Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 12
EXERCITAT. XII. Of the Altar. A ceremoniall appendix of Command. 2.
Exod. 27.1. And thou ſhalt make an Altar of Shittim wood five cubits long and five cubites broad, &c.
THere were typicall Altars under the Law, and the myſticall Altar Ieſus Chriſt, ſignified by them under the Goſpel.
Two Altars.The typicall Altars under the Law were the Altar of burnt offering, and the Altar of incenſe; the Altar of burnt offering under the Law in the Wilderneſſe was built of earth,The matter of the Altars. in the Temple it was made of wood overlayd with braſſe; and the Altar of incenſe was made of wood overlaid with gold.
Why the Altar in the Wilderneſſe was made of earth, and not of hewen ſtone.The Altar of burnt offering in the Wilderneſſe was made of earth, and the Lord would have it made of earth onelyonly, becauſe he would not have it permanent, to remaine after they were gone out of the wilderneſſe; and he would not have it made of hewen ſtone, to ſignifie, that mens inventions doe but pollute the worſhip of God, Exod. 20.25.
Moyſes Altar and Salomons, in what they agree.The Altars of Moyſes Tabernacle, and Salomons Temple were the ſame in matter, and forme; Moyſes made his of Shittim wood, and Salomon made his of Cedar wood; and the ſubſtance was all one, although different in colour, and name onelyonly.
They differed in their baſes, height, breadth, and length.They differed in their baſes, the proportion was double; there were two baſes of the Altar in the Tabernacle, and foure in the Temple. Secondly, they differed in height, there was a triple proportion, three, and ten, Moyſes Altar was three cubits high, and Salomons Altar was ten cubits high. Thirdly, in length & breadth, there was a fourefold proportion; the Altar of Moſes was five cubits long, and five cubits broad; and the Altar of Salomon was twenty cubits long, and twentie cubits broad.
Salomon made all the veſſels of the Temple except the Arke.Salomon made all the veſſels that pertained to the houſe of the Lord, the Altar of gold, the Table of gold whereupon the ſhewbread was, and the Candleſticke, 1 King. 7.48. but he made not a new Arke, becauſe Chriſt who was repreſented by the Arke, is the ſame yeſterday, and to day, and for ever, Heb. 13.8.
Queſt. Why doth not Ezekiel, when he deſcribeth the new Temple, make mention of the Arke and the Candleſticke, as he doth of the Altar and the Temple it ſelfe at large?
Anſw. Becauſe there was not an Arke to be in the ſecond Temple, Why Ezekiel maketh no mention of the Arke and Candleſticke in the ſecond Temple.and the light of that Candleſticke was not lighted with fire from the heaven, as in the Tabernacle and firſt Temple; and thus the Scriptures in wiſedome doe paſſe many things; and out of the ſilence of the Scriptures we may learne ſometimes; as when the Scripture paſſeth by Melchizedecks father and his mother: So when the Scripture ſetteth downe the curſes at large upon mount Ebal, Why the curſes in the Law are expreſſed, and the bleſſings concealed.and the bleſſings are concealed; to teach us, that the Law curſeth us for the breach of it, and that the bleſſings are reſerved for the Goſpel, Matth. 5.
The golden Altar had a crowne round about it, as the Arke of the Teſtimonie had, and the Table of ſhewbread.
There aroſe foure hornes from the crowne of the Altar,The hornes of the golden Altar, what they ſignified. every one in the forme of a broach ſmall in the top, which ſignified the ſtrength which was in Chriſt, who was able to overthrow that lord with two hornes, Dan. 6.8. and all the hornes of the wicked, Pſal. 75.11.
It had a hole like a window in the eaſt ſide,The place where they emptyed the Altar of the aſhes, was not towards the holieſt of all. to take out the aſhes which fell through the grate, as the braſen Altar, and this was upon the eaſt ſide of the Altar, and not towards the holieſt, to ſignifie that impurity ſhould be farre from the holieſt of all. This golden Altar was called the Table of the Lord, Mala. 1.7.
The Apoſtle, Heb. 9.4.why the Apoſtle maketh no mention of the golden Altar, but onelyonly of the golden cenſer. maketh mention of the golden cenſer onelyonly, and not of the golden Altar; and this he doth to ſignifie that this was the laſt period of the Leviticall ſervice to be done away; for the laſt thing which the Prieſt did when he came out of the Temple, was to hold up incenſe with his cenſer.
The Highprieſt when he went into the holieſt of all once in the yeare, he left the golden cenſer there for the whole yeare,Why the Highprieſt left the cenſer in the holieſt of all. Heb. 9.4. to ſignifie that this Leviticall ſervice was to be layd downe, and that Chriſts interceſſion indureth for ever; and the Apoſtle paſſeth by all theſe things without the vaile, to ſignifie that the ceremonies without the vaile were to be aboliſhed.
The Angell appeared to Zacharias when he was offering incenſe.At the right ſide of this Altar the Angell appeared to Zacharias, Luk. 1.11. and firſt he appeared to him at the time of incenſe, when all the reſt of the ceremoniall ſervice was ended, and when he had done all things which were requiſite in the firſt Tabernacle; as dreſſing of lamps, ſacrificing, putting bread upon the Table every Sabbath; to teach us, that now Chriſt was to come when the ceremonies were drawing to an end.
Why the Angell appered to Zacharias the father of Iohn the Baptiſt.Againe, he appeared to Zacharias who was the father of Iohn the Baptiſt, to ſignifie that now Chriſt was neare comming, becauſe Iohn, Zacharias ſonne, his forerunner was now at hand.
