manner it was the will of God to have all these in his house, that he might not in anything give place to the kings of the earth. For he is a great king, not indeed in want of these things: but hence it is easy to see the reason of the daily provisions given to the priests and Levites, being what every monarch is accustomed to allow his servants. And all these things were intended to instruct the people that the Lord of Hosts was present among us, 'For he is a great king, and to be feared by all the nations.' These analogies will be the more apparent when it is remembered that the comparisons are to be referred to an Oriental rather than a European palace. We do not, however, consider it sufficient to regard such a view of the Taber of royalty as then existing. We are satisfied that its typical design is necessary to account for those features which it possessed in common with the palaces of kings. The Glory that dwelt both in the Tabernacle and the Temple was preintimative of the even yet future manifested glory of Christ, to which the he directed the Tabernacle to be erected as a suitable abode for his visible majesty. As such it possessed the twofold character of a Sanctuary, or holy place, a place of worship; and of a Royal Palace; where he would keep the state of a court, as supreme civil magistrate and king of Israel; from whence he would issue his laws and commandments as from an oracle, and where he was to receive the homage and tribute of his subjects. This idea of the Tabernacle, as in part that of a palace for a king, will seem perfectly clear to every one who carefully notes the terms in which this building and also the Temple are spoken of and referred to throughout the Scriptures; and we doubt not it is a view essential to the right understanding of these structures and the things which belong-nacle as founded solely upon the usages ed to them. It is a view also which is held by the Jews themselves, who carry out the analogy and regard the utensils of the Tabernacle as palace furniture and the priests as its ministers of state and officers. Take, for instance, the following comment of Rab. Shem Tob on Maimonides as cited by Outram on Sacrifices, Diss. I. § 3. God, to whom be praise, commanded a house to be built for him resembling a royal palace. In a royal palace are to be found all the things that we have mentioned. There are some persons who guard the palace; others who execute offices belonging to the royal dignity, who furnish the banquets, and do other necessary services for the monarch; others who daily en-idea of the kingly features of this typtertain him with music, both vocal and instrumental. In a royal palace there is a place appointed for the preparation of victuals, and another [nearer the Presence] where perfumes are burned. In the palace of a king there is also a table, and an apartment exclusively appropriated to himself, which no one ever enters, except him who is next in authority, or those whom he regards with the greatest affection. In like earnest expectation of the creature' has been long looking forward, and of which the incipient dawnings begin now faintly to appear. The import of the ancient visible Shekinah and its material habitation has never yet been realized as it is destined to be in the latter day on earth; nor do we conceive it possible to gain a full and adequate ical establishment without looking forward to the time when the Savior, combining sacerdotal sanctity with royal dignity, shall sit 'a priest upon his throne,' in the earthly Zion, in accord. ance with the entire drift of the Old Testament prophecies. This is the state to which the anticipations of all Christians are really directed—a state which is to be ultimately evolved out of the present by a stupendous order of changes, however of a different texture from the general hanging, being a great curtain of 'fine twined linen,' embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet. It is described in precisely the same terins as the moral, political, and physical. The | see the interior. The door-curtain was New Jerusalem of the Apocalypse is the grand object of the Christian's hope, and it is in that glorious dispensation, the theatre of which is the earth that we now inhabit, that we are to look for the substantial realities so strikingly figur-door-curtain of the Tabernacle itself, ed in the ritual apparatus of the old which was not, as commonly stated, of economy. It is the state constituted the same fabric with the inner covering by the final developement of the King- of the Tabernacle, and the veil before dom of Heaven out of the regenerated the holy of holies; for in the descripand transferred dominions and dynas- tion of the two door-curtains there is no ties of the earth, over which Jesus mention of the figures of cherubim and Christ is to reign in visible majesty, his the fancy work ('cunning work') which redeemed people being made, in some decorated the inner covering and vail. way at present inscrutable to us, to The door-curtain of the court was furshare with him in the beatitudes and nished with cords, by which it might be glories of his eternal kingship. It is drawn up or aside when the priests had in that dispensation, or perhaps we may occasion to enter. The curtains of this say, in that stage of this dispensation, inclosure were hung upon sixty pillars that the things mystically foreshown by of brass, standing on bases of the same the Tabernacle structure and the Taber- metal, but with capitals and fillets of nacle furniture will be made real. It silver. (Compare the description in this will then appear how admirably adapt- chapter with that in chap. 38.) The ed it was in its twofold character of hooks also, to which the curtains were Sanctuary and Palace to correspond attached, were of silver. The entrance with the twofold functions of Christ as of the court was at the east end, opPriest and King. But the farther un-posite that to the Tabernacle; and befolding of this view of the subject would tween them stood the altar of burnt carry us imperceptibly into the region offering, but nearer to the door of the of prophetic exposition, which our pres- Tabernacle than to that of the court. ent plan does not embrace. It is uncertain whether the brazen laver was interposed between the altar and the door of the Tabernacle or not. Chap. 30. 