desired to continue, and the people also would have rejoiced in it. Death came on them, neither desired nor expected, with his prohibition. 4. That when death came and seized on them, it kept them under its power, so that they could never more attend unto their office. But it was otherwise with the priest of the better covenant, as we shall see immediately. Observe,

Obs. II. There is such a necessity of the continual administration of the sacerdotal office in behalf of the church, that the interruption of it by the death of the priests, was an argument of the weakness of that priesthood.

The high-priest is the sponsor and mediator of the covenant. Those of old were so typically, and by way of representation. Wherefore, all covenant transactions between God and the church, must be through him. He is to offer up all sacrifices, and therein represent all our prayers. And it is evident from thence, what a ruin it would be to the church, to be without a high-priest one moment. Who would venture a surprisal unto his own soul in such a condition? Could any man enjoy a moment's peace, if he supposed that in his extremity, the highpriest might die? This now is provided against, as we shall see in the next verse.

VER. 24.-But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

In opposition unto what was observed in the Levitical priests, the contrary is here affirmed of the Lord Christ. And the design of the apostle is still the same, namely, to evince by all sorts of instances, his pre-eminence as a priest above them as such also.

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1. The person spoken of is expressed by ds. The excep tive conjunction de, but,' answereth unto μ before used, and introduceth the other member of the antithesis. O, hic, ille, iste, he of whom we speak, namely, Jesus, the surety of the New Testament. We render it, this man,' not improperly; he was the Mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus.' Nor doth the calling of him, this man,' exclude his divine nature; for he was truly a man, though God and man in one person. And the things here ascribed unto him, were wrought in and by the human nature, though he that wrought them were God also: but he,' or this man,' who was represented by Melchisedec, of whom we speak.

2. It is affirmed of this person, that he hath an unchangeable priesthood; the ground and reason whereof is assigned, namely, δια το μένειν αυτον, 'because he continueth ever,' which must be first considered. The sole reason here insisted on by the apostle, why the Levitical priests were many, is because they were forbidden by death to continue. It is sufficient, therefore, on the contrary, to prove the perpetuity of the priest

hood of Christ, that he abideth for ever. For hè doth not absolutely hereby prove the perpetuity of the priesthood, but his perpetual uninterrupted administration of it. Δια το μενειν εις τον

This was the faith of the Jews concerning the Messiah, and his office. We have heard, say they, out of the law, or XeTOS HEVEL EIS TOV DIWva, John xii, 34. that Christ abideth for ever;' whereon they could not understand what he told them about his being lifted up by death. And so the word signifieth' to abide,' to continue in any state or condition,' John xxi. 22, 23. And this was that in which principally he was typified by Melchisedec, concerning whom there is no record, as to the beginning of days or end of life, but as unto the Scripture description of him he is said to abide a priest for ever.

It may be said in opposition hereunto, that the Lord Christ died also, and that no less truly and really than did Aaron or any priest of his order. Wherefore it will not hence follow, that he had any more an uninterrupted priesthood than they had. In answer to this, some say, the apostle here considers the priesthood of Christ only after his resurrection and ascension into heaven, after which he dies no more, death hath no more power over him. And if we will believe the Socinians, then he' first began to be a priest. This figment I have fully confuted elsewhere. And there is no ground in the context, on which) we may conjecture that the apostle intends the administration of his priesthood in heaven only, although he intend that also. For he speaks of his priesthood as typified by that of Melchisedec, which, as we have proved before, respected the whole of

his office.

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I say therefore, that although Christ died, yet he was not forbid by death to abide in his office as they were. He died as a priest, they died from being priests. He died as a priest, because he was also to be a sacrifice. But he abode and continued not only vested with his office, but in the execution of it in the state of death. Through the indissolubleness of his person, his soul and body still subsisting in the person of the Son of God, he was a capable subject of his office. And his being in the state of the dead belonged unto the administration of his office, no less than his death itself. So that from the first moment of his being a priest, he abode so always without interruption or intermission. This is the meaning of die To MeVELY autor, he in his own person abideth.' Nor doth the apostle say, that he did not die, but only that he abideth always.

3. It followeth from hence, that he hath, aragabator isgwovrny, an unchangeable priesthood.' A priesthood subject to no change or alteration; that cannot pass away. But isgwoven raga Caros is sacerdotium successivum, per successionem ab uno alteri traditum. Such a priesthood as which, when one hath attained, it

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abideth not with him, but he delivereth over unto another, as Aaron did his unto Eleazar his son, or it falls unto another by some right or law of succession; a priesthood that goes from hand to hand. 'Isgwovrn axagañaros, is a priesthood that doth not pass from one unto another. And this the apostle seems directÎy to intend, as is evident from the antithesis. The priests after the order of Aaron were many, and that by reason of death. Wherefore it was necessary that their priesthood should pass from one to another by succession. So that when one received it, be that went before him ceased to be a priest. And so it was, either the predecessors were taken off by death, or on any other just occasion, as it was in the case of Abiathar, who was put from the priest's office by Solomon, 1 Kings ii. 27. Howbeit our apostle mentions their going off by death only; because that was the ordinary way, and which was provided for in the law. With the Lord Christ it was otherwise. He received his priesthood from none. Although he had sundry types, yet he had no predecessor. And he hath none to succeed him, nor can have any added or joined unto him in his office. The whole office of the priesthood of the covenant, and the entire administration of it, are confined unto his person. There are no more that follow him than went before him.

