Polymn vel lib. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the King went to warre it was the Law of the Persians that he should appoint a King and so goe his way on his expedition And this custome was that that made Cyrus his third yeare to be accounted for Artaxerxes his first though Cyrus was yet alive because he left him King at home whilest he himselfe went to warres abroad Alexander dying in the flower of his age and victories his large Dominions obtained so suddainly by the sword were divided as suddainly againe in a manner by the sword amongst four of his chiefe Commanders according as was prophesied Dan. 8.8 11.4 Two of them were Seleucus Nicanor who obtained Syria and Ptolomy Lagus who obtained Aegypt whose families the house of the North and the house of the South Dan. 11. being ill Neighbours one to another did both of them prove ill Neighbours to Iudea and through and under them the people and Temple did undergoe divers varieties of fortune but most commonly the worst The Kings of these Countries are reckoned these [d] Vid. Euseb in Chron. Strab. Geog. l. 17. Kings of Syria 1 Seleucus Nicaner 32. y. 2 Antiochus Soter 19. 3 Antiochus Theos 15 4 Seleucus Gallinicus 20 5 Seleucus Ceraunos 3 6 Antiochus Magnus 31 7 Seleucus Philopater 12 8 Antiochus Epiphanes 11 9 Antiochus Eupator 2 10 Demetrius Soter 22 11 Alexander 11 12 Demetrius 3 13 Antiochus Sedetes 9 14 Demetrius iterum 4 15 Antiochus Grippus 12 16 Antiochus Cyzicenus 18 17 Philippus 2 [d] Vid. Euseb in Chron. Strab. Geog. l. 17. Kings of Aegypt 1 Ptolomy Lagus 40. y. 2 Ptol. Philadelphus 18 3 Ptol. Euergetes 26 4 Ptol. Philopator 17 5 Ptol. Epiphanes 24 6 Ptol. Philometor 36 7 Ptol. Euergetes 29 8 Ptol. Physcon 17 9 Ptol. Alexander 10 10 Ptol. Lathurus 8 11 Ptol. Dionysius 30 12 Cleopatra 22 SECT III. A Briefe of the state of the Temple in the times of these Kings IF we were to write a story of the City and people as we are of the Temple here were a very large field before us for exceeding much of the story of Jerusalem and Judea hath to doe with the story of these Kings but since our confinement is to the Temple only we shall make a shorter cut because the peculiar relations that we finde about that are but few in comparison of the general story of the City and Nation [a] Ios Ant. lib. 12. c. 3. Seleucus Nicanor or Nicator as some do call him the first of these Kings of Syria was a great favourer of the Jewish Nation for he infranchised them in his Syrian Cities yea even in Antioch the Metropolis it selfe and [b] Id. in lib. Maccab. cap. 3.2 Mac. 3.3 he bestowed benevolences upon the Temple to an exceeding liberall and magnificent value But Ptolomy Lagus King of Aegypt his contemporary was as bitter to the Nation as he was favourable He having his army in the Country tooke advantage one Sabbath day of the Jewes strict resting on that day and pretending to come into the City to Sacrifice he surprized the City and it is like the Temple sped but indifferently with him and he carryed exceeding many thousands away captive [c] Aristeas Jos ubi ante His son and successour Ptolomy Philadelphus was againe as favourable to the Nation as he had been mischievous He sent for the Lxx Elders to translate the Bible sent exceeding great munificence to the Temple which we have had some cause to speak of before In the time of Ptolomy Euergetes the successour of Philadelphus the covetize of Onias the High-priest had provoked the displeasure of that King and was like to have brought mischiefe upon the place and people but that it was wisely appeased by Ioseph Onias his sisters son From the time that Ptolomy Lagus had so basely surprized Jerusalem it was under homage to the Crowne of Aegypt till Antiochus the great released it or changed it rather into subjection to Syria whether it were of his goodnesse and devotion or whether rather out of his policy to make sure the Jews to him [d] Appian in Syrinc in the great wars that he had especially with the Romans he bestowed many favours upon the people and liberall donations and priviledges upon the Temple And particularly this edict in its behalfe That no stranger should come into the virge of the Temple prohibited which it may be first occasioned those inscriptions upon the pillars at the entrance into the Chel that we have spoken of that no stranger should come there upon paine of death After him succeeded Antiochus Epiphanes save onely that Seleucus Philopater reigned 12 yeares between a man or a monster shall I call him of whom and of whose cursed actings are those prophesies in Dan. 7.21 25. 8.10 11 12 24 25. 11.28 c. and 12.1 c. and Ezek. 38. 39. and who performed according to those predictions to the utmost of wickednesse He began his reigne by the account of the booke of the Maccabees in the 137 yeare of the reigne of the Seleucian family 1 Mac. 1.10 And in the 143 yeare as both that booke and [e] Jos Ant. l. 12. c. 6. 