that, as they stretched forth their wings, the outer wing of the one touched one of the walls, and the outer wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; whilst their inner wings touched each other in the midst of the house; so that they reached across the whole house. These cherubims were not like those which Moses had placed in the tabernacle, which were much smaller, and fixed upon the mercyseat or lid of the ark, with their faces looking towards each other; whilst these, that Solomon added for the glory and ornament of God's house, were intended to spread their wings over the ark which was to be placed under them. The cherubims of Moses also were made of pure gold, but these larger ones were made of the olive-wood, overlaid with gold.

In this holy of holies, which I have just been describing to you, were to be kept the golden censer, which contained the incense, and the altar of incense, overlaid with gold, on which this precious offering was to be presented to God, and the ark, which Moses had made in the wilderness, overlaid with gold, in which were the tables of the law or covenant; and here probably were placed also the golden pot with manna, and Aaron's rod that budded.

And all the different vessels that were used in the house of the Lord, were made either of gold or bright brass; and the candlesticks, the lamps and the snuffers, the tongs, the bowls, the spoons and the censers, were of pure gold, and all the hinges of the doors were of gold also.

Such, my love, was the exceeding richness and beauty of the interior of the temple. Nor was the outside less magnificent. The courts, which surrounded

it, were some of them paved with marble of different colours, and surrounded by galleries of the most elegant form, over which were apartments supported by pillars of white marble. In one of these, the court of Israel, there was a throne for the king when he should come into the temple; it was made of the brightest brass, and the doors of the courts were overlaid with brass. At the entrance too of the porch which stood before the holy place, there were two magnificent pillars of brass, covered all over with the most beautiful ornaments of flowerings and networks; and checker works, and rows of pomegranates, and lily work, all carved in the brass.

But we must speak of the outside of the temple itself. This was covered on every side with plates of gold, so that an old writer says, "when the sun rose upon it, its brightness was too dazzling for the eye to rest upon; but when seen from a distance, it looked like a mountain of snow, those parts where there was no gold being very white and glistening, the whole of the temple having been built of very beautiful white stone or marble."

E. What a long time it must have taken, mamma, to build such a house as that!

M. Yes, my love, the time employed in building it was about seven years; which seems long in itself, and yet it was a very short time, when we think how great and glorious and beautiful a work this temple was, and that perhaps the world never saw any thing like it before or since. To Solomon also, I dare say, the time seemed long, anxious as he must have been to see it finished; and to behold his people all gathered together in it to worship God. At last the

happy moment came, when “ the house was finished
throughout all the parts thereof." And Solomon
made haste to dedicate it, or set it apart for B.C.
the service of God. For this purpose he 1004.
drew together all the elders of Israel, all the heads
of the tribes, and chief of the fathers, unto Jeru-
salem, that they might all go together, in a great
and solemn assembly, to bring up the ark of the
Lord out of the city of David, which was on Mount
Sion.

When king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel were met together before the ark, the king sacrificed sacrifices which could not be numbered for multitude; and then the ark was removed to the temple, and the priests carried it into the temple, “ into the most holy place, and placed it even under the wings of the cherubims.”

The whole body of the priests joined in this most solemn and interesting service; and after they had set down the ark, all the singers of Israel, which belonged to the tribe of Levi, joined them at the east end of the altar, arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps; and with them were an hundred and twenty priests, sounding with trumpets. “ And it came to pass, that as all the trumpeters and singers mingled their voices as one voice to make but one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord;” and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever :—that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister

by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.

What a sight must this have been ! A pious bishop of our church has spoken of it in nearly such words as these :

“ The joyful ceremony of setting apart the temple to the service of God, must have been the most magnificent sight that the eyes of men have ever seen. Let us picture to ourselves a building, where scarcely any thing was to be seen less precious or beautiful than silver and gold ; a building of which God himself had condescended to give the plan, and which was therefore as perfect as Infinite Wisdom could make it. Before this building, let us think we see the nation of the Israelites collected together, surrounding their king seated with all the signs of majesty and royalty on an exalted throne of burnished brass; whilst amidst the music of all kinds of instruments, with the voices of a whole people joined in a grand chorus of praise and thanksgiving, the glory of Jehovah, or a body of light far beyond the brightness of the sun, descends from heaven and fills the temple. Our minds can scarcely reach the amazing idea! Never after this let us have low thoughts of God, or of the house where his glory dwelleth."

Surely one reason why the temple of Solomon was made so great and glorious was, that when the people came to worship in it, they might think of the glory and greatness of that unseen God who was pleased to put his name there.

After the most high God had been pleased to show that he accepted the temple which had been built to him, by taking possession of it himself, and filling the

whole house with his glory; after this, king Solomon rose from his brazen throne, and stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel; and then kneeling down on his knees before the assembled multitude, he spread forth his hands towards heaven. And what did he say unto God? Did he kneel before him pleased and satisfied with himself, and boasting at all of what he had done for the Lord ? Ah no! he seems to have been filled with a deep sense of his own nothingness, and of the great goodness of God in condescending to accept the work of his hands, and to fill it with a portion of his own excellent glory. Hear some of his humble accents. “ Will God in very deed dwell with man on the earth ? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, O Lord ; much less this house that I have built.”

I cannot here give you any further account of king Solomon's long and beautiful prayer ; but we can read it together in the word of God.

E. Was God pleased with it, mamma, as he was when Solomon prayed to him before ?

M. Yes, his prayer seems to have been pleasing in the sight of the Lord; for no sooner had he made an end of praying, than fire came down from heaven, and burnt up the burnt offerings and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.

E. Oh ! mamma; what must the children of Israel have thought of all that they saw that day?

M. We read, that when they saw the fire come down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house,

that