saying, Speak untó Aaron and his sons, saying, On this wise shall ye bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace; and they shall put my Name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them," Num. vi. 22-27. The whole nature of this kind of blessing is here exemplified. It is founded in God's express institution and command. And the nature of it consists in put ting the name of God on the people, that is, declaring blessings to them in the name of God, praying blessings for them on his command. Wherefore the word "bless," is used in a two-fold sense in this institution; ver. 23. "Ye shall bless the children of Israel," is spoken of the priests; ver. 27. "I will bless them," is spoken of God. The blessing is the same, declared by the priests, effected by God: they blessed declaratively, he efficiently. And the blessing of Melchisedec in this place seems to have a mixture in it of both these. For as it is plain that he blessed Abraham by virtue of his sacerdotal office, which our apostle principally considereth; so I make no question but he was peculiarly acted by immediate inspiration from God, in what he did. And in this sort of blessing, the apostolical maxim maintains its evidence in the light of nature.

3. There is benedictio charitativa; this is, when one is said to bless another, by praying for a blessing on him, or using the means whereby he may obtain a blessing. This may be done by superiors, equals, inferiors, any or all persons mutually towards one another. See 1 Kings viii. 14. 55, 56. 2 Chron. vi. 3. Prov. xxx. 11. This kind of blessing, it being only improperly so, wherein the act of duty is demonstrated by its object, doth not belong to this rule of the apostle.

4. There is benedictio reverentialis; hereof God is the object. So men are said often to bless God, and to bless his holy name, which is mentioned in the Scripture as a signal duty of all that fear and love the Lord. Now this blessing of God, is a declaration of his praises, with a holy reverential thankful admiration of his excellencies. But this belongs not at all to the design of the apostle, nor is regulated by this general maxim, but is a particular instance of the direct contrary, wherein without controversy, the greater is blessed of the less. It is the second sort of blessings that is alone here intended; and that is men. tioned as an evident demonstration of the dignity of Melchisedec, and his pre-eminence above Abraham.

Obs. IV. It is a great mercy and privilege, when God will make use of any, in the blessing of others with spiritual mercies. It is God alone who originally and efficiently can do so, who can actually and infallibly collate a blessing on any one.

Therefore is he said to "bless us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things," Eph. i. 3. There is no one blessing, but he is the sole author and worker of it. But yet also he maketh use of others, severally, in various degrees of usefulness, for their communication. And this he doth, both to fill up that order of all things in dependance on himself, wherein he will be glorified; and also to make some partakers in his especial grace and favour, by using them in the collation of good things, yea, the best things on others. For what greater privilege can any one be made partaker of, than to be an instrument in the hand of God, in the communication of his grace and goodness? And a privilege it is whose exercise and improvement must be accounted for. I speak not therefore of them whose benedictions are euctical and charitative only in their mutual prayers, but of such as are in some sense authoritative. Now a man

blesseth by the way of authority, when he doth it as an especial ordinance, as he is called and appointed of God thereunto. Peculiar institution gives peculiar authority. So parents bless their children and household, and ministers the church.

First, Parents bless their children in the name of the Lord, several ways. 1. By instruction, the discharge whereof was the glory and honour of Abraham in the sight of God himself, Gen. xviii. 17-19. For whereas the knowledge and fear of God, is the greatest blessing that any one in this world can be made partaker of, he hath ordained that parents shall be instru mental in the communication of them to their children, suitably to that general law of nature, whereby they are obliged in all things to seek their good. This being the end of the instruction which God hath appointed them to attend to, they do therein bless them in the name of the Lord. And if parents did truly consider, how they stand in the stead of God in this matter, how what they do is peculiarly in his name and by his authority, they would (it may be) be more diligent and conscientious in the discharge of their duty, than they are. And if children could but understand, that parental instruction is an instituted means of God's blessing them with the principal blessing, and that whereon all others, as to them, do much depend, whereunto the fifth commandment is express, they would with more diligence and reverence apply themselves to the reception of it, than is usual among them. 2. They do it by their example. The conversation and holy walking of parents is God's ordinance whereby he blesseth their children. This is the second way of instruction, without which the former will be insufficient, yea, insignificant. Let parents take what pains they please in the teaching and instructing of their families, unless their personal walk be holy and their lives fruitful, they will do more for their destruction than their edification.

The

least disorder of life persisted in, is of more prevalency to turn aside children from the ways of God, from the liking and practice of them, than a multitude of instructions are to persuade to their embracement. For besides that we are all naturally more prone to evil than good, and a far less occasion or means will hasten us down a precipice, than raise us and bear us up in the difficult course of holy obedience; instances of a life inconsistent with instructions or not answering them, beget secret thoughts in the minds of them who are instructed, that all the pains taken therein is hypocritical, than which apprehension, nothing is more effectual to alienate the minds of any from the ways of God. But when the truths which men teach their families, are exemplified by the holiness and fruitfulness of their own lives, then are they an ordinance of God for the blessing of them. To pray, to read, to catechise, to instruct, and then to lead a life in frowardness, passion, worldly-mindedness, vain communication and the like, is to pull down with one hand, what we set up with the other, or rather with both our hands to pull down our own houses. 3. By prayer for them. So David blessed his household, 2 Sam. vi. 20. For besides the duty of prayer, absolutely considered, there is in those prayers by the appointment of God, an especial plea for, and application of the promises of the covenant to them, which we ourselves have received. So it is expressed in the prayer of David, 2 Sam. vii. 29. "Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee, for thou O Lord God hast spoken it, and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever." And I do not understand, how those who do not believe the especial interest of their children in the covenant of grace, can bless them in the name of the Lord in a due manner. These are some few heads of parental benedictions, and whether the duty thereof be answered in that common custom, which some even confine all parental blessings to, in an open neglect of all the duties mentioned, and of others of an alike nature, is not hard to deter mine.

