Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-09-20


lieve that the Holy Ghost would accord this title
to Melchisedek, as it does in the arguments of
the apostles, if it did not in truth belong to him.
Then Melchisedek in his kingly Office is one with
Christ So that as in the 10th Psalm, :" The
Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right
hand, until l make thy foes thy footstoo.' The
Lord shall send the rod of His strength out of
Zion, ,rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.-
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy
power, in the beauty Of holiness from the womb
of the morning, thou hast the dew of thy youth.
The Lord has sworn and will not repent, thou
art priest after the order of Melcbiscdek. =
We now pass to show the nature of Melchise-
dek's priesthood in comparison with that of
Aaron. His priesthood WIS everlasting, un-
changeable, and perfect that of Aaron was
temporary, symbolical and imperfect. Aaron
was consecrated by the law Of a carnal COM
mandment. Melchisedek by the word of the
oath of the Almighty These two orders of
priesthood are the only divinely recognized or
ders in the word of God, the one purely SYM
bolical, the other truly sub tantial and perfect,
both as it regards priest and offering. Each of
these orders demand official duties of its priest,
viz: to offer Sacrifices and make intercesson,
and thus atonement or reconciliation. The
blood of beasts in the hands of Aaron and his
servants, could we'll suffice to make such recon-
ciliation as symbolic priesthood required. But
they could never make the comers thereunto
perfect Sin could not be put away by the
blood of these. But in that higher and more
holy order of priesthood, no Offering could suf-
fee but the blood of the Lamb of God, which
takcth away the sins of the world, and no in
tercession could avail, but that Of an ever-liv-
ing priest, in the holiest of all And now it
may be asked, "could Melchisedek, if but
man, however exalted, discharge the high func
tions of such a priesthood, wherein Christ alone
is competent to oficiate :" 1t does seem i'm
possible for Melchisedek to be priest of this
order, unless he is Identical with Christ To be
concecrated a priest of this order, by Divine
appointment, as it is certain that Melchisedek
was, and yet be wholly and forever unable to
oficiate, as he must have been, if he were not
one with Christ, seems to involve an absurdity
too great for belief.
If it be said his priesthood was that of Christ.
only as type to antitype, then it may be asked,
wherein has it prominence over the Levitical
priesthood For if it was but typical priest
hood, SO was Aarons, Was it by the appoint
ment of God So was Aaron's +; and as q type
it shined, bathed in the brightest light of Heav-
en-, from Aaron, through his successors, in long
illustrious lines to Christ the antitype While
if but typical, the other just dawned in obscu-+
rity for an hour and then vanished forever 1900
years short of the antitype. Surely, such OBJ
scurity could not make it more clear or impress
siye as type than the other, so as to constitute
it better symbol Of the everlasting priesthood
of Christ, than that which the Hebrews had IN
their own divinely appointed order. 1t seems
that such view of the sebject would utterly
destroy the force of Paul's argument, and most
powerfully incline the Jews to hold on to their
own God-appointed and venerated order, rather
than yield to that of Melchisedek, which had
no higher origin than their own, and was, more
over involved in deep obscurity, if it were not
identified with the everlasting priesthood of
their looked for Messiah. -.-s t....a
Having examined what Paul has said of the
official dignity of Melchisedek, as King of Sa.
lem and priest of the Most High God, we may
proceed to consider what he has said of his per
son, as further and more direct proof of hi
personal identity with Christ. "Now consider
how great this man was" He proceeds to show
his greatness from the fact that he received
tithes of Abraham, and thus of the entire tribe
of Levi, then in the loins Of Abraham, anc
including the whole succession of Aarons So
cred line, which constituted the entire order o
Jewish priesthood showing that Melchsedel
surpassed them them all because he received
tithes from, and bestowed on them his blessing
This argument Of Paul's will lappear with equa
force to the defendants of Abraham, as well a
the tribe of Levi. For they were all in hi
loins at that time Then the tribe of Judal
out of which our Lord sprung according to th
flesh, shared with Levi in paying tithes to Mel
chisedek and III his blessing. This would exal
him high above David and the long successio
, of illustrious kings who sat on his throne max
ing him to be greater than they all. For with
out contradiction the less is blessed of tho bet
ter. Can this possibly be true of any othc
than Christ, Heavens own annouted Prizes
and King Then who can Melchisedek be bu
Christ in his regal and sacerdotal Majesty7
We may now hear, without astonishment
: that this wonderful parsonage wearing the title
as King of Righteousness, King of Peace, an
Priest of the Most High God, was without fatf
: er, without mother, without descent Hayin
: neither beginning of days nor end of life, bt
d made like unto the Son of God. Here we ha,
s in him likeness to the Son of God, and tn,
# likeness consisting Of such particulars as to rel
s der it impossible for any descendent of Ada
: to be thus like him. For of none among the
10 all can all these things be said, not even
: Christ according to the flesh. For Melchisedt
f has no parentage, no descent running from
10 cestors to him, or to posterity from him. Il
I'd days are without beginning and his life witho
he end, and he q continually abiding priest O.
t. this be true of any other than Christ as etern
ht King and everlasting priest, in which capaci
g. Abraham saw him and was glad
cr 1t seems quite unsatisfactory to attempt
er explanation Of these statements by revolyi
them all into the obscurity of the history of
It. ancient king of some place called Salem, who
g. name was Melchi. 1t does seem that if I
us Hebrews thus understood Paul, they must ha
,.r boo,, blu irnnronsnd with h;a ran,.,o