THE definition of High Priesthood, given us by the Lord the Spirit, (Heb. 2, 5, 8) is “Headship for men in things pertaining to God.” In this concise description three parties are placed before us; on the one side Deity, on the other side man, and the person of the high priest the connecting link between them. No accurate idea of priesthood can exist where this double relationship and this doable service are not perceived. In Jesus alone, the subject of our consideration has been fully exemplified. He is the connecting link between heaven and earth, the only Mediator between God and man. From Deity above He is the Mediator downward to man beneath, and from man beneath He is the Head upward to Deity. This surely is a blessed subject of meditation, as presenting us with the full body of all truth in the person of Jesus. Let us look at it a little closely. The term God, as Horsley has observed, denotes proximity in external things; in other words, it implies relationship. This is shown from our Lord’s argument, ex vi terminorum, (Matt. 22:31,3231But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matthew 22:31‑32).) “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (see also Isa. 401Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. (Isaiah 41:1) and context.) The honors of the priesthood and the majesty and dignity proper to it, are, if this be so, at once seen: Jehovah stands in relationship with a people: for He is the God spoken of as connected, through the High Priest, with the sons of men. But who can measure the riches of Jehovah’s glory? Infinite in wisdom, infinite in power, infinite in love, infinite in everything excellent and good, He stands in recognized and honored relationship with the sons of men. Relationship with such an one must be most blessed, most glorious! A self-existing, ever-flowing spring pours forth its pure and living, its healing and lifegiving waters. What would a world in harmony with Jehovah be, and not in harmony only, but whose harmony, in every part, bore the full impress of His own glorious likeness, and was also sustained by the presence of His own Spirit throughly pervading it— “Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive” such glory: but, yet a little while, how little, how little, and we shall see it once and forever. Widely as it shall then be diffused, and varied as in aspect, it will all have flowed through One. How glorious must that One be! that One, through whom all this life and immortality has been poured out, and in whom also all the honor of the many thus glorified is gathered together in one Head, Himself at once the origin, and mean, and Head of it all. If we were to look at the office of high priest apart from the person of Him who fills it, and at its duties and services, and then at Jesus—His suitability for the office, and His only, throughout the wide range of existence, would appear. As the master work of God, this priesthood was the display of all His wisdom, and at His power, and all His knowledge and understanding; and the all of these was Jesus Himself. But it is not the suitability of Jesus for the office, at which I desire now to look, but the character put upon the office, by its being set forth as the channel of living relationship with Jehovah. Surely the present state of this evil world is not God’s state, not a state proper to relationship with Him. When Jehovah looks at His only begotten Son as His own appointed Head for the sons of men, the Headship in which, in thought, He rests, as well as the state of those subjected to this Head, are both radiant with glory, honor, and immortality. The second Adam, the Lord from heaven, reigning as God’s King gloriously over the whole earth, with all His enemies put under Him, are the titles in the insignia of which He shall be known.
As connected also with man, the other party with whom the priesthood has to do, nothing short of the full glory of the sons of God, in a new heavens and a new earth, can be considered as the proper bourne of thought, or in any way a faithful and correct estimate of the blessedness of being under such Headship. Propitiation and righteousness, &c. are indeed seen to be indispensably requisite both to God and man, when the insulted Majesty of the one, or the fallen, sin-stricken state of the other are looked upon. The vicarious offering of Christ is all important, as THE ONLY WAY into blessing; yet it should not be looked upon but as a part, and a small part of His official duties as priest of God—it is a mean to an end, and not the end itself; for the full value and true character of the offices of Christ are not yet known but to faith, nor will be until the day of the manifestation of the sons of God,
Mediatorship then is the leading thought of high priesthood, and the rest which remaineth for the people of God, full of glory and immortality, the only sphere proper and peculiar to the exercise of such office. The Church’s mind has, I think, been very defectively instructed on this subject, and from looking at its own things, and not at those of Jesus, it has circumscribed its ideas of High Priest to sacrifice, &c. and forgotten the royal and divine honors attaching to it from its connection with Jehovah of Sabaoth. At some future time attention might well be directed to the details of the office, and to the wonderful way in which our blessed Master was fitted for it, and fulfilled its duties; but at present let us consider some of the more striking anticipatory exhibitions of it found in the Old Testament. From the commencement the plan was perfect in God’s mind, and that which shall hereafter be openly seen, has, in sundry ways and in divers manners, in measure, always been presented to faith. The richness of the divine counsel in this also has been shown; for whilst ever holding up the same priesthood of His Son, He has presented it in such different aspects, at different times, as that when we bring together the various testimonies of the Spirit from the different parts of the word, we find modifications of the truth, according to His own good pleasure.
