the ' altar of incense ;' as it is by the Syriac, ' the house of spices ;'
the place for the spices whereof the incense was compounded. The
altar of incense was all overlaid with beaten gold, hence it is here said
to be yjivaow, ' of gold.' And whereas it was one of the most glo-
rious vessels of the tabernacle, and most significant, if the apostle
intended it not in this word, he takes no notice of it at all, which is
very unlikely. And of this altar he says not, that it was in the second
tabernacle, but that ' it had it.' And in that expression he respects not
its situation, but its use. And the most holy place may well be said to
have the altar of incense ; because the high priest could never enter
into that place, nor perform any service in it, but he was to bring



22 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CH IX.

incense with him, taken in a censer from this altar. Whereas, there-
fore, there was a twofold use of the altar of incense ; it was to be
used by the ordinary priests, to burn incense in the sanctuary every
day, and the high priest was to take incense from it when he entered
into the most holy place, to fill it with a cloud of its smoke. But as
the apostle, in this place, peculiarly intended a comparison between the
Lord Christ and the high priest only, and not the other priests in the
daily discharge of their office, he takes no notice of the use of the altar
of incense in the sanctuary, but only of that which respected the most
holy place, and the entrance of the high priest thereinto. For so he
expressly applies it, ver. \2. And therefore he affirms this place to
have had this golden altar, its principal use and end being designed unto
the service thereof. This I judge to be the true meaning of the apostle,
and the sense of his words. I shall not, therefore, trouble myself, nor
the reader, with the repetition or confutation of other conjectures. And
that this was the principal use of this altar, is plainly declared in the
order for the making and disposal of it, Exod. xxx. 6, ' Thou shalt put
it before the vail, that is, by the ark of the testimony before the mercy-
seat, that is over the testimony, where I will meet with them.' Although
it was placed without the veil, and that for this end, that the high priest
might not enter one step into the most holy place, until the smoke of
the incense went before him ; yet it had peculiar respect unto the ark
and mercy-seat, and is therefore reckoned in the same place and service
with them, by the apostle.

And this is yet made further evident, in that when the high priest
entered into the most holy place, and had no service to perform but
with respect unto the things pertaining thereunto, he was to make atone-
ment on this altar with the blood of the sin-offering, as he did on the
ark and mercy-seat, Exod. xxx. 10. This is an undeniable demonstra-
tion, that as unto the use of it, it belonged principally unto the most
holy place, and is here so declared by the apostle. Wherefore, the
assignation hereof unto that place by the author, is so far from an
objection against the authority of the epistle, unto which end it hath by
some been made use of, as that it is an argument of his divine wisdom
and skill in the nature and use of these institutions.

The manner of the service of this altar intended by the apostle, was
briefly thus. The high priest, once a year, that is, on the solemn day of
expiation, took a golden censer from this altar : after which, going out
of the sanctuary, he put fire into it, taken from the altar of burnt-offer-
ings, without the tabernacle, in the court where the perpetual fire was
preserved. Then returning into the holy place, he filled his hands
with incense taken from this altar, the place of the residence of the
spices. And this altar being placed just at the entrance of the most holy
place, over against the ark and mercy-seat, upon his entrance, he put
the incense on the fire in the censer, and entered the holy place with a
cloud of the smoke thereof. See Lev. xvi. \2, 13. The composition
and making of this incense is declared, Exod. xxx. 34, 35, &c. And
being compounded, it was beaten small, that it might immediately take
fire, and so placed on this altar before the ark/ ver. 36. And the placing



VER. 3 — 5.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. ■_>;{

of this incense before the testimony, as is there affirmed, is the same
with what our apostle affirms, that the most holy place 'had it.'

That in general by incense, prayer is signified, the Scripture expressly
testifieth. ' Let my prayer come before thee as incense,' Ps. cxli. 2.
And there is a fourfold resemblance between them. 1. In that it was
beaten and pounded before it was used. So doth acceptable prayer
proceed from a broken and contrite spirit, Ps. li. 17. 2. It was of no
use until fire was put under it, and that taken from the altar. Nor is
that prayer of any virtue or efficacy, which is not kindled by the fire
from above, the Holy Spirit of God, which we have from our altar
Christ Jesus. 3. It naturally ascended upwards towards heaven, as all
offerings in the Hebrew are called rr&y, ' ascensions,' risings up. And
this is the design of prayer, to ascend unto the throne of God : ' I will
direct unto thee, and lookup;' that is, pray, Ps. v. 3. 4. It yieldeth
a sweet savour, which was one end of it in temple services, wherein
there was so much burning of flesh and blood. So doth prayer yield a
sweet savour unto God ; a savour of rest, wherein he is well pleased.

