Verse 11

VER. 11.

Because Ephraim has made many altars to sin, altars shall be to him to sin.

It was the charge of God in Scripture, that there should be but one altar for sacrifice, and there was another altar that afterwards was made for incense, and no further, in Deuteronomy 12:3 and 5. There we have the charge of God that there should be none other made, You shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire, and you shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place &c. And then, Take heed to yourself that you offer not your burnt offering in every place that you see, but in the place which the Lord shall choose &c. And in Deuteronomy 27:5, You shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones: you shall not lift up an iron tool upon them. And according to which Joshua did, in Joshua 8:30, and hence in Joshua 22:11. Now for the altar of God, I shall first show you a little the meaning of them, and then the reason why God would have but this one altar, in Exodus 20:24, there is an injunction of God for the altar of sacrifice; An altar of earth you shall make to me, and shalt sacrifice thereon your burnt offering &c. Here observe that, that when God would have an altar made for sacrifice it must be but an altar of earth, but if it should be of stone, Take heed that you lift not up a tool upon it. Why, one would think that to carve and paint the stones and do any thing to make it brave would do better, than to have the stones rough; No says God, whatever you may think that to make my altar brave, by carving of it and painting it, if you do but lift up a tool upon it, you pollute my altar; all man's devices in the worship of God though they be never so pompous they do but pollute God's worship. And they must not go up upon steps (quite contrary to our high altars) that their nakedness be not discovered therein: noting that when we come into the presence of God we should take heed of our spiritual nakedness, and the pride and vanity of our spirits in prayer; God would have them make an altar so as they might not go up upon steps, lest their nakedness should be discovered. But now in Exodus 27:1, 2, there you shall find an altar of Shittim wood overlaid with brass; you will say, Why was the first with earth and the other with brass? The reason was, because that the one was to be made when they were in an unsettled condition, and the other to be made afterwards when they were in a more stated condition than formerly, and that it might endure a long time. But mark, it must be according to God's direction, except God does reveal that it should be of Shittim wood and overlaid with brass they were not to do it.

And then, the second altar was the altar of burnt incense, and that you have in Exodus 30:1, 2, 3, and that was to be overlaid with pure gold: that of brass it was, because there was sin offerings to be offered upon it; but now the altar of incense it was the altar that was just before the veil against the mercy-seat, where there was only incense offered, which was to signify the intercession of Jesus Christ presenting his merits, and the prayers of all his people to the Father. The prayers of the saints are compared to incense, and there are many things observable about the altar of God, it is said that there should be four horns, and in Revelation chap. 9, ver. 13, I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God. Now Saint John speaks of after-times that should be, he heard a voice from the four horns of the altar, that is, from all the prayers of the saints that were in the four corners of the earth, there came a voice from them all and did sound, and did great things in the world. Certainly my brethren, the prayers of God's saints in all the corners of the world is that that makes the world ring. It was a speech of a learned man, If there be but one sigh come from a gracious heart, it fills the ears of God so that God hears nothing else. Yes, that's observable in Revelation 8:3, about this altar of incense, And another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. Thus we see that in our time we are to make use of this golden altar that is before the throne, all our prayers are to be offered up upon that which was a type of Jesus Christ, and our prayers except they be mingled with the incense which Christ did offer himself upon the golden altar, cannot be accepted. And likewise that's very observable about it that we read in Exodus 30:3, that there was a crown of gold round about it, to typify the intercession of Christ, and the prayers of the saints; you may see by this that Christ's intercession, and the prayers of the saints that came from faithful hearts, are accounted the very glory of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ accounts it his dignity and glory, to make intercession for his people, and to take the poor prayers of his people and present them to his Father; he makes account that his crown is set upon his head, when you exercise your faith upon Jesus Christ that Christ might present your prayers with his intercession to the Father, then you set the crown upon Jesus Christ's head; but when you think to be heard yourselves, and do not exercise your faith upon Christ, you do (as it were) take off the crown from the head of Jesus Christ. And that's very observable, the difference between this altar that was here enjoined to be made by Moses, and so was afterwards made, and the altar that we read of should be in the times of the Gospel.

