Sermons on Hebrew 7, Sermon 7
SERMON VII.
Hebrews 7. 20, 21, 22.
And in as much as not without an Oath he was made Prieſt. (For thoſe Prieſts were made without an Oath; but this with an Oath, by him that ſaid unto him, The Lord ſware, and will not repent, Thou art a Prieſt for ever after the order of Melchiſedeck.)
By ſo much was Jeſus Chriſt made a Surely of a better Teſtament.
THE laſt day I concluded with v. 19. of this chapter, where the Apoſtle tells us, that by Jeſus Chriſt, there was brought in a better hope, by which we draw nigh to God. And that was his argument in that place, to prove the excellency of the Prieſthood of Jeſus Chriſt above that of the old.
Now in theſe words which I have read, you have another argument and demonſtration about the Prieſthood of Chriſt; to ſhew that it doth far tranſcend that of the Levitical Prieſthood. Why? for the Levitical Prieſthood was made without an Oath, this with an Oath: So the Argument ma… be thus framed:
That Prieſthood which is ſolemnly confirmed and eſtabliſhed by an Oath, is more excellent, and precious, and profitable to the Church, than that which was made without an Oath: But the Prieſthood of Jeſus Chriſt was confirmed with an Oath, and therefore more excellent than that which was without an Oath.
So that the Argument is taken from the more ſolemn Inſtitution of Chriſts Prieſthood. [The Lord did ſwear, and would not repent, that his Son Jeſus Chriſt, ſhould be a Prieſt for ever, after the order of Melchiſedeck.] This is the point, the Apoſtle now inſiſts upon the ſolemn Inſtitution of Jeſus Chriſt, in this office [of Prieſthood] by which he is made a Prieſt for ever, after the order of Melchiſedeck.
Now here are two Queſtions to be opened.
The firſt is about Gods Oath [The Lord ſware, and will not repent, Thou art a Prieſt for ever, after the order of Melchiſedeck.] Theſe words are taken out of Pſal. 110. 4. Now for an Oath, we muſt conſider there are two ſorts of Oaths; vain and prophane Oaths, and ſacred Oaths. As for vain and prophane Oaths, which men uſe in their common talk, are eſpecially forbidden in the third Commandment: Thou ſhalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltleſs that takes his name in vain. To ſwear lightly and vainly, by the name of God, or by their Faith and Troth, theſe are great provocations to the Lord. As you may ſee in Jer. 23. 10. For the Land is full of Adulterers, for becauſe of ſwearing the Land mourneth: the pleaſant places of the wilderneſs are dried up. Prophane ſwearing, and falſe ſwearing (which is a common thing among your bad people) cauſeth the Land to mourn.
But then, as there is a prophane, and vain, and common ſwearing, (which brings a Curſe along with it) ſo there is a ſacred ſwearing; and that is, when men are lawfully called thereto, to confirm a teſtimony. An Oath for confirmation, is the end of all ſtrife, (ſaith the Apoſtle.) Now this holy and ſacred ſwearing, is here attributed to God the Father concerning the Prieſthood of his Son Jeſus Chriſt. And you may obſerve in Scripture, that God is ſaid to ſwear two ways.
