Sermons on Hebrew 7, Sermon 1
SERMON I.
Hebrews 7. and 1, 2, 3 verſes.
For this Melchiſedeck 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.
HAving lately ſpoken many things of drawing near to God; as it is the duty of all men to do, and of true Believers eſpecially: And that there is no drawing near to God, but by our great High-Prieſt, our Lord Jeſus Chriſt: And the Lord having ſworn that this Chriſt is a Prieſt for ever after the Order of Melchiſedeck: It will be very neceſſary, through Gods aſſiſtance, to open and apply this Melchiſedeck, as he was a type of Jeſus Chriſt. I know that there are many in this Congregation, that are but Babes in Chriſtianity, and have need of Milk rather than ſtrong meat; plain Preaching, and that which is eaſie for them to underſtand: But there are ſeveral other able Chriſtians here amongſt us, that have had their ſenſe of the things of God, of many years ſtanding, that may be able to digeſt ſtronger meat; and for their ſakes I would, according to my meaſure of ability, open this Myſtery of Chriſts Everlaſting Prieſthood, under this type of Melchiſedeck, that ſo we may grow more perfect in our knowledge. There are many great and profitable Myſteries couched in Melchiſedeck's Name and Office: And ſo great a Myſtery it is, as the Apoſtle ſpends a great part of this Chapter in opening of that Myſtery; How Chriſt is a Prieſt after the order of Melchiſedeck; and then makes application of the whole in the latter part of the Chapter; and therefore I intend (God willing) to go through this Chapter briefly in the former part of the day. For beſides the Goſpel Myſteries, that are held out in this Melchiſedeck, here are divers practical Truths to be handled, as we go along, which are of daily uſe to us.
Now the Apoſtle having in the laſt words of the foregoing chapter, ſaid, Chriſt is made a Prieſt for ever after the order of Melchiſedeck, he comes now to deſcribe Melchiſedeck to them—Firſt by his Name and Office, and then by his pious action, in going out to meet Abraham. As for his Name, we ſhall not need to ſtand upon that, becauſe the Apoſtle interprets it in the following words—His Offices were both King and Prieſt: King of Salem, and Prieſt of the moſt high God.
Secondly, By the work that he did, which was, that he met Abraham returning from the ſlaughter of the Kings, and bleſt him—That is the ſum of the firſt verſe—In the 2d verſe we have ſet down what Abraham did for Melchiſedeck—Abraham gave the tenth part of all the ſpoil that he took from the four Kings after his Conqueſt. And he did not give this unto Melchiſedeck, as to an ordinary man, but to him who was by interpretation, the King of Righteouſneſs, and King of Salem—that is, King of Peace.
In the 3d. verſe, the Apoſtle ſhews the reſemblance between Melchiſedeck, and Jeſus Chriſt. Melchiſedeck was without Father, and without Mother, without deſcent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a Prieſt of God continually—Here lies the Myſtery.
We begin with the firſt verſe—This Melchiſedeck (ſaith the Apoſtle) was King of Salem, and Prieſt of the moſt high God—Here is his Office—It is much diſputed amongſt many, who this Melchiſedeck was. Some have thought him to be an Angel; becauſe 'tis ſaid, he was without Father, and without Mother, and without deſcent. But that is clearly anſwered, and confuted by the Apoſtle in the 5th chapter and the 1ſt and 2d verſes—For every High Prieſt was to be taken from among men; not from among Angels, but from among men. And therefore Melchiſedeck was a man, and not an Angel. And whereas it is ſaid, that he was without Father, without Mother, without deſcent—which leads to that Opinion, that he was no man—That is ſpoken of him as to his Genealogy. For it was the Cuſtom of the Jews to keep Genealogies and Records of their Parentage in the Church, that they might read them in their Church-Book. But Melchiſedeck had not this Record.
But he was a man, and the moſt received Opinion is, that this Melchiſedeck was Shem the Son of Noah—For you know that Noah had three Sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: Theſe three Sons repleniſhed the whole Earth, after the Flood, as you may read in Gen. 9. 18, 19. And that this Melchiſedeck was Shem, and had his Name given him afterward Melchiſedeck, from his Kingdom and Goodneſs; and the reaſons for it are theſe:
Firſt of all, Shem lived Six hundred years; he lived a Hundred years before the Flood, and Five hundred years after the Flood, as you may ſee in the 11 of Gen. the 10, and 11. verſes: He was One hundred years before the Flood, and Five hundred years after it, when the World was planted again; and this is given as a reaſon why his Genealogy could not be found, for the Flood deſtroyed all Perſons, but a few, and their Records and Genealogies might be loſt.
