promised to them that love him. When the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a CROWN of glory that fadeth not away. (1 Pet. v. 4.) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a CROWN of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day; and not to ME only, but unto ALL them also that love his appearing. (2 Tim. iv. 8.)

V. But the highest military honour that could be conferred in the Roman state was a triumph, or solemn procession, with which a victorious general and his army advanced through the city to the capitol; and which was the most grand and magnificent spectacle ever beheld in antient times. After a decisive battle gained, and the complete conquest of a kingdom, the most illustrious captives in war, kings, princes, and nobles, with their wives and children, to the perpetual infamy of this people, were, with the last dishonour and ignominy, led in fetters before the general's chariot, through the public streets of Rome; scaffolds being every where erected, the streets and public places crowded, and this barbarous and uncivilised nation all the while in the highest excess of joy, and in the full fruition of a spectacle that was a reproach to humanity. Nor was only the1 sovereign of large and opulent kingdoms, the magnanimous hero who had fought valiantly fought for his country and her liberties, the weak and tender sex, born to a happier fate, and young children3 insensible of their wretched condition, led in triumph; but vast numbers of waggons, full of rich furniture, statues, pictures, plate, vases, vests,* of which they had stripped palaces and the houses of the great; and carts loaded with the arms they had taken from the enemy, and with

1 Behind the children and their train walked Perseus himself [the captive king of Macedon,] and wearing sandals of the fashion of his country. He had the appearance of a man overwhelmed with terror, and whose reason almost staggered under the load of his misfortunes. He was followed by a great number of friends and favourites, whose countenances were oppressed with sorrow; and who, by fixing their weeping eyes continually upon their prince, testified to the spectators that it was his lot which they lamented, and that they were regardless of their own. Plutarchi Vitæ, in Æmil. tom. ii. pp. 186, 187. edit. Briani.

2 Thus, at the conclusion of the second Punic war, the Numidian and Carthaginian captive generals were led in triumph. Και Καρχηδονίων αυτών και Νομάδων ooo Twv nyeμovov eλngInoav. Appian. tom. i. p. 58. edit. Tollii. Amst. 1670. Several kings, princes, and generals were also led in Pompey's triumph. ПapnyerO δε και ὁ Κολχων σκηπτούχος Ολθακης, και Ιουδαίων βασιλευς Αριστόβουλος, καὶ εἰ Κιλίκων τυραννοι, και Σκύθων βασιλείοι γυναίκες και ηγεμόνες τρεις Ιβήρων, και Αλβανων ένο, και Μενανδρος ὁ Λαοδικεύς, ἱππαρχος του Μιθριδατου γενομενος. Appian. tom. i. p. 417.

3 Plutarch, in his account of the triumph of Æmilius at the conquest of Mace don, represents this tragical circumstance in a very affecting manner. The king's children were also led captive, and along with them a train of nurses, and tutors, and governors; all bathed in tears, stretching out their hands to the spectators, and teaching the children to entreat and supplicate their mercy. There were two boys and a girl, whose tender age rendered them insensible to the greatness of their calamity, and this their insensibility was the most affecting circumstance in their unhappy condition. Plutarch. Emil. tom. ii. p. 186. See also Appian. p. 417. edit. Amst. 1670.

4. Κρατήρας αργύρους, και κερατα, και φιάλας και κύλικας. Διχμαλώτοις ανδρασι και γράφεις και κολοσσοις κ. λ. p. 496. i. p. 58. and p. 417. Tollii.

Plutarch. ibid. p. 497. See also Appian. tom.

the coin of the empires they had conquered, pillaged, and enslaved, preceded the triumphal car. On this most splendid occasion, imperial Rome was a scene of universal festivity: the temples were all thrown open, were adorned with garlands, and filled with clouds of incense and the richest perfumes: the spectators were clothed in white garments:3 hecatombs of victims were slain, and the most sumptuous entertainments were given.