18, certainly conveys that impres sion; but the Rabbins, who appear to have felt that nothing could properly interpose between the altar and Taber The detailed and minute account which we propose to give of every part of the Tabernacle may be prefaced with the following general description, for the most part in the words of the Editor of the Pictorial Bible. First there was the area or court in which the Tabernacle, say that the laver was indeed nacle stood. This was of an oblong figure of a hundred cubits (about 150 feet) long, by fifty cubits (about 75 feet) broad; and the height of the inclosing curtain was five cubits or nearly three yards, being half the height of the Tabernacle. The inclosure was formed by a plain hanging of fine twined linen yarn, which seems to have been worked in an open or net-work texture, so that the people without might freely VOL. II. 7 nearer to the Tabernacle than was the altar, but still that it did not stand in the same line with the altar, but stood a little on one side to the south. As to the position of the Tabernacle in the court, nothing is said in the Scriptures on the subject, but it seems less prob able that it stood in the centre than that it was placed towards the farther or western extremity, so as to allow greater space for the services which were to be performed exclusively in front of the Tabernacle. The fabric properly called the Tabernacle having moveable walls of board, was of a more substantial character than a tent; but it is right to regard it as a tent, its general appearance and arrangement being the same, and its more substantial fabric being probably on account of the weight of its several envelopes which required stronger supports than are usually necessary. It was of an oblong figure, fifty-five feet in length, by eighteen feet in breadth and height. Its length extended from east to west, the entrance being at the east end. The two sides and west end consisted of a framework of boards, of which there were twenty on each side and eight at the west end. The manner in which these boards were joined to each other so as to form a wall which might be easily taken down and set up again, may be illustrated in some degree by a reference to the windowshutters of an extensive shop; but the boards of the Tabernacle did not slide in grooves, but each was furnished at the bottom with two tenons, which were received into sockets in the bases of solid silver; and to give the whole greater security, the boards were furnished each with five rings or staples of gold, by means of which they were successively run up to their proper places on horizontal poles or bars, which served as the ribs of the fabric, binding its parts together. The boards as well as the bars were of shittim wood, overlaid with thin plates of gold. The east end, being the entrance, had no boards, but was furnished with five pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold, and each standing on a socket of brass. Four similar pillars within the Tabernacle, towards the west or further end, supported a rich hanging, which divided the interior into two apartments, of which the outer was called 'the holy place,' and the innermost and smallest was 'the most holy place,' or the 'Holy of Holies,' in which the presence of the Lord was more immediately manifested. The separating hanging was called, by way of eminence, 'the vail;' and hence the expression within' or 'without the vail' is sometimes used to distinguish the most holy from the holy place. The people were never admitted into the interior of the tabernacle. None but the priests might go even into the outer chamber or holy place, and into the inner chamber the high-priest alone was allowed to enter, and that only once in the year, on the great day of atonement. To this, however, there was a necessary exception when the Tabernacle was to be taken down or set up. The outer chamber was only entered in the morning to offer incense on the altar which stood there, and to extinguish the lamps, and again in the evening to light them. On the Sabbath also the old shew-bread was taken away and replaced with new. These were all the services for which the attendance of the priests was necessary within the Tabernacle, all the sacrifices being made in the open space in front of the Tabernacle, where stood the brazen altar for burnt offerings. It will be useful to observe, that the most holy place contained only the ark with its contents; that the outer apartment contained the altar of incense, the table of shew-bread, and the great golden candlestick; while the open area in front of the Tabernacle contained the brazen laver for the ablutions of the priests, and the brazen altar for burnt offerings. This description will give an idea of the general arrangement and substantial