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whole house was thus: It was situated due east and west, the holy of holies being to the westward, and the porch or entrance toward the east. The whole length from east to west, was seventy cubits, or one hundred and twenty-two feet and a half. The breadth, exclusive of the side chambers, was twenty cubits, or thirty-five feet; the height of the holy place and the holy of holies was thirty cubits, or fifty-two feet and a half, and the porch stood at the eastern end, like a lofty steeple, one hundred and twenty cubits, or two hun

dred and ten feet high. In fact, as LIGHTFOOT remarks, lis temple much resembled a modern church, with this auference, that the steeple which was placed over the porch was situated at the east end.*

Around the north and south sides and the west end were built chambers of three stories, each story being five cubits in height, or fifteen cubits, twenty-six feet nine inches in all-and these were united to the outside wall of the house.

The windows, which were used for ventilation rather than for light, which was derived from the sacred candlesticks, were placed in the wall of the temple that was above the roof of the side chambers. But that part which included the holy of holies was without any aperture whatever, to which Solomon alludes in the passage, "The Lord said that He would dwell in the thick darkness."

The temple was divided, internally, into three parts-the porch, the sanctuary, and the holy of holies; the breadth of all these was of course the same, namely, twenty cubits, or thirty-five feet, but they differed in length. The porch was seventeen feet six inches in length, the sanctuary seventy feet, and the holy of holies thirty-five, or, in the Hebrew measure, ten, forty, and twenty cubits. The entrance from the porch into the sanctuary was through a wide door of olive posts and leaves of fir; but the door between the sanctuary and the holy of holies was composed entirely of olive wood. These doors were always open, and the aperture closed by a suspended curtain. The partition between the sanctuary and the holy of holies partly consisted of an open network, so that the incense daily offered in the former place might be diffused through the interstices into the latter.

In the sanctuary were placed the golden candlestick, the table of shew bread, and the altar of incense. The holy of

LIGHTFOOT'S "Prospect of the Temple," opp. vol. ix., p. 247. The engraving here given is taken from SAMUEL LEE's Orbis Miraculum," a rare and valuable description of the temple of Solomon. It gives a rude but accurate idea of the form of the body of the temple.

holies contained nothing but the ark of the covenant, which included the tables of the law.

The framework of the temple consisted of massive stone, but it was wainscoted with cedar, which was covered with gold. The boards within the temple were ornamented with carved work, skillfully representing cherubim, palm leaves and flowers. The ceiling of the temple was supported by beams of cedar wood, which, with that used in the wainscoting, was supplied by the workmen of Hiram, King of Tyre, from the forest of Lebanon. The floor was throughout made of cedar, but boarded over with planks of fir.

The temple, thus constructed, was surrounded by various courts and high walls, and thus occupied the entire summit of Mount Moriah. The first of the Courts was the court of the Gentiles, beyond which Gentiles were prohibited from passing. Within this, and separated from it by a low wall, was the Court of the Children of Israel, and inside of that, separated from it by another wall, was the Court of the Priests, in which was placed the altar of burnt offerings. From this court there was an ascent of twelve steps to the porch of the temple, before which stood the two pillars of Jachin and Boaz.

For the erection of this magnificent structure, besides the sums annually appropriated by Solomon, his father, David, had left one hundred thousand talents of gold, and a million talents of silver, equal to nearly four thousand millions of dollars.*

The time occupied in its construction was seven years and about six months, and it was finished in the month Bul, in the year of the world 3000, corresponding to October, 1004, of the vulgar era. The year after, it was dedicated with

* According to the accurate tables of Arbuthnot, reduced to Federal eur rency, a talent of gold is equal to $24,309, and a talent of silver to $1505,62,5. Hence, a hundred thousand talents of gold-$2,430,900,000. and a million talents-$1,505,625 000, and the whole-$3,936,525,000, the exact amount of gold and silver left by David for building the temple.

those solemn ceremonies which are alluded to in this deg.ee. The dedicatory ceremonies commenced on Friday, the 30th of October, and lasted for fourteen days, terminating on Thursday, the 12th of November, although the people were not dismissed until the following Saturday. Seven days of this festival were devoted to the dedication exclusively, and the remaining seven to the Feast of Tabernacles which followed. The eighth chapter of the First Book of Kings contains an account of the solemnities of the occasion, and to that the reader is referred.

THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.

THE celebration of the cape-stone is a phrase which really signifies the dedication of the temple, the ceremonies of which are commemorated in this degree.

A dedication is defined to be a religious ceremony, whereby anything is dedicated or consecrated to the service of God. It appears, says KITTO, to have originated in the desire to commence, with peculiar solemnity, the practical use and application of whatever had been set apart to the Divine service. Thus Moses dedicated the tabernacle in the wilderness; Solomon his temple; the returned exiles theirs, and Herod his.

Not only, says the same author, were sacred places thus dedicated, but some kind of dedicatory solemnity was observed with respect to cities, walls, gates, and even private houses. We may trace the continuance of these usages in the custom of consecrating or dedicating churches and chapels, and in the ceremonies connected with the opening of roads, markets, bridges, &c., and with the launching of ships.*

Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia.

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ALLGE of Most Excellent Masters consists, besides the Tiler, of the following seven officers:

MOST EXCELLENT MASTER.

SENIOR WARDEN.

JUNIOR WARDEN.

TREASURER.

SECRETARY.

SENIOR DEACON.

JUNIOR DEACON.

These offices are filled by the officers of the Chapter under whose warrant the lodge is held, in the following order: The High Priest, King, and Scribe, act as Master and Warden; the Treasurer and Secretary occupy the corresponding stations; the Principal Sojourner acts as Senior Deacon, and the Royal Arch Captain, as Junior Deacon.

The Most Excellent Master represents King Solomon, and should be dressed in a crimson robe, wearing a crown, and holding a sceptre in his hand.

The symbolic color of the Most Excellent Master's degree is purple. The apron is of white lambskin, edged with purple. The collar is of purple, edged with gold. But, as lodges of this degree are held under warrants of Royal Arch Chapters, the collars, aprons and jewels of the Chapter ale generally made use of in conferring the degree.

Lodges of Most Excellent Masters are "dedicated to King Solomon."

A candidate receiving this degree is said to be "received and acknowledged as a Most Excellent Master." This alludes

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