different sense from that of Paul (comp. § 118, c, footnote 7), be conducted forward to the fatherly glory (ii. 10). Only it is characteristic that Paul, writing mostly to Gentiles, has in his eye the Roman right of inheritance, which knows no distinction between older and younger children, while here, in conformity with the Jewish law of inheritance, the sons, only in so far as they take the position of first-born sons, lay claim to the full possessions of the father (xii. 16: Tà πρWтоTÓKIα). As Christ, indeed, according to § 118, b, appears among the heavenly sons of God as the first-born, so the Christian Church is called ἐκκλησία πρωτοτόκων (xii. 23), and the words added, ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, show unequivocally, that to those who are already enrolled as citizens in the heavenly city of God (comp. Luke x. 20, and, therewith, § 30, d), though they yet wander on the earth, the final consummation is therewith secured in virtue of this right of the first-born. As believing Israel are called to this (§ 117, b), so here, too, as with Peter (§ 45, d), the calling is essentially a calling to sonship, which brings with it the promise of the eternal κληρονομία (ix. 15).

(b) Among the subjects of elementary instruction is reckoned, vi. 2, instruction as to washings, i.e. as to the distinction between the observance of baptism and Jewish washings (ix. 10). The latter, namely, is a washing of the body with pure water (x. 23), which symbolically assures of the cleansing of the conscience from the consciousness of guilt (ver. 22), inasmuch as there is connected with it, quite as in the early apostolic Church (§ 41, a), the confession

6 The union of blood-sprinkling with washing in this passage seems to point to the consecration of the priests (comp. Lev. viii. 6, 30), especially if the two are regarded as the condition of drawing near to God (comp. Riehm, pp. 744, 745). But we have indeed seen, § 123, d, footnote 7, why the idea of a general priesthood cannot occur in our Epistle, and, in fact, the uniting of the two participial clauses, ῥεραντισμένοι . . . καὶ λελουμένοι, is throughout untenable. The second belongs rather to xarixwμsy, and only takes up again the former; while in place of the sprinkling with blood, it puts the figurative assurance of its efficacy in the washing of baptism. Gess, p. 473 f., connects both with xarixwμty, and quite perversely refers the washing with pure water to moral renewal by the Spirit, appealing to Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 27. We have here rather the same view of baptism as in Peter (§ 44, b), while this occurs even in Paul, but quite in subordination to the view of baptism as a symbol peculiar to him (§ 84, a; 101, a).

(ópoλoyía) as the object of which Jesus is named in His specific Messianic character (iii. 1, iv. 14), or the fulfilment of the promise hoped for by Him (x. 23). In baptism, therefore, just as in the early apostolic Church, the confessor of the Messiah is made a partaker of a blessing essentially peculiar to the New Covenant-the forgiveness of sins (viii. 12, x. 17, after Jer. xxxi. 34). If now, according to vi. 2, along with teaching about baptism there is added teaching about the laying on of hands, what is thereby thought of is the practice common in the early apostolic Church (§ 41, d), which, as the symbol of prayer for him who was being baptized, imparted to him the Spirit. Those who, according to vi. 4, have tasted of the heavenly gift, have been, at the same time, really made partakers of the Holy Ghost; and so it is presupposed, x. 29, that those who have been sanctified on the ground of the blood of the covenant, have, at the same time, received the Spirit of grace. And so here also, as in the apostolic preaching, along with the forgiveness of sins the gift of the Spirit is connected with baptism, and the Spirit appears, just as there (§ 40, a, footnote 1), exclusively as the principle of the gifts of grace, in so far as the signs and wonders and manifold mighty works, with which God confirmed the preaching of the ear-witnesses, are traced back to gifts of the Holy Spirit, which God distributed according to His will (ii. 4); and, according to vi. 5, all the members of the New Covenant have, to a certain extent, tasted of the powers of the Messianic age (§ 117, c).8

(c) If, according to vi. 1, fundamental Christian instruction began with μeTávola, as formerly the preaching of Christ

7 This is indeed pre-eminently the heavenly gift which the Christian, according to vi. 4, has tasted; for, according to iii. 14, they are made partakers of Christ Himself, i.e. of the salvation presented in His atoning sacrifice, they have eaten of the New Testament altar of sacrifice (xiii. 10), i.e. they have been made partakers of the fruit of the sacrifice offered on the cross.

