and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said, that thou wouldst PUT THY NAME THERE; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth towards this place. Hearken, therefore, unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive. Now, therefore, arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness." This solemn invocation being ended, the holy fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt-offering, and the Temple was filled with the glory of the Lord; thus fulfilling the prophecy of Noah: "God shall dwell in the tents of Shem."110 The assembled multitude were so exceedingly alarmed at this unexpected and miraculous occurrence, that, overcome by the united feelings of awe and veneration, they simultaneously fell prostrate, with their faces to the earth, exclaiming, "Praised be God, for he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever!" The Lord vouchsafed to answer the prayer of Solomon, and said: "I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments, then will I establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. But if ye turn away and forsake my statutes, and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods and worship them; then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for 110 Gen. ix., 27. MY NAME Will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword 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." The feast of dedication continued twice seven days, and was terminated by the sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen, and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and the happy subjects of King Solomon retired to their respective homes, impressed with the goodness of God to the Jewish nation, and astonished at the unrivalled magnificence of their monarch, who surpassed all the kings of the earth for wisdom and glory. The fame of this grand edifice soon prompted the inquisitive of all nations to travel, and spend some time at Jerusalem, and survey its excellencies, as far as was allowed to the Gentiles; and they soon found that the joint skill of all the world came infinitely short of the Israelites, in the wisdom, strength, and beauty of their architecture; when the wise King Solomon was grand master of all Masons at Jerusalem, when the learned King Hiram was grand master at Tyre, and the inspired 112 Chron. vi. and vii. It may be remarked, that the phrase used in the above passage, respecting the place which God should choose as a sanctuary for His Sacred Name, referred to Deut. xii., 5, and signified "the place where the Lord should manifest his invisible presence in the cloud of glory over the ark. This was at various places before the foundation of the Temple, but principally at Mizpeh and Shiloh. The ultimate reference is, doubtless, to Jerusalem, where, when the Temple was built, God said to Solomon, 'I have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.' It is observable that the name of no place is ever mentioned in the law; and for this Maimonides and other Jews assign several reasons, which seem good in themselves, but whether they are the true ones it is impossible to say. 1. Lest, if it were known, the Gentiles should seize upon it, and make war for the sake of it, when they understood its importance to the Hebrews. 2. Lest those in whose hands it was at the time the precept was delivered, should, from ill-will, do their best to lay it waste and destroy it. 3. But, principally, lest every tribe should so earnestly desire to have the place within his own lot, as to produce strife and contention." Hiram Abiff had been master of the work: when true Masonry was under the care and direction of heaven; and when the noble and the wise thought it an honour to be associates of the ingenious craftsmen in their wellformed lodges. Accordingly, the temple of JEHOVAH became the just wonder of all travellers, by which, as by the most perfect pattern, they resolved to correct the architecture of their own countries their return." upon 112 Noorth. Const., part 1, c. 3. 99112 THE END. |