"the

way of eminence and diftinction; fometimes,
ark of the covenant;" the ark of the "teftimony;" the
ark of "his strength;" the ark "whose name is called
by the name of the God of Ifrael." We fhall pass by
those circumstances which were in common to it,
with the other implements of the worldly fanctuary,
the holy places made with hands; and point out a
few of those which were peculiar to itself. It was a
close cheft of two cubits and a half long, one and a
half broad, and one and a half in height of the self-
fame materials with the reft. The covering was de-
nominated the mercy-feat; from the two ends of
which arofe two figures of cherubims, of beaten or
folid gold with their faces turned, and their wings ex-
tended towards each other; looking down together
towards the mercy-feat, and concealing it from the eye.
For any one to touch this with fo much as a finger, or
to prefume to look into it, except those who were di-
vinely appointed for the purpose, was inftant and cer-
tain death, as the dreadful punishment of Uzzah and
of the men of Bethfhemesh awfully evinced. Its con-
tents were the two tables of teftimony, the golden
pot with manna, the memorial of Ifrael's miraculous
fupply in the wilderness, and Aaron's rod that budded.
Its principal use was to point out a way in the pathless
wilderness for Ifrael to march in. From between the
cherubims the divine oracles were delivered, at first
to Mofes by a voice; for God converfed with him as
a man with his friend; and afterwards to the high
prieft, who confulted by Urim and Thummim, which
is supposed to have been a fupernatural declaration of
the divine will, by means of rays of glory darted from
the most holy place, upon the breast-plate which was
ftudded with twelve gems. But the nature and man-
ner of this confultation and refponfe, now are, and
likely to remain fo, a fecret to mankind.

Besides marking out the way, and directing the feveral encampments in the wilderness, we shall meet in the courfe of this history with a fpecial interpofition

of

1

of it in many noted particular cafes. By it the waters of Jordan were divided afunder, and opened a paffage for Ifrael into the promised land. Before it the, proud walls of Jericho were levelled with the ground, after having been encompaffed by it for feven days: its prefence confounded Dagon, and plagued the Philiftines. Treated with refpect, or approached carelessly ard prefumptuously, it became a protection and a fource of bleffing to one family; a terror and a curfe to another. The king of Ifrael reckoned it the glory of his house, and the protection of his kingdom; and had it conveyed with all fuitable folemnity to the place prepared for it. And, finally, it completed the splendour and magnificence of the facred edifice on Mount Zion, the joy and wonder of the whole earth. And the divine prefence, of which it was the fymbol, conftitutes the fafety, ftrength and happiness of every living temple which the Holy Ghoft hath reared. Let my heart, O God, be an altar, from whence the sweet incenfe of gratitude, love and praise may continually afcend. "Arife, O Lord, into this thy reft; thou and the ark of thy ftrength. Let thy priest be clothed with righteoufnefs; let me with all thy faints fhout for joy. Turn not away the face of thine anointed."

The conjectures of the learned on the subject of the cherubim, are various, many of them fanciful, and for the most part unfatisfactory. The most obvious and moft generally received opinion is, that they were emblematical representations of the angelic or heavenly hoft and the attributes here affigned to them, their attitude, and their employment in the tabernacle fervice, correfpond exactly to the idea given us in other parts of fcripture of thofe flaming minifters who ftand continually before God, execute his pleasure, adore his divine perfections, minister to the heirs of falvation.

