CHAP. VII.

VERSES 1-S.

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him: to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first, being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is, king of peace: without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually.

§1, 2. The apostle's design and general scope. $3. The connexion of the words, and the subject stated. §4--6. (1.) The person spoken of. §7, 8. (II.) His kingly office. $9. (III.) The place where he reigned. $10. His present to Abraham was not a sacrifice. $11. (IV.) His sacerdotal office. $12. (V.) His meeting Abraham. $13. (VI) Two eminent acts of his sacerdotal office; first, his blessing Abraham. §14. Secondly, his receiving tithes. $15, 16. Whether the law of tithing be of perpetual obligation. $17. (VII) The name and title of Melchisedec. $18-21. Wherein he was made like the Son of God. §22-27. Observations. $28. Doctrinal Observations from the whole.

$1. THE design of the apostle in this chapter is not to declare the nature or the exercise of the priesthood of Christ, though occasionally mentioned; for the nature of it, he had spoken to, chap. v, and treats of its use at large, chap. ix. But it is of its excellency and dignity that he discourseth in this place, and that not absolutely neither, but in comparison with the levitical priesthood, which method was both necessary, and directly conducive to his end; for if it were not so excellent, it was to no purpose to persuade them to embrace it, who were actually in the enjoyment of another. This, therefore, he designeth to prove upon principles avowed by themselves, with light and evidence taken from what was received and acknowledged in the Jewish church from the first foundation of it: to this end the apostle in the first place declares, that antecedently to the giving of the law, and the institution of

the Levitical priesthood; God had, without any respect thereto, given a typical prefiguration of this priesthood of Christ in one who was on all accounts superior to the future Levitical priests. This sacred truth, which had been "hid for so many ages in the church," and which undeniably manifests the certain future introduction of another and better priesthood, is here brought to light and improved.

§2. He in whom this prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ was made, is Melchisedec; concerning whom and his priesthood an account is given in the first part of the chapter, 1-11. The second part 11-24; consisteth in a double inference, with their improvements, taken from that discourse, as respecting Christ in his office. Having laid this foundation in the necessary removal of the Aaronical priesthood, and the preeminence of that of Christ above it, even whilst it continued, he, thirdly, farther declares the nature of it, from the dignity and qualifications of his person, with the manner of the discharge of his office, ver. 24— 28. For the apostle's design throughout, especially in this chapter and the three following, is to turn aside a double veil; the one here below, the other above; that below is the veil that covered all the ordinances, institutions, ceremonies, and types of the law; this is the veil that is to this day upon the Jews, that they cannot see to the end of the things that were to be done away. This he removes by giving a full, clear account of the mind of God in them, their use and signification. The other above is the veil of the heavenly sanctuary, which he opens to us in a declaration of the ministry of Christ our high priest therein. And under these heads, as the apostle plainly convinceth the Hebrews of the ceasing of their priesthood and worship, and that to the unspeakable advantage of

the church, so to us, he unfolds the principal design and end of all the Mosaical types of the Old Testament, with the institution of God in them. This may suffice as a plain view of the general scope of the apostle in these discourses.

$3. "For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God," &c. The introduction of the whole discourse, and therein its connexion with what went before, is contained in the causal particle (yag) for, which here respects the reason why the apostle affirmed, and insisted so much on it, that the Lord Christ was a priest after the order of Melchisedec; for, both the truth of my assertion (saith he) and the necessity of insisting thereon, will be sufficiently manifest, if you will but consider who this Melchisedec was, how he is represented in scripture, and what is affirmed of him. "For (eros) this Melchisedec." The demonstrative pronoun hath always an emphasis: the person of it is variously described-By his name, Melchisedec-By his original office, he was a king-The place of his rule or dominion, which was Salem; king of Salem-By another office added to the former, which principally belongs to the design of the apostle, and in connexion with which many other particulars occur, as in the sequel.

§4. (I.) The PERSON spoken of is variously described; but I shall in this place say no more of him than is necessary for understanding the text. But that he was the Son of God himself, in a prelibation of his incarnation, taking upon him the form of a man, is directly contrary to the text, wherein he is said to be made "like to the Son of God." And indeed all such opinions as make him more than man, are wholly inconsistent with the apostle's design, which is to prove that even among men, there was a priest and priest

hood representative of Christ, and his priesthood superior to that of the law; which would have nothing of argument in it: if he were more than a man. Besides, he lays it down for a certain principle, that "every high priest is taken from among men," chap. v, 1; and therefore, if Melchisedec was an high priest, he was so taken also. Among those who grant him to be a mere man, very many, following the opinion of the Jews, contend he was Shem, the Son of Noah, who was certainly then alive, and of great authority in the world by virtue of his primogeniture. But this also riseth up in contradiction to our apostle, beyond all possibility of reconciliation; for he affirms that he was "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life." We are, therefore, not allowed to interpret these things of him concerning whom most of them are expressly recorded.

§5. These things, therefore, are certain, and belong to faith in this matter:

First, That he was a mere man, and no more; for "every high priest was to be taken from among men," chap. v, 1; so that the Son of God himself could not have been a priest, had he not assumed our nature; besides, if he were more than a man, there were no mystery in it, that he is introduced in the scripture without father, without mother, without pedigree, for none but men have these things. And finally, without this conception of him there is no force in the apostle's argument against the Jews.

Secondly, That he came not to his office by right of primogeniture, which includes a genealogy, or any other successive way, but was raised up and immediately called of God; for in that respect is Christ said to be a priest "after his order."

Thirdly, That he had no successor on earth, nor could have; for there was no law to constitute an order of succession, and he was a priest only after an extraordinary call. These things belong to faith, in this matter, and no more.

§6. Two things every way consistent with the scope and purpose of the apostle, yea, eminently subservient thereto, I shall take leave to add; the one as my judgment; the other, as a probable conjecture only. And the first is, that although he lived and dwelt in Canaan, yet he was not of the seven nations that were in the curse of Noah devoted to bondage and destruction. For whereas they were therein by a spirit of prophecy cast out of the church, and devoted to destruction, God would not raise up among them, that is of their accursed seed, the most glorious ministry that ever was in the world, with respect to typical signification, which was all that could be in the world until the Son of God came. This I take to be true, and do somewhat wonder that no expositors have taken notice of it, seeing it is necessary to be granted from the analogy of sacred truth.

My conjecture is, that he was a person of the posterity of Japhet, the father of the Gentiles to be afterwards called. Noah had prophesied, that God should "enlarge the heart of Japhet," or persuade him to dwell in the tents of Shem; Gen. ix, 27. To Shem he had before granted the present blessing of the covenant in those words: "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem;" ver. 26; and thereby the bringing forth of the promised seed was confined to his posterity. Hereupon, among them was the church of God to be continued, and on the matter confined, until Shilo came, to whom the gathering of the Gentiles was to be. And whereas