Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 3
EXERCITAT. III. Of the place of Gods worſhip. A ceremoniall appendix of Commandement II.
Deut. 12.5. But unto the place which the Lord your God ſhall chuſe out of all your Tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation ſhall yee ſeeke, and thither ſhall yee come.
THe places which ſerved for the worſhip of God,Places for worſhip approved or commanded by God. were either places commanded by God, or approved by him: places commanded, as the Tabernacle and Temple, places approved by God, was their Synagogues and places of prayer; their Synagogues, Pſal. 74, 8. they have burnt up all the Synagogues of God in the land, their place of prayer was called foreign, in the Syriack, Domus orationis, a houſe of prayer, Act. 16.13. And on the Sabboth day we went out of the City by a river where prayer was wont to be made.
The Tabernacle and Temple were Loci ut ſic, Locus ut locus ut ſic.as the Schoolemen ſpeake; their Synagogues and foreign houſes of prayer, were but Loci ut loci, therefore they might not ſacrifice in them, but when they worſhiped in them, they turned alwayes their faces towards the Temple.
The Tabernacle which was the firſt place commanded for the worſhip of God, was a type of heaven, Pſal. 15.1. Lord who ſhall dwell in thy Tabernacle, and when they could not have acceſſe to the Tabernacle, they thought themſelves but like the wandring Arabians, foreign appellative hic ſumitur a foreign protraxit, we reade not that Daevid ever dwelt in the tents of Ke…ar therefore it ſhould be tranſlated, as in Kedar.that knew not God nor his worſhip, Pſal. 120.5. Woe is me that I ſojourne ſo long, dwelling as in the Tents of Kedar.
This Tabernacle was divided in three parts, the holieſt of all, the holy place, and the court of the people.
The holieſt of all ſignified heaven, the ſecond place ſignified the ſtate of the old Law where the Prieſts entered in daily and offered for themſelves and the people, and the court of the people ſignified the Church here below.
The people might not come into the court of the Prieſts.The people might not come into the holieſt of all; but Eſay 56.7. My houſe ſhall be called the houſe of prayer, he applyeth this both to the Iewes and Gentiles, which Chriſt applyeth to the Iewes onelyonly in the Temple of Ieruſalem, and the Prophet ſpeaketh in prototype, as Chriſt in type: the Proſelytes might not come into the court of the Iſraelites, they ſtood but in Atrio Gentium, in the court of the people, but Eſay foretelleth that the Gentiles ſhall have as free acceſſe to the houſe of God, as the Iewes, becauſe his houſe is the houſe of prayer, and this Salomon foretold, 1 King. 8.41. If a ſtranger come from a farre country to call upon thy name, then heare thou in heaven, that is, grant that they may have as great acceſſe to thee as the Iewes have.
When Herod built the Temple, he wrote an inſcription upon the gate of the court of Iſrael, that no ſtranger ſhould enter in there under the paine of death; but now this inſcription is changed, that whatſoever ſtranger he be that doth not enter into the houſe of the Lord, ſhall dye the death: before,The Levites might not goe into the holy place. the people might not enter into the court of the Prieſt; but now wee are all Kings and prieſts to God, 1 Pet. 2.9. before, the Levites might enter where the people might not goe, they might goe into the court of the Prieſts, but not into the holy place; but now all the people are the Lords Levites, Mal. 2.8.foreign appellative hic ſumitur quia habet ה praefixum. Yee have corrupted the covenant of Levi, ſaith the Lord of hoſtes. Levi here is put for the whole people, and therefore they have as great acceſſe now as the Prieſts had. Before, none might enter into the holieſt of all, but the High prieſt once in the yeere, Heb. 9.7. but now all have acceſſe to the throne of grace, Heb 4.16. Rom. 5.2.
The Tabernacle and the Temple were alike in many things, firſt in the forme,A compariſen betwixt the Tabernacle and Temple. for the Tabernacle was a paterne to the Temple.
Againe there was no light in the holieſt of all in the Tabernacle;In what things they were alike. So neyther in the holieſt of all in the Temple, and the ſignification was this, Rev. 21.23. and the City had no neede of the Sunne, neyther of the Moone, How the Lord is ſayd to dwell in a cloud.to ſhine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lambe is the light thereof. In the holieſt of all there was no light, and the High prieſt when he entred into it kindled ſmoke, and he ſaw nothing, becauſe the Lord dwelleth in a cloud, Pſal 18.11. he was not able to behold the ſhecina or glory that dwelt in the holieſt there was no externall light that came there, but the Lambe was the light, and when we ſhall be glorified wee ſhall not ſee that inacceſſible light in which hee dwelleth.
So in the holyeſt both in the Tabernacle and temple there was no light but the light of the Candleſtick,no light in the Temple but that which the lampe gave. for there were no windows in the Temple to give light to it, and it was compaſſed round about with Chambers that it could have no light.
Ob. 1 Sam. 3.3. And ere the lampe of God went out in the Temple of the Lord where the Arke of God was, and Samuel was layd downe to ſleepe. Then it may ſeeme that they had other light, than the light of the candleſtick.
Anſw. Before the lampe of God went out, that is, before the lampes were changed by the Prieſts, and new lights added; and the ſignification of this was, the Church ſhould be directed by no light but by the light of the Word, 2 Pet. 1.19. We have alſo a more ſure word of Propheſie, whereunto yee doe well that yee take heede, as unto a light that ſhineth in a darke place, untill the day dawne, and the day ſtarre ariſe in your hearts.
The Court of the Prieſts was not covered.There was a court for the Prieſts both in the Tabernacle and Temple, and it was not covered above, to ſignifie, that the Church here, hath more of the light of nature than of the light of grace,
Againe, the Tabernacle and Temple had the like implements both in the Holieſt, and Holieſt of all.
And laſt, the Tabernacle and the Temple ſerved for the ſame uſe for Gods worſhip.
In what things the Tabernacle and Temple differedNow let us ſee wherein they differed. Firſt, the Tabernacle was moveable, and the other was fixed; the moveable Tabernacle ſignified our eſtate and condition here, and the Temple which was unmoveable ſignified our eſtate in future glory.
The Tabernacle had not the court of the Gentiles.Secondly, the Temple was much more large than the Tabernacle; the Tabernacle had not the court of the Gentiles as the temple had, there was but one golden candleſticke in the Tabernacle, and ten in the Temple, 1 King. 7.49. So in the Tabernacle was but one braſen Laver, & in the Temple there were ten: ſo there were but two Cherubims in the Tabernacle, but foure in the Temple.
Laſtly, the Tabernacle indured not ſo long as the Temple did; and when the Tabernacle had no uſe, it was layd up in the Temple.
The Concluſion of this is, Concluſion. the Tabernacle gave place to the Temple: So both the Temple and the Tabernacle gave way to Ieſus Chriſt, who was both the true Tabernacle and Temple, and of whom they were but types.