Incense and Light

Incense and Light

(No. 1710)

DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, MARCH 11, 1883,

BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he
dresses the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lights
the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual
incense before the Lord throughout your generations." Exodus 30:7,8.

CERTAIN ceremonies under the Law were only of annual celebration, while
other matters were of daily observation. And by the daily repetition
they were intended to be set forth as eminently constant and perpetual.
These daily ordinances were to be regarded by the children of Israel as
of standing obligation, abiding types of constant necessity, never to
be removed so long as the dispensation should last. When the priest
went into the tabernacle, he could not enter it without being warned of
sin and of sacrifice, for at the entrance of the holy place stood an
altar of brass upon which there was offered, every morning, a lamb and
every evening a lamb.

This taught that access to God was not possible except by
expiation–expiation by bloody sacrifice, expiation by the death of a
substituted victim–expiation which must continue as long as sin
remained. You could not even enter into the first court without the
sight of an altar, blood and fire–thus showing us that there is no
coming to God, even on the ordinary level of Christian experience,
apart from the Atonement made by our Lord Jesus, who is "the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world." You cannot be heard in penitent
prayer, or receive pardon, or commence the life of faith, or be even a
babe in Grace unless you know the great Truth of God, that the Lord
"has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him." Without the shedding of blood,
remission of sin and access to God are out of the question! Paul
ascribes our drawing near unto the Lord to our Savior's perfect
Sacrifice, for he says, "You who sometimes were far off are made near
by the blood of Christ."

Before the innermost sanctuary there hung a substantial veil and the
entrance into the Holy of Holies was only permitted once in the year.
If that veil had been lifted up so that we could enter, we would have
found, at the door, a golden altar, to represent, again, our Lord Jesus
Christ under another aspect–for on that golden altar there was offered
a sweet perfume of precious spices, denoting His perpetual intercession
on the behalf of His people and His enduring merits which are
continually being presented by Himself before the Throne of the Most
High. To go within the veil you must pass by the Altar of Incense.
Learn, therefore, that to the door of the inner chamber of communion
with God we must approach by the perfect merit of our redeeming Lord!
We come not in our own merit, but we are "accepted in the Beloved."

If we have ever been favored with high and holy communion with God,
such as He reserves for favored saints. If we have been enabled to come
boldly to the Throne of heavenly Grace and have looked into the
tempered brightness of that Light of God which shines above the Mercy
Seat, we have come only by virtue of the infinite merit of our Lord
Jesus. The lowest form of communion in the outer court must be by the
sacrifice of Jesus. And the highest form of communion, even that which
is most intense and most delightful, is still by Christ. The incense
sets forth His merit and that is not without blood, for once in the
year the horns of the altar were smeared with the blood which had been
carried within the veil. There was no coming within the veil without
passing by the incense altar, even as there is no access to God but by
the all-powerful mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ! Let us never
forget this. Simple as the Truth of God is, we are apt to pass it by as
of no force.

I am afraid we are apt to put the most important Truths into the
background because they seem to be so elementary. But we ought to
remember that they are elementary only because they are essential from
first to last. Never try to draw near to God in prayer, or praise, or
meditation, or Scripture reading, or holy service apart from Jesus
Christ, or your

