a man should precede the title of his rule. First, king of righteousness, and afterwards king of peace. Righteousness must go first, and then peace will follow after. So it is promised of Christ and his kingdom, that in his days" the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth," Psal. ixxii. 7. First they are made righteous, and then they have peace. And Isa. xxxii. 17. "The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and peace for ever." This is the order of these things. There is no peace but what proceedeth from and is the effect of righteousness. So these things with respect to Christ are declared by the psalmist, Psal. lxxxv. 9-13. What we are taught hence is,

1. That the Lord Jesus Christ is the only King of righteousness and peace to the church. See Isa. xxxii. 1, 2. ix. 6. He is not only a righteous and peaceable king, as were his typos Melchisedec and Solomon, but he is the author, cause, procurer and dispenser of righteousness and peace to the church. So is it declared, Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. “ Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a Righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness.

VII. The apostle proceeds yet to other instances in the description of Melchisedec wherein he was made like to the Son of God, ver. 3. "Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life." The things here asserted being at the first view strange and uncouth, would administer occasion to large discourses, and accordingly have been the subject of many inquiries and conjectures. But it is no way to the edification of those who are sober and godly, to engage into any long disputes about those things, wherein all learned sober expositors are come to an issue and agreement, as they are in general in this matter. For it is granted that Melchisedec was a man, really and truly so, and therefore of necessity must have all these things; for the nature of man, after him who was first created, who yet also had beginning of life and end of days, doth not exist without them. Wherefore these things are not denied of him absolutely, but in some sense, and with respect to some especial end. Now this is with respect to his office therein, or as he bare that office, he was "without father, without mother," &c. And how doth this appear that so it was with him? It doth so because none of them is recorded or mentioned in the Scripture, which yet diligently recordeth them concerning other persons; and in particular those who could not find and prove their genealogies were by no means to be admitted to the priesthood, Ezra ii, 61-63.

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And we may therefore by this rule inquire into the particulars. 1. It is said of him in the first place, that he was añaτng, aμnτως, "without father, without mother," whereon part of the latter clause, namely," without beginning of days," doth depend. But how could a mortal man come into the world without father or mother?" Man that is born of a woman," is the description of every man; what therefore can be intended? The next word declares, he was ayeveaλoyntos, “without descent,” say we. But why, is a generation, a descent, a pedigree,' γενεαλογία, not absolutely, but rehearsed, described, recorded. Inahoyntos, is Γενεαλογητος, he whose stock and descent is entered on record. And so on the contrary, ahoyros, is not he who hath no descent, no genealogy, but he whose descent and pedigree is no where entered, recorded, reckoned up. Thus the apostle himself plainly expresscth this word, ver. 6. ὁ μη γενεαλογόμενος εξ αυτων, "whose descent is not counted," that is, reckoned up in record. Thus was Melchisedec without father and mother, in that the Spirit of God, who so strictly and exactly recorded the genealogies of other patriarchs and types of Christ, and that for no less an end than to manifest the truth and faithfulness of God in his promises, speaks nothing to this purpose concerning him. He is introduced as it were one falling from heaven, appearing on a sudden, reigning in Salem, and officiating in the office of the priesthood to the High God.

2. On the same account is he said to be μnts gxnv hμegwv, μnte Cans TEXOS EXWy, without beginning of days or end of life.' For as he was a mortal man he had both. He was assuredly horn, and did no less certainly die, than other men. But neither of these are recorded concerning him. We have no more to do with him, to learn from him, nor are concerned in him, but only as he is described in the Scripture, and there is no mention therein of the beginning of his days, or the end of his life. Whatever therefore he might have in himself, he had none to

Consider all the other patriarchs mentioned in the writings of Moses, and you shall find their descent recorded, who was their father, and so upwards to the first man; and not only so, but the time of their birth and death, the beginning of their days, and the end of their lives is exactly recorded. For it is constantly said of them, such an one lived so long, and begat such a son, which fixed the time of birth. Then of him so begotten it is said he lived so many years, which determines the end of his days. These things are expressly recorded. But concerning Melchisedec none of these things are spoken. No mention is made of father or mother, no genealogy is recorded of what stock or progeny he was, nor is there any account of his birth or death. So that all these things are wanting to him in this historical narration wherein our faith and knowledge is

alone concerned. Some few things may yet farther be inquired into for the clearing of the sense of these words.

1. Whereas the observation of the apostle is built on the silence of Moses in the history, which was sufficient for him, whatever was the cause and reason of that silence, we may inquire whence it was? Whence it was, I say, that Moses should introduce so great and excellent a person as Melchisedec, without any mention of his race or stock, of his parents or progenitors, of his rise or fall, contrary to his own custom in other cases, and contrary to all rules of useful history. For to introduce so great a person, in any story, and on so great an occasion, without giving any account of him, or of any of his circumstances, whereby his concernment in the matter related might be known, is utterly contrary to all rules of serious history. Answ. 1. Some of the Jews absurdly imagine that it was because his parents were not only obscure, but that he was born of fornication, and so he had no right of genealogy. But this is both a foolish and wicked imagination. For it is not to be supposed God would have advanced a person known to be of such an extract and original, into the honour of the priesthood, and that of the most excellent kind that ever was under the Old Testament. For being low and mean in the world it is neither disadvantage nor disparagement. The best of mea were so, and all the chief patriarchs were but shepherds. But bastardy is a mark of infamy in the world, and God would not raise such an one to administer peculiarly to him, and that as a type of his own Son who was to be incarnate.