4

The illustrious captives, after having been dragged through the city in this procession, and thus publicly exposed, were generally imprisoned, frequently strangled and despatched in dungeons, or sold for slaves. To several of these well known circumstances, attending a Roman triumph, the sacred writers evidently allude in the following passages. In the first of which Jesus Christ is represented as a great conqueror, who, after having totally vanquished and subjugated all the empires and kingdoms of false religion, and overturned the mighty establishment of Judaism and Paganism, supported by the great and powerful, celebrates a most magnificent TRIUMPH over them, leads them in procession, openly exposing them to the view of the WHOLE WORLD, as the captives of his omnipotence, and the trophies of his Gospel! Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them !8-The second passage, whose beautiful and striking imagery is taken from a Roman triumph, occurs 2 Cor. ii. 14-16. Now thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are a savour of death unto death; and to the other, of life unto life. In this passage, God Almighty, in very striking sentiments and language, is represented as leading the Apostles in triumph through the world

1 Ανδρες επεπορευοντό τρισχίλιοι, νομισμα φέροντες αργύρουν κ. λ. voor voμiapa pepovTES. Plutarch. tom. ii. p. 184. Appian. p. 2 Πας δε ναός ανεωκτο, και στεφάνων και θυμιαμάτων ην πληρης.

Gr. 8vo.

Ειτα μετα τουτους οι το

417.

Plutarch. tom. i. p. 496.

3 Niveos ad fræna Quirites. Juvenal. Sat. x. ver. 45. Kalapais eobŋoi kekooμnpevoi. Plutarch. p. 496. Steph.

4. Μετα τούτους ηγοντα χρυσοκερω τροφιαι βους, έκατον εικοσι, μέτραις ησκημένοι και στεμμασι. After these were led one hundred and twenty fat oxen, which had their horns gilded, and which were adorned with ribbons and garlands. Plutarch. ii p. 185. 5 Αφικόμενος δε ες το Καπιτώλιον & Σκιπίων, την μεν πομπην κατέπαυσεν, είστια δει τους φιλους, ώσπερ έθος εστιν, ες το ίερον. Appian. tom. i. p. 59. edit. Amst. 1670.

Παρελθών δ' ες Καπιτωλιον, ουδένα των αιχμαλώτων, ὡς ἕτεροι των θριαμβοις παραγαγονTwv [aveidero.] Appian. p. 418. For example, Aristobulus king of the Jews, after having been exposed, and dragged through the city in Pompey's triumph, was immediately, after the procession was concluded, put to death: Tigranes, some time afterwards, Αριστόβουλος ευθυς ανηρέθη, και Τιγρανης ύστερον. Appian de Bellis Mithrid. p. 419. Amst. 1670. See also p. 403.

7 Longe plurimos captivos ex Etruscis ante currum duxit, quibus sub hasta venumdatis. Livy, lib. vi. p. 409, edit. Elz. 1634.

8 Coloss. ii. 15. Opiaμßevoas avrovs, Leading them in triumph.

9 Opraμßevorri huas, Causeth us to triumph; rather, leadeth us about in triumph. Epcaußeven kat avnpen. He was led in triumph and then put to death. Appian. p. 403. Amst. 1670. "The Greek word, Spiapßevovri, which we render causeth us to triumph, properly signifies to triumph over, or to lead in triumph, as our translators themselves have rightly rendered it in another place, Coloss. ii. 15. And so the apostle's true meaning is plainly this: Now thanks be to God, who always

showing them every where as the monuments of his grace and mercy, and by their means diffusing in every place the odour of the knowledge of God-in reference to a triumph, when all the temples were filled with fragrance, and the whole air breathed perfume and the apostle, continuing the allusion, adds, that this odour would prove the means of the salvation of some, and destruction of others—as in a triumph, after the pomp and procession was concluded, some of the captives were put to death, others saved alive.1

triumpheth over us in Christ: leading us about in triumph, as it were in solemn procession. This yields a most congruous and beautiful sense of his words. And in order to display the force of his fine sentiment, in its full compass and extent, let it be observed, that when St. Paul represents himself and others, as being led about in triumph, like so many captives, by the prevailing power and efficacy of Gospel grace and truth, his words naturally imply and suggest three things worthy of particular notice and attention; namely, a contest, a victory, and an open show of this victory. (Brekell's Discourses, pp. 141, 142.) "While God was leading about such men in triumph, he made them very serviceable and successful in promoting Christian knowledge in every place wherever they came. (Ibid. p. 151.)

1 Brüning's Compendium Antiquitatum Græcarum e profanis sacrarum, pp. 107-136.; and his Appendix de Triumpho Romanorum, pp. 415-434.; Lydii Diatriba de Triumpho Jesu Christi in Cruce, pp. 285-300. of his work, intituled Florum Sparsio ad Historiam Passionis Jesu Christi (Dordrecht, 1672. 18mo.); Harwood's Introduction to the New Testament, vol. ii. pp. 29–34. 47–58.