attempt will be a failure. Through the wall of fire which surrounds the
Throne of God, you can only pass by way of the one Door, namely, the
body and blood of our great Mediator, Sacrifice and Substitute! Is not
that Door sufficient? Why should we climb up some other way? If I am
very heavy of heart, do not let me try to raise my spirits and so come
in the power of human courage–let me but come just as I am, made bold
through Him whose comforts delight my soul! If I feel that I have been
sinning, do not let me try to get rid of my sin by some other process
and then draw near to God. Let me come, sinner as I am, in the name of
the sinner's Savior, and so draw near to God, having washed my robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Jesus says, "I am the way"–why should we seek another? Have nothing to
do with an absolute God–only deal with Him through a Mediator–and
keep to that way, for no man comes unto the Father but by the Lord
Jesus! Oh, you most experienced and privileged ones, take good note of
the golden altar! And whenever you approach the Mercy Seat, let the
cloud of its incense cover you and perfume your prayers! Hard by the
golden altar, which was nearest to the Holy of Holies, stood the golden
candlestick with its seven branches–these two instructive types were
set near each other for a purpose which I would open up today. This
candlestick was a matter of daily ordinance as much as the bronze Altar
of Sacrifice, or the golden Altar of Incense–it was for continual use
and was, therefore, dressed twice each day. We have a continual need of
the precious Atonement of Christ, of the intercession of Christ and of
the light of God's Holy Spirit. These are not things for once in a
year–these are matters for every day and all day–and, therefore, they
were attended to both at morning and at evening as if to shut in all
the hours of the day within two golden doors.

Every morning had its lamb, its burning incense and its lighted lamp.
And the same pertained to every evening all the year round. Thus all
days were fringed and bordered with this three-fold type–even as, at
this time, all our days are sanctified by faith in the effectual
expiation, joy in the prevailing intercession and delight in the clear
shining of the Spirit which makes glad all who are in the house! This
morning I desire to call your attention to the conjunction which was
established by the Divine Law between the burning of the incense and
the lighting of the lamps–these two things, being both of daily
observance–were attended to at the same moment for reasons worthy of
our study.

I. And first I call your attention to THE WONDERFUL COOPERATION BETWEEN
THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST FOR US AND THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN
US. See how, on the grandest scale, the incense of intercession and the
lamp of spiritual illumination are set side by side. He whose merit
brings us life is in Divine alliance with Him who brings us light!
Indeed, there is such unity between them that Jesus, Himself, is said
to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the Glory of His people
Israel. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ brings with it the communion
of the Holy Spirit, for the Father has joined them together!

Note that we have these both revealed in their fullness at the same
time. When our Lord ascended on high to plead before the Throne of God,
the Spirit descended to abide in the Church! After the Lord was taken
up, the disciples received the promise of the Father and were
illuminated by the Holy Spirit! Jesus, our great High Priest, presented
the sweet savor of His own Person and work before the eternal Throne of
God and then came the Spirit of God as tongues of fire lighting up the
sons of men and making them to be as candles of the Lord! Well said the
Apostle at Pentecost–"This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we all are
witnesses. Therefore being exalted by the right hand of God and having
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has shed
forth this, which you now see and hear." I say the two come
historically together and we must forever connect in our meditations
the ascended Savior's intercession and the illumination of the saints
by the descended Spirit.

Now, as they were connected historically, so are they continually
connected as a matter of fact. At this day it is as it was at
Pentecost–our Lord has not ceased to intercede and the Spirit has not
ceased to illuminate! Herein lies our hope for our own eternal
salvation, in the ceaseless plea and the quenchless light! For the
working out of that which God is working in us, both to will and to do
of His own good pleasure, we have these two guarantees and helps–the
Savior praying and the Spirit shining! Jesus is pleading and,
therefore, our faith fails not when Satan sifts us as wheat. The Spirit
is working and, therefore, the light of our faith is sustained by a
secret mystic oil which prevents the enemy from putting it out. This is
also our two-fold confidence when we go forth into the world to preach
the Gospel! Unto the Lord Jesus, all power is given in Heaven and in
earth, and He is "able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God
by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them."

The Church of God must succeed in her mission because her errand is the
object of the continual prayers of her living Lord. But she has her
second help, namely the Comforter, who abides with us and goes forth
with the Word that we preach, making it potent for the conversion of
the sons of men. We have the incense of Christ's merit pleading with
God and the light of God's Spirit pleading with men–we have Christ as
an Advocate with God and the Holy Spirit as an Advocate with men! What
more is needed? What joy and confidence we ought to feel in the work of
the Lord since Jesus is pleading and the Spirit is striving at the same
time–the incense rising, filling earth and Heaven with its
sweetness–and the Spirit brightly shining to the comfort and delight
of those who go forth into the darkness with the name of Jesus on their
lips! Joy to those who sit in darkness and in the valley of the shadow
of death, for even for them is this seven-fold Light shining! And to
their dank, pestilential abodes there comes the healing breath of sweet
perfume from the Redeemer's merits.

