For to which of the angels did God ever say-- 'Thou art my Son; this day I have become thy Father'? or again-- 'I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son'?

As a mantle thou wilt fold them up, And as a garment they shall be changed, But thou art the same, and thy years shall know no end.'

He says-- 'I will tell of thy Name to my Brothers, In the midst of the congregation I will sing thy praise.'

And again-- 'As for me, I will put my trust in God.' And yet again-- 'See, here am I and the children whom God gave me.'

for, in a passage referring to the seventh day, you will find these words-- 'God rested upon the seventh day after all his work.'

Yes and, with God's help, we will.

but, if it 'bears thorns and thistles,' it is regarded as worthless, it is in danger of being 'cursed,' and its end will be the fire.

For God is not unjust; he will not forget the work that you did, and the love that you showed for his Name, in sending help to your fellow Christians--as you are still doing.

But our great desire is that every one of you should be equally earnest to attain to a full conviction that our hope will be fulfilled, and that you should keep that hope to the end.

Then you will not show yourselves slow to learn, but you will copy those who, through faith and patience, are now entering upon the enjoyment of God's promises.

His words were-- 'I will assuredly bless thee and increase thy numbers.'

but his appointment was ratified by an oath, when God said to him-- 'The Lord has sworn, and will not change, "Thou art a priest for all time."'

But, finding fault with the people, God says-- '"Behold, a time is coming," says the Lord, "when I will ratify a new Covenant with the People of Israel and with the People of Judah--

"This is the Covenant that I will make with the People of Israel After those days," says the Lord. "I will impress my laws on their minds, and will inscribe them on their hearts; And I will be their God, and they shall be my People.

There shall be no need for every man to instruct his fellow-citizen, or for a man to say to his Brother 'Learn to know the Lord'; For every one will know me, From the lowest to the highest.

For I will be merciful to their wrong-doings, And I will no longer remember their sins."'

how much more will the blood of the Christ, who, through his eternal Spirit, offered himself up to God, as a victim without blemish, purify our consciences from a lifeless formality, and fit us for the service of the Living God!

Whenever such a Covenant as a will is in question, the death of the testator must of necessity be alleged.

so it is with the Christ. He was offered up once and for all, to 'bear away the sins of many'; and the second time he will appear--but without any burden of sin--to those who are waiting for him, to bring Salvation.

So I said, "See, I have come' (as is written of me in the pages of the Book), "To do thy will, O God."'

and then there is added-- 'See, I have come to do thy will.' The former sacrifices are set aside to be replaced by the latter.

And it is in the fulfillment of the will of God that we have been purified by the sacrifice, once and for all, of the body of Jesus Christ.

'"This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days," says the Lord; "I will impress my laws on their hearts, and will inscribe them on their minds,"'

then we have-- 'And their sins and their iniquities I will no longer remember.'

Let us maintain the confession of our hope unshaken, for he who has given us his promise will not fail us.

there is only a fearful anticipation of judgment, and a burning indignation which will destroy all opponents.

How much worse then, think you, will be the punishment deserved by those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, who have treated the blood that rendered the Covenant valid--the very blood by which they were purified--as of no account, and who have outraged the Spirit of Love?

We know who it was that said-- 'It is for me to avenge, I will requite'; and again-- 'The Lord will judge his people.'

You still have need of patient endurance, in order that, when you have done God's will, you may obtain the fulfillment of his promise.

'For there is indeed but a very little while ere He who is coming will have come, without delay;

Try earnestly to live at peace with every one, and to attain to that purity without which no one will see the Lord.

Beware how you refuse to hear him who is speaking. For, if the Israelites did not escape punishment, when they refused to listen to him who taught them on earth the divine will, far worse will it be for us, if we turn away from him who is teaching us from Heaven.

Then his voice shook the earth, but now his declaration is-- 'Still once more I will cause not only the earth to tremble, but also the heavens.'

Let marriage be honoured by all and the married life be pure; for God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

Do not let your conduct be ruled by the love of money. Be content with what you have, for God himself has said-- 'I will never forsake you, nor will I ever abandon you.'

Therefore we may say with confidence-- 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'

Obey your Leaders, and submit to their control, for they are watching over your souls, as men who will have to render an account, so that they may do it with joy, and not in sorrow. That would not be to your advantage.

may God make you perfect in everything that is good, so that you may be able to do his will. May he bring out in us all that is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be all glory for ever and ever. Amen.

You will be glad to hear that our Brother, Timothy, has been set free. If he comes here soon, we will visit you together.