The Temple of Solomon Portrayed, History · Chapter 9 · Section 3
SECT. III. The Myſteries of the ſeveral Ornaments and Utenſils of the Temple.
IN the beginning of this Section, let the method of our procedure be digeſted, which will fall out commodiouſly according to four ſeveral principal parts of the building, wherein theſe rare Ornaments had their ſituation. Some whereof were in the Oracle, others in the Sanctuary, ſome in the Porch, and the reſt in the Prieſt's Court.
The Excellent things that were ſ…tuate in the Oracle were, the Ark, the Tables of Stone, the Mercy-Seat, the Cherubims, and, as ſome conceive, the Rod of Aaron, and the Pot of Manna even as before they were laid up in the adytum, or moſt holy place of Moſes his Tabernacle. In the firſt place then, we are to begin with the Ark, and endeavour to underſtand and explain what Myſtery was held forth by it.
But here, before I ſpeak to the myſtical ſignification of this rare and admimirable Veſſel, containing the ſtone Tables of the Decalogue; let me not paſs over in ſilence that which was obſerved by Heathens themſelves concerning the Oracle at Jeruſalem, that it had within it no Image or repraeſentation of the divine Majeſty which was adored by the Jews. In the firſt place Hecataeus Abderita, (x)Joſeph. p. 1048. c. 8.who flouriſht in the 117 Olympiad, (as recited by(y)Con. Apion. l. 1. p. 1049 Joſephus) ſaies concerning the Temple; foreign. That there was no Image, nor conſecrated Statue, or other Donarium on the Walls at all. To the ſame purpoſe do ſeveral others ſpeak, whom I ſhall briefly recite; as Diodorus Siculus in the Excerpta of his 40th book, where falſly affirming that Moſes built the Temple at Jeruſalem, which is true of the Tabernacle its previous Icon, he adds, that he ſhaped no Image or Statue of God, ſince that a humane ſhape can in no wiſe agree to him. Very memorable are the words of(z)Geogr. l. 16. p. 700. &c. Strabo as to this in hand, the words in Greek I ſhall omit: Who ſpeaking of Moſes goes on thus, [foreign &c. For he declared and taught them that the Egyptians did not conceive aright of God, while they likened the Deity to Beaſts and Cattel: neither the Lybians or Grecians aſſigning the ſhape of man to God. But that alone was God (containing us all with the Earth and Seas) which we call Heaven, and the World, and the nature of all things. Will any be ſo preſumptuous and bold, that is in his right Wits, to eſſigiate or ſhape an Image of him, like to any thing among us? Wherefore, rejecting all carved works, it behoves us to erect a Temple and holy houſe befitting ſuch a Majeſty, without any figure at all.] Upon this account it is, that the Heathens, ſeeing no Image or Statue at all in the Temple, could not tell what Deity it was the Jews worſhipt. The Athenians had an Altar [foreign] to the unknown God. Critias, being reproved, by Triphon in Lucian, for ſwearing by the Heathen Gods, at laſt ſwears [foreign &c.] by the unknown God at Athens, mentioned by(a)Pauſ. Att. p. 1. lin. 34, 35. Pauſanias to have had an Altar at Phalarum, a Port of Athens: There (ſaies he) are [foreign] the Altars of the Gods called Unknown. In another place in his Eliacks, diſcourſing at large of the many Altars that were near the Temple of Jupiter at Olympia, he mentions one cloſe by the Altar of Jupiter Olympius called foreign, The Altar of the unknown Gods. Wherefore Plutarch, in the life of Craſſus, profeſſes his want of knowledge to diſcern what God it was▪ which the Jews did worſhip. The place is worth reciting: [foreign &c. Craſſus ſpent many daies in weighing the mony of the Goddeſſe which is worſhipt in the Holy City;(b)Plut. in Craſ. p. 1010. edit. H. Step. and aſſigning a ſet number of Souldiers to the People and the Rulers, afterwards freed them for a ſum of mony, whereby he loſt his credit, and was deſpiſed by them. The firſt Omen (or token