In a first promise or type we often find a nucleus of glory and truth, though not unfolded in it, of which subsequent testimonies of the same thing come short. This has been referred to in a former number of the “WITNESS” as connected with promise and covenant, and is strikingly illustrated in the present case. The Epistle to the Hebrews we may look upon as “A treatise upon the Person and work of the Mediator;” in it, the priesthood of Jesus is once and again declared to be “after the order of Melchizedek.” (chap. 5:6-10. 6:20. 7:1, &c.) Now there was much very strange and singularly glorious about this order; the nature of its honors were divine, for Melchizedek “was made like unto the Son of God,” as it is written, “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life.” The insignia of its glory also were most royal—by nature, Melchizedek, King of righteousness; by position, King of Salem—that is, “of peace.” Its character also was very anomalous; the priesthood of a stranger and He entering whence we know not—not in the direct course and line of covenant blessing, yet above it, for He tithed Abraham, the friend of God, and blessed him that had the promises, blessed him moreover as though His own hand were master of God’s stores in heaven and in earth.
Yet as to this priesthood no mention is made of sacrifice: His priesthood was one specially of blessing, not the offering of gifts or sacrifices to God, but conferring blessings on man. “He brought forth bread and wine.” And this was doubtless so appointed, because He who was to have its honors and be an High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, King of righteousness and King of peace, had, ere He could enter upon its glory, to be Himself the Victim, and by the one sacrifice of Himself to perfect them that are sanctified. Let this be remembered. There are many works connected with priesthood, and sonic of these were set forth in time, previous to the introduction of Melchizedek, but as to the outline of personal glory and circumstantial honors, there were none in whom the likeness of Jesus was so faithfully portrayed (the state proper to God’s High Priest) as Melchizedek—To the Believer, to him that has faith, this Headship of Jesus is a hope full of immortality,
In the progress of redemption four different states are presented to us; we find, first, under the patriarchs, God was in heaven, but the worshippers and sacrifices on earth; secondly, in the worldly sanctuary, God was on earth, and the worshippers and sacrifices there also; third, now, God is in heaven and the sacrifice there, as also in Spirit and by faith the worshippers also; and, fourthly, in the age to come, God in both heaven and earth, and worshippers and sacrifices in both also. Were we to consider the portions of truth connected with priesthood in each of these, we should find assuredly the reflection of much of the glory of Jesus, and I think different parts of it magnified at different times, with the view of giving facility to our dull understandings. In each and all, the priesthood is vested there, where there is most honor—that is, in the head of the family. Time and space would fail to examine each case; that of Melchizedek, though cursorily, we have looked at, and in it we found the dignity of the person and the divine and royal honors of the priesthood shown. The necessity of this is manifest, when the glory of Jehovah as a God of relationship is considered.
