§8. A scene in the Temple. The daily Sacrifice in the time of Solomon; the Levites singing, and the people at prayer.

In the room called the fire-room of a range of buildings called "Beth Mokadh," the priests belonging to the course that is on duty are assembled, waiting

PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SITE OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE AS SEEN FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.

for day to dawn. They have bathed themselves, and are expecting their president to come, that the lots may be cast which will determine who is to kill and offer the victim for the day, and who is to enter the House of the Lord, to trim the lamps and to offer the incense. The president may come at the time of the cock-crowing, or earlier and later, and well is it for those who are found watching when he comes. (See Mark, xiii., 35.)

As soon as he comes, they go with him to the room called Gazith, where the council of the elders holds its sitting, and the lots are cast, by which the following services are assigned for the day, to the respective priests. (1) Who is to cleanse the high altar, and light and prepare the fires for the sacrifice; (2) who is to kill the victim; (3) who is to sprinkle

A SACRIFICE IN THE TEMPLE. PEOPLE AT PRAYER. 325

the blood upon the altar; (4) who is to cleanse the altar of incense; (5) who is to dress the candlestick and lamps, &c. The Jews count thirteen different offices in all.

The president then sends one of the number to watch for the dawn, and to bring back word when the heaven can be seen bright upwards, in the direction of Hebron. When the messenger returns, saying that it is time for the sacrifice, the president orders the lamb to be brought out of the lamb-room; the lamb destined for the morning sacrifice is then examined, to see if it is free from blemish, and if he is found fit, he is then led to the part of the court appointed for the slaughter of victims, where he is killed by the priest to whom

the lot has fallen, at one of the slaughter-rings.
gates of the outer court are then thrown open, and the

The

lamps in the sanctuary are trimmed, as nearly as possible at the same time that the victim is killed.

The victim is then flayed, divided into the proper pieces, which are brought to the ascent of the altar, and then the various priests all return to the chamber Gazith, to their prayers. Their prayers being terminated, the sacrifice begins, by the priest to whose lot it had fallen, ascending the altar, receiving the parts of the victim and laying them upon the fire; the altar being at the same time sprinkled with the blood of the victim by another priest.

Every sacrifice of a victim was, by law, incomplete without the offering of the cake of flour, and the libation of wine. (Numb., xv., 4, 5.) When the wine was given to the officiating priest to pour out upon the altar, two priests who stood by with silver trumpets, sounded them. On hearing this signal, the Levites, from their desks, began to sing the psalm or psalms that belonged to the day, and the particular sacrifice* which was being offered.

For these regular daily morning and evening sacrifices, and the routine duties of the temple, twentyfour priests were always in attendance, who followed each other by courses, and twelve Levites for the duties of the choir; but on sabbaths and solemn occasions, the number might be very much greater. The whole constitution of the Priesthood, the subordination of its members to the High Priest, their times of attendance, rights, privileges, and property, &c., were regulated by Solomon according to the law of Moses;

*The opinion of Martini that the Christian liturgy with the chief portion of the ceremonies of its celebration and the ecclesiastical chant, are derived in the main, from the Temple of Solomon, through the Apostolic tradition, appears extremely rational on reading the above description.

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and the setting up the Ecclesiastical constitution upon a firm basis, according to the divine law, was a higher glory of Solomon's peaceful reign, than even the building of the material temple.

§ 9. The visit of the Queen of Saba.

The queen of Saba having heard of the fame of Solomon in the wisdom of the Lord, came to try him with hard questions. And entering into Jerusalem with a great train, and riches, and camels that carried spices, and an immense quantity of gold, and precious stones, she came to king Solomon, and spoke to him all that she had in her heart. And Solomon informed her of all the things she proposed to him: there was not any word the king was ignorant of, and which he

could not answer her. And when the queen of Saba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had built, and the meat of his table, and the apartments of his servants, and the order of his ministers, and their apparel, and the cup-bearers, and the holocausts which he offered in the house of the Lord, she had no longer any spirit in her; and she said to the king "The report is true which I heard in my own country concerning thy words, and concerning thy wisdom. And I did not believe them that told me, till I came myself, and saw with my own eyes, and have found that the half hath not been told me; thy wisdom and thy works exceed the fame which I heard. Blessed are thy men, and blessed are thy servants, who stand before thee always and hear thy

EXPLANATION OF THE TYPE OF THE QUEEN OF SABA.-Solomon, the peaceful king in whose reign Juda and Israel dwelt in peace, each man under the shadow of his own vine and fig-tree, is the figure of Christ the Prince of Peace. The Queen of Saba coming from a distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon, is a figure of the nations of the world coming to Jesus Christ, to be received as His disciples, and saying to Him as the Queen of Saba said to Solomon: "Blessed are thy men and blessed are thy servants who stand before Thee always and hear Thy wisdom." Jesus Christ said, "the Queen of the East shall rise in judgment against the men of this generation, and shall condemn it, for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon is here." God promised that no man should ever surpass Solomon in wisdom, but Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour is more than man, and wiser than Solomon. We ought never to forget, that the gift of wisdom belongs to His religion, and is given to us by Almighty God, as being members of Christ, the Prince of Peace, our Teacher, greater and wiser than Solomon. How is it then that the disciples of so all-wise a Master, often do and say so many foolish things? Solomon says, who can teach a fool? If a Christian is found saying and doing foolish things, he is without excuse: he can have nothing to say for himself, except to strike his breast and exclaim, "by my fault, by my fault, by my most grievous fault." Jesus Christ gives him all the written wisdom of Solomon and David for his study, the wise examples of Moses, Daniel, and Esdras to follow, and more than all, His own Divine Wisdom; and if with such gracious gifts every Christian is not made wiser, it must be owing to his own fault. It must be because he hardens his heart and will not learn wisdom.