8

It is self-evident that in these passages the Spirit is not regarded as a person, but as a divine power given to us, just as with Paul (§ 84, a, footnote 4). On the other hand, it was easy to refer the blessing of the New Covenant, by which the law was written on the heart (viii. 10, x. 16), back to this gift of the Spirit; yet this combination is not made by our author, and thus on that account the Pauline contrast of the covenant of the Spirit to the covenant of the law is foreign to him (comp. § 115, b, footnote 3).

(§ 21) and the early apostolic preaching did (§ 40, b), then there must have taken place in the members of the New Testament Church a change of mind, which implied a turning away from dead, i.e. sinful works (§ 115, b, footnote 6), and which must therefore lead to a mind well-pleasing to God. But this is given of itself, when, conformably with the promise of the New Covenant (Jer. xxxi. 33), the law is written on the heart (viii. 10, x. 16), according to which this has to be regarded as the abiding tendency of the heart for the fulfilling of the divine will. Now, he who has been consecrated to God by the blood of Christ, aims steadily after holiness (xii. 14; comp. § 123, b), while he preserves himself from every stain from new sin, and, in particular, from the heathenish sins (§ 69, d) of unchastity both in and out of marriage, and of covetousness (xiii. 4, 5). In this God Himself helps him, while He establishes his heart by His grace (ver. 9), and accompanies him in every way (ver. 25); but, in particular, while by His fatherly chastisement in times of trial He draws His true children to an ever fuller participation in His holiness (xii. 5-10), and so works in them the peace-bringing fruits of righteousness, i.e. the kind of life. well-pleasing to God (ver. 11),10 which makes every sorrow to be to Him an object of joy (comp. § 46, d; 55, c). So God Himself here also makes the Christians ready for every good work, to do His will, while He works in them what is well-pleasing to Him through Christ (xiii. 21), whom He has even on that account, on the ground of the blood of the New Testament covenant, made to be the chief Shepherd of His own people (ver. 20; comp. § 121, d), so that He now by His royal and priestly activity may help them in their trials

"On this account everything depends here also on the tendency of the heart, just as § 26, c, and in the early apostolic teaching (§ 47, a; 55, b), because God searches the deepest depths of the heart (iv. 12, 13). Only with a true, i.e. an upright heart, can one draw near to God (x. 22). The deadly sin of unbelief, or of falling away, can come only from an evil heart (iii. 12; comp. § 125, d, footnote 9).

10 The peace of the soul must there make its appearance, where the state of being well-pleasing to God, i.e. of righteousness, has been established in the man, when he has a good conscience, iv mãσv nadãs bśλwv åvæorpśQsobaı (xiii. 18). And hence also God, who works all that pertains to this in men (ver. 21), is called the God of Peace (ver. 20), and Melchisedec, the King of Righteousness, is at the same time called the King of Peace (vii. 2).

(ii. 18), and give them at the proper time help from the throne of grace (iv. 16)."1

