An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of…

And then another reason why the Lord would have only thi• Altar for Sacrifice,¹ and the other for Incense, and that all the people should come to these Altars,² 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;³ 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.⁴ 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 worshipped 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 ⟨p. 76⟩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 an 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.