BOOK 9. THE INTERCESSION.
CHAPTER 1.
9.1.5. What agreement there is betwixt Christ's Intercession and the Intercessions of the high priests of old.
What agreement there is betwixt Christ's Intercession and the Intercessions of the high priests of old.
What agreement is there betwixt the intercessions of Christ, and the intercessions of the high priests of old? Among the Jews in the times of the Old Testament, they had an high priest, who was in all things to stand betwixt God and them. Now, as the Jews had their high priest to intercede for them, so the Lord Jesus was to be the high priest of our Christian profession, and to intercede for us; it will therefore give some light to this doctrine of intercession, if we will but compare these two, and first consider, what agreement betwixt Christ and the high priests of old; betwixt Christ's intercession, and the high priest's intercessions?
1. Christ and the high priests of old agreed in name; not only they but Christ himself is called an high priest. "We have such an high priest, who is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," Heb. viii, 1. -- "Consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ," Heb. iii. 1. -- "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melehisedec," Heb. v. 6, the old priesthood of Aaron was translated into the priesthood of Jesus Christ, so that he was a priest as well as they.
2. They agreed in office; that consisted of two parts, oblation and presentation.
They offered a sacrifice; and secondly, they presented it in the holy of holies with prayer and intercession unto God: the one was done without, the other within the holy of holies: and in answer thereunto, there are two distinct parts of Christ's priesthood;
(a). The offering of himself a sacrifice upon the cross.
(b). The carrying of himself and of his blood into the holy of holies, or into the heaven of heavens; where he appears and prays in the force of that blood; and this was so necessary a part of his priesthood, that without this he had not been a complete priest, "For if he were on earth he should not be a priest," Heb. viii. 4. that is, if he should have made his abode upon the earth, he should not have been a complete or perfect priest, seeing this part of it, (which we call the presentation or intercession,) lay still upon him to be acted in heaven. And indeed, this part of his priesthood is of the two the more eminent, yea, the top and height of his priesthood; and therefore it is held forth to us in the types of both those two orders of priesthood that were before him, and figures of him, both that of Aaron and Melchisedec.
This was typified in that Levitical priesthood of Aaron and his fellows; the highest service of that office was the going into the holy of holies, and making an atonement there; yea, this was the height of the high priest's honour, that he did this alone, and it constituted the difference betwixt him, as he was high priest, and other priests; for they killed and offered the sacrifices without as well as he, but only the high-priest was to approach the holy of holies with blood, and that but once a year.
This was also typified by Melchisedec's priesthood, which the apostle argues to have been much more excellent than that of Aaron's, in as much as Levi, Aaron's father, paid tithes to this Melchisedec in Abraham's loins; now Melchisedec was his type, not so much in respect of his oblation, or offering sacrifice, as in respect of his continual presentation and intercession in heaven: and therefore the same clause, "forever," still comes in when Melchisedec is named. "Thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec," Heb. v. 6. - vii. 17. Here then is the agreement betwixt Christ and the high priests of old; in respect of name, both were priests, and in respect of office, both had their oblations and presentations, or intercessions with God in glory.
3. In the point of intercession, they agreed in these particulars.
(a). The high priests of old, usually once a year, went into the most holy place within the veil: and so is Christ our great high priest, passed into the heavens within the veil, even into the holy or holies. Christ by his own blood entered in once into the holy place . -- "Not into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us," Heb. ix. 12, 24.
(b). The high priests of old had a plate of pure gold upon their foreheads, which was, "To bear the iniquity of the holy things, that they might be accepted before the Lord," Exod. xxviii. 38. and so doth Christ bear the iniquity of our holy things. Spiritual Christians! here is your comfort, you are not able to perform any duty to God, but there is a great deal of sin in the same; you cannot hear, nor pray, nor confer, nor meditate, without much sin; but Christ bears all these sins, even the iniquity of your holy things, and he presents your persons and prayers without the least spot to his Father; he is "the Angel of the covenant that stands at the altar, having a golden censer with much incense, to offer it with the prayers of his saints," Rev. viii. 3. and so they are acceptable before the Lord.
(c). The Jewish high priests "bore the names of the children of Israel on the breast plate of judgment upon their hearts, for a memorial before the Lord continually," Exod. xxviii. 29. And so doth Christ, our great high priest, bear the names of his people upon his heart before the Lord continually. But how is Christ said to bear the names of the saints upon his heart? I answer, --
(i). Continually, in presenting of them to his Father as they are in him: how is that? Why he presents them without spot as righteous in his own righteousness, "Christ loved the church, that he might present it to his Father, and in him to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy, and without blemish," Eph. v. 27.
(ii). In his continual remembering of them, "The righteous shall be had in continual remembrance," Psal. cxii. 6. This is the soul's comfort in a time of desertion, or in an evil day. If any cry out as sometimes David did, "How long wilt thou forget me. Lord, forever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?" Psal. xiii. 1. Let such a one remember, that Christ's redeemed ones are upon his heart, and he cannot forget them, "But Zion said. The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me;" Oh no! "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee; behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me," Isa. xl. 14, 15, 16. The sons of Zion are upon Christ's heart and hands, and they are ever in his sight.
(iii). In his perpetual loving of them; they are near and dear unto him, he hath set them as a seal upon his heart; so was the prayer of the spouse, "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm;" and then it follows, "for love is as strong as death," Cant. viii. 6. Christ hath an entire love to his saints; he died for them, and now he intercedes for them; and keeps them close to his heart, and there is none shall pluck them out of his hands, "For whom he loves, he loves unto the end," John xiii. 1.
Thus far of the agreement betwixt Christ's intercessions, and the intercessions of the high priests of old.