beginning or end, and greater than Abraham, and with a priesthood that
existed centuries before the Levitical priesthood was instituted,
therefore Christ, his great antitype, who is from everlasting to
everlasting, and who hath an unchangeable priesthood, is to abolish the
Aaronic priesthood, whose institution was for a temporary purpose, and
was fulfilled when Christ came, who was a priest not after the order of
Aaron because He belonged to another tribe, but a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek.

But Melchizedek was not only a priest, he was also a king. And it was
not only in his everlasting priesthood, but in his regal office also,
that he was a type of the Messiah. David was a prophet and a king,
Ezekiel was a prophet and a priest, Jesus, only, combined in His own
person the three offices of prophet, priest and king.

Now, if Melchizedek was priest of the Most High God, if he was greater
than Abraham, if he was a type of Jesus Christ in His kingly and
priestly offices, it is impossible not to regard him as a holy man. He
was cleansed from all sin. He was sanctified wholly. He was made like
unto the Son of God, and the Son of God is eternally holy. Praise His
name. It is, surely, cause of devout thankfulness, that even in those
primitive and patriarchal times, when the earth was full of wickedness
and violence, that even then God had His witnesses to experimental and
practical holiness.

Before leaving this point of the eternal priesthood of Christ, let me
remark that it was a sad day for His Church when the idea became
prevalent, that ministers of the gospel are in any official sense to be
regarded as priests. This serious error may have been derived, in part,
from Judaism and, in part, from paganism. It has become incorporated in