God who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past to the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his SON,

for to which of the angels did he ever say, " thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee? and again, I will be his father, and he shall be my son?

but to the son he saith, "God is thy throne for ever and ever; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of equity.

and this is attested by a certain writer, who says, "what is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visitest him?

but Christ govern'd his own house in quality of son and heir, and 'tis we that are his house, provided we stedfastly persevere unto the end in the publick profession of that hope, in virtue of which we glory.

but exhort one another daily while the day lasts, lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin.

who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our profession. for we have

not an high priest who is incapable of compassionating our miseries; since he was exposed to the same trials as we are, sin only excepted. let

he might have the greater compassion for those who sin through ignorance or mistake. and for the same reason

Wherefore Christ himself did not assume the character of an high priest; but it was confirm'd by him that said, "thou art my son, to-day have I begotten thee."

for tho' he was the son of God, yet he found by his own sufferings what it was to obey,

if they shall fall away, to re-instate themselves by repentance: seeing, as far in them lies, they crucify the son of God afresh, and expose him to open shame.

without father, without mother, without genealogy; his days have no beginning, and his life no end; but like the son of God, he was a perpetual priest.

for the law appointed frail mortals to be high priests, but the oracle pronounc'd with an oath, which was since the law, established the son, who is crown'd with immortal perfections.

for then must he have suffered several times since the beginning of the world, when in the consummation of the ages, he has appeared once for all to expiate sin by offering himself as a sacrifice.

And indeed it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats, should take away the guilt of sin.

in burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure:

after having said, "victims, oblations, holocausts, and sacrifice for sin, thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein," tho' they are all prescrib'd by the law;

While the high priest in his daily administrations frequently repeated the same sacrifices which could by no means expiate sin;

Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin, sat down on the right hand of God for ever:

now where they are remitted, there is no need of any further oblation for sin.

for if we wilfully apostatize, after having received the knowledge of the truth, it is as a sin for which there is no sacrifice appointed.

don't you think then that he deserves a much greater punishment, who hath despised the son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith be was sanctified, to have been justly shed, thereby offering an indignity to the spirit of grace?

'Twas by faith that Abraham, when put to the trial, offered up Isaac: HE offered up his darling son, to whose posterity the promises were to be made good:

by faith Moses when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandred about in sheepskins, and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented:

Wherefore, since we are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every incumbrance, and the sin which does so easily embarrass us, and let us pursue with constancy the course that is proposed to us:

You have not yet resisted unto death, striving against sin.

have you forgot the exhortation which is address'd to you, as to children? "my son, despise not thou the chastning of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.

for whom the Lord loveth, he chastises, and scourgeth every son whom he receives."

if you are to endure chastisement, God treats you as his children: for where's the son whom his father does not chastise?

but you are come to mount Sion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable congress of angels, to the general assembly,