as parts of the house of God; for that David did not go into the tabernacle itself, and take the show-bread from the table that stood there, is evident from 1 Sam. xxi. 6. where it is said that the showbread delivered by the priest to David, was indeed bread that had been hallowed, but was removed from before the Lord, other bread having been put in its place, which was done every Sabbath day, according to the law. (Levit. xxiv. 8.) So that the bread which was removed, belonged to the priest, came into his custody, and was properly under his hand (3.), of which he gave David a share, whose present necessity justified the action.

When the tabernacle was finished, it was consecrated, with all the furniture therein, by being anointed with a peculiar oil, which God gave directions to prepare for that very purpose (Exod. xxx. 22., &c.), after which He made his people sensible of his special presence in it, covering it with a cloud which overshadowed it by day, and by night gave light, as if it had been a fire, and by giving answers in an audible manner from the ark when consulted by the high priest. Whenever the Israelites changed their camp the tabernacle was taken down, and every Levite knew what part he was to carry, for this was a part of their office; and sometimes, upon extraordinary occasions, the priests themselves bore the ark, as when they passed over Jordan, and besieged Jericho. (Josh. iii. 14. and vi. 6.) Concerning the manner of carrying the several parts of it, see Numb. iv. When they encamped, the tabernacle stood always in the midst, being surrounded by the army of the Israelites on all sides in a quadrangular form, divided according to their several tribes; the Israelitish camp being at the distance of two thousand cubits from the tabernacle, which by computation is reckoned a mile, and is called a sabbath day's journey (Acts i. 12.) as being the distance they had to go on that day to the place of worship. Moses and Aaron, with the priests and Levites, encamped in their tents next the tabernacle, between it and the army.

IV. The tabernacle being so constructed as to be taken to pieces and put together again as occasion required, it was removed as often as the camp of the Israelites moved from one station to another; and thus accompanied them in all their marches, until they arrived at the land of Canaan. It was at first set up at Gilgal, being the first encampment of the Israelites in Canaan; and here it continued for about seven years, during which Joshua was occupied in the conquest of that country. When they came to the river Jordan, over which they were to pass, the priests that bore the ark of the covenant were commanded to go first, by which an immediate miracle was wrought for the waters of Jordan though swollen at that time by torrents from the mountains, suspended their course, and standing on an heap, left the land dry, so that all the people passed over. (Josh. iii. 6-17.) While Jericho was invested, we find that the ark was carried seven times round the city, after which the walls of it fell down, and then the Israelites entered and sacked the place. (Josh. vi. 6—20.)

Afterwards the tabernacle was pitched in Shiloh, being nearly in the centre of the country then subdued; here we read of it in the days of Eli who was both priest and judge; for the Israelites, being beaten by the Philistines, sent and fetched the ark of the covenant from Shiloh into their camp, that the presence of it might be auspicious to them. (1 Sam. iv. 4.) However, the Philistines still prevailing, the ark of God was taken and carried to Ashdod, one of the cities of the Philistines, who placed it in the temple of Dagon their idol god. (1 Sam. v. 1, 2.) And now the tabernacle and the ark were entirely, and, as some think, for ever separated. The Lord, however, showed his displeasure against the men of Ashdod for detaining the ark, and smote them with a terrible disease; upon which the ark was removed to Gath, another of their cities, and thence to Ekron, a third city; the inhabitants of both which places underwent the same chastisement with those of Ashdod for their presumption in detaining it. (1 Sam. v. 8-12.)

At length the Philistines, after the ark had been in their custody seven months, sent to Bethshemesh (a city in the tribe of Judah bordering upon the Philistines) with an offering of Jewels and gold as an atonement for their sin. (1 Sam. vi.) The men of Bethshemesh received it, but their curiosity prompting them to look into it, they were suddenly slain in great numbers: thence it was taken away at their request by the men of Kirjath-jearim (another city in the same tribe), and put into the custody of Abinadab of Gibeah, their neighbour, where it remained twenty years (2 Sam. vi. 3, 4.), during which time it appears that Saul ordered Abijah the high priest to bring it to his camp in Gibeah. (1 Sam. xiv. 18.) After which it was returned again to the house of Abinadab. When David was king, and had gotten full possession of Jerusalem, he made an attempt to bring the ark thither, but was discouraged by an example of the divine vengeance upon one of the sons of Abinadab, who unadvisedly laid his hands upon it; on which account David left it at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. (2 Sam. vi. 10.)

