Obs. I. The more of Christ, by the way of representation or exhi- bition, any institutions of divine worship do contain or express, the more sacred and holy are they in their use and exercise. But,—
Obs. II. It is Christ alone who in himself is really the Most Holy, the spring and fountain of all holiness unto the church.
VER. 3-5.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 201
3. The first utensil reckoned unto this second part of the taber- nacle is ypuootv Sumarhpiov; and the relation of itthere- ,
: ; : puaody &20v- unto is, that it had tt,—zyoucw. He doth not say, it on Symmes was in it, but “it had it” If any one would see the various conjectures of learned men about this assertion of the apostle, as also about that following, concerning what was contained in the ark, he may consult the collections of Mr Pool on the place, where he will find them represented in one view. My design being only to declare what I conceive consonant unto the truth, I shall not spend time in repeating or refuting the conjectures of other men.
Ovusarjpiov, we translate a “censer;” but it may as well be ren- dered the “altar of incense;” as it is by the Syriac the “house of spices,’—the place for the spices whereof the incense was com- pounded. The altar of incense was all overlaid with beaten gold ; hence it is here said to be ypusody, of “ gold.” And whereas it was one of the most glorious vessels of the tabernacle, and most signifi- cant, 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 7¢ had at. And in that expression he respects not its setwation, but its wse. And the most holy place may well be said to have had 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 incense with him taken in a censer from this altar. Whereas, therefore, there was a twofold use of the altar of incense; the one of the ordinary priests, to burn incense in the sanctuary every day; and the other of the high priest, to take incense from it when he entered into the most holy place, to fill it with a cloud of its smoke; the apostle in- tending a comparison peculiarly between the Lord Christ and the high priest only in this place, 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 chat which respected the most holy place, and the entrance of the high priest thereinto: for so he expressly applies it, verse 12. 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 sense of his words, and shall not there- fore 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 veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testi- mony, where I will meet with thee.” Although it was placed with- out 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 in-
202 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IX.
cense went before him, yet had it 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 per- form but with respect unto the things pertaining thereunto, he was to make atonement 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 demonstration that, as unto the use of it, it belonged prin- cipally unto the most holy place, and is here so declared bythe 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 argu- ment 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, on the solemn day of expiation, —that is, once a-year,—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-offerings 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. 12, 18. The composition and making of this incense is declared, Exod. xxx. 34, 35, etc. And being compounded, it was beaten small, that it might immediately take fire, and so placed on this altar before the ark, verse 36. And the placing of this incense “ before the testimony,” as is there affirmed, is the same with what our apostle affirms, that the most holy place had 1.