promises therefore thou mayst take up with any promise that is suitable to thy wants that is suitable to thy condition thou mayst plead it with the Lord As for example Dost thou want inward peace Thou mayst plead over the promise of peace The Lord hath promised to keep him in peace whose mind is set upon him Again Do you want outward supplies Are you streightened in Food and Rayment Be diligent in your Calling and plead that promise He will give Bread to them that fear him in the 34. Psal they that fear the Lord shall not want any good thing Plead this promise let hunger and wants drive you to the promise Again Do you want light and counsel and direction in your ways Plead that promise in Isaiah The Lord shall guide thee continually And that in the 25. Psal Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord him will the Lord direct in his ways Oh ye that have Abrahams Faith cleave to the promises hang upon the promises all the promises in Christ are yea and in him Amen They are ratified in Christ And that promise of our Lord Jesus Christ abideth Ask and ye shall have seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you Ask according to the promise seek according to the promise Plead the promises of God when you fall into any Darkness and trouble of mind I say plead promises for God he gives you all the promises to live upon and let not any poor Christian be troubled or discouraged about receiving mercy for his own weakness or the meanness of his condition for you must know that every Believer is an Heir of the promise though a poor weak frail Creature yet an Heir of the Promise This we ought to live upon in times of trouble But then there is another thing concerning Melchisedecks blessing Abraham that had received the promise The Question here may be What need was there of Melchisedecks blessing of Abraham who had Gods promise for Abraham was happy enough in the promise if he had not met Melchisedeck to have blest him For Answer hereunto there are two Reasons given for it First of all It was Melchisedecks Place and Office for he was Priest of the most high God to bless them that did belong to God for you read of Three sorts of Persons in Scripture blessing others Parents blessing their Children Kings blessing their Subjects and Ministers blessing their People as you have it in Numb 6. 23. Speak unto Aaron and to his Sons saying On this wise shall you bless the Children of Israel saying unto them the Lord bless thee the Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Now that this was not a Ceremony of the old Law that Ministers and Priests should bless the People appears by the New Testament because the Apostles of Jesus Christ in their Epistles did use to conclude their Epistles with Benedictions But this is not all here intended and therefore 2. This blessing of Abraham it was a blessing of Ratification to confirm Abrahams in the Promise That was the principal reason of Melchisedecks blessing of Abraham that he might be ratified and confirmed in his Faith concerning the Promise From whence we may observe That the strongest Faith had need of strengthning The Faith of the Saints doth need confirmation It is said of Abraham in Rom. 4. that being not weak in Faith he staggered not at the promise verse 20. yet if you look into another Scripture you will find Abraham sometimes staggering at the promise of God through unbelief For if you look into Gen. 15. 1. The Lord said unto him Fear not Abraham I am thy shield and exceeding great reward Then said Abraham Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I go childless and the Steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus Abraham had the promise of a seed before in chap. 12. But he sometimes staggered at the promise Abraham was at first weak in Faith but after God had confirmed his Faith by this means then Abraham believed the Lord. So Abraham was once weak in Faith but now he was strong in Faith Again Abraham also grew strong in Faith by a higher confirming means and that was the Oath of God Heb. 6. 14. Surely in blessing I will bless thee So that Abraham that was commended for the strength of his Faith he was once weak in Faith till God had confirmed his Faith this way And this was the cause of Melchisedecks blessing him And also the Lord for the strengthning of his Faith carries him abroad and bid him look now towards the Heaven and tell the Stars if thou be able to number them And he said unto him so shall thy seed be And then he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for Righteousness Now the Reasons of weakness in Faith are these 1. Here we know but in part and therefore believe but in part 2. The flesh is weak in all Believers Christ said The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak 3. Those that have most Faith are commonly most assaulted by Satan and therefore have need of the most confirming means When our Saviour saw Peter firm in his profession of Faith saith Christ Satan hath desired to winnow thee like Wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not Ahraham though he had the promise yet he wanted a Melchisedeck to bless him Now the third thing is Melchisedeck's being without beginning of days or end of life Aarons Sons and all the Priests of the Levitical Priesthood they die but Melchisedeck he liveth he liveth in his order in the order of his his Priesthood for Jesus Christ is a