Jesus Our Apostle and High Priest

1Wherefore, christian brethren, you who are called to an heavenly inheritance, consider the apostle and high priest of the faith we profess, even Christ Jesus; 2who was faithful to him that constituted him such, as Moses likewise was faithful in all his administration of God's house. 3but as the architect is of much greater dignity than the house he has made; so the glory which Christ received was greater than that of Moses. 4no house is without a builder; now he that built the whole house of Israel is God. 5besides Moses throughout his whole administration acted in quality of a servant, representing to the people what he was order'd to say. 6but 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.

Do Not Harden Your Hearts

7Wherefore as the holy spirit saith, "since to-day you hear his voice,

8harden not your hearts, as at Meriba and Massa in the desart:

9where your fathers provoked me to give proofs of my power forty years, tho' they saw my works.

10wherefore I was displeased with that generation, and said, they do alway err in their hearts; and they have not known my ways.

11so I swear in my wrath, that they should not enter into my rest."

The Peril of Unbelief

12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you such incredulity as to make you desert the living God. 13but exhort one another daily while the day lasts, lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin. 14for we were receiv'd into the communion of Christ, upon condition of inviolably maintaining the hope we had at the beginning even unto the end,

15which is imply'd by, "to-day since ye hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as at Meriba."

16for some when they had heard his voice, did provoke him: however, not all that were brought out of Egypt by Moses did so. 17but with whom was he displeased forty years? was it not with those that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the desert? 18and who were they, who, he sware, should not enter into his rest, but those that did not believe? so we see that they could not enter in, 19because of their incredulity.