Mather - Houston-Packer Collection BS478 .M3 1705

496 The Gofpel ofthe Legal Pr°ieflhood. 4. The Priefts mul be called .into this Office, and rnat not intrude and tbruîb themfelves into it. The Lord Paid unto Mofes, take Aaron and his Sons with him from among the People, tbat they may minifïer.unto me in the Prie.ft's Office, Exod.28.1. The Apoftle applies this alto to Jefus Chriff, Heb. 5. 45 5. He doth not , take this Honour to himfelf ; as no Man fhould take the Honour of the Prieffhood to himfelf, but he that was called, as was Aaron ; fo Jefus Chrift was called of God the Father to this Office, as the Prieffs were by Afofs to their Levitical Minilfry. Chriff glorified not himfelf to be made an High Prieft, but he that faid unto him, Thou art my Son. 5. The Prieft mart abflain from the vfe of Wine andStrong Drink, when he was to dothe Service ofGod in the Sanctuary, and to n.inifter be- fore the Lord, Levi to. 9. And the Lord fpake unto Aaron, raying, do not drink Wine nor Strong Drink, thou nor thy Sons with thee, when ye go into the Tabernacle of the Congregation, left ye die, &c. fo it is faid in Ezek. 44. zr. neither jhall any Prieft drink Wine when they enter into the inner Court. The end of this was, that they might be fore to adminifter and execute their Office aright, left they drink and forget the Law, Prov. 31. 5. left they fhould err thro' Wine, and be out of the way thro' ftrong Drink, and Rumble in 5udgment, Ifa. zí;. 7. Whoredom and Wine, and newWine take away the Heart, Hof. q. i r. Thus they were to abftaia from the life of Wine and Strong Drink. This reprefents that undifturb'd Sobriety and Wifdom of Jefus Chriff in the whole Execution of his Office, as the great High Prieft of his Church. He was never forgetful of, o'r unready for any part of his Office, but he had clearnefs of Judgment and Wifdom at all times. So the Minifters of the Gofpel, there is a fecondary Application ofthefe things to them, though firft and chiefly it is applied to Jefus Chrift himfelf. Whatfoever is fet forth concerning Jefus Chriff, doth fecon- darily point at Minifters and Ch-riffians, in whom the Graces and Ex- cellencies ofJefus Chrift appear. The Minifters of the Gofpel muff be fober, and not Men given to Wine, t Tiras. 3. 3. A Bifhop mint not be given to Wine, no .ftriker, or given to filthy Lucre, &c. and the Apoftle requires it aifo in other Places; that they fhould take heed of that Sin, they moff be fober and watchful in all Things, z Tim. 4. 5. But watch thou in all Things, endure Af unions, do the. Work ofan EvangeliFt, make full proof of thy A inifiery. It is a woful and a fhameful Thing, when Minifters are given to Wine and Strong Dtink; there are not God's ,Minifters, thefe are fuch as do not correfpond with the Type. And it is the Fruit of the Wrath

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