fet up and prepared for one fo vile and rebellious as he has been; and thus the foul is filled with difcouragements, being ready to fink with grief and defpair. But let me anfwer the crafty deceiver of fouls: O, Satan, thou haft by thy cunning fubtle device, deceived many poor fouls this way already, by which ftratagem of thine they have been held back from receiving joy and peace from the altar of fatisfaction; thou art ftill perfuading the foul that the Father of mercies, and God of all comforts, looks for higher qualifications of heart and life, to fit for fuch a mercy as the altar CHRIST is, than the foul is able to bring forth; which defign of Satan is only to put the foul upon delays on purpose for its everlafting undoing; for he well knows that if the foul should stay from CHRIST, until it be fit for CHRIST, it would never get CHRIST to eternity. But the HOLY GHOST proclaims other doctrine, Rev. xxii. 17. the Spirit faith, come; and the bride faith, come; and let him that beareth fay, come; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely; for the altar of fatisfaction is fet up for every comer thereunto, whosoever will, let him come; though ever fo vile and filthy, as here is cleanfing for thy filth, and atonement for thy offences; thy coming in a way of believing, gives thee a right to the altar of atonement, as it was erected for the guilty. Therefore, O foul! let not the father of lies keep thee any longer from CHRIST, thy gofpel-altar, but come with the greatest, freedom, and do not difpute fo much thy unworthiness, as the Lord Chrift's willingness and fufficiency to fave thee; for whatever thy life hath been, though ever fo notorioufly wicked, yet there is hope for thee, and help is laid upon one that is mighty; and therefore we are to tell thee, in the name of GOD, that neither the number nor greatness of thy fins fhall condemn thee. The pfalmift made the greatnefs of his fin the ground of his plea with GOD, and of his coming to the altar for pardon, Pfal. xxv. 11. For thy name's fake, Ő Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great. Strange! pardon it because it is great! Had it been a little fin, one would have thought David might have had a better plea: No, not at all, forafmuch as there is a great atonement made for great fins, and when GoD pardons a guilty finner he acts like himself, as the Lord God, gracious and merciful, keeping mercy for thousands; therefore let the foul's cafe and condition be ever fo defperate, on account of fin, there is ftill room at the altar, liberty at the throne of grace, as the weight of fin cannot poife with the blood of atonement, Rom. v. 20. moreover the law entered that

the offence might abound, but where fin abounded grace did much more abound.

Thirdly, Another time when the chriftian fhould have recourse to the altar of fatisfaction, is in the season of prevailing corruption, when the heart is overcome with the ftrength of indwelling fin, with regard to its life, activity and power, acting with fuch prevalency and impetuofity, until the foul is carried thereby into a ftate of bondage and thraldom, and the chriftian cries out, That which I hate do I, Rom. vii. 21, 23. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is prefent with me: But I fee another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of fin, 19 ver. for the good that I would, I do not; but evil, that I would not, that I do. In fuch a time as this the chriftian fhould have recourfe to the altar of fatisfaction; corruption cannot live if you bring it here, that altar upon which CHRIST died for fin, will yield the greatest death unto fin, Rom. vi. 6. knowing this, that our old man is crucified, that the body of fin might be destroyed; that thou mighteft get fin and corruption fubdued, as well as the guilt thereof removed; for this end was the altar of fatisfaction erected: O! then, whenever fin and corruption get a-head, be fure to bring thy foul to the altar of atonement, and fubmit thy rebellious heart to be new formed by the hand of CHRIST, Pfal. li. 10. Create in me, O God, a clean heart, and renew a right fpirit within me: Beg of the LORD JESUS that he would yield forth the bleffed effect of his death upon thy foul, to kill fin, to flay corruption, and to fubdue the prevalency of unbelief. And this being done, may the HOLY GHOST add faith in the work, and then thou needeft not fear, but that the God of hope will give thee all joy and peace in believing; only let patience have her perfect work, waiting at the throne of grace, and it will be thy heavenly FATHER'S pleasure to give thee the fure mercies of David; though it may be now a night of darkness with thy foul, yet the HOLY GHOST hath a word of comfort, Ifa. 1. 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of my fervant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him truft in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Truft and stay in the dark, for as we cannot command the morning-light at midnight feafon, fo neither can we command the light of GOD's countenance when he hides his face. But then at midnight-feafon, we may comfort ourselves with this, the morning will return, the fun will arife and fhew its gladening beams and confoling rays, its appointed time; in like man

ner, if the darkest night of defertion and affliction, (if we have but faith and patience to wait) the morning of joy will come, the fun of righteoufnefs will arife with his confoling beams of love upon our fouls, to difpel all darknefs and fear, and chafe away the mift of fin from our minds, thereby filling our hearts with heavenly hopes, and accelerating our feet in wisdom's pleafant paths, high in falvation's road, and in the climes of blifs.

Laftly, I would obferve, if the altar of fatisfaction and atonement affords fuch relief to the mind in diftrefs, banishes fear, fupports the drooping, encourages the fainting, pardons the guilty, then what ftrong obligations is the chriftian under to exemplary obedience! To have a ftrict regard to the honour of GOD in his conduct, converfation and deportment in the world, that the men of the world may reverence the name he profeileth to adore, and ftand in awe of him as an heir of glory. For an holy heavenly walk will command dread and awe from men and devils, upon which account the church is faid to be terrible as an army with banners, Cant. vi. 10. A chriftian, whofe walk is agreeable to the word, and thereby commendable before GoD, need not fear, though men and devils are combined against him, but may, in the face of every adverfary, exult with the pious pfalmift, Pfal. xxvii. 1. The Lord is my light and my falvation, whom shall I fear? the Lord is the ftrength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid.