There is another exhibition on which I would gladly rest a little, as the display of that which our minds ever feel needful, when, enlightened by the word, we reverse the prospect, and look from the present state of man upward to the righteous Majesty of heaven. When we remember our lost estate, when we feel our weakness and the enmity against God of the carnal mind, the law of sin and of death in our members, we need something besides the glory of God to be opened to us, even a way of access thereinto. This the Epistle to the Hebrews shows us to have been pointed out in the works and sacrifices of the Aaronic priesthood. The 9th & 10th chaps. especially show how the works and actings of that order were but feeble shadows of greater things to come, and that the blood of God’s dear Son once offered, was the way into the holiest of all. Here also the office was not a service apart from glory and honor; He that sustained it was called by God thereto; not Himself the Mediator, yet as the Head of the people appearing before God and bearing their unholiness and defilement, as well as their names, before the Lord. Still the brightest ray of the glory of Jesus, which was granted to the Aaronic order to reflect, was assuredly that spoken of by the Holy Ghost, as pointing, however dimly, to Jesus, as the way into blessing. And there was something beautifully responsive between this and the character of the dispensation from Mount Sinai. The one was the cry of the ministration of condemnation; the other the echo of deliverance.— “The depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom. 11:3333O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33).) is set forth in His care, so to give as that the gift may always be seen and felt to be of mercy. In the garden of Eden man fell, and sold himself and his inheritance to Satan. This is handled in Genesis. In the case of Job, the next book in the Bible, we have the weakness of human nature evidenced in the case of a saint—one who knew that his Redeemer lived—one who was very careful in the means of grace—one, of whose grace God Himself was not ashamed to boast. Tried by Satan however, it was soon apparent that his strength was neither “of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.” His earthen vessel could not endure the flames; his wisdom and discretion leaked out, and he had to abhor himself for his folly and presumption in having supposed that he could understand God. To the known character of his God he should have clung in darkness as in light, and strengthened himself with His counsel in spite of all appearances. The circumstances also which brought out the failure magnified the weakness: whilst affliction touched his circumstances and his person—whilst folly assailed him from his wife, he was strong in his integrity—there was manifest evil to press against, and his weakness did not appear. But when his three friends, in the fear of God and deep sympathy towards himself, had come by appointment, each from his own place, and had shown out their deep sympathy, then his weakness was shown. They came “to mourn with him and to comfort him; but when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voices and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their beads towards heaven, and so they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him, for they saw that his grief was very great.” This brought on the state of collapse; that which should have been strength, evidenced weakness, and he failed.
In Exodus we have a record of a somewhat similar trial of human nature, and the same lesson taught, though under circumstances somewhat varied; for the trial here was of human nature simply as such, without grace within. Just as it fell in the garden of Eden, human nature was here taken up; a position of blessing was found for it, and its introduction into it accompanied with a strong expression of what the Creator’s mind had been about the creature; what the fealty and allegiance was which the creature, as a creature, endowed with such power as man was endowed withal, should render to the Creator, and must render in order to be happy. The result is largely set forth by Paul. (Rom. 6 & 7) The consciousness of the Creator’s claim, when understood, stirred up the law of sin and death, excited the enmity of the natural mind, and so brought death. This was the proof not as in Job of the defectibility of the vessel, but of its natural contrariety to God. It was then most congruous to the goodness of God, to hide in the heart of this dispensation the secret of the cure of man’s ruin. And largely indeed is the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ reflected from every rugged stone within that which in itself was but a dark cavern of condemnation yawning to destruction. For it was not only the priest entering with blood once every year which pointed to Jesus. In the worldly sanctuary God gave a miniature of heaven, and an orderly exhibition in this model of the divine abode, of things connected therewith. “For see,” saith He, “that thou make ALL things according to the pattern shewed thee in the mount.” (Heb. 8:55Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. (Hebrews 8:5).) “Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry, and almost all things are by the law purged with blood; it was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices.” This is seen also by a comparison of Exodus, Hebrews, and the Revelations. In the tent of the congregation (Heb. 9:22For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. (Hebrews 9:2). Ex. 40:2424And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. (Exodus 40:24).) before the veil, stood the candlestick with its seven branches, as “before the throne (Rev. 4:55And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Revelation 4:5).) are seven lamps of fire burning, which are the seven Spirits of God.” The table with the show-bread evidently sets forth the accepted people; seen, I think, both in the 4th and 5th of Revelations, in those who sing the song of redemption. The altar of incense is shown us in Rev. 85And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:5). Whilst without was the altar of burnt offering in front of the tent, and the laver intervening. I rest not upon this particularly, though I believe, surely, that like figures unto all the tabernacle furniture are found in the book of Revelations. It may be well to notice that the temple is never referred to in Hebrews, because it was the type not of “things in the heavens,” the place where the final glory rests, until a place on earth has be prepared for it; the only place where, during the militancy of the Church, it could rest. The militant state was set forth in those times also by the form of the kingdom, as seen in Numbers, “a camp.” In David we read not “of patterns of things in the heavens,” but he gave the pattern of all that he had “by the Spirit;” and “all this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.” (1 Chron. 28) Here the truth presented was “an establishment.” The chosen people no longer a pilgrim band with its moveable tabernacle, nor the kingdom a camp in the wilderness; but the type was concerning the glory established in the earth in the latter day, as well as in the heavens, and bands of musicians and choirs of singers—splendor and joyful pageantry marked the temple and its sacrifices.
