en altar of incense, the silver trumpets, the standards of weight and measure, and the sacred treasures. Beyond this, in the west end of the temple and separated from the Holy place by a fine veil and a two leaved door of olive tree, was the Oracle or Holy of holies into which only the High priest might enter on the day of atonement. This was twenty cubits square and contained the ark with its furniture. Solomon made two new cherubims of olive tree, which overshadowed the mercy seat and reached to the sides of the house. This Holy of holies had no windows and was always dark. The walls of the temple were of fine cedar and polished marble. On the inside were carved figures of palm trees and cherubims, and every part within and without was overlaid with pure gold.

In front of the Temple was the court for the priests and Levites. It was surrounded by a low wall of about four feet in height and contained te brazen altar twenty cubits long, twenty broad and ten high; and the brazen sea and lavers. Beyond this was the outer court surrounding the whole and enclosed by a high wall, into which every clean Hebrew and proselyte of the covenant might enter, and see, over the low wall, the operations of the priests on the altar.

When the building was finished, the ark and golden utensils were placed in it; and the Shechinah or cloud of glory entered it, to take up its abode between the Cherubims.

It was then dedicated by Solomon, in presence of all the tribes of Israel, to Almighty God, in a prayer which, for comprehensiveness, solemnity and true devotion, has rarely been surpassed ;-by seven days feasting, and by a peace offering of 20,000 oxen, and 120,000 sheep, which was consumed by fire from heaven. then became the regular place for the worship of God; which consisted of sacrifices, songs and prayer.

It

The dedication of the Temple took place 3000 years from the foundation of the world, and 1004 years before the birth of Christ.

This building was a beautiful type of the body of Christ, in which dwelt the fulness of the Godhead ;-of the gospel Church reared up with lively stones, and the residence of the Holy Spirit;-of the heavenly world, the literal Holy of holies, where our great High Priest appears for us before the eternal majesty, and where God is worshipped by an innumerable company of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect. John saw no temple in heaven, for the Lord God and the Lamb are the Temple thereof.

The promises of earthly prosperity made by God to Abraham,

were all, in this period, fulfilled. His seed possessed in quietness and peace, the promised land. They had multiplied as the stars of heaven. They enjoyed great plenty. Every man sat under his own vine and fig-tree. Their fame went abroad among all nations; God was their God; a wall of fire round about them, and a glory in the midst of them; and they, in regular observance of his statutes and ordinances, were his people.

Their state was eminently typical of the blessed state of the Church, when Christ shall reign from the river to the ends of the earth; yea, of that exalted state, when, the judgment being past, God shall bestow upon her the eternal blessings of his covenant in heaven.

It has already been remarked, that the book of Ruth, and part of the first book of Samuel, were probably written by that head of the school of the prophets. The remainder of the first, and the whole of the second of Samuel, are supposed by writers of considerable authority, to be the work of Nathan the prophet, and of Gad the Seer. The next book which was added to the Sacred canon, comprised the Psalms of David. This book was not, originally, as it now appears. Some hymns in this collection, particularly the ninetieth, are supposed to have been written by Moses. Some, particularly the 137th by zra, during the captivity. And some by Asaph, Jeduthun and Ethan. The name of David is prefixed to seventy-three. It is generally thought, that Ezra collected the whole of these sacred songs, and placed them in their present order

In this flourishing age of the church, the people of God also received for their guide and consolation, the book of Proverbs, of Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.

The first is written after the manner of the wise men of antiquity, who chose to compress their instructions into short sentences, which are easily circulated and long retained. It contains chiefly the maxims of Solomon ;-a prince who was extensively acquainted with the vices and follies and best interests of men; and who was divinely inspired to give us rules for conduct in every rank and condition of life. They are so beautiful, and so useful, that no man of taste, can fail of receiving pleasure in their perusal, an every youth may be made wiser and better for them all the days of his life.

The second was also the production of Solomon; and is supposed to have been written in the decline of life, after he had been seduced to idolatry, and brought to repentance. It is viewed by many, as a dialogue between an infidel and a man of

piety; where the former advances the loosest Sadducean philosophy, to which the latter replies with the greatest keenness and severity. But if we choose not to adopt this opinion, we must consider the wise man as sometimes using the language of unbelief ironically, for the purpose of exposing its odious character.

The Song of Solomon, is a dramatic poem of the pastoral kind. It was written in the days of his youth, and is the most figurative part of Scripture. In describing a ceremonial appointment, he presents to view a spiritual concern, which that very appointment is often used in the Scriptures to symbolize ; and if this spiritual allegory has been used by the irreverent with unbecoming levity, the pious mind will clearly discover, through the types of Solomon and his bride, the union between Christ and his Church pourtrayed in a very lovely and engaging

manner.

These three books are all that the Holy Spirit was pleased to preserve for the edification of the Church, of the works of the Man who spake three thousand proverbs; whose songs were a thousand and five;" who spake of trees from the cedar that is in Lebanon, even to the hyssop that springeth out of the wall;" who "spake also of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes ;" and they are probably all that would be eminently useful in rearing this great moral edifice.

