tude. There was a grand procession, which stopped at certain places to offer sacrifices, either on the ground, or on altars occa6 sionally erected. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house to the most holy [place, even] under the wings of the cherubims; it was brought into the most holy place, and fixed between 7 the cherubims, under their spreading wings. For the cherubims spread forth [their] two wings over the place of the ark, and the 8 cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And they drew out the staves by which it was carried, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy [place] before the oracle ; or, as it is in 2 Chron. v. 9. on the outside of the ark, at a distance from it; which would be a guide to the priest when he went in on the day of atonement to sprinkle the blood, the oracle being dark, except what light the cloud of glory occasioned, which he was not to look upon; and they were not seen without, in the holy place strictly so called: and there they are unto this day, so long 9 as the temple stood. [There was] nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made [a covenant] with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt, for Aaron's rod, and the pot of manna, were by the side of it.

10

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy [place,] that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, who now came to take possession of the house by the cloud, which was 11 the symbol of his presence, (see 2 Chron. v. 11, &c.) So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud : for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.* 12 Then spake Solomon, to encourage them and dissipate their fears, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.t 13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever; he welcomed this token of God's presence and approbation, and begged that he would accept it as his 14 own, and dwell in it for ever. And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the 15 congregation of Israel stood ;) And he said, Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David 16 my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled [it,] saying, Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city, no particular place, out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel, and showed him the place 17 that I designed. And it was in the heart of David my father to

At first there was a large thick and dark cloud, from whence, after Solomon had finished his prayer, insupportable brightness issued. This was a token of God's acceptatice of them; it did honour to the ark and temple, and confirmed the people's belief of what they had so often read concerning the glory of the Lord in the books of Moses. Upon this, the priest came out of the temple in great consternation, and the people, struck with horror, began to be afraid.

He had in effect said so, as all his appearances had been in a cloud, on mount Sinai and in the wilderness, and on the tabarnacle.

He stood on a scaffold of brass, in the court before the house of the Lord

18 build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And

the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was 19 in thine heart. Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house ; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build 20 the house unto my name. And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, fulfilled his promise in giving him a son, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel, who hath enabled 21 me to execute this design. And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein [is] the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt; that is, the table of the covenant which contained the tenure by which they held the land of Canaan, and the rules of their duty.

22

And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his 23 hands toward heaven: And he said, Lord God of Israel, [there

is] no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk 24 before thee with all their heart: Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled [it] with thine 25 hand, as [it is] this day. Therefore now, Lord GoD of Israel keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked be 26 fore me. And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father; entreating that God would fulfil what remained to his posterity, and that the government of Israel might continue in his family. He then breaks out into high admiration of the condescension and grace of God, dwelling with men, and vouchsafing them 27 the tokens of his presence. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? Acknowledging that God was infinite and immense, lest the people should imagine that Jehovah was like the heathen gods, confined to one place; the highest heavens, all the worlds of light and glory, could 28 not comprehend or contain him. Yet, though thou art present every where, have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee 29 today: That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, [even] toward the place of which thou hast said, My

He now turned about toward the altar, which lay between him and the temple, and spread forth his hands; and afterward fell on his knees, as the most proper gesture for prayer, and offered a most noble and devout address to God. He began with adoring his excellencies, and his faithfulness to his promises to David.

name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer 30 which thy servant shall make toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and, when thou hearest, forgive; to prevent any wrong notions of God, he adds, Hear in heaven, the resi dence of thy brighest glory, of which this is but an emblem, and forgive; because sin will prevent the acceptance and success of our prayers.

1.

I

REFLECTIONS.

T is the duty and honour of the children of good men to pur sue their pious schemes, and complete the good works they began so Solomon did; and he speaks of it with peculiar pleasure and satisfaction, and thankfulness to God, who enabled him to do it. It is no dishonour to build on a good foundation; but a great disgrace when the children of God's people degenerate, and do not pursue the good designs of their parents.

2. The thick darkness, in which God appeared, was an emblem of the darkness of that dispensation, in which there was so much of types and shadows and obscurity. Rays of glory indeed broke out, but their minds were terrified and enslaved by it. Let us bless God for the brighter dispensation of the gospel; where we all, with open face beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into his image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord.

