XXXV. 3.

For we find King Josiah ordering it to 2 Chron. be replaced.

What is said to have become of it, after the Babylonish Captivity, may be seen

2 Mac. ï. in the Apocryphal Writings: whence we ib. v. 16. may likewise conclude, the Yews never pretended to be in Poffefsion of it after the second Temple was plunder'd by Antiochus Epiphanes; whatever they did before.

As for the Tabernacle and the other holy Things that belong'd to it, we find that in the Days of Saul, it had been remov'd from Shiloh to Nob, (a City on this 1 Sam. Side Yordar, between the Tribes of xxi. !. Judah and Benjamin,) not far from Jerusalem; which had been assign’d to the Priests and Levites for their Habitation; among whom Abimelech, and his Son Abi, Mark ü. athar were successively High-Priests.

In the Time of David we find it remov'd to the High-Place that was at Gio i Chroin. beon; a City of the Tribe of Benjamin:

26.

i, 3.

except Abiathar, who escap'd to David. 2 Chron. And we likewise read of its being still there,

in the Beginning of the Reign of Solomon: after which we meet with no further Account of it.

But here it may be noted, once for all; that tho' the Tabernacle and the Temple were, in some respects, very different, yet, as they both meant one and the same Thing, (the chief Residence of religious

Worship) those two Names are us'd pro1 Sam. miscuously for each other, in several Pla

ces of Scripture. Jer. x,

SECT. IV.

i. 9. ii. 3.

20.

The HIGH-PLACES.

But, beside the Tabernacle, both before the Building of the Temple, and after, there were Places of Worship calld HighPlaces; which this People, sometimes took

the Liberty to resort to, contrary to God's Deut. xii, express Command, who had said; ye fall

utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations, which ye Mall possess, ferved their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the bills, and under every green Tree. reall

Rot

not do fo unto the LORD your God. But, unto the place which the LORD your God fall choose, out of all your tribes, to put bis name there, even unto bis babitation Shall ye feek, and thither thou shalt come, &c. For, after they had got Poffeffion of che Land of Canaan, they quickly ran into the reigning Idolațries of the Country; and being sometimes without any Chief, Governour or Judge, every Man did that which was right in his own Eyes.

Indeed, God seems to have been indul-
gent to them in those Times of their blind
Şcupidity, and to have conniv'd sometimes
at their worshipping, (provided they wor-
fhip'd Him and not other Gods) upon
High-Plaçes, and under green Trees.
The Angel of God directs Gideon of the Judg. vi.
Tribe of Manafeb (whom he had appoint- 20.
ed to judge Ifrael) to make his Offering
and Libation, under an Oak; where
afterwards he built an Altar unto the
LORD

Samuel, the Judge and Prophet, of the
Tribe of Levi, built an Alcar unto the 1 Sam.
LORD in Ramah; which is call'd the
High-Place ; doubtless, by a fpecial Dif-

vii. 174 ix. 12.

pensation

i. 3•

t

pensation from God; because, when the Ark was taken by the Philistines, the Tabernacle at Shiloh in all Probability was either neglected, or secreted by the Priests.

For after when it was known to be in 2 Chron.

Gibeon, we are told that Solomon and all the congregation with bim, went to the highplace that was in Gibeon; for there was the Tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD bad made in the wilderness.

And when the Scripture mentions the happy and prosperous Times in the Be

ginning of Solomon's Reign, there is this 1 Kings. Exception made; Only the people sacrific’d

in High-Places; because there was no boufe
built unto the name of the LORD, until those
days. And of Solomon it is said, That be
lov’d the LORD, walking in the statutes
of David his father; only be sacrific'd and
burnt incense in High-Places. And the king
went to Gibeon to facrifice there; for that
was the great High-Place; a thousand burnt-
offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.

Neither did they altogether forbear this
erroneous Practice, after the Temple was
built. For Jeroboam, the first King of

Israel

iii. 2.

+ Ifrael after the Revolt of the ten Tribes,

as well as all the Kings his Succeffors,
gave themselves up to this prohibited way
of Worship, in all the abominable Ido-
lacries of the Heathens : till the LORD
justly punish'd them for their Impiecies,
by suffering Sbalmaneser King of Assyria
to destroy their City and their Place, and
to carry them away captive into a strange
Land, from whence they never return'd
more.

Their Provocations are thus enumerated
by the inspir’d Penman; The children of If- 2 Kings
rael did secretly those things that were not &c.
right against the LORD their God; and
they built them high-places in all their cities,
from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced
city. And they set them up images and groves
in every high bill, and under every green tree:
And there they burnt incense in all the High-
Places, as did the heathen whom the LORD
carried away before them; and wrought
wicked things to provoke the Lokd to anger.
For they served idols, whereof the LORD
had said unto them, re shall not do this
Tbing, &c.

xvii. 9.

And