Furthermore, this conjunction, as it is a matter of history, and as it
is continuous, will always be seen by us, personally, when our prayer
is the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man that avails much. It
needs the Trinity to make a Christian; it needs the Trinity to make a
Christian prayer! The Father must hear us, else of what use are our
cries? But the ordained Mediator must also stand between us and the
Father, presenting His merit like the smoke of sweet incense, or else
our prayer can never be accepted of God. And to come down closer to
ourselves, the Spirit of God must also help our infirmities, for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought, so that, whenever we
pray, we must have these two in happy conjunction–intercession and
enlightenment–incense and light!

My prayer as my own prayer is a poor, vain, defiled thing unless Jesus
perfumes it! And it is a poor, dark, blind thing unless the Spirit of
God has enlightened it! The Holy Spirit teaches us what to pray for and
how to order our words aright. In His light we see light. We are in the
dark till He shines like the golden candlestick and enables us to see
our own need and the fullness of God's Grace. It is His light that
makes our heart to see the Lord in prayer, so that we seek the Lord by
the light of His own Spirit. When prayer is the work of the Spirit in
the heart, we are absolutely certain that it must succeed because the
Spirit makes intercession in the saints according to the will of God.
The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and He is most truly God, so
that whatever He prompts us to pray for is the same thing which the
Father has already decreed and eternally determined to bestow!

Our wishes and desires might never succeed with God if they were that
and no more, for our thoughts are not His thoughts, neither are our
ways His ways. But the thoughts and purposes of God, when these are
photographed upon our spirit by the Holy Spirit, are the pictures of
that which is assuredly to be, the prophecy of the determinate purpose
and foreknowledge of God! What is written in yon sealed Book, upon
which no human eye can gaze, is transcribed and written by the Spirit
of God upon our hearts–and thus we pray for that very thing which God
designs to give. There is an assured certainty of success to the prayer
that is made in the power of the Spirit of God! While praying in the
Holy Spirit we have the petition which we have asked of the Lord.

But then there is our second comfort, that Jesus stands ready to take
every prayer of ours, however imperfect in knowledge, however feeble in
expression, however marred with sorrow–and He presents the purified
and perfected prayer with His own merit–and it is sure to speed. The
sins of our holy things are seldom absent and, therefore, the constant
need is that we have an Advocate. Blessed be God for that inspired
Word, "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous." True prayer is the offering to God of the merit
of the Lord Jesus and, therefore, it must be accepted. What can be
refused to merit such as His? True prayer is presented always by the
Lord Jesus and, therefore, again, its certainty of efficacy–how can
the Father deny anything to the Well-Beloved? It is written in the book
of the Revelation–"And another angel came and stood at the altar,
having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that
he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar
which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came
with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the
angel's hand."

Can we doubt the success of prayers presented by the Angel of the
Covenant? Assuredly not! There is such excess of perfection in Christ
that it covers all our imperfection. There is such delicious sweetness
in Christ to the Father that it effectually destroys the ill savor of
anything that comes from us! And by its power, we, ourselves, become
unto God a sweet savor–and so, also, are our prayers when they are
presented by Jesus Christ! I like to think of the incense and of the
lamp and, best of all, of the two together, for these two enable me to
come boldly to the Throne of the heavenly Grace

to obtain mercy and find Grace! Acceptance through sweet savor and
light through Divine teaching are both mine as my soul waits upon God,
with her expectation turned towards Him. Nor ought I to pass away from
this first head without noting that in God's drawing near to man there
is the same conjunction of incense and light.