2. Some say that there is no singular thing herein, but that it is done according to the custom of Scripture, which relates only the genealogies of the patriarchs, who were of that lineage from whence Christ did come. But when it makes mention of any others, though they be never so eminent, it reckoneth not up their genealogy. Thus it dealeth with Jethro the father-inlaw of Moses, and with Job, so great and holy a person, concerning whom it says no more, but that "there was a man in the land of Uz named Job." And some things may be allowed herein. But the instances are no way parallel. For Jethro, he was a stranger to the church, and there is a full account concerning him, so far as it is either necessary or useful, that we should in point of story know any thing of him. And the story of Job is a separate story, wherein himself only and family was concerned; and we have therein his country, the number and names of his children, with the years of his life, and time of his death. But as we have none of these things in the account of Melchisedec, so he is introduced as one in whom the church of God was publicly concerned. Wherefore,

3. The true cause of the omission of all these things, was the same with that of the institution of his priesthood, and the

introduction of his person in the story. And this was that he might be the more express and signal representative of the Lord Christ in his priesthood. For to this end it was not only needful that he should be declared to be a priest, as the Messiah was to be, but also in that declaration all those circumstances were to be observed, wherein the nature of the priesthood of Christ might be any way prefigured. After this the church being reduced into a standing order for succession, it was obliged necessarily for many generations to a priesthood which depended solely on their genealogy and pedigree both by father and mother, Ezra x. 19, 19. Neh. vii. 63-65. Wherefore, whereas the priesthood of our Lord Christ was to depend on no such descent, (" for it is evident that our Lord sprang of Judah, whereof Moses spake nothing of the priesthood,") it was necessary that it should be originally represented, by one who had no genealogy, seeing that as to his office he himself was to have none. And therefore when the church of Israel was in the highest enjoyment of the Levitical priesthood, whose office. depended wholly on their genealogy, yea so far as on a supposition of a defect or change thereof, not only the priesthood itself, but all the sacred worship also which it was designed to officiate, must utterly cease; yet the Holy Ghost then thought meet to remind them, that a priest was to come without respect to any such descent or genealogy, in that he was to be after the order of Melchisedec who had none, Psal. cx. 4. This is the true and only reason why in the story of Melchisedec as the priest of the High God, there is no mention made of father, mother, genealogy, beginning of life or end of days.

And we may herein consider the sovereign wisdom of the Holy Ghost, in bringing forth truth unto light according as the state and condition of the church doth require. And,

First, He proposeth only a naked story of a person that was a type of Christ, and that obscurely and sparingly. Something the men of the age wherein he lived might learn by his ministrations, but not much. For that which was principally instructive in him for the use of the church was not of force till all his circumstances were forgotten; and the church was now to be instructed, not so much by what he was, as what was recorded of him, wherein the Seripture superseded all tradition that might be of him in the world. Yea, the contrivance of any tradition concerning his parents, birth and death, had been contrary to the mind of God, and what instruction he intended the church by him. Afterwards when, it may be, all thoughts of any use or design of this story in Moses was lost, and the church was fully satisfied in a priesthood quite of another nature, the Holy Ghost in one word of prophecy instructs the church, not only that the things spoken concerning Melchisedec were not so recorded for his own sake, or on his own account,

but with respect to another priest which was afterwards to arise, by him represented. This gave a new consideration, sense and design to the whole story; but moreover gives the church to know, that the priesthood which it then enjoyed was not always to continue, but that another of another nature was to be introduced, as was signified long before the institution of that priesthood which they enjoyed, Psal. cx. 4. And as this was sufficient for the use and edification of the church in those days, yet it was left greatly in the dark as to the full design and meaning of these things. And therefore it is evident that at the coming of our Saviour, and the accomplishment of this type, the church of the Jews had utterly lost all knowledge and understanding of the mystery of it, and the promise renewed in the psalm. For they thought it strange that there should be a priest that had no genealogy, no solemn consecration nor investiture with his office. Wherefore our apostle, entering on the unfolding of this mystery, doth not only preface it with an assertion of its difficulty, or how hard it was to be understood aright, but also by a long previous discourse variously prepareth their minds to a most diligent attention. And the reason of it was not only because they had utterly lost the understanding that was given in these things formerly, but also because the true understanding of them would put an end at that time to that priesthood and worship which they had adhered to. Wherefore until this time the church was not able to bear the true understanding of this mystery, and now they could no longer be without it. Hence is it here so fully and particularly declared by our apostle. And we may observe,

Obs. XXIV. That the church never did in any age, nor ever shall, want that instruction by divine revelation which is needful to its edification in faith and obedience.-This it had in all ages, according to that gradual progression which God gave to light and truth, in the explication of the great mystery of his grace, "which was hid in him from the foundation of the world." An instance hereof we have in the things which concern this Melchisedec, as we have observed. The church never had need to look after the traditions of their fathers, or to betake themselves to their own inventions; their instruction by revelation was always sufficient for the state and condition wherein they were. Much more therefore is it so now, when the sum and perfection of all divine revelations is given in to us by Jesus Christ.

Obs. XXV. It is a great honour to serve in the church, by doing or suffering for the use and service of future generations. -This was the honour of Melchisedec, that he was employed in a service, the true use and advantage whereof was not given to the church, until many generations after. And I add suffer