Christ and the Church: or Parallels, in three books.: In the first ye have the harmony between Christ and the foregoing types, by which he was fore-shadowed in the Old Testament, both persons and things. In the second the agreement between Christ and other things, to which he is compared in the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. In the third the agreement between the Church and the types, by which it was foreshadowed in the Old Testament; and other resemblances, by which it is set forth in the holy Scriptures. By Henry Vertue, M.A. rector of Alhallows Hony-lane.

Christs Priesthood and Aarons.

THe Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews com∣pares these together, but so that he acknow∣leges and proves the Preisthood of Christ to be farre more excellent, then the Priesthood of Aaron; and that in many particulars.

1. They that are the Sons of Levi, who recieve the Office of the Priesthood have a commandement to take Tythes of the people according to the Law, that is, of their brethren: but He, whose descent is not reckoned from them, received Tythes, of Abraham: and so Levi, who received Tythes, payd Tythes in Abraham: for He was in the loines of Abraham, when Melchisedech met him.

2. Aaron came of Levi: but He, of whom these things are spoken, sayes the Apostle, pertains to another Tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the Altar, for its mani∣fest, that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which Tribe Mo∣ses spake nothing concerning the Priesthood.

3. Those Priests were made after the Law of a car∣nal

commandment, but Christ, after the power of anend∣lesse life.

4. Those Priests were made without an oath, but Christ with an oath, by him, that said unto him, The Lord hath sworn, &c.

5. They were many Priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because He continues for ever, hath an unchangeable Priesthood.

6. they were all sinners, even Aaron himself had his sins, as the History makes it manifest. But such an high Priest have we, who is holy, harmlesse, and undefiled, sepa∣rate from sinners.

7. Those high Priests needed to offer sacrifice, first for themselves, and then for the people: its not so with this high Priest, for He was void of sin.

8. The Law made men high Priests, which have infirmi∣ty, but the word of the oath, which is since the Law, makes the Son, scil. high Priest: so that the other Priests were meer men, infirm men, but this high Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ is Immanuel, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, God and man in one person.

9. Other Priests sacrificed bruit creatures, Oxen, Sheep, Goates, but our high Priest offered up himself. Oh excellent sacrifice.

10. The priests, namely, the inferior Priests, went al∣way into the first Tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God: but into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people: but Christ being made an high Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this building, neither by the blood of Goates and Calves, but by his own blood, he entred in once into the holy place, not into the holy places made with hands, which are figures,

of the true, but into heaven it self, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

11. The high priest enters into the holy Place every year with the blood of others, but Christ needs not to offer him∣self often, for then, as the Apostle argues, must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And then he amplifies it by a comparison, As, sayes he, its appointed unto men once to dye, and then comes the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall He appear the second time unto salva∣tion.

12. The sacrifices, which they offred year by year conti∣nually, could not make the people perfect: the Apostle proves it two wayes: 1. for then, sayes the Apostle, would they not have ceased to be offered? As if he had sayd, they would, and he proves the consequence, because the worshippers, once purged, should have had no more conscience of sin: but now in those sacrifices there is a remembrance of sins every year. 2. Ab impossibili: for, sayes he, its impossible, that the blood of Buls and of Goates should take away sin; So inefficacious were all the Legal Sacrifices. But then he addes, concerning the efficacy of Christs Sacrifice, by way of opposition: But this man, after he had offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever, sate down on the right hand of God. And then he adds this, as the rea∣son: for by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Thus farre I have traced the Apostle in his Parallel; now hear others. St. Chrysostome takes notice of this difference between them, that the Priest, under the Law, was Priest, not King, but Christ is both King and Priest, as also Melchisedech was, King of Salem, and Priest of the most high God.

Among you (sayes

he, speaking to the Jewes) the Kingdom and the Pristhood were divided each from other, but in Christ both of them are joyned together.

Sibrandus Lubhertus takes notice of some of these differences.

Under the Priesthood of the old Testa∣ment bloody sacrifices were every day offered, but in the Priesthood of the new Testament there is but one bloody sacrifice, and that was but once offered, nor ought it to be often offered. In the Priest∣hood of the old Testament, the high Priest entred once every year into the most holy place, that was made with hands: but the high Priest of the new Testament entred not into the holy place made with hands, but into hea∣ven it self, and there He appears continually for us. In the Priest∣hood of the old Testament the Priest was one thing and the sacri∣fice another thing. But in the new Testament the priest and the sacri∣fice are indeed one and the same: for Jesus Christ is the high Priest and He is the sacrifice it self, for he offered himself to his Father for the remission of sins. But what needs many words? for the scripture it self makes this a diffe∣rence between the high Priest of the old and of the

new Testament, that the high Priest of the old Testament had successors, but Christ hath no suc∣cessor, As the Apostle tells us, They were many because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because he continues for ever, hath an un∣changeable Priesthood.

Notes

• Heb. 7.5.
• Vers. 6.
• Vers. 9.
• Vers. 10.
• Vers. 13.
• Vers. 14.
• Vers. 16.
• Ver. 21, Psal. 110.4.
• Vers. 23.
• Vers. 24.
• Vers. 26.
• Vers. 27.
• Vers. 28.
• Vers. 27.
• Heb 9.6. Vers. 7.
• Vers. 11.
• Vers. 12.
• Vers. 24.
• Vers. 25.
• Vers. 26.
• Vers. 27.28.
• Heb. 10.1.
• Vers. 2.
• Vers. 3.
• Vers. 4.
• Vers. 12.
• Vers. 14.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. &c. Apud vos regnum & sacerdotium distin∣cta sunt, in Christo autem utrum∣que conjunctum est & copulatum. To. 6. serm. de uno legislat.
• In sacerdotio Veteris Testamenti fiebant quotidie cruenta sacrificia: in sacerdotio autem N. Testamenti non est nisi unum cruentum sa∣crificium, idque non nisi semel ob∣latum est, nec soepius offerri de∣buit. In sacerdotio Vet. Test. summus sacerdos quotannis semel ingrediebatur in Sanctum San∣ctorum, quod manufactum erat. Sed summus sacerdos N. Test. non in S. Sanctorum, quod manu∣factum est, sed in ipsum coelum ingressus & ibi semper pro no∣bis apparet. In sacerdotio Vet. Test. summus sacerdos & hostia toto genere diversa erant. At in N. Test. sacerdos & hostia reipsa unum & idem sunt. Je∣sus Christus enim est summus sa∣cerdos, & idem est ipsa hostia. Ille enim seipsum obtulit Patri in remissionem omnium peccato∣rum. Sed quid opus est verbis? Ipsa scriptura dicit, inter sum∣mum sacerdotem Vet. & Novi Test. hanc esse differentiam, quod illi succeditur, huic non succe∣datur. De Papa Rom. l. 5. c. 2. p. 319.
• Heb. 7.23.
• Vers. 24.