Priest for ever after Melchisedeck's order But here men receive their Priesthood that die saith the Apostle so leave their work But Christ Jesus he liveth for ever who was here prefigured by Melchisedeck But the Sons of Levi they must die for it is appointed for all men once to die and after that comes Judgment Your Prophets do they live for ever Many of the Fathers of the Old World lived a great while But Kings Priests and Prophets must die Great and holy men must die I should enlarge upon this but I shall improve it these three or four ways 1. This should teach us to walk humbly as poor mortal creatures such as death will strip of all our glory all our beauty Oh! what is it that makes men proud and haughty and lifts up their spirits It is because they think more of living than of dying You have a strange instance of this
in Scripture Good Hezekiah when a Messenger came to him to bid him set his house in order for he must die how humble he was and how lowly he was But when a Messenger came and said he should live yet fifteen years and the Scripture saith he recovered of his sickness His heart was lifted up and he did not render unto the Lord the thanks that was due to him 2 Chron. 32. 24 25. When he was restored he forgat his mortality his heart was lifted up You see then the vanity of humane nature therefore if you would be humble think more of dying than of living 2. If all men must die it should teach all to improve our lives to do all the good we can whilst we live Saith Solomon Eccles 9. Whatever thine hand findeth to do do it with all thy might We have read and heard of some good Christians that have improved their lives and have stood much upon the considerations of their going to Eternity Oh that we might all do so 3. Seeing we must die as well as the Sons of Levi it should teach us contentment under all our troubles for death swallows all death buries all the sorrows and griefs of the Children of God If you have read the Martyrology of the Church of God you will see what strong consolation they have had at their deaths upon this account they knew that being in Christ death would set them free from all their sins and sorrows 4. If death be common to all and all must die then what cause have we to bless God for the promise of the glorious Resurrection for the hopes of Eternal Life for the Soul at death and the Resurrection of the Body to glory at the last day for those that are in Christ Oh how this should raise and comfort our spirits Saith the Apostle It is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption 't is sown in dishonour 't is raised in honour 't is sown in weakness 't is raised in power 't is sown a natural body 't is raised a spiritual body The consideration of this should raise our spirits I remember I have read of a speech of a dying Roman being asked where he would be buried he answered I care not where you bury me for my stench when I am dead will cause you to bury me Ah! but a true Christian can speak in a better Language as Job 19. 25 26. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth And though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God You that are in Christ comfort your selves and one another with these words SERMON IV. Hebrews 7. from verse 9 to 12. And as I may so say Levi also who received Tythes paid Tythes in Abraham For he was yet in the loins of his Father when Melchisedeck met him If therefore perfection were by the Levitical Priest-hood for under it the people received the Law what further need was there that another Priest should rise after the order of Melchisedeck and not be called after the order of Aaron For the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change also of the Law SEveral things have already been spoken of Jesus Christ as he was prefigured by Melchisedeck called the Priest of the most high God The last time I spoke to you from this Scripture we went to v. 9. of this chapter and I shall not repeat what hath been spoken but shall proceed this morning to open these verses which I have now read at this time These words of the Apostle are brought in still to prove that the order of Melchisedeck according to which Christ is a Priest for ever is greater than the order of Aaron or Levi. And he proves it thus because Levi who received Tythes of the people of Israel paid Tythes to Melchisedeck in the loins of Abraham Here is a Mystery and a very profitable Truth that lies couched in these words Levi is said to be in the loins of Abraham How is that why Levi was the third Son of Jacob by his wife Leah Gen. 49. 34. This Levi had a Family and a Tribe out of which in process of time God chose the Priesthood And it was a great honour to that Tribe above all the Tribes of Israel that God should raise out of them a people to serve him in the holy things in the Sanctuary and to be nearer to him than all the Tribes besides Now this Levi or Posterity or Family of Levi are said to be in the loins of Abraham when Abraham gave to Melchisedeck the Tenths of the spoils How in his loins Levi as I said before was the Son of Jacob and Jacob was but the Grand-son of Abraham for Abraham you know had Isaac and Isaac had Jacob and Jacob had this Son Levi who was the head of that Tribe of which the Priesthood was So that Abraham was the great Grand-father of Levi and of all his posterity and yet they are said to be in the loins of Abraham The Holy Ghost