,Tewish rnM for " certain purpose in the 46-53). The prayer is remarkn.blo fill the Divine government and oounsol, and also RB more RB the la.et of the wholo series and one reveRling Yery significRntly th&t that setting so oodly ominous I The last claus~ of ver. npa.rt mis nothing but a method and meRns 36, carrying the expression far oft'.1 119 the to nn end, RB comprehensive and universal alternative of near, throws ite lm-id gl1ue ot RB the 'IVorld itself. The analo,e;ies, in fact, unwelcome suggestion on all the rest. No in the world's histon, are linked, in one man whioh sinneth not. The words need unbroken chain, to what sometimes seems the summoning of no biblioal parallels, for to a m<'re reRder of the Dible pages 11.S an these are so numerous. But out of the rest artificial Rnd somewhn.t arbitrary decree or emphl\sis may be placed at lenst on those arrangement (see, amid mRny significrint furnished by Solomon himself-Prov. xx. 9; parallels, Exod, xxii. 21 ; Lev. xxv. 35; Eccles. vii. 21 ; both of which aro po.rticu- Numb. xv. 13-17; Dent. x. 19; xxxi. 12). larly sententious. Bethink themselves, The Not of thy people Israel (John x. 16; xii. wordB well express, in English idiom, the 20-26; Acts ,iii. 27). For thy great Name's literal Hebrew, os in margin, "bring ho.ck Mke. The insertion of the adjective'' great" to their heart" (Deut. xxx, 1-11). Have here C,\,~) is not Pentateuchal, but is found sinned, . . . done amiss, . . , dealt wiokeilly in Josh. vii. 9; in our parallel, 1 Kings viii. (so Ps. cvi. 6; Dan. ix. 5). The Authorized 42; Ps. lxxvi. 1 ; xcix. 3 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 23; Version in the parallel (1 Kings viii. 47) is ,Ter. x. 6: xliv. 26. All people of the earth, somewhat happier in its rendering of the Not only are many of the psalms utterly in three verbs employed here. It seems doubt- harmony with the spirit of this verse. but ful whether these have it in them to form a. also the light of it is reflected brilliantly in climo.:x; more probably they speak of three such passages as Acts xvii. 22-31. This different directions in wrong going. The house is oalleil by thy Name; literally, thy parallel is well worthy of being referred to, Name ii called upon (or perhaps, into) this in its vers. 50, 51. 1wu.si. meaning that God himself is invoked Vers. 40-42.-These three verses are there. or present there in order that he may wanting in the pare.lie!, which has kept us be constantly invoked. four verses (50-53) not shown here. Our Yers. 34, 35.-The difterent Btipposition two verses 41 and 42 are doubly interesting, of these verses, compared with vers. 24, 25, first, as almost an exact copy of the words is plain. Here we a.re reminded how right of David (Ps. cxxxii. 8-10); and secondly, it is t-0 implore a blessing before we go out as not an entirely exact copy, in some respects t.o om allotted labour, or even on some the form of word not being identical, though ~pecially and divinely appointed enterprise. the signification is the same, and in other , ers. 36-3\/.-The matter of these verses respects the clo.r.se being not identical, though is givc11 fuller in the parallel (1 Kings viii, still the mell.lling is essentially equal.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-42.-The dedu:ation, and Solomon's prayer. The ark once within the most holy place, the whole temple seems to wait expectant for its own solemn offering and dedication, to that heaven from which its pattern came, to its own supreme Archi- tect, of whose wisdom it was designed, and of whose inspiration of the mind and heart of so many, its beautiful and costly materials had been ungrudgingly given and skil- fully wrought. The picture photographed so faithfully in this chapter does not fail of rivetting our gaze, but its points of view are very various, and we do not embrace them all by any means at one glance. We seem to hear also while we gaze. Now it is the broken snatch of a soliloquy that we seem to hear; now the unfeigned and adoring ascription, of blessing, and honour, and power, and of mercy's majesty, to the one Father of heaven and earth ; now again the vast throag of worshippers, priests, princes, and people, is hushed in silence audible, on the knees of prayer. The royal typical son of David utters the solemn prepared service of prayer and supplication. 'fhe God, to whom none in heaven or on earth can be compared, is invoked, and the praise of his covenant- keeping e.nd of his mercy and of his free promises is celebrated. These are made the ground, not indeed of any expostulation (for there was nothing in respect of which to expostulate), but rather of earnest pleading, that what seemed sometimes too great, too good to be true on the earth, might nevertheless be "verified," "in very deed with men upon the earth;" and then the measured sevenfold prayer begins. It cannot but be that in this service of dedication. followed upon so promptly~ with Heaven's own accept- ance and most graciously vouchsafed consecration, there should be manifest lessons, or 011. vr. 1-42.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 65