Sermons on Hebrew 7, Sermon 4
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. 'Tis 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 uſeth this argument, 1 Kings 19. 4. For I am not better than my Fathers; my Fathers were mortal men, and they are dead, and why ſhould I live? I am not better than my Fathers; he longed to be gathered to his Fathers—Now to apply this;
If Children, be in the common condition with their Fathers by nature; Then this ſhould,
Firſt, Teach us Humility—Our Fathers where are they? Their Bodies are rotting in the Grave, whilſt our Bodies and Carkaſes are alive. We ſhould conſider, that as our Fathers were, ſo are we; we ſhould always conſider our ſtate and condition; our Fathers are rotting in their Graves, and we are going to our Fathers; we ſhould not therefore pride our ſelves in our Parts, our Riches, or Apparel, for we are all as our Fathers were.
Secondly, If we be in the common condition as our Fathers, then let us humbly bleſs God, if he hath raiſed us to Temporal and Spiritual bleſſings, above what our Fathers were. How many are there in the World, that are as their Fathers were, as to Poverty, from one Generation to another? Hath God raiſed thee, or any of you to any Credit and Fulneſs in the World? This is the Lords doing. For ſome may ſay, if they had been bound down in ſo ſhort and low condition as their Fathers were, they muſt have been poor, and needy, and hungry. How many Children are there, that inherit their Fathers Diſeaſes, Sickneſſes, Weakneſſes, and infirm Bodies? and you have many Children that inherit nothing but their Fathers Vices and Wickedneſs; for as Gods Covenant doth many times run in a Blood, and there is a Seed to ſerve God, from one Generation to another, in ſome Families, ſo on the other ſide, the Devils Covenant runs in a Blood, with many Fathers, and Fore-fathers, Grand-fathers Fathers, and Grand-children, all of a wicked Spirit, that runs in the Family; and therefore it is God that makes the difference in your Temporal and Spiritual condition.
But the Second and more ſpecial Point from this, that Levi paid Tythes in the Loins of Abraham; That Children are included in the actions of their Parents: For God of his Eternal Counſel hath ſo ordered it, that of ſuch a Stock and ſuch Perſons, from one Generation to another, proceeding one out of another, that the actions of the Fathers include the Childrens; for Levi paid Tythes in Abraham; and for this cauſe it was that the Curſe of God came upon Mankind, becauſe we all ate of the forbidden Fruit, in the Loins of our Father Adam. Adams actions brought the guilt upon his Poſterity, as you may ſee in Rom. 5. 12. Wherefore, as by one man Sin entred into the World, and Death by Sin, and ſo Death paſſed upon all men, for that all have Sinned. And in the 18. ver. Therefore, as by the offence of one Judgment came upon all men to Condemnation. By the offence of one! How is that? Why all Mankind were in the Loins of Adam; for God did not make a Covenant with every man particularly, but in his Father Adam. Now as Levi did, in the Loins of his Father Abraham, teſtifie his homage and ſervice to God, by giving Melchiſedeck the Tenths of the Spoil; ſo we, in the Loins of our Father Adam, did ſhew our homage and ſervice to the Devil, when Adam did eat of the forbidden Fruit, and ſo by Nature are become the Children of Wrath, being in the Loins of our Father Abraham; and ſo what Adam did, we are accounted to do, becauſe we are in the Loins of Adam; as what Abraham did, Levi was accounted to do, becauſe he was in the Loins of Abraham—This is the word of God.
This ſpeaks therefore Three things to us.
Firſt, To vindicate the Juſtice of God, in imputing of Adams Tranſgreſſion to all Mankind; for all Mankind were in the Loins of Adam. God doth not Create Man now, but Propagates Man through the Loins of their Parents. There is but one work of Creation; God himſelf Created but one Man, but he put forth a Creating power, in Propagating Mankind. Through that one Man, and by one Mans offence, many are made Sinners: This ſeems hard, but if you conſider, you are in the Loins of Adam; herein is the Juſtice of God cleared: But obſerve this difference between our firſt Father Adam and other Fathers, that 'tis but Temporal puniſhment that comes upon Children for their Fathers Sins, except they walk in their ſteps, but there is Eternal puniſhment come upon us by our firſt Father Adams ſin; but all that repent and flie to Chriſt, have that ſin of Adam and all their actual ſins forgiven, through Chriſt the ſecond Adam.
