'l\•ith the n1orl\1ly corrnpt and degraded without contracting oven the slightest moral defilement. How sublime is our grc,at High Priest in thr. perfection of his character I Of l\ll the sons of men, of him alone can it be said that he was "holy, harwless, undefiled, separated from sinners." How immeasurably superior is he to Aaron and e,•ery other Jewish high priest I Their perfection was only ceremonial and symholical; they were "men having infirmity ; " they were liable to sin ; they were subject to death, and t.o the termination of their priesthood. But our Saviour had no morl\l infirmity. In his character and conduct, in hie person and ofll.cc, he was gloriously perfect. He is now " perfected for evermore." II. HE IS PERFECT IN ms POSITION. "And made higher than the heavens." This exalted position which our great Representative occupies has already engaged our atten~ tion (see on eh. i. 8; ii. 9; and cf. eh. viii. 1; Phil. ii. 9; Rev. v. 12). III. HE IS PERFECT IN ms SACRIFICE. "He needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices," etc. 1. The value of the offering. "He offered up him- i;elf." Alford h38 pointed out that" this is the first place in the Epistle where mention is made of Chr:st's having offered himself. Henceforward it becomes more and more familiar to the reader : ' once struck, the note sounds on ever louder and louder' (Delitzsch)." The value of this offering is seen in two things: (1) The sacrifice which was offered-" himself." Not a thing, but a person; not a sinful person, but the" holy, harm- less, undefiled" One-the richest, most beneficent, and most blessed personal life. (2) The spirit in which this sacrifice was offered. Our Saviour was both the Sacrifice and the Priest; both the Offering and the Offerer. And his sacrifice was a voluntary one. He freely" gave himself a ransom for all" (cf. John x. 17, 18). 2. The finality of the offering. "This he did once for all, when he offered up himself." Hie sacrifice will never be repeated. (1) Its repetition is not necessary. The Jewish sacrifices had to be repeated day after day and year after year, because they were imperfect. But the sacrifice of our great High Priest is complete, gloriously and perpetually efficacious, and needs no repetition, and admits of neither improvement nor addition. (2) Its repetition is not possible. When Christ appears again it will be, not in humiliation, but in glory; not as the great Sacrifice, but as the supreme Sovereign.-W. J.
Vers. 1-10.-0hrist a Priest after the order of Melchizedek. The writer now returns from the digression. So far he has established from their Scriptures the priest~ hood of Christ. But that is not enough; that is no 1·eason why he should be preferred t-0 Aaron. He proceeds, then, to show that, however great Aaron was, Christ was greater. But on what gronnds can he establish this to the satisfacUon of a Hebrew? He rests his proof entirely on those Scriptures which the Hebrew accepted as authori- tative, and two pasages (Ps. ex. and Gen. xiv.) supply him with all he needs. The first states that Christ was the l'riest after the order of Melchizedek; the second that Abraham, from whom all Israel, Aaron included, derived their greatness, did homage to Melchizedek ; and thus the point was proved, for Aaron, in the person of Abraham, acknowledged Melchizedek'e superiority. That is the argument. Subjcct,-Ohrist a Priest ajter the order of Melchizedek. J. THE OBJECT HERE IS TO SHOW THE SUPERIORITY OF CHRIST'S PRIESTHOOD TO THAT OF A.A.BON. 1. We hn,ve the story of Melchizedek, the priest of Salem, to whom Abra- ham gave a tenth. 2. This story shows that Melchizedek was greate1· than Aaron. Abraham, the head of their nation, recognized Melchizedek as a divinely appointed· pries~ne who had a right to tithes from him, and the 11ower to bless him. The reception of tithes by the Jewish priests was "the acknowledged symbol of their supremacy over their brethren" (Dale). But here was one who received tithes from Abraham himself! "And without contradiction the Iese is blessed by the greater." So that in Abraham kneeling before the rightkou8 Kiug of Salem, the whole Mosaic priesthood practically affirmed its inferiority to that of Melchizedek. 3. But Melchize- ,lelc is declared to be a type of 01,rist. (Note: Stran11e that for a thou8and years this i,ffirmation should have lain unnoticed in their sacred books till the inapirca apostle thruws this wondrous light upon it! How much is hidden in the Word of God to be ra~a.led yet, to our surprise!) ~J. UDSEBVE THE POINTS IN WHICII, AB SEEN JN THE PRII\STHOOD OF MELOHIZEDEIC, !"UE ISUl'ERIOUITY OF CirnisT'S I'RIESTHOOD 'l'O THAT OF AARON CON61~1'8. Chri8t was orr. vn. 1-28.J THE EPISTLE TO 'rHE HEBREWS.