The ark may be confidered as the throne of God. The cherubim encompaffed that throne, as the attend

ants

ants in earthly courts furround the throne and perfon of their prince. This is the precife idea fuggefted by the prophet Ifaiah, of the nature and office of thefe bleffed fpirits, in the fixth chapter of his prophecy." In the year that king Uzziah died, I faw alfo the Lord fitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the feraphims; each one had fix wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and faid, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hofts, the whole earth is full of his glory.' Thus alfo Daniel represents the fame glorious object; "The Ancient of days did fit, whofe garment was white a fnow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream iffued and came forth from before him thousand thousands miniftred unto him, and ten thoufand times ten thousand ftood before him."t Micah faw in vifion, "the Eternal fitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing before him, and on the right hand and the left." "The chariots of God," fays the pfalmift, "are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place." And in feveral other paffages he addreffes the Deity as fitting, and dwelling among the cherubim.§

The cherubim had their faces turned one toward another. This might be intended to represent the perfect union of fentiment and co-operation which fubfifts among these fons of light. In other places of fcripture, we hear their voices in concert, raifing one fong of praise, as in the paffage just now quoted from Ifaiah, and Revelations, chapter fourth: "They reft not day and night, faying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." "Thou art worthy,

* Verse 1-3. + Pfal. Ixviii. 17.

+ Chap. vii. 9, 10.

§ Pfal. lxxx. 1. Pfal. xcix. 1.
Verfe 8.

worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power: for thou haft created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." These glorious beings, differing in degree, infinite in number, have nevertheless but one heart, one defire, one will, one aim, to praise and serve Him who is the author of their being, and the fource of all their happiness.

The cherubim are reprefented as furnished with wings. This denotes the alacrity, promptitude and instantaneousness with which angels obey the divine will. Thus, the angel who appeared to Zacharias at the hour of incenfe," I am Gabriel, that ftand in the prefence of God:" and hence, elsewhere, in fcripture, the activity of angels is compared to the velocity of the wind, and the rapid irresistible force of fire. "He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea he did fly upon the wings of the wind." "He maketh his angels fpirits; his minifters a flaming fire." the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in ftrength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Blefs ye the Lord, all ye his hofts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure."t

"Blefs

Once more; the faces of the cherubim were not only turned one to another, but bended together toward the mercy-feat, and their looks were attentively fixed upon the ark. This expreffes the holy admiration, with which angels are filled, of thofe myfteries of redemption which the ark prefigured. To this remarkable circumftance the apoftle Peter alludes in his first epistle, when fpeaking of falvation through "the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory that should follow," he adds, "which things the angels defire to look into." The words literally tranflated import, "which things, angels ftoop down to contemplate." It conveys a beautiful and ftriking idea of the gofpel difpenfation. Angels are exalted to the height of glory and felicity. They behold God face to face, and drink of the river of pleasure at its very fource. They

They fee his uncreated fplendour fhining before their eyes. They fee his goodnefs in the bleffings which they enjoy. They fee his juftice in the punishment of angels" which left their firft eftate." They fee his wisdom in the government of this vaft universe. In a word, every thing that is capable of filling the enlarged comprehenfion, of fatisfying the inquiring fpirit, is fet before these pure and exalted intelligences. Nevertheless, amidst fo many objects of wonder and delight, in the midst of all this felicity and glory, angels defire to be more and more acquainted with "the things which belong to our peace." They difcover a God rich in mercy to men upon earth, as wonderful, as incomprehenfible as a God abundant in loving kindness to angels in heaven: and forgetting, if it be lawful to say so, the luftre and happiness of the church triumphant, defcend and mingle with the church militant, and find fuel to divine love, find materials for pleafing, advancing, endless inveftigation, in the work of redemption by Jefus Christ. "These things the angels," from the heights of heaven, "bend down" with humble earnestness, with holy defire "to look into."

I conclude with quoting a paffage of the Rabbi Maimonides* on the fubject. "God commanded Mofes," fays he, "to make two cherubim, in order to impress upon the human mind the doctrine of the exiftence of angels. Had there been but one cherub placed over the mercy-feat, the Ifraelites might have fallen into a grievous error, they might have imagined, with idolatrous nations, that it was the image of God himself, which they were required to worship under that form. Or they might have been led to believe, on the other hand, that there was but one angel. But the command given to make two cherubim, joined to this declaration, O Ifrael, the Lord your God is one Jehovah, fettles both articles beyond the power of difputation. It proves that there is an angelic or. der,

* More Nevoch. part IIL. chap. xiv.