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, to the range of which I have confined myself, there is a third display referred to, as an anticipatory exhibition of the Headship of Jesus. I refer to the position in which He is now presented by the Spirit to faith. (Heb. 2:8, 98Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:8‑9).) The contents of the Epistle generally, show us that He has finished every preparatory work, made an end of sacrifice, and brought in everlasting righteousness. The next thing we should have thought would have been immediate glory: but no; though entered into the name of Melchizedek, He sits upon “the Father’s throne,” opening in a new, unthought of, anticipatory display, the riches and power of resurrection life.
And thus, in three anticipatory displays of priesthood, we have Him presented as the truth, the way, and the life. THE TRUTH, He is fully and properly only as Melchizedek: THE WAY, as those works connected with sacrifice, &c. and THE LIFE, blessed be His name forever, we know Him as now, even the resurrection and the life.
Before leaving this, I would repeat what I have said before: There are certain things, in God, and certain things connected with God, which He has been pleased to make known to the children of men. His dispensations have varied; the way in which He has revealed truth has changed, kit the grand. leading ideas and truths have been few and the same. Variation in the nature of the things with which God, from time to time, has connected Himself, will or may cause a variation in the testimony, yet without destroying the leading thought common to such manifestations. In this way do I account for the variation in the testimony of the different dispensations. Much attention should be given to the nature and properties of that in which God has revealed Himself. The leading truth and thought I would consider to be that which is always present, whatever else may in some be added to, or in others be taken from it. Holiness is separation, in whatever matter the truth be shown, and righteousness is privilege to the separate. So in priesthood, mediatorship and headship, in things pertaining to God, has been shown to be the leading truth; and this is found in Melchizedek, in the Patriarchs, and in the Aaronic order; and yet in these different displays of priesthood, while this leading truth is preserved, each pointing onward to Jesus, they respectively vary in the truths connected. with Him specially brought out to light in each. In one only, the glory, the refreshment, gladness and strength is shown—“He brought forth bread and wine:” in the other, as found in a dispensation which was the trial of the flesh, we have Christ as picking up our infirmities and sins, because meeting the Church in her infirmities and sins, specially presented. to faith.
Again: the rest of glory, as the alone proper sphere for us and our Head to be in, if in relationship with Jehovah, is pointed out in the Sabbath. The orderly character of the sanctuary seems to have made it necessary that when God came to abide on earth (I speak not of the incarnation, for then He was as Son of Man, and that must be looked upon as part of a great whole, but) as King of Israel (because here it was Deity), all these leading thoughts should be set forth strongly. And this was the ease, so far at least as these types pointed to the great matter of redemption, and so far as its principles were concerned in God’s rule over the nation Israel. Thus purity stood in meats and drinks, and divers washings and carnal ordinances, &c. Separation it was, but separation of a low order. As to “the rest,” I doubt not the exact form of the sabbath day was revived in the case of Israel, because it was a thing connected with “the course of nature,” the pristine state in the garden of Eden. The seventh day was originally consecrated, because God rested from all His works of creation, and to a state of nature was most proper. When the law of nature therefore (grace for a while being put in the background) was revived, the exact form of the day was revived; but there was a grand truth in the divine mind, ere the sabbath day had its being, and it was that which led, even in creation’s week, to the appointment; I refer of course to the second rest of Him, who, from before the foundation of the world, was the Lamb slain. As a truth of preeminent importance, as much as for other reasons, that which then set it forth was reiterated in various ways. Its impress was stamped on days; oft on weeks, (as in the feast of weeks,) on years, and weeks of years, and weeks of weeks of years. How strongly also is the same leading thought (though not in a seventh day, because set upon an entirely other basis and hope than any found in nature) pressed upon us in Heb. 4.
