bitants of the world will learn righteousness" (Isaiah xxvi. 9).

With rapidity and despatch the ranks have been passed through, and the ceremonial of investigation is ended with the death of the stubborn one. All is now ready, and every eye again turned towards the altar. Suddenly a flash of light penetrates the mass of flesh and blood, and upwards from the altar ascends the smoke and burning of acceptance. That vast multitude bow with one accord, and breathe their grateful sigh of gratitude or murmur their rejoicings, for the continued mercy of their heavenly King and Ruler. All now disperse hither and thither to that portion of the house set apart for a most important item in the programme.

D.-ARRANGEMENTS FOR FEEDING THE MULTITUDE. When the distance to be covered by each visitant to the Temple, as delineated on the map of the "Holy Oblation," is realized-something like twenty-five miles

-an obvious necessity is seen for some provision for feeding the people before they leave the sanctuary. But apart from this necessity, the Deity has a distinct pur"IN THIS pose in this direction, as already mentioned. MOUNTAIN SHALL THE LORD OF HOSTS MAKE UNTO ALL PEOPLE A FEAST OF FAT THINGS, A FEAST OF WINES ON THE LEES, OF FAT THINGS FULL OF MARROW, OF WINES ON THE LEES WELL REFINED (Isa. xxv. 6). We may be perfectly sure that when the Lord sets His hand to do this thing, it will be a vast and glorious affair. In the mountain of the Lord it will be seen, and in the service of His Temple. One item, indicating the vastness of these feasts, is seen in what may be called the cooking kitchens, i.e., the corner courts, which are three hundred and sixty feet square, and concerning which it. is said, "These are the places of them that boil, where "the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifices of "the people" (Ezekiel xlvi. 24). In these places they also "bake the meat offering," i.e., make bread for the service of the sanctuary (verse 20). There are four of these immense kitchens; and they will be needed, although they are so large.

But in what part of the house is the eating to take place? Surely, in those delightfully-sheltered galleries in the outer court. In those three upper storeys of the buildings which flank the outside wall, ample provision will exist for this part of the programme. These galleries contain rooms each averaging eighty feet in length, and about fifty feet wide. They have in front a terrace running the whole length of the outer court, between the corner courts or kitchens, from which, along the galleries, the food would quickly come. There would be 74 of these rooms on each level, or 222 on the outside of one of the outer courts alone. These figures must be multiplied by four,* and we get 888 dining rooms, each as large as

One row in the outer court, north and south; and two rows on the western side.

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These dining parlours

an ordinary banqueting hall. are for the use of the worshippers in "that feast which the Deity makes unto all peoples of the earth.” We may well forbear to figure out the number of people who could be entertained in such a suite of rooms-we may safely say three to four hundred thousand at one sitting. But the charm of the arrangement is that this immense number thrice told could go up and be served and feasted without the least confusion or crush. They enter the gates, they pass into the broad outer court, they go through the lower storey of the cellæ, they ascend to the dining-hall cellæ above, their refreshment is there given them, and the lines of traffic are not crossed in the service; in fact, the plan is a solution of the problem which military men have very great difficulty in solving, i.e., how to feed, without confusion, a million of people. Never in the history of man has such a thing been done. Large multitudes, such as a vast army in campaign, may have been provisioned, but not in so small a space. Spread over a wide tract of country, the thing has been done with more or less confusion and breakdown; here it will be different. The boiled meat-probably served cold, the baked bread, the luscious fruit and the cheering wine, will form a repast of exquisite sense, needing nothing further in the way of embellishment or sumptuousness. The modern method of catering for a depraved taste we may be sure will be absent. The palate will not be vitiated, nor its tone destroyed by perverted use as now, when its natural sensitiveness is lost, so that the delicate flavour of some cereals is almost unknown or despised. We may also be perfectly sure that the "stinking weed" will find no place in such a feast, nor the fiery, burning alcoholic drinks of the Gentiles. A return to primitive and healthful habits will be necessary, that the people may attain to the promised longevity.