If the Glory of God were to come forth from between the cherubim. If it
should come past the veil to be revealed throughout the world, that
Glory would pass by these two, the golden Altar of Incense and the
golden lamp of light! I mean this–God can have no dealing with men at
all except through the merit of Christ and the light of the Spirit. As
for the work of our Lord Jesus, you and I believe in the special
Substitution of Christ for His elect–what we call, "Particular
Redemption," is held most firmly by us, for we believe that He redeemed
us from among men and that He laid down His life for the sheep. Yet
there are many passages of Scripture which speak of the work of Christ
as having a universal scope. He is, "the propitiation for our sins, and
not for ours, only, but for the sins of the whole world." We are told
that, by the Grace of God, "He tasted death for every man."

Now, the Atonement of Christ is many-sided and may be viewed in very
different lights. And while I trust we shall never be shaky about the
question of His literal and effectual Substitution for His own chosen,
whereby He offered for them a most sure, effectual and perfect
satisfaction, so that no sin may ever be laid to their charge, yet
there is, on the other hand, a general and universal view of His
atoning work. God could not have dealt with the world at all in the way
of mercy apart from the Sacrifice of Christ. The only thing which could
have been done with the race of man was to have crushed it out forever
if Christ had not stood for them as an Interposer. God was, in Christ,
reconciling the world unto Himself. For the sake of the Man, Christ
Jesus, God was able to look upon the fallen race in justice and yet
prepare mercy for the guilty. Men owe their lives to the Sacrifice of
Christ! Men owe the various alleviations of their sorrows by God's
gracious tenderness in Providence to the Sacrifice of Christ!

Above all, that free and honest proclamation of salvation to every man
that will believe in Christ Jesus is rendered possible by the wondrous,
perfect, unlimited, illimitable merit which resided in the Person and
work of such an One as Jesus our Lord! The picture before you is a very
beautiful one. Here are spices of the most precious kind, made up into
a compound such as never was compounded for any other purpose. This
Divinely-appointed mixture of sweet odors is placed in the censer upon
the golden altar–that is to say, eternal acceptance is found in the
Person of Christ. The incense is kindled with fire from on high. What
follows? The spices begin to burn and up ascends a pillar of smoke. See
how it rises high into the clear air! And as it rises it expands like a
cloud, covers the sky, is wafted all around and perfumes the whole air
with its own exceeding fragrance.

It rises and rises till it enters Heaven–yes, and the Heaven of
heavens! Its sacred odor is recognized in every golden street! It fills
every chamber of the glorious "house of God not made with hands!" It
ascends to the Throne of His excellent Majesty and the Lord is well
pleased with it–and again is fulfilled the words which are written
concerning the burnt-offering of Noah–"The Lord smelled a sweet savor;
and the Lord said in His heart, I will not again smite everything
living as I have done." Such is the merit of Christ, that through its
sweet savor God looks down upon the world and treats it with
long-suffering, tenderness and mercy. Is it not a blessed picture? As a
just and holy God, He could not deal with a guilty race except through
a mediatorial Sacrifice which should wrap mankind in its cloud of merit
and reconcile the world unto Himself!

And now, you and I may follow in the tracks of God and go out and
preach the Gospel to every creature without the slightest fear because
the whole air is perfumed with the incense of a Savior's mediatorial
work! Although not perceptible by carnal sense, yet the inward spirit
in the soul of the Believer perceives the grateful odor of the finished
work of the ever-living Savior sweetening all things, so that now we
call nothing common or unclean, but are prepared to deliver our message
to the vilest of the vile! God, in Christ, is kind, even, to the
unthankful and the evil, and wills that supplications, prayers,
intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men–and to every
creature the Gospel should be preached. We shall not, however, proceed
to any practical purpose unless we remember, next, that when God comes
to deal with men, it is with the light of the Spirit as well as with
the merit of Christ.