The Second reaſon given, for Shems being this Melchiſedeck is, That he was the Perſon that in the 9th. of Gen. God ſtiled him ſelf the Lord God of Shem the 26. verſe.
Thirdly, Shem the Son of Noah had the Promiſe made to him, as you may read in that 9th. of Gen. he had the Promiſe of Propagating the Church of God; and therefore it is ſaid, God ſhall perſwade Japheth to dwell in the Tents of Shem, and Shem was great Grand-ſire to Abraham, for Abrahams ſtock did ſpring out of this root of Shem.
Fourthly, Another reaſon is this, that of this Son of Noah, of his ſtock came Chriſt according to the Fleſh; that you have in the Third of Luke, ſpeaking of the Genealogy of Chriſt, according to the Fleſh, the 36th. verſe; Which was the Son of Shem, which was the Son Noah; ſo that Chriſts Genealogy, according to the Fleſh, is reckoned from Shem; and for theſe Reaſons it is moſt generally believed, that this Melchiſedeck was Shem the Son of Noah;—but whether that be ſo or no, he was a Man, for he could not be an Angel, becauſe he was a great and honourable Perſon in the World, in whom the Propagation of the Church conſiſted.
Now we muſt not only conſider his Perſon, but his Place, KING OF SALEM; What is that Country Salem? It was a Country that bordered upon the Land of Canaan, where Abraham Sojourned; and this Country of Salem bordered upon Canaan; and in this place was the Temple built afterward, and the City of Jeruſalem: For you muſt know, Jeruſalem is a word compounded of two words, Jeru and Salem; Salem is the latter part of the word Jeruſalem; Jeru ſignifies God will provide: It is the ſame word which Abraham ſaid to his Son, when he was Offering him up for a Sacrifice, he ſaid, God will provide; and Salem ſignifies Peace, as you may ſee in the 76 Pſal. in the 1, and 2. ver. In Judah God is known, in Salem is his Tabernacle, i. e. in Jeruſalem.
Now of this Place Melchiſedeck was King,—He was King of that Country that bordered upon Canaan, and he was Prieſt of the moſt High God. Here he Governed as King, and here he Governed as a Magiſtrate, and here he kept up the Word of God, as a Miniſter: Hence you may obſerve, That God would never in any Age of the World, let his true Worſhip fall in the World, but there ſhould be ſome to keep it up. Here you have a Melchiſedeck that was King of Salem, that kept up the true Worſhip in the Land of Canaan; he kept up the Name of the moſt high and great God,—So that we may comfort our ſelves with this, that God will never let his Worſhip fall to the ground. This Melchiſedeck was King of Salem, and Prieſt of the moſt High God.—King of Salem.—There is a Myſtery, in that it is ſaid, he was Prieſt of the moſt high God, and for this reaſon, good Abraham ſhewed him that reſpect he did, as to give him the Tenths of all the Spoils. If Mechiſedeck had been a Prieſt of Baal, or of an Idol God, Abraham would have turned his back upon him; for it is the property of Godly men, to bear their Teſtimonies againſt Idol-prieſts; and from hence we may briefly take notice of this from Abrahams practice, to ſhew our reſpects to the Miniſters of God, who faithfully labour in the Word and Doctrin: But that which I would chiefly take notice of in this branch of the Text, is this, He is ſtiled Prieſt of the moſt high God; that is one of the glorious Titles of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt:—The Scripture ſpeaks much of God, as the moſt high, in the 113. Pſal. 2, 3, 4. Bleſſed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth, and for evermore; from the riſing of the Sun, unto the going down of the ſame, the Lords Name is to be praiſed. The Lord is high above all Nations, &c. [The moſt high God] This ſhould teach us to uſe the Name of God, always with a holy, awfull Reverence; not to ſpeak of God as you do of Man: You know Men look for their Titles when they come into place of greatneſs and honour; they will be called your Highneſs, and your Majeſty, and the like. Shall we ſpeak ſo to Man? And ſhall we not ſpeak to the moſt high God, with an awful Reverence and Fear? Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, (though he was the Son of God, and equal with God, yet taking upon him our nature) when he comes to ſpeak to God the Father, he ſpeaks with a holy Reverence [Holy Father] Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt remembred the greatneſs of God the Father; I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, Matt. 11. 25. So when he ſpoke to his Diſciples about Prayer, ſaith he, Pray to your Father in Heaven;—all this is to ſhew how we muſt uſe the holy Name of God with Reverence. There is a paſſage in Malachi, where the Lord rebuked his People that carried it irreverently under his ſervice; For I am a great King, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts, and my Name is dreadful among the Heathen: How is that? Why you know how dreadful it was to Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar.—My name is dreadful among the Heathen; and ſhall my People ſerve me unworthily and irreverently? And ſo much for Melchiſedecks Name and Title; King of Salem, and Prieſt of the moſt high God.
