SUGGESTIONS ON THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD.
By Editor
IN our concluding article on the priesthood of Christ we simply summarize a few of the essential things which have been covered, and which seem to us abundantly proved by the Scriptures: 2. In that very creation He gave His life for all His creatures, for with Him is the fountain of life. Ps. 36:9. Therefore, as Creator and Life-giver, He is the Head and Priest of the universe, ministering of His own fulness and life to sinless, tho dependent and immature, intelligences. He was righteous; He was king; and therefore King of Righteousness, Melchizedek; and as the fruit of righteousness is peace, He was also King of Peace, which is King of Salem. 3. As God's plan is one and harmonious, the heads and fathers of inhabited worlds, like Christ the preeminent One, were called sons of God, even as Adam was of this world. Luke 3:38. As fathers and teachers under Christ, each became king of the world of which he was the primal created head; as a righteous being he also became a king of righteousness, king of peace, to all his children, bearing the name Melchizedek, the priest of his world, ministering and teaching of the life bestowed in him through Christ. From time to time these representative kings of their various worlds met together. Job 38:7; 1:6; 2:1. 4. When sin entered the universe of God, the preeminent Son of God emptied Himself of all His glory, took upon Himself the form of a servant, and descended even to nothingness, that He might vindicate the character of God to be love, and to save all who would be saved. In the early part of His humiliation He was Michael the Archangel, the servant of God. During this time He fought the great spiritual warfare with Satan, yet bringing no railing accusation against him, ever meeting his attacks with "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan." 5. His next step in humiliation was to become man, "God with us," suffering as man suffered, meeting temptation as man must meet it, and conquering that man may conquer. Made perfect through suffering, He became unto all them that obey Him the Author of the eternal salvation of God, a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Heb. 5:5-10. The Melchizedek of the universe, become also the Melchizedek of this world, its second father, the place lost by Adam. 6. In His priesthood for sinful man He not only fills the Melchizedek priesthood, but is also antitype of the Levitical priesthood. Hebrews 8, 9. 7. In the Melchizedek priesthood we found the following essentials: Righteousness, sonship, fatherhood, and eternal life, and therefore an everlasting priesthood. Hebrews 7. All these and many other thoughts have been offered in the suggestions in the past. We are sure they will bear study, and the more they are studied the more will we see the glorious depth of the great plan of God in the salvation of men.