CHAPTER V.

Declension of religion in the Jewish nation. God's judgments for it. Precious seasons to the church of God in the days of Hezekiah and Josiah. Historyof the Prophets.

GREAT outward prosperity has ever been destructive to the interests of religion. The power, wealth and splendour of the Hebrew monarchy in the days of Solomon, both corrupted him and the nation. Soon after his death, Jeroboam camę among the people ;-a fit instrument, in the hand of the prince of the power of the air, for demoralizing and destroying them. Ten tribes revolted under his treacherous dealings, from God, 975 years before Christ, and all Israel and Judah went after the calves of Dan and Bethel, and the god Baal, and forgot the God of their fathers.

During the three hundred years which succeeded this revolt, scenes were transacted both in Israel and Judah, which scarce find a parallel among heathen nations. The house of God was converted into an idolatrous temple; altars were created for Baal, the great idol of the Phenicians; children were made to pass through the fire to Moloch; witchcraft, enchantments and other profanations were practised, to the corruption of the true religion, and the promotion of all manner of wickedness; and prophets and righteous men were stoned, were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented."

In the fierceness of his anger, God inflicted upon them those judgments which Moses threatened, if they forsook him. In the year 722 B. C. Salmanezer, a king of Assyria, invaded Samaria, the capital of the ten tribes, and, after three years siege, took it and destroyed the kingdom; carried the greater part of the inhabitants into captivity, and dispersed them throughout Assyria. And after the lapse of a little more than a century, in the year 588, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invaded Jerusalem; destroyed the city and Temple ;* took all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's house; the king, and princes, and, chief men, and artists, and carried them to Babylon. These kings were but the saw, the axe, the rod and the staff, in God's hands, to punish his people. They di it in the pride of their hearts; not knowing that they executed the divine decree. The happy land, which four hundred years before, was the seat of piety and great worldly prosperity, was now laid waste; stripped of its inhabitants, and reduced to iron bondage.

But in looking back over that dark period, in which iniquity

*The temple remained but a little period in its original glory. About 34 years after its dedication, Shishak carried off its golden treasures. 1 Kings 14, 25. It went fast to decay under Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Athaliah. Soon after Joash robbed it to satisfy the demands of Hazael. And after him, Ahaz gave its treasures to Tiglath Pilesor; removed the brazen altar; took the brazen sea from off the oxen, and the brazen lavers from their pedestals, and placed them on the ground, and brake many of the sacred vessels, and shut up the temple. Hezekiah repaired it, but he was obliged to rob it of much of its wealth for Sennacherib. Manassah reared altars to the hosts of heaven in its courts. Josiah purged the temple, and replaced the ark of God; but before its final destruction, it was much marred; yea, scarce bore any marks of its original magnificence..

abounded in the Jewish nation, we find the spiritual Church was not destroyed. God remembered his promise. A holy seed was preserved. Even in the days of Elijah the prophet, when the persecutions were so violent, that scarce any were seen avowing themselves on the Lord's side, and Elijah thought he was alone, God had 7000 secret ones who had not bowed the knee in idol worship. Some peculiarly precious seasons, the church was permitted to enjoy. Many of the kings of Judah, were friendly to the true religion, upheld the Temple worship, and protected the prophets. Rich consolations had the Church in the days of Hezekiah. His reign began about 731 B. C. and continued twenty-nine years. He made David his pattern, and trusted in God with all his heart. He destroyed idolatry throughout his dominions. He called together all the priests and Levites, opened the house of God which his Father had impiously shut up, and restored divine worship. He caused his people to keep the Passover and invited the ten tribes, who had, for a very long period neglected it, to unite with them. He kept skilful scribes to write out copies of the holy scriptures. He was a man of prayer, and his fervent supplications availed to his recovery from dangerous sickness. His reign was truly precious and joyful to the people of God.

Another season of rest and consolation, the Church enjoyed, about a century after, in the days of Josiah. In the interim between these excellent monarchs, the throne of Judah had been filled by a monster in wickedness. Manasseh reigned fifty-five years, and bent the whole energy of his government to the restoration of idolatry, and destruction of the knowledge and worship of God. He was the most impious man that ever reigned in Israel or Judah. When therefore Josiah came to the throne, religion was in Judah, at its lowest ebb. This is strikingly shewn in the fact, that when he was repairing the Temple, the workmen accidentally found among the rubbish, the law of God which was lost; or rather, had been thus providentially preserved from the hands of wicked Manasseh. was read to the king; and when he heard the curses which were denounced against the Jews for not keeping it, and which had already been executed on the ten tribes, he wept and rent his clothes.

It

This pious prince went through the land, and thoroughly rooted out idolatry. He assembled the whole nation together at Jerusalem, and caused them to hear the law of God, and entered with them into a solemn covenant with Jehovah. also caused them to keep the passover with a degree of solem

He