brings in this that Levi was in the loins of Abraham to teach us two things First That Children are in the common condition with their Parents and Progenitors And Secondly The actions of Children are included in the actions of their Fathers as Levi paid Tythes in Abraham 1. Children are in the common condition with their Parents and Stock they come of 'T is true God made a difference sometimes by his Providence and sometimes by his special Grace Though sometimes God in the way of his Providence advances Children above their Parents in this World So Saul and David were advanced to be Kings when their Fathers were not So many in the World that have been born of mean Parents and of Parents that have had no repute in the World are by the providence of God advanced to some repute and condition in the World This is by providence not by nature 2. Some advanced by special Grace to a far better condition than their Parents And so where Children are godly that come of wicked Parents this is an advancement of Grace Hezekiah and Josiah were advanced by special Grace above their Fathers But though God by his Providence and special Grace doth sometimes and often advance Children above the condition of their Parents yet they are in the common condition with them we are all such as inherit our Fathers sins and our Fathers infirmities Who can bring a clean thing out of that which is unclean Job 14. 4. Fathers unclean and Children unclean and Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one Job 25. 6. Having spoken of Man How much less Man that is a Worm and the Son of Man which is a Worm A Worm is a poor weak Creature as our Fathers were so are we And therefore saith the Prophet Elijah when he was weary of the World and requested of God that he might die he
defend his Church In Gen. 49. there you have old Jacob blessing of the Tribe of Judah and Prophecying that Christ should come out of that Tribe The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his Feet until Shiloh come and unto him shall be the gathering of the People The Scepter shall not depart from Judah that is the Kingly power and Government That Tribe did hold it till Christ came in the Flesh and then Herod Reigned who was not of the Tribe of Judah This was old Jacobs Prophecy that our Lord Jesus Christ should come out of Judah And why so This makes him not only a Priest but a Royal Prophet and this was according to the promise made to David Thy House and thy Kingdom shall be established for ever before me Thy Throne shall be established for ever i. e. in his Son that is Christ who came of the Seed of David so that he is a King and a Prophet in that he came of the Seed of David Come we now to the Observations that are plain from this Verse which I have read The 13. ver saith the Apostle For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another Tribe of which no man gave attendance at the Altar not one man of the Tribe of Judah did Minister at Gods Altar Hence we are First to observe That according to that order which God hath set among men no man is to intermeddle with business out of his place For the Tribe of Judah having no part of the Levitical Office no man of them might presume to give attendance at the Altar Solomon tells us That it is the wisdom of the prudent to understand his way but every fool will be medling It is the wisdom of a Man to understand his way i. e. to know what God calls him to and to mind his own work and his proper business in his calling and place The Apostle gives this direction to the Church of the Thessalonians 1 Thess 4. 11. Study to be quiet and to do your own business It is a great point of Godly wisdom to give attendance to what God calls them to and not to meddle with that which God has not called them to There are some that are reproved from this first observation Such as have given attendance to publick Work and to Preaching and also to Trading to as if the work of the Gospel were not sufficient for one man There is nothing more plain in Scripture than this that those whom God hath set to the work of the Ministry are exempted from other Worldly Trades and Callings It hath been an abuse in this Nation to think that men may Trade and Buy and Sell and run into all Worldly business and yet undertake the Preaching of the Gospel Yea some that are called the regular Clergy yet give themselves too much to Farming Buying and Selling and Secular Imployments this doth come short of their Calling for mind what the Apostle saith to Timothy in 1 Tim. 4. 13. Till I come give thy self to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrin So that you see it is the wisdom of a man to understand what they are Called to No man gave attendance to the work of the Altar but they that were of the Altar And let me tell you this God hath often had a special respect to them whom he found in their Callings and hath chosen them to more eminent Services You read when Moses was keeping his Fathers Sheep being in his Calling the Lord appeared to him in the Bush And when God set up another Prophet in the room of Elijah he takes another Prophet who was in his Calling he was Ploughing in the Field So in Zechariah when the Angel appeared to him he was found in his Calling God hath always delighted to own men in their Callings and to find them therein And why did not the Tribe of Judah give attendance unto the Work of the Altar The Apostle