Exposition of the Proper Psalms, Commentary 4
PSALME 110.
The Lord ſaid vntounto my Lord, ſit thou on my right hand, vntill I make thine enemies thy footſtoole.
THis Pſalme (ſaithtIn loc. Breuis numero verborum, ſed magnus pondere ſententiarum. Auguſtine) is in the number of words ſhort, but in the weight of matter ample, containing ſo many deepe myſteries, and oppoſing ſo many dangerous hereſies: that (asuIn loc. Chryſoſtome notes) we neede many eyes for the right reading and exact vnderſtanding of it.
If we literally referre this vntounto Dauid, he bringeth in a ſubiect or a fauourite ſpeaking thus of himſelfe, The Lord ſaid vntounto my Lord the King. Dauid as a King is a Lord, becauſe ye Lieutenant, and (as it were) Vice-gerent of the Lord. In this ſenſe Paul telleth vsus, that there bee many Gods and many Lords, 1. Cor. 8.5. many Gods in title and type, but in deed and truth one God only. Princes are Gods in name: for (ſaith the Lord)xPſal. 82.6. I hauehave ſaid, ye are Gods: but not in nature, for yee ſhall dye like men. All higher powers hold their Scepters from theyProu. 8.15. higheſt power,zPſal. 75.8. he putteth downe one, and ſetteth vp another, according to the ſtile, Iames by the grace of God, &c.aCaluin. in loc. More principally Dauid, who was called to his kingdome by Gods eſpeciall grace, and vſed his kingdome to Gods eſpeciall glorie. For hee was a man according to GodsbActs 13.22. own heart, turning from nothing the Lord commanded him al the daies of his life, ſaue only in the matter of Vriah the Hittite, 1. King. 15.5.
And ſurely (beloued) if we will in ſenſu ſimilitudinario, conſider earneſtly the wonderful vnion of theſe two kingdomes, England and Scotland, and the floriſhing eſtate of the Goſpel, vnderunder the gouernment of our dread Soueraigne: wee ſhall hauehave good cauſe to take vp this ſong, The Lord ſaid vntounto King Iames our Lord, ſit in thy throne, for I hauehave both appointed and anoynted thee King ouer great Britannie.
cDr. Incognit. in loc.Or happily Dauid might ſpeake this of himſelfe, The Lord ſaid vntounto me, concerning my Lord Saul perſecuting me, ſit thou downe by the power of my right hand, and be well aſſured of my protection, vntill I hauehave made all thine enemies thy footstoole: that is, all ſuch as hindred thee from thy kingdome, obedient ſubiects vntounto thee, ſaying,d2. Sam. 5.1. Behold, wee are thy bones and thy fleſh. So the Lord ſpake by the Prophet Nathā, 2. Sam. 12.7. I annointed thee King ouer Iſrael, and deliuered thee out of the hand of Saul, and gaue thee thy Lords houſe, and thy Lords wiues into thy boſome, and gaue thee the houſe of Iſrael and Iudah, and would moreouer (if that had bin too little) hauehave giuen thee ſuch and ſuch things, &c.
But becauſe S. Peter, Acts 2.34. and S. Paul, Heb. 1.13. expound this text of Chriſt, and Chriſt himſelfe applieth it vntounto himſelfe, Matth. 22.44. Mark. 12.36. Luk. 20.42. I forbeare to treat any longer of ſhadowes, and come to the ſubſtance, taking this Pſalme for a prophecie concerning Chriſt in fact, and Dauid onelyonly but in figure. Chriſt then is deſcribed here:
1.eGenebrard. As a King, verſ. 1.2.3.
2. As a Prieſt, verſ. 4.5.
3. As a Iudge, verſ. 6.7.
His kingdome is great in reſpect of
Countenance, The Lord ſaid vntounto my Lord, ſit thou on my right hād.
Continuance, Vntill I make thine enemies thy footſtoole, &c.
Or,fTremellius. three points are remarkable, concerning his kingdome:
1. His calling to this kingdom by God the Father, verſ. 1.
2. His adminiſtration of this kingdom by the ſcepter of his word, verſ. 2.
3. His ſubiects obedience to this adminiſtration, verſ. 3.
gApud Pet. Galatin de arcanis lib. 8. cap. 24.Some Doctors among the Iewes hauehave conſtrued this of Dauids Angel, appointed by the Lord for his peculiar guard and guide. But I ſay to them out of S.hHeb. 1.13. Paul, VntoUnto which of the Angels ſaid the Lord at any time, ſit at my right hand, vntill I make thine enemies thy footſtoole? iApud Hierom. in Mat. 22. & D. Incognit. & Agellium in loc.Other Rabbins expound this of Abraham, as making it a thankſgiuing vntounto the Lord for the victorie, which he got againſt the foure Kings, Gen. 14. Other vnderſtand this ofkJuſtin Martyr in dialog. contra Triphonem, & Tertullian lib. 5. contra Marcian. Ezechiah: other oflVti Chryſoſt. in loc. Zorobabel. But all theſe holy Fathers are dead, and hauehave ſlept long in the duſt of their graue: whereas the Lord (heere mentioned) is a Prieſt for euer, and hath a kingdommHeb. 1.8. without end. And ſo conſequently this Pſalme cannot aptly be conſtrued either of man, or angell, or of any other meere creature; but of Chriſt alone the Meſſias and Mediatour, being the ſonne of Dauid as man, and the Lord of Dauid as God.
The Iewes vnderſtood not this, and therefore they could not anſwere Chriſts queſtion, Mat. 22.45. If Dauid call him Lord, how is he then his ſonne? neither ſhould we hauehave learned this, except Chriſt and his Apoſtles had taught it vsus. Nunc ergo, ſaithnIn loc. Auguſtine, quia didicimus, dicimus; as we hauehave read, ſo we beleeue, that Chriſt, as beingoPhilip. 2.6.7. equall to God, is the Lord of Dauid: & as found in the forme of a ſeruant, the ſonne of Dauid. AspIoh. 1.1.14. in the beginning, the Lord of Dauid: as made fleſh, the ſonne of Dauid; asqEſay 7.14. conceiued and borne of a Virgin, the ſon of Dauid: as Emmanuel, the Lord of Dauid. See Hierom. in Mat. 22. pet. galatin. de arcanis lib. 3. cap. 17. & lib. 8. cap. 24. Chryſoſtom. D. Incognit. Auguſt. Steuchus, Caluin, Tileman, Agellius, Bellarmin, & alios in loc.
The Lord ſaid then vntounto my Lord, is (asrTurrecremat. Tremellius. Genebrardus. if hee ſhould hauehave ſaid) God the Father ſaid vntounto God the Son. And thereforeſGalatin. de arcanis. lib. 8. cap. 24. & Steuchus in loc. Rabbi Ionathas tranſlateth it in the Chalde, dixit dominus verbo ſuo, the Lord ſaid to his Word. Here then obſeruetPlacid. parmen. the diſtinction of perſons in the Godhead againſtuTileman. Artemon, Sabellius, and Seruetus. The Father ſaid vntounto the Sonne, Ergo, the Father is diſtinguiſhed from the Sonne,xAuguſt de ciuit. dei. lib. 11. cap. 10. & Lombard. 1. ſent. diſtinct. 2. alius, howſoeuer not aliud, another perſon, albeit not another ſubſtance: for as the Father is Lord, ſo the Son Lord, and the holy Ghoſt Lord; and yet not three Lords, but one Lord, as Athanaſius in his Creed.