1 Mac. 1.21 c. Josephus reckon he came up to Ierusalem being invited thither by a wretched faction of Onias who was also called Menelaus the High-priest and he taketh the City by their meanes and slew many of the contrary party and tooke away many of the holy things and much spoile and so returned to Antioch This was the beginning of those 2300 daies mentioned in Dan. 8.13 14. or the daies of desolation when the Host and the Sanctuary were both trodden under foot Two yeares and some months after namely in the yeare 145 he cometh up againe and under colour of peaceablenesse obtaining entrance he sacketh Jerusalem plundereth the Temple fireth the fairest buildings of the City puls downe the wals slayeth even some of those that had invited him taketh many thousands prisoners and setteth a Syrian Garrison for a curbe to the City and Temple Here was the beginning of those 1290 dayes mentioned Dan. 12.11 the time that the dayly Sacrifice was taken away and the abomination of desolation was set up which space is called a time times and halfe a time which was three yeares and an halfe and some twelve or thirteene dayes The mischiese that this tyrant and persecutor wrought to the Temple nation and religion is not expressible how he forbad circumcision abolished religion burnt the books of the Law persrcuted the truth murdered those that professed it and defiled the Sanctuary with all manner of abomination insomuch that the Holy Ghost hath set this character upon those sad times that that was a time of trouble such as was not since they were a nation even to that same time Dan. 12.1 And here began the story and glory of Mattathias the father of the Maccabean family who withstood
the North So on the South side of the Altar there were marble tables and low pillars for the very same use that there were on the other side of the Altar namely for the fleaing and cutting up and washing the intrulls of the sacrifices but when greater store came then that very space just between the Altar and the South wall would containe then all the South side of the Court was permitted for that use even as farre as the middle of the Altar betwixt North and South The five and twenty cubits space therefore that wee are to give account of betweene the South wall of the Court and the foot of the rise of the Altar were thus parcelled 1. There were eight cubits from the Court wall to the pillars as there were on the North side and this was the breadth of the Cloister and the standing of Israel on that side the Court. 2. The disposall of the Tables as on the other side before the pillars tooke up foure cubits 3. And then the thirteene cubits betweene these and the foot of the Altar rise was partly as is probable taken up with some rings as on the North side though not so many for they needed not and partly with some plaine pavement next to the rise that the Priests might have accesse to it the better CHAP. XXXVI The space betwixt the Altar and the Porch THe Altar stood before the gate or entrance of the Porch that gave accesse into the Temple and the space between the foundation of the Altar and the foundation of the Porch [a] Mid. per. 3. was two and twenty cubits But there was not so much cleare ground or plaine pavement and passage betweene them for the staires of the Porch being in number twelve and every step a cubit broad besides the halfe pace or inlarging at every third step caused that these steps lay downe a great way in the Court towards the Altar and took up a good space of these two and twenty cubits Every one of these steps was halfe a cubit high and thereupon the whole rise ariseth to be six cubits from the ground to the landing in the porch so that he that stood in the Porch gate his feet stood even and levell with his feet that stood upon the Circuit of the Altar [b] Tamid per. 7. Upon these steps of the Porch the Priests stood when they came out from burning incense and blessed the people As concerning the space betwixt the Porch and Altar these things are remarkable about it 1. [c] Kelim per. 1. That no man might come upon this space that had any blemish upon him nor any man might come here bare headed the reason of the former restraint is easie to be apprehended because of the holinesse of the place being so near both to the Altar and the Temple and the reason of the latter is because in their greatest devotions they used to cover their head and therefore none might come bare headed into so dovout a place 2. That no man might stand upon this space or stay within it while the Priest was burning incense in the holy place [d] Maym. in Tamid in per. 3. For whilest they burned incense in the Temple every day all the people departed from the Temple so that betweene the Temple and the Altar there was not a man till he that burned incense came forth And so at the time that the High-priest went in with the blood of the sin-offering which was to