[Sidenote: Ver. 16.] =But if the first-fruit was holy, holy is the kneaded lump too.= Abraham was as it were the Lord's First-fruits of mankind, in the field of His Church. "Abraham's seed" are as it were the mass kneaded from that first-fruits; made of it. Was the first-fruits holy, in the sense of consecration to God's redeeming purpose? Then that which is made of it must somehow still be a consecrated thing, even though put aside as if "common" for awhile. =And if the root= was =holy,= holy are =the branches too;= the lineal heirs of Abraham are still, ideally, potentially, consecrated to Him who separated Abraham to Himself, and moved him to his great self-separation. [Sidenote: Ver. 17.] =But if some of the branches= (how tender is the euphemism of the "_some_"!) =were broken off, while you, wild-olive as you were, were grafted in among them,= in their place of life and growth, =and became a sharer of the root and of the Olive's fatness,--= [Sidenote: Ver. 18.] =do not boast over the= torn-off =branches. But if you do boast over them--not you carry the root, but the root carries you.= [Sidenote: Ver. 19.] =You will say then, The branches were broken off--that I might be grafted in. Good:= true--and untrue: =because of their unbelief they were broken off, while you because of your faith stand.= They were no better beings than you, in themselves. But neither are you better than they, in yourself. They and you alike are, personally, mere subjects of redeeming mercy; owing all to Christ; possessing all only as accepting Christ. "Where is your boasting, then?" =Do not be high-minded, but fear,= fear yourself, your sin, your enemy. [Sidenote: Ver. 21.] =For if God did not spare the natural branches, take care lest He spare not you either.= [Sidenote: Ver. 22.] =See therefore God's goodness and sternness. On those who fell,= came His =sternness= (ἀποτομία, not ἀποτομίαν); =but on you,= His =goodness, if you abide by that (τῇ) goodness,= with the adherence and response of faith; =since you too will be cut out= otherwise. [Sidenote: Ver. 23.] =And they too, if they do not abide by their (τῇ) unbelief, shall be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again.= [Sidenote: Ver. 24.] =For if you from the naturally wild olive were cut out, and non-naturally (παρὰ φύσιν) were grafted into the Garden-Olive, how much more shall those, the= branches =naturally, be grafted into their own Olive!= Here are more topics than one which call for reverent notice and study.