Christ the True Melchisedec Being the substance of a sermon, preached on Sunday evening, July 24th, 1813, at the Obelisk Chapel — Context and Discussion

Love as the Fountain of Covenant

Church grounds his entire argument in the nature of God as love. He writes that "all spring from love, for God is love—he is love itself, the fountain of it." This is not a general sentiment but a precise theological claim: the covenant of redemption was made in eternity, with the Father proposing and the Son accepting the work of salvation. Church emphasizes that Christ's delight in humanity predates creation—"My delights were with the Sons of Men"—and that immediately after the Fall, "the very same day that Adam sinned, the dear Redeemer hastened to make known the Covenant of Redemption and Mercy." This sequence is crucial: the blessing is pronounced before the curse. Church traces this pattern through Abel's sacrifice, Noah's ark, and the rainbow, each a "sweet token" of Christ. The sermon thus presents salvation history as a continuous unfolding of divine love, not a reaction to human failure.

Typology and the Priesthood of Christ

Church's central exegetical move is to identify Melchisedec as the Son of God, not a mere type. He argues that the Apostle in Hebrews couples two texts—"Thou art my Son" and "Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec"—to prove that Melchisedec is eternal. Church insists that Christ's priesthood is "after his own Order," not after Aaron's or any human line. The Levitical priests were "mere men" who died; Christ is "the God-Man" who ever lives. Church draws a sharp contrast between the earthly priesthood and Christ's glorified state: "the Order of our Melchisedec is appearing in a glorified state, at the right-hand of the Majesty in heaven, representing and blessing his people." This heavenly priesthood, he argues, was revealed to Abraham when Melchisedec blessed him after battle—a faint shadow of Christ's post-resurrection intercession.

Tithing as a Response of Gratitude

Church interprets Abraham's tithe to Melchisedec not as a legal obligation but as a pattern of thankful worship. He writes that believers give tithes of all—"body, soul, and spirit, time and talents"—because they have received blessings through prayer and faith. The tithe is a return of glory to God, who "refreshes us with himself as the Bread of Life" and "fills us with the Wine of his love." Church extends this typologically to the second coming: the faithful will "cast our crowns at his dear feet" and sing "Worthy the Lamb that was slain." This section grounds the sermon's high Christology in practical piety, showing how the eternal priesthood elicits a response of total devotion. The act of tithing becomes a foretaste of eschatological worship, where Christ receives the tithe of all creation.

Church's sermon is a dense weave of exegesis, typology, and devotion. Readers will benefit from following his scriptural references closely, especially the interplay between Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7. The sermon assumes a Calvinist framework and a high view of scripture; those unfamiliar with covenant theology may find the argument challenging but rewarding. Church's voice is urgent and pastoral, aiming not merely to inform but to evoke wonder at Christ's eternal priesthood. The text rewards slow reading, as its claims build on a chain of typological connections that Church treats as self-evident.

That sermon’s weight—Christ as eternal priest, before any throne—stirred a memory of my father’s worn Bible, marginal notes in pencil. He never preached, only read, slowly. These words about Melchisedec felt like that quiet. Another evening, the Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Luke — A Closer Reading brought the same stillness, as if familiar lines had finally opened their hands to me.