made of olive wood overlaid with gold. The cherubims were eighteen feet high, and their outstretched wings together reached across the temple from wall to wall; one wing of each cherub rested on the outer wall, the others met in the middle. Before these cherubim with outstretched wings the ark of the covenant was to be placed. But the holy ark of God, with its golden mercyseat, and the golden cherubim shadowing the mercy-seat, was still within the tabernacle which David had prepared for it on Mount Sion.

Thus the temple of the Lord God was finished, and fitted with all that was needed for the worship of the Lord, for the offering of incense, and for the shewbread, and for the burnt offerings and peace offerings, which His people were commanded to offer. It was built with care and great labour; for the rough top of Mount Moriah was levelled and made smooth for the holy house and the courts around it. The temple itself stood on the highest point; the outer court was placed on lower ground, so that the temple was seen above the outer wall. And it rose on high above the

city over against the Mount of Olives, and could be seen from afar off on the east and north of Jerusalem.

1 Kings vi. vii. 2 Chronicles iii. iv.

To adorn, is to ornament or make beautiful.

A laver, is a vessel which contains water with which persons or things are washed.

Chapter CXLIE.

THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.

AFTER the temple had been finished, and all things within it were prepared for the worship of the Lord, Solomon assembled at Jerusalem, in the beginning of the seventh month, all the priests and Levites, and the heads of the twelve tribes, to assist in bringing up the ark of God from the tabernacle on Mount Sion, in which king David had placed it. He chose the time of the feast of tabernacles, which was in the seventh month, for the removal of the ark to the place which he had prepared for it, and for the solemn dedication of the temple, because at that time all the men of Israel

were obliged to come up to Jerusalem, where the ark of God was, to offer sacrifice, and to bring their offerings to the Lord, and to keep the feast before the Lord, according as the law commanded.

So in the beginning of the seventh month, a very great multitude of the children of Israel, from one end of the land to the other, came up to Jerusalem, that they might be present at the dedication of the temple. And on the day which Solomon had appointed for bringing up the ark into the temple, which was about twelve days before the beginning of the feast of Tabernacles, they assembled themselves in the great court, around the temple on Mount Moriah. And all the priests of the family of Aaron ministered before the Lord that day, clothed in their garments of gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, which they were commanded to wear when they offered sacrifice or burnt incense. And all the twenty-four courses of the Levites, who waited upon the priests, also ministered in their appointed office; and the four thousand Levites, whom David had chosen for their brethren to praise the Lord with psalms, and

with instruments of music, were arrayed in garments of white linen, and had cymbals, and harps, and psalteries in their hands.

Then the priests took up the ark of God from the tabernacle in which it had been, and bore it onward towards the temple. And Solomon, and all the elders and chief men of Israel, went before the ark, with the priests and Levites; and as they went, they offered sacrifice before the ark. And when they had entered the outer court of the temple; Solomon went up upon a raised platform, or kind of throne, which he had prepared for himself in front of the outer court, opposite to the gate of the temple; and all the elders, and princes of Israel, and the chief officers of the kingdom, stood around the king. But the priests and Levites passed onward into the inner court, where was the great altar of sacrifice, chanting psalms and hymns before the ark. And the singers answered one another, as they sang in the words of the twentyfourth Psalm, and said, "The earth is the Lord's, and all that therein is, the compass of the world, and they that dwell therein." "For He hath

founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the floods." "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall rise up in His holy place?" "Even he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart, and hath not lift up his mind to vanity, nor sworn to deceive his neighbour." And as they drew near to the gates of the temple, they sang with a loud voice, and said, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in." And the one part answered, "Who is the King of glory?" And the other replied, "Even the Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory." Then the golden gates of the holy place were opened, and the priests who bore the ark entered; and the other priests, who sacrificed, stood near the doors of the temple, and the Levites, who praised the Lord with harps and psalteries and cymbals with those who were instructed in the psalms of the Lord, stood in their garments of pure white linen, on the east side of the great altar; and with them were one hundred and twenty priests with trumpets.

The priests who bore the ark went on through

S