The Lord ſaid] But how, when, and where? the words of our mouthes are firſt (as theyAriſtotle. Perihermin. cap. 1. Philoſopher truly) notions of our mind. So God hath a twofold word,zDr. Incognit. ad intra, conceiued within himſelfe, and ad extra, reuealed vntounto men. According to both he ſaid this,aMelanct. in loc. Immenſa ſapientia decretum fecit, & id generi humano pat…fecit. Firſt, according to his intrinſecall word, he ſaid it before the worlds; as it is in the ſecond Pſalme, verſ. 7. The Lord ſaid vntounto me, thou art my ſonne, this day hauehave I begotten thee. Secondly, according to his extrinſecall and reuealed word, he ſaid it in the world;bTileman. to wit, in the beginning, Gen. 3.15. the ſeed of the woman, &c I, (ſaid the Lord vntounto the ſerpent) will put enmity betweene thee and the woman, and betweene thy ſeed, and her ſeed: he ſhall breake thine head, and thou ſhalt bruiſe his heele. Chriſt is that promiſed ſeed of the woman, as beingcRom. 1.3. made of the ſeed of Dauid, according to the fleſh; he ſhal breake the Serpents head, is all one with our text, ſit thou on my right hand, vntill I hauehave made all thine enemies thy footſtoole.
My] Not onelyonly, becauſe to bee borne of my ſeed and poſterity;dAgellius. but mine, in regard of mine affection, and particular application. As his mother Mary called him, my Sauiour; and his Apoſtle Thomas, my God; and Paul, Galath. 2.20. Christ loued me, and gaue himſelfe for me.
Lord] SainteIn loc. Hierome, andfApud Genebrard. in loc. Adonai. Adoni. other learned (in the Hebrew) note, that in the firſt place, the word tranſlated here Lord, is proper onelyonly to God; but in the ſecond, communicable to men. And ſo Chriſt according to his manhood, began to ſit at the right hand of God after his aſcenſion into heauen, and not before. Chriſt (as the ſonne of God) was euer at Gods right hand, equall in might and maieſty: for in the Trinity none is afore or after other, none is greater or leſſe thē another, but all the three perſons are coeternall, and coequall. As the Sonne is ſaid in this verſe, to ſit at the right hand of the Father: ſo the Father on the Sonnes right hand, verſ. 5. The Lord vponupon thy right hand ſhall wound euen Kings in the day of his wrath. But Chriſt as man, was not exalted vntounto this honour before his glorious aſcenſion, as Saint Peter expoundeth our text, Act. 2.…4. Dauid is not aſcended vp into heauen, but the Lord ſaid vntounto my Lord, ſit thou at my right hand, vntill I make thine enemies thy foot-ſtoole. Therefore let all the houſe of Iſrael know for a ſurety, that God hath made him both Lord and Chriſt; this Ieſus (I meane) whom ye hauehave crucified. And Paul, Philip. 2.8. He humbled himſelfe, and became obedient vntounto the death, euen the death of the Croſſe; wherefore God hath highly exalted him. And ingEpheſ. 1.20. another place, God raiſed him from the dead, and ſet him at his right hand in heauenly places.
Yet the Lord ſaid not this vntounto Chriſt, as vntounto a meere man,hEſay 42.8. I am the Lord (quoth he) this is my name, and my glory will I not giuegive to another: but to Chriſt God and man, our Meſſias and Mediator, one perſon in two natures. As Chriſt is our Ieſus & Emmanuel, he hathiMat. 28.18. all power in heauen, and on earth. kPhil. 2.10.At the name of Ieſus, eueryevery knee ſhal bow, both of things in heauen, and things in earth, and things vnderunder the earth. lChryſoſt. Theophylact. Gorran. in loc. Pauli.Angels and Saints in heauen; men on earth, and the diuels of hell vnderunder earth. Chriſt hath all power in heauen,mDr. Incognit. as hauing the godly ſubiect to him out of their deuotion: and all power on earth, as hauing the wicked made ſubiect to his foot-ſtoole, will they, nill they. For there is anEuthym. Placid parmen. in loc. idem Aquin. in Philip. 2. lect. 3. twofold ſubiection; one voluntarie, another extorted. All glorious Angels, all bleſſed ſpirits, all good men of their owne accord yeeld obedience to Ieſus fully, cheerfully: but the wicked men on earth, and the damned fiends in hell, in deſpite of their teeth, are blockes at his foot-ſtoole.oAuguſt. in loc. Quaere ergo, quem locum habeas ſub pedibus domini dei tui, nam neceſſe eſt vt habeas, aut gratiae, aut poenae: for as eueryevery knee ſhould bow, ſo eueryevery knee ſhall bow, (ſaithpEſay 45.23. Eſay) that knee, that will not out of faith, ſhall out of feare: ſo Dauid here, the Lord ſaid vntounto my Lord, ſit at my right hand, vntill I make thine enemies thy foot-ſtoole.
Vntill] This wordqGregor. moral. lib. 8. cap. 40. Chryſoſt. Incognit. Agellius in loc. notes here, not a piece of time, but a perpetuitie. For Chriſt (after all his enemies are made his foot-ſtoole) ſhall euer ſit at the right hand of God, his throne is for euer and euer, Heb. 1.8. And power is vntounto him that ſitteth vponupon the Throne, for euermore, Apocal. 5.13. So donec is vſed, Deut. 7.23. The Lord thy God ſhall deſtroy them with a mighty deſtruction, vntill they be brought to nought: heereby meaning, that they ſhall vtterly bee conſumed, becauſe they cannot any more reſiſt, after once they be brought to nothing. And Pſalm. 112. verſ. 8. The good mans heart is eſtabliſhed, and will not ſhrinke, vntill he ſee his deſire vponupon his enemies. If his heart were not afraid for any euill tidings, when his enemies ſtood vp againſt him; how ſhall hee ſhrinke when he ſees their neckes giuen vntounto him? And Matth. 1.25. hee knew her not, vntill ſhee had brought foorth her firſt borne ſonne, &c. Vntill, in that place doth not import (as therHierom. Chryſoſt. Theophylact. Euthym. Doctors hauehave well obſerued againſt Heluidius) that Ioſeph afterward carnally knew Mary; for ſhe was a perpetuall virgin, as well after, as before the birth of her ſonne Ieſus. See 2. Sam. 6.23. Mat. 5.18. and 28.20.
It is obiected againſt this interpretation out of Saint Paul, 1. Cor. 15.24. that Chriſt, after he hath put downe all things vnderunder his feet, ſhall in fine, deliuer vp the kingdome to God. Anſwere is made by Chryſostome, vponupon our text out of Ioh. 16.15. Al things that the Father hath, are mine. And. Ioh. 17.10. All mine are thine, and thine are mine. ſMarlorat. in 1. Cor. 15.24.As then God the Father was not without his kingdome, when as God the Sonne ſaid,tMat. 11.27. Iohn 3.35. all things are giuen vntounto me of my Father: no more ſhall God the Son be de-thrond, when he ſhall deliuer vp his kingdome to his Father.uSee Luther, Anſelm. Lombard. in 1. Cor. 15.24. Hee now raignes in ſecret, but when all his enemies once ſhall be made his foot-ſtoole, then he ſhall openly rule, much more, ſitting at his Fathers right hand for euermore.
I make] Chriſt isxPhilip. 3.21. able to ſubdue all things vntounto himſelfe, and according to his power hee ſhall alſo put all things vnderunder his feet, 1. Cor, 15.27. How then is it true that God the Father ſaith, vntill I make thine enemies thy foot-ſtoole? Anſwere is made, thatyIoh. 5.19. whatſoeuer things the Father doth, the ſame things alſo doth the Sonne: zEuthym.for this action is common to the Sonne with the Father, I ſay common to the Son,aBellarmin. in loc. in reſpect of his eternal generation, as God, and in reſpect of the hypoſtaticall vnion as man. Yet this worke is aſcribed eſpecially to the Father, as being a worke of might, according to that orthodoxall axiome; Works of power are aſcribed to the father; of wiſdome, to the Sonne; of louelove, to the holy Ghoſt.