to him of bad ſucceſſe) was from this Goddeſſe. Which ſome take to be Venus; others, Juno; others the (firſt) Cauſe and Nature ſupplying the beginnings and ſeeds of all things out of moiſture, and manifeſting the principle of all good things unto Man-kind. For as they were going out of the Temple, firſt Craſſus the younger ſtumbled at the Door, and then the Elder fell upon him.] To this Inquiry of Plutarch, What the Deity was which was worſhipt at Jeruſalem; the Anſwer of Triphon to Critias (in Lucian's forecited Dialogue) may be returned; [foreign: But we having found out the God unknown in Athens, and worſhipping him, lift up our hands to heaven, and give him thanks that we are made fit to be ſubject and obedient to ſo great a Power. Some glimmering knowledge of this great God had Socrates attained to, and was thereupon ſcofft at in that ſcurrilous Comedy of(c)Plut. foreign. Ariſtophanes, ſtyled foreign, or Clouds; as if he worſhipt thoſe Exhalations: for which alſo at laſt he ſuffered death. Of whom Aelian, in his 2d. book of various Hiſtory cap. 13. Plato, in a ſet Apology for his vindication, and Diogenes Laertius, in his life; Plutarch and Apuleius have inlarged. While we in the mean while are fully aſſured by an Apoſtolical pen, that this our God, of whom the World was generally ignorant,(d)Act. 17.23, 24. &c. made the World, and all things therein, being Lord of Heaven and Earth, and dwelleth not in Temples made with hands. Wherefore, no wonder that the Heathens, ſearching after what Deity was worſhipped in Judea, yet ſate down with(e)Phar. lib. 2. v. 590. Lucian declaring the Conqueſts of Pompey,
Cappadoces mea ſigna timent, et dedita ſacris
Incerti Judaea Dei,—
The Cappadocians at my Banners tremble,
And Jews who at the ſacred feaſts aſſemble
Of God, unknown to us,—
(f)Hiſt. l. 5. p. 622. Lug. Bat. 1640.Tacitus moreover treating of the Warrs of Titus in Judea, takes occaſion to ſpeak of the Religion of that Country, in moſt things very corruptly: but as to our purpoſe at preſent expreſly thus [Judaei mente ſolâ unum que numen intelligunt. Prophanos, qui deûm imagines, mortalibus materiis, in ſpecies hominum effingant ſummum illud, & aeternum, ne que mutabile, ne que interiturum. Igitur nulla ſimulacra urbibus ſuis, nedum templis ſunt.] The Jews worſhip onelyonly with their Souls, and apprehend the Deity, to be but one. They count ſuch to be profane, who do faſhion images of the Gods in the ſhapes of men with periſhing matter. The moſt high God they deem eternal, unchangeable and immortal: wherefore they have no images in their Cities, much leſs in their Temples.
Di…n Caſſius ſhall bring up the reare, who in the 36th Book of his Hiſtory ſpeaks thus, [foreign foreign, &c.] They are of a diverie opinion (ſpeaking of the Jewes) from all other men, as in all other things, ſo in their ordinary courſe of life; but eſpecially in this that they worſhip none of the other Gods, but one they chiefly honour and adore: At that time (viz. of Pompey's Warrs in Judaea) they had no image at all in Jeruſalem, holding their God to be of an ineſtable and inviſible eſſence, exceeding all other men in his worſhip: unto whom they had built a Temple of great bulk and exceeding beautiful. Hence was it that the Heathens did ſo profanely jeer at the Jews, for lifting up their hands to Heaven as if they pray'd to the Clouds. So Petronius flouts at them,(g)Satyr. p. 211, ed. Franc. 1621. 8o. Et coeli ſummas advocat auriculas, which we will tranſlate to a more ſober ſenſe,
Let Jews to Him lift up their eyes,
Whoſe Throne is fixt above the Skyes.
And therefore Juvenal, ſpeaking how apt Children are to follow their Fathers in Religion, be it what it will, ſaies that ſome, having learned to be Jews,
†Satyr. 14. ver. 98.Nil praeter nubes & caeli numen adorant.
They worſhip nought but Clouds, or elſe
That God, who in the Heaven dwells.
