to Chrift (i); we must therefore, without any hefitation, acknowledge that the ceremonial law in general, was a type of the mysteries revealed in the gofpel. We muft pafs the fame judgment upon the brazen ferpent, which Mofes lifted up in the wilderness, and which our blessed Redeemer makes a type and emblem of his own crucifixion (k); as likewise on Jonas's being three days, and three nights, in the whale's belly (1), which he likewife reprefents as a figure of his own death and refurrection. There are also abundance of types in the epiftle to the Hebrews, which therefore ought to be received as fuch. But it is rafh (not to say worse) to feek for types and allegories, where there are not the leaft marks of any; and that too, by running counter to the plain and literal meaning of fcripture, and very often to common fenfe. Should not the prudence and moderation of Chrift and his Apoftles in this refpect be imitated? Is it not pretending to be wifer than they were, to look for mysteries, where they defigned none? how unreasonable is it to lay an useless weight on the confciences of chriftians; and to bear down the true and revealed, under the unwieldy burden of traditional myfteries. Secondly, We must not only be careful not to encrease the number of types, but alfo not to carry a type too far, but confine ourfelves to the relation, which evidently appears between the type and antitype. In a type, every circumftance is far from being typical, as in a parable there are several incidents, which are not to be confidered as parts of the parable, nor infifted upon as fuch. Complaints have long ago been made, that under pretence that the tabernacle of Mofes was a figure of the Church, or of Heaven, even the very boards and nails of it have been converted into types.

What we have faid concerning types, may be applied to allegories. But it must be obferved that there is this difference between them (m); that a type confifts in fome action or event, defigned to be the figure or fign of fome other; as the brazen ferpent, (for inftance) Jonas's being in the whale's belly, the building of the tabernacle, &c. Whereas an allegory confifts rather in certain words or fentences, that have a figurative fenfe, and which are ufed either to convey more effectually fome truth or doctrine into the minds of men, or to recommend fome moral duty to their practice. Several allegories of this kind are to be found in the facred writings, where an explanation of them is fometimes given at the fame time; as when St. Paul reprefents the new covenant under the emblem of Sarah, and the old under that of Hagar (n). But it would be - as abfurd and ridiculous for any one to think himself authorized thereby to turn the whole bible into allegories, as to convert it all into types, becaufe fome are clearly and plainly expreffed in it. Care likewife muft be taken, not to carry an allegory beyond the intention and defign of the author. When Jefus Chrift, for inftance, speaking of the temple of bis body, faid to the Jews, Deftroy this temple, and in three days I will raife it up (); we must be careful not to push this allegory beyond the defign

(i) Coloff. ii. 17. Galat. iii. 24. (1) Matth. xii. 39, 40.

(x) Galat. iv. 24, 25•

(4) John iii. 14.

(m) Erafm. de rat. Concionandi, p. 367. (0) John ii. 19.

defign of our Saviour, which was, thereby to prefigure his death, and to fignify that he should rife again the third day. For if any one fhould from thence apply to Jefus Chrift every thing that could be affirmed of the temple, he muft with Irenæus (p), conclude that our Saviour was then 46 years of age. Whoever defires more particular directions concerning the use of types and allegories, let him confult the moft excellent and judicious obfervations of Erafmus upon this point, in his treatife de ratione Concionandi, or The art of preaching.

After we have thus given a general idea of the Jewish ceremonies, it will now be proper to defcend to a more particular examination of them; which we fhall do, by following the fame method a late learned author hath done (q); from whofe excellent writings we fhall extrac all that is neceffary for our prefent purpofe under the following heads; I. The holy places among the Jews. II. Their holy perfons; and here we fhall give an account of their fects, and of their most famous rabbies. III. Their facrifices and oblations. IV. Their holy-days and festivals.

Of the Holy Places.

WE may reckon among the holy places the land of The holy land.

Ifrael, as the Jews term it (a), which is alfo

called God's inheritance, or the earth, and the land, by way of eminence. Jews and Chriftians have alfo unanimoufly bestowed upon it the name of the holy land, though for different reafons. It is not our business here to defcribe the bounds and divifions of it, but only to confider it according to it's real or pretended holiness.