The golden candlestick is as necessary as the golden censer–for God's
work among men is always by His Spirit. He is seeking out His people as
the woman sought for her lost piece of money and it is significant that
it is written, "She did light a candle and sweep the house." God, in
His work of salvation, comes to men with the candle of His Word lighted
through the Holy Spirit–and through the teaching of His Word from day
to day, that Spirit shines as from a lantern

among the sons of men! If you and I would follow in the tracks of God,
as His dear children, imitating Him, we must take with us the light of
the Gospel or the Glory of God and, by the power and light of His
Spirit we must make known to men the unsearchable riches of Christ. To
us Jehovah is our light and our salvation–and when we go in His name
we must not go without the Light of God. Thus you see we come to God by
the incense and the light–and even so does God come down to man to
bless Him.

II. Secondly, our text seems to me to teach THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
PRAYER AND KNOWLEDGE. The

golden altar represents intercession offered by Christ and, also, the
prayers of all the saints which are accepted through His intercession.
And, as the candlestick stood side by side with it, and represented the
light of the Spirit of Truth, so must true prayer and true knowledge
never be separated. So I gather, first, that prayer should be attended
with knowledge. It is evil when men worship, they know not what. God is
Light and He will not have His people worship Him in the dark. When
they burn the incense, they must also light the lamp.

In the Romish Church the mass of the people repeat prayers in an
unknown tongue, having no idea of what their meaning may be–this is
both a grievous wrong to the people and a mockery of God! What can be
the good of such prayers in the sight of Him who seeks those to worship
Him who worship Him in spirit and in truth? Mere sounds without meaning
are not prayer! Understanding, desire and heart must go with every
word, or else the prayers are vain repetitions such as the heathen
employ. Supplicants must know what they are asking, or they are not
really asking. And you, dear people of God, please notice that the more
Divine knowledge you get, all things being equal, the more complete
will your prayers become.

"Grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ"–light the lamp at the same time that you kindle the incense.
For instance, when you pray, what prayer can there be without knowing
God, our Father? How can you pray aright to an unknown god? The more
knowledge of God, the more correct does prayer become! He that comes to
God must believe that He is and that He is the Rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him. What prayer can there be apart from the knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ? If we know nothing of Him by whom we pray,
how full of sins of ignorance will our prayers be! It is well, also, to
have a deep, sensible knowledge of sin. Penitential prayers are
impossible without this–and how can prayers be accepted if penitence
is not mixed with our petitions?

We need, at the same time, that we have the knowledge of sin to have a
knowledge of our own weaknesses. The man who is consciously weak, prays
for strength, but he who dreams that he is strong, will not do so. You
need to study yourselves before you pray, so as to ask for those things
in which you are most deficient and for protection against those
constitutional tendencies or besetting sins to which you are most
subject. The prayer of ignorance is like an arrow shot by a blind man,
which is not likely to hit the mark. In proportion as petitions arise
from a heart fully instructed in its own necessities will they be
likely to ask for the right blessings–and to be prepared aright before
the Lord. David wished his prayers to be accepted and, therefore, he
cried, "Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense."

A supremely excellent piece of knowledge is to know the promises which
we are to plead. Here you have the very sinews of prayer. When a man
knows the promise suitable to his case and lays it before God, saying,
"Do as You have said," he presents the best form of supplication.
Remember how Jacob pleaded with the Lord the sacred word of promise,
saying, "You said, I will surely do you good"? When we have looked at
all the bearings of the petition so as to make quite certain that it is
a petition, the fulfillment of which will glorify God–when we see that
it must be consistent with the Divine will because of the various
statements which God has made in His Word and because of promises which
He has given concerning the matter–then, with the lamp shining clearly
upon us, we shall kindle the incense the more discreetly and boldly,
and both our prayers and our meditations will be the more accepted of
the Lord!