gives the reason in the 14. ver because Moses spake nothing concerning that Priest-hood How Moses Moses was the man by whom God revealed his mind in the Old Testament and there was no other Prophet for the leading of the Church in that matter Now Moses when he comes to reveal the mind and will of God concerning the Tabernacle and Priest-hood Moses said nothing of the Tribe of Judah Whence observe Secondly That we must not meddle with any thing in the Worship of God without a Divine Warrant from him we must have a Warrant for what we do in the Worship of God The Tribe of Judah would not meddle with any thing in the Worship of God because they had no Warrant from God for it This therefore is to be observed That those that bring in Popish and Superstitious Inventions we may say of them Moses nor any of the Prophets in Scripture speak any thing concerning these things and therefore we look upon the Papists as to their Superstitions to be of an Unscriptural Religion For what Apostle or what Prophet said any thing for the Worshipping of Images Or what Apostle or what Prophet said any thing to warrant the Praying in an unknown Tongue What Prophet or Apostle or Pen-man of Scripture hath said any thing concerning the Sacrifice of the Mass for the Living and the Dead Oh filthy trash What Prophet or Apostle or Pen-man of the Scripture hath said any thing concerning Praying Souls out of Purgatory or to have Mass read for them What Prophet or Apostle or Christ himself said any thing of Purgatory or Crossing themselves or their Childish Crosses and Beads Of these Popish Superstitions as it is here said so we may say of that God hath said nothing in all his Word for these Superstitious things And therefore the people of God must never meddle with these things and if you be tempted or sollicited to any Ceremony ask the Question Have Moses or the Prophets or Christ or his Apostles said any thing to this matter that you are so Zealous for Oh search the Scripture and what you find there you are to practise in Faith and in the fear of God Isaiah 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them The Third thing observable in this Text is the Title that is given to our Saviour Jesus Christ in the 14. ver It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah our Lord Why doth he say our Lord To teach us that we must never speak of Jesus Christ or think of him without an awful fear and reverence for he is our Lord our great Lord He is so by reason of his Deity and because of the Fathers Ordination for he hath set his Son upon his holy Hill Zion as King Psal 2. and in Eph. 1. 22. the Apostle tells us he is made the Head over all things to his Church surely then he is a great Lord. And from this
who is a propitiation for our Sins We have an Advocate that is we have one that stands up for us in our stead and appears on our side Also it hath reference to a Favourite of the Kings Court that is oft in the Kings presence and ready to speak for his Friend So Joseph was an Intercessor for his Father and Brethren unto King Pharaoh when they came into the Land of Egypt Gen. 47. Joseph was a Favourite of the King of Egypt And he appeared in the presence of the King for his Father and Brethren You shall find the Prophet Elijah offers to make himself an Intercessor to the King for the Shunamitish Woman 2 King 4. 13. Wouldst thou be spoken for to the King In this sense Jesus Christ is said to be our Intecessor He is said to appear in the 〈◊〉 of God for us Heb. 9. 24. For Christ is not entred 〈◊〉 the Holy places which are the figures of the true 〈◊〉 into Heaven it self Now to appear in the presence of God for us and to make Intercession for us This is not to be understood as if Jesus Christ in Heaven did prosâ—rate himself to the Father for us and make actual prayers for us It is not so to be understood In the days of his Flesh he sent up strong cryes to God in his state of Humiliation Heb. 5. 7. but it is not agreeable to his state of Glory that Jesus Christ should now send up Prayers and Supplications to God for us But when it is said that he appears in the presence of God for us and makes Intercession for us the meaning is this That he doth present himself in Heaven as our Surety and as our Sacrifice and as one that hath made satisfaction to all the demands of the Law and also manifesting his Will That all that come unto God by him should have the benefit of his Death He doth appear before God as the Sacrifice for our sins that the benefit may come to every Soul that come unto God by him that is the meaning Therefore it is said Heb. 12. 24. The Apostle tells them they are come to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel Abels blood did speak when Abel said nothing his blood did speak and cry And so the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ speaketh his Death speaketh His Suffering speaketh That is always before the Holy God for an expiatory Sacrifice for sin to them that believe on him An Expiatory Sacrifice And this was typified of old by the High-priests carrying the Blood of the Sacrifice into the most Holy place sprinkling that Blood upon the Mercy-seat see Levit. 16. 