3. We should remember, that good designs and intentions are approved and commended by God, though he gives not the oppor tunity of putting them into execution. David did well in that ic was in his heart to build a house for God. This is an encouragement to us to be laying schemes for his glory; nevertheless good intentions are but hypocrisy without vigorous endeavours. If the heart be intent upon serving God, and the hands diligently employed in his work, and if there be a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath, and not according to what he hath not.

4. Solomon, with all his wealth and magnificence, never looked so truly great and glorious, as he did in the attitude in which this chapter represents him. He was great on the throne, on the bench of justice, in his buildings, furniture and equipage; but never so truly illustrious, as when prostrating himself before God, and leading the devotions of Israel. It was for his honour that he could pray, and suit his petitions to the occasion with so much propriety and affection. It was for his honour that he was willing to pray before this vast congregation, and did not turn over the work to an inferior person. The reverence of his posture, and the devotion of his heart, are worthy the imitation of the greatest men.

The people in the court worshipped toward the oracle, where the symbol of the divine presence resided; and in other parts of the country they looked toward the temple; so Daniel did in Babylon, Daniel vi. 10. Hence we read so often of worshipping toward the temple, as an expression of their faith in Jehovah, who dwelt there.

5. God's promises to us should encourage our prayers. This Solomon makes use of as a plea in his prayer; grounding his petition for favour and mercy to the land, in the various circumstances that might occur, on what was said to David and of Israel. God's promises are to guide our devotions, to direct us what to pray for, and to excite our hope that he will graciously hear our supplications, and send an answer of peace.

6. It becomes us, whenever we approach to God, to remember his immensity and omnipresence. This will prevent rudeness and presumption, and fill our hearts with an awful sense of the Majesty we address; it will lead us to admire his condescension and grace, in permitting our approach to him, who is a spirit, and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. We should particularly recollect, that he knows our thoughts, and therefore should be serious and sincere. He knows the plague of our hearts, and allows us to spread our sins and our sorrows before him. He knows how to support us under every burden; to take it away, or to cure every plague and grief, both of body and mind.

CHAP. VIII. 31, to the end.

A continuation of Solomon's prayer; his blessing the people; and the sacrifice and feast which followed the dedication.

31

IF any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid

upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before 32 thine altar in this house: Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness; if a man denies what was lent or committed to him by his neighbour, and, there being no witness, he is called upon to purge himself by an oath, and to touch the 33 altar, then do thou plainly show who has right on his side. When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this-house, or rather, toward this house; when they confess the justice of their punishment, renounce their false gods, and turn to 34 thee Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again out of their captivity unto 35 the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confesss thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them, without 36 which they cannot hope for mercy: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land which thou hast given to thy people

for an inheritance; first by thy grace make them better, and then 37 give them rain in its season. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust [or] if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness [there be ;] -38 What prayer and supplication soever be [made] by any man, any particular person, [or] by all thy people Israel, by any town or city, who, being afflicted, shall join together in their prayers, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart,* when he makes a solemn moan for any thing that lies heavy upon his 39 spirits, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, [even] thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men ;) if his heart is upright, grant his request, for thou canst not be deceived with words, but wilt give according 40 to the sincerity of our repentance; That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers; be led by thy goodness to serve thee religiously, and not return to folly. He then opens the fulness of his benevolent heart 41 in praying for strangers. Moreover concerning a stranger, that [is] not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake ; who hear the fame of thy greatness and goodness, and are disposed to come to Jerusalem to worship God, and become 42 proselytes to his religion; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm ;) when he 43 shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, to encourage them, and prove thy divinity, and thy relation to Israel, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as [do] thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name, belongs to thee, has thy gracious presence in it, and may carry a good report back, and so spread thy name and thy glory. 44 If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and [toward] the house that I have 45 built for thy name: Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and 46 their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against thee, if they revolt from thee, (for [there is] no man that sinneth not) the general depravity of human nature makes me fear they will, (which he urges as an argument for compassion and mercy,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the ene47 my, far or near; [Yet] if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we

In Chronicles it is, his grief and sorrow; any bodily affliction, or rather, sin, which is the cause of grief,