Do try, especially, dear Brothers and Sisters, you that pray in public,
to light the lamps when you kindle the incense! It will be for the good
of us all if petitions are thoughtful, suitable, Scriptural and withal
fresh and hearty. Let us never degenerate into repeating the same
expressions till they grow to be cant. Let us never drop into the use
of hackneyed prayers for everything in general and for nothing in
particular! But as instructed men, having thought of what we are going
to say; having adapted our prayer to our circumstances and needs, let
us order our case before the Lord and fill our mouth with arguments!
Burn the incense of prayer in the light of the Spirit of Revelation,
praying in the Holy Spirit!

But now turn the thought round the other way–knowledge should always
be accompanied by prayer. Whenever we are taught of God, His teaching
almost always comes in connection with prayer–but lest we should
solely try to learn

and forget to pray–let me remind you of a few particulars. Dear
Brothers and Sisters, as a Christian you are a disciple, or student–be
also a suppliant. When you are impressed with the greatness, or the
goodness, or the immutability, or the faithfulness of God, straightway
turn your impressions into supplications! Pray the great God to be
gracious to you. Ask the unchangeable God to be the same to you–be the
faithful God to keep His promises to you! Implore the mighty God to
uphold you. As you learn more and more of God, place the light near the
incense by using your knowledge in your pleadings. To employ all your
knowledge as fuel for prayer will be the best way of utilizing your
acquirements–it will stamp the Truth of God firmly on your memory and
it will sanctify your heart.

When you know more of the Savior, pray your way to Him by it, as ships
move into port by their sails. If you have seen His Manhood, go and
plead His sympathy with you in your weakness! If you have thought more
of His Deity, go and worship Him more reverently and pray that His
Glory may be seen among the sons of men. Whatever point in the
unutterable Glory of His perfection breaks most upon your mind, pray
most that way–opening your window towards the sunrise. So will the
Lord teach you more and so shall you have profited by that which you
have learned. If, from day to day, my Brothers and Sisters, you learn
more of your sinfulness, then you have more errands with which to come
to the Mercy Seat. And if you make a new discovery by experience of
your corruption and indwelling sin, fly at once to the Throne of Grace
with your discovery lest it weigh you down and drive you to
despondency.

Make a ladder of your needs with which to climb nearer to Heaven. The
more your necessities, the more urgent let your importunity be! Cry
mightily to God because of the greatness of your poverty. I do not
think there is anything in the Scriptures which we cannot pray over. If
we learn the devices of the devil, let us pray against them! If we
learn the depravity of mankind, let us pray God's Holy Spirit to create
men's hearts anew! Everything from the first of Genesis to the end of
Revelation, when we truly know it, furnishes us with fresh arguments
for drawing near to God. Revealed Truths of God are as a Church bell
summoning us to come into the Presence of the Lord and bow the knee
before Him.

As you hear a sermon, turn it into prayer! Even if you find that there
is nothing in the sermon, it may benefit you if you pray God to feed
His poor famished people. If you will pray all through his discourse,
every preacher will minister to your edification directly or
indirectly. If you are set upon praying by the lighting of the tiniest
candle that ever glimmered, there will at least be sweetness in the
incense even if there is no brilliance in the lamp.

III. I desire, in the third place, to show SOME SPECIAL PRACTICAL
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE INCENSE

AND THE LAMP. Let us read the text again–"And Aaron shall burn thereon
sweet incense every morning: when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn
incense upon it." So, then, there should be prayer, especially at the
dressing of the lamps, that is to say, when preparing our minds for
that ministry by which we enlighten the people among whom we dwell we
should be specially earnest in prayer. Preparation for preaching and
teaching is most important! God's work is not to be done carelessly as
boys shoot arrows at random in their play. We must prepare both by
reading and pleading–we must, like the Apostles, give ourselves to the
Word of God and prayer.

