wild olive tree has been grafted in among the branches and made partaker
of the root, the branches, broken off that the wild olive might be
grafted in, are themselves in consequence grafted into their own olive
tree. Through God's mercy to the Gentiles, Israel also has obtained
mercy.

The Apostle addresses them with affection. But his behest is sharp and
urgent: "Consider the Apostle and High-priest of our profession, Jesus."
Consider intently, or, to borrow a modern word that has sometimes been
abused, Realise Jesus. Dwell not with abstractions and theories. Fear
not imaginary dangers. Make Jesus Christ a reality before the eyes of
your mind. To do this well will be more convincing than external
evidences. To behold the glory of the temple, linger not to admire the
strong buttresses without, but enter. Realisation of Christ may be said
to be the gist of the whole Epistle.

This spiritual vision is not ecstasy. We realise Christ as Apostle and
as High-priest. We behold Him when His words are a message to us from
God, and when He carries our supplications to God. Revelation and prayer
are the two opposite poles of communion with the Father. The
dispensation of Moses rested on these two pillars,--apostleship and
priesthood. But the fundamental conceptions of the Old Testament centre
in Jesus. Though our author has distinguished between God's revelation
in the prophets and His revelation in a Son, he teaches also that even
the prophets received their message through the Son. Though he contrasts
in what follows of the Epistle the high-priesthood of Aaron with
Christ's, still he regards Aaron's office as utterly meaningless apart
from Christ. The words "Apostle and High-priest" pave the way,
therefore, to the most prominent truth in this section of the Epistle:
that whatever is best in the Old Testament has been assimilated and
inspired with new energy by the Gospel.

1. To begin, we must understand the actual position of the founders of
the two dispensations. Neither Moses nor Christ set about originating,
designing, constructing, from his own impulse and for his own purposes.
Both acted for God, and were consciously under His directing eye.[38]
"It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful."[39] They have
but to obey, and leave the unity and harmony of the plan to another. To
use an illustration, every house is built by some one or other.[40] The
design has been conceived in the brain of the architect. He i