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obtain mercy, and receive favour for the purpose of seasonable help.

CH. V. 1 For every highpriest taken from among men, is appointed for men in things relating to God, that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; 2 being one who can be mildly affected towards the ignorant, and those who wander out of the way; since he himself also is compassed with infirmity. 3 And because of this infirmity he ought, as for the people, so for himself also, to offer sacrifices for sins.*

4 And no man taketh this honour to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So Christ also glorified not himself to be made a Highpriest; but God who said to him, "Thou art my Son, to-day I have adopted thee:" 6 as also God saith in another psalm, "Thou art a priest to the age, according to the order of Melchisedec."

7 And Christ, when, in the days of his flesh, he had offered up prayers and supplications with a strong cry, and with tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and was heard for his godly reverence, 8 though he was a Son, yet he learned obedience from the things which he suffered; 9 and, having been made perfect, became the author of aionian salvation to all who obey him; 10 having been called by God a High-priest according to the order of Melchisedec.

11 CONCERNING whom we have many things to say, and hard to be explained, since ye are dull of hearing.

12 For although by this time, ye ought to be teachers, yet have ye need that one should teach you again what are the first elements of the oracles of God; and ye are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong food. 13 For every one who partaketh of milk is unskilled in the doctrine of justification: for he is a babe: 14 but strong food belongeth to persons fullgrown, even to those who, by use, have their senses exercised to the discernment both of good and of evil.

CH. VI. 1 Wherefore let us leave discoursing on the principles of the doctrine of Christ, and go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of reformation from dead works, and of faith towards God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, and of putting on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of the aionian judgment: 3 and this will we do, if God per| mit. 4 For with regard to those who have been once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of a holy spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God, and the mighty works of the coming age, 6 and yet have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to a reformation; since they are crucifying in themselves afresh the son

* In what sense Christ is said to offer a sacrifice for sin for himself is explained in the note upon chap. vii. 27.

of God, and are thus making of end of all gain-saying. 17 In him a public example. which matter God, being more

7 For the land which drink- abundantly willing to show to eth in the rain that often com. the heirs of the promise the eth upon it, and produceth herb-immutability of his counsel, inage useful to those for whom it is tilled, receiveth blessing from God: 8 but that which beareth thorns and briars, whose end is to be burned, is rejected, and is about being cursed.

9 But, beloved, though we thus speak, we are persuaded better things of you, and things which belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust, so as to forget your work and the love which ye have shown towards his name, in that ye have ministered to the wants of the saints, and still minister. 11 But we desire that every one of you show the same earnestness, to the full assurance of your hope to the end: 12 that ye be not slothful, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

terposed by an oath: 18 that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to speak falsely, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us; 19 which hope we have as a sure and stedfast anchor of the soul, and as entering into the part within the veil; 20 whither our forerunner, Jesus, hath entered for us, being made a high-priest to the age, according to the order of Melchisedec.

CH. VII. 1 FOR this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, 2 to whom even Abraham gave a tenth part of all the spoils, first being by in13 For when God made his terpretation king of righteouspromise to Abraham, because ness, and then king of Salem he could swear by no greater, also, (which is, king of peace,) 3 he sware by himself, 14 saying, without recorded father, without "Assuredly I will greatly bless recorded mother, without genethee, and I will greatly multi- | alogy, having neither beginning ply thee." 15 And accordingly, of days nor end of life,* but rewhen Abraham had waited pa-sembling the son of God, contiently, he obtained the promise. tinueth a priest during life.

16 For men indeed swear by 4 Now consider how great one who is greater: and an oath this man was, to whom even the for confirmation is to them an | patriarch Abraham gave a tenth

Of whose father, mother, pedigree, birth, and death we have no acount.-" Wakefield; who prefers this intelligible though free translation of the original to what must appear a strange paradoxical account to common readers. See his note. The short account of Melchisedec is contained in Genesis xiv. The writer runs a parallel between Melchisedec and Christ. Mel chisedec was a priest, though not of a priestly family of the termination of his priesthood we have no account: he was a king as well as a priest; and of an order superior to Aaron, who virtually paid tithes to Melchisedec in his ancestor Abraham. In all these respects Melchisedee is a type of Christ, who is a priest after the order of Melchisedec, and not after the order of Aaron." Im. Ver. note.

not according to the law of a carnal commandment, but according to the power of an endless life; 17 for the scripture witnesseth, "Thou art a priest to the age, according to the order of Melchisedec.

part of the spoils. 5 And indeed | cording to the likeness of Mel. those who are of the sons of chisedec, 16 who became such, Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their own brethren, though these are descendants from Abraham: 6 but he whose pedigree is not from the same stock with them, received tithes from Abraham, and blessed him who had the promises.

7 Now, without any contradiction, the less is blessed by the greater. 8 And here men who die receive tithes; but there he received them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. 9 And, if I may so speak, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes through Abraham. 10 For he was yet unborn, when Melchisedec met him.

11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should arise according to the order of Melchisedec, and that he should not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For, the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change also of the law.