We are told by ancient Rabbis that when the priest who was appointed
for that office went into the Holy Place, he took with him the golden
snuffers, the golden snuff dishes and a vessel full of pure olive oil
and, by the help of these, he attended to the trimming of the golden
lamp. There were seven lamps on the candelabra–some of these might
have gone quite out during the night–he would have to take away
whatever of snuff remained, wipe out the lamp, place a new wick, fill
it up with fresh oil, and then kindle the flame anew. In another lamp
it may be the light was still burning but feebly–he might have simply
to snuff it, take away the "the superfluity of naughtiness" in the
golden snuff dish and make all things clean and right. Sometimes the
light might be burning well and nothing was needed but to replenish it
with oil. Thus all was set in order for another day. The same was done
in the evening.

In the process of trimming lamps there is a measure of offense–snuffs
do not give forth a very dainty perfume–and the smear and smelt of oil
are not altogether of sweet savor. Therefore, before he trimmed the
lamps, the priest kindled the incense. No snuff would then be
offensive, for the overpowering fragrance of the incense killed it all
and prevented the prevalence of any odor unfit for the House of God.
When we go into our studies to try and trim our lamps, let us remember
that our first business is to pray. Alas, we have much of smoking wick
about us! We have much negligence, much ignorance, many mistakes and
errors and, thereby, we shall grieve the Lord if Jesus is not called in
to cover all. When we are preparing, in secret, to serve the Lord in
public, we shall make poor work of it if we do not, beforehand, draw
near to God in prayer!

We need that our garments should be made to smell of myrrh and aloes
and cassia by being covered with the merit of Jesus, or else we shall
offend, even while engaged in the holy act of preparing to spread
abroad the light of Divine Truth! You have to trim your lamps, Brothers
and Sisters, when you go into the Sunday school–at least, I hope you
do. I hope you do not run into your class with anything which first
comes to hand! If you do not snuff your candles and feed your lamps
with fresh oil, your children will sit in darkness before a lamp which
does not shine! No, there ought to be careful preparation, according as
your time and ability will allow and, above all, the pouring in of the
holy oil of the Holy Spirit by fresh fellowship with Jesus. In that
process one of the chief elements is prayer.

Dr. Adam Clarke used to say to young ministers, "Study yourselves dead
and then pray yourselves alive, again," and that is an excellent rule.
Work in your study as if it all depended upon you and then go forth and
speak, trusting in God because all depends upon Him! Remember that the
chief part of all study of God's Word must be prayer. This is the
boring rod and the powder by which we burst open the great rocks of the
Truths of God. "To have prayed well is to have studied well," said
Martin Luther, and so, most certainly, it is. Therefore let none of us,
when we dress the lamp, forget the incense.

What a double privilege comes of this! This priest, you see, had thus
two things to do for the Lord. If he was called only to light the lamp,
that would have been one happy, blessed service–but if he must burn
the incense, too, he has a double portion of honor in thus doubly
serving the Lord, his God! So when you are preparing to light up the
people, or preparing to enlighten your children in class, what a happy
necessity it is which calls upon you, at the same time, to pray! It is
one of the greatest privileges of preachers and teachers, that they are
driven to pray more than other people, for they have greater
necessities–they have necessities that come upon them because of their
office and these drive them to more frequent supplication–and so their
labors become a means of Grace to their own souls! Let us thank our
Lord Jesus that He has made us kings and priests unto our God and that
He permits us, both to let our lights shine before men and our prayers
ascend before God.

One thing more, this burning of the incense was not only at the
dressing of the lamps, but also at the kindling of the lamps, when they
began to shine. I want to plead, dear Friends, very heartily with you
that when it is my privilege to come here this week and at all other
times to light the lamps, you, who are my beloved helpers, will take
care to burn the incense at the same time! We need the incense of
prayer more than ever in these latter days. Did you ever notice in
Ezekiel 41:22 that an altar of incense is spoken of, but its dimensions
are twice as great as those of the golden altar in the Tabernacle? It
was as if, say some, to teach us that in these Gospel times prayer
would become more abundant and would be offered up more frequently than
ever.