Here are two Offices met in one Perſon, by which he was a ſpecial Type of Chriſt.—There was never any Perſon in the World, but this Melchiſedeck, that did hold theſe two Offices rightfully. Indeed we read of two of the Kings of Judah and Iſrael, that undertook the Prieſts Office, and his Work; but they did bear the dreadful mark of Gods Judgment for joyning the Prieſtly Office with that of the King; in the 2 Chron. 26. 17, 18, 19. We read that Uzziah attempted to burn Incenſe upon the Altar: He went into the Temple of the Lord, to burn Incenſe upon the Altar of Incenſe, but Azariah the Prieſt went in after him, and with him Fourſcore Prieſts of the Lord, that were valiant men, and they withſtood Uzziah the King, and ſaid unto him, it pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn Incenſe to the Lord, but to the Prieſts the Sons of Aaron, that are Conſecrated to burn Incenſe; go out of the Sanctuary, for thou haſt tranſgreſſed; neither ſhall it be for thine honour from the Lord God: Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a Cenſer in his hand to burn Incenſe; and while he was wroth with the Prieſts, the Leproſie even roſe up in his Forehead, before the Prieſts in the Houſe of the Lord; and Uzziah the King was a Leper unto the day of his death; thus the Lord ſmote Uzziah with Leproſie, for joyning the Prieſtly Office with his Kingly Office. Another King you read of was Jeroboam, 1 Kings 13. and the beginning, the Lord ſent a Prophet to him, to Prophecy ruin to him, and upon his Prophecying againſt the Altar in Bethel, The King put forth his hand from the Altar, ſaying, Lay hold on him; and his hand which he ſtretched forth againſt him, dryed up, ſo that he could not pull it in again to him: God will never bear it to have theſe two Offices joyned together, but in Melchiſedeck and Jeſus Chriſt; and therein was Melchiſedeck a Type of Chriſt, who is all in all to his Church and People; for he is our King, our Prieſt, and our Prophet. This therefore by our Proteſtant Writers is looked upon to be one mark of Antichriſt the Pope, who makes himſelf a Temporal Lord, and joyns the ſame to his Prieſthood; falſly applying that place to himſelf, in Luke 22. 38. And they ſaid unto him, Lord, here are two Swords; and he ſaid unto them, It is enough. But Melchiſedeck was a type of Chriſt, being both King and Prieſt. Now from hence we may have this comfortable Obſervation for all Believers, That the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is both our King and Prieſt. This is of great uſe for the comfort of Believers. He is a King, he is a mighty King to defend his Church and People: He is the King that reigns in Righteouſneſs: He is a King that governs us by his own Righteous Laws; he protects us. There is no King on Earth can ever ſpiritually and eternally deſtroy Chriſts Subjects, or wholly root out the remembrance of Chriſts name in the World; for he is mighty to ſave, according to that in Pſal. 72. 11. Kings ſhall fall down before him, and all Nations ſhall ſerve him, for he ſhall deliver the needy when he cryeth, the poor alſo, and him that hath no helper. This is our King, our great Melchiſedeck, [King of Salem.] He is our Prieſt; he offered up himſelf as a Sacrifice for our ſins; by him we have an Atonement. There may be ſome good Kings in the World, but where is he that can be a Prieſt for us, but our Lord Jeſus Chriſt? And therefore look into Heb. 7. 25. He is able to ſave to the uttermoſt, all that come unto God by him, becauſe he ever liveth to make Interceſſion for us. Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, being the true King and Prieſt o… the moſt high God; this makes him an Object of our Faith and Love, that we may go to him as our King and our Prieſt.
