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have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a by-word among all nations.

And this house, which is high shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD GOD of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

Then Solomon offered burnt-offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch; even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of the tabernacles.

And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses, at every gate: for so had David the man of GoD commanded.

And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites, concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

We find from the answer, which the LORD Vouchsafed to make, that Solomon's prayer was perfectly agreeable to the Divine will, it may therefore be safely adopted as a model of public devotion; and it will afford great satisfaction

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satisfaction to compare the various parts of this prayer with the prayers of our church service, as they will be found to agree perfectly in substance. It is to be observed, that the LORD entered into a personal covenant with Solomon, when he appeared to him; from the conditions of which we may understand, that neither king nor people, in any nation, are to expect the continuance of the Divine blessing, if they are disobedient to the Divine law.

It must have been a great satisfaction to Solomon to receive so undoubted a testimony, that the LORD had heard his petitions, and that they were acceptable to Him.

SECTION XLIII.

THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S HOUSE-THE HOUSE OF LEBANON THE HOUSE FOR PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER -HIS THRONE, &C.

From 1 Kings, Chap. vii. iii. x. ix.

SOLOMON was building his own house thirteen years. He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon.

And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

Then he made a porch for the throne, where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.

And his house, where he dwelt, had another court within the porch, which was of like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, (whom he had taken to wife) like unto this porch.

All

All these were costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court.

Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.

The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.

And twelve lions stood there on the one side, and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.

And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beat, en gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.

And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold: three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold, none were of silver; it was nothing -accounted of in the days of Solomon.

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year, was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold.

For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish, with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.

Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, at the sea-side in the land of Edom.

And it came to pas at the end of twenty years, when
Solomon

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Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king's house.

(Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar-trees, and fir-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.

And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they pleased him not.

And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.

And Hiram sent to the king six score talents of gold. And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter Solomon's wife.

And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether. And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land. And the cities which Hiram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

He built also store-cities, and chariot-cities, and cities of the horsemen. And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt.

And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come.

ANNOTA

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

We find that when king Solomon had built the Temple of the LORD, he caused a stately palace to be erected for his own residence, to adorn the land of Israel, and procure to himself that respect which was due from all the nations of the earth to the king who sat on the throne of the LORD. We find that this building was much longer in hand than the House of the LORD, which shews, that Solomon preferred the honour of Gon to his own grandeur.

The house of the forest of Lebanon, is supposed to have been built as a pleasant retreat from the fatigues of state affairs.

It is astonishing to reflect on the riches of Solomon; but the sacred historian accounts for his possessing such stores of wealth, by acquainting us with his numerous

resources.

It has already been mentioned, how David gained the ports of Eloth and Ezion-geber. The trade carried on from these places, was the same which is now in the hands of our East-India merchants. It is not exactly described where Ophir and Tarshish were situated; but it is well known, that the eastern territories abound with treasures even in these days, and it is likely that they were much more plentiful formerly.

Solomon finding the traffic so profitable, went to Eloth and Ezion-geber, in order to direct the increase of his navy, and to furnish those ports with inhabitants well skilled in this kind of merchandize; these he selected from the Tyrians Hiram had sent him for hewing timber, &c. for the Temple. From the cordiality which afterwards subsisted between Hiram and Solomon, we may conclude, that the cities which the latter offered to K 5

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