n the Temple, and study the book of
the Law, that he might be perfect in it against the day of expiation;
wherein the service, which was various and intricate, was wholly to be
performed by himself; part of which service was reading the Law to the
people: and to promote his studying it, there were certain Priests
appointed by the _Sanhedrim_ to be with him those seven days in one of his
chambers in the Temple, and there to discourse with him about the Law, and
read it to him, and put him in mind of reading and studying it himself.
This his opening and reading the Law those seven days, is alluded unto in
the Lamb's opening the seals. We are to conceive that those seven days
begin in the evening before each day; for the _Jews_ began their day in the
evening, and that the solemnity of the fast begins in the morning of the
seventh day.

The seventh seal was therefore opened on the day of expiation, and then
_there was silence in heaven for half an hour. And an Angel_, the
High-Priest, _stood at the Altar, having a golden Censer; and there was
given him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all
Saints, upon the golden Altar which was before the throne_. The custom was
on other days, for one of the Priests to take fire from the great Altar in
a silver Censer; but on this day, for the High-Priest to take fire from the
great Altar in a golden Censer: and when he was come down from the great
Altar, he took incense from one of the Priests who brought it to him, and
went with it to the golden Altar: and while he offered the incense, the
people prayed without in silence, which is the silence in heaven for half
an hour. When the High-Priest had laid the incense on the Altar, he carried
a Censer of it burning in his hand, into the most holy place before the
Ark. _And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the Saints,
ascended up before God out of the Angel's hand._ On other days there was a
certain measure of incense for the golden Altar: on this day there was a
greater quantity for both the Altar and the most holy Place, and therefore
it is called _much incense_. After this _the Angel took the Censer, and
filled it with fire from the_ great _Altar, and cast it into the earth_;
that is, by the hands of the Priests who belong to his mystical body, he
cast it to the earth without the Temple, for burning the Goat which was the
Lord's lot. _And_ at this and other concomitant sacrifices, until the
evening-sacrifi