be sprinkled within all the people withdrew from between the Altar and the Temple till he came forth againe And because they might know the time when to withdraw from this space at the daily incense the Sagan or President of the service called to the Priest that was within the holy place with a loud voice and gave him notice when he should begin with the incense saying to him Offer the intense and as he spake thus the people withdrew The reason of this custome I shall not be curious to looke after but whether the Cerimony did not fitly resemble how far distant all men are from having any share with Christ in his intercession which the offering of the incense resembled be it left to the reader to consider 3. In this space between the Temple and the Altar was the murder committed upon Zacharias the son of Barachias as our Saviour mentioneth Mat. 23 â—5 Now there are various conjectures who this Zachary should be some thinke of Zachary the prophet whose booke of prophecy we have in the old Testament Some suppose it might be John Baptists father and some conceive that Christ speaketh there predictively foretelling that they should slay Zachary the son of Baruâ—h in the Temple the story of which Josephus giveth in lib. 4. de bel cap. 19. But the Talmudists doe help us to understand it of Zacharie the son of Jehoiada who was stoned by the people in this place in the daies of King Joash 2 Chron. 24. Why he is called the son of Barachias and not the son of Jehoiada is not a place here to dispute the Jerusalem Talmud hath this story concerning his slaughter which may give us cause to thinke that our Saviour spake according to the common received opinion and was understood to meane Zachary the son of Jehoiada though for speciall reason he calleth him the son of Barachias [e] Talm. Jerus in Taanith fol. 69. Rab. Jorhanan saith eighty thousand young Priests were slaine for Zacharies blood R. Jodan asked R. Aha where slew they Zacharias In the Court of the women or in the Court of Israel He saith to him not in the Court of Israel nor in the Court of the women but in the Court of the Priests c. And seven transgressions did Israel transgresse that day They slew a Priest a Prophet a Judge shed innocent blood and defiled the Court and the Sabbath which was also the day of expiation And when Nebuzaradan came thither he saw the blood bubling He saith to them what meaneth this They said to him it is the blood of bullocks and rams and lambs which we have offered upon the Altar Presently he brought bullocks and rams and lambs and killed them and as yet the blood bubled or reeked above theirs And when they confessed not he hanged them up They said the Lord is pleased to require his blood at our hands They say to him it is the blood of a Priest and Prophet and Judge who prophecied to us concerning all that thou hast done to us and we stood up against him and slew him Presently he brought eighty thousand young Priests and slew them And still the blood bubled Then he was angry at it and said to it what wouldest thou have that all the people should perish for thee Presently the holy blessed God was filled with compassion and said what is this mâ—n that is but flesh and blood filled with pity towards my children and shall not I be much more of
17.12 A glorious high Throne from the beginning is the place of our Sanctuary Ezek. 43.7 The place of my Throne and the place of the soles of my feet where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel c. Which the Lord proclaimeth when his glory was returned to the renewed Temple as is apparent in the verses immediately preceding And so the Prophet Esay saith I saw the Lord sitting upon a Throne high and lifted up and his Traine filled the Temple c. And the house was filled with smoake c. Esay 6.1 4. Where he charactereth the Lords sitting parallel to his dwelling in the cloud of glory upon the Arke and from thence filling the whole house with the traine of his glory And so in the booke of the Revelation where the Lord is inthroned with such living Creatures attending him as are described here there are so plaine intimations that it meaneth his glory at his Temple that nothing can be plainer for when there is mention of a Sea of Glasse before the Throne and of seven Lamps Rev. 4. v. 5 6. and of a golden Altar of incense chap. 8.3 and of a voice from that Altar chap. 9.13 c. the allusion is so cleare to the molten Sea seven Lamps of the golden Candlestick the Altar of incense and the Oracle given from beyond it which all were before the Arke where the Lords glory dwelt in the cloud that the matter needeth no more proofe then only to observe this And that the throne and glory of God throughout all that description meaneth in this sense there is evidence enough in that one clause in chap. 16. v. 17. a voice came out of the Temple of heaven from the Throne 2 Ezekiel himselfe sheweth that this glory referred