Nay, David ſeems to complain of his idolatrous Neighbours, exprobrating to him in his afflictions,(h)Pſ. 42.10. Where is thy God: as if ſo be, he were no where, who did not appear unto the eyes of men. Whereas inviſibility is one of the choiſeſt attributes of that immaterial, uncompounded, ſpiritual and infinite eſſence: whom we ought to ſerve with fear, and rejoyce before with(i)Pſ. 2.11. trembling. Memorable is that paſſage of Lucian in his Philopatris: which Dialogue (becauſe forbidden by the Romiſh Index expurgatorius to be printed, for reaſons beſt known to themſelvs, while they ſuffer every obſcene Poet and Scoffer at Religion, and therefore not to be found in their latter Editions) I ſhall recite ſomewhat largely: [(k)Pag. 466. edit. Baſil. 1503. Tō. 4. foreign. I will teach thee what the Univerſe is, and who was before all things, and what is the Systeme or frame of the Univerſe. Formerly indeed I ſuffered the ſame things thou dost: But ſince the Galilaean met with me, (one (l)2 Cor. 10.1.bald on the forehead, and his Noſe hooked) who had been carried up in the air into the (m)2 Cor. 12.2.third Heavens, Paul.and learned thence most excellent things, did regenerate us by water, and brought us into the foot-paths of the bleſſed, and redeemed us from the Region of the ungodly: And I will make thee a man in truth, if thou wilt hear me.] Which perſon that its meant of Paul, ſeems evident by Niceph. Callist. lib. 2. c. 37. where deſcribing of Paul, (as before he had our Lord, lib. 1. c. 40.) among other things ſaies, he was foreign, &c. foreign, &c. foreign bald on his head and that he had a noſe handſomely bending. Where breaking awhile from that he ſpeaks afterwards of the Creation and other matters, in theſe words,pag. 467. foreign foreign. There was an incorruptible, inviſible, incomprehenſible light, which diſſolved the darkneſſe, and diſpelled that deformity by a word alone ſpoken by it: as the(n)Moſes Exod. 4.10. ſlow-tongued (perſon) hath related. He eſtabliſht the earth upon the waters, ſtre…ched out the Heavens, formed the fixed ſtars, and appointed their courſe, which thou worſhippeſt as Gods. He hath beautifyed the Earth with flowers, He produced Man out of nothing into being, and He is in the(o)Prov. 15.3. Heaven beholding the juſt and unjuſt, and, writing their actions in books, will accordingly render to every one in that day, which he hath appointed.] Furthermore, that we may ſee the ancient Heathens had more knowledge of the divine Eſſence, partly by the light of Nature well improved, and partly by the light of Scripture and of the primitive perſons carrying the Goſpel about the Nations, may appear by a paſſ…ge … little before the firſt citation: [foreign &c.] Crit. By whom ſhall I ſwear then? Trieph. By the ſoveraign, great, immortall God in the Heavens; by the Son of the Father; and the Spirit proceeding from the Father: One in three and three in one.] A God certainly of which there can be no ſhape or Image, and therefore ſurely the Gentiles knew more then we ordinarily think they did, at leaſt the wiſer ſort: and more they might have known, had they been ſedulouſly inquiſitive into the matter. Becauſe that which may be known of God, was manifeſt to them: for God hath ſhewn it to them.(p)Rom. 1.19, &c. For the inviſible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly ſeen, being underſtood by the things that are made, even his eternall power and Godhead, ſo that they are without excuſe. Manifold are the Teſtimonies of the poor Heathens, concerning the unſpeakable & inconceivable Eſſence of the Deity. Among other, excellent is the Inquiry of(q)Edit. Heins p. 222 Maximus Tyrius in his 38 Diſſertation, Whether Statues are to be dedicated to God or not? where he ſpeaks thus, [foreign. There is no more need to erect Images or Statues for the Gods, then there is for good men to have theirs. In the end,Pag. 226. he draws toward a concluſion in theſe words; foreign, &c. [For God is the Father and Maker of all beings, ancienter then the Sun, ancienter then Heaven: More excellent or before all time and age and every fluid Eſſence, a Law-giver ineffable, unſpeakable by our voice, inviſible as to our eyes; who not being able to conceive aright of his Eſſence, let us fixedly endeavour (to ſearch him out) by words and names, living Creatures, figures of Gold, Ivory, and Silver; from Plants, Rivers, tops of Mountains, and Springs, earneſtly thirſting after ſome knowledge of him.] Thus as Paul told the Athenians, that they did [foreign] ſeek after the Lord,*Act. 17.27. if poſſibly they might feel after him (in the dimm twilight of Nature) and find him out. Moſt remarkable is the Law of King Numa, commented upon by Plutarch in his Life in theſe words;(r)Plut. in Numa p. 118. Tom. 1. vit. Edit. Hen. Steph. 