1. Sometimes he ſwears in his wrath, to confirm his threatnings; and often in his mercy, to confirm his promiſe.
1. Sometimes God is ſaid to ſwear in his wrath, to confirm his threatnings. As you may ſee, Heb. 3. 11. In v. 10. (ſaith he) I was grieved with that generation, they do always err in their hearts: So I ſware in my wrath, they ſhall not enter into my reſt. [Mind it.] The people were now in the wilderneſs, and they were going into the Land of Canaan, the Land of Reſt, the Land of Promiſe; but they grew ſo bad, and ſo provoking to God, whilſt they lived upon his mercy, in the wilderneſs, that at laſt God ſware, they ſhould not enter into his Reſt, the Land of Canaan. God confirmed by an Oath: why by an Oath? to drive them to the more terrour, to take them off from their preſumption. God threatned they ſhould not enter into his Reſt; and he confirms it by an Oath; that they may have no hopes of entring into his Reſt. But,
2. Often in Scripture, God is ſaid to ſwear in mercy, for the confirming of his promiſe, that his people might have ſtronger conſolation. Not, but that Gods promiſe of it ſelf is ſure: But he condeſcends to our weakneſs, that we might have ſtronger conſolation. See Heb. 6. 17, 18. Wherein God more abundantly, to ſhew unto the Heirs of Promiſe, the immutability of his counſel, confirmed it by an Oath; That by two immutable things, in which it was impoſſible for God to lie, we might have ſtrong conſolation. You ſee here, the Apoſtle declares the end of Gods adding an Oath to his Promiſe: That Believers might have more comfort, that their hearts might be ſtrengthned; and their patience might be ſtrengthned, till the promiſe was accompliſhed. He ſware by himſelf; becauſe he could ſwear by no greater, he ſware by himſelf. Mind that: When men ſwear to confirm a thing, they ſwear by the Great God, who knows their ways and thoughts: And ſo they are ſaid to ſwear by a greater. But, becauſe God could not ſwear by a greater (ſaith the Apoſtle) he ſware by himſelf. For this was one of the titles of God, [the Great God.] When the poor Heathens, that had not the Scriptures, they by the light of Nature ſware by God, who made Heaven and Earth. Under the title of [Optimus Maximus] that was the term they gave the great God, the beſt of the great Gods. Now becauſe God could not ſwear by a greater, he ſware by himſelf, that he would bleſs Abraham, and all the faithful. And here in the Text, when he is ſetting up his Son (the Lord Jeſus Chriſt) as our great High-prieſt (that we might have greater conſolation) it's ſaid, The Lord ſware, and will not repent. We know God cannot repent; both words are true; for the Lord is not as man, that he ſhould repent.
Why doth David, and the Apoſtle after him, take up theſe words? [The Lord hath ſworn, and will not repent.]
I anſwer, there is a ſpecial Emphaſis in it.
Firſt of all; God ſpeaks thus of himſelf, after the manner of men, that we might be put out of all doubt of his truth and faithfulneſs. For, though he is moſt unchangeable in his words, in his promiſes, and in his purpoſes, as the Apoſtle James hath it, James 1. 17. Every good gift, and every perfect gift, comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableneſs nor ſhadow of turning. God is immutable. But he ſpeaks thus after the manner of men, that we might be put out of all doubt, that he will not repent.
Secondly; There is ſtill a higher intendment of the Holy Ghoſt, in theſe words [The Lord hath ſworn, and he will not repent,] i. e. He will never abrogate, or diſannul the Prieſtly Office of Chriſt, as he did that of Aaron. For (ſo you read in the words before which were ſpoken to the laſt day.) God did abrogate, and did make void the Covenant concerning the Levitical Prieſthood. But now he will never revoke this, or diſannul this. [He hath ſworn, and will never repent.] Though God be unchangeable, yet we find in Scripture, that he ſometimes revokes his threatnings, and calls them back again. As for example, God threatned (by Jonah) that Nineveh ſhould be deſtroyed in forty days: But God revoked it, becauſe there was a tacit condition in the threatning; therefore he revoked it. So when God ſent Hezekiah the Meſſage concerning his death; he ſent his Prophet to him, to bid him ſet his houſe in order: For (ſaith he, in the name of the Lord) thou ſhalt die, and not live: Yet upon Hezekiahs humbling himſelf by prayer, the Lord called back that word again, and added to Hezekiahs life fifteen years. In this ſenſe the Prophet Joel is to be underſtood. You find in chap. 2. in the laſt part of it, that the Lord threatens dreadful Judgments to the people. Now in verſe 12, 13. (ſaith the Prophet) Wherefore alſo, now, thus ſaith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your hearts, & with faſting, and with weeping, and with mourning, & rent your hearts, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, ſlow to anger, and of great kindneſs, and repenteth him of the evil—Who knows if he will repent and return, and leave a bleſſing behind. As if he ſhould ſay, The threatning is gone forth for your deſtruction, but if ye will return unto God, who knows but that he will repent, and leave a bleſſing behind: That is, he may call in his Threatnings, and alter his Diſpenſation. So that when God is ſaid to revoke a Threatning, or diſannul a Law, he is then ſaid [after the manner of men] to repent.
