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A16893 The glorie of the latter temple greater then of the former Opened in a sermon preached at the consecration or restitution of the Parish Church of Flixton in the island of Louingland in the county of Suffolke; being sometimes the mother church of the East-Angles. 11. March. 1630 / By Iohn Brinsley. Brinsley, John, 1600-1665. 1631 (1631) STC 3789; ESTC S119303 16,363 28

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second temple they heard an Eccho which the Hebrewes called Bath Kol filiam vocis the daughter of a voice a voice from heauen whereby God did impart some passages of his will vnto them This was the voice as is by some conceiued which gaue that testimony vnto our Sauiour at his baptisme Loe a voice from heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased But as for that oracle whereby God did vsually reueale his will to his people it was ceased the latter temple knew not what it meant 5. And lastly where was the succession of Prophe●s Betwixt Malachi and Iohn the Baptist there stood vp no Prophet A long vocation No more visions dreames extraordinary inspirations of the Holy Ghost After that the latter Prophets Haggai Zacharie and Malachie were dead say the Hebrewes the holy Ghost went vp or departed from Israel it was true in respect of extraordinary inspiration or reuelation In which sense as some Diuines with some probabilitie interpret the place the D●sciples at Ephesus told Paul that they had not so much as heard whether there was an Holy Ghost or not These were the things which made the former temple glorious what not one of these to be found in the second temple and yet more glorious The reading of this riddle as euery prophecie is a riddle vntill it be fulfilled and sometimes after hath not a little perplexed and troubled not onely the Hebrew Doctors but euen our owne Interpreters Amongst the Hebrewes some of them are brought hereby to dreame of another imaginary temple to be built they know not when by their Messias when he shall come But that is but a dreame Others of them place the transcendency of this glory in the duration and continuance of the seco●d Temple beyond the former The former temple according to their computation stood but foure hundred and ten yeares the latter foure hundred and twenty A small ground if true from so small a difference in time to raise so great a disparity of glory Others amongst them not knowing which way to turne them against the euidence both of Sacred and Ecclesiasticall Story peremptorily affirme that this second temple built by Zerobabel and the rest of the children of the Captiuitie was euery way more stately and magnificent then Salomons But then why should the ancient men weepe To leaue them and to plow with our owne heighfers to consult with our owne Interpreters Amongst them some and those not a few and those none of the meanest vnderstand the place mystically concerning the Church of Christ vnder the Gospell Thus Ambrose Augustine Cyrill with others whose names I honour Maior erit Ecclesiae gloria quam Synagogae Greater shall the glory of the Church of Christ vnder the Gospell be then the glory of Salomons temple or of the state of the Church vnder the Law was A pious truth and perhaps here intended But for my part I haue no great delight in hunting after mysteries where a more literall sense is brought to hand Not to hold you in suspense For the true and full vnderstanding of this place as with submission to maturer iudgements I conceiue it we must know that the Temple in Hierusalem was thrice built First by Salomon Secondly by Zerobabel Thirdly by Herod In the third and last of these Temples was this promise fulfilled this prophecie accomplished in Herods time built by him in the place of the second temple about seuenteene yeares before the birth of Christ. Ob. ●y but by the way how can that temple be called this latter house The word seemeth to point precisely at that particular building whereof they had then laid the foundations Ans. For the resolution of this one Expositor amongst the rest instead of vntying the knot cuts it peremptorily denying that euer there was such a Temple as this which is supposed to haue beene built by Herod confidently affirming though against all euidence both of Scripture and History that that Temple which was standing in the time of our Sauiour was the same that Zerobabel and the Iewes built after their returne from Babylon Thus Eckius a bold to say no more a confident Papist for this very particular condemned by Ribera and others of his owne coat vnder the modest terms of rashnesse and singularity Others to waue the scruple they mince the matter Herod say they did not erect a new Temple build it from the ground but onely repaired and beautified that which was built But we shall not need to seeke a muse to creepe out at the way is open The phrase here vsed in the text hath no such propriety in it that it must necessarily be restrained to that particular building the second Temple built by Zerobabel Salomons Temple was not the same with this second Temple and yet we shal find it pointed out by this Prophet by the name of this house Who is there left amongst you that saw this house in her first glory saith he in the fourth verse of this Chapter This house that is the Temple of Salomon in the place and stead whereof this second Temple was built By the same reason this third Temple built by Herod in the place of this second Temple may also be called This house This latter house Forty and six yeares was this Temple in building say the Iewes to our Sauiour This Temple Diuines are at odds about the interpretation which Temple it was that is there spoken of Some vnderstand it of Herods Temple which though it were but eight yeares in building as Iosephus testifieth yet at this time when this speech is supposed to haue beene vsed viz. in the yeare of the Baptisme of Christ it had stood precisely forty six yeares all which time it was still more and more adorned and beautified and perfected and so might be said to be so long in building Others and that the greater number referre the speech to this second Temple built by Zerobabel which as the computation ariseth was iust 46 yeares in building Herods Temple was built in the place instead of this second Temple and that without any intermission of time and therefore by the Iewes there and the Prophet here in a vulgar speech and that not improperly called This Temple This latter house Ey but the question still runs on How was this latter house more glorious then the former How was Herods Temple more glorious then Salomons Here Expositors run two wayes Some tie themselues to the letter to the history interpreting the place of the structure the building the outward beauty and glory of this Temple Herods temple say they was of statelier building then Salomons higher larger fairer richer Ribera sperds a great deale of time in euincing and clearing of all these particulars For my part I am not altogether incredulous but that it might be so To grant it as if histories may be credited we must not deny it yet where was the glory of the furniture
