(Extracted.)

We have yet another question, however, to consider, in connection with this thought of Christ's priesthood being exercised entirely in heaven:and that is, if His be, as the apostle insists, entirely a Melchisedek priesthood, how else could it be exercised than after death, when the "many priests" of Aaron's order proved their incompetency by the fact that " they were not able to continue, by reason of death;" while Christ's Melchisedek character is seen in this that He abideth for ever, " in the power of an endless life ?"

Now, whatever the difficulty here, it is certain that Christ was "a merciful and faithful High-priest to make propitiation; " and that therefore He was High-priest before propitiation was, or could be made. If death negatived the possibility of His being this at that time, then it would necessarily forbid His being so until resurrection had taken place:that is as plain as it is really decisive; for His resurrection was already the witness of the acceptance of His work, and consequently, of propitiation (that is, appeasal) having been already made. Propitiation is by blood, and that was shed on earth; nor, when this was shed, did it wait an hour for the tokens of its acceptance. His own words, " It is finished," were followed immediately by the rending of the veil, by which the holiest was opened to man; where Christ has now gone in to take His place for us with God, in the value of that blood, our Representative.

Thus, being made perfect, He is greeted (or, "hailed") of God a High-priest after the order of Melchisedek. Notice, it is not the same word as when it is said, He was " called" to the priesthood. He is hailed now as Victor after His conflict, when the power of that endless life that was His had been manifested in His victory over death and him that had the power of it. Death had been but the sword which Christ had turned against him who wielded it; and over Him it could not have dominion, when once to do the will, of God He had descended into it. The eternal life which was in Him could not be touched by it; and the giving up of earthly life-which for the merely human priests had ended their priesthood fully, and taken them entirely away from the scene of their earthly ministry-could not affect the office of Him who could answer the appeal to Him as Lord of the dying malefactor with the royal words, "This day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." Thus was He still Priest and King all through. Presently, with the keys of death and hades at His girdle, He is hailed in resurrection as the Royal Priest; not made so then, but approved as fully manifested such already. While the disciples gaze upward after Him, " a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). Was it mere earthly vapor? or was it not rather the welcome home of the manifest glory ? Was it not fit, (as when even for the objects of His redeeming love the Lord of glory, not leaving it to angelic hosts to give them welcome, " the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven") that He who was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,-whom He Himself describes as "running" to put His arms round one poor returning prodigal-should thus, the angels nowhere as yet seen, be welcomed back to where He had been before, even when creation as yet was not called into being by His word ?

(Extracted from Numerical Bible, Notes on Heb.)