15. Then shall he kill the Goat of the Sin-offering that is for the People and bring his Blood within the Vail and do with that Blood as he did with the Blood of the Bullock and sprinkle it upon the Mercy-seat When the Priests of old did kill the Offering whether it was a Goat or whether it was a Bullock he was to take of the Blood of the Beast and carry it within the Vail What is that You must know that in the Temple there were three parts there was the outward Court which the Gentiles might come into as well as the Jews then there was the Temple where the people generally went to Pray and where the Sacrifices were slain and then there was the third place which was called the most Holy place the Sanctum Sanctorum and that was separated by the Vail the Vail was drawn before it and when the Priest had Offered the Blood of the Sacrifice he was to go within the Vail where was the Mercy-seat and where God did give his Answers to his Peoples Requests and this Blood of the Sacrifice was to be sprinkled upon the Mercy-seat Why so Why to signifie that God would shew Mercy unto his People by way of Atonement and Sacrifice that he would shew them Mercy that way because of the uncleanness of the Children of Men therefore God would have no Communion with them but by the Blood of Atonement And this was a Type of Heaven it self Christ saith the Apostle is gone into the most Holy place to Heaven it self there to appear in the presence of God for us And as the High-priest of old did carry the Blood of the Sacrifice into the most Holy place on Earth so our Lord Jesus Christ did carry his Blood into Heaven which is the most Holy place of all which speaks better things than the Blood of Abel which cries for vengeance but the Blood of Jesus Christ calls for mercy for every one that comes to God by him This is the meaning of his making intercession for us But now in the Third place Why doth the Apostle say in the Text that Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Why is Christs ability to save us put upon his ever living to make intercession The Scripture mind it doth lay a great stress here and the weight and burden of our Salvation is laid in this upon Christs ever living to plead and maintain the great end of his death and suffering for poor sinners he ever liveth and the Reasons are these First If Jesus had died and never rose again our hopes of Salvation by him had perished with him and been buried in his Crave If Christ had died and never rose again our hopes of Salvation by him had died also and been buried in the Grave with him Mind what the Apostle speaks to this purpose 1 Cor. 15. 14. If Christ be not risen then is our Preaching in vain and your Faith is also vain If Christ be not risen our Preaching is in vain How is that Our preaching Salvation by Jesus Christ is in vain it is to no purpose if he be a dead man still and your Faith is vain your Believing in him is vain if he be in the state of death still Why so Because in the Grave there is no work nor no knowledge the dead know nothing the dead can do nothing therefore if Jesus Christ were in the state of Death if he were in the Grave and not risen again it is in vain for us to preach Salvation by Jesus Christ and your believing in him for Salvation is vain But in as much as he ever liveth and is come out of the state of Death he is able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God by him You may observe in Scripture that that time that our Saviour Christ died and was laid in the Grave his Disciples and Followers on Earth their hopes died with him as you may read in Luk. 24. of the two Disciples going to Emmaus what a sad discourse they had together when Christ asked them what communication they had together they said unto him Concerning one Jesus of Nazareth which
then the Grace of God by which we are saved signifies nothing to us For if it be of works it is not of grace But on the other hand If we be saved by grace then not by works Works is no more works See therefore look that you live wholly and solely upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ And that you do your work not from your self and not for your self As for example If a man do receive an Estate or an Inheritance of his Father as a free gift then he pays nothing for it If a man says he deserved it or that he wrought for it this takes away the freeness of the gift If it be of gift it is not of duty If it be of duty it is not of gift So if it be of grace 't is not of works and therefore cease from your work in the matter of your Justification that is stand clear from resting on your works Look at free Grace in Christ for all for he ever liveth to make Intercession for us 'T is when we are saved by Grace that we are able to work and God doth graciously accept of our work But how as we are united to him by his Son Jesus Christ our great Intercessor Hence you have that Col. 3. 