For if he were on earth, he should not be a
priest
The Socinians from hence attempt to prove that Christ was not a
priest, and did not offer sacrifice on earth; whereas his coming
into the world, and his appearance in human nature, was in the
character of a priest, and to qualify himself for one; his death
was his sacrifice, which was on earth; and he never offered but
one sacrifice; and it was after he had offered himself that he
went to heaven; so the sacrifices under the law were first
offered, before their blood was carried within: but the meaning
is, either if "that" was on earth, namely, what it was necessary
he should have to offer; if his human nature had been earthly,
had been of men, had come by ordinary generation, he had not been
properly, only typically a priest, at most; and had been no
better than the typical ones; yea, he would have been needless,
nay, might not have offered, not being of Levi's tribe, and could
not have existed as a priest with the sons of Aaron; but he had
his human nature in another way, through the power of the Holy
Ghost from above, and therefore is said to come from above, from
heaven, and to be the Lord from heaven: or the sense is, if he
was on earth, and had not died, he had not been a priest; and if
he had died and remained under the power of death, he had been a
priest of no account and use; and had he rose again and remained
on earth, without going to heaven, with his blood and sacrifice,
he had not been a perfect priest; if Christ had remained on
earth, the Levitical priesthood had remained, and so he would
have been no priest, since two priesthoods could not have
subsisted together. The Levitical priesthood was in force while
Christ was on earth; Christ's priesthood was not perfected on
earth; the Levitical priesthood remaining while he was on earth,
proves he was not then a perfect priest, or had not completed his
priesthood; had he been so, that would not have subsisted; it was
necessary therefore that Christ should enter into the holy place,
to put an end to the Levitical priesthood: moreover, if he had
remained on earth, he had been needless;
seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to
the law;
there were priests when Christ was upon earth; their work was to
offer gifts the people brought, and sacrifices for sin, and that
according to the law of Moses, which till the death of Christ was
in full force.