Thine enemies] bTileman.Heere note, that the Church is not a kingdome liuing alwaies in pompe, and peace▪ but (ascCant. 6.3. Salomon ſpeakes) as an armie with banners, expoſed to great danger, as being oppoſed by cruel and cunning enemies. If any man will take the Churches portraiture, let him (ſaithdLoc. Com. tit. de perſecut. verae Eccleſ. Luther) paint a ſeely poore maid ſitting in a forlorne wood, or wilderneſſe, compaſſed about on eueryevery ſide with hungry Lions, Woolues, Boares, Beares; in one word, with al hateful & hurtfull beaſts, and in the mid'ſt of a great many furious men, aſſaulting her eueryevery minute (as they did here Chriſt) witheMat. 26.47. ſwords & ſtaues; and that which is more terrible, threatening fire and water: fire, to conſume her fleſh and bones into aſhes; water, to conſume her aſhes into nothing, if it were poſſible.
To ſpeake more diſtinctly, Chriſt and his Church hauehavefTileman. two ſorts of enemies; ſecular, and ſpirituall. Secular, as idolatrous Gentiles, blaſphemous Turkes, and other barbarous Infidels out of the Church: as alſo violent Tyrants, virulent Hereticks, fraudulent Antichriſts in the boſome of the Church. For (asgVbi ſup. Luther notes out of Auguſtine) the Church hath had a threefold oppreſſion. The firſt violent, by perſecuting Emperours: the ſecond fraudulent, by ſubtill heretickes: the third both violent, and fraudulent, by peſtilent Anti-chriſts in the kingdome of Poperie; where the temporall power, and ſpirituall are ioyned together, againſt all that is called God.
Now Chriſt is a ruler in the middeſt of all theſe: hPſal. 99.1.the Lord is King, be the people neuer ſo impatient; hee ſits betweene the Cherubims, be the earth neuer ſo vnquiet. Howſoeuer theiPſalm. 2. Gentiles furiouſly rage together, and vngodly Princes take counſell together, againſt his annointed: he that dwelleth in heauen ſhall laugh them to ſcorne, hee ſhall hauehave them in deriſion; hee ſhall bruiſe them with a rod of iron, and breake them in pieces like a potters veſſell. AlbeitkApoc. 7.1. foure wicked Angels ſtand on the foure corners of the earth, holding the foure winds, that the wind ſhould not blow on the earth, neither on the ſea, neither on any tree: yetlSee epiſt. on Al-Saints day. Chriſt hauing the ſeale of the liuing God, cries with a loud voice to the foure angels, to whom power was giuen to hurt the earth, and the ſea: Hurt ye not the earth, neither the ſea, neither the trees; vntill we hauehave ſealed the ſeruants of our God in their foreheads. He ſits at Gods right hand, till his enemies are made his foot-ſtoole:mVatablus in loc. that is, vntill he ſay to tyrants, and Hypocrites, and Heretickes, and Anti-chriſts, and to the whole rabble of the reprobate, depart from mee yee curſed into euerlaſting fire, which is prepared for the diuell and his angels.
The ſpirituall enemies of Chriſt and his Church, are Satan and all his complices, ſinne, torment of conſcience, malediction of the law, death, hell; ouer all which our bleſſed SauiournColoſſ. 2.15. triumphed openly. For in dying, hee did ouercome death; and in riſing againe from the dead, hee made the graue his foot-ſtoole, ſaying,oHoſ. 13.14. O death I will be thy death; O graue, I will be thy deſtruction. Now (beloued) his conqueſt is our victory; for hee did ouercome the world for vsus, and the diuell for vsus, and death for vsus. Hee was wounded for ourpEſay 53.5. tranſgreſſions, and broken for our iniquities; his name isqIer. 23.6. the Lord our righteouſneſſe; he therefore died for our ſinnes, and roſe againe for our Iuſtification. Hee deliuered vsus out of the hands of all our enemies, that we might ſerue him all the daies of our life without feare. As for our ſins, hee ſaith, Eſa. 43.25. I, euen I am he, that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne ſake, and will not remember thy faults. rEſay 1.18.Alebeit they were like Crimoſin, they ſhall be made white as ſnow: though they were red as Scarlet, they ſhall be like wooll; the blood of Ieſus Chriſt cleanſeth vsus from all ſinne, 1. Ioh. 1.7. Hee redeemed vsus from the curſe of the law, when he was made a curſe for vsus, Galath. 3.13. He put out that hand-writing of ordinances againſt vsus; he cancelled that obligation, and tooke it out of the way, faſtening it vponupon his Croſſe, Coloſſ. 2.14. Concerning torment of conſcience, being iuſtified by faith, we hauehave peace toward God, through Ieſus Christ our Lord, Rom. 5.1.
Laſtly, touching death and hell; heſEſay 25.8. deſtroyes death for euer, and wipes away the teares from the faces of all his people, that they may triumph in the words oft1. Cor. 15.55. Paul, O death where is thy ſting? O graue where is thy victory? the ſting of death is ſinne, and the ſtrength of ſin is the law: but thankes be to God, that hath giuen vsus victory through our Lord Ieſus Chriſt. He that beleeueth in the Lord Ieſus, hathuIoh. 17.3. eternall life; neither ſhall he taſte of thexApocal. 20.6. ſecond death. If God then be with vsus, who can bee againſt vsus? If the Lord hauehave ſaid vntounto my Lord, ſit on my right hand, vntill I hauehave made thine enemies thy foot-stoole? What need I feare what either man, or Angell, or diuell is able to doe againſt me? My Ieſus is ayEſay 25.4. refuge againſt the tempeſt, and a ſhadow againſt the heate, azPſalm. 46.1. preſent help in al my tribulation & trouble.aRom. 8.33. Who ſhal lay any thing to my charge, ſeeing it is God that iuſtifieth? and who ſhall condemne; ſeeing Chriſt which is dead, yea rather which is riſen againe, ſitteth at the right hand of God, and maketh interceſſion for vsus daily?bMat. 28.20. Hee ſaith, I am with you till the end, and then hee will ſay vntounto vsus in the end, Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit ye the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
The Lord ſhall ſend the rod of thy power out of Sion] AcPlutarch in the life of Caeſar. Captaine ſent from Caeſar, vntounto the Senators of Rome, to ſue for the prolonging of his gouernment abroad; vnderſtanding (as hee ſtood at the Counſell-chamber doore) that they would not condeſcend to his deſire, clapping his hand vponupon the pummell of his ſword; Well (ſaid he) ſeeing you will not grant it him, this ſhall giuegive it him. So when the Citizens of Meſſana, deſpiſing Pompei's iuriſ-diction, alleaged ancient orders, and priuiledges of the Romans in old time granted vntounto their town: Pompei did anſwere them in choller (as Plutarch relates in his life) What do you prattle to vsus of your law, that hauehave our ſwords by our ſides? SodCaluino. turciſ. lib. 1. cap. 4. Mahumet diſſolueth all arguments by the ſword; ineVbertas ſolieta. tract. de cauſis magnitud. imperij Turcici. his kingdome no man is aduanced vntounto places of any great worth or worſhip, but the ſouldior; & thefAugerius. Buſbequius legat. Turcic. epiſt. 1. left hand among the Turks is accounted moſt honourable, becauſe the ſword hangs on that ſide. So Tyrants and Potentates of the world, end all their quarrels, and make their enemies their footſtoole, by the ſword. But the ſcepter of Chriſts kingdome, is not a ſword of ſteele, but a ſword of the ſpirit; hee ruleth in the middeſt of his enemies, and ſubdueth a people to himſelfe, not by the ſword, but by thegMelancthon. Tileman. Vatablus. Agellius. word: for the Goſpell is the power of his arme to ſaluation, Rom. 1.16. caſting downe holds, and imaginations, and eueryevery high thing that is exalted againſt the knowledge of God, and bringing into captiuitie eueryevery thought vntounto the obedience of Chriſt. 2. Cor. 10.5.