The Gentiles have an altar which presents more incense to the Lord than
that which was served by Aaron! And, inasmuch as it is more purely
spiritual, it is all the more acceptable with God. The altar mentioned
by Ezekiel was of wood, as if to show that our worship is to become
more simple and to be more divested of everything that is pompous and
showy–indeed, the altar disappears, and we read–"This is the table
that is before the Lord." You will guess the meaning. Malachi has a
glorious prophecy. "For from the rising of the sun even unto the going
down of the same, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in
every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering:
for My name shall be great among the heathen, says the Lord of Hosts."

Are you not charmed by the Divine prophecy? Will you not, yourselves,
help to fulfill it? We know that this Altar of Incense meant prayer
because the Jews, themselves, so interpreted it. In the first chapter
of Luke we read of Zacharias, that it was his turn, in the order of his
course, to go into the Holy Place to offer incense, and it says, "And
the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of
incense." Just so, the offering of incense clearly means prayer and,
therefore, I plead with you that while we are lighting the lamps by
preaching the Gospel, you will burn the incense by being constantly in
prayer! Brothers and Sisters, pray for us! Paul spoke thus. How much
more may I plead that you dismiss me or intercede for me!

Joshua could not prevail except as Moses held up his hands. Our
lamp-lighting will not succeed unless you burn the incense. Peter's
sermon at Pentecost did not derive its force from Peter's zeal, or from
its own eloquence, but from another Source. Of course, all the power
came from the Spirit of God, but why did the Spirit of God work so
mightily on that day? Surely it was because the entire Church was
earnestly praying while Peter was preaching. "They were all with

one accord in one place"–nobody was away, they were all there and when
the one man stood up to preach, he might well light 3,000 lamps, for
all the fervent company of the faithful were causing the incense of
prayer to ascend to Heaven!

I need your prayers for tonight's sermon. You will not be here, for
strangers are invited to occupy your seats and, therefore, I beg you,
in your houses, to cry unto the Lord for me that the Word may have free
course and that my hearers may feel its power! It might be the most
profitable expenditure of time that ever happened to you if you would
spend the whole evening in prayer. Beseech the Lord to bring the people
to this house and to bring the right sort of people, rich and poor,
Believers and infidels, moral people and the depraved! We do not know
who will come. Some of them do not know whether they will come,
themselves, or not! But the Lord may influence, in various ways, those
individuals to come whom He designs to bless. Pray that the fish may
come in shoals round the boat!

When the congregation is gathered, pray that the speaker may be guided
of the Holy Spirit to a right theme. The preacher has no manuscript, so
that there is room for the Spirit's guidance, and he may be led to say
what he never thought of saying–the right word may thus be spoken in
the right way so as to reach the heart! Then pray that there may be
given the willing ear, the receptive mind, the retentive memory–that
impressions may be made, tonight, and at all other times, such as even
Satan cannot remove. And, oh, pray that tonight many who have been
halting between two opinions may decide for God! Pray that many who
have not, before, found the Savior's face will be converted! Pray that
many who have been, up to now, of a sorrowful spirit, will be led into
the joy of the Lord!

I shall feel it a joyous work to be the lamplighter, tonight, for my
Master, if I know that I have you at home pleading earnestly on my
behalf! Give me this aid this morning, too. Pray God to bless each word
that has been spoken. Pray that some poor sinner's soul may be perfumed
by the merits of Jesus and illuminated with the Divine Light! Pray for
this and it shall be done, for the Lord hears His people! We need, more
and more, to be a praying Church–and then we shall be a growing
Church! Up to now we have had a great blessing, but the windows of
Heaven are wide enough for a greater one to come down through them! The
more we plead with God and the more we set forth the light of the
Gospel, the more will God be with us and build up, in this place, a
temple for His praise! May His love be with you. Amen.