Secondly, If this be ſo, that we are included in the actions of our ſinful Parents by Nature? This loudly calls upon us to ſeek after a ſecond Birth, a new Birth, that we may ſtand upon a new Foot, and be upon a new Account in the ſight of God, for we are all ſinners, and loaden with ſin and guilt, as we are the Children of the firſt Man Adam; but being born again, we become the Children of God; and therefore ſaith the Apoſtle in the forementioned place, Rom. 5. 18. Therefore as by the offence of one man, Judgment came upon all men to Condemnation; even ſo by the righteouſneſs of one, the free gift came upon all men unto Juſtification of Life, that is, all men that Believe. If thou haſt but the firſt Birth, all the Curſes of the Law come upon thee; but if thou haſt a part in the ſecond Birth, all the bleſſings of the Goſpel come upon thee. It is Recorded of a great Man that had his Nativity (as you call it) caſt by an Aſtrologer, and the Aſtrologer told him, I find by your Nativity, that you are to be a man of ſorrows in your Life; to which he Anſwered, But I am born again ſince I was born of my Mother, and therefore I reckon my Nativity from that Birth: And indeed he ſpoke true, for if he had reckoned from his firſt Birth, he might have been a man of Eternal ſorrows; but reckoning his Nativity from his ſecond Birth, there was a change made.
Thirdly, That if Children naturally, as they are in the Loins of their Parents, are ſaid to do that which their Parent did; then it concerns all Parents for the love they have to their Children, to take heed of intailing a Curſe upon their Poſterity, a Curſe upon their Children. Parents have ſo much love for their Children, that they commonly ſtrive to make them great in the World, yea greater than themſelves; but commonly they ſtrive ſo hard for it, as to bring a Curſe with it; ſee the 2. Kings and the 5. you read there of Gehazi, that his thoughts were Covetous, he runs after Naaman the Syrian, to receive the Mony, the Talents of Silver, and the Raiment; but what was the fruit of it? ſee the 27. verſe, The Leroſie therefore of Naaman ſhall cleave to thee, and unto thy ſeed for ever; and he went out from his preſence a Leper as white as ſnow. You know the Prophet cured Naaman of a Leproſie, and it was transferred to the Prophets Servant, and to his Seed for ever; ſo that Gehazi's Children were all Lepers, and his Grand-children all Lepers; ſo that theſe poor Children and Grand-children they might riſe up and curſe the baſe Spirit of Covetouſneſs of their Father and Grand-father, that brought this curſe upon them. So you have many a poor wretched Father and Mother given to Drunkenneſs, and the poor Children they follow the ſame: You know how it is with the Law of Nations; If a man be a Traitor to the ſame, his Blood is tainted, his Children are tainted. You know how it was with poor Covetous Achan, that he and all his Family ſuffered for it; ſo Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, for envying Moſes and Aaron, they and their whole Poſterity periſhed, and ſuffered for their Fathers ſin. Levi paid Tythes in the Loins of Abraham, and it was his mercy that he paid homage to God in the Loins of his Fore-father.
Now to proceed to open the following words; Levi that received Tythes, paid Tythes in Abraham; If therefore perfection were in the Levitical Prieſt-hood, &c. Now here we come to the particular ſcope of the Apoſtle; that Levi paid Tythes in the Loins of Abraham: And tho the Prieſt-hood of Levi was holy, yet it was not ſo holy as Melchiſedecks—So that here are three Points to be conſidered.
The Firſt is, That the Church and People of God of old, received the Law under a Prieſt-hood.
Secondly, The Law that they received under the Levitical Prieſt-hood, was not perfect.
Thirdly, There is a neceſſity of the change of the Law and the Prieſt-hood.