With Obed-Edom the ark remained three months; after which it was brought with great solemnity into that part of Jerusalem called the city of David, where a place was prepared and a tent pitched for it (2 Sam. vi. 17. 1 Chron. xv. 25. and xvi. 1.), and there it remained till it was put into the temple afterwards built by Solomon, upon which occasion it appears that the 132d Psalm was composed. From the temple of Solomon it was afterwards removed (probably by one of the idolatrous kings of Judah), for we find the pious king Josiah ordering it to be replaced. (2 Chron. xxxv. 3.) It is supposed to have been consumed in the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, which took place not many years afterwards.

With regard to the tabernacle and the other sacred things belonging to it, we read that in the days of Saul it had been removed from Shiloh to Nob, a city on this side of the Jordan, between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, not far from the city of Jerusalem (1 Sam.

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xxi. 1.); which had been assigned to the priests and Levites for their habitation, among whom Abimelech and his son Abiathar were successively high priests. (Mark ii. 26.) In the reign of David, it was at Gibeon in the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chron. xvi. 39. xxi. 29.); probably because Saul had commanded Doeg to assassinate all the priests at Nob: which sanguinary commission he executed so successfully, that Abiathar alone escaped to David. Here also it was at the commencement of Solomon's reign (2 Chron. i. 3.), after which time the Scriptures are silent concerning it.

SECTION II.

OF THE TEMPLE.

1. The Temple of Solomon.-11. The Second Temple.-Its various Courts.-Reverence of the Jews for it.

HAVING taken a survey of the tabernacle, we proceed to the Temple at Jerusalem, which was erected nearly upon the same plan as the former structure, but in a more magnificent and expensive manner. According to the opinion of some writers, there were three temples, viz. the first, erected by Solomon; the second, by Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest; and the third, by Herod a few years before the birth of Christ. But this opinion is, very properly, rejected by the Jews, who do not allow the third to be a new temple, but only the second temple rebuilt and this opinion corresponds with the prophecy of Haggai (ii. 9.), that the glory of this latter house, -the temple built by Zerubbabel, should be greater than that of the former; which prediction was uttered with reference to the Messiah's honouring it with his presence and ministry.

I. The first temple is that which usually bears the name of Solomon; the materials for which were provided by David before his death, though the edifice was raised by his son. It stood on Mount

Moriah, an eminence of the mountainous ridge in the Scriptures termed Mount Sion (Psal. cxxxii. 13, 14.), which had been purchased of Araunah or Ornan, the Jebusite. (2 Sam. xxiv. 23, 24. 1 Chron. xxi. 25.) The plan and whole model of this superb structure were formed after that of the tabernacle, but of much larger dimensions. It was surrounded, except at the front or east end, by three stories of chambers, each five cubits square, which reached to half the height of the temple; and the front was ornamented with a magnificent portico, which rose to the height of one hundred and twenty cubits: so that the form of the whole edifice was not unlike that of some antient churches which have a lofty tower in the front, and a low aisle running along each side of the building. The utensils for the sacred service were the same: excepting that several of them, as the altar, candlestick, &c. were larger, in proportion to the more spacious edifice to which they belonged. Seven years and six months

were occupied in the erection of the superb and magnificent temple of Solomon; by whom it was dedicated1 with peculiar solemnity to the worship of the Most High, who on this occasion vouchsafed to honour it with the Shechinah, or visible manifestation of His presence. Various attempts have been made to describe the proportions and several parts of this structure: but as no two writers scarcely agree on this subject, a minute description of it is designedly omitted. It retained its pristine splendour only thirty-three or thirty-four years, when Shishak king of Egypt took Jerusalem, and carried away the treasures of the temple :2 and after undergoing subsequent profanations and pillages, this stupendous building was finally plundered and burnt by the Chaldæans under Nebuchadnezzar in the year of the world 3416, or before Christ 584. (2 Kings xxv. 13-15. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17-20.)

II. After the captivity the temple emerged from its ruins, being rebuilt by Zerubbabel,3 but with vastly inferior and diminished glory: as appears from the tears of the aged men who had beheld the former structure in all its grandeur. (Ezra iii. 12.) The second temple was profaned by order of Antiochus Epiphanes (A. M. 3837, B. c. 163); who caused the daily sacrifice to be discontinued, and erected the image of Jupiter Olympius on the altar of burnt offering. In this condition it continued three years (1 Macc. i. 62.), when Judas Maccabeus purified and repaired it, and restored the sacrifices and true worship of Jehovah. (A. M. 3840, B. c. 160.)