In this general sense, even the prayers of the saints might be typified
and represented in that daily burning of incense which was used in the
sanctuary. But it must be granted that this incense is distinguished
from the prayers of the saints, as that which is in the hand of Christ
alone, to give virtue and efficacy unto them, Rev. viii. 4. Wherefore,
this golden altar of incense as placed in the sanctuary, whereon incense
burned continually every morning and evening, was a type of Christ,
by his mediation and intercession, giving efficacy unto the continual
prayers of all believers.

But that to which alone the apostle in this place hath respect, was
the burning of the incense in the golden censer on the day of expiation,
when the high priest entered into the most holy place. And this repre-
sented only the personal mediatory prayer of Christ himself. Con-
cerning it, we may observe,

Obs. III. That the time of it was after the sacrifice of the sin-offer-
ing. For the high priest was to take along with him the blood of that
sacrifice, to carry with him into the holy place, Lev. xvi.

Obs. IV. That the incense was kindled with fire taken from the altar
where the blood of the sacrifices was newly offered. And two things in
the mediatory prayer of Christ are hereby intimated unto us.

1. That the efficacy of them ariseth from, and dcpcndeth on, the
sacrifice of himself. Hence intercession is best apprehended as the
representation of himself, and the efficacy of his sacrifice in heaven
before the throne of God.

2. That this prayer was quickened and enlivened by the same fire
wherewith the sacrifice of himself was kindled, that is, by the eternal
Spirit, whereof we shall treat on ver. 14.

Yet we must not so oblige ourselves unto the times, seasons, and
order of these things, as to exclude the prayers which he offered unto
God before the oblation of himself. Yea, that solemn prayer of his,
recorded John xvii. (wherein he sanctified himself to be an oblation) was
principally prefigured by the cloud of incense which filled the most holy



24 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CH. IX.

place, covering the ark and mercy-seat. For by reason of the imper-
fection of these types, and their accommodation unto the present service
of the church, so far as it was carnal, they could not represent the order
of things as they were to be accomplished in the person of Christ, who
was both priest and sacrifice, altar, tabernacle, and incense. For the
law had only a shadow of these things, and not the perfect image of
them. Some obscure lines of them were drawn therein, but their beau-
tiful order was not represented in them. Although, therefore, the
offering of incense from the golden altar in the most holy place, was
after the offering of sacrifice on the altar of burnt-offerings, yet was
the mediatory prayer of Christ for the church of the elect, wherein he
also prepared and sanctified himself to be a sacrifice, thereby typified.
So also the beating or bruising of the incense before its firing, did
represent the agony of his soul, with strong cries and supplications
that he offered unto God therein. And we may observe,

Obs. V. The mediatory intercession of Jesus Christ was a sweet
savour unto God, and efficacious for the salvation of the church. The
smoke of this perfume was that which covered the ark and mercy-seat.
Hereby the law itself, which was contained in the ark, became compliant
unto our salvation. For herein Christ was declared to be the end of
the law for righteousness, unto them that do believe.

Obs. VI. The efficacy of Christ's intercession dependeth on his
oblation. — It was fire from the altar of burnt-offerings, wherewith the
incense was kindled.

Obs. VII. The glory of these types did no way answer the glory of
the antitype, or that which was represented by them. It is acknow-
ledged that the service of the high priest, at and from this golden altar,
and his entrance with a cloud of incense into the most holy place, had
great glory in it, and was suited to ingenerate a great veneration in the
minds of the people. Howbeit, they were all but carnal things, and
had no glory, in comparison of the spiritual glory of Christ in the dis-
charge of his office. We are apt in our minds to admire these things,
and almost to wish that God had ordained such a service in the gospel,
so outwardly glorious. For there is that in it which is suited unto these
images of things, which men create, and are delighted withal, in their
minds. And besides, they love in divine service to be taken up with
such a bodily exercise as carries glory with it, an appearance of solemn
veneration. Wherefore, many things are found out by men unto these
ends. But the reason of all this is, because we are carnal. We see
not the glory of spiritual things, nor do know how to be exercised in
our minds about them, with pure acts of faith and love.

Obs. VIII. We are always to reckon that the efficacy and prevalency
of all our prayers depends on the incense which is in the hand of our
merciful high priest. It is offered with the prayers of the saints, Rev.
viii. 4. In themselves our prayers are weak and imperfect; it is hard
to conceive how they should find acceptance with God. But the inva-
luable incense of the intercession of Christ gives them acceptance and
prevalency.