(d) Among the blessings of the New Covenant, this also is mentioned in the prophecy (Jer. xxxi. 34), that the knowledge of God shall be alike and common to all (viii. 11). The author is naturally thereby thinking of the perfect revelation of God made in the words of God by the Son (i. 1), and which ought to have already fitted even the readers in an ordinary way to be able to be teachers (v. 12). For they also have tasted the good word of God, which guarantees the fulfilment of the promise in the New Covenant (vi. 5); they have obtained the knowledge of the truth (x. 26: èπiyνwσis Tns aλnoeias), and are therefore enlightened (vi. 4, x. 32: pwτiσ0évtes; comp. § 107, a). But there are different stages in the revelation of the New Testament word of God, as there are in the knowledge wrought by it. The introductory parts, the elements of the word of God, or of the proclamation of Christ (v. 12: τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ Θεοῦ; comp. vi. 1: ὁ τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγος), are designated by the author, as by Paul (§ 102, b), figuratively as milk (v. 12), as it is suitable for výπio (ver. 13), in contrast to the strong meat, which the Téλeɩɩ can bear (ver. 14; comp. teλelótns, vi. 1). This fundamental teaching consists, according to vi. 1, 2, in the preaching of repentance and faith, with which evangelical preaching began (Mark i. 15; comp. Acts xvii. 30, 31, and with that § 61, a; 19, 4), in instruction about baptism and the laying on of hands (note b), and about eschatological events. By the strong meat, on the other

11 In what way God carries on this His work of grace through Christ our Epistle gives no hint, only it is certain that the Pauline doctrine so richly developed of the living fellowship with Christ and the work of His Spirit in the Christian (§ 84, 86) remains foreign to it. But He naturally does it in this way, that He equips His servants to speak such words of exhortation as this Epistle contains ; and finally, all are required in the most pressing terms to keep each other from falling away (iii. 12, 13), and to advance in good works (x. 24). In this sense it is in particular the duty of those who are over them to watch for their souls (xiii. 17), and the church assemblies is the place where such exhortations are addressed (x. 25), and they are therefore to listen to the one and not to forsake the other. Along with this, good example is particularly to be attended to, as exercising a wholesome influence (xii. 12, 13), as evil example has a tempting influence (ver. 15), and therefore the author does not weary to present the example of the heroes of the faith, who look down on Christians in their fight (xii. 1), their departed leaders (xiii. 7), and even Christ Himself (xii. 2, 3).

hand, by which the author seeks (vi. 1), with God's help (vi. 3), to lead on those readers, who at any rate have not kept behind at the stage of vnmióτns, and have become dull of mind (v. 11-13), on the supposition of the zeal for Teλeioτns quickened in them afresh by his exhortations, he evidently means those deeper instructions as to the relation of the New Covenant to the Old, which our Epistle furnishes.12

§ 125. The Duty of the New Testament Covenant.

The duty of the New Testament covenant is the inflexible holding fast the hope of the fulfilment of the covenant promise guaranteed in the New Covenant, and this is not possible without faith (a). This faith, which is the distinguishing mark of all the pious of the Old Covenant, is in the New Covenant a firm confidence in the fulfilment of the covenant promise, and a confident persuasion of the saving facts, by which that fulfilment is guaranteed according to the gospel proclamation (b). In this faith consists essentially that state of mind well-pleasing to God, on the firm keeping hold of which in enduring patience depends participation in the perfected salvation (c). But sin is simply unbelief, and falling away from faith is the sin which never can be forgiven, because it gives evidence of final hardening (d).

(a) If the members of the New Testament covenant are so highly privileged, that they are fit to obtain directly the Old Testament promise (§ 123, c, footnote 5), then the hope of the fulfilment of this promise is their distinguishing mark. They are designated as those who have fled to seize firmly the hope presented for their immediate grasp (vi. 18) in the promise confirmed by an oath (ver. 17). Thus this strong

12 That there is no reference here to the contrast between riors and yvãois, as Köstlin (compare 1854, pp. 403, 404), Riehm, pp. 783-785, has abundantly proved. All these deeper instructions have but the practical tendency to strengthen the hope that what was left unrealized in the Old will be perfected in the New Covenant. But that leads on to the explanation of the duty of the New Testament covenant, on the fulfilment of which participation in this perfection depends.

1 If this hope is compared to an anchor, which is firm and reliable, because it reaches into the heavenly Holiest (ver. 19), whither Christ as our póòpoμos has gone (ver. 20), it is implied in this that this hope rests on the heavenly highpriesthood of Christ. For this is indeed the new priesthood promised for the