The feast will, no doubt, be a feast in a larger sense than that of mere eating and drinking, although the one is an important and necessary element of the other. To eat and drink in company is an exhilarating stimulus leading up to the more perfect enjoyment of fraternal intercourse and mental interchange of soul. The basis of this intellectual and moral treat will be the occasion of the gathering, and following close upon that the matters incidental to each individual. This "feast of reason and flow of soul" will be heightened immensely by the evidence of the Divine presence. Ah! how different now. The memorials of the Deity are almost entirely absent in all Gentile pleasure gatherings. The writer well remembers visiting the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, held in London during the summer of 1886, and so far as outward sign went, with one humble exception, no indication could be found in that assembly directing the mind to the Source and Giver of all things-from whom came the skill, the beauty, the riches, and the life

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of those present. In the future, all this will be changed, and the essential feature of the whole fabric will be honour and glory to the Creator. This will find expression in the "talk" of the people, and all things will be done and said with a new enterprise and motive, while "the countenance of every man will sharpen that of his friend" (Prov. xxvii. 17). They will all remember that they are thus privileged by reason of the goodness of Him at whose table they are fed. In fact, then will be realized the song of the angels, "Glory to God in the "highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men" (Luke ii. 14). "They shall speak of the glory of Thy "kingdom, and talk of Thy power; to make known to the "sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty "of His kingdom" (Ps. cxlv. 11-12). There the families of the tribes of Israel meet with their neighbours-Egypt and Assyria; the reproach from Egypt removed, and Assyria no longer desolate. "In that day shall Israel "be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing "in the midst of the land; whom the LORD of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheri"tance" (Isa. xix. 24-25). And there with them meet the members of every race and of every nation under heaven. But how changed in their deportment, and how altered in their speech; for at this time Deity will "turn to the people a pure language, that they may call the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one "consent" (Zeph. iii. 9). Without this change, the house of prayer for all nations would be turned into a "Tower of Babel;" confusion and discord would reign. This is not to be so. All varieties and racial diversity of speech will be hushed in silence, and that sweet-toned, full and flowing tongue, of Edenic origin, take its place: a language probably allied to the Hebrew, with which none can compare, even now, in its unpurified state. To hear the various members of the human family relating, in friendliness and love, their diverse experience in one common gathering, unmarred by difference of language, will be a great treat reserved for the accepted sons of Adam. And to see them assemble with that right good will, and brotherly love, and honour to God, now almost absent from the earth, will indeed be a reward we cannot realize or measure till it comes.

upon

E.-SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS.

THESE are not distinctly specified, but we have a hint upon this feature of the case at the close of chapter forty-two, and in the forty-fifth chapter. Speaking of the wall which surrounds the house, we read:

"It had a wall round about five hundred reeds long and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place" (chap. xlii. 20). From this we learn that the wall on the outside of the house not only incloses it, but also forms a division be

"

This pro

tween the sanctuary and "a profane place.' This fane place is limited in extent, and must be the "suburbs " mentioned in chapter forty-five. Concerning the portion of land in which the house stands, it is commanded :

"There shall be for the sanctuary five hundred reeds square round about, and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof" (chap. xlv. 2).

These suburbs, then, are "the profane place," and are fifty cubits wide. Those acquainted with agriculture will know how suitable the four miles of slope here specified would be for utilizing excrement. It could be done without "polluting the rivers," or unnecessary waste. We are not told what the detailed arrangements are to be, but we may be sure they would be eminently suitable. More than one suggestion has crossed the writer's mind, but as the detail arrangements are not revealed, it is unnecessary to give more than a passing notice of the matter.

F.-COURTS OF JUSTICE.

DAVID in spirit foretells the setting up of certain thrones of judgment in Jerusalem. His words are:

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

"Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. "Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

"For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David" (Ps. cxxii. 1-5).

This psalm receives its fulfilment when the Temple is co-extensive with the ancient city of Jerusalem. To "stand within the gates" of the one, will then be "to go into the other." It is the place where " the tribes of all nations, once enstranged from God, but now reconthe Lord go up": that is to say, it is the place where ciled, go up from year to year to worship. They are no longer Gentiles, unknown and unrecognized by the Deity, but are admitted into His family. Concerning this time we read :

circle band are so arranged that each double entrance or porch gives access to a space about thirty-two feet wide, which can be screened off from similar spaces all round the house. And this space is extensive enough to provide room for a magistrates' court, divided into three sections-not by barriers; none such would be needed with a well-ordered people-so that waiting suppliants would stand in the outermost portion, those immediately related to the case in the middle, and the magisterial seat would be in the third. Then the corridors on either side the house (the place left) would form a necessary and convenient means of communication between each court, either on the part of the people, on the one hand, or on the part of the judges, on the other. There would be three hundred and eighty-nine (389) of these courts on the ground floor, and if they are three storeys high, the number would be one thousand one hundred and sixtyseven (1,167). Whatever be the number of sections, or rooms round the circle, whether three hundred and eighty-nine or eleven hundred and sixty-seven, it cannot be said there are too many. The administration of justice at this head centre of the whole earth will involve adequate provision for the necessities of the case. "At "that time they shall call Jerusalem THE THRONE OF "THE LORD: and all the nations shall be gathered unto "it, to the name of the Lord TO JERUSALEM: "neither shall they walk any more after the imagination "of their evil heart" (Jer. iii. 17).

