in 5:-8: above the Aaronic priesthood; in 9: and 10: above the many sacrifices. In 12: 2

we have Christ the "Prince, Leader and Finisher of faith" placed before our eyes after the

list of Old Testament heroes of faith in chapter 11: The apostle is pointing them to Christ

the risen Lord, just as emphatically as he does in Ephesians. It is the one inspired letter

which the apostle to the Gentiles was permitted to pen to his brethren according to the

flesh after he had closed the door of kingdom promises in Acts 28: It was a last,

loving, earnest word of exhortation.

It is in connection with the Melchisedec priesthood of Christ that the apostle had to

say in chapter 5: very much the same as he said to the Corinthians in I Cor. 3: In

speaking of Melchisedec (Heb. 5: 11) he says, "Of whom we have many things to say,

and hard of interpretation, seeing ye are dull of hearing." The Melchisedec priesthood

and the one body are linked together, more perhaps than some of us have discerned.

Melchisedec by blessing Abraham showed himself the "greater" (Heb. 7: 7), and the

one body has a sphere ("heavenly places in Christ") unknown to Abraham. True,

Abraham looked for a "heavenly city," but that is to come down out of heaven, whereas

the believer to-day rejoices in a citizenship which "is in heaven," and in the expectation

of the upward call of God" to that city (Phil. 3:).

So again in Heb. 5: 12 we read, "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers," etc.

The word "time" suggests (1) they had been Christians long enough to be capable of

teaching others; and (2) the time had come when the kingdom had been placed aside, and

because of that they ought to have been ready to receive, and to pass on, the new teaching

of God's grace. So deleterious was this clinging to the "old things that had passed away,"

that they even needed instruction in the "first principles," a word signifying the A.B.100:,

and translated "rudiments," "element," (Gal. 4:, Col. 2:). Verse 13 shows that the "first

principles" are likened to "milk," the food for "babes," whereas "strong meat" belongeth

to "perfect" or "full grown" ones. This word "full age" is the same as the word "perfect"

in I Cor. 2: 6, and is used of those to whom the apostle could give the "meat" of the

mystery--identical in both cases. Heb. 6: is so important that we propose (D.5:)

devoting a future article to the exposition of the first three verses.

However, to complete our parallel with I Cor.3:, we must consider this chapter. Here

in Heb. 6: 1 we have mention of "the foundation," which is not the one foundation,

Christ Himself, but a foundation of doctrines and ordinances. These "first words of the

doctrine of Christ" they are bidden to "leave," not lay again. Verse 7 and 8 speak of the

end of the two pieces of land; the one "blessed," the other "nigh unto cursing, whose end

is to be burned"--"saved so as through fire." A field that has been burned is not

destroyed, but rendered absolutely naked, just as I Cor. 3:, "He himself shall be saved, so

as through fire."