basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple, (i. e. of the holy place.) And,ver. 41, &c. we read that "the two pillars," namely, which were set in the porch of the temple, "and the two bowls of the chapiters, that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two net works, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were on the two pillars, and four hundred pomegranates for the two net works; and the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases; and one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea; and the pots, and the shovels, and the basons; all these vessels for the house of the Lord were of bright brass."

From the accounts here laid before him, the reader clearly perceives, that both the tabernacle and temple were each, not

The taberna

cle and temple

thus richly

adorned by the only beautified and adorned, but

immediate appointment

of God himself. beautified and

finest and richest manner.

adorned after the

And he is further

to understand that this was done, by the im

mediate appointment of God Himself. For as all that is contained in Exod. xxv.-xxviii. in relation to the tabernacle is no other than what the Lord spake unto Moses, as we are expressly informed Exod. xxv. 1; so in relation to the temple we are informed 1 Chron. xxviii. 19: "All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern."

If then we do but seriously call to mind and consider what use St. Paul has taught us (as has been already observed) is to be The use to be made of the writings of the Old particulars. "these things are

made of the foregoing

Testament, namely, that our examples, and are written for our admonition;" from what has been laid before us in this chapter, we must necessarily make this plain and natural inference, that it is likewise our bounden and indispensable duty toward God, to contribute liberally according to our ability, not only to the bare building or repairing of churches, but to the beautifying and adorning of them after the most magnificent For otherwise we become faulty

manner.

G

before God, for not following the good examples thus set before us in the history of the Old Testament, and for not having due régard to the admonition therein given us. And this will further appear from the considerations contained in the following chapter, as to the reason of God's requiring both the tabernacle and temple to be thus richly beautified and adorned.

CHAPTER VII.

Wherein the duty here treated of is most strongly enforced by the reason why God commanded the tabernacle and temple to be so richly beautified and adorned; and by the common notions and usages of mankind,

FROM

whereon the reason of God's command

in this case was grounded.

ROM the foregoing chapters it undeniably appears, that the tabernacle and temple

were built, each in its kind, after the most

stately and noble manner. And that it is

likewise the indispensable duty of us ians, to build our churches after the

most stately and noble manner, will,

I think, undeniably appear from duly

considering the reason assigned in

The

Christ

reason of

building the tabernacle and

temple so

stately and nobly, holds

good as to the churches in

building of

like manner.

Scripture, why the tabernacle and temple were so sumptuously built. For the said reason holds equally good in respect of our churches, as it did in respect of the tabernacle or temple.

It has been fancied by some that the tabernacle and temple were thus richly beautified and adorned on typical or ceremonial

considerations. But this is justly to

The said rea

son founded on the dignity

of the Divine

Nature.

be esteemed mere fancy, since it is so far from having any grounds in Scripture, that a quite different reason is therein assigned, namely such as is founded in the very nature of things and a moral decency or suitableness of one thing to another. Thus as to the temple, David has told us the reason in 1 Chron. xxix. I : "The work is great," i. e. the temple is to be built thus most stately, and adorned thus

And the like reason is

Chron. ii. 5; "The

most richly: "for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God." Where the reason given is manifestly founded on the dignity of the Divine Nature above the human, and on moral decency or the suitableness there ought to be between God and the temple, on account of the relation which the temple was to have to the Divine Majesty, as being designed for His palace or service. given by Solomon, 2 house which I build is great: for great is our God above all god's." But now the God of us Christians being the same as the God of the Israelites, and our churches having the same moral relation to Him as had the temple, inasmuch as they are places alike set apart for His dwelling, honour, and service; hence there is the same reason for building our churches stately, and adorning them richly, as there was for so building and adorning the temple.

As to the tabernacle, the like reason with that concerning the temple is contained in that special precept, Lev.

The same to be understood as to the tabernacle.

О