“And Melchizedec, King of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the most high God.
“And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
“And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.”[583]
“Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
“For this Melchizedec, King of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him:
“To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all: first being, by interpretation, king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace.
“Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God—abideth a priest continually.”[584]
Thus does the apostle proceed, in a strain of the closest argumentation, to point out the superiority of this king of peace, over Abraham and his lineage: after which Mr. Brown, in his Commentary upon the Bible, expresses himself as follows, viz.:—“Who this Melchizedec was, this priest of God among the Canaanites, greater than Abraham, the friend of God, who were his parents or his successors, is on purpose concealed by the Holy Ghost. And hence he is without father or mother, predecessor or successor, in his historical account, in order that he might typify the incomprehensible dignity, the amazing pedigree and unchangeable duration of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest.”
Nobody can quarrel with the piety of this commentator: but piety is not the only requisite for a commentator upon the Scriptures: the absence of stupidity is an essential condition. It is not, however, as applied to this particular passage that I thus express myself: were this the only instance of accommodating oversight it should draw forth no critique from me. But the instances are innumerable, to verify the expression that “some persons see, but perceive not.”
Mr. Brown had no idea of an emanation! Mr. Brown did not comprehend the sons of God! Mr. Brown did not know the connection which existed between the peace of Christ and that which was represented by Melchizedec.[585]