But concerning the Prieſthood of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, that is ſo ſettled, not only by Promiſe but by Oath, to take us off from all doubting, and heſitation about this matter [the Lord hath Sworn and will not Repent] concerning his Son Jeſus Chriſt; but he has ſolemnly Juſtified him to be a Prieſt for ever after the Order of Melchiſedeck; which Law cannot be Abrogated.
Now here the Question is, Ʋpon what account is it, that the Prieſthood of Jeſus Chriſt, (by which we draw nigh to God) hath ſuch a ſolemn Juſtification above the Levitical Preſthood? Why Jeſus Chriſt is made a Prieſt with an Oath, when other Prieſts are made without an Oath?
There are many Grounds and Reaſons of that, which may be a great help to our Faith.
Firſt of all, God hath a greater honour for his Son, that for all the Children of Men. He is nearer to the Father, and dearer to the Father, and therefore whatever he beſtows upon his Son, ſhall never be taken away from him. God ſet up the poſterity of the Tribe of Levi for the Prieſthood; but he only ſet them up as Servants for a time, for (ſaith our Lord) a Servant abideth not in the Houſe for ever, but a Son abideth for ever. Levi and his poſterity, they were but Servants, and God turns them out, but he ſetteth up his Son for ever: The Father Loveth the Son, and giveth all things to him; he honoureth his Son, he will have all his holy Angels to bow down to his Son, in Heb. 1. 3, 5. the Apoſtle ſpeaking of Chriſts purging us from ſin, ſaith he in the 5 ver. To which of the Angels ſaid he, at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? and again, Let all the Angels Worſhip him. The Angels of God are much better than Men, in reſpect of the excellency of their being. One Angel hath more ſtrength than thouſands of Men; but they muſt all Worſhip the Son, and he that is ſet down at the right hand of God the Father, the Father hath given his Oath he ſhall never be removed, but abide for ever.
Secondly, The Prieſthood of Jeſus Chriſt hath this ſolemn Inſtitution, to be confirmed by a Divine Oath; Becauſe he is alſufficient to go through that great work. God raiſed up the Prieſthood of Old to do Service, but not ſuch Service as our great High Prieſt. He never ſaid unto the People, believe in the High Prieſt; but he ſaid, believe in my Son Jeſus; believe in him, becauſe he is able to ſave. The other High Prieſts were not able to Save; the High Prieſts of old could never give their lives for a Sacrifice for the Peoples lives; they were only to offer up Bulls, and Goats, and Heifers, and ſuch kind of Offerings; but our great High Prieſt, he is appointed of the Father to give himſelf a Sacrifice for his people, and therefore has a higher Prieſthood than the Levitical Prieſt-hood, John 10. 17, 18. Therefore doth my Father love me, becauſe I lay down my life, that I might take it again; no man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my ſelf; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again: This Commandment have I received of my Father. God never put ſo hard a ſervice upon thoſe High Prieſts of old, but he put this upon his own Son, and his Son was willing to bear his Command: I am willing to receive this Command from my Father. God hath ſworn, and he will not repent, that his Son ſhould be a Prieſt for ever after the order of Melchiſedeck; becauſe that none were ever able to carry on that work but he.