8o. [foreign, &c. Beſides, thoſe Laws w…ich he made concerning Statues or Images are altogether a-kind to the ſenſe of Pythagoras. For he did not conceive the firſt principle of all things to be ſenſible or paſſible, but inviſible, immortal, and to be apprehended by the mind. Numa therefore forbad the Romans to make any Statue of God, in the ſhape a of man or any other living Creature: Neither was there among them in former times, any picture or carved Image of God. But during the firſt hundred and ſeventy years (of the City), although they built and conſecrated Temples, and erected little Sacraries or Chappels of wood: yet they neither faſhioned nor dedicated any Image at all. Counting it a prophane thing to expreſs more excellent Beings by ſuch as are mean and low: Neither did they think to attain to the knowledge of God but by their Underſtandings.] To conclude,(ſ)De imag. Deor. p. 39. Chartarius reports out of Pauſanias, that a Temple was erected to Apollo under the appellation of Juventus, or youth in the Corinthian Territory within a grove of Cypreſſes, where there was no ſtatue at all, for a certain ſecret reaſon, which his Authour durſt not produce. Surely if(t)De EI apud Delph. p. 699 edit. H. Steph. Plutarch's Etymology and gloſſe upon the name of Apollo be right, that it is q. foreign, not many, but one: ſhewing that there can be but one onelyonly God, the firſt principle and mover of all things, and that the firſt being muſt needs be immenſe and infinite, without beginning or end, and therefore in continual flouriſhing ſtate: well did thoſe Corinthians to conſecrate a houſe to the youth of Apollo, and add no ſtatue at all. Though their darkneſs was greater, the farther the line of Heathens deſcended from the family of Noah, where they all were inſtructed by that Preacher of Righteouſneſſe in the knowledge of the true God, and his proper worſhip.
But to come to an iſſue: Seeing then there was no manner of form or ſhape within the Holy of Holyes to repreſent the infinite Majeſty of Heaven: God having moſt expreſly forbidden it by his command, written upon the Tables of ſtone that were laid up in that ſacred place: Nay, the thing being atteſted by Heathens concerning this very Temple, and they falling foul upon, and condemning one another for this groſs and ſtupid worſhip of any Deity framed by the works of mens hands; what great reaſon have the Jews and the Greek Churches and theſober Heathens, that any where do advance the light of Nature: (nay, Turks likewiſe) to be offended at the Popiſh Idolatry, whoſe converſion is greatly thereby obſtructed.
Whereas God expreſly forbids any(u)Deut. 4.16. graven Image, the ſimilitude of any Figure; or the likeneſſe of male or female to be made to repreſent the Diety: Yet do the Papiſts permit and commend it as expedient for the unlearned and vulgar people, that the Divinity ſhould be expreſt in the Hiſtories of Scripture that are painted in Churches. Now although the Papiſts do not think the Picture or Statue to be a God, neither did the wiſer of the antient Heathens:Synod. Trident. Seſſ. 25. p. 241. edit. Rhotomagi. 1640. although it's probable the Devil did ſpeak through the Trunks of the antient Images, and ſo impoſed upon them: as the Papiſts did by the Statues of the Virgin in Cheapeſide Croſſe to delude the common people: which with various Trinkets were ſhewn and exhibited to publick view, by Thomas Lord Cromwell in the daies of K. Henry the 8th. and afterward to the fire: yet certainly for a man to make uſe of a Crucifix to ſtand before him in prayer, although he do not think it to be Chriſt, neither do worſhip that, but onelyonly uſe it as a Commemorative figure, and a repreſentation only to excite devotion: yet is this no leſſe then refin'd Idolatry, which in ſome meaſure is confeſſed by Durand one of the Schoolmen, as produced by a worthy Divine of the Neighbour-Nation, in theſe words. The truth is(x)Rutherford Church-Government, p. 164. edit. 1646. Religious geniculation before the Image, or at the preſence of an Image, as if the Samplar were there preſent, is one and the ſame adoration given to the Image and the Samplar. Where he proſecutes the proof of this aſſertion; That to kneel before the Creature as a memorative object of God, is Idolatry. But of this and the like points, it is not my buſineſſe to treat here: onelyonly upon the account of the Oracle being deſtitute of any ſhape or figure of the Divine Majeſty, I have hitherto diſcourſed; and ſhall now ſpeak of the Ark, the firſt, and principal Ornament of this moſt ſacred place.