And the Lord is ſaid here to ſend the rod of his power out of Sion, according to the prophecies ofhCap. 2. verſ. 3. Iſaiah, andiCap. 4. verſ. 2. Micah; the law ſhall goe forth of Sion, and the word of the Lord from Hieruſalem. The bleſſed Apoſtles (as wee reade, Act. 2.) receiued the gifts of the holy Ghoſt at Hieruſalem, and exerciſed alſo theſe gifts of vtterance firſt in Hieruſalem. It is true that theirkRom. 10.18. ſound went out through all the earth, and their words vntounto the ends of the world; and that they did execute their commiſſion in preaching vntountolMark. 16.15. eueryevery creature: but yet according to their maſters iniunction, Luk. 24.47. they began at Hieruſalem. So Paul and Barnabas told the Iewes, Act. 13.46. It was neceſſary that the word of God ſhould firſt hauehave been ſpoken vntounto you: but ſeeing yee put it from you, and iudge your ſelues vnworthie of euerlaſting life; loe wee turne to the Gentiles. Heere then is a pregnant text, to proue that the Goſpel is not the word ofm1. Theſſ. 2.13. man, but the wiſdome ofn1. Cor. 2.7. God, andoEpheſ. 6.17. ſword of his ſpirit; for that it is agreeable to the predictions of all his holy Prophets, euer ſince the world began. Againe,pTileman in loc. this euidence confutes the Iewes, obſtinately denying that the promiſed Meſſias is come. His word commeth out of Sion, hee muſt (according to this prophecie) begin his ſpirituall kingdome in Hieruſalem, euen while the Iewes Commonwealth and religion is ſtanding: for the ſcepter ſhall not depart from Iuda, nor a law-giuer betweene his feet, vntill Shilo come, & the people ſhall be gathered vntounto him, Gen. 49.10. But alas, Hieruſalem hath a long time been made leuell with theqLuk. 19.44. ground:rLament. 1.1. ſhe that was great among the Nations, and Princeſſe among the Prouinces, is now made tributarie. Barbarus has ſegetes—the Lord hath ſo darkened the daughter of Sion in his wrath, and caſt downe from heauen vntounto the earth, Iſraels glory, Lam. 2.1. that the barbarousſApocal. 20.8. Gog and Magog, are now lords of that (ſomtime) holy land; Hieruſalem in old time the City of God, is now (being poſſeſſed by the Turkes) nothing elſe but a den of theeues. Ergo, Chriſt is that promiſed Meſſias: it is tMat. 11.3.he that ſhould come, neither need wee looke for another.
Be thou ruler in the midſt among thine enemies] ByuAgellius. Bellarmin. rod, is meant Chriſts ſcepter; becauſe ſtrong rods are for the ſcepters of them that beare rule, Ezech. 19.11. and Ier. 48.17. How is the ſtrong ſtaffe broken, and the beautifull rod? And by his ſcepter is meant, his power; and the word is that his power, by which he rules in the middeſt of all his enemies: conuerting ſuch enemies as appertain to Gods election; and confounding ſuch enemies as are the ſonnes of perdition: his Goſpell is vntounto the one, the ſauour of life vntounto life; and to the other, the ſauour of death vntounto death, 2. Cor. 2.16.
The bleſſed Apoſtles preached the Goſpell in the middeſt of their enemies, xChryſoſt. Euthym.as being ſheepe in the middeſt of woolues, Mat. 10.16. AndyLib. 1. cap. 2. & 3. Irenaeus, who liued in the next age, witneſſeth alſo that the Church encreaſed in Egypt, Lybia, France, Spaine, Germanie, comparing the light of the Goſpell vntounto the Sun, illuminating all men excepting ſuch as are loſt, hauing their mindes blinded by the Prince of this world, 2. Cor. 4.4.
In all after times vntounto this preſent day Chriſt ruled, and his kingdome floriſhed in deſpite of all his enemies, in the middeſt of Atheiſts, in the middeſt of Infidels, in the middeſt of Heretikes, in the middeſt of Hypocrits, in the middeſt of Tyrants, in the middeſt of Turkes, in the middeſt of Anti-chriſts. At the worlds end (when our bleſſed Sauiour ſitting at his Fathers right hand ſhall vtterlyz1. Cor. 15.19. put downe all things vnderunder his feete) the good ſhall be ſeparated from the bad, as a ſhepheard ſeparates the ſheepe from the goates, Matth. 25.32. But ſo long as the world (thata1. Iohn 5.19. lieth in wickedneſſe) continueth, thebMatth. 13.30. wheate groweth among tares, and the Church is euer as a lilie amongcCant. 2.2. thornes, aſſaulted on ye one ſide by vnbeleeuers, and on the other ſide by miſ-beleeuers. On the left hand by the blaſphemous propoſitions of Heretikes, on the right hand by the contentious oppoſitions of Schiſmatikes: openly wronged by cut-throate tyrants, and ſecretly wringed by backbyting hypocrites.dLib. de re ruſtica. Ʋarro writes, that the Romanes in old time did ouercome their enemies ſedendo: but the Romaniſts in our time think to make their enemies (as it were) their footſtoole caedendo, by dagge and dagger, by powder-plots, and powder-ſhots, by fire, force, furie. Yet notwithſtanding Chriſt is a Ruler, and his ſubiects areeRom. 8.37. more then Conquerours in the very middeſt of Anti-chriſtianiſme. For the beheadding of Martyrs is like thefIuſtin Mart. in dialog. cum Tryphon. cutting of vines, the more they bee cut, the more they proſper and fructifie. ThegBaro ius praefat. tom. 8. annal. Church faith, as Paul, 2. Cor. 12.10. When I am weake, then am I ſtrong. hLoc com. tit. de Luthero.Martin Luther (aſſiſted doubtleſſe by Gods owne ſpirit) ſo little regarded the bloodie Papiſts in the quarrel of Chriſts Goſpel, as that he ſaid peremptorily, Contemptus eſt à me Romanus furor & feruor. And therfore being aduiſed by ſome good friends, that he would not aduenture himſelfe to be preſent at the meeting of the Germane Princes at Wormes: he did anſwere them in this wiſe: For as much as I am ſent-for, I am reſolued and certainly determined to enter Wormes, in the name of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, although I knew there were ſo many diuels to reſiſt me, as there are tyles to couer all the houſes in Wormes: Fox Martyr. fol. 776. And B.iMr. Fox in his martyrdome. Latymer being brought to the ſtake, was ſo wel aſſured, that Chriſt euen by his weakeneſſe ſhould rule in the middeſt of his enemies, as that vponupon the kindling of the firſt fagot, hee ſaid to his fellow martyr, Biſhop Ridley: Courage brother Ridley, we ſhal (by Gods grace) this day light ſuch a candle in England, as I hope ſhall neuer be put out againe.