Thirdly, Jeſus Chriſt is thus ſolemnly juſtified, and made a Prieſt by Oath, in the Church of God, becauſe the Church is his own Body and his own People. The Prieſthood of old, God ſet them up for his Service, and he will reward them for it; for they had the Tenths of the People (which was then great) but ſtill the Church was not their People, nor their Body, but Jeſus Chriſt, he is as a Son over his own Houſe, Heb. 3. 6. Chriſt is as a Son over his own Houſe. It is a great bleſſing to have ſuch a High Prieſt, as hath an intereſt in the whole People, to whom he is a Saviour; for he is the head of that People, and a Saviour of the Body. If the Lord Jeſus Chriſt his Prieſthood were diſannulled, the Church would be loſt, they could not be brought to Salvation [Thine they were, and thou gaveſt them me.] The Church is given to Chriſt, to be his Myſtical Body, and he is their Prieſt for ever, to ſanctifie and cleanſe it, that he may preſent it to himſelf a Glorious Church, without ſpot or wrinkle: But then,
Fourthly, Jeſus Chriſt is made a Prieſt by Oath for ever, becauſe unto him ſhall be the gathering in of all Gods Elect, of all nations in the World, and they are all to come to his Prieſthood; it is of a large extent. When the Levitical Prieſthood was confined to the Jews only, they could not offer a Sacrifice for the Heathens, or another People; but Jeſus Chriſt he is an Offering for all People in all Nations, of thoſe that Believe in his Name: And this is according to Jacobs Propheſie (in Gen. 49. 10.) That when Shilo ſhall come, unto him ſhall be the gathering of the People; compare this with Iſa. 49. and there you will ſee the thing further illuſtrated, in the 6 ver. And he ſaid, It is a light thing, that thou ſhouldſt be my Servant, to raiſe up the Tribes of Jacob, and to reſtore the preſerved of Iſrael; I will alſo give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayſt be my Salvation unto the ends of the Earth. Obſerve it, the Father ſaid unto the Son, It is but a light thing for thee, to be a Prieſt only for Jacob and Iſrael; I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles. It was but a light thing for Chriſt to be a Saviour to Iſrael, in the Land of Judea. But Jeſus Chriſt ſhall be a Saviour to all the Earth; [I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles.]
Fifthly, He is made a Prieſt for ever, and confirmed therein by an Oath, Becauſe of his tranſcendent Wiſdom, Mercifulneſs, Faithfulneſs, and Holineſs, above all the Prieſts of old. He is a High Prieſt to appear for Man in things appertaining to God, and had need of Wiſdom; And (ſaith the Apoſtle) in him are hid all the treaſures of Wiſdom and Knowledge. And for mercy, it was a neceſſary qualification in the High Prieſts of old, that he might be a Man of compaſſion and pity, to ſuccour the poor, and tempted, and afflicted in the Church. And our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, he is tranſcendently Merciful. He will not break the bruiſed Reed, nor quench the ſmoking Flax; he will have compaſſion on all: He is called a merciful and faithful High Prieſt, in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation; [He is merciful and faithful:] Pray obſerve, that the High Prieſts under the Law, tho they were good men, and godly men, yet they fell ſhort much in point of faithfulneſs to God and his People; as for Example, Aaron was a good Man, yet he was not faithful in his Office, for you know he turned aſide with the People, and made a Golden Calf; here Aaron ſhewed his wickedneſs and unfaithfulneſs: So old Eli, he was a Godly man, yet he failed of his faithfulneſs; he ſuffered his Children to make themſelves vile, and reſtrained them not, and ſo brought Judgment upon his Houſe; and therefore, ſaith the Apoſtle, the Law made Prieſts of men, that had infirmities. Aaron was a man that had infirmities, and his Sons had infirmities, that they were deſtroyed by Fire before the Lord. Eli had his infirmity; but our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, he is without infirmity, he is holy and harmleſs, and therefore he had his Prieſthood put upon him. [The Lord hath ſworn, and will never repent, Thou art a Prieſt for ever after the order of Melchiſedeck.] But to proceed to the next verſe.
Chriſt being thus ſolemnly Inſtituted in his office, never to be changed (ſaith the Apoſtle in the next words) By ſo much was Jeſus made a Surety of a better Covenant: By ſo much that he was made a Prieſt by the Oath of God, by ſo much he was made a Prieſt of a better Covenant, of a better Teſtament. Now for that we muſt conſider, what the Office of a Surety is; and then, why Chriſt is ſaid to be Surety of a better Covenant; as he is the Prieſt of God, and confirmed by his Oath.