Why he appeared to Zacharias an inferior Prieſt.Laſtly, he appeared to Zacharias an inferior Prieſt, and not to the Highprieſt, to ſignifie that Iohn ſhould be but a ſervant, and one that ſhould not thinke himſelfe worthy to looſe the latchet of Chriſts ſhooes.
The ſignification of the braſen Altar.The Altar for the burnt offering was covered with braſſe, and it ſignified Chriſts paſſion, as the golden Altar ſignified his interceſſion; and as none might goe to the golden Altar to offer incenſe, but he who might goe to the braſen Altar and offer ſacrifice; ſo we have no mediator of interceſſion but he that is the mediator of our redemption. This Altar was a large Altar in Solomons time, twentie cubits in length and twentie in breadth: when there was a great ſacrifice upon this Altar it was filled to the corners, Alluſion. and Zachariah alludeth to this, they ſhall be filled like bowles, and as the corners of the Altar, Zach. 9.15.
When the Sacrifice was accepted of the Lord, they tooke this for a ſigne that it was all turned to aſhes,A ſigne of the acceptation of the Sacrifices and they prayed, the Lord turne thy ſacrifice to aſhes, Pſal. 20.3.
This Altar had hornes as the golden Altar had;The Sacrifice was tyed to the hornes of the Altar. and they that were to offer a ſacrifice, delivered the beaſt to the Prieſt, and he tyed it to the hornes of the Altar, and from hence he tooke it to the north gate and killed it, and then the Prieſt cut it in ſo many quarters, and laid it upon the Altar and burnt it, Alluſion. and David alludeth to this, Pſal. 18.27. Bind the ſacrifice with cords, even unto the hornes of the Altar.
There was one border about the Altar above, and another at the foote of it,The blood of the beaſts ſprinkled upon the Altar and powred under the Altar. and there was a great ditch about the Altar where the blood of the beaſts was powred, which were killed; this blood was brought from the north gate and ſprinkled upon the hornes of the Altar, and it ran downe to the foote of the Altar, into that ditch where the reſt of the blood was powred, and it was all carried through ſecret paſſages to the brooke Kidron, and Iohn alludeth to this, Revel. 6.9. Alluſion. I ſaw under the Altar the ſoules of them that were ſlaine for the word of God.
The border went round about the foote of the Altar, that no man might fall into this deepe ditch where the blood was powred. So the Lord commanded them to make battlements about their houſes, for the ſafety of men, Deut. 22.8. and ſo there was peribulum or a wall round about the Temple to ſave the people that none fell over, becauſe it ſtood upon a hill.
The Lord placed the braſen Altar in the midſt of the Court, but AhaZ tooke it out of the owne place,How Ahaz remooved the braſen Altar. and ſet it upon the north ſide of the Altar of Damaſcus, 2 King. 16.14. even in that place where the Idoll of jealouſie was ſet up at the north gate, Ezek. 8.5. and here the glory of the Lord appeared at his owne Altar, when he teſtified unto them by his apparition, that hee was to leave his Temple for their Idolatry, Ezek. 8.4. this viſion of Ezekiel was in atrio gentium, in the court of the Gentiles; but when the Lord was to give ſentence againſt them, he came to the threſhold of the doore, Ezek. 10.4.
Why Salomon ſacrificed in the middle of the Court.Becauſe this braſen Altar was not large enough to containe all the ſacrifices, therefore Salomon hallowed the middle of the court, where he ſacrificed the reſt of the ſacrifices, 1 King. 8.64. David and Salomon being Prophets and immediatly directed by the Spirit of God,David and Salomon added many things which were not in the Tabernacle. added ſomethings which were not in the Tabernacle, as David for conveniencie cauſed the Prieſts to enter in the ſervice of the Tabernacle when they were twentie five yeares of age; whereas the Prieſts before did not enter in their miniſterie to ſerve in the Tabernacle, untill they were thirtie yeares of age. So Salomon for conveniencie hallowed the middle court for the ſacrifices, becauſe the braſen Altar could not containe all the ſacrifices at that time, being an extra-ordinarie ſacrifice.
Somethings added in the Temple for ſignification.Secondly, ſomething was added in the Temple for ſignification, as Salomon added two Cherubims in the Temple which were not in the Tabernacle; to ſignifie that the Gentiles were to be called, and that the miniſterie of the Angels ſhould be extended to them.
Something added in it for order.Thirdly, ſomething was added for order, as David divided the Prieſts in foure and twentie orders; but none of the Kings of Iudah elſe did the like, neyther Ioſias nor yet Hezekiah; becauſe they were not Prophets, as David and Salomon were.
Queſt. Whether ſhould any Altar be retained now in the Church or not.
Anſw. The Fathers call the Table of the Lord an Altar by alluſion.The fathers by alluſion called the Table of the Lord an Altar, but when they ſpeake this, they meane not properly of an Altar; but onelyonly they call it ſo, becauſe it carieth a remembrance of that ſacrifice once offered.
There are foure ſorts of Altars; typicum, myſticum, Foure ſorts of Altars.metaphoricum, & falſum; the typicall Altar, was that under the law; myſticall, as Ieſus Chriſt, Heb. 13.10. Wee have an Altar whereof they have no right to eate which ſerve the Tabernacle; metaphoricall, as the fathers call the Table an Altar; and the falſe Altar, is the Romiſh Altar, upon which they would offer Chriſt daily, and crucifie him anew againe.
Concluſion. The Concluſion of this is, Chriſt our Highprieſt differed farre from the Leviticall Prieſthood, he ſitteth at the right hand of God when hee preſenteth our prayers and offereth them up unto the Lord, whereas the Prieſts ſtood at the Altar under the Law when they ſacrificed, but they who offer him daily anew againe in a ſacrifice for the quicke and the dead, doe bring him in ſtanding, as though his prieſthood were not above the Leviticall prieſthood.