Matthew Poole and continuators on Hebrews 5:1

1 FOR every high priest taken from among men , is ordained for men in things pertaining to God , that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins .

For is a rational particle inforcing the Truth of what was asserted concerning the Gospel-high-Priest before, That he was the most sensible and tender-hearted of all other, beyond what all his Types were, even Aaron himself; how did it therefore behove those Hebrews to cleave to him and his Religion, as to desert the Levitical Priesthood which he had perfected, in himself; he being more excellent for Rise, Qualities, Office, Call, than his preceding Types and the permanent Truth of them all. For every one of that Order in God's Institution, and according to his Law, ought to be selected out of the numbers of Men for whom he was to minister, and therefore to be a Man. He was not to be an Angel, nor to minister for them; and being separated from Men, is to be put into another and higher Rank and Order, Exod. 28.1. than he was in before: No person was to usurp it, but to be designed to it according to the Divine Law setled in that behalf. This was accomplished in Christ's person, and he hath not since selected out of Men any such Order of Priests properly so called in the Christian Church. His Officers being so far from being High Priests, that they are not so much as in the enumeration of their Titles stiled [non-Latin text not transcribed] Priests; and as far is it from Truth, that there are now as Priests, so Altars, Sacrifices, Temples in the Christian Church properly so called: Since it is expresly against the New Testament, and if so spoken of by the Fathers, it must be understood figuratively and metaphorically, or else it is untrue.

[non-Latin text not transcribed] the designed person is constituted and set over others for their good, to seek either temporal or spiritual good, as the Office is, comp. ch. 8.3. By this Ordination is Power conveyed to this Officer, and an Obligation laid on him by a charge to exert it about things wherein Men are concerned with God: He is a religious Officer. [non-Latin text not transcribed] is imperfect, as ch. 2.7. for [non-Latin text not transcribed] in things; or [non-Latin text not transcribed] about things. A Sinner can undertake to manage nothing towards God immediately, or by himself, but with a mediating Priest, who must know God's Mind and perform it; and it was infinite Mercy for God to institute such an help to Sinners. The common sense of Mankind about it since the Fall doth evince it. No Nation being without a Religion, a Temple, a place of Worship, or a Priest.

Who may bring home to God the Supreme Lord and King of all Gi[illegible: 1 letter]ts, which were those Free-will Offerings, as of things inanimate, the First-fruits of Corn, Wine, and Oyl, &c. or of Sacrifices, such whereby they were to atone and propitiate God for their Sins, they being guilty, and he just; those were necessary to satisfie his Justice, remove his Wrath, and procure his Blessing. What those Sacrifices were which would please him, God only could reveal, as who should offer them both for himself and others; and this he did reveal to Adam, Noah, and Abraham, and to Moses fully in his Law given him about them on the Mount, and of which he hath written in his four last Books.

Marginal references: Chap. 2.17.