sacred the heauenly fire that fire which Diuines call diuino diuinus altogether holy not only in respect of the vse but in it selfe the fire which came downe from heauen at the dedication of that temple an euident token of a speciall acceptance God looked vpon Abel and his sacrifice saith the text Aquila translates it He set it on fire Howeuer that be onely coniecturall this we know for certaine that God did thus looke vpon this first Temple as he had done vpon the Tabernacle before with an eye of speciall grace and acceptance the sacrifices that were offered vp at the dedication of it he set them on fire consumed them with fire from heauen And this fire was kept in and preserued in this Temple for the daily vse of the sacrifices In imitation whereof the Heathen who in most of their ceremonies were but Gods apes kept in their Vestall fire which they falsely supposed came downe from heauen 3. Here was the Glory of the Lord himselfe the glorious presence of God manifested in some cleare and visible tokens a Transient a Permanent Glory the former in the Cloud at the dedication of this Temple which so soone as the Priests were come out of the Sanctuary filled the house as you heard euen now read in that chapter selected vpon the present occasion so that they could not stand to minister before the Lord for the glory of the Lord had filled the house the Glory of the Lord viz. a visible cloud full of light and brightnesse a token of the glorious presence of God in that place Besides this there was also a Permanent Glory the Glory of God dwelling appearing continually betwixt the Cherubins and that in some visible glorious manifestation insomuch that the high Priest as the Hebrewes tell vs when he went into the holy of holies which was but once a yeare he carried with him Inconse and smoake to darken the place that he might not behold the glory of the Lord for no man shall see God and liue Glorious must that place needs be which was the habitation of diuine glory filled with the glory of God himselfe 4. Here was the Urim and Thummim an excellent ornament as is generally conceiued in the brestplate of Aaron by which as by an Oracle God himselfe did vsually giue answers vnto his people What this Urim and Thummim was who made it of what it was made when it was made how and in what manner God was wont to giue answers to his people by it they are things which God hath hidden and therefore hidden that we might not know them The Hebrew Doctors haue troubled themselues and others with variety of coniectures and opinions euery one differing from other and it may be all from the truth Of them all he spake best and if I may cast in my lot amongst them truest who ingenuously confessed that he knew not what it was Certainly we do not find it reckoned amongst those things which were made by art we may rather conceiue it to be some excellent ornament made immediately by God himselfe as the two first Tables of stone were wherein the law was written and giuen by him to Moses to put into the holy pectorall as some collect it out of that Leu. 8. 8. 5. And lastly here was also the gift of Prophecie a continuall succession of Prophets the Holy Ghost inabling some continually by extraordinary meanes by visions dreames secret inspiration so making knowne the will of God to them for them to reueale to others Neuer was this first Temple without a Prophet And here was the glory of this first house this first Temple it was glorious without and glorious within glorious in the building and structure glorious in the vessels and furniture glorious in the apurtenances hauing in it the fiue greatest rarities of the world the Arke of the Couenant the Heauenly fire the glory of the Lord in the cloud betwixt the Cherubins the Vrim and Thummim with a continuall succession of Prophets Let those Romish Templars who pride themselues so much in the glory of their Temples shew vs their vast and magnificent buildings their rich ornaments and furniture their rare precious and sacred relicks put them all together what is all to the glory of Salomons temple and yet behold a greater then Salomons is here The glory of the latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of Hosts That is the second thing to be vnfolded opened I may well say opened Sure I am at the first hearing it is no lesse then a paradox a mystery What the second Temple more glorious then the first Wherein possibly can we conceiue or imagine this transcendent glory to lie 1. Looke first vpon the outside the Building we shall find it of rough and vnpolished stones euery way falling farre short of the former In height in length in beauty It was King Cyrus his speciall command to the Iewes at their departure out of Babylon as Mr. Caluin writing vpon the Text obserues that they should not build this second Temple in the like pompe and state as the former was A command directed no question by God himselfe and that for a speciall reason as I shall shew you hereafter 2. Looke vpon the inside the furniture we shall find by the Hebrewes owne confession many of the vessels imbased many that were before of pure gold now turned into brasse King Cyrus indeed restored some of the vessels belonging to the former temple and that many but many were yet wanting 3. Make enquirie for the Apurtenances belonging to the former temple 1. Where was the Arke of the Couenant lost perished as is generally supposed in the Temples desolation No mention made of the Arke after their returne from Babylon 2. Where was the fire that came downe from heauen put out extinguished not a sparke of it left It is but a Iewish fable which wee finde recorded in that Booke of the Machabees that Ieremie and some other of the Priests tooke the fire off from the Altar before the destruction of the Temple and hid it in a dry pit where it was miraculously kept during the Captiuitie and afterwards as incredibly renewed againe at their returne at the command of Nehemiah by sprinkling water vpon the Altar Not onely Apocryphall but fabulous such a passage as this we cannot conceiue that Ezra that faithfull Scribe and Nehemiah himselfe would haue passed ouer in silence 3. Where was now the Glory of the Lord His Glory in the Cloud his glory betwixt the Cherubins No glory the glory of the Lord God of Israel was gone vp from the Cherub and that before that desolation as the Prophet Ezekiel saw it in his vision Here was no glory 4. Where was the Urim and Thummim Lost perished perhaps buried in those ruines God gaue no more answers now to his people by this oracle sometimes indeed in this