Hebrews — Chapter 8

3. Necessarie that he also.) Christs Priesthood & Sacrifice is external, not spiritual only. Euen now being in heauen, because he is a Bishop and Priest, he must needes haue somewhat to offer, and vvherein to do sacrifice: and that not in spiritual sort onely, for that could not make him a Priest of any certaine order. And it is most false and vvicked, to hold vvith the Caluinistes, *that Melchisedecks Priesthod vvas vvholy spiritual. For then Christs death vvas not a corporal, external, visible, and truely named sacrifice: neither could Christ or Melchisedec be any otherwise a Priest, then eúery faithful man is: vvhich to hold (as the Caluinists folowing their owne doctrine must needes do) is directly against the Scriptures, and no lesse against Christes one oblation of his body vpon the Crosse, then it is against the daily sacrifice of his body vpon the altar. Therfore he hath a certaine host in external and proper maner, to make perpetual oblation thereby in the Church: for, visible and external act of sacrificing in heauen he doth not exercise. * Beza in schol. Test. Græcolat. in c. 7 Heb. num. 8.

4. If vpon the earth.) How Christes body is made fit to be sacrificed and eaten perpetually. It is by his death, and resurrection to life againe, that his body is become apt and fitte in such diuine sort to be sacrificed perpetually. For if he had liued in mortal sort still, that vvay of mystical representation of breaking his body and separating the bloud from the same, could not haue been agreable. and so the Church and Christian people should haue lacked a priesthod and sacrifice, & Christ him self should not haue been a Priest of a peculiar order, but either must haue offered in the things that Aarons Priests did, or els haue been no Priest at all. For, to haue offered onely spiritually, as all faithful men do, that could not be ynough for his vocation, and our redemption, and state of the new Testament. How his flesh vvas made fit to be offered and eaten in the B. Sacrament, by his death, see Isychius li. 1 in leuit. cap. 2.

5. Heauenly things.) Kingdom of heauen & heauenly things, spoken of the Church. As the Church or state of the new Testament is commonly called Regnum cœlorum & Dei, in the Scriptures, so these heauenly things be probably taken by learned men, for the mysteries of the new Testament. And it seemeth that the paterne giuen to Moyses to frame his tabernacle by, vvas the Church, rather then the heauens them selues: al S. Paules discourse tending to shew the difference betwixt the new Testament and the old, and not to make comparison betwene the state of heauen and the old law. Though incidently, because the condition of the new Testament more neerely resembleth the same, then the old state doth, he sometime may speake somewhat therof also.

10. Into their mind.) Grace, the effect of the new Testament. This also and the rest folowing is fulfilled in the Church, and is the proper effect of the new Testament, vvhich is the grace and spirit of loue, graffed in the hartes of the faithful by the holy Ghost, vvorking in the Sacraments and sacrifice of the new law to that effecte.

11. Shal not teach.) Scriptures abused for phantastical inspirations. So it vvas in the primitiue Church, in such specially as vvere the first founders of our new state in Christ. And that vvhich vvas verified in the Apostles and other principal men, the Apostle speaketh generally as though it vvere so in the vvhole. as S. Peter applieth the like out of Ioël, and our Sauiour so speaketh, vvhen he saith that such as beleeue in him, shal vvorke miracles of diuers sortes. Christian men then must not abuse this place to make chalenge of new inspirations and so great knowledge that they neede no Scriptures or teaching in this life, as some Heretikes doe: vvith much like reason and shew of Scriptures as the Protestants haue to refuse external sacrifice. And it is no lesse phantastical madnesse to deny external sacrifice, sacraments, or Priesthod, then it is to abolish teaching and preaching. Act. 2. Io. 14. v. 12.