In the day of thy power, ſhall the people offer thee freewill offrings] Chriſt (by the preaching of his word) ſubdueth vntounto himſelfe a good and a great people. Good, They ſhall offer thee free-will offerings with an holie worſhip. Great, The dew of thy birth is of the wombe of the morning. In the daies of thy power, kCaluin.that is, in the daies of thy ſolemne aſſemblies, in the daies of thylTremellius. Goſpell, vntill thou ſhalt ouercome thine enemies with them2. Theſſ. 2.8. ſpirit of thy mouth, and aboliſh thē with the brightnes of thy cōming: thy people ſhall offer free-will offerings vntounto thee, nMelanct. Mollerus. Tileman.not enforced by law, but cōming out of louelove: not out of faſhion or factiō, but in pure deuotion and cheerefull obedience. They ſhall appeare before thee with an holy worſhip, or as our new tranſlation, in the beauties of holineſſe: that is, in thyoTremel. Wilcox. Temple, which is a glorious Sanctuary, Pſal. 29.2.pAgellius. Or in a holineſſe equalling the holineſſe of thy Sanctuary; for good Chriſtians are the temples of God, 1. Cor. 3.16. Or by beauties of holineſſe, he meaneth happily theqTileman. Melancthon. Mollerus. Prieſts garment, inſinuating, that Chriſts elect people ſhould be namedrEſay 61.6. the Prieſts of the Lord, a choſen generation, a royall Prieſthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, ſhewing foorth the vertues of him, that hath called them out of darkneſſe into marueilous light, 1. Pet. 2.9. The ſumme of all is, that the ſubiects of his kingdome ſhall appeare before him inſGenebrard. all kinde of ſanctitie,tBellarm. reſplendent in holineſſe, and ſhining in good workes as lights in the world, Philip. 2.15.
If all Chriſts people then offer him free-will offerings with an holy worſhip, hee will not abide ſuch as are hypocrites, who ſerue the truth only to ſerue their turne,uPſal. 50.16. taking his couenant in their mouth, & yet hate to be reformed.xBradford in a letter to the City of London. To the petition (let thy kingdome come) wee muſt adioyne thy will be done, done on earth, as it is in heauen. Hee will (as S.yApoc. 3.16. Iohn telleth vsus) ſpue ſuch out of his mouth as are neither hot nor cold, mungrils in religion,z1. Kings 18.21. halting betweene God and Baal, hauing (as theaHoſea 10.2. Prophet ſpeaks) a diuided heart, an heart and an heart, like thebAul. Gellius Noct. attic. lib. 16. cap 15. Hares in Biſaltia, or ye Partridges in Paphlagonia. cBradford in a letter to Dr. Hill Phyſitian.The way of Chriſt is ſo ſtraite, that it will ſuffer no reeling to this ſide, or that ſide: if any halt in it, hee is like to fall off the bridge into the pit of eternall perdition. The Lord (for our example) hath inflicted heauie iudgements in all ages, vponupon ſuch as hauehave not vprightly walked, but halted before him: I will onelyonly remember one, which happened vponupondFox Mart. fol. 1911. Castellanus, who (hauing firſt inriched himſelfe by the Goſpell, and afterward forſaking the pure doctrine thereof, and turning againe to his popiſh vomite, ſo that hee perſecuted the Chriſtians in Orleance) by the hand of God was ſtrickē in his body with a grieuous ſickneſſe, vnknowne to the Phyſitians, the one halfe of his bodie burning as hot as fire, and the other being ſo cold as Ice, and ſo miſerably crying and lamenting ended his life.
The dew of thy birth is of the wombe of the morning] A very difficult place, diuerſly conſtrued, either of Chriſt himſelfe, or of his gifts, or of his people. Firſt of Chriſt himſelfe, and that in reſpect of his Godhead, and of his Manhood. Of hiseChryſoſt. Hierome. Auguſtine. Euthym. in loc. Idem Ambroſe de fide lib. 1. cap. 6. & Euſeb. hiſt. lib. 1. cap. 4. Godhead, that the Father ſaith vntounto him, of the wombe (that is, of mine owne eſſence) before the early morning (that is, before the world was) thou haſt the dew of thy youth, or birth; noting his eternal generation before all worlds, as is ſhewed Prou. 8.22.23.24.25. And according to this ſenſe the Septuagint Interpretors hauehave tranſlated, of the wombe before the morning ſtarre begat I thee. If it bee meant of his Manhood, it may beefSee Tertull. lib. 5. cont. Mar. & Iuſtin. dialog. cum Tryphon. Galat de arcanis, lib. 3. cap. 17. Melanct. in loc. thus expounded, of the wombe of the darke morning, or Virgine, thou haſt the dew of thy birth. If we will vnderſtand it of hisgSee Steuchus & Mollerus in loc. gifts and grace, the plentifull and abundant dew of thy gifts and gladneſſe aboue thy fellowes, was in thee from the very wombe. But becauſe Dauid in this verſe ſpeakes neither of the perſon, nor of the gifts of the Meſſias, but of his ſubiects, I ſide withhBucer. Caluine. Mollerus. Tileman. Geneua gloſſ. Strigellius. Tremellius. our Diuines, who reade and interpret it after this ſort, thy youth, or new-borne people, ſhal be to thee at the morning. By the preaching of thy word, thou ſhalt bring forth a people not only good, but alſo great, whoſe increaſe ſhall be ſo plentifull and wonderfull as the drops of the morning dew. For as the dew, that ſecretly falles from heauen abundantly, couereth and refreſheth all the earth: ſo thy word, by the ſecret operation of the holy ſpirit,iDeut. 32.2. ſtilling as the dew, and as the ſhowre vponupon the herbes, is thatk1. Pet. 1.23. immortall ſeede, by which an incredible number of children are begotten vntounto God, ouer-ſpreading the face of the whole world, according to that of S.lIohn 1.12. Iohn, To them hee gaue power to be the ſonnes of God, euen to them that beleeue in his name, which are borne not of blood, nor of the will of the fleſh, nor of the will of man, but of God. This expoſition I take to bee moſt agreeable to the drift of our text, and to the words of our tranſlation.
mBuchanan Paraphraſ. in loc.Non roris imber ante lucem argenteis tot veſt it arua gemmulis,
Quàm multa cunctis gentium de finibus ad te propago confluet.
The Lord ſware and will not repent] Men (as Paul teacheth, Heb. 6.) ſweare by him that is greater then themſelues: but almightie God, as hauing none greater to ſweare by, ſware by himſelfe to father Abraham, Geneſ. 22.16. By my ſelfe hauehave I ſworne (ſaith the Lord) becauſe thou haſt done this thing, and haſt not ſpared thine onelyonly ſonne, therfore will I ſurely bleſſe thee, & will greatly multiplie thy ſeede as the ſtarres of the heauen, and as the ſand which is vponupon the ſea ſhore, and thy ſeede ſhall poſſeſſe the gate of his enemies, and in thy ſeede all the nations of the earth ſhall be bleſſed. This oath is repeated and renewed againe vntounto Iſaac, Geneſ. 26.3. The Lord appeared vntounto him, and ſaid, I will performe the oath which I ſware vntounto Abraham thy father. And the ſeruants and Saints of God euer highly reuerenced and eſteemed this oath. He (ſaith ournPſal. 105, 8. Prophet) is the Lord our God, he hath alway been mindfull of his couenant and promiſe, that hee made to a thouſand generations, euen the couenant that hee made with Abraham, and the oath that he ſware to Iſaac. And Ierem. 11.4. Thus ſaith the Lord, ye ſhall be my people, and I will be your God, that I may confirme the oath, which I hauehave ſworne vntounto your fathers. And Zacharias in his hymne, Bleſſed be the Lord God of Iſrael, for he hath viſited and redeemed his people, &c. As he ſpake by the mouth of his holy Prophets euer ſince the world began, &c. performing that oath, which he ſware to our forefather Abraham.
It was in the Lord great mercy to giuegive his word, that hee would in the fulnes of time ſend his Sonne for the redemption of the world, ſaying, The ſeede of the woman ſhall breake the Serpents head: but it was aſſuredly greater merciemercy to ſweare by hisoPſal. 89.34. holineſſe, that he would performe this promiſe. God is truth, and we hauehave good cauſe to beleeue him vponupon his word, who made vsus and all things elſe by hispPſal. 33.9. word: but yet for our better aſſurance, being deſirous more abundantly to ſhew vntounto the heires of promiſe the ſtablenes of his counſell, bound himſelfe with an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impoſſible for him to lye, we might hauehave ſtrong conſolation. Heb. 6.18.