Friendly. My dear Truth, your fpiritual elucidation of the altar of burnt offering engages my affections and admiration, as I both love and admire the marrow of truth, the treasure of falvation, that is thus unwrapped from the mofaic vail; but why was there another altar, mentioned Exod. xxx. 1, 2, 3. which was overlaid with pure gold, and had a crown of gold round

about?

Truth. The two altars do moft elegantly point out the two-fold work of the LORD JESUS, viz. the atonement of his death, and the interceffion of his life in heaven.--The altar that was overlaid with brass, Exod. xxvii. 2. was to offer up the flain beaft upon to make an atonement, Exod. xxix. 36.and thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a fin offering, to make ar atonement; but the altar that was overlaid with gold was to offer incenfe upon, Exod. xxx. 1. and thou shalt make an altar to burn incenfe upon. Now thefe two altars were a lively prefiguration of the death and interceffion of CHRIST, as the incente that was offered upon the golden altar was to render the facrifices, which were offered upon the altar of brafs, accept

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able to GOD, therefore they are repeatedly faid to be a fweet favour to the Lord, Lev. i. 9. 13. 17. And we find the HOLY GHOST applies it to CHRIST, Eph. v. 2. as Chrift hath alf loved us, and given bimflf for us, an offering and facrifice to God, for a fweet fmelling faveur. Now CHRIST's giving himself an offering and facrifice to GOD, was the antitype of the offerings of atonement upon the altar of brafs; but CHRIST's death being a facrifice of a fweet-finelling favour to God, is the antitype of the incenfe that was offered upon the golden altar, thereby the facrifices under the law are faid to be facrifices of a fweet favour unto the Lord, Lev. i. 9. 13. 17. or as it is in the Hebrew, facrifices of reft; which did in a confpicuous manner adumbrate the fweet favour of CHRIST's death and interceffion, and that reft and pacification that GOD takes in the atoning blood of the Lamb.

Friendly. But why was the incenfe altar overlaid with gold, when the facrifice altar was only overlaid with brass?

Truth. As gold is more excellent than brafs, it points out unto us, that the interceffion of CHRIST is more glorious (if there be any poffibility of excelling in glory) than his death and fufferings; for as both thefe altars were an eminent type of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, with regard to the two-fold work he was to adminifter for the elect, (which was first to offer himself a facrifice, and fecondly to make continual interceffion to God for them) it plainly fhews us thus much, that although the work which our LORD did in dying to fatisfy divine juftice, in yielding himfelf a facrifice to take away our fins, thereby rendering it a work for ever adorable by men and angels; I fay, though this was a very glorious transcendent and gracious work, yet the work of his interceffion appears to me more glorious, inafmuch as it is the living triumphs of his death, it maintains our communion with GOD, and makes our paffage fure to glory, gives us an indubitable right to all the promifes, and is an inconteftable proof of the acceptation and atonement of his facrifice; upon which account the apoftle lays fuch weight and emphafis upon his refurrection and interceffion, Rom. viii. 34. Who shall condemn us? it is Chrift that died; and he adds, yea, rather that is rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, to make interceffion for us. The death and futtering of CHRIST free us from condemnation, but his interceffion proves the conti. uation of his love to us, his triumphs over death and hell for us, that fprings of grace are opened to us, that he loves us dearer than his own blood, and therefore he ever liveth to make interceffion for us. Upon

which account his interceffion may be faid to excel in glory (if it be poffible for one act of CHRIST's love to excel another) but the state and condition of CHRIST's interceffion prove it to be a work more glorious than his fufferings, as his death was a work of the loweft humiliation and deepest abafement, Phil. ii. 8. and being found in fufhion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the crafs: but his work of interceffion is a work of exaltation and triumph, an employment at the right hand of God, it is his glory-work for his faints in the prefence of God for them, as faith the apoftle, Heb. ix. 24. For Chrift is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the prefence of God for us. But more particularly the incenfe altar being verlaid with gold, I apprehend points out unto us, the glory and ineffable worth of the LORD JESUS CHRIST; the value and veneration his people fhould have for him, counting all things but lofs and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of bim, whom to know is life eternal, as his riches are unfearchable, his love is immutable, his promifes are inviolable, his compaffions are infinite, his bleffings are boundlefs, and in his prefence there is fulness of joy. The incenfe altar having a crown of gold round about, I humbly conceive denotes, that the interceffion of CHRIST Crowns all his undertakings with fucceffions, as his incarnation, life, death and fufferings, have their confummate ends anfwered by his interceffion, as his interceffion is the top-ftone of our redemption; it is that which makes the difpenfations of his providence fo effectual to alarm and awaken his elect from their miferable state and condition by nature, and the miniftration of his word fo comforting and enriching to his people; it gives them free access to the throne of grace, and opens wells of falvation for their fupply. This altar is called the incenfe altar, Exod. xxxvii. 25. A perfumatory, a place where perfumes were offered, where odours were daily burned; the Chaldees expound it, to offer up incenfe of funt fpices, Exod. xxxi. 7. 8. And Aaron fhall burn thereon Sweet incenfe, every morning when he dreffeth the lamps, he shall burn incenfe upon it; and when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he fhall burn incenfe upon it, a perpetual incenfe before the Lord throughout your generations. Here obferve, that the fweet incenfe was to be offered upon the golden altar when the lamps were dreffed. The dreffing of the lamps I have already obferved, typified the vivification of the HOLY GHOST upon the hearts of God's people. But the incenfe being offered when