But now we come to the ſecond Branch of the …ext, the action of this Melchiſedeck … and Prieſt of the moſt high God] He went out and met Abraham, when Abraham returned from the ſlaughter of the Kings of the Countrey, and bleſſed him.
Now theſe words relate to what we read in Gen. 14. there you will ſee how Melchiſedeck bleſſed Abraham, at v. 18. and ſo on—And Melchiſedeck King of Salem, brought forth Bread and Wine: And he was the Prieſt of the moſt high God; and he bleſſed him, and ſaid, Bleſſed be Abraham of the moſt high God, Poſſeſſor of Heaven and Earth: And bleſſed be the moſt high God, which hath delivered thine Enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tythes of all. You ſee here that Melchiſedeck met him, and bleſſed him, and carried to him a Royal Entertainment, for he carried Bread and Wine to Abraham, to refreſh him and his Army after he had been fighting with the Kings.
This Abrahams Warfare was thus—Abraham hearing that Lot his Brothers Son was taken captive, and the people and goods of Sodom carried away; you read that Abraham Armed his trained Servants, born in his houſe, three hundred and eighteen, and purſued them to Dan: And he and his Servants by night, and ſmote them, and purſued them to Hobah. And he brought all the goods, and alſo brought again his Brother Lot, and his goods, and the women alſo, and the people. Thus did Abraham by a ſmall force overcome four Kings, four great Kings. This is Abraham, that righteous man, whom God call'd to fight his Battel: And he ſubdued Kings, and made his Enemies as ſtubble to his Bow. It was not Abrahams force that did it. He was one that went out in Faith, and returns in Faith; and Melchiſedeck the Prieſt of the moſt high God, met him, and bleſſed him.
Here are three things to be obſerved in Abrahams Warfare.
1. Abraham returns from the ſlaughter of the Kings—Hence you may obſerve—That Wars are good and lawful when there is a juſt cauſe for it. For Abraham he had not done well in going out to fight and make war with thoſe Kings, if there had been no juſt cauſe for it; nor would Melchiſedeck the Prieſt of the moſt high God come out to bleſs him. I mention this to confute that error and miſtake of thoſe, who ſay it is not lawful to fight with carnal weapons. But,
2. From this action of Abrahams, we may learn this ſpecial duty; That when our Brethren, Kindred or Relations are in diſtreſs, we ought to venture our ſelves for their relief, as far as lawfully we may. For the Apoſtle tells us, we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren. So Abraham hearing that Lot his Brothers Son, his perſon and family were taken and carried away captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen Servants, and goes and ventures his life for their Reſcue; ſo that when Kindred, and Relations, and Friends, are in any eminent danger or diſtreſs, we are to venture far for their Reſcue or Deliverance.
3. That when people fall into diſtreſs and ſtreights, we ought to forget all former injuries, unkindneſſes and affronts, and appear for their help and aſſiſtance: For ſo did Abraham, who appeared for the deliverance of Lot, from whom he had formerly received affronts. As you may ſee in Gen. 13. 7. and ſo on. And there was a ſtrife between the Herd-men of Abrahams Cattel, and the Herd-men of Lots Cattel; and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the Land. And Abraham ſaid, Let there be no ſtrife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my Herd-men and thy Herdmen; for we are Brethren. See how calmly Abraham expoſtulates with Lot; their Herd-men being at ſtrife—But Abraham, a holy man, ſaid to Lot, Is not the whole Land before thee? ſeparate thy ſelf, I pray thee, from me; if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. He bid him chuſe, and take which ſide he would—And Lot in a carnal manner looked not ſo much to the manners of the people, as to conveniency, and ſituation of the place. He beheld the Plains of Jordan, and that it was well watered, every where; and choſe that way; like many here amongſt us, who do not ſo much regard the people where they live; or whether the Means of Grace be there, as they do their carnal Intereſt and Profit. But Abraham he gives him his choice; and after theſe affronts offered to him, went out to his Reſcue when he was in diſtreſs. And this we ought to do, in the courſe of our lives, if differences happen among Friends and Neighbours, not to retain prejudices, but be ready to help them in the time of their ſtreights and neceſſities.