PART III

SACRED ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, AND OF OTHER NATIONS INCICDENTALLY MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURES.

CHAPTER I.

OF SACRED PLACES.

THE whole world being the workmanship of God, there is no place in which men may not testify their reverence for His supreme Majesty. From the very first beginning of time God had always some place appropriated for the solemn duties of religious worship. Adam, even during his continuance in Paradise, had some place where to present himself before the Lord; and, after his expulsion thence, his sons in like manner had whither to bring their oblations and sacrifices. This probably was the reason why Cain did not immediately fall upon his brother, when his offering was refused, because perhaps the solemnity and religion of the place, and sensible appearance of the divine Majesty there, struck him with a reverential awe that might cause him to defer his villanous design till he came into the field, where he slew him.

The patriarchs, both before and after the flood, used altars and mountains and groves for the same purpose: thus we read of Noah's building an altar to the Lord, and offering burnt offerings upon it. (Gen. viii. 20.) Abraham, when he was called to the worship of the true God, erected altars wherever he pitched his tent (Gen. xii. 8. and xiii. 4.): He planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord (Gen. xxi. 33.): and it was upon a mountain that God ordered him to offer up his son Isaac. (Gen. xxii. 2.) Jacob in particular called a place by the name of God's House, where he vowed to pay the tithes of all that God should give him. (Gen. xxviii. 22.)

In the wilderness, where the Israelites themselves had no settled habitations, they had by God's command a moving tabernacle; and as soon as they were fixed in the land of promise, God appointed a temple to be built at Jerusalem, which David intended, and his son Solomon performed: after the first temple was destroyed, another was built in the room of it (Ezra iii. 8.), which Christ himself owned for his house of prayer (Matt. xxi. 13.), and which both he and his apostles frequented, as well as the synagogues.

In the very first ages of Christianity we see in the sacred writings more than probable footsteps of some determined places for their solemn assemblies, and peculiar only to that use. Of this nature was

VOL. III.

29

that upper room into which the apostles and disciples, after their return from our Saviour's ascension, went up as into a place commonly known and separated to divine use. (Acts i. 13.) Such another (if not the same) was that one place, in which they were all assembled on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost visibly came down upon them (Acts ii. 1.); and this is the more probable because the multitude, who were mostly strangers of every nation under heaven, came so readily to the place, upon the first rumour of so extraordinary an incident, which supposes it to be commonly known as the place where Christians used to meet together. And as many of the first believers sold their houses and lands, and laid the money at the apostles' feet, to supply the necessities of the church, so it is not unlikely that others might give their houses, or at least some convenient room in it, for a place of worship; which may be the reason why the apostle so often salutes such and such a person, and the church in his house (Rom. xvi. 5. 1 Cor. xvi. 19. Coloss. iv. 15.): for that this salutation is not used, merely because their families were Christians, appears from other salutations of the same apostle, where Aristobulus and Narcissus, &c. are saluted with their household. (Rom. xvi. 10, 11. 2 Tim. iv. 19.)

Solomon, indeed, at the consecration of the temple, acknowledges that the heaven of heavens could not contain God, and much less the house which he had built him. (1 Kings viii. 27.) But it will not therefore follow, that there is no necessity for places to be appropriated to divine worship: these are requisite for this purpose, that all the offices of religion may be performed with more decency and solemnity, and by such structures to defend us from many inconveniences, which would extremely incommode us in paying our duty to God. It is the same thing doubtless to the Almighty wherever we pray, so long as we pray with a pious mind and a devout heart, and make the subject of our prayers such good things as he has permitted us to ask; but it was not consistent with the preservation of the Jewish state and religion, that God should be publicly worshipped in every place; for, since the Jews were on every side surrounded with idolators, it was highly necessary that in all divine matters there should be a strict union between them all, both in heart and voice, and consequently that they should all meet together in one place to worship God, lest they should fall into idolatry, which actually came to pass after the kingdom was divided, and the places of worship by that means became distinct; and therefore though Solomon knew very well that in every place God was ready to hear the prayers of devout supplicants, yet for the preservation of peace and unity, he, at the consecration of the temple, thought proper to leave this impression on the minds of the people, that as God had ordained he should be publicly worshipped in the manner prescribed by him, so he would be found more exorable to the prayers which were offered up in that temple (as the place of public worship) rather than in any other place, thereby to excite them to resort frequently to it. It is beyond all doubt, how