The whole world was divided by the Jews in two general parts, The land of Ifrael, and the land out of Ifrael; that is, all the countries that were inhabited by the nations of the world, to ufe their own phrafe, i. e. by the Gentiles. We meet with fome allufions to this distinction in the holy Scriptures (b). All the reft of the world, befides Judea, was by the Jews looked upon as profane and unclean. The whole land of Ifrael was holy, without excepting Samaria, notwithstanding the animofitics between the Jews and Samaritans; nor even Idumæa, efpecially after its inhabitants had embraced the Jewish religion. As for Syria, they thought it between both; that is, neither quite holy nor altogether profane. Befides the holiness afcribed in fcripture to the land of Ifracl in general, as it was the inheritance of God's people, the place appointed for the performance of his worship, the Jews were pleafed to attribute different degrees of holiness to the feveral parts of it, according to their different fituation. They reputed, for inflance, thofe parts which lay beyond

(p) Iren. 1. xv. c. 39. (4) Reland Antiq. of the Hebrews. (a) 1 Sam. xiii. 19. Ezek. vii. 2. Hof. ix. 3. Ruth i. (b) Mat. vi. 32.

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beyond Jordan, lefs holy than thofe that were on this fide. They fancied likewe walled towns to be more clean and holy than other places, because lepers were not admitted into them, and the dead were not buried there. Even ne very duft of Ifrael was by them counted pure, whereas that of other nations was looked upon as polluted and profane. Which undoubtedly was the reafon why our Saviour ordered his Difciples, when they departed cut of any boufe or city that would not receive nor hear them, they should shake off the dust of their feet. As the Jewish traditions concerning the holiness of their country do not directly come under our confideration, we fhall be contented with having juft pointed out fome of them by the way.

There was nothing in the whole land of Ifrael, that was

Of Jerufalem. fuppofed more holy than the city of Jerusalem (*), otherwife called the holy city, and the city of the great King (c). Before the building of the temple, the Jewish religion and worfhip were not fixed to any one particular place, the tabernacle having been feveral times removed from one place to another, for the fpace of 479 years, according to the calculation of fome of their writers. After that time Jerufalem became the center and feat of their religion. As this capital of the holy land is very remarkable, upon the account of the many wonderful works which God wrought therein; and efpecially for the preaching, the miracles, and the death of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, it therefore deferves a very particular confideration. It is, befides, worth while to have fome idea of a city, which was the figure of that heavenly Jerufalem, of which we have fo noble a defcription in the Revelations (d). Jerufalem (which, according to the Jewith notions, stood in the middle of the world) was formerly called Jebus, from one of the fons of Canaan (e). Some authors imagine that it was the ancient Salem, mentioned in the fcriptures (f), of which Melchizedek was king; but this is uncertain. Neither is it well known who was the first founder of it. After the taking of it by Jofhua (g), it was jointly inhabited both by Jews and Jebufites (b), for the fpace of about 500 (†) years, that is, till the time of king David. This prince having driven the Jebusites out of it, made it the place of his refidence (i), built therein a noble palace, and feveral other magnificent buildings, fo that he made it one of the Upon which account it is fometimes fineft citics in the world (4). called the city of David (1). Jofephus gives us a full and elegant defcription of it (m), wherein he reprefents it as a very large ftrong place, and divides it into the upper and lower city. The upper was built on in mount Sion, and the later on the hill Acra. The learned are divided

(*) Authors are divided about the etymology of the word Jerufalem, fome imagine it fignifies Fear Salem, because the city was very strong; others, But others, with a greater probability, fay it means, The They hall fee peace. inheritance of peace. (c) Matt. v. 35.

(f) Gen. x v. 18.

(a) Revel. xxi.

(g) Joh. x.

(+) Or 515. See Jofeph. Antiq. 1. vii. c. 3.

(i) 2 Sam. v. 6, 7, 8, 9.

(2) 1 Chron. xi. 5.

(e) Joshua xviii. 28.

(b) Joh. xv. 63.

(k) Pfal. xlviii. 12, 13, (m) Jofeph. de Belle Jud. l. vi. c. 6.

in their opinions about the fituation of these two cities, and of the hills on which they food, in refpect one of another; fome placing the upper city and mount Sion on the north, and others, on the fouth. We have embraced the latter opinion, judging it to be the moft probable. This city was not always of the fame bignefs, for at firft it took up no more than mount Sion. But in Jofephus's time it was 33 ftadia in compafs, that is, between 4 and 5 Italian miles. We cannot precifely tell how many gates it had: There were eleven in Nehemiah's time. We find fome of the gates of Jerufalem mentioned in fcripture under other names than what Nehemiah gave them (n); whether they were the fame under different names, or not, we cannot eafily determine. It is probable the city had twelve gates, fince the heavenly Jerufalem, fpoken of in the Revelations, had fo many.