Theſe two things are his word, and oath. His word is true, Pſal. 33.4. I (quoth the Lord)qEzech. 37.14. hauehave ſpoken it, and I will performe it, rNumb. 23.19.God is not as man, that he ſhould lye; neither as the ſonne of man, that hee ſhould repent: hath hee ſaid, and ſhall hee not doe it? and hath hee ſpoken, and ſhall he not accompliſh it? ſLuk. 21.33. Mat. 5.18.Heauen and earth ſhall paſſe away, but not one iot of his word ſhall paſſe away, till all things bee fulfilled. And if his bare word be thus immutable, then his*Quoad nos. oath much more, which among men is an end of all ſtrife, Heb. 6.16. Behold then here the goodneſſe of the Father of mercies, and God of comfort, who for our ſake did not onelyonly ſay, but alſo ſweare, that Chriſt is our Prieſt for euer. Happie men are they who beleeue this promiſe, for that istIoh. 17.3. eternall life: but accurſed are ſuch asuHeb. 2.3. neglect ſo great ſaluation. Hee that beleeues not God, maketh him a lyar (ſaith Saintx1. Epiſt. 5.10. Iohn): Nay, ſeeing God hath bound his word with an oath, hee that beleeues not this record concerning his Son, doth accuſe God of periurie. This ought to comfort vsus in all our tentations, at the houre of death, and in the day of iudgment. For albeit we hauehave ſinned againſt heauen, and againſt earth; againſt God in heauen, againſt our brethren on earth: although our ſinnes are great for their number, and grieuous for their nature; yet let vsus goyHeb. 4.16. boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receiue mercy. For as much as wee hauehave ſuch an high Prieſt, as is touched with a feeling of our infirmities, and ſaith,zMat. 9.13. I am not come to call the righteous to repentance, but ſinners, and ſweareth,aEzech. 33.11. as I liue, I deſire not the death of a ſinner; let not any deſpaire,bFerus poſtil. ſer. 5. in. Dom. ſeptuageſ. though he hauehave denied Chriſt, as Peter; and betrayed Chriſt, as Iudas; and crucified Chriſt, as Pilate.
And will not repent] The paſſions of men are aſcribed to God, ſecundum effectum, (asc1. part. quaeſt. 21. art. 3. Aquine ſpeakes) but not ſecundum affectum. And ſo the Scripture ſpeakingdRom. 6.19. groſſely to mans vnderſtanding, ſaith, that the ſpirit iseEpheſ. 4.30. grieued, & that the LordfGen. 6.6. repented he had made man, andg1. Sam. 15.11. Saul King; and Ionah 3.10. God repented of the euil that he had ſaid that he would doe to Nineueh. The Lord in his ſecret counſell, is yeſterday, and to day, and the ſame alſo for euer, Heb. 13.8. But vntounto vsus men (in his reuealed word) hee ſeemes to put on affections of anger and griefe,hPlacid. parmen. behauing himſelfe as one who repents and grieues. Againe, God ſpeakes in his reuealed word, ſomtimes conditionally, ſomtimes abſolutely. His ſentence concerning the deſtruction of Nineueh, was only conditionall, if they did not repent; according to that of theiPſal. 7.13. Pſalmiſt, If a man will not turne, then hee will whet his ſword. And therefore when the Lord ſaw the workes of the men of Nineueh, that they turned from their euill waies, he turned away his wrath from them. Et ſic Deus (as one pithily) non vertitur, ſed auertitur orationibus noſtris. But when Almighty God ſpeakes abſolutely, thou are my ſonne, and as in our text categorically, thou art a Prieſt for euer, &c. he will not repent, norkPſal. 89.34. alter the thing which is gone out of his mouth. See S. Auguſtine de diuerſis quaſt ad Simplicium lib. 2. quaeſt. 2. Rupert. Caluin in caput 3. Ionae. Auguſtin. D. Incognit. Bellarmin & alios in loc.
Thou art a Prieſt for euer] The Lord teacheth vsus how wee ſhould ſweare, by precept, and paterne. By precept, Ierem. 4.2. Thou ſhalt ſweare in truth, in iudgment, and in righteouſneſſe. WherelHierom. in loc. & Thomas 22…. quaeſt. 89. art. 3. Diuines obſerue, that theſe three vertues ought to bee the companions of all our oathes. Iudgment forbids all raſh & idle ſwearing; truth, all lying and falſe ſwearing; righteouſneſſe, all blaſphemous and vngodly ſwearing by the creatures. God, (according to this precept) ſweareth himſelfe heere; hee ſweares in righteouſneſſe, as ſwearing by himſelfe, being both omnipotent, and omni-ſcient: in truth, for that hee will not repent: in iudgement, ſaying to his Sonne, thou art a Priest for euer. mAgelſius in loc.When he ſpake before of Chriſts kingdome, he ſaid onelyonly, ſit thou at my right hand: but now treating of Chriſts Prieſthood, hee ſweares: nCaluin in loc.inſinuating that the prieſthood of Chriſt is of exceeding great conſequence; for the Lord (inſtructing vsus how we may ſweare by his owne example) ſweares not in any trifling caſe, but for the confirmation of a ſerious and neceſſarie truth of a moſt high nature.
Let vsus examine therefore how Chriſt is a Prieſt for ouer. An high Prieſt (as theoHeb. 5.1. Scripture defineth) is a perſon called of God from among men, that hee may offer both gifts and ſacrifices vntounto God for the ſins of men. Such an high Prieſt is Chriſt, immediately called of God, in that he ſaid, thou art a Prieſt, and hee gaue himſelfe for vsus, to be both anpSee epiſt. 3. Sund, in Lent. offering, and a ſacrifice of a ſweet ſmelling ſauour to God, Epheſ. 5.2.q1. Ioh. 2.2. He is the reconcillation for our ſins, and as an aduocate with the Father in the Court of heauen, euer pleading the merit of his oblation and obedience, the ſole mediator betweene God and man. 1. Tim. 2.5. and he is a Prieſt for euer, becauſe with one offering hee conſecrated for euer, them that are ſanctified, Heb. 10.14. The powerfull operation of his paſſion endureth for euer, being therApoc. 13.8. Lambe ſlaine from the beginning of the world, and bleeding (as it were) to the worlds end. Saint Paul in his Epiſtle to the Hebrewes, hath vnfolded this part of our text ſo fully, that (asſJn loc. Hierome ſpeaks) it is ſuperfluous to bring an after (or other) interpretation. I will here reſt onelyonly in his Commentatarie, conſiſting of two points eſpecially: the