to the Temple because he hath shewed it pitched there flitting thence and returning thither againe 1 He saith that the glory of the God of Israel was at the Temple namely that that he had seene and described in the first chapter chap. 8.4 though he be there in numbring up the abominations that were committed in the Temple which were great and many yet doth he relate that this glory was there still because the Lord had not yet withdrawne his presence thence But 2 At the last the provocations in that place do cause it to depart and that departure he describeth in the tenth chapter and there he setteth forth the very same glory and almost in the very same termes that he doth in the first chapter He telleth that this glory of the Lord departed from off the Cherub that is from off the Mercy seat where it had alwayes dwelt between the Cherubims and went out first to the threshold vers 4. then to the East gate vers 19. then to the City and to the Mount Olivet and so departs chap. 11.23 But 3 When he speaketh of and describeth a new Temple then he sheweth his glory returned thither againe chap. 43.2 3 4. And upon these three particulars of its pitching at the Temple flitting thence and returning thither again we may take up these observations for the further clearing of this signification 1 That the Prophet maketh some distinction betwixt the glory of the Lord dwelling upon the Cherub that is on the Mercy seat over the Arke and the glory of the Lord upon these Cherubims for he saith the glory of the Lord went up from the Cherub and stood ever the threshold of the house these Cherubims then standing on the right side of the house chap. 10.3 4. and then that the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house and stood over the Cherubims vers 18. The glory of the Lord in the representation that the Prophet describeth in the first chapter was upon the Cherubims already for he saith the glory of the God of Israel was there according to the vision that I saw in the plaine chap. 8.4 and yet he mentioneth another glory now added to it namely the cloud of glory that dwelt upon the Mercy seat for he saith that upon the flitting of that glory from off the Cherub to the threshold the house was filled with the cloud the meaning of this we shall looke at afterward 2 As to the flitting of this glory from the Temple the Prophet saith he saw it when he came to destroy the City chap. 43.3 that is when he came to foretell that the City should be destroyed And he dated the time of his first seeing of this glory in the fifth yeare of the captivity of Jehoiakim chap. 1.2 which was the fifth yeare of the reigne of Zedekiah 2 Kings 24.8 17 18. in which very yeare Zedekiah did rebell against the King of Babel which action was the very beginning of Jerusalems ruine 3 As to the returning of this flitted glory againe to the new built Temple chap. 43. it is observable that the cloud of glory which had descended and filled the Tabernacle and had done the like at Solomons Temple did never so at the second Temple or that built after the Captivity as the Jewes themselves confesse and that not without good reason Yet doth the Prophet as clearly bring that glory into his new Temple as ever it had come into them but onely that this was in a vision and so it shewed visionarily the Lords dwelling in his Ordinances and presence among his people under the second Temple unto which the People returned out of Babel and in the spirituall Temple or Church under the Gospell for Ezekiels new Temple promised a bodily Temple to the returned and promised and typified a spirituall Temple under the Gospell even as he had done visibly in his cloud of glory in the Tabernacle and first Temple And 2 he addeth further that when that glory was entered the East gate at which it came in was shut and never opened after chap. 44.2 to denote the Everlasting dwelling of the Lord in the Church of the Gospell among his people and never departing as hee had done from Hierusalem Temple This then being the signification of this appearance and glory in generall we are next to look upon the particulars of it which will more fully also confirme and cleare this matter and first we will beginne with the living Creatures or Cherubims For the better discovery of them what they were and what they meant these things do deservedly challenge speciall considering and observation 1 That they are plainly distinguished from Angels For in Rev. 5.11 there is mention of many Angels round about the Throne and about the living Creatures and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands And in Rev. 7.11 All the Angels stood round about the Throne and about the Elders and the foure living Creatures So that here is apparent difference between Angels and living Creatures both in their names and in their placing For the living Creatures were about the Throne the 24 Elders about the living Creatures