"A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out."
The entire Old Covenant sacrificial system prefigured the (now-com-
pleted) work of Christ. The fire not going out reminds us of the eter-
nal intercession Jesus' blood now effects for His redeemed, forgiven, and yet far-from-sinless elect churchmen.
Because of Christ's mediation on our behalf, the fire of our affection, devotion, and commitment--though sometimes waning--must be ever-stoked with the loving gratitude of our faith-filled and atoned-for hearts.
[Puritan quote of the day: "Repentance is a pure gospel grace. The covenant of works admitted no repentance; there it was, sin and die. Repentance came in by the gospel." --Thomas Watson, in, "The Doc-
trine of Repentance"]