Firſt, For the Surety, you know he is a perſon that engageth himſelf for another, Prov. 6. 1. My Son, if thou be Surety for a Friend, if thou haſt ſtricken hands with a ſtranger, &c. How is that? It may be a ſtranger, he comes and challenges a debt of your Friend, and your Friend he carries it very friendly with you, to have you engage with the ſtranger for his debt, and ſtrike hands with him, and to become Surety for your Friend. In this ſenſe Chriſt is called our Surety; becauſe it is the Office of the Prieſt to ſtand between God and Man, and to offer up ſatisfaction, by way of Sacrifice, either typical, or real. Thus our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, in this reſpect, is called our Surety: Why? becauſe he undertakes for us to God, and for God to us again: He undertakes to ſatisfie the will of God: And what is the will of God? Why, the will of God is to fulfil all Righteouſneſs; that is the will of God. Jeſus Chriſt, as our Surety, hath fulfilled all Righteouſneſs, Rom. 5. 19. For as by one mans diſobedience many were made ſinners, ſo by the obedience of one ſhall many be made righteous. So 2 Cor. 5. 21. For he hath made himſelf to be ſin for us, that knew no ſin, that we might be made the Righteouſneſs of God in him. And thus, as our Surety, he hath fulfilled all Righteouſneſs for us. And then as the Surety of the Covenant; ſo he doth confirm all the Promiſes of God, in the Covenant to us: He engages for the Promiſes. Hence you have that, in 2 Cor. 1. 20. For all the Promiſes of God in him are yea, and in him Amen. So that we look to our Surety, to fulfil all things for us: And we look to our Surety, that we have the Covenant and Promiſes made good to us. [For all the Promiſes are in him Yea, and in him Amen.] But, ſaith the Apoſtle, he is made a Surety of a better Covenant, or a better Teſtament. For the word is rendred both ways: Sometimes a Covenant, ſometimes a Teſtament. But how is Chriſt Surety of a better Covenant? I anſwer, not better in reſpect of the matter of it, or the ſubſtance of it. For God in that Covenant, did make himſelf over to his people, to be their God. And all Believers were ſaved by Faith, as we are. It was not better in reſpect of the matter of it: But better in a threefold reſpect.
1. Better in reſpect of a clearer and fuller manifeſtation to God, in the Covenant. The Covenant before us, was under a Veil; therefore (ſaith the Apoſtle) Eph. 3. 4, 5. Whereby when ye read, ye may underſtand the knowledge of the Myſtery of Chriſt, which in other Ages was not made known unto the Sons of men, as it is now revealed.
2. Better in reſpect of the confirmation of it, Heb. 9. 15, 16. For this cauſe (ſpeaking of Chriſt) he is the Mediator of the New Teſtament, that by means of death, for the Redemption of the tranſgreſſions that were under the firſt Teſtament, they which are called, might receive the promiſe of Eternal Inheritance. So that now the Covenant is confirmed by the death of Chriſt, which is a better confirmation than that of the old Law, with the Sacrifices of Beaſts.
3. A better Covenant, in reſpect of the fulneſs of the Spirit that goes along with the Goſpel; and ſo is made a Surety of a better Covenant than the Levitical Prieſthood.
To come to ſome Application: If this be ſo, that our Lord Jeſus Chriſt is made Surety of a better Teſtament; then ſtand here and ſee the great and endleſs love of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
1. The greatneſs of his Love. For, you know, that it is a good evidence of a mans love and kindneſs, when he will be a Surety for one that he thinks can pay the debt. But if a man will be Surety for one that is in debt, and knows that he muſt pay the debt, if he be Surety; this is ſtill greater love. But yet farther; if a man will be Surety for a man, that is condemned to die, and engage his life for him; this is love beyond all love. This is the caſe of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt; to take Mans Nature, ſuffer himſelf to be under the Curſe, and ſuffer himſelf to be put to death. Oh the great Mercy, and unſpeakable Love and Grace of Chriſt! Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.
But then ſecondly; Here you may ſee his endleſs love, becauſe he undertakes to be our Surety for ever. You have many a man, in a ſit of love or kindneſs, will be drawn in to be a Surety; but will repent of it, and will get out of it, as ſoon as he can; and will never come into it again. But our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, he engages to be an Everlaſting Surety for us; what then remains, but that every one that underſtands theſe things, ſhould look to Jeſus Chriſt? Here is a ſpecial prop for our Faith: As you have it in the verſe before. Chriſt brings in a better hope than was before—He is a Surety of a better Covenant: Therefore when fears ariſe in you, about your ſin, remember, that you have a High-prieſt, who hath undertaken to fulfil all Righteouſneſs for us, and undertakes as a Surety for us.