17. And whatsoever you do in word or deed do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks unto God and the Father by him How when you pray pray in the Name of the Lord Jesus and believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus for acceptance and when you praise the Lord praise him in the Name of the Lord Jesus and trust in him for acceptance Do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus because he is the great Intercessor for our Souls And he takes away the iniquity of our holy things that they may be accepted And he offers up his own Intercession with the prayers of the Saints and therefore whatever you do do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus This is the Spiritual Lesson that we are to learn from this Doctrine or Truth that we are now upon That if Jesus Christ be able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God by him then rest upon him with full and entire Faith and cease from your own works and rest wholly and alone upon the Lord Jesus Christ 2. Here is great encouragement and comfort for them that believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ Such are our sins and we have so much of guilt upon us and defilements in us as we know not how with any face to make our appearance before a holy God And many Christians upon occasions are ready to despair of finding mercy with God 'T is true if there were not a Mediator an Intercessor for us there were reason to despair indeed But God hath put a great Office upon his Son that he shall make Intercession for Transgressors Isa 53. 12. The Father there speaking of his Son with which I shall conclude He hath poured out his Soul unto death And he was numbred with the Transgressors and he bare the sin of many and made Intercession for the Transgressors These expressions shew that God the Father loved his Son because he bare our sins and made Intercession for the Transgressors therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he made his Soul an offering for sin and bare the sin of many Let this be comfort and encouragement to every poor Believer And say thus Well I have many sins and many infirmities but thanks be to God the League is broken I do not love them but I hate them I am one that hangs upon Jesus Christ And seeing I have heard that he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for all those that come unto God by him I will come unto God by him SERMON XI Hebrews 7. 26. For such an High-priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens I Have through Divine Assistance gone thus far through this Chapter where the Apostle treats so largely of Jesus Christ and of his Priestly-office As we are to live by Faith and to be saved by Faith so it is of great moment to every one rightly to understand and to be instructed by Jesus Christ and his Priestly-office For as we are sinners there is no coming to a holy God but by him By him we are said to draw nigh to God in verse 19. as hath been shewed And he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him in verse 25. which was the last thing was handled He is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him So that the Knowledge of Jesus Christ and Faith in him is that Knowledge that is absolutely necessary to Salvation Therefore the Apostle doth so much inlarge upon it in this Scripture and in other Scriptures Now in these words which I have read for our present meditation we have a further Argument and Demonstration given by the Apostle to prove that Jesus Christ our great High-priest is far more excellent than the High-priests under the Law And the Argument is drawn from his purity and their sinfulness His purity being holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners Whereas the Priests under the Law they were guilty of sin and therefore they did offer Sacrifices first for their own sins in verse 17. But our Lord Jesus Christ is one separated from sinners so that the Argument lies thus That Priest that High-priest pure and undefiled and hath no sin in him must needs be more excellent than they that had sin and did offer Sacrifice for their own sins I begin now with verse 26. For such an High-priest became us who was harmless i. e. such an High-priest was needful for us and suitable for us in our state and condition for if we have had an High-priest that was not Holy and Harmless how should he carry on the work of an High-priest How should he save us from our sins How should he bring us from Misery if he had not been Holy and Harmless But such an High-priest became us who was Holy If any other had undertaken to appear in the presence of God for us he could never have brought this work about Therefore it became us to have such an High-priest It was not for a sinner to appear in the presence of a Holy God if we had not such an High-priest we could not have had acceptance with God if we had not a Holy Advocate You know what old Eli said to his Sons said he If one man sin against another the Judge shall Judge him 1 Sam. 2. 25. But if a man sin against the Lord who shall entreat for him There is no man fit to treat with a Holy God that sins against the Lord. But
on Earth so that the Pharisees said he was a Wine-bibber and a friend of Publicans and sinners The Answer is thus Our Lord Jesus Christ when he was here on Earth did converse with sinners for the saving of their Souls but never converst with them in their sin And so he is said to be separated from sinners Christ could have no more communion with their sins than Light with Darkness Yet he converst with sinners as he came to save and to seek them that were lost He came to save them not to mingle with them in their sins Therefore you may observe in Luke 19. when he goes to Zacheus his house some of the people murmured and said He is gone to be a Guest to a man that is a sinner in verse 7. But what saith Christ in verse 10. The Son of Man is come to seek and to save those that were lost Therefore he was to go to be a Guest to a sinner to save those that were lost It was easie with Christ to keep and converse with sinners and yet keep himself from the defilement of their sins