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a prepared place of dwelling, made by his appointment, wherein to give a sensible manifestation of his presence on the earth. Solomon (v. 13.) had "built for JEHOVAH a house for him TO DWELL IN, a PREPARED PLACE for him TO ABIDE IN,” in compliance with what had been appointed by GOD in his command to David, Thy son shall build the house," v. 19. Observe: Solomon speaking of this house calls it also, the prepared place, putting these terms in apposition; and, consequently, whatever other terms may, in the context, be found put in apposition with either of these, must have a similar application. This being premised, let us now attend to some of the expressions which occur in the dedicatory prayer of Solomon. He repeatedly intreats,-when the people shall pray in, or towards “this place," v. 30, 35.,--" this house," v. 33, 38, 42.,— "thine altar in this house," v. 31.," the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built to thy name," v. 44, 48.,-employing all these terms as equivalents for each other, with respect to place generally,-then hear thou "in the heaven" (OD) v. 32, 34, 36, 45.,—“ in thy sitting-place, (or dwelling-place) in the heaven," v. 30.,-" in THE HEAVEN, THE PREPARED PLACE OF THY SITTING, (or dwelling),” v. 39, 43, 49.,-employing these terms also as general equivalents, as to place. But observe particu

larly, in the last-quoted words, "THE HEAVEN" and "THE PREPARED PLACE OF THY SITTING," are in apposition, both meaning the same place; and let it be recollected also, that we have before seen THE HOUSE put in apposition with THE PREPARED PLACE, in v. 13.; and here the latter term is put in apposition with THE HEAVEN: "THE HEAVEN" then, and "THE PREPARED PLACE OF GOD'S SITTING," and "the HOUSE," express the same thing generally; that is, when the house is spoken of, the prepared place, or the heaven (for these two terms are identical as to what is expressed by them) is included in the expression,-the heaven, or prepared place of God's sitting, meaning the sanctuary and its appurtenances, and particularly the mercy-seat or throne of GOD. This identity is in some measure put out of sight in the common version, by the words on, in v. 39, 43, 49. having been rendered precisely in the same manner as the words л opp in v. 30., "thy dwelling-place,”—as if there were no difference whatever in the meaning of the respective terms. But the roots, and hɔ, have not the same signification, though they may often admit of a similar rendering. The former, as a Verb, means to rise up-stand up,-standing, in opposition to sitting or lying,—to have a standing in any sense whatever; and, as a Noun, a standing

place a station-a being-place, and hence often answers to place, simply considered, embracing nothing in its signification respecting any attribute of the place; and if any thing is made known respecting the place, it is by other words with which it is connected in the sentence, as in v. 30., with лw, thy dwelling: but the other root, n, means to make ready-put in orderprepare, &c.; and hence, whether it can be rendered place, when used as a Noun, depends on the nature of the prepared thing, or the purpose for which the action of the Verb has been put forth; thus if the preparation is a being-place for a something to rest on, the word is then rendered, a foot-a base-a pedestal—a foundation, &c.; but if materials have been put in order-arranged-prepared for a habitation, it is, when connected with a Noun expressive of this, often rendered place;-but it always means a place PREPARED, and SET APART for the special purpose mentioned, as in v. 39, 43, 49., for a dwelling, or sitting (place) -the idea of place having reference to the space occupied by the structure, that is, to the structure itself, and not, necessarily, to the place on which the structure stands, or the city or country where situated, though these may often be found by the

context.

From what has been stated it is obvious that the sense of the original in v. 39, 43, 49., cannot

in the prepared

be fully apprehended, if

place," be taken in the sense of opp, "in the place;" for had the latter word been found in these verses instead of the former, though “the heaven," and "the dwelling-place," would have been in apposition, and understood by every one to refer to the same place (as is indeed evident in the common version), the reader might have been left to conclude that "the heaven above" is what is here intended by GoD's "dwelling-place," and that no other heaven could be in the mind of Solomon but being used in these verses, it ought to be taken in its true signification—" IN THE PREPARED PLACE"-namely, the place prepared by Solomon, as he had before expressed himself, in v. 13.,-" I have surely built a house for thee to inhabit, A PREPARED PLACE FOR THY SITTING (or dwelling)," or, in our English idiom, "a Session-house prepared for thee," for this is precisely the meaning of the expression. In v. 39., &c. his expression is, “Then

-THE PRE מכון שבתך,,hear thou in THE HEAVEN

PARED PLACE for thy sitting (or dwelling);" using the very words applied by himself, in v. 13., to the house, and at the same time calling THE PREPARED PLACE, in this house, THE HEAven. The Heaven, then, is the place that was prepared for sitting; that is, for the seat of GOD-the MercySeat, overshadowed by the Cherubims; or, in the

other words, the Sanctuary, and more especially the holy of holies, is the heaven of which Solomon speaks throughout this prayer. In 2 Chronicles ch. vi. we have the same prayer: v. 2. of this chapter answers to v. 13. of 1 Kings ch. viii., and exhibits the same expression in the Hebrew,-"A "PREPARED PLACE for thy sitting;" and v. 30, 33, & 39. answer to v. 39, 43 & 49. noticed above, all of them exhibiting, "THE HEAVEN, THE PREPARED PLACE of thy sitting,"-this prepared place being, in all the passages, in the temple, built by Solomon, in Jerusalem. But in 2 Chron. vii. 1. a circumstance of great importance is noticed, which is not stated in the book of Kings:"And when Solomon had ended his prayer, and the "fire descended FROM THE HEAVEN, and consumed "the burnt offering and the sacrifices; for the bright"ness of JEHOVAH had filled the house; then the priests could not enter into the house of JEHOVAH, "because the brightness (or glory) of JEHOVAH had filled the house of JEHOVAH." The answer thus given to the prayer of Solomon, in the presence of all the worshippers, gave evidence that GOD had accepted the house, the sanctuary,-the heaven, the place prepared for his sitting; for the fire here spoken of descended, not from "heaven above," but, from the heaven, THE PREPARED PLACE, from the cloud which covered the mercyseat in the holy of holies. Observe-the cloud of