The expositors of the Roman church, are greatly perplexed in the reconciling of this passage of the apostle, unto the present priesthood of their church. And they may well be so, seeing they are undoubtedly irreconcileable. Some of them say that Peter succeeded unto Christ in his priesthood, as Eleazar did unto Aaron. So Ribera. Some of them deny that he hath any successor, properly so called. Successorem non habet, nec ila quisquam Catholicus loquitur, si bene et circumspectè loqui velit, saith Estius. But it is openly evident, that some of them are not so circumspect as Estius would have them, but do plainly affirm that Peter was Christ's successor. A Lapide indeed af

firms that Peter did not succeed unto Christ as Eleazar did to Aaron, because Eleazar had the priesthood in the same degree and dignity with Aaron, and so had not Peter with Christ. But yet that he had the same priesthood with him, a priesthood of the same kind, he doth not deny.

That which they generally fix upon is, that their priests have not another priesthood, or offer another sacrifice, but are partakers of his priesthood and minister under him, and so are not his successors, but his vicars; which I think is the worst composure of this difficulty they could have thought upon. For,

1. This is directly contrary unto the words and design of the apostle. For the reason he assigns why the priesthood of Christ doth not pass from him unto any other, is because he abides himself for ever to discharge the office of it. Now this excludes all subordination and conjunction; all vicars, as well as succes

sors, unless we shall suppose that although he doth thus abide, yet is he one way or other disabled to discharge his office.

2. The successors of Aaron had no more another priesthood but what he had, than it is pretended that the Roman priests have no other priesthood but what Christ had. Nor did they offer any other sacrifice than what he offered, as these priests pretend to offer the same sacrifice that Christ did. So that still the case is the same between Aaron and his successors, and Christ and his substitutes.

3. They say that Christ may have substitutes in his office, though he abide a priest still, and although the office still continue the same unchangeable. So God in the government of the world makes use of judges and magistrates, yet is himself the suprenie Rector of all. But this pretence is vain also. For they do not substitute their priests unto him, in that which he continueth to do himself, but in that which he doth not, which he did indeed, and as a priest ought to do, but now ceaseth to do for ever in his own person. For the principal act of the sacerdotal office of Christ consisted in his oblation, or his offering himself a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour unto God. This he did once, and ceaseth for ever from doing so any more. But these priests are assigned to offer him in sacrifice every day, as partakers of the same priesthood with him, which is indeed not to be his substitutes, but his successors; and to take his office out of his hand, as if he were dead, and could henceforth discharge it no more. For they do not appoint priests to intercede in his room, because they grant he continueth himself so to do; but to offer sacrifice in his stead, because he doth so no more. Wherefore if that be an act of priesthood, and of their priesthood, as is pretended, it is unavoidable that his priesthood is passed from him unto them. Now, this is a blasphemous imagination, and directly contrary both unto the words of the apostle, and the whole design of his argument. Nay, it would lay the advantage on the other side. For the priests of the order of Aaron had that privilege, that none could take their office upon them, nor officiate in it whilst they were alive. But although Christ abideth for ever, yet according unto the sense of these men, and their practice thereon, he stands in need of others to officiate for him, and that in the principal part of his duty and office. For offer himself in sacrifice unto God, he neither now doth, nor can, seeing henceforth he dieth no more. This is the work of the mass-priests alone, who must therefore be honoured as Christ's successors, or be abhorred as his murderers, for the sacrifice of him must be by blood and death.

The argument of the apostle, as it is exclusive of this imagination, so it is cogent unto his purpose. For so he proceedeth. That priesthood which changeth not, but is always vested in the same person, and in him alone, is more excellent than

that which was subject to change continually from one hand to another. For that transmission of it from one unto another, was an effect of weakness and imperfection. And the Jews grant that the frequency of their change under the second temple, was a token of God's displeasure. But thus it was with the priesthood of Christ which never changeth, and that of Aaron which was always in a transient succession. And the reasons he gives of this contrary state of these two priesthoods do greatly enforce the argument. For the first priesthood was so successive, because the priests themselves were obnoxious to death, the sum and issue of all weaknesses and infirmities. But as to the Lord Christ, his priesthood is perpetual and unchangeable, because he abideth personally for ever, being made a priest according to the power of an endless life, which is the sum of all perfections that our nature is capable of. And we may observe, Obs. III. The perpetuity of the priesthood of Christ depends on his own perpetual life. He did not undertake any office for the church to lay it aside whilst he lives, until the whole design and work of it be accomplished. And therefore he tells his disciples, "that because he liveth they shall live also," John xiv. 19. For whilst he lives, he will take care of them. But this must be spoken unto on the next verse.

Obs. IV. The perpetuity of the priesthood of Christ, as unchangeably exercised in his own person, is a principal part of the glory of that office. His discharge of this office for the church in his own person throughout all generations is the glory of it. 1. Hereon depends the church's preservation and stability. There is neither a ceasing, nor any the least intermission, of that care and providence, of such interposition with God on its behalf, which are required thereunto. Our high priest is continually ready to appear and put in for us on all occasions. And his abiding for ever, manifests the continuance of the same care and love for us, that he ever had. The same love wherewith, as our high priest, he laid down his life for us, doth still continue in him. And every one may, with the same confidence, go unto him with all their concerns, as poor diseased and distempered persons went unto him when he was upon earth; when he never shewed greater displeasure than unto those who forbade any to come unto him, whatever their pretences were. 2. Hereon depends the union and communion of the church with itself in all successive generations. For whereas he who is their head and high priest, in whom they all centre as unto their union and communion, and who hath all their graces and duties in his hand to present them unto God, they have a relation unto each other, and a concern in one another. We that are alive in this generation have communion with all those that died in the faith before us, as shall be declared, if God will, on chap. xii. ver. 22-24. And they were concerned in us, as we