Some years before the birth of our Saviour, the repairing or rather gradual rebuilding of this second temple, which had become decayed in the lapse of five centuries, was undertaken by Herod the Great, who for nine years employed eighteen thousand workmen upon it, and spared no expense to render it equal, if not superior, in magnitude, splendour, and beauty to any thing among mankind. Josephus calls it a work the most admirable of any that had ever been seen or heard of, both for its curious structure and its magnitude, and also for the vast wealth expended upon it, as well as for the universal reputation of its sanctity. But though Herod accomplished his original design in the time above specified, yet the Jews continued to ornament and enlarge it, expending the sacred treasure in annexing additional buildings to it; so that they might with great propriety as sert that their temple had been forty and six years in building.5

1 In the year of the world 3001; before Christ 999.

2 In the year of the world 3033; before Christ 967. 1 Kings xiv. 25, 26. 2 Chron. xii. 9.

3 Ezra i-vi. Josephus, Ant. Jud. lib. xi. c. 4.

4 De Bell. Jud. lib. vi. c. 4. § 8.

5 John ii. 20. There is therefore no real contradiction between the sacred writer and Josephus. The words of the evangelist are "forty and six years was this temple in building." This, as Calmet well observes, is not saying_that_Herod employed forty-six years in erecting it. Josephus acquaints us that Herod began to rebuild the temple, so as not to be esteemed a new edifice, in the eighteenth year of his reign, (Antiq. lib. xv. c. 14.), computing from his being declared king by the Romans, or in the fifteenth year (Bell. Jud. lib. i. c. 16.) reckoning from the death of Antigonus. He finished it for use in about nine years (Ant. xv. 14.) ; but

Before we proceed to describe this venerable edifice, it may be proper to remark, that by the temple is to be understood not only the fabric or house itself, which by way of eminence is called the Temple, viz. the holy of holies, the sanctuary, and the several courts both of the priests and Israelites; but also all the numerous chambers and rooms which this prodigious edifice comprehended, and each of which had its respective degree of holiness, increasing in proportion to its contiguity to the holy of holies. This remark it will be necessary to bear in mind, lest the reader of Scripture should be led to suppose that whatever is there said to be transacted in the temple was actually done in the interior of that sacred edifice. To this infinite number of apartments into which the temple was disposed our Lord refers (John xiv. 2.): and, by a very striking and magnificent simile borrowed from them, he represents those numerous seats and mansions of heavenly bliss which his Father's house contained, and which were prepared for the everlasting abode of the righteous. The imagery is singularly beautiful and happy, when considered as an allusion to the temple, which our Lord not unfrequently called his Father's house.

The second temple, originally built by Zerubbabel, after the captivity, and repaired by Herod, differed in several respects from that erected by Solomon, although they agreed in others.

The temple erected by Solomon was more splendid and magnificent than the second temple, which was deficient in five remarkable things that constituted the chief glory of the first :-these were the ark and mercy seat, the shechinah or manifestation of the divine presence in the holy of holies,-the sacred fire on the altar, which had been first kindled from heaven,-the urim and thummim,-and the spirit of prophecy. But the second temple surpassed the first in glory, being honoured by the frequent presence of our divine Saviour, agreeably to the prediction of Haggai. (ii. 9.) Both, however, were erected upon the same site, a very hard rock, encompassed by a very frightful precipice; and the foundation was laid with incredible expense and labour. The superstructure was not inferior to this great work; the height of the temple wall, especially on the south side, was stupendous. In the lowest places it was three hundred cubits, or four hundred and fifty feet, and in some places even greater. This most magnificent pile was constructed with hard white stones of prodigious magnitude.1

The temple itself, strictly so called (which comprised the portico, the sanctuary, and the holy of holies), formed only a small part of the sacred edifice on mount Moriah; being surrounded by spacious courts, making a square of half a mile in circumference. It was

it continued increasing in splendour and magnificence through the pious donations of the people (Bell. Jud. v. 14.) to the time of Nero, when it was completed, and 18,000 workmen were dismissed from that service. From the eighteenth of Herod, who reigned thirty-seven years, to the birth of Christ, more than a year before the death of that prince, was above sixteen years, added to which the age of Christ, now thirty, gives forty-six complete years.

1 Antiq. Jud. lib. xv. § 5.