"bol.- of boli!!S." Where I will meet with exception made to thi& general le.w, see tho thee." 8<'<' above, eh. xxv. 22. comment on the next verse Ver. 7.-Bweet inoeue. Lit<'rally, "in- Ver. 10.-Aaron ■hall make an atone- ~<'rn-r of perfumes." For tbecomposition of the ment upon the horn, of it onoe in the year inrrns<'. S<'r ,;r~. 34-38. 'Whea he dreueth Once in the year, on the great day of atone: the lamJIII. The le.mps of t.he golden candlc- ment-the tenth day of the seventh month- >1 irk were to be trimmed Rnd deaned, their the high priest, e.fter burning incense within wicks look<>d 1o, and fresh oil Rdded, if noces- the veil, and sprinkling the blood of e. bullock snr~·. rvpry morning, immediately aft.er day- and e. ram towards the mercy see.t, wa., to hrrak. Sec thr comment on eh. xxvii. 21. take of the blood, and pot it on the horns of The dut~· de,·olved on the priests. the e.ltar of incense " to me.ke an e.toncment Ver. 8.-At even. Literally," between the for it-to clee.nse it and he.llow it from the two e,;enings." (Sec the comment on eh. uncleanness of the children of Israel" (Lov. xii. G.) The offering of incense by the high xvi. 18, 19). This was not me.king it an altar priest twice a day. at the time of the morning of expie.tion, bot merely expiating it. Thero and e,·ening sacrifice, indicated that prayer we.s, however, another nse for the e.ltar, where wa.s needed e.s constantly e.s expiation, and it seems to have served for an e.ltar of that neither might for a single dav be inter- expiation. When the high priest had sinned mitted. A perpetual inoeD.118. "Perpetual," in bis official character, and offered a sin- in the sense the.t it wa.s to be burnt twice e. offering for bis cleansing (Lev. iv. 8--12), or de.y. e.s long e.s the religion lasted-not in when the whole cpngregation had committed t.hr :<ense the.t it we.s to he kept burning con- an offence through inadvertence, IUld did the stantlv. se.me ( ih. 18--21 ), the high priest was to put Ver. 9.-By ltr&Dge in08DBe is meant any of the blood of the se.crifice on the horns of the which was not prepe.red eccording to the e.ltar of incense, " for the expie.tion of his own directions given in vers. 8~8. None such sin and the sin of the people " (Keil). In we.s ever to be offered. Nor was the e.ltar to these two ce.ses, the e.ltar of incense served the hr used for b11l'1lt-o1fering, meat-offering, or purpose of the altar of burnt-offering, on which drink-offering. For burnt-offering it was was pot the blood of prive.te sin-offerings ( ib manifestly unfit; but the prohibition of the 22-35). It ia most holy. There seems to others seems to show e. determine.tion to keep be sufficient reason for considering the e.ltar of it,: use markedly distinct from tha.t of the incense as, next to the ark e.nd mercy see.t, hra.zcn e.lta.r in the court, which was t.o receive the most sacred object in the furniture of the e.11 that was offered either for e:i.:pie.tion, or for te.bernacl.e. This precedence indicates the self -dedication, or in gratitude. On the sole utreme ve.lue which God sets upon prayer.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-10.-Thc symbolism of the .Altar of Incense. We have seen that the ascent of iu()j>nsc signifies the mounting up to heaven of the grateful odour of man's earnest and heart-felt prayers. The altar, therefore, symbolises the heart which offers such prnyers,- J. IN rrs HATEnIALS. The altar is of acacia wood and gold-the one a symbol of soundness and strength. the other of purity. Prayer, to be acceptable, must proceed out of a true h.e.a.rt--iL sound, honest, sincere, strong hea.rt-not one that is weak and un- stable, one thing to-day and another to-morrow; but one that is consistent, steady, firm, brave, resolute. And it must also proceed out of a pure heart. The gold of the altar was to be "pure gold," refined till every atom of the native dross was purged away. And the heart of the worshipper should be refined similarly. There is much uative dross in the hearts of ell men. The discipline of life, the furnace of affliction, under God's blessing, does much to purge the dross. But something of it always remains. One oniy was absolutely pure. We must approach God through the inter- cession of Christ, and then our incense will mount up from a golden altar heaven- wank II. IN ITS SITUATION. The altar was "by the ark of the testimony "---directly in f:·uut of the mercy seat-very close to the Divine presence, therefore. Prayer brings UB in,., tl,e presence of God. '.!.'he heart that is drawn upward, and fixed in worship and a,1,,ratiuu iu it.~ Creator and Redeemer, feels itself nea.r to him. Near, very near; ye, Hill ,;,,parate<l by a veil. The eyes of the body cannot pierce that impenetrable curtain, 1si,icJJ shroud;; the invisible world from our eager, curious gaze. 'l'he heart itsclt :.:auuut :,u lift it,;elf uv a., to rilw out of the present conditions of its mortal, finite nature, en. xxx. 11- -IG.] TJrn BOOK OF F:XOT>UR. 30/j
and really enter the empyreRn. Thero is still ft veil between m1tn an,\ tbe spirit,i:il world. Through death only can he pe.ss beyond it. Ill. IN ITS HORNS, WHIOH WERE BYMBOl,B OF POWER. Great is the might of pmyer. D~· means of it the heMt hits power with God, c1tn wrestle with him, aR Jacoh did; anrl RR it were, force him to bless it (Gon. xxxii. 26). The p1trable of the importunotw widow illustrates this power. Let us follow her example; let us persist, let us hesiegc G0rl. with our pro.yers, for ourselves, for other~, e.nd we shall prevail with him; at length h'l will hear us. It he.s been questioned in these " last de.ys" whether prayer is ever answered; e.nd tests have been proposed, by which men have hoped to demonstrate its inefficiency. But God will not be tested. 11 Thou she.It not tempt" (i.e. "try" or "test") " the Lord thy God." He does not undertake to answer faithleSB, or even doubting, wavering prayers. The promise is-" Whoever shall say to thi~ mountain, Be thou removed, e.nd be thou cast into the see.; e.nd shall not dmd,t ,:n his heart, but shall believe tbe.t those things which be saith shall come to pass, ho shall have what- soever he saith" (Me.rk xi. 23).
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-11.-The ..A.ltar of Incense. See below, vers. 34-38.-J. 0.