Having not the slightest imperfection of his oivn to atone for, he could atone for us, and intercede with God for us.]
2. He would have had nothing that he could offer for us —
[He could not offer slain beasts, because he did not belong to the tx'ibe to which this office was exclusively assigned. From the tribe of Judah he sprang : and " of that tribe nothing was said respecting priesthood"." The law would have inflicted death upon him, if he had attempted to interfere with the duties of the Aaronic priesthood. As for his oivn body, he could not offer that ; seeing it would have been polluted : and the law required that every sacrifice should be " without spot or blemish." The paschal lamb was set apart four days before it was offered, on purpose that it might be thoroughly exa- mined, so as to be found free from outivard blemish : and, after it was slain, it was flayed, and laid open ; so that the inwards also might be inspected, and be found perfect. Now such an offering must our Lord present : but, if any imperfection cleaved to him, he could not. No such impediment, however, was found in him ; so that he could offer himself to God, as " a Lamb without blemish and without spot p."]
3. He would not have corresponded with his type—
[He was to be " a Priest after the order of Melchizedec"!." Now consider how great a man Melchizedec was : for even Abraham himself, and, in Abraham, all the Levitical priests also, offered tithes to him, confessing thereby their inferiority to him^ But, if Jesus was a mere man, he was inferior to Abraham, who, as being " the father," must be considered as the head, " of the faithful." Being however such an one as we have before described, he was a worthy successor of Melchizedec. What Melchizedec was in a shadow, that was Jesus in reality, " King of righteousness, and King of peace ; without father (as to his human nature), or mother (as to his divine), without descent (having no direct successor) ; having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but abiding a Priest continually ^"]
4. He would in no respect have answered to our necessities —
[All perfection must be in him, to enable him to atone for sin : and all power must be in him, to make that atonement eifectual. Had either the one or the other been wanting, he
" ver. 13, 14. p 1 Pet. i. 19. i ver. \'o, 17, 21.
"■ ver. 4 — 7. " ver, 1 — 3.