e apostles,
or their teaching. Or again, the candlestick and table may signify
the Church's teaching, and faith, which also enlightens and
refreshes. Again, Christ is signified by the two altars of holocausts
and incense. Because all works of virtue must be offered to us to God
through Him; both those whereby we afflict the body, which are
offered, as it were, on the altar of holocausts; and those which,
with greater perfection of mind, are offered to God in Christ, by the
spiritual desires of the perfect, on the altar of incense, as it
were, according to Heb. 13:15: "By Him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise always to God."

Reply Obj. 7: The Lord commanded an altar to be made for the offering
of sacrifices and gifts, in honor of God, and for the upkeep of the
ministers who served the tabernacle. Now concerning the construction
of the altar the Lord issued a twofold precept. One was at the
beginning of the Law (Ex. 20:24, seqq.) when the Lord commanded them
to make "an altar of earth," or at least "not of hewn stones"; and
again, not to make the altar high, so as to make it necessary to "go
up" to it "by steps." This was in detestation of idolatrous worship:
for the Gentiles made their altars ornate and high, thinking that
there was something holy and divine in such things. For this reason,
too, the Lord commanded (Deut. 16:21): "Thou shalt plant no grove,
nor any tree near the altar of the Lord thy God": since idolaters
were wont to offer sacrifices beneath trees, on account of the
pleasantness and shade afforded by them. There was also a figurative
reason for these precepts. Because we must confess that in Christ,
Who is our altar, there is the true nature of flesh, as regards His
humanity--and this is to make an altar of earth; and again, in regard
to His Godhead, we must confess His equality with the Father--and
this is "not to go up" to the altar by steps. Moreover we should not
couple the doctrine of Christ to that of the Gentiles, which provokes
men to lewdness.

But when once the tabernacle had been constructed to the honor of
God, there was no longer reason to fear these occasions of idolatry.
Wherefore the Lord commanded the altar of holocausts to be made of
brass, and to be conspicuous to all the people; and the altar of
incense, which was visible to none but the priests. Nor was brass so
precious as to give the people an occasion for idolatry.

Since, however, the reason for the precept, "Th