in the first Place, which respects God; and then of the other, which regards our Neighbour.

Now that Part of the Law which concerns the ceremonious Worship of God, may properly be confider'd under four Heads; as it relates to the four following facred Things; Places, Days, Rites, and Perfons. And it having been God's Will and Pleasure, to declare how he would be worship'd, for the greater Solemnity, in particular Places; upon certain ftated Days; by peculiar Rites; and by Perfons under certain Qualifications, confecrated and ordain'd for that Purpose; we shall, for Method fake, confider each of these diftinctly; and take a View of them separately, and fucceffively, by that Light in which Divine Revelation exhibits them to us. It shall be the Business of this Chapter therefore to difcourfe of the Holy Places.

SECT. N...

PLACES of WORSHIP.

The Places fet apart and us'd for religious Worship, were several. First of all the

Taber

Tabernacle; which, in Time, was succeeded by the Temple; both of which are oftentimes, in Scripture, call'd the San&tuary: The High Places, us'd promifcuously, during the Times of both the Tabernacle and Temple, until the Captivity; and the Synagogues, in Ufe, both before the Captivity, during the Time of it, and after. The Tabernacle indeed was only a kind of moveable Temple; very well fuited to the Circumftances of the Ifraelites, during the Time of their fojourning in the Wildernefs; and for fome Time after their Settlement in the Land of Canaan, 'till they had utterly driven out the Heathen; more especially from that Place, where God intended his Temple fhould ftand; and this was not done 'till the Time of David.

SECT. III.

The TABERNACLE.

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The Tabernacle therefore being 'to represent a Temple, but at the fame time to be moveable and portable, was fo contriv'd, as to be taken to pieces, and join'd together again at Pleasure. The Infide

was

was divided by a Veil which parted off the Sanctum Sanctorum or Holy of Ho-, lies; that is, the most highly honour'd and dignified Part. Within that was kept the Ark of the Covenant; which contain'd the Testimony or Law, which God had given to Mofes. The Lid or Covering of it, was to be a Propitiatory or Mercy-Seat, with two Cherubims fix'd upon it, extending their Wings toward each. other; from between which was to proceed the Oracle; that is, the Voice by which God was at any Time pleas'd to reveal himself, and to declare his Will.

Juft on the Outfide of the Partition Veil, which was made with most exquifite Work, in the very Center ftood the Altar of Incenfe, overlaid with Gold. The Table, on which was plac'd the Shew-Bread, or holy Bread of State, confifting of twelve Loaves, ftood on the Northfide; and the great Candlestick or Lamp-fconce, containing feven Branches, on the Southfide. All which, with every minute Utenfil, thereunto belonging were made of the richeft Materials; either of pure Gold, or of the choiceft Wood,

finely overlaid with that valuable Metal.

On the Outfide of the Tabernacle, in a Court of fuitable Dimensions, enclos'd with Pillars of Brafs, on which were extended Hangings diverfified with several bright and glowing Colours, ftood first, next the Entrance into the Tabernacle, a Laver or large Bason of Brass, for the Priests to wash their Hands and Feet in, before they began to execute any Priestly Office. Next beyond that stood the Altar of Burnt-offering, with the Instruments thereunto belonging, all of Brass. ·

XXX.

These are, in Grofs, the Particulars relating to the Tabernacle; which may be seen minutely and exactly defcrib'd in the facred Records: as God himself was pleas'd Exod. to direct Mofes how they should be made. xxv to Let them make me a fanctuary that I may xxxvi. dwell amongst them. According to all that to xl. I fhew thee, after the pattern of the Tabernacle, and the pattern of all the inftruments thereof, even fo fhall ye make it.

The Ark therein contain'd was call'd the Ark of the Covenant, because the two Tables of Stone, on which the Law was written,

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written, and by which God had made a Covenant with his People, were kept in it; of which Mofes himself fays, I turnDeut. x. ed my felf, and came down from the Mount,

5.

4.

Exod.

and put the Tables in the Ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.

The Author of the Epistle to the HeHeb. ix. brews, mentioning the Tabernacle and the things contain'd in it, places the golden Cenfer (as it is there tranflated) within the Veil of the Holy of Holies; of which no mention is made in the Inftructions God gave to Mofes; but he is commanded to make an altar to burn incenfe upon every morning, and to put it before the veil that was by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-feat. That is, on the Outside of the Veil; otherwife it could not be us'd every Day. For into the Holy of Holies none was to enter but the High-Prieft, and he but once a Year.

XXX. I. &c.

The Critics and Commentators are hard put to it to reconcile this Difference; but think they do it effectually, by alledging that the golden Genfer mention'd in the Levit. Epiftle means the Cenfer which the High

xvi. 12.

Prieft