3. There is a spiritual strength and vigor required to the securing of our interest in the promise, (upałyou,) to lay fast and firm hold upon it.

4. The promise is an assured refuge to all sin-distressed souls who betake themselves to it.

5. Where any souls convinced of sin betake themselves to the promise for relief, God is abundantly willing that they should receive strong consolation.

$25. From what the apostle says about hope, "hope as an anchor," &c. we may observe,

1. That all true believers are exposed to storms and tempests in this world; this makes anchors so necessary for them. The wise God would not have provided an "anchor" for them, and enjoined its use, if he had not known they would be exposed to storms. He that dwells at peace in his house, of all things thinks least of an anchor; but we are to look for storms.

2. These storms would prove ruinous to the souls of believers, were they not indefeasibly interested by faith and hope in the promise of the gospel.

3. No distance of place, no interposition of difficulties, can hinder the hope of believers from entering into the presence of God, and fixing itself on him in Christ. It pierceth through the clouds, passeth through the heavens, stops not at their glorious veil, until it comes to the eternal ground of all grace and mercy.

4. The strength and assurance of the faith and hope of believers is invisible to the world; they enter in "within the veil," where no eye of reason can pursue them; however it is effectual to their good; for,

5. Hope firmly fixed on God in Christ, by the promise, will hold steady, and preserve the soul in all the storms and trials that may befall it; it is an anchor "both sure and steadfast."

6. It is our wisdom at all times, but especially in times of trial, to be sure that our anchor has a good holdfast in heaven; this alone will be our preservation and security that we are fixed on "that within the veil.”

7. After the most sincere performance of the best of our duties, our comforts and securities are centered in Christ alone: our hope entering within the veil is a safe anchor, because Christ is there. And,

$26. From the character of Jesus, as our "forerunner," we may observe,

1. This same Jesus is our Savior in every state and condition; the same on the cross, and at the right hand of the Majesty on high; hence he is represented in heaven as a Lamb slain, Rev. v, 6.

2. The Lord Jesus being thus entered into heaven as our forerunner, gives us manifold security for entering in thither also at the appointed season.

3. Again, if the Lord Jesus Christ be entered into heaven as our forerunner, it is our duty to be following him with all the speed we can; and that we burden not ourselves with any thing that will retard us, Heb. xii, 1. Hence also,

4. We may see whereon the security of the church depends, as to the trials and storms which it undergoeth in this world. It is Jesus our forerunner who is within the veil, taking care of all our concerns, that is alone our security. And,

5. What will he not do for us, who in the height of his glory is not ashamed to be esteemed our forerunner? What love, what grace, what mercy, may we not expect from him? And,

6. When our hope and trust enter within the veil, it is Christ, as our forerunner, that in a peculiar manner they are to fix and fasten themselves upon.

CHAP. VII.

VERSES 1-3.

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him: 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.

$1, 2. The apostle's design and general scope. $3. The connexion of the words, and the subject stated. §4-6. (1.) The person spoken of. $7, 8. (II.) His kingly office. $9. (III.) The place where he reigned. $10. His present to Abraham was not a sacrifice. 11. (IV.) His sacerdotal office. $12. (V.) His meeting Abraham. $13. (VI.) Two eminent acts of his sacerdotal office; first, his blessing Abraham. §14. Secondly, his receiving tiches. $15, 16. Whether the law of tithing be of perpetual obligation. $17. (VII) The name and title of Melchisedec. §18-21. Wherein he was made like the Son of God. §22--27. Observations. $28. Doctrinal Observations from the whole.

$1. THE design of the apostle in this chapter is not to declare the nature or the exercise of the priesthood of Christ, though occasionally mentioned; for the nature of it, he had spoken to, chap. v, and treats of its use at large, chap. ix. But it is of its excellency and dignity that he discourseth in this place, and that not absolutely neither, but in comparison with the levitical priesthood, which method was both necessary, and directly conducive to his end; for if it were not so excellent, it was to no purpose to persuade them to embrace it, who were actually in the enjoyment of another. This, therefore, he designeth to prove upon principles avowed by themselves, with light and evidence taken from what was received and acknowledged in the Jewish church from the first foundation of it: to this end the apostle in the first place declares, that antecedently to the giving of the law, and the institution of

the Levitical priesthood; God had, without any respect thereto, given a typical prefiguration of this priesthood of Christ in one who was on all accounts superior to the future Levitical priests. This sacred truth, which had been "hid for so many ages in the church," and which undeniably manifests the certain future introduction of another and better priesthood, is here brought to light and improved.

§2. He in whom this prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ was made, is Melchisedec; concerning whom and his priesthood an account is given in the first part of the chapter, 1-11. The second part 11-24; consisteth in a double inference, with their improvements, taken from that discourse, as respecting Christ in his office. Having laid this foundation in the necessary removal of the Aaronical priesthood, and the preeminence of that of Christ above it, even whilst it continued, he, thirdly, farther declares the nature of it, from the dignity and qualifications of his person, with the manner of the discharge of his office, ver. 2428. For the apostle's design throughout, especially in this chapter and the three following, is to turn aside a double veil; the one here below, the other above; that below is the veil that covered all the ordinances, institutions, ceremonies, and types of the law; this is the veil that is to this day upon the Jews, that they cannot see to the end of the things that were to be done away. This he removes by giving a full, clear account of the mind of God in them, their use and signification. The other above is the veil of the heavenly sanctuary, which he opens to us in a declaration of the ministry of Christ our high priest therein. And under these heads, as the apostle plainly convinceth the Hebrews of the ceasing of their priesthood and worship, and that to the unspeakable advantage of

the church, so to us, he unfolds the principal design and end of all the Mosaical types of the Old Testament, with the institution of God in them. This may suffice as a plain view of the general scope of the apostle in these discourses.

$3. "For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God," &c. The introduction of the whole discourse, and therein its connexion with what went before, is contained in the causal particle (yaç) for, which here respects the reason why the apostle affirmed, and insisted so much on it, that the Lord Christ was a priest after the order of Melchisedec; for, both the truth of my assertion (saith he) and the necessity of insisting thereon, will be sufficiently manifest, if you will but consider who this Melchisedec was, how he is represented in scripture, and what is affirmed of him. "For (eros) this Melchisedec." The demonstrative pronoun hath always an emphasis: the person of it is variously described By his name, Melchisedec-By his original office, he was a king-The place of his rule or dominion, which was Salem; king of Salem-By another office added to the former, which principally belongs to the design of the apostle, and in connexion with which many other particulars occur, as in the sequel.

§4. (I.) The PERSON spoken of is variously describ ed; but I shall in this place say no more of him than is necessary for understanding the text. But that he was the Son of God himself, in a prelibation of his incarnation, taking upon him the form of a man, is directly contrary to the text, wherein he is said to be made "like to the Son of God." And indeed all such opinions as make him more than man, are wholly inconsistent with the apostle's design, which is to prove that even among men, there was a priest and priest

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