First, Christ he is our altar in the Gospel, so it is in Hebrews 13:10, We have an altar that those have no right to eat of it, that serve at the Tabernacle; that is, such men as shall pertinaciously still stick to the ceremonies of the law, they have no right to partake of Jesus Christ.

And then further, you shall find that in the Gospel there is a prophesy of the Altar that the Church shall have, in Ezekiel 41:22. The Altar that was in the Law, the text says, it was to be a cubit long, and a cubit broad; but that which must be in the time of the Gospel, must be three cubits high, and two cubits long: and this notes thus much, that there shall be a larger extent of the service of God in the time of the Gospel, than in the time of the Law; that place in Malachi does much open this (Malachi 1:11): "For from the rising of the Sun even to the going down of the same, my Name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place Incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great among the Heathen, says the Lord of hosts."

Another thing observable is, it was set before the Vail by the Ark of the Testimony, before the Mercy-seat. It was to stand in the holy of holiest, but just before the Vail, right against the Mercy-seat; and by this you must be helped to understand that Scripture in (Hebrews 9:4), which (as some understand it) seems to have some variety from this, it is said that the holiest of all had the golden Censer, by which they understand the golden Altar, in which the Censer was; but we shall find that the golden Altar did not stand in the holy of holiest, for we read in (Exodus 30:6): "And you shall put it before the Vail that is by the Ark of the Testimony, before the Mercy-seat; that is, over the Testimony." And therefore Interpreters reconcile it thus: it is not said here that the golden Censer or Altar (if we so take it) was in it, but it had it, that is, it was for the use of the holy of holiest, and it stood just before the holy of holiest, and just against the Mercy-seat, so that the high Priest when he was to enter into the holy of holiest he was to take a Censer and Incense from this Altar, and so go into the holiest of all.

But this is the note, in that the Altar of Incense stands just against the Mercy-seat, and yet there is a Vail between the Mercy-seat and it. So when we are to offer up our Incense upon the merits of Christ and his intercession, though we cannot by the eye of our bodies see the Mercy-seat, yet we must act our faith upon the Mercy-seat; and then that's observable, that the Incense must be burnt upon this Altar at that very time when the Lamps were to be trimmed and lighted, so you shall observe it in (Exodus 30:7), and that was to note thus much to us: that we are to join the Word with our prayers, and not to come ignorantly to God, but labor to enlighten our souls with the Lamp of his Word, when we come to offer up our Incense to God.

Further, there is a command that no strange Incense shall be offered upon it. This is to teach us thus much: that we must take heed of bringing any thing to God to offer him in prayer, but what comes from the Spirit of God, only God's own Incense; take heed (I say) of bringing unsanctified parts, or any thing but that which is from the Spirit of God.

Lastly, once a year an atonement was made upon the horns of the Altar, with the blood of the sin-offering; though the sin-offering was not offered upon it, yet once a year an atonement was made upon it with the blood of the sin-offering. This is to note thus much: that even by our Incense we defile the Altar what in us lies. And thus I have a little digressed, and yet it is still for opening of Scripture to you, to show to you the meaning of God's Altars.

But why would God have no other Altars, but accounted it so heinous a crime to make any other Altars but those?

The reasons are these.

First, because these Altars did typify these two things.

The Altar of burnt-offerings did typify this: that Christ was to be the only Sacrifice; there should be no other sacrifice to pacify God's wrath but only Jesus Christ, who was both the Sacrifice indeed, and the Altar itself, for his human nature was offered to God upon the merits, as it were upon the worthiness of his divine nature (Hebrews 9:14): "How much more shall the blood of Jesus Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God," etc. This Altar did signify the offering of Jesus Christ. As if God should say, know that what endeavors you do or can use to satisfy my justice, and my wrath it is to no purpose, there's nothing but only my Son and that offering that shall satisfy my wrath: and now for them to make more Altars, it was to deny that great point of religion that there was only the Sacrifice of Christ to satisfy God.