Secondly, Ministers bless the church. It is part of their ministerial duty, and belongs to their office so to do. 1. They do it by putting the name of God on the church. This was

the way whereby the priests blessed the people of old, Num. vi. 22-27. And this putting the name of God on the church is, by the right and orderly celebration of all the holy ordinances. of worship of his appointment. For the name of God and of Christ is on them all; wherefore in the orderly celebration of them, the name of God is put on the church, and is brought under the promise of the meeting and blessing of God, as he hath spoken concerning every thing whereon he hath placed his VOL. V.

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name. This is an especial way of authoritative blessing, which can no way be discharged but by virtue of ministerial office. Only let ministers take heed that they put not the name of a false god on the church, by the introduction of any thing in religious worship, which is not of God's appointment. 2. They bless the church, in the dispensation and preaching of the word, to the conversion and edification of the souls of men. So speak the apostles concerning their preaching of the word, Acts iii. 26. "Unto you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to bless you, in turning every one of you from his iniquities." This sending of Christ after his resurrection, was the sending of him in the ministry of the apostles and others, by the preaching of the gospel. And the end hereof is to bless them to whom it is preached. And it is known that all the principal spiritual blessings of God in this world, are communicated to the souls of men by the ministry of the word, and ministerial administration of the sacraments, as the only outward causes and means thereof. Herein do ministers bless the people in the name and authority of God. 3. They do it by the particular ministerial applications of the word to the souls and consciences of men. This authority hath Christ given to them; saith he, "Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained," John xx. 23. I know what use hath been made of these words, that is, how they have been abused to give countenance to the necessity of private confession of all sins to the priests, and of their power of absolution or remission thereon. But yet the real intention of the words, and the truth that is in them, must not be waved or overlooked. It is not therefore the mere preaching of the word, and therein a doctrinal declaration of whose sins are remitted, and whose sins are retained, according to the gospel, which men are respectively interested in by their faith or unbelief, that is here intended; the commission, giving the power here mentioned, is of a more general nature. But an especial application of the word to the consciences of men, with respect to their sins, is included therein. And this is done two ways. 1. With respect to the judgment of the church. 2. With respect to the judgment of God. The first is that binding or loosing, which the Lord Christ hath given power for, to the ministers and guides of the church, as to the communion thereof, Mat. xviii. 18. For by the ministerial application of the word to the sins and consciences of men, are they to be continued in, or excluded from the communion of the church, which is called the binding or loosing of them. The other respects God himself, and the sense which the conscience of a sinner hath of the guilt of sin before him. In this case the ministers of the gospel are authorized in the name of Christ, to remit their sins,

that is, so to apply the promises of mercy and grace to their souls and consciences, as that, being received by faith, they may have peace with God. So are they authorized to remit or retain sins according to the tenor and terms of the gospel. Not that the remission of sins absolutely doth depend on an act of office, but the release of the conscience of a sinner from the sense of guilt, doth sometimes much depend on it, rightly performed; that is, by due application of the promises of the gospel, to such as believe and repent. 4. How they bless the church by prayer and example, may be understood, from what hath been spoken concerning those things with respect to parents. The authority that is in them, depends on God's especial institution, which exempts them from, and exalts them above, the common order of mutual charitative benedictions. 5. They bless the people declaratively, as a pledge whereof it hath been always of use in the church, that at the close of the solemn duties of its assemblies, wherein the name of God is put on it, to bless the people by express mention of the blessing of God, which they pray for on them. But yet, because the same thing is done in the administration of all other ordinances, and this benediction is only euctical or by the way of prayer, I shall not plead for the necessity of it. And we may yet infer two things from hence.

Obs V. 1. That those who are thus appointed to bless others in the name of God, and thereby exalted into a pre-eminence above those that are blessed, by his appointment, ought to be accordingly regarded by all that are so blessed by them.-It is well if Christians do rightly consider what their duty is to them who are appointed as a means to communicate all spiritual blessings to them.

Öbs. VI. And 2. Let those who are so appointed take heed that by their miscarriage they prove not a curse to them whom they ought to bless.-For if they are negligent in the performance of their duties in the things mentioned, much more, if therewithal they put the name of any false god on them, they are no otherwise.

VER. 8.-THE eighth verse carrieth on the same argument, by a particular application to the matter in hand, of the things which he had in general observed before in Melchisedec. For whereas the apostle had before declared, that " he was without father, without mother, without beginning of days or end of life," he now shews how all this conduced to his purpose.

VER. 8. Και ώδε μεν δεκατας αποθνησκολες ανθρωποι λαμβανωσιν εκεί δε μαρτυρόμενος ότι ζη.

Avgw, Syr, by an usual idiotism of that language, the