4. The second thing in this part of the tabernacle mentioned by the
apostle is the ark. This he describes, 1. From its appellation, the ark



VER. 3 — 5.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 25

of the covenant. 2. From one particular in its fabric ; it was overlaid
round about with gold. 3. From the things that were in it, accompa-
panied it, and had no other use but to be laid up in it ; the golden
pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that blossomed. 4. From what
was placed in it, which to preserve was its principal use ; the tables of
the covenant.

This vessel in the Hebrew is called fT», as the ark in the flood was
called ran. But the Greeks render both by ki&mtoq, as the Latins by
area. This, with the mercy-seat, wherewith it was covered, was the
most glorious and mysterious utensil of the tabernacle, and afterwards
of the temple ; the most eminent pledge of the divine presence, the
most mysterious representation of the holy properties of his nature
in Christ. This, as the heart of all divine service, was first formed ;
all other things had a relation unto it, Exod. xxv. 10, 11. To treat of
the fabric, that is, the materials, dimensions, and fashion of this ark, is
not unto our present purpose. For the apostle himself here declares,
that the consideration of his present argument does not afford a fit
season to treat of these things particularly. This he intends in those
words, ' which we shall not now speak of,' and their mystical significa-
tion, which he gives afterwards.

1 . The name of it is the ark of the covenant, ttiq SiaSriicrig. Some-
times it is called the ark of the testimony, Exod. xxvi. 33, xl. 3, 5, 20,
22. Most commonly the ark of the covenant, Num. x. 33, xiv. 44 ;
Deut. x. 8, &c. Sometimes the ai-k of God, 1 Sam. iii. 3, vi. 2, 3, &c.
The ark of the testimony it was called, because God called the tables of
the covenant by the name of his testimony, or that which testified his
will unto the people, and by the people's acceptance of the terms of
it, was to be a perpetual witness between God and them, Exod. xxv. 16,
xxxi. 18, &c. On the same account is it called the ark of the covenant,
namely, because of what was contained in it, namely, the tables of the
covenant, which, as I have shown elsewhere, were usually called the
covenant itself. And so they are called the tables of testimony, Exod.
xxxi. 18. That is, the covenant which was the testimony of God.
And lastly, it was called the ark of God, because it was the most emi-
nent pledge of the especial presence of God among the people.

2. As to the fabric of it, the apostle observes in particular, that it
was on every side overlaid or covered with gold, 7r£ptK£KaXvju/u£V7jv irav-
roOev, ' every way, within and without,' with plates of beaten gold.
This ark, as 1 said before, was the most sacred and glorious instrument
of the sanctuary ; yea, the whole sanctuary, as unto its use in the church
of Israel, was built for no other end but to be as it were a house and
habitation for this ark, Exod. xxvi. 33, xl. 21. Hence sanctification
proceeded unto all the other parts of it ; for, as Solomon observed, the
places were holy whereunto the ark of God came, 2 Chron. viii. 1 1.
And of such sacred veneration was it among the people, so severe was
the exclusion of all flesh from the sight of it, the high priest only ex-
cepted, who entered that holy place once a-year, and that not without
blood ; as that the nations about took it to be the God that the Israelites
worshipped, 1 Sam. iv. 8. And it were not difficult to evidence that
many of the pretended mysterious ceremonies of worship, that prevailed



26 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [ci-I. IX.

among the nations of the world afterwards, were invented in compliance
with what they had heard, concerning the ark and worship of God
thereby.

This was the most signal token, pledge, or symbol of the presence of
God among the people. And thence metonymically it hath sometimes
the name of God ascribed unto it, as some think ; and of the glory of
God, Ps. lxxviii. 61. And all neglects about it, or contempt of it, were
most severely punished. From the tabernacle it was carried into the
* temple built by Solomon ; where it continued until the Babylonian cap-
tivity ; and what became of it afterwards is altogether uncertain.

God gave this ark that it might be a representation of Christ, as we
shall show ; and he took it away, to increase the desire and expectation
of the church, after him and for him. And, as it was the glory of God
to hide and cover the mysterious counsels of his will under the Old
Testament, whence this ark was so hidden from the eyes of all men ;
so under the New Testament, it is his glory to reveal and make them
open in Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. hi. 18.

3. In this ark, as it was placed in the tabernacle, the apostle affirm-
eth that there were three things.

1. Sra^voc XP u