SERMON V.

THE PALACE OF THE KING OF KINGS.

1 CHRONICLES, XXIX. 1.

"The Palace is not for Man, but for the LORD GOD.”

SUCH was the idea attached to the Temple by the Sons of Israel, and in this opinion and estimate they were encouraged by their whole system of polity and their whole form of worship. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness had occupied a like place in their thoughts and affections. The Tabernacle was, indeed, a moveable Temple, as the Temple was a stationary Tabernacle. While the Israelites were wanderers in the wilderness the Tabernacle was erected in the centre of

their encampment'; that is to say, by DIVINE Command, it stood in that relative position in which, among other nomadic tribes, the pavilion of the Chieftain was raised. The design of this arrangement was to impress upon the minds of the Israelites that their's was a THEOCRACY, and that JEHOVAH was their KING2. This seems to have been the leading object of their ceremonial. The Jewish Ceremonies had reference, not as some Commentators think, to the rites of Idolatrous Worship, but, evidently, to the Forms according to which the Eastern Monarchs were served. Thus, as in the pavilion of a Chieftain stood the chair of state, so in the innermost apartment of the Tabernacle, and afterwards of the Temple, stood the Throne of GOD between the Cherubims, with the Ark for His footstool. In like manner, as though it were provision for a King, the shewbread was placed on a gilded table in the ante-room, and incense was burned before it3; and as at a Royal Festival, at stated times the Courts of the Divine Palace resounded with music1. It is manifest that all was done to convince the people that GOD was present among

1 Numbers i. 50; iii. 23, 29, 35, 38.
2 Psalm, xliv. 4.

'Lev. xxi. 6, 8, 17. Numbers, xxviii. 2. Deut. xxiii. 4. Ezek. xliv. 7. 1 Chron. xvi. 42. 2 Chron. vii. 6. Dan. iii. 5, 7, 10, 15.

them, in a manner different from that in which He was elsewhere present-present, even as their KING'. Here, in His Palace, the OMNIPRESENT LORD GOD had promised to be especially present, and here He had covenanted to meet His chosen People: "Let them make ME a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them"-this was his command-" and there will I meet them" this was His promise. And the duties enjoined upon the People were strictly consistent with this: they were, as dutiful subjects, to repair at certain times to "the Palace which was not for man, but for the LORD GOD." Three times in the year, at least, they were commanded to appear before HIM, that so appearing they might do their homage*.

The Israelites attended the services both of the Tabernacle and the Temple, to offer sacrifices and to pray, to ask for God's blessing and to be blessed; but, amid all this, they never lost sight of the idea that GOD was present among them as their Sovereign RULER, and, by natural consequence, they constantly recognized their duty to render to HIM, through the ceremonies of the Law, the homage of subjects. It is an idea with

1 2 Chron. v. 13, 14.

'Exod. xxv. 8; xxix. 45. Exod. xxxiv. 24.

Exod. xxv. 22; xxix. 42; xxx. 36. Deut. xxxi. 11. Exod. xxxiii. 7.

which the Psalms abound; and so fondly was it cherished, that when our SAVIOUR was on the Earth, they had almost forgotten that the Temple was also the House of Prayer; the House of Prayer for all nations', though the Palace in which the "royal Priesthood2, the peculiar People3, were to meet their Divine KING. In the Synagogue they could pray as well as in the Temple*; in the Synagogue the Scriptures were read5; but they never thought that this exempted them from appearing before JEHOVAH in His Palace. And this, by the way, accounts for the conduct of the Apostles and the first Jewish Converts. They frequented the Temple; but they did not go there to take part in the sacrifices, all typical sacrifices having been superseded by the "ONE full, perfect, and sufficient SACRIFICE, OBLATION, and SATISFACTION for the Sins of the whole world," once made upon the Cross'. But the Temple was, as long as it stood, the Palace of JEHOVAH, and, as such, the Israelites resorted to it. It was the notion of this their distinguishing privilege that made the Jews so jealous for their

1 Isaiah lvi. 7. Matt. xxi. 13. Mark xi. 17. Luke xix. 46. Deut. iv. 20; vii. 6, &c.

2 Exod. xix. 5, 6.

• Matt. vi. 5.

5 Acts xv. 21.

Acts ii. 46; iii. 1; xxi. 26.

7 Prayer of Consecration, Office of Holy Communion.

Heb. ix. 28; x. 12, 13, 14, 26.

Law; so jealous of that Gospel which, according to our LORD's instructions', opened to all the baptized the privileges hitherto restricted to the Sons of Israel.

Such, then, being the idea which the Tabernacle and the Temple were calculated and intended to convey, we do not wonder when we read of the loyalty and zeal with which the willing-hearted Subjects of JEHOVAH, brought their "bracelets and earrings, and rings and tablets, all jewels of gold," and "their blue and their purple and their scarlet and their fine linen", when they were commanded to erect the Tabernacle; we do not wonder that David, who was a man after GOD's own heart, in that he knew his place and regarded himself, not as an independent Prince, but merely as the Viceroy of the KING of Kings, should feel ashamed to dwell in a House of cedar, while the Ark of the LORD dwelt within curtains5; we do not wonder that when he designed the Temple, he determined it should be "exceeding magnifical of fame and of glory throughout all countries," and that he should prepare for it "an hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and brass and iron without

1 John, iii. v.
1 Sam. xiii. 14.

Exod. xxxv. 5, et seq.

5 2 Sam. vii. 2.

Acts, xiii. 22.

1 Chron. xvii. 1.