As the tabernacle was constructed, so the temple was built, for the express purpose of being the residence of God. Hence Solomon's address to God: "I "have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place to abide in forever."* To the same purpose is the song of Moses: "Thou shalt bring them in, " and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made "for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, "which thy hands have established." From these passages it may be concluded that the temple was designed to be a sacred habitation, chosen by God for his own residence in the midst of his people, and, as we are about to observe, illustrated by his special presence.

II. The same conclusion also follows from the sanctity of the temple so celebrated on all occasions; the only foundation of which was its possession of such a presence of God as was not common to it with other places, but was peculiarly its own. There is a twofold sanctity which is applicable to a place; the one circumstantial, the other local. If you consider it in a circumstantial view, a place is consecrated by a dedication to the worship of God; but a place, as a place, is consecrated by any remarkable presence of God, or symbol of his presence. For though there is no place within which God can be circumscribed, or from which he can be excluded; yet every one must perceive the possibility of some places being distinguished by his presence, or some symbol of his presence, different from what is common to others.

What more illustrious

* I Kings viii. 13.

manifestation of the divine

+ Exod. xv. 17.

presence, then, was there in the tabernacle and temple, than in other places? Certainly that bright and sacred cloud which the scriptures denominate "glory," and the Jews call shechinah; † which for a long time accompanied the tabernacle, and afterwards removed into the temple. Nor is it usual in the scriptures for the appellation of "holy" to be given to any places, but such as were illustrated by that preternatural cloud, or by some other remarkable symbol of the divine presence. Thus the place in the neighbourhood of the bush from which the Lord addressed Moses, was called "holy "ground,"§ on account of the glory of God displayed in that bush. Thus also Sinai and Sion were called "holy" mountains, because they were both illustrated with the splendid symbol of the divine presence. presence. The same remark may be applied to that which the apostle Peter has called "the holy “mount;” which, like the others already mentioned, had been consecrated by the same glory. The same character also belongs to "the sanctuary of the "Lord"** at Shechem; which was distinguished by that appellation, because God had formerly appeared there to Abraham.†† The sanctity of the place was the sole reason of the command given to Joshua near Jericho, to put off his shoes from his feet; and the only cause of that sanctity was the presence of the angel who was "the captain of the Lord's host, the representative as it were of God himself: of whom Kimchi says; 'His dignity and sanctity con 'secrated the place where he appeared to Joshua.'‡‡

*

1 Exod. xvi. 10. xxiv. 16. †♫♪ § Exod. iii. 5. Psal. lxviii. 17. ii. 6.

or habitation, ‡ I Kings viii. 11. ¶ II Pet. i. 18. Matt. xvii. 2, 5. In Josh. v. 15.

** Josh. xxiv. 26. tt Gen. xii. 6, 7.

It is of no importance, that this splendour, denominated "the glory of the Lord,” did not at all times display its radiance in the sanctuary in a manner visible to the corporeal eye. For the Deity, whose presence that splendour represented, having once entered into his sanctuary, would have it thenceforward considered as his permanent habitation.* He said, "I have hallowed this house, to put my

name there forever; and mine eyes and mine heart "shall be there perpetually." And there he continued his residence till he removed and fixed it in a far most illustrious manner in his spiritual temple, the christian church.

III. It is worthy of observation also, that God prohibited sacrifices to be offered to him. any where except in his sanctuary; that the priests who entered into it to minister, were considered as "coming near to God and standing before him;"§ that those who appeared in the sanctuary are said to have 'appeared before the Lord God;" that whatever was done there is represented as having been done before the Lord;" and that from the innermost part of the sanctuary God used to deliver his sacred oracles :** all which were so many indications of his special presence.

IV. The same conclusion may be drawn from the metaphorical use of the word temple. For the sole ground upon which Christ gave this appellation to his body, was, that in him "dwelt all the fullness" of that divine majesty, which in a shadowy and symbolical manner inhabited the ancient temple.

His

flesh also is called a "vail,"* as being the residence of the Divinity which dwelt in a symbolical manner within the vail of the inner sanctuary. Why does the apostle designate Christians as "the temple of "God?" Because "the spirit of God dwelleth in "them." For the same reason, he declares their bodies to be "the temple of the Holy Ghost."+ Observe his language to the Ephesians: "Now "therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,

but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the house"hold of God; and are built upon the foundation of "the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom also ye are builded together for an habitation of God through the "Spirit." In this passage, as he calls the Ephesian church" an habitation of God," on account of the Holy Spirit dwelling in it, so he denominates the universal church of Christ "an holy temple," for the same reason and in the same sense. And the only cause to be assigned for his adoption of this phraseology, is, that the temple of Jerusalem was considered as the residence of the Deity, from which he has transferred the appellation of temple to the christian church.

V. The same opinion of the nature of the temple has been held by the Jews. They say that both in the wilderness and in Canaan itself there were three camps, the camp of the people, the camp of the Levites, and the camp of God. For to the camp of the people in the wilderness afterwards corresponded the city of Jerusalem: to the camp of the

* Heb. x. 20. ↑ I Cor. 3, 16. I Cor. vi. 19. § Ephes. ii. 19–22.

Levites, the mountain of the house; where the Levites kept guard about the temple, as they had formerly done around the tabernacle: and the tabernacle was succeeded by the temple; each of them being considered by the Jews as a sacred place in which God dwelt among his people, as their king and lord. To this purpose is the following passage of Maimonides. "In the wilderness there were three camps: the camp ' of Israel, which itself was also fourfold; the camp of the Levites, whose place it was, as we have

stated, to pitch their tents round the sacred taber'nacle; and the camp of the Divine Majesty, situated 'within the gate of the court of the congregation. To these things there are others which perpetually correspond the whole space between the gate of "Jerusalem and the gate of the mountain of the 'house; which is considered in the same light as the camp of Israel: the space extending from the gate of the mountain of the house to the gate of the sanctuary called Nicanor; which answers to the camp ' of the Levites: and the space within the gate of the sanctuary; which was the camp of the Divine Ma'jesty."* These things serve to elucidate an observation of the apostle to the Hebrews. "For the "bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into "the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned "without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he "might sanctify the people with his own blood, suf"fered without the gate." He evidently assumes it as a thing admitted and known, that the city of Jerusalem, in succeeding times, corresponded to the camp of Israel in the wilderness; and assigns it as á reason why Christ was put to death without the gate

* Beth Habechira, c. 7.

+ Heb. xiii. 11, 12.