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was the blessed hope of the saints under the Old Tes tament, and is the life of them under the New.

VERSES 20-22.

And in as much as not without an oath he was made priest. For those priests were made without an oath, by him that said to him, the Lord sware, and will not repent, thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec: by so much was Jesus made a surety for a better Testament.

§1. Connexion, and recapitulation of the past argument. 62 (I.) Exposition of the words. $3. The Levitical priesthood not confirmed with an oath $4. But Christ's was $5. Jesus a surety of a better Testament, $6 What that includes. $7. The person of the surety, Jesus. 8 Remarks on the better cov enant. $9 The proper office of a surety. $10. Wherein consists the suretiship of Christ. §11, 12, (II.) Observations,

$1.

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HE apostle had warned the Hebrews before, that he had many things to say, and those not easy to be understood, concerning Melchisedec. And herein he intended not only those things which he expresseth directly concerning that person and his office, but the things themselves signified thereby in the person and office of Christ. And therefore he omits nothing which may from thence be any way justly represented. So from that one testimony of the psalmist he makes sundry inferences to his purpose:-That the Lord Christ was to be a priest, which included in it the cessation of the Levitical priesthood, seeing he was of the tribe of Judah, and not of the tribe of Levi;-That he was to be another priest, that is, a priest of another order;—And that he was to be a priest for ever, so that there should never more upon his death or otherwise, be any need of another priest, nor any possibility of a return of the former priesthood into the church. Neither yet doth he rest here, but observes, moreover, the manner how God in the testimony insisted on, de

clared his purpose of making the Lord Jesus Christ a priest, which was constitutive of his office, viz. by his oath; and thence he takes occasion to manifest how far his priesthood is exalted above that under the law. This last is what lies before us in these verses.

§2. "And inasmuch as not without an oath. (Kai) and is oftentimes as much as moreover; not an immediate connexion with, or dependance on what went before in particular, but only a process in the same general argument. And so it is here a note of introduction, of a new special consideration for confirming the (same design. Kab öσov, eatenus quantum, in quantum) "inasmuch," so much. Hereto answers (nala Toσslov, in tantum, quanto, tanto.) by so much, ver. 22. The excellency of the covenant whereof Christ was made mediator, above the old covenant, had proportion with the pre-eminence of his priesthood above that of Aaron, in that he was made a priest by an oath, but they were without an oath. Two things the apostle supposeth in this negative proposition:-That there were two ways whereby men might be made priests, either with, or without an oath; and, that the dignity of the priesthood depends on, and is declared in the way whereby God was pleased to initiate men into that office.

These two things being in general laid down, as those which could not be denied; the apostle makes application of them in the next verse, distinctly to the priests of the law, on the one hand, and Christ on the other, in a comparison between whom he is now engaged.

§3. "For those priests were made without an oath." In the application of this assertion the apostle affirms, that the priests under the law were made "without an oath." No such thing is mentioned in all that is re48

VOL. III.

corded concerning their call and consecration, for indeed God did never solemnly interpose with an oath, in a way of privilege, or mercy, but with direct respect to Jesus Christ. This is the account the apostle gives of the Aaronical priests (na o MeV) and they truly; that is, Aaron and all his posterity that exercised the priest's office in a due manner, were all made priests, that is, by God himself. They did not originally take this honor to themselves, but were called of God. But neither all of them nor any of them were made priests by an oath.

$4. "But this with an oath;" (¿ dε) but he, this man, he who was to be a priest after the order of Melchisedec, (μe' opиwpоcias) with an oath. His call, constitution, or consecration was confirmed and ratified with an oath; whereas God used not an oath about any thing that belonged to the former. The form of it is in these words, "The Lord sware and will not repent," Rom. vii.

The person swearing is God the Father, who speaks to the Son in the Psalm cx, 1, "The Lord said to my Lord:" and the oath of God is nothing but the solemn, eternal, unchangeable purpose of his will, under a special mode of declaration.

If then it be demanded, when God thus sware to Christ? I answer; we must consider the decree itself to this purpose, and the peculiar revelation or declaration of it, in which two this oath consists. As to the first, it belongs entirely to those eternal transactions between the Father and the Son, which were the original of the priesthood of Christ; and as for the second, it was when he gave out that revelation of his mind with the force and efficacy of an oath in the forementioned Psalm.

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That additional expression, "and will not repent," declares the nature of the oath of God, and of the pose thereby confirmed. When God makes an alteration in any law, rule, order, or constitution, he may be said (avoparoxabwe) in accommodation to human feelings, to repent. But no alteration or change, no removal or substitution shall be made in this momentous affair.

The matter of this oath is, "that Christ should be a priest for ever." He was not only made a priest with an oath, which they were not, but also a priest for ever. This adds to the unchangeableness of his office, that he himself in his own person was to bear, exercise, and discharge it without substitute or successor.

And this "for ever," answers to the "for ever," under the law; each of them being commensurate to the dispensation of that covenant which they respect. For absolute eternity belongs not to these things. The "ever" of the Old Testament was the duration of the old covenant dispensation; and this "for ever," respects the new covenant, which is to continue to the consummation of all things; no change therein being any way intimated, or appearing consistent with the wisdom and faithfulness of God. In short, the apostle declareth and evinceth four things;

1. That an high priest was peculiarly designed for and initiated into his office by the oath of God, which none other ever was before him.

2. That the person of the high priest is hereby so absolutely determined, as that the church may continually draw nigh to God in the full assurance of faith. 3. That this priesthood is liable to no alteration, succession, or substitution.

4. That from hence ariseth the principal advantage of the New Testament above the Old, as is de clared in the next verse.

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$5. "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better Testament." (Kala Toσslov) by so much, answers directly to (xa orov, ver. 20,) inasmuch. They are therefore immediately connected. Hence ver. 21, wherein a confirmation is intended of the principal assertion, is justly placed in a parenthesis in our translation.

So the sense of the words is to this purpose: "And inasmuch as he was not made a priest without an oath, he is by so much made the surety of a better Testament." The words intend, either, that his being made a priest by an oath made him meet to be a surety of a better Testament; or, that the Testament whereof he was a surety must needs be better than the other; because he, who was made the surety of it, was made priest by an oath. In the one way, he proves the dignity of the priesthood of Christ from the New Testament; and in the other, the dignity of the New Testament from the priesthood of Christ. And we may reconcile both these senses by affirming, that really and efficiently, the priesthood gives dignity to the New Testament; and declaratively, the New Testament sets forth the dignity of Christ's priesthood.

It is owned tacitly, that the priesthood of Levi, and the Old Testament were good, or these could not be said to be "better" in comparison. But this priesthood and Testament are "better," by so much as that, which is confirmed with an oath, is better than that which is not so; which alone gives the just proportion of comparison in this place. Wherefore, the design of the comparison is, that whereas this priest after the order of Melchisedec, was designed to be the surety of another Testament, he was confirmed in his office by the oath of God, which gives a pre-eminence both to

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