prayed in the tabernacle and temple, (that is, were open, as that was before the altar; and in after-times were called profeucha, fuch as that wherein our Saviour is faid to have gone to pray h, and fuch as the people who lived at a diftance from the tabernacle, and afterwards from the temple, might build for the exercise of their devotion, before their captivity: Thefe might be the places of their public affemblies (as those called properly fynagogues were in after-times) in all parts of their country remote from Jerufalem; to which they ufually reforted on the fabbaths and new moons: And hence the Shunamite's hufband might afk, Wherefore wilt thou go to bim, the prophet Elifba, to day? It is neither new moon nor fabbatḥ *.

i

Mofes only mentions the court of the tabernacle, as if at firft there were but one 1. But David fpeaks of the courts of the Lord m, and " we read of two courts in the houfe of the Lord °. After Solomon's time, the aforementioned court of the people was divided by a low wall, the outward part of which was for the women, in which it is fuppofed was the treafury, P, and which is thought to, be the new court, before which Jehoshaphat stood .

Some authors mention the court of the Gentiles, furrounding the court of the people; where they might come who were not Ifraelites, but ftrangers

or

h Luke vi. 12. Inftead of, in prayer to God, it might be rendered in the Profcucha, en ta prefeuchae tu theu i 2 Kings * See Dean Prideaux's Connection, part I. book m Pfal. lxxxiv.

iv 23.

vi.

2.

Anno 444

1 Exod. xxvii. 9.

In 2 Kings xxi. 5.

See alfo Jer. xxxvi. 10. 2

Chron. iv. 9. P Mentioned John viii. 20.

2 Chron.

XX. 5 and chap xviii. 19. Jofephus's Wars, book vi, chap. 6. Lightfoot's Temple, chap. xvi. xvii. xviii. xix.

or profelytes of the gate, who profeffed to worfhip the true God, though they were not circumcifed, and did not obferve the law of Mofes. In this court they allowed fheep and oxen, and doves to be fold for offerings, and the table of money-changers to stand, which our Lord overthrew ". These money-changers might either change other money into half-fhekels, for the offerings enjoined, or elfe return money for those who lived remote. This court of the Gentiles is faid to be feparated from the other by a low wall, to which the apostle alludes ", when he says, that Chrift is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken the middle wall of partition between us, that is, between Jews and Gentiles. The temple stood on mount Moriah, having the front towards the eaft: But the courts were not on a plain, at the top of the mount, but there was an afcent on the east fide, from one court up to another by fteps. Note, The courts, as well as the houfe or fanctuary, are in fcripture called by the name of the temple. Hereto we may add an obfervation of Jofephus", that there was but one holy city, and one temple in it, and one altar; but no more temples or altars in any other city; for the Hebrews are but one nation, and worship but one God.

The Figure here drawn renders this Account of the Jewish Tabernacle and Temple the more plain.

dd, The veil which parts the holy of holies from the holy place or fanctuary.

bbb, The holy place or fanctuary: In which the altar of incenfe bb, (with the table and fhew-bread, &c.) c, The porch.

e e e, The first court, or court of the priests, or the inward court, feparated from the reft by a low wall. f, The brazen altar, on which the facrifices were offered.

gggg, The court of Ifrael, or the court of the people, or the outward court.

The

The great gate was on the eaft *. There was no gate on the weft; but feveral on both fides, north and fouth ",

Towards fupplying of the neceffaries for the house and public fervice of God, befides the of ferings of the people, Mofes was ordered to apply the half hekel, (being about fifteen pence of our money,) which every one, or every man, from twenty years old and above, rich and poor alike, was to give an offering unto the Lord, as a ranfom VOL. I. Ff

for

Therefore Mofes and Aaron were appointed to encamp before the tabernacle eastward, keeping the charge of the fanctuary, that none but the priests might go into it, Num. iii. 38. So alfo Maimon. Mor. Nevoch. par. III. chap. xlv. Sanctum Sanctorum-Majeftas divina in Occidente. And fo much the prophet fhews from his vifion, Ezek. viii. 16. At the door of the tabernacle were about five-and-twenty men, with their backs towards the tabernacle, and their faces towards the caft, and they worshipped the fun toward the east, so that the entrance into the temple was toward the eaft; otherwise the idolaters could not, at the fame time, have their backs toward the temple, and their faces toward the east. Compare Ezek. xlvi. 1. and Jofeph. Antiq. book VIII. chap. ii. Hereby the true worshippers looking toward the weft, where flood the mercy feat, (the fymbol of God's prefence in the holy of holies,) were prevented from imitating the Heathen, efpecially the Perfian and Chaldean idolaters, in worshipping of the fun towards its rifing in the eaft. But on the other hand, the primitive Chriftians generally turned toward the caft in their public folemn adorations, as efteeming that part of the heavens a fymbol of Chrift, the orient, which we tranflate the day-fpring, Luke i. 78. who is alfo the Sun of righteousness, Malachi iv. 2. and who, as they judge it, fhould appear at his fecond coming in the eaftern part of the world. Tertul. Apol. chap. xvi. Gregory's Notes and Obfervat. chap. xviii. Bingham Antiq. book XIII. chap. viii. fect. 15.

y Note, The dimenfions are not obferved in this plan; but the form of the temple is described according to the delineations thereof, in the Apparatus to Bishop Walton's Polyglot, and Dean Prideaux's Ichnography, and Dr. Wells's Hifto rical Geography of the Old Testament.

for his foul or life ", which they were enabled to pay out of the spoils of the Egyptians, at their going forth out of Egypt . The Hebrew doctors fay, that this was a perpetual ordinance, and that the half fhekel was paid every year by all, except women, bondmen, and children ". And, by the account of Jofephus, it was not only paid in the wildernefs, for the maintenance of the tabernacle-fervice, but all along afterwards to the temple; and even by them who dwelt abroad; for this didrachma, or half fhekel, with other holy money devoted to God, according to custom, Jofephus fays, was tranfmitted to Jerufalem, by the Jews of Mefopotamia and Babylon; though fometimes it might be neglected f.

e

Fourthly, As for the perfons who officiated, viz. the priests, they were of the family or posterity of Levi, one of Jacob's twelve fons, who were chofen by God to perform the offices belonging to the public fervices; wherefore their laws were called Levitical laws 8.

Aaron, one of the defcendants of Levi h, and Aaron's pofterity, were chofen for the priests office, the eldest fon to be the high priest, and the other fons to be the priests of the fecond order, for the ufual facrifices, and offering incenfe, and

inter

b P.

z Exod. xxx. II. a Exod. xii. 35, 36. Fagius, Grotius, and Ainfworth, on Exod. xxx. 15, 16. The feventy call it, Exod. xxx. 13. didrachmon. c Wars, book VII. chap. xxvi. where he says, that the Roman emperor impofed on the Jews the Didrachma, as a tax to be paid to the Capitol, as formerly to the Temple. d See alfo Matt. xvii. 24.

Antiq. book XVIII. chap. xii. at the beginning. Compare Agrippa's Letter to Gaius, near the end Philo. Legat. chap. xvi. As appears from 2 Chron. xxiv. 5,-15. xviii, 1,-8.

Exod. vi. 16, 20.

8 Num.

i Exod. xl. 12, &c;