As Jerufalem was fituated in a dry foil, they took care to make a great number of ponds, or confervatories of water (o) within the city, for wafhing the facrifices, and purifying the people; among others, the pools of Bethesda and Siloam mentioned by St. John (p), though fome are of opinion these were one and the fame. There is no need of taking notice here of the feveral palaces in Jerufalem, as David's, Herod's, Agrippa's, the houfe of the Afinonæans, and many other noble edifices, which are placed differently by the learned, and defcribed by Jofephus. The Jews reckon up a prodigious number of Synagogues in this city, of which I fhall treat hereafter. They likewife afcribe to Jerufalem feveral privileges, which the other cities of Judea had not. Thefe laft belonged to fome tribe or other, whereas Jerufalem was common to all the Ifraelites in general, though it was fituated partly in the tribe of Judah, and partly in that of Benjamin. This was the reafon why the houfes were not let, and that all strangers of the Jewish nation had the liberty of lodging there gratis, and by right of hofpitality. Of this cuftom we find fome traces in the New Teftament, as in Matth. xxvi. 17, &c. It was unlawful to leave a dead body within the city, even for one night, or to bring in the bones of any dead perfon. Profelytes of the gate, that is, fuch as were uncircumcifed, were not permitted to dwell there. There were no fepulchres in the city, except thofe of the family of David, and of Huldah the prophetefs. These they took care to whiten from time to time, that people might avoid coming near them, and fo polluting themfelves (q). No one had the liberty of planting or fo wing within the city; accordingly there were no gardens; but without the walls there were great numbers. In fhort, whatever could occafion the leaft uncleannefs was carefully banished thence.

But the main glory, and chiefeft ornament of Jerufalem, and the true fource of its holinefs, was the temple Solomon built there by the command of God, (r) on mount Moriah, which was part of mount Sion. It was upon the account of the choice God made of this place, that the temple is frequently called in fcripture the house of the Lord, or the houfe

(z) Neh. iii.

(p) John v. 2. ix. 7.

(0) Jofeph. de Bello Jud. 1. vi. c. 12.
(4) Matth. xxiii. 27.

(r) i Chron. xxviii. 12. 2 Chron. iii. 1.

by

by way of eminence. It is a difficult task to give an exact defcription of this temple of Solomon, becaufe, on the one hand, the accounts which we have of it in the firft book of Kings, and the fecond of Chronicles, are fo lame and imperfect, that they do not give us a true notion of the feveral parts of it; and, on the other, becaufe we are in the dark, at this diftance of time, about the meaning of moft of the Hebrew terms of architecture. Some learned authors however, are of opinion, that one might frame a full and compleat idea of it, by joining the defcription given by Ezekiel (s), to that which we have in the first book of Kings, and the fecond of Chronicles. But to enter into a particular examination of this matter, would be foreign to our prefent defign, which is to make fome few remarks on the temple of Jerufalem, as it was in the time of Jefus Chrift. I have therefore only this one obfervation to make, with regard to the first and fecond temple: That they were the only places God had chofen and appointed for the performance of his worfhip, which was one of the chief and most effential parts of the ceremonial law. This the fupreme Law-giver did, not only for the fake of preferving unity in the common-wealth, but more especially to prevent the Ifraclites from falling into fuperftition, idolatry, and the foolish and impure worship which the heathens paid to their Deities in the high-places, that is, in chapels, or temples built on hills and eminences. The words of our Saviour to the woman of Samaria, The time is coming when God shall no longer be worshipped either in Jerufalem, or on Gerizim only, but shall be adored in fpirit and in truth every where alike by his true worshippers, are a clear evidence that the fixing of the worship of God to the temple of Jerufalem alone, was a ceremonial inftitution defigned merely for the preferving the unity and purity of the Jewith religion.

The temple of Zerubbabel (which we had an occafion to mention, when speaking of Herod) was built in the very place (1) where Solomon's ftood before, that is on mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David (u), and where this prince was ordered by God to erect an altar, in order to have a ftop put to the plague (x). This temple was afterwards very much improved and beautified by Herod; who added exceedingly to the magnificence of it. But notwithstanding all the expence he bestowed upon it, it ftill came far fhort of Solomon's; which deferved indeed much better to be ranked among the wonders of the world, than fome ancient buildings that have been honoured with that title.

By the temple is to be understood, not only the temple ftrictly fo called, viz. the holy of holies, the fanctuary, and the feveral courts, both of the Priefts and Ifraelites; but alfo all the apartments and out-buildings in general that belonged to it. This is neceflary to be obferved, left we hould imagine, that whatever is faid in fcripture to have happened in the temple, was actually done in the inner part of that facred edifice, whofe feveral parts we are now going to take a view of: Each of them had

(s) Ezek. xl. xli.

(1) And upon the very fame foundations, faith Dr. Prideaux. Connect, P. I. B. III. fub, ann. 534.

(x) 2 Chron. iii. 1.

(x) 2 Sam. xxiv. 18.