the Jews," v. 5. 1. The outer court was that in which the congregation assembled, and the inner court that in which the priests and Levites officiated. They were separated not by any wall or partition, but by some steps, probably not more than three; so that all the ritual service performed in the court of the priest was open to the view of those who stood in the great outer court. It seems that the sacred building did not occupy the centre of the inner court, but stood near up towards its western end; and the area in front of it, (that is, of the inner court,) contained the great altar of burnt offerings, the brazen sea, supported upon twelve oxen, and the ten brazen lavers.

The temple being finished, was opened for Divine service by a solemn act of dedication, in which Solomon himself took the leading part. The priests removed the ark from its temporary abode to its place in the new temple; and at that instant "the glory of the Lord" filled the place. This drew from the king, who sat high above the rest upon a brazen platform, three cubits high, in the interior court, the words :"The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to

abide in for ever." He then turned towards the people, and briefly recapitulated the circumstances in which the building had originated, and under which it had been brought to a completion. Then, after a solemn pause, he knelt down, and spreading forth his hands towards heaven, uttered the noble prayer which is contained in 1 Kings viii. 23-61, and 2 Chron. vi. 13-42. The king had no sooner concluded his prayer, than fire descended from heaven, and consumed the sacrifices which were laid out upon the altar, and "the glory of the Lord filled the house." At this signal of the Divine acceptance, and that the Lord had, as it were, taken possession of the house and the altar consecrated to him, all the people "bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever," 2 Chron. vii. 1-3.

This was a great day in Jerusalem. The feast of the dedication was kept up for an entire week; and was followed by the feast of tabernacles, which lasted another week, so that high festivity was maintained for a fortnight together, during which the people were in part,

if not wholly, feasted upon the flesh of the sacrifices which were provided by the king, to the enormous extent of twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. At the end of this time, Solomon formally "sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the Lord had showed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people."

CHAPTER IV.

JERUSALEM IN THE TIME OF SOLOMON.

HAVING brought his work to a successful close, Solomon, who seems to have had a great taste for building, proceeded with other undertakings suited to his ample resources, and to the magnificence of his character. The principal of these was the palace, which afterwards became the royal residence of the kings of Judah, and which, on that account, has a sort of historical interest connected with it, which renders one naturally desirous to form as distinct an idea of it as it is now possible to realise. In matters of this kind-matters of description-we cannot dispense with the assistance of Josephus; for although his original materials were no other than such as we still possess in the sacred Scripture, he had means of understanding the details of the inspired accounts which we do not in the same degree possess ; and his descriptions of buildings and such matters, may

therefore be taken to convey a tolerably faithful paraphrase or explanation of the inspired accounts. With respect to this palace, however, his description is still so indistinct, that it requires some knowledge of the arrangements of eastern buildings to apprehend his full meaning. He very properly directs attention to the fact, that although Solomon was able to get the temple finished in seven years, it took him thirteen years to complete his own palace, although a far inferior work, and involving far less cost. This he ascribes to his wanting, in this case, the zeal which had urged him to bring all the resources of his kingdom to bear upon the more holy undertaking, as well as to the want of that vast preparation of funds and materials by his father, which had enabled the works of the temple so rapidly to advance.

This palace was a large and remarkable building, supported by many pillars of cedar; whence it seems to have obtained the name of "the house of the forest of Lebanon," either because the multitudinous pillars suggested the idea of a forest, or because the produce of a forest in Lebanon had, as it were, been required to furnish the timber it contained. Some think that "the house of the forest of