But yet Mr B.'s candid procedure in this business may be re- marked, with his huckstering the word of God. He reads the words in this order: "It became him to make the captain of their salva- tion perfect through sufferings, that he might be a merciful and faith- ful high priest." Who would not conclude that this is the series and tenor of the apostle's discourse, and that Christ is said to be made perfect through sufferings, that he might be a merciful high priest? These words, of "making perfect through sufferings," are part of the 10th verse; "that he might be a merciful high priest," part of the 17th; between which two there intercedes a discourse of a business quite of another nature, — namely, his being " made like his brethren" in taking on him "the seed of Abraham," whereof these words, " that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest," are the immediate issue; that is, he had a body prepared him that he miglit be a priest and have a sacrifice. " Our high priest was exer-
OF cheist's priestly office. 405
cised with sufferings and temptations," says the apostle : " Jesus was exercised with sufferings and temptations that he might be our high priest," says Mr B. !
Heb. viii. 1, 2, is insisted on to the same purpose in his third ques- tion, which is, —
Q. What manner of high priest is Christ ?
A. Heb. viii. 1, 2, " We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle," etc.
I name this in the next place, because it is coincident with that of chap. iv. 14, insisted on by Socinus, though omitted by our author.
Hence it is inferred that Christ entered the heavens before he was a high priest, and is a high priest only when he is " set down on. the right hand of the Majesty on high,"
Ans. That Christ is a high priest there also we grant; that he is so there only, there is not one word in the place cited to prove. Heb. iv. 14 saith, indeed, that "our high priest is passed into the hea- vens," but it says not that he was not our high priest before he did so, as the high priest of the Jews entered into the holy place, but yet he was a high priest before, or he could not have entered into it. He is " such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of Majesty;" that is, not like the typical high priest, who died and was no more, but he abides in his office of priesthood ; not to offer sacrifice, for that he did once for all, but to intercede for us for ever.
Heb. viii. 4 is nextly produced, in answer to this question, —
Q. Was not Christ a priest whilst he was upon earth, namely, when he died on the cross ?
A. Heb. viii. 4, vii. 15, 16.
The same question and answer are given by the Kacovian Cate- chism, and this is the main place insisted on by all the Socinians: " For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law."
Ans. 1. 'E-jt/ yrig may be interpreted of the state and condition of him spoken of, and not of the place wherein he was. If he were kiTi yni, of a mere earthly condition, as the high priest of the Jews, he should not be a priest; so is the expression used elsewhere. Col. iii. 2, we are commanded " not to mind ra h'lri rng yni," — that is, "ter- rene things, earthly things." And verse 5, " Mortify your members rd i'zi rr.g yng," — that is, " your eai'thly members."
2. If the words signify the place, and not the condition of the things whereof they are [expressive], they may be referred to the tabernacle, of which he speaks, and not to the high priest. Verse 2, the apostle tells us that he is the minister or priest of the true taber- nacle, which the Lord pitclied, and not man ; and then, verse 3, that
406 VINDICI^ EVANGELICJE.
in the other tabernacle there were priests that offered daily sacrifices: so that, saith he, if this tabernacle tjv Ivi yrn, he should not be a priest of it; for in the earthly tabernacle there were other administrators. But to pass these interpretations, —
3. The apostle does not say that he that is upon the earth can be no priest, which must be our adversaries' argument, if any, from this place, and thus formed: He that is upon the earth is no priest; Christ before his ascension was upon the earth : therefore he was no priest. This is not the intendment of the apostle, for in the same verse he affirms that there were priests on the earth. This, then, is the utmost of his intendment, that if Christ had been only to con- tinue on the earth, and to have done what priests did or were to do upon the earth, there was neither need of him nor room for him; but now he is a priest, seeing he was not to take upon him their work, but had an eternal priesthood of his own to administer. There is no more in this place than there is in chap. vii. 19, 23, 24; which is a clear assertion that Christ had a priesthood of his own, which was to perfect and complete all things, being not to share with the priests, that had all their work to do upon the earth; and in verses 13-15 of chap. vii. you have a full exposition of the whole matter. The sum is, Christ was none of the priests of the old testament, no priest of the law; all their earthly things vanished when he undertook the administration of the heavenly. So that neither doth this at all evince that Christ was not a priest of the order of Melchizedek even before his ascension.