I have observed, that we may yet further consider this ordinance,
II. As an emblematic rite — In this view it marks,
1. The privilege of Christians —
[We have before said, that common priests were ordained to officiate at this altar. And are not we "a royal priest- hood'1?" Are not we " made kings and priests unto our Godr? " Yes ; and " the prayers we present to God come up before him as incense ; and the lifting up of our hands is as an even- ing sacrifice8." In this manner are we privileged to draw nigh to God. We, every one of us, " have, through Christ, access by one Spirit unto the Father1:" yea, "we have bold- ness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus u," and to prostrate ourselves at the very footstool of God himself. Did God say to Aaron, " I will meet thee there ?" so says he to us also : " Draw nigh to me ; and I will draw nigh to youx." Nor need we go to Jerusalem, or to his tabernacle to find him : for he has said, that " in every place incense should be offered to him, and a pure offering y." And, that we may feel ourselves more at liberty to approach him, his altar under the Christian dispensation is represented as of wood, and not of gold, and as being four times the size of that which was made for his tabernacle2; to denote, I apprehend, the greater simplicity of Gospel wor- ship, and the admission of all nations to the enjoyment of it.
We must mdeed pay particular attention to that caution given to Aaron in the text: "Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-sacrifice, nor meat-offering ; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon." The incense was to be that alone which God had appointed ; and special care was taken to make no confusion between the offerings belonging to the altar of burnt-offering, which were for an atonement, and that which was proper to the altar of incense, which was for accept- ance only. Thus, when drawing nigh to God in prayer, we must not bring the fervour of mere animal spirits, which are so often mistaken for true devotion ; but a broken and contrite spirit, which alone sends forth an odour that is well pleasing to Goda. Nor must we imagine that by our prayers, or by any thing else that we can bring to God, we can atone for sin, or contribute in the least degree towards the efficacy of Christ's atonement : these must be kept quite distinct : and whilst our
•J 1 Pet. ii. 9. r Rev. i. 5, 6. s Ps. exli. 2.
1 Eph. ii. 18. " Heb. x. 19. x Jam. iv. 8.
y Mai. i. 11. z Compare ver. 2 — 5. with Ezek. xli. 22.
a Ps. Ii. 17.
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