1. Shewing the difference betweene the Prieſthood of Aaron, and Chriſt.
2. Deſcribing the reſemblance betweene the Prieſthod of Chriſt, and Melchiſedech.
1. The Prieſthood of Aaron, with all the ſacrifices and ceremonies belonging thereunto, was nothing elſe but a type of things to come: thetHeb. 9. tabernacles and holy places, were figures of the true Sanctuarie; the diuers waſhings, and other carnall rites, were ſimilitudes of heauenly things. In a word, the whole Law had the ſhadow of good things to come, but not the very ſubſtance of the things, Hebr. 10.1. But Chriſt is theuColoſſ. 2.17. body of the ſhadow, and his Prieſthood the truth of Aarons type. Ioh. 1.17. The Law was giuen by Moſes, but grace and truth came by Ieſus Christ, as being our onelyonly Prieſt appeaſing the wrath of God, and taking away the ſinnes of the world; forxAct. 4.12. among men there is giuen no other name vnderunder heauen, whereby wee muſt bee ſaued. And therefore the holy Fathers in their killing of beaſts, and ſprinkling of blood, had euer an eye to the ſheadding of Chriſts blood on the Croſſe, beleeuing that his blood ſhouldy1. Ioh. 1.7. cleanſe them from all their ſinnes, andzHeb. 9.12.13. not the blood of goates, and calues, and buls. And the Prophets in their Sermons vſually taxe their hypocriſie, who neglecting ſpirituall deuotions, and faith in Chriſt, onelyonly reſted and truſted in outward oblations.aEſay 1.11. What hauehave I to doe with the multitude of your ſacrifices (ſaith the Lord) I am full of the burnt offerings of lambes, and of the fat of fed beaſts, I deſire not the blood of bullockes, nor of lambes, nor of goates, incenſe is an abomination vntounto me, my ſoule hateth your new moones, and your appointed feaſts, all of them are a burthen vntounto me, & I am weary to beare them, And Mich. 6.7. Will the Lord be pleaſed with thouſands of Rammes, or with ten thouſand riuers of oyle? nay, the ſacrifice beſt accepted of God, is a troubled ſpirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, ſhalt thou not deſpiſe. Pſal. 51.17.
2. The Prieſthood of Aaron, and the kingdome of Iſrael were diſtinct offices and incompetible; the Prieſt vnderunder the law might not incroch vponupon the royalties of the King, nor the King execute the Prieſts office: for whenb2. Chro. 26.16. Vzziah the King went into the Temple of the Lord to burne incenſe; the Prieſts of the Lord withſtood him, and ſaid vntounto him, It appertaineth not vntounto thee (Vzziah) to burne incenſe vntounto the Lord, but to the Prieſts, the ſonnes of Aaron, conſecrated to this office. Goe forth of the Sanctuarie, for thou haſt tranſgreſſed: and Vzziah the King was a leper vntounto the day of his death. But Chriſt is both a Prieſt, and a Prince, the Scepter and the Miter meet together in him.
3. Aaron, Eleazar, andcLeuit. 16. eueryevery high Prieſt vnderunder the Law, did enter into the holy place by the blood of goats and calues, which hee did offer for himſelfe, and for the ſinnes of the people. But Chriſt our Prieſt, entred into the moſt holy place by his owne blood, and obtained eternall redemption for vsus, Heb. 9.12. HedGalath. 1.4. gaue himſelfe for our ſinnes, that he might deliuer vsus from this preſent euill world. It was impoſſible, that the blood of buls and goats ſhould take away ſinnes, Heb. 10.4. He therefore dideEpheſ. 5.2. offer his owne body, redeeming his Church euen with his ownef1. Pet. 1.19. pretious blood.
4. Aaron was annointed with angLeuit. 8.12. Pſal. 133.2. oyle made of pleaſant ſpices and balſame: but God hath annointed Chriſt with oyle of gladneſſe, Pſal. 45.8. The ſpirit of the Lord (quothhLuk. 4.18.21. he) hath annointed me, that I ſhould preach the Goſpell vntounto the poore, and hath ſent mee, that I ſhould heale the broken hearted, &c.
5. Aaron, and eueryevery high-Prieſt of the Iewes, offered vp ſacrifice,iLeuit. 16.6. Heb. 7.27. firſt for his owne ſinnes, and then for the people. But Chriſt as being holy, blameleſſe, vndefiled, Hebr. 7.26. who knew no ſin, 2. Cor. 5.21. who didkEſay 53.9. no wickedneſſe, neither was any deceit in his mouth, offered vp himſelfe onelyonly for our ſins; hee was wounded for our tranſgreſſions, he was broken for our iniquities, he carried our ſorrowes, and with his ſtripes are we healed.
6. Aaron and his ſucceſſors were Prieſts of the Iewes, and tied only to the Temple oflDeut. 12.11. Iohn 4.20. Hieruſalem: but Chriſt is for all perſons, and all places, at all times, a Prieſt for euer, an vniuerſall Biſhop of our ſoules, as he told the woman ofmIohn 4.21. Samaria, the houre commeth, and is now, when ye ſhall neither in this mountaine, nor at Hieruſalem worſhip the Father; but the true worſhippers ſhall eueryevery where worſhip him in ſpirit and truth.
7. Aaron, and other Prieſts vnderunder the Law, were made without ſwearing of an oath; but Chriſt is made by an oath, by him that ſaid vntounto him, the Lord hath ſworne, and will not repent, thou art a Prieſt for euer, after the order of Melchiſedech, Heb. 7.20.21.
8. Aarons Prieſthood was temporarie, but the Prieſthood of Chriſt is for euer. Eleazar ſucceeded Aaron, and Phineas Eleazar, and ſo downward: for among thenHeb. 7.23. Iewes many were made Prieſts, becauſe they could not endure by reaſon of death: but Chriſt, becauſe hee endureth for euer, hath an euerlaſting Prieſthood. The Iewes hauehave nowoSong of the three Children. verſ. 38. neither Prince, nor Prophet, nor burnt offering, nor ſacrifice, nor oblation, nor incenſe, for the Lord repented, pBellarmin. de cullu ſanct. cap. 10. §. ſecundo. reſpondet.that is, changed Aarons Prieſthood: but Chriſt (as our text hath it) is conſecrated by God the Father a Prieſt for euer. None can ſucceed him, hee will not giuegive his glory to another, Eſay 42.8. and therefore the blaſphemous opinion of theqSee Tileman. Heſhuſius in loc. Papiſts is deteſtable, who make the Pope ſucceſſor vntounto Peter, and Peter the ſucceſſour vntounto Chriſt, in his Prieſthood. So they prate, print, and paint in theirrIn fine Chron. Marian. Scot. & Mart. Polon. Catalogues of the Romane Biſhops.
I will not diſpute this point after Paul, Hebr. 7.25. concluding peremptorily that Chriſt, and onelyonly Chriſt is able perfectly to ſaue them, that come vntounto God by him, ſeeing he liueth euer to lake interceſſion for them,ſFox Martyr. fol. 1027. as that learned man and martyr, Iohn Lambert, in his greateſt agonie, none but Chriſt, none but Chriſt. All the Peters, and Peeres, and Popes in the world, which euer hauehave been, are, and ſhall be, cannot ſacrifice ſo much as may ſatisfie God for the ſin of one poore ſoule. Chriſt alone is our Prieſt for euer, at whoſe right hand, God the Father ſtandeth aſſiſtant, totGenebrard in loc. performe whatſoeuer he hath either ſaid or ſworne to him, euen to the confuſion of Kings, and all other great enemies in the day of his wrath.
And ſurely this clauſe, for euer, (as that holy Martyr of GoduFox Mart. pag. 1271. Iohn Bradford, obſerued) euidently ſhewes that the Popiſh Maſſe is a moſt iniurious enemie to Chriſt, in reſpect of his Prieſthood and ſacrifice. The Prieſthood of Chriſt is an euerlaſting Prieſthood, and ſuch a function as cannot goe to another: but the Maſſe doth vtterly put him out of place, as though hee were dead for euer, and ſo God were a lyar, who ſaid hee ſhould liue for euer. Againe, it is a pernitious enemie to his ſacrifice, for, to re-iterate a thing once done for the full accompliſhing of the end, wherefore it was begun, declareth imperfection of the ſame thing before; but the Maſſe-prieſts re-iterate the ſacrifice of Chriſt once done, for the end wherefore it was begun (that is, for propitiation and remiſſion, à poena & culpa) ergo, the Maſſe-prieſts make Chriſts oblation imperfect, and deny that the vertue thereof endures for euer. See Epiſtle Sun. 5. in Lent.
