Agreeably to these Prophecies therefore, Ezra i. 1. Cyrus, the first Year after his Conquest

of Babylon, was stirred up by the spirit of the LORD to make a Proclamation throughout all his dominions, and also to put it in writing; which runs thus : Thus faith Cyrus King of Persia, &c. The LORD God of beaven bath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people ? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Ifa rael, &c.

There return'd therefore, under the

Conduct of Zerubbabel, forty and two ib. ii. 64. thousand three hundred and threescore ;

besides Servants and other Attendants amounting to above seven Thousand more: who, in a very short Time after, built the Altar of the God of Israel, and offer'd Burnt-Offerings thereon, Morning and Evening, under the Administration

of Yeshua the High-Priest. And, in the ib. iii. 8. second year after their coming, they be

12,

2

3

3.9.

ple; with much solemn Joy and Exul-
tation; after the Ordinance of David
King of Israel.

But, according to a Design so far short
of Solomon's, that many of the Priests and Ezra iii.
Levites and chief of the fathers, who were
ancient men, that had seen the first house,
when the foundation of this house, was
laid before their eyes, wept with a loud
voice. And the Prophet Haggai, at
the fame Time that he excites them
to the Building, asks, Who is left - Haggai ii.
mong you that saw this boufe in her
first glory? and how do ye. see it now?
is it not in your eyes, in comparison of it,
as nothing?. And yet, in consideration that
the second Temple was to be honour'd
with the Presence of the Messiah, the
same Prophet, presently after, writes thus,
The glory of this latter house shall be great-
er than of the former, saith the LORD
of hosts.

Whether the Delineation of the Temple Ezekiel faw in a Vision, in the 25th Ezek. xl. Year of the Captivity, were a Copy af- &c. ter the first, or a Model for the second, or intended to typify something different

from

I 2

from both, is not any where determin’d. Tho’ some Jews have pretended the latter Temple was built after Ezekiel's Plan.

After having been fix and forty Years in building, thro' the frequent Interruptions caus’d by the Samaritans, it was finish'd, as before observ'd, in the fixth Year of the Reign of Darius, King of Perha: And remain'd the same, except the Pollutions and Indignities with which the Inside of it was violated by Antiochus Epiphanes King of Syria, to our Saviour's Time. For I think no Credit is to be given to the Report yosephus makes ; of its having been rebuilc : from the

ivery Foundations, and enlarg’d by Herod, in the Time of Augustus: of which we have not the least Hint in the Gospel, where Mention is so often made of the Temple;

and where it is exprefly said to have been fix John ii. and forty years in building. It is probable

therefore that Herod only repair'd and Megcsip- beautified it; as another Author of good

Credit affirms. However, when 'our LORD was crucified, the veil of it, that which

parxxii. 51. ted off the Holy of Holies from the rest,

20.

WAS

at

d was rent in twain from the top to the bot

tom.

Afterwards the Emperor Caligula ordered an Image of himself to be set

up

in 2. it, and divine Honours to be paid to it:

which we may look upon as a just Judg-
ment upon the Jews, when they disown'd
our LORD, and said they had no King
but Cæfar.

SECT. XII.
The Second Temple finally destroy’d.

It was not long after, together with
the City, burnt by Titus ; and the very
Foundations of it utterly demolish'd by
Adrian: who is said to have caus'd a Tem-
ple to be erected in the same Place, to
the heathen Goddess Venus. The first of
which Things verified that Prediction of
our Saviour, when he was viewing the
Buildings of the Temple; There shall not
be left here one stone upon another that xxiv. 1.
shall not be thrown down: and the latter ib. 15.
might probably be the abomination of de-
folation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet.

Matt.

Matt,

SECT. XIII.

4

Temples in Samaria and Egypt. There was a Temple likewise built by Sanballat upon Mount Gerizim, for the Use of the Samaritans; who pretended (upon the Return of the Jews from their Captivity) that they were of the Stock of the true ancient Hebrews, and that their Mountain was the most proper Place of Worship: upon which Principle the Samaritan Woman in the Gospel, argues with CHRIST: but that was destroy'd by Hyrcanus, as yosephus testifies.

The fame Author mentions another Temple the Jews had built in Egypt, when they were perfecuted by Antiochus: and that it was destroy'd much about the

fame Time with that at Jerusalem. In & Mac. i.

the Apocrypha indeed, there is a Letter
from the Jews at Jerusalem to those in
Egypt.

S E C T. XIV.

SYNAGOGU E S.
So much for the Temple. They had
other Places of Worship mention'd in

Scripture