As it is with a Physician he can go into the house of a sick person and yet keep himself free from the Contagion of the Disease The Adversaries of Christ could never charge him with any defilements of sin and herein the purity of our Lord Jesus Christ is set out to us And it became us to have such an High-priest But then here is the next thing which is his Exaltation Made higher than the Heavens That is an expression that carries much in it Here we have the Exaltation of our great High-priest He is made higher than the Heavens Heavens in the Plural number The Scripture mentions three Heavens First The Lowest Heaven is the Airy Heaven where the Fowls of the Air flie And of this you read in Gen. 1. about the 8th verse God called the Firmament Heaven when he had separated the Earth from the Heaven The second or middlemost Heaven is the Starry Heaven which God shewed to Abraham in Gen. 15. where the Sun Moon and Stars are contained But then There is a Third Heaven which is the place of the blessed where God doth manifest himself in his Glory and that Third Heaven the Apostle speaks of in 2 Cor. 12. 2. he tells us that he was caught up into the Third Heaven that is the place where the blessed are This is that which Solomon calls the Heaven of Heavens in that passage of his in 2 Chron. 2. 6. But who is able to build him an House seeing the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him that is God Now saith the Apostle here in my Text Jesus Christ our High-priest is made higher than the Heavens he is made higher than the Terrestrial Heaven higher than the Starry Heaven and I pray mind what an Emphasis the Scripture puts upon this compare the words of the Text with Ephes 4. 10. the Apostle saith That he Ascended far above all Heavens that he might fill all things The Apostle in the Text saith that he is made higher than the Heavens and here he saith he is Ascended far above all Heavens Why Because in his exalted state of Glory he is taken up above to Gods right hand which is above all the Created Glory in Heaven For though the great God made a Heaven for the holy Angels and for the glorified Saints and doth there manifest his Glory so far as they are capable of receiving it yet still God is above all the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him saith Solomon How God is a Heaven in himself You know the Prophet tells us that he inhabits in Eternity and liveth in Eternity Now this Eternity was in God himself before the Heavens were made and tho he manifests himself in his Glory among the Saints and Angels yet he is above all and so the Glory of Christ is far above all the Glory of the Saints and Angels for the Glory of Christ is to sit at Gods right hand as the Apostle saith Heb. 1. 13. He gives us Glory in Heaven and his Angels have Glory in Heaven but Jesus Christ hath higher Glory than all these for he is at the Fathers right hand and he dwells in God himself and inheriteth Eternity see Ephes 1. 20 21. when the Apostle who is speaking of raising up Christ from the dead he saith He set him on his own right hand in Heavenly places far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominions Mind how high the Apostle goes with this when he raised up Christ from the dead he set him on his own Right hand far above all Principalities and Powers and Dominions What Principalities and Powers are these Why the holy Angels for Heaven is a Kingdom and there is a Government and an Order in Heaven There is Principalities and Powers there is Angels and Arch angels But when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead he raised him above the Angels he set him far above the Glory of the Saints And tho he prayed that the Saints might be where he is it is not meet that we should be received in that height of Glory where he is but we are to have the Glory of Christ communicated to us so far as we are capable to receive him as he is the second Person of the Trinity The Saints cannot reach to that Glory he is in but they shall have it so far as they are capable to receive him Phil. 2. 9 10. Wherefore God hath highly Exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name That at the Name of Jesus every Knee should bow of things in Heaven of things in Earth of things under the Earth All the holy Angels and Saints in Heaven do bow unto our Lord Jesus Christ and do homage to him in our Nature Why Because the Father hath made him higher than the Heavens above all the Glory of Heaven He is not only holy harmless separate from sinners but made higher than the Heavens And such an High-priest became us Now for Application This Doctrin is Four ways Useful to us First This shews the Riches of Gods Goodness and Mercy to poor sinful Man that he should appoint such a High-priest to interceed for us such a one as is not to be found among all the Children of Men. God had the whole Creation before him Angels and Men but there was no Person could be found that did become us that was fit to be our High-priest but he that is higher than the Heavens the Son of God Oh the great goodness of God! It will take up an Eternity to adore God for his goodness in our Salvation by Jesus Christ God hath done much for us in our Creation he hath made us rational Creatures out of nothing he hath made a World for us to inhabit and given us Dominion over the works of his hand hath made us but a little lower than the Angels which made