13 Now he of whom these things are spoken belongeth to another tribe, no one of which gave attendance at the altar. 14 For it is manifest that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is still far more evident; because another priest ariseth ac

18 For indeed there is a disannulling of the former commandment, because of its weakness and unprofitableness; 19 (for the law made nothing perfect;) but it was the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as he became a priest not without an oath; 21 (for they were made priests without an oath; but he with an oath, through that being who said to him, "The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a priest to the age, [according to the order of Melchisedec];" ") 22 by so much was Jesus made the surety of a better covenant.

23 And they indeed were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue, by reason of death: 24 but this person, because he continueth to the age, hath a priesthood which passeth not from one to another. 25 Wherefore he is also able to save in the fullest degree those who come to God through him, since he ever liveth to interpose for them.

26 For such a high-priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 who needeth not, as the high-priests, daily

to offer up sacrifice, first for his tabernacle for, "See," said own sins, and then for those of God, "that thou make all the people for this he did things according to the pattern once for all, when he offered up which was shown thee on the himself.* 28 For the law ap-mount.") 6 But now, our Highpointeth men high-priests who priest obtained a more excelhave infirmity; but the word of lent ministry, in as much as he the oath, which was after the is the mediator of a better covelaw, appointeth the Son, who is nant, which is established on made perfect to the age. better promises.

CH. VIII. 1 NOW the sum of what has been said is this: We have such a high-priest, as sitteth on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 a minister of the most Holy Place, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, [and] not man. 3 For every high-priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is necessary that this High-priest have also something to offer.

4 For if he were on earth he would not be a priest; since there are [priests] who offer gifts according to the law: 5 (who serve as to the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was instructed of God, when he was about to make the

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for the second. 8 For, finding fault with them,† It is said, "Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 9 not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out from the land of Egypt: when they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord: 10 for this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind, and will write them on

*This he did, i. e. offered up sacrifice, first, for his own sins. "But Christ in a moral sense was sinless. See ver. 26, and eh. iv. 15. His sins therefore were merely ceremonial, that is, being a descendant of the house of Judah, ver. 14, he was, as to the priesthood, in an unconsecrated state. And as Aaron was consecrated to his priestly office by the blood of animal sacrifices, so Christ was consecrated to his nobler office by the sacrifice of himself. This way of representing the death of Christ was adapted to conciliate the prejudices of the Hebrew Christians. Moreover, as the posterity of Aaron were successively removed by death, ver. 23, successive priests were consecrated by successive sacrifices; but Christ lives continually, and has no successor. Also, priests under the law were subject to infirmity, and might desecrate themselves by ceremonial pollution, ver. 28; it was necessary, therefore, that they should be re-consecrated by the daily sacrifice. But Christ being incapable of ceremonial pollution, his one sacrifice was sufficient. He now is perfect for ever. But in the same sense in which Christ offered up a sacrifice for his own sins, in that very sense did he offer himself a sacrifice for the sins of the people. That is, not to appease the wrath of God for moral offences, which is an idea quite remote from the author's mind, and foreign to his argument; but to consecrate believers, and to bring them out of an unholy into a holy state, by a figurative application of the blood of Christ, as the Israelites were formerly purified and made ceremonially holy by the real sprinkling of the blood of animal victims. See ch. ix. 11-28. These observations must be carried in mind by the reader of this epistle, in order to understand the writer's language and doctrine in the ninth and tenth chapters concerning the priesthood of Christ. See Grotius and Crellius in loco, and in chap. v. ver. 3." Im. Ver. note.

ti. e. the Jews.

their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. 11 And they shall not teach every one his fellow-citizen, and every one his brother, saying, Know the Lord' for all shall know me, from the least [of them] to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness; and their sins, and their iniquities I will remember no more." 13 In that God said, "A new covenant," he hath declared the former void. Now that which is declared void and groweth old, is about to disap

pear.

CH. IX. NOW the first covenant had also ordinances of worship, and a worldly sanctuary. 2 For the first tabernacle was prepared, which is called Holy; in which was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread. 3 And, behind the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies: 4 having the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant covered all over with gold, in which was the golden pot that had the manna, and Aaron's rod, that budded, and the tables of the covenant: 5 and above which were the cherubim of glory, shadowing the mercy-seat: of which things we cannot at present speak particularly.

6 Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests

always enter into the first tabernacle, performing the services of God: 7 but into the second the high-priest alone entereth once every year, not without blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the sins of ignorance of the people : 8 the holy spirit signifying by this, that the way into the most Holy Place is not yet laid open, while the first tabernacle yet standeth: 9 which tabernacle is a figure for the present time, in which gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who worshippeth perfect, as concerning his conscience; 10 consisting only in meats and drinks, and different washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed till the time of reformation.

11 But Christ, a high-priest of the future good things, being come, entered once for all into the most Holy Place, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands; (that is, not of this present building;) 12 nor by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood; having obtained an aionian redemption.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctify to the cleansing of the flesh; 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the aionian spirit* offered himself spotless to God, cleanse

✦ who offered himself with a spotless mind unto God, Wakefield, who, with the Ethiopic, leaves out diviou, “aionian." The Clermont and some other copies read you," the holy spirit;" which is supported by the Coptic and the Vulgate versions. The phrase "aionian spirit,” is very unusual: but if admitted as genuine, it must signify that Christ offered himself by divine appointment. See Im. Ver. note.

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