To the Firſt of theſe, That the Church and People of God of old, that had the Laws and Ordinances of God, they received them under a Prieſt-hood: For the holy God never dealt with man immediately in a way of grace ſince the fall, but by ſome middle perſon, that ſtood between God and Man. Therefore before God gave a Law, Melchiſedeck was ſet up a Prieſt and Head, to be a Typical Mediator between God and Man, between God and his People, of which Jeſus Chriſt was afterwards to come in the Fleſh, and ſhew himſelf the real Melchiſedeck, Heb. 5. 1. For every high Prieſt, taken from among men, was ordained for men in things pertaining to God. Men may in things pertaining to man, go without a Prieſt, but in things pertaining to God, they muſt have a Prieſt-hood; for God is a holy God: There is a vaſt diſproportion between a holy God and ſinful Man; and conſidering his Greatneſs, his Holineſs, and Righteouſneſs; the people receive the things of the Law under a Prieſt-hood.
Queſt. But you will ſay, There was no Levitical Prieſt-hood for many hundred years after Mans fall; for this Levitical Prieſt-hood was not till the Children of Iſrael came out of Aegypt.
I Anſw. Not ſo, for then (before the Levitical Prieſt-hood) was every Firſt-born of the Family, the Prieſt of the Family, as you may ſee in Numb. 3. 12. And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the Children of Iſrael, inſtead of all the Firſt-born: I have taken the Levites inſtead of the Firſt-born, that was the Prieſt of the Family. This was the Law before the Levitical Prieſthood, that the firſt-born of the Family was the Prieſt of the Family, to offer Gifts and Sacrifices. And in alluſion to this, Jeſus Chriſt, our great High Prieſt, is called the firſt-born of many Brethren, Rom. 8. 29. And therefore this ſhould teach us this duty, That as God gives his Law and Ordinances, firſt typical, and then real; That we ſhould never go to God, but by our great High Prieſt: We ought always to have ſuch a holy Reverence of the great God, that we ſhould never draw near to God without our great High-prieſt, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
2. Though God did give the Levitical Law of old, to his Church; yet this Law did not make any thing perfect. They were bleſſed Means and Ordinances of God, and were of great uſe themſelves; but they did not make the comers thereto perfect. All the Prieſthood of the Law could not effectually cleanſe ſin away: No, and if he did come with his Sacrifice, yet it could not juſtifie him, neither could it truly ſanctifie him.
But you will ſay, If this Sacrifice did not take away ſin, to what end then ſerved the Law?
I anſwer; Firſt, to keep the Church in obedience, till the fulneſs of time came, that Chriſt ſhould come in the fleſh: For if the Lord had not given them his Laws and Ordinances, there would have been no diſtinction between the Church of God, and the Heathen World: Yea, they would have run into all kind of Will-worſhip with the Heathen-world, if they had not had his Laws and Ordinances.
2. Though they could not make the comers to them perfect, yet they were led by them to Jeſus Chriſt, where their perfection was. Their Sacrifices led them to Jeſus Chriſt. This was the great end of all the Jewiſh Laws and Ceremonies, to lead them to Jeſus Chriſt. For Gods Elect in thoſe days, did feed upon Jeſus Chriſt; as you may ſee in the Apoſtles words, 1 Cor. 10. They did all eat of the ſame ſpiritual meat; and they did all drink of the ſame ſpiritual drink: The ſame that we eat, and the ſame that we drink. Thoſe that had Faith in Chriſt, did live under a dark diſpenſation; yet they did eat the ſame ſpiritual bread that we do. So that the Law you ſee, was of uſe, though it did not make the comers to it perfect. This is the ſecond thing.
3. The Law being imperfect, & not making any perſon or things perfect; therefore, ſaith the Apoſtle, there was a neceſſity of the change of the Law, of the Prieſthood—This he proves thus—If this Levitical Law and Prieſthood could have made the Church and People of God happy, God would never have ſpoken of another Prieſthood after Melchiſedeck; and God would never have ſet up another Prieſt made by his Oath: And therefore there was a neceſſity of another Law, and another Prieſthood; a neceſſity of a change. And here you may take ſpecial notice of a change of the Prieſthood.
