in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us." There is not a soul convinced, converted, or comforted by their word, but they may truly say of the effect wrought, as the apostles did of the miracle, Acts iii, 12. "Why look ye so on us, as though by our own power and holiness we made this man walk;" this blind man to see, that dead man to live. By the consideration of our meanness all may discern, that the excellency of this power is of God, and not of us. What the Jews spoke blasphemously of Christ upon the opening of the eyes of him who was born blind, may in a sense be truly spoken of any of us upon the opening of the eyes of them that were spiritually blind; "give God the praise, we know that this man is a sinner."

(2.) God hath so ordered things in wisdom and grace, that the administrators of holy things to others might have experience in themselves of their state and condition, so as to be moved with peculiar compassion, care, and zeal for them.

(3.) That the power of gospel grace and truth may be exemplified to the eyes of them to whom they are dispensed, in the person dispensing them according to God's appointment.

(4.) In particular, God maketh use of such persons, that their testimony to the truth of gospel grace and mercy may be complete and unquestionable. Death is the great touchstone of all things of this nature, as to their efficacy and sincerity. Many things will yield relief in life, and various refreshments, which, upon the approach of death, vanish into nothing. God therefore hath ordained, that all those who administer the gospel shall bring their own faith to that last trial; that so, giving a testimony to the sincerity and efficacy of what they have preached, in that they commit the eter

nal salvation of their own souls to them, (and what higher testimony can be given?) they may be encouragements to others to follow their examples, to imitate their faith, and pursue their course to the end. But on the other hand, the evil examples of any ministers in life and death are unspeakably pernicious.

$10. Here the following observations may be added: 1. The life of the church depends on the everlasting life of Jesus Christ. It is said of Melchisedec, as a type of him, "it is witnessed that he liveth." Christ doth so really and forever; and hereon, under the failings, infirmities, and death of all other administrators, depend the preservation, life, continuance, and salvation of the church.

2. It is of great concernment to us, what covenant we belong to, as being esteemed to do therein what is Before we done by our representatives in our name. make our own personal voluntary choice, we are by the law of our natures, and of the covenant itself, inclosed in the same condition with our progenitors, as to their covenant state. And thence it is that in the severest temporal judgments, children not guilty of the actual trangressions of their parents, do yet oftentimes partake of the punishments they have deserved, being esteemed in some manner to have done what they did; viz. so far as they were included in the same covenant with them. And many blessings on the other hand, are they partakers of, who are included in the covenant of those parents who are interested in the covenant of grace. For such parents (in this respect) succeed in the room of Abraham, every one of them. And what Abraham did, as to the administration of the covenant, intrusted with him, his posterity, whose representative he was therein, are said to have done in him, as Levi

in this place, and therefore had the seal of the covenant given to them in their infancy.

VERSE 11.

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what farther need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

$1. A summary view of the apostle's plan. $2. His design more particularly explained $3. Perfection denied to the Levitical priesthood. §4. Wherein the perfection mentioned in the text consists. It is either, first, such as belongs to the church itself; or $5, 6. Secondly the worship of the gospel. $7, 8. The other parts of the words explained. §9--12, Observations.

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§1. In this verse, after so long a preparation and introduction, whereby he cleared his way from objections, and secured his future building, the apostle enters on his principal argument concerning the priesthood of Christ, and all the consequences of it with respect to righteousness, salvation, and the worship of God, which depend thereon. This being his main design, he would not engage in it before he had in every respect declared and vindicated the dignity and glory of the person of Christ as vested with his blessed offices. And, from hence to the didactical part of the epistle, he proceeds in a retrograde order to what he had before insisted on; for whereas he had first declared the glory of the son of Christ in his kingly office, chap. i; then his prophetical, chap. ii, 3; having now entered on his sacerdotal, he goes on to enlarge upon it; he then returns to his prophetical, and shuts up the whole with a renewed mention of his kingly power.

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§2. "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood." (Ei pèv v) If therefore; if things be as we have declared. He laid a peculiar scope and de

sign in those things which he is now introducing. And that they might consider, how what he had to say was educed from what he had before proved, he introduceth it with those notes of inference. And to comprehend the apostle's design in them, we may observe,

1. That his reasoning in this case is built upon a supposition which the Hebrews could not deny, viz. that (TEREOIs) perfection, or consummation, is the end aimed at in the priesthood of the church. That priesthood which perfects the people in order to their acceptance with God, and future enjoyment of him, their present righteousness and future blessedness, is that which the church stands in need of, and without which it cannot rest. That priesthood which leaves men in an imperfect state, whatever use it may be of for a season, cannot be perpetual, to the exclusion of another; for if so, either God had not designed to consummate his people, or he must do it some other way than by a priesthood. The first is contradictory to the truth of God and all his promises; yea, would make all religion vain and ludicrous. That this should be done any other way than by a priesthood, the Hebrews did neither expect nor believe. For they knew full well that all the ways appointed by the law, to make atonement for sin, to attain righteousness and acceptance with God, depended on the priesthood and its various services. If, therefore, the apostle proves that perfection could not be attained by the Levitical priesthood, it necessarily follows, that there must be some more excellent priesthood yet to be produced. This therefore he undeniably evinceth. For,

2. Look to the Levitical priesthood in the days of David and Solomon. Then was that order in its height and at the best; then was the tabernacle first,

and afterwards the temple, in their greatest glory, and the worship of God performed with the greatest solemnity. The Hebrews would grant, that the priesthood of Levi could never rise to a higher pitch of glo+ ry, nor be more useful than it was in those days; yet, saith he, even then it did not consummate the church; which is demonstrated by the testimony of David himself, who prophesied that there was to be another priest "after the order of Melchisedec." For if the perfection of the church was all that God ever aimed at by a priesthood, and if that were attained, or even attainable, by the priesthood in David's time, to what end should another be promised to be raised up after another order? Wherefore,

3. The apostle obviates an objection that might be raised against the sense of that testimony. For it might be said, that, though after the institution of the Levitical priesthood there was yet mention of another priest to rise, it might be some eminent person of the same order, such as Joshua the son of Josedec, who was eminently serviceable in the house of God after the captivity, and was honored with eminent dignity, Zech. iii, 4-7, so that the defect supposed might be in the persons of the priests, and not in the order of the priesthood. This the apostle obviates by declaring that, if it had been so, he would have been called, or spoken of, as one of the order of Aaron. But whereas there were two orders of the priesthood, the Melchisedician and Aaronical, it is expressly said, that this other priest should be of the former, and not of the latter.

4. He hath yet a farther design, which is not only to prove the necessity of another priest and priesthood, but thereon also an abrogation of the whole law of worship under the Old Testament. Hence he here in