structure of the Tabernacle; and we may proceed to notice the various curtains which were thrown over and formed the outer coverings of the tent. The first or inner covering was of fin linen, splendidly embroidered with fig. ures of cherubim and fancy work in scarlet, purple, and light blue. It is AN CHAPTER XXV. ND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel that they bring me an offer described in the same terms as the vail of the holy of holies,' and was doubt less of the same texture and appearance with the vail, which, according to Josephus, was embroidered with all sorts of flowers, and interwoven with various ornamented figures, excepting the forms of animals. Over this inner covering was another, made of goats' hair, which was spun by the women of the camp. Cloth made of goats' hair forms the customary covering for the tents of the Bedouin Arabs to this day, and it still continues to be spun and woven at home by the women. Over this covering was another of rams' skins dyed red, and over that the fourth and outermost covering of tahash skins (see the Note on chap. 25. 5). These curtains, after covering, or rather forming, the roof, hung down by the sides and west end of the Tabernacle, those that were outside being calculated to protect the more costly ones within, while the whole combined to render the Tabernacle impervious to the rain, and safe from the injuries of the weather. The annexed cut will give to the reader somewhat of an adequate idea of the frame work of the Tabernacle, while we have reserved to a subsequent Note, ch. 26. 14, a view of the structure in its completed state with its envelope of curtains. THE FRAME-WORK OF THE TABERNACLE. 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, | bestow them upon men, as expounded that they bring me, &c. Heb. 3 p va-yikhu li, that they take for me. The original word for 'take' very frequently has the import of take and bring, take and give, or take and offer. Thus Gen. 15. 9, 'Take me an heifer of three years old;' i. e. take and offer. So Ps. 68. 18, 'Thou hast received gifts for men ;' Heb. 'thou hast taken;' i. e. in order to by the apostle, Eph. 4. 8, 'gave gifts 3 And this is the offering which 4 And blue, and purple, and scarye shall take of them; gold, and let, and fine linen, and goats' silver, and brass, the altar in the act of presentation. Chal. 'Separate a separation before me;' that is, such things as they should be disposed to set apart from their effects and consecrate to the Lord. The original term comes from rum, to lift up, to be lifted up, and is generally appropriated to sacrificial offerings, which were at least lifted up on the altar, if not previously heaved or waved in the air by way of oblation. It is elsewhere employed as a very general term for any thing separated and made a donation to God, and is applied, Ezek. 48. 9-20, even to the land which was to be sacredly devoted to God and the priests of the Temple, and which is rendered in our version' oblation.' In this connexion it seems to imply, that the offerings thus voluntarily made under the promptings of a noble and liberal spirit, were as acceptable to God, as truly hallowed in his sight, as if they had been real sacrifices. Thus we read of good men offering 'sacrifices of praise.' It is no doubt with a view to intimate the same idea, that the Gr. and Vulg. render it 'first-fruits ;' as if it would be deemed the best and choicest of every thing that they could offer. What is done from upright motives and in a generous spirit for God will always be sure of being rated and denominated as it deserves.- -¶ That giveth it willingly with his heart. Heb. 13 asher yiddebennu libbo, whose heart moveth him to willingness, or liberality. The proposed oblation was neither to be exacted by compulsion nor regulated by prescription, but every one was left to give after the promptings of his own heart. Gr. Of all to whom it shall seem good in their hearts.' Vulg. 'Of every man that offereth of his own accord.' The original nadab is frequently used in the sense of a liberal, hair. voluntary, and free-hearted offering, and the correlative derivative 27) nedaboth occurs with a parallel meaning Ps. 110. 3, 'Thy people shall be willing (nedaboth, lit. willingnesses) in the day of the power;' where the drift of the Psalmist appears to be, to compare the abundance of the free-will offerings made to the Messiah in the latter day for the beautifying his sanctuary (2) behadrë kodesh, with the adornments of the holy) with the profusion of the gifts that were so largely poured forth at the setting up of the Tabernacle. They shall come forth as copiously as the drops of dew from the womb of the morning; in a bountifulness at least equal to that when the dew of its noble munificence was upon the youth of the Israelitish church. A very appropriate commentary on the present passage is afforded in the subsequent account of its execution, Ex. 35. 21, 22, 'And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the Tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets, and ear-rings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered, offered an offering of gold unto the Lord.' As the Lord loves a cheerful giver, so the spirit of a true servant of Jesus Christ prompts him to ask not only what he must do for his heavenly master, but what he may do. See a farther consideration of the conduct of the people on this occasion in the Note on Ex. 35. 29. 3. Gold, and silver, and brass. 'Here and elsewhere we find mentioned to. gether, the metals which were procured |