One important use of types and shadows is, to suggest to the mind matter for research. Difference and similitude to the fools and slow of heart, are more quickly seen in matters around us with which sense is conversant, than in things in the heavens. It was grace therefore, which seeing the infirmity, deigned to present the same truth to us in type and shadow, that there we might learn. I do not say that we are at liberty to follow types, and to bend the truth to them, I deprecate this as awfully dangerous. Let us take hints from them to guide our research, and proving all things, hold fast that which is truth. As to sacrifices, the orderly system of the worldly sanctuary, perhaps, gathers together all the truth concerning them. There seem to have been three—first, peace offerings; secondly, burnt offerings; and thirdly, sin offerings. The regulations concerning these three varied. In the peace offering, the expression and mean of communion, a part was offered to the Lord, and the priest and offerer partook of the rest. Just so in Jesus, as our point of intercourse with God, He Himself rejoices in the works of His hands, the results of the offering to the Father, and we rejoice with Him, for “our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” This truth was embodied also in a larger scale, specially in the passover, the first great feast of the Jewish year: for the passover was the expression of recognized communion with God. Israelites and circumcised they were before, and this was their privilege as such; moreover its observance pre-supposed both acceptance and personal cleanliness, being prohibited to the uncircumcised, (Ex. 12:4848And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. (Exodus 12:48).) and to the unclean. (Num. 925And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rereward of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. (Numbers 10:25)) The feast was subsequent to the sacrifice; the blood on the door post being seen both by God and the Israelite. “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are, and when I see the blood. I will pass over you.” They could therefore, eat the flesh in full confidence of acceptance.
In the second, the burnt offering, the sacrifice, if a living creature, was a holocaust. This was, as I deem it, “the presenting of merit to God,” which in the creature must always be a holocaust, for its service cannot go beyond its powers; and the full service of every power given, is the Creator’s claim from the creature. Where the burnt offering was a mincha or bloodless offering, as pointing to the Lord in resurrection life, it was not necessarily a holocaust. In the holocaust, therefore we contemplate what was seen in Jesus, when He said, “Lo I come do thy will O my God,” presenting Himself in the Church’s stead—every energy in passiveness; Himself but the expression of what was in the Father. The truth of the presentation of merit was definitely set in the second great Epoque in the Jewish calendar.
The third, the sin offering, was eaten of by the priest, save when the sin had been connected with rule. Propitiation or atonement was the truth taught, as also in the third great feast; in which Jesus has a most perfect joy, rejoicing before the Father in the work of His own hands, as the daily cleanser of the consciences of His saints. God seems also to have bound up these together in a very remarkable way, in the Jewish year; for the passover with its peace offering corresponds to the Jewish dispensation which is past, in that both were “the earth in attempted communion with God.” The feast of weeks, with its offerings of the sheaf and the wave loaves, certainly prefigured the present display of resurrection life; first, in the person of Jesus; and fifty days after, in the Church. And the feast of tabernacles with its great day of atonement, as to dispensation, points onward to the future Jewish. Thus in the cycle of the Jewish year, was there contained a series of dispensations in type, each severally the magnified view of one of the three aspects in which the Lord stands as “the offering.” To ourselves, as in the Spirit, I know there is the sure and present possession, through faith, of everything that Jesus was, or is, or shall be; and in speaking of atonement as in any wise a future thing, all that is meant is the open show of it, when they shall look upon Him whom they have pierced.
I will only add, that those who are inclined to follow up the subject will find. that the four last books of the Pentateuch present much glorious matter; they vary one from the other much as the four Gospels vary. One subject is carried through the four, but it is seen in different aspects; and the special object of the Book decides what shall be mentioned, what left out. The sanctuary; the priest-service; the kingdom (as a camp in the wilderness); and the land are the four aspects, in which God’s witness is looked at. For illustration of this, I would refer to a comparison of the portions in each of the four books connected with the feasts, and especially to Lev. 23 and Num, 28 & 29.