1 S THE OLIVE LEAF. CHAP. 



may now be entered, and the first object which we 

 behold in the holy place is the altar of incense, which 

 is the counterpart of the altar of burnt-offering without 

 in the court. Both are intimately and inseparably 

 linked together. It is an altar, and therefore has a 

 reference to a sacrifice already presented ; and the holy 

 fire which causes the sweet incense to ascend is that 

 which had first consumed the victim on the altar of 

 burnt-offering. The perpetual incense rising within the 

 holy place thus forms an appropriate accompaniment 

 to the burnt-offering perpetually presented in the court. 

 One fire slowly consumes them both; and any fire 

 employed to raise the cloud of incense in the sanctuary, 

 except that which had been taken from the altar of 

 burnt-offering, is strange fire, rendering the incense 

 produced by it unhallowed, and exposing the profane 

 worshipper to the penalty of death. Even the incense 

 itself, it may be added, indicates the oneness of the 

 service; for it is composed of various spices of like 

 weight, so skilfully mingled together that no one in- 

 gredient shall predominate over the other, but each 

 shall harmoniously combine to make one exquisitely 

 fragrant perfume before the Lord. 



The next object within the holy place is the seven- 

 branched golden candlestick. With its seven stems 

 proceeding from one, and its rich floral ornamentation, 

 the most elaborate of all the holy vessels, it was beaten 

 from one solid mass of gold by the hand of the artist, 

 who must have had the pattern and the symmetry of the 

 whole and of every part in his mind as he slowly and 