I come now to the parallel of Dauid, ſhewing the reſemblance betweene Melchiſedech and Chriſt. This Melchiſedech, as Paul (Hebr. 7.) reports out of Moſes, Geneſ. 14. was King of Salem, and the Prieſt of the moſt high God. So Chriſt is deſcribed in this preſent Pſalme, to be both a King and a Prieſt, the King of Salem, that is, ofxGalat. 4.26. Hieruſalem aboue, Gods owne Citie, which is the mother of vsus all. And the Prieſt of the moſt high God, in giuing himſelfe for vsus both an offering and a ſacrifice of a ſweete ſmelling ſauour to God. In old time before the Law, the kingdome & Prieſthood appertained by birthright vntounto the eldeſt ſonne: for ſoyHierom. quaeſt. ſen. tradit. Haebraic. in Gen. tom. 3. fol. 226. Dio. Carthuſ. Em. Sa, Vatablus in Gen. 49. & Tileman in loc. Diuines hauehave gathered out of the words of Iacob vntounto Reuben, Geneſ. 49.3. Reuben, thou art my firſt borne, my might, and the beginning of my ſtrength, the excellencie of dignitie, and excellencie of power, that is, primus in regno, & primus in ſacerdotio. But theſe two functions were ſeuered vnderunder the Law, the kingdome being conferred vponupon Iuda, the Prieſthood vponupon Leui. So that Chriſt our Prieſt and Prince conioyning both againe in his own perſon, abrogated the forme and frame of Moſes Common-weale.
2. Melchiſedech is by interpretation King of righteouſnes: ſo Chriſt is not only righteous in himſelfe, iudging his folke righteouſly, Pſal. 67.4. righteous in all his waies, and holy in all his workes, Pſal. 145.17. but alſo making vsus iuſt and holy before God,zIeremy 23.6. The Lord our righteouſnes, a1. Cor. 1.30.made vntounto vsus wiſedome, and righteouſnes, and ſanctification, and redemption.
3. Melchiſedech is King of Salem, that is, King of peace: ſo Chriſt is thebEſay 9.6. Prince of peace,cEpheſ. 2.16. reconciling vsus vntounto God, and God vntounto vsus, preaching peace to the Gentiles, who were ſtrangers a farre off; and vntounto the Iewes, who were Citizens in the Common-wealth of Iſrael, and ſo breaking downe the ſtop of the partition wall, hath made of both, one. For it pleaſed the Father that in him all fulneſſe ſhould dwell, and by him to reconcile all things vntounto himſelfe; and to ſet at peace, thorough the blood of his Croſſe, both the things in earth, and the things in heauen, Coloſſ. 1.19.20. And heere note,dLombard. Aquin. Anſelm in Heb. 7 that Chriſt is firſt a King of righteouſneſſe, and then a King of peace; for he giueth vsus firſt righteouſnes, and then peace. So Paul expreſly, Rom. 5.1. Being iuſtified by faith, we hauehave peace toward God, thorough our Lord Ieſus Chriſt.
4. Melchiſedech is ſaid to bee without father, and without mother; eTheophylact. Primaſius in Heb. 7. & Chryſoſt. in loc.not that he was in deed ſo, but for that the Scripture concealeth his genealogie: ſo ChriſtfHierome. Agellius in loc. as man was without father, and as God without mother. Nay Chriſt as God was without kindred, hauing neither beginning of his daies, neither end of life, being Alpha and Omega, the firſt and the laſt, Apocal. 1.11. No God before him, or after him, Eſay 43.10.
5. Melchiſedech bleſſed Abraham, and receiued tithes of him, and ſo conſequently was greater then Abraham▪ becauſe without all contradiction the leſſer is bleſſed of the better. And ſo Chriſt is greater then Abraham, as bleſſing him that had the promiſes. gJohn 8.56.Abraham reioyced to ſee my day (ſaith our Sauiour) and he ſaw it, and was glad.
6. Melchiſedech refreſhed Abraham and his armie, returning from the ſlaughter of the Kings, withhGen. 14.18. bread and wine: ſo Chriſt feedeth and cheriſheth his ſouldiers, fighting vnderunder his banner againſt the world, the fleſh and the diuell, euen with his owneiIohn 6.55. fleſh and blood, repreſented in his holy Supper bykMatth. 26.26. bread and wine. Melchiſedech gaue bread and wine to Abraham, he did not offer it vp vntounto God, as thelApud Chemnit. exam. Con. Trident. part. 2. pag. 171. Latin Fathers vſually reade, protulit non obtulit. And therefore themCaluin in loc. Papiſts abuſe this place, when in the Maſſe they offer vp the bread vntounto God, which is to be communicated vntounto men. Chriſts Supper was ordained to be receiued of vsus, in the memoriall of his death, for the confirmation of our faith, that his body was broken for vsus, and his blood ſhed for our ſinnes;nBradfords letter to his mother apud Fox, Mart. fol. 1476. but in the Maſſe there is no receiuing, becauſe the Prieſt keepeth all to himſelf alone. Chriſt ſaith, Take, eate: but the Prieſt, gape, pepe. The Maſſe-prieſts are groſſe lurchers at the Lords table; for firſt they take away the wine frō the laitie, which is contrary to Chriſts owne voyce, Drinke yee all of this. And as for the bread, they giuegive it not in eueryevery Maſſe to the people, but only at certaine times in the yeere, and then alſo not ſooA monument hereof in the Church at Stelft a Burg in Germany, about 20. miles from Jnſprucke. great an hoſt or cake as themſelues eate, and that without either breaking on their part, or touching of the people. So their Maſſes vponupon the point are Maſſacres of Chriſt, a new killing and ſacrificing of him againe, ſo much as lieth in their power.
He ſhall iudge among the Heathen, he ſhall fill the places with the dead bodies] pTheodoret. Euthym. Turrecremat,Some conſtrue this of Chriſts iudgement on the laſt day; for we beleeue that hee ſhall come againe to iudge the quicke and the dead, hee ſhall in that day of his wrath fill the pits of hell with the bodies of theqBellarmine. reprobate, and ſmite in ſunder the heads of all ſuch as hauehave lifted vp their heads againſt him.rCaluine. Tileman. Tremellius. Other hauehave better expounded this of his preſent iudgement in protecting his followers, and in puniſhing his foes: for Chriſt is deſcribed here by the Prophet as a valiant conquerour ouer his enemies. He ſhall rule not among the Iewes only, but among the Heathen alſo,ſPſal. 96.13. iudging the world with righteouſnes, and the people with his truth. He ſhall fill al places with the bodies of his aduerſaries being dead, and ſmite in ſunder, with his power and might, the heads, euen Kings, and other chiefe gouernours of his enemies.tIn loc. Auguſtine doth interpret this in the better part, gloſſing it thus: Implere ruinas, eſt aediſicare quod cecidit: & conquaſſare capita, humiliare ſuperbos ad ſalutem per contritionem,
He ſhall drinke of the brooke in the way] This may hauehave a double conſtruction. Either thus, he, that is, the Meſſias, ſhall drinke of the brooke which ſhall be made of the blood of his foes:uBucer. Mollerus. Ʋatablus. as if he ſhould hauehave ſaid, There ſhall be ſo much blood ſhed, that the Conquerour may drink (as it were) of a riuer of blood, in the way as he purſueth his enemies. The like phraſe wee finde, Numb. 23.24.xCaluin. Tremel. Or elſe it is a ſimilitude taken from puiſſant and mightie Captaines, who egerly purſuing their enemies, ſtay not vponupon dainties or pleaſures, but content themſelues with floods and brookes which they finde in their paſſages, as they follow the chaſe. And therefore hee ſhall lift vp his head, as hauing a full victorie to his aduancement and exceeding glorie: for ſo this manner of ſpeech is vſed, Gen. 40.13.20.