But what is to be underſtood by the change of the Law?
I anſwer; By changing of the Law, we are to underſtand an Abolition or Abrogation of the Levitical Law, and all ſetled in a more clear manner on the Prieſthood of Jeſus Chriſt; ſo that we now receive the Law by Chriſt, in the room of the Ceremonial Law. And it is a bleſſed change for us; and it ſhould abundantly raiſe our hearts, in that now we have another Prieſthood, and another Law. Why? becauſe the old Prieſthood and the old Law, could not make the comers to them perfect. And it was a burdenſom Prieſthood, and a burdenſom Law. See I pray you Acts 15. 10. you will find there, that the old Law, the Ceremonial Law, is called a Yoke. And there were ſome ſo fond of this old Yoke, as that they would have impoſed it upon thoſe that had received the Chriſtian Faith. Now, ſaith the Apoſtle, Now therefore, why tempt ye God, to put a Yoke upon the neck of the Diſciples, which neither we nor our Fathers were able to bear? Yet they were forced to bear it, till God removed it. And in Gal. 5. 1. Stand faſt therefore in the Liberty wherewith Chriſt hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the Yoke of Bondage.—'Twas a Yoke of Bondage—How a Yoke of Bondage?—The Rites and Ceremonies of the Law, they were painful and burdenſom, chargeable and burdenſom to all the people, to have all their Male-children circumciſed, which was to have their Fore-skin pulled off, which was painful. To have the firſt of their Flocks given to the Prieſts for Sacrifices. To go three times a year to Jeruſalem, to appear in the City of Jeruſalem. In a word, the Ceremonial Law was ſo painful and burdenſom, that the carnal people of that Church did complain of it, Mal. 1. 7, 8. Ye offer polluted bread upon mine Altar, and the blind, and the lame, and the ſick. And in v. 13. Ye ſaid, Behold, what a wearineſs is it? & ye have ſnuffed at it, ſaith the Lord; and ye brought that which is torn, and the lame, and the ſick. Thus you ſee the Law was ſo burdenſom, as they ſnuffed at it.—They were called upon for Sacrifices, and they would bring the lame, and the torn, and the weak: They were loth to bring to beſt of their Flocks, when God required it. But our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt by his coming, the Prieſthood and Law is abrogated. And ſaith Chriſt, My yoke is eaſie, and my burden is light.—Why? for he hath taken the burden upon himſelf. Our dear Lord Jeſus, inſtead of calling for the beſt of our flocks to be offered for Sacrifice, he offered himſelf a Sacrifice for ſins for ever, and he accepts of our lame and weak performances, that are done with a humble ſincere heart, relying upon his perfect Righteouſneſs. He hath offered up himſelf, his bleſſed ſelf, for a Sacrifice for ſin. My yoke is eaſie, and my burden is light. Yea our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, by the change of the Prieſthood, doth not impoſe upon us, a going three times a year to a certain place at a great diſtance to worſhip; but he left us to our liberty to worſhip him in ſpirit and truth in any place. As Chriſt ſaid to the woman of Samaria, in John 4. 21. The hour cometh, when ye ſhall neither in this Mountain, nor yet at Jeruſalem, worſhip the Father. This is the ſum of Chriſts Law, that you ſhould come to him by Faith, and receive the Goſpel, and repent of your ſins, and to be holy as he is holy. The Law of Chriſt calls for Faith, calls for Repentance: It alſo gives power to believe.—A true Believer, he knows that he doth not only command a duty, but he gives power alſo to perform it in ſome meaſure to his people.
The Apoſtle here gives you the reaſons of the change of the Prieſthood, and of the Law; and we are bound to bleſs the Lord for his new Law, and this his new Prieſthood; and therefore they do very ill that do mingle the Worſhip of God with the Jewiſh Ceremonies, when the Lord Jeſus Chriſt hath abrogated them.