SUGGESTIVE PROPOSITIONS ON THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
Essentials of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
ANOTHER essential of the Melchizedek priesthood is an endless life. The Levitical priests were made "after the law of the carnal [fleshly] commandment." The priests were men who died. However righteous and able one might be, like Jehoiada of old, he could help men only for a little while, during his life. Then he gave way to a successor. That successor might be a wicked man, as many of the Aaronic priests were, and as many of the self-appointed or man-made priests have been since. "And they indeed have been made priests in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing." Heb. 7:16, 23. The sinner may have found of one a friend; the weak man may have found in one a strength, a staff, a stay; the rash man may have found in one wisdom; but when the good priest, the strong priest, or the wise priest, died, the friendship, the strength, the wisdom, died also. Not so with the priest after the order of Melchizedek. It was said of Christ that His priesthood was "after the power of an endless ["indissoluble"] life, for it is witnessed of Him, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Heb. 7:16, 17. The endless, the indissoluble, life, is an essential of that priesthood. Therefore it is said of the Melchizedek whom Abraham met, and it is true of every other Melchizedek, that so far as the human is concerned, he is without father, without mother, having no "beginning of days," a full-grown father-priest in the very beginning, direct from the hand of God. What hope and strength of comfort is there in this. "For the law [which made the Levitical priests, Heb. 1:12] made nothing perfect," but the bringing in of the "better hope" in the priesthood of the endless life does make perfect, "because He abideth forever," and "hath His priesthood unchangeable. Wherefore also He is able to save to the uttermost ["completely," in quantity and quality and time] them that draw near unto God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such a high priest [after the order of Melchizedek] became us, holy, guileless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people; for this He did once for all, when He offered up Himself. For the law appointeth men high priests, having infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was after the law, appointeth a Son, perfected forevermore." Heb. 7:24-28, A. R. V. The priest after the law could transmit to his son no higher life than he himself possessed, a mortal life. He could give to the people not even this life; but one Melchizedek priest can transmit, and does transmit to all His sons (and if we receive Him we are sons, John 1:12; 1 John 1:1-3), the everlasting life, which in righteousness becomes the "indissoluble" life, and so makes them under Him "kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever." Rev. 1:7.