I shall prove it by these arguments —
1. Because a christian is conformed to Christ, and made like him in all things. Christ must irpcoTevetv, first it in all things : Col. i. ] 8, ' That in all things he might have the pre-eminence ;' Rom. viii. 29, ' Whom he did foreknow, he did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born amongst many brethren.' Now if I shall prove to you that Christ was not consecrated to his everlasting priesthood till he died, then it is very congruous that it should be so with a christian ; for our office dependeth upon his, and is carried on in a way of conformity to his. Now, that Christ was consecrated at his death, I prove by these places : Heb. v. 9, * And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him ; ' that is, when he had ' learned obedience by the things which he suffered,' ver. 8. And Heb. ii. 10, ' The captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings ; ' that is, fully con- secrated, and fitted to be a priest, to perform that ofiice to our comfort. His death is expressed by a notion of perfection : Luke xiii. 32, ' Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to-day and to-monow, and the third day I shall be perfected ; ' that is, shall suffer death. It is good to
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inquire in what sense, in these and in many other places, Christ is said to be made perfect ; it is not meant of his personal perfection, but official. As to his person, as he was Cod, he was perfect from all eternity ; as God-man, he was perfect from the first moment of his con- ception. The word TeXeicodeh, ' being made perfect,' relateth to his office, and may be rendered ' consecrated,' as well as ' made perfect ; ' ' being consecrated, he became,' &c. ; and ' it behoved the captain of our salvation to be consecrated through sufferings,' The word signifieth, in its first sense, to finish and accomplish a thing. That which is brought to an end is perfected ; so was Christ as a priest perfected ; that is, fit to minister before God as a priest. But that it should be rendered consecrated I prove —
[1.] Because the word is rendered consecrated elsewhere : Heb. vii. 28, ' Consecrated for evermore.' In the margin, ' perfected,' reTekeico- fMevov. What is in the old testament, ' Thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons,' Exod. xxix. 9, the Septuagint render, kol reXetcocret? 'Aap(ovo<i ra? %et/Off?, thou shalt perfect, or fill the hand of Aaron and his sons. And the sacrifice of consecration is called dvaia t^? Te\ecco(T€(o<;, the sacrifice of perfecting or completing, because the priest was to pass through some ceremonies ; and these being done, he is said TeXeiovadat^ to be consummate, or made perfect, or fully authorised to perform the priest's office.
[2.] I prove it from the context in Heb. v. There the apostle is discoursing of Christ's everlasting priesthood, and his being made perfect is with respect to that office. He was not perfect or fitted for that work till he stood before God with a sacrifice in his hand, till he had offered up himself with prayers, and tears, and strong cries, and had learned obedience by the things which he suffered ; but then he was made perfect, for the rites of his consecration were over ; that is, his agonies and bloody sufferings ; then he was fully consecrated and completed to be a priest. So that Christ's solemn consecration was at his death.
[3.] The reason of the thing showeth it. Jesus Christ was to be ' a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people,' Heb. ii. 17. These two attributes, ' merciful' and ' faithful,' refer to God and us. Merciful to help and relieve sinful miserable man ; faithful with respect to God, in performing all things which belong to his sacerdotal office, and going through with his work given him in charge, till he hath fully finished it. The best and most merciful high priest that ever was must be made in the best and most convenient manner. Well, then, he is made perfect when he hath had a thorough sense of our misery, and took the course prescribed to remove it ; when his heart was entend- ered, and his hand was filled with the purest sacrifice that ever was ofiered ; and so by his agonies and bloody sufferings he was perfected, consecrated, and fully qualified to minister before the Lord, and to intercede for poor creatures, and to bless them with the blessing of eternal life. His priestly actions after the order of Aaron were his consecration to liis everlasting blessed priesthood after the order of Melchisedec. Without these sufferings he could neither be a faithful ■ nor a merciful high priest, nor satisfy his Father's justice, nor have a
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full feeling from experience of the creatures' misery. "Well, then, as Christ was consecrated at his death, so is a christian who runneth parallel watli Christ in all his offices. As Christ had an inauguration into that priesthood he executed upon earth at his baptism, so hath a christian for his spiritual priesthood ; as soon as washed in the laver of regeneration, but for his everlasting priesthood at death.