Secondly, this signified, that in Christ only our services which are our spiritual sacrifices are accepted of God; there must be no Altar, but this for the sacrifice, and the other for Incense; God would have this doctrine kept pure from that time and so ever after, that none of our spiritual sacrifices can be accepted any other way but only as they have reference to Jesus Christ that Altar that the Lord has appointed.

And then another reason why the Lord would have only this Altar for Sacrifice, and the other for Incense, and that all the people should come to these Altars, it was; That it might be the bond of the Church; because the people of the Jews were a National Church, therefore there was to be a National Worship, for that all the Nation was to join not only in the same likeness of Worship, but in the very same individual Worship; and this was the bond of their National Church. Now for my part, I know none living that holds a National Church in these days in this sense, that is to be of Divine Institution, and joined in one, by Gods commanding any National Worship for them. Where there are in Nations a great many of the Saints of God, that they may be called a National Church we dispute not against that; but people when they talk of a National Church, do not conceive the meaning of it. Certainly this was a special end why God would have them come to this one Altar, it was to be the bond of the National Church, that they should have such a worship wherein they were all of them to join in one, and this it was that made them a National Church. It is not enough to have the same kind of worship; as now, we all pray, and read the Word in all Congregations, we have all the same Sacraments, but they must join in one individual worship. If the Nation of the Jews had worshiped the same God after the same manner, in divers Temples, and upon divers Altars, this had not been a National bond to them; but by coming up to the same Temple, and offering upon the same Altars, and when the Sacrifice and Incense was offered for them all, they were joined in the very act, all of them in that one thing, this was the thing that did unite them into a Church-union in another manner than any Church-union can be in this world, till we have such a kind of Institution as they had. We have no Institution for worship but where people may personally join together: but for thousands of Congregations to be bound by Institution to join in the very same bond of worship, in the very same individual act, such a union we have not in these days, and without the understanding of this aright, we understand not the scope why they had but one Altar for burnt offerings, and one Altar for Incense.

But now it may be said, That it does not seem to be such a sin to erect Altars, for that's the sin charged upon Ephraim, That they did erect many other Altars; for the Scripture speaks of many Altars that were Gods Altars (1 Kings 19). You know it is the complaint of Elijah that they had cast down Gods Altars, They have cast down your Altars; now this was spoken after the time of the Law when there was but only two Altars appointed by God, and the Prophet did not mean them, the Altar for burnt offerings and Incense.

Therefore the answers that divines give to this is; That this is spoken of those Altars that the Patriarchs and others had built for the honor of God to sacrifice upon, before the time that the Law was given by Moses, for that one only Altar of sacrifice, (and here he complains they had cast down those Altars) for it was lawful before the command was given to build divers Altars, but after the command was given, it was not.

Yes, but still the objection will be, How could it be a sin to cast down those Altars when they were of no further religious use? For after the command of God for that one Altar, then the other were to be demolished; was it not commended in the godly Kings that they cast down high places, and cut down groves? Though some of them formerly were for the true worship of God, yet after God had appointed a peculiar place for his worship and those other places were abused to superstition, then they were to be cast down; and so there's no question to be made but all other Altars that were built for religious uses were to be cast down, after Gods own Altars were made.

The answer to it therefore is this; That the evil that Elijah complains of, it was the profaneness of the people, their casting off all fear and reverence of God; because they did not cast down those Altars out of love to God, and his worship, upon this principle, that they would not suffer any thing that might be dangerous to superstition, that was not the principle whereby they were acted in casting them down, but they cast them down as led thereunto by malice and rage against Religion, and to satisfy their lusts. And thus if men oppose that which is indeed superstitious, yet if it be not out of a true love to God and his honor, if it be not out of a desire to set up and to maintain the true worship of God, but in a bitterness and rage, merely out of self-ends to please themselves in a way of revenge, or through any distemper, though (I say) the thing be evil that these men do oppose, yet God will not own it as any service to him, it is a sin in them to cast down that which should be cast down, if they do not cast it down out of a right and gracious principle. Then what evil is it for men in bitterness of spirit to oppose that which is in itself good, if God account it sin to oppose that which should be opposed, if it be through bitterness of spirit, and not through gracious principles.