uring his life. In that age, therefore, as in this, there
was a universal priesthood. The priesthood of the Christian
dispensation is, in a certain sense, modeled after the patriarchal and
in contrast with the Jewish. It is after the order of Melchisedec, and
not after that of Aaron. Melchisedec was high priest of that division
of the human family to which Abraham belonged, and this distinguished
patriarch paid tithes to him. If we do not misinterpret the law of the
priesthood of that age, this could have been none other than Shem. Shem
was then living, and Noah was dead; and Abraham belonged to Shem's
posterity. Hence no one else could be high priest while Shem lived.
Many have thought that because it is said he was "without father,
without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor
end of life," that he could not be a man. But they fail to observe that
he was without these things _in the Aaronic priesthood_. For it is said
that he had a genealogy, but that it was not in the priestly family.
"And they indeed of the sons of Levi that receive the priest's office
have commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law,
that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of
Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not counted from them hath taken
tithes of Abraham." Shem had neither father nor mother, nor beginning
of days, nor end of life, in the sense that the Aaronic priests had
them; and this is all that is affirmed of Melchisedec.

When God called His people out of Egyptian bondage, and gave them the
law, He gave them a new priesthood. The priests were now all confined
to the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron. Men could no longer build
their own altars and offer their own sacrifices. On the contrary, they
had all to bring their offering to the priests appointed of the family
of Aaron, and have them make the offering. With a change of the
priesthood came a change of the law. "For," says Paul, "the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also in the law."
The law thus changed was the law of worship through the priesthood. And
as it was through this worship that pardon was obtained, the change of
priesthood changed the law of pardon. Hence the law of pardon under
each priesthood has been different from that under either of the
others. After the establishment of the Aaronic priesthood, a descendant
of Jacob could no longer build his altar and offer his sac