by this shameful revolt, offer a new violence unto the Son of God; and scornfully fasten him upon the Cross again, and put him to open shame and contumely before the face of the world.

VI. 9. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

But, my beloved, though we have made this tart comparison, of a barren or ill-bearing soil, whose end is the fire, yet, we have said this, not out of any such hard conceit that we have of you, as for your warning and affrighting from your sins: for we are persuaded better things of you; making full account of you, that ye are those, that are ordained unto eternal salvation.

VI. 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

For it hath pleased God, to give very gracious evidences of your glory to come; in that he hath so happily wrought in you, enabling you to do good: neither is or can God be unrighte ous, in not perfecting and retributing that your painful love and zeal, which you shewed to his Name; in that ye have carefully and beneficently ministered to the necessity of his Saints, &c.

VI. 12. Who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Who now, upon the power of their faith and patience, holding to the end, inherit that great and endless glory, which was promised unto them.

VI. 14. Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

Saying, By myself I have sworn, that I will exceedingly bless and multiply thee.

VI. 17. The heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

To the heirs of that promised inheritance of heavenly blessedness, the unchageableness and stability of his decree, confirmed his promise by an oath :

VI. 18. That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before

us:

That so, by two immutable things, viz. God's promise and his oath, in both or either of which, it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong and unmoveable consolation, who have, in all our doubts and distresses, fled to him, as our sure stay and refuge; laying hold upon that glory and happiness which is set before us, by the hand of a lively and stedfast hope and confident expectation thereof:

VI. 19. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Which hope is to the soul, as an anchor is to the ship, a sure and stedfast stay thereunto in all the storms and tempests of temptation; which is firmly pitched, not below on earth, but above in heaven, the true Holy of Holies, within the veil;

VI. 20. Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Whither Jesus Christ, our blessed Ringleader and Forerunner, is beforehand entered for us, to take possession thereof, even for us also; and there to intercede for us, as being a High Priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec.

VII. 2, 3. To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of Righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of Peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Being by his name, Melchisedec, King of Righteousness; and, by his title, King of Salem, that is, of Peace; and therefore carrying in his very appellation those two honourable attributes of his royalty, Peace and Righteousness. Brought in, Without any father or mother mentioned in the Scripture; without any mention of his pedigree or descent; without any record either of his beginning or ending, in all these regards resembling the Son of God; doth therefore abide a high priest for ever, in that there is no intimation given of any time wherein that office of his ceased.

VII. 6. But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

But this Melchisedec, whose descent is not reckoned either from Levi or Abraham, as being before them both and of a higher (though not recorded) pedigree, received tithes even of Abraham himself; and blessed that man, in whose seed all the nations of the earth were promised to be blessed.

VII. 8. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

And here men that are mortal, and whose death and succession is apparently notified, receive tithes; but in that history of Abraham, he receiveth tithes, of whom there is no other mention but of his life and continuance.

VII. 9. And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

And, as I may so say, Levi himself, the father of that Priestly Tribe, who received tithes from all the rest of Israel, payed tithes, after a sort, to Melchisedec, in and by the hands of his father Abraham.

VII. 10. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

For he was potentially in the loins of his great-grandfather Abraham, when Melchisedec met him.

VII. 11. If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

If therefore perfect justification, and full consummation both of grace and glory, might have been had by the ministry and sacrifices of the Levitical Priesthood, (for under it the people received the great variety of laws and ordinances from God, by which they were governed,) what further need was there, that another High Priest should arise, of a more high and excellent order, which is the order of Melchisedec; and not rather hold on still in that Levitical line and order from Aaron? VII. 12. For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

As the Priesthood is no small part of the law and ordination of God, and that which is exercised in and about the care and oversight of the observations thereof; so it must thereupon follow, that the Priesthood being changed, the law must of necessity be changed also.

VII. 13. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For that Messiah of whom these things are spoken, that he should be such a High Priest, pertaineth to a quite other tribe than that of Levi; even to the royal tribe of Judah, out of which none ever descended that served at the Altar of God.

VII. 16. Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Who is made a High Priest, not by virtue of a command or institution, which stands upon a fleshly succession; but upon that infinite power of God, which continueth an endless life unto him, without all need or possibility of a successor.

VII. 18. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before, for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For that old Mosaical Law was disannulled, by reason of the weakness thereof, and the utter disability that it had to justify and save any client whomsoever; another therefore, which is an Evangelical Law, must of necessity come in the room of it. VII. 19. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. For the Law verily could not, by the ritual observations thereof, give perfect Justification to any follower of it; but this new Law and Priesthood of Christ, which raises up our hearts to a comfortable hope and assurance of the favour of God and salvation, brings us at last unto a happy perfection.

VII. 20. And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:

And insomuch as God doth not mention his ordaining of Christ to be a High Priest without the preface of a solemn oath, VII. 21. (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, &c.)

(For those other Levitical high priests were not brought in with this solemn attestation of the oath of the Almighty, but this true and only High Priest was so; while it is said, The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec.)

VII. 22. By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better

testament.

By so much was Jesus made the undertaker and Mediator of a more noble and excellent covenant, which God hath made with mankind under the Gospel, than that old covenant whereof Moses was the interpreter.

VII. 28. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

But that other ordination and profession, which God made since the Law, wherein, by his word and his oath, he published a more perfect priesthood, declareth his Eternal Son to be that High Priest, who is fully glorified for evermore.

VIII. 2. A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

A minister of that glorious Sanctuary, whereof this below was but a figure; and of that everlasting Tabernacle of heaven, which was pitched by the hands of God alone; and not by men, as that other Mosaical Tabernacle was; which is indeed the truth and substance of that, whereof that other was but a type and shadow.

VIII. 4. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:

For if he were such a high priest, as ye Jews whould have your Messiah to be, conversing still on earth, and exercising these Levitical actions, in a material temple, he should be indeed no priest at all: seeing ye know those priests, which do these like functions, are of another tribe than that whereof he was; neither were there any use of him for these kind of sacrifices; neither could they be worthy of a high priest of so glorious order and condition; others were by God assigned to that purpose:

VIII. 5. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished, &c.

Whose service was altogether umbratical and typical; shadowing and representing heavenly things, by these outward and earthly rites, fabrics, sacrifices: As Moses was admonished, &c.

VIII. 6. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

By how much Christ is the Mediator of a more excellent covenant, even that Evangelical, more excellent than the Legal, which is grounded upon the promises of life and salvation to every believer.

VIII. 7. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

For if that other Covenant of Works and Ritual Observations could have been fully able to justify mankind, then should no place have been left for this other Covenant of Faith.

VIII. 8. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make &c.

But, as finding an insufficiency in the trust which they reposed in the old covenant, he promiseth a better; saying, Behold, in the days of the Gospel, I will, saith the Lord, make &c. VIII. 10. For this is the covenant that I will make &c. See Jer. xxxi. 33, 34.

IX. 1. Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

Then, verily, that first covenant was altogether in types and significations of spiritual things, consisting of many ceremonies, and having an outward and material sanctuary.

IX. 2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shew bread; which is called the Sanctuary.

For there was a tabernacle made; in the first room whereof, which was next to the open court where the people assembled, was the candlestick, and the tables, whereon the shew bread was daily set; and this former room was called the Holy Place, or Sanctuary.

IX. 3. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

And, within the veil, there was a second room of the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, or the Holiest of All;

IX. 4. Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Into which the high priest only entered with his golden censer; and in which was the Ark of the Covenant, overlaid round about with gold: within which Ark were reserved the

VOL. IV.

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