have not been heard of from that time to this hour: but the sceptre remained with Judah to the coming of Christ. In the days of the Saviour the throne was filled by Herod, who held his power under the Roman emperor; and soon after the ascension of our Lord, the city of Jerusalem was taken, their temple destroyed, and they themselves dispersed. From that period, they have wandered over the face of the whole earth, "without a king," without a temple, "without an ephod," without a lawgiver, "without a sacrifice," and shall continue to do so, till they acknowledge Messiah the prince, and say" Blessed is he that cometh in the ઃઃ name of the Lord!"

From the days of Jesus, the kingdom of David has been changed into a spiritual kingdoma kingdom not possessing worldly splendour, neither supported by temporal power. It has resisted every attack, it has extended over many nations, it must swallow up every empire, it will diffuse itself wide as the world. We must contemplate briefly,

III. THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.

During the theocracy, the worship of God was conducted in a moveable tabernacle, con

structed after the pattern drawn up by God himself, and communicated to Moses in the wilderness: nor was any change introduced into this mode of worship, till the prosperous and glorious reign of Solomon. Till the government of the Jews became an established monarchy, no ideas were entertained of a national temple. It rested with David to form, with the Deity to approve, and with Solomon to execute, this magnificent design. Neither labour, nor expense, were spared, in the erection of this grand building, confessedly the most splendid edifice upon which the sun ever shone. For a minute delineation of this stupendous work, we must refer you to the scriptures themselves; and we have little difficulty in confirming the fidelity of the sacred narrative on this subject. The fact of the existence and the grandeur of this edificc, is indisputable. It must have been known, while it was building, to all the world; for the report of such a design would spread through all nations. It was known at Tyre, because they furnished workmen in the most beautiful and delicate parts of the structure. It was known to the queen of Sheba, who came to be an eye-witness of the wisdom and of the glory of Solomon. It was known at Babylon,

the report of the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. "After Solomon's temple was built, the temple

of Vulcan in Egypt, and others in different "places, were founded in imitation of it: just "as the oracles of the heathens were imitations "of the divine communications made to Is"rael*." The temple of Solomon, erected according to the scriptural account, must be admitted as an indisputable fact. The glory of this temple was soon extinguished; and after it's destruction the Jews built another, inferior to the former in magnificence: which also has sunk under the ravages of war, and, with that whole dispensation, has yielded to a purer, yet less splendid, order of worship.

"Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in "temples made with hands:" neither is his presence confined to a single world. To the limited capacity of man, a kingdom is a large possession, a world is an object of infinite importance. Could he ascend to the next planet, he would look down upon it as a shining spark, amid myriads of others, scattered through the regions of space. Were the presence of the Deity confined to this globe, who would renew the blunted horns of the moon? Who would balance yonder wandering worlds? Who would supply the sun with light? Who would feed

Bishop Watson's Theolog. Tracts, Vol. V. p 27.

the everlasting fires of those remote orbs, the suns of other worlds, and the centres of other systems? Who could diffuse glory and felicity through the heaven of heavens? That quickening presence, that powerful hand, that unsearchable wisdom, that unwearied goodness, that infinite Being, is needed every where at the same moment; is adored through all his works; is felt at the same time sustaining the whole universe; and surely "the Most High dwelleth "not in temples made with hands." It remains that we now corroborate,

IV. SOME SUBORDINATE SCRIPTURE FACTS:

To which, however interesting, we cannot afford, in our plan, the labour and time of a separate Lecture; and which may with propriety

be noticed here.

We have passed over the book of Judges, because it was not immediately connected with the larger events proposed for consideration; but the facts contained in that instructive series of narration, are equally authenticated by foreign testimonies. It will be necessary also to anticipate some other subordinate facts, subsequent in point of time to the subjects discussed this evening, that the thread of those which

remain may not be broken, nor more serious and important enquiries interrupted.

The memorial of the actions of Gideon is preserved by SANCHONIATHON, a Tyrian writer, who lived not long after him, and whose antiquity is attested by Porphyry,

From the manner of Jepthae's devoting his daughter, after his victory over the Ammonites, arose the story of the sacrifice of Iphigenia: it being usual with the heathens, as ELIAN observes, to attribute to their later heroes, the glory of the actions of those who lived long before*.

OVID has transmitted to us the account of a feast observed by the ancient Romans in April, the time of the Jewish harvest; in which they let loose foxes with torches fastened to their tailst. Can we doubt that this certainly originated in the history of Sampson? and that it was brought into Italy by the Phenicians? May we not also conclude, that from the treachery discovered in Delilah's treatment of Sampson, arose the history of Nisus, and of his unnatural daughter, who cut off those fatal hairs from

*El. Varia Historiæ, lib. v. cap. 3.
Cur igitur missæ vinctis ardentia tædis
Terga ferant vulpes, caussa docenda mihi.

Qoid Fast, lib. ig. l. 681, &c.