The suggested judicial use of these buildings, as indicated by their construction, appears to be confirmed by the testimony. They are called the cella of the "singers" (chap. xl. 44). One section, or half the circular range, is said to be for the use of "the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house" (verse 45), and the other section for "the use of the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar" (verse 46). Those who "keep the charge of the altar" are further defined to be the "sons of Zadok," who came near to the Lord to minister unto Him (verse 46).

There appears, therefore, to be two classes of priests who "minister unto the Lord" in this portion of the house; but the one inferior to the other. The superior class only possess the privilege of "drawing near" unto the Lord to do the office of a priest, i.e., going up to "the altar" in the centre. The others are "near to Him," in the sense of ministering in His sanctuary, but they have not equal rank with the sons of Zadok, neither are they permitted to go beyond the "wall" which surrounds the "Most Holy." The function of the two classes also differs in this particular, that while they both do service in the cella which encircle the inner court, the inferior class do not at all times enter upon that service, but are required to deal directly with “the people,” in the preparation of their sacrifices and in the preparation of the feasts (chap. xliv. 11-14).

I

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Both classes of priests are "near" to Yahweh in their official relations, but one class is expressly excluded from a particular part of the service. They (the Levites) "shall not come near unto Me to do the office of a priest unto Me, nor to come near to My holy, in the "Most Holy" (chapter xliv. 13). As before stated, only a privileged class are permitted to enter there.

Speaking of the buildings in the outer court, "over against the separate place," Ezekiel refers to the dual functions of the inferior class of priests thus:

"The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers. When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy into the outer court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister, for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to that which is for the people" (chap. xlii. 13-14).

These verses must be taken in connection with verses 17-19 of chapter xliv.:

"It shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth sweat. And when they go forth into the outer court-into the outer court to the people—they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments, and they shall not sanctify the people in their garments." These testimonies show that the inferior order of priests wear two sets of garments-one for ministration in the inner court, " and within," and one for the service they render "before the people;" part of this service is the sanctification of the people. They do this by preparing their sacrifices for them, as Job did for his sons (Job i. 5). It would obviously be unfitting that the Levites, after slaying beasts or performing other menial acts, should go inside the sanctuary and serve there in the same garments; or, on the other hand, that they should come out from their service within, clad in the holy garments of fine linen, to enter upon work which would soil and defile. They are therefore required to change their attire in the buildings flanking the inner court, either when they have finished their course of service in the outer court, or when it is entered upon. The C.V. somewhat obscures this feature of the case by the use of the word "with" instead of in, which is the more literal rendering of the original. The priests sanctify the people in the garments-not "with" them. The idea of sanctifying the people "with" the priestly vestures probably seemed likely enough to translators acquainted with the arts of Gentile priestcraft, whose votaries, with grovelling superstition, worship bits of stick, stone, embroidery, or bone. The garments of the priests mentioned in Ezekiel will not be used for sanctification (?) of this sort; they will, in their form and use, be a sign

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of something else; and, like the garments of Aaron in Israel, they will be "for glory and beauty" (Exod. xxviii. 2); their glory will speak of "Holiness to the Lord," and their beauty, of their divinely-designed fitness for the purpose in view (Ezek. xliv. 17-19). To To touch them will not give "sanctity;" sanctification must sanctity;" sanctification must be obtained by the offering of sacrifices.

In a subsequent part of the forty-fourth chapter we read :

"And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment: and they shall judge it according to My judgments and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all Mine assemblies; and they shall hallow My sabbaths" (verses 23-24).

From this testimony, we see that it is part of the service of the Levites (who are the inferior order of priests in question) to "teach" the people as well as prepare their sacrifices. This is a sufficient reason for the change of garments already referred to. They, however, only render this service on the north side of the Temple, or in the half circle range on that side, and in all probability in connection with the minor affairs of the house (chap. xl. 45). The other half circle appears to be occupied by " the sons of Zadok," and for a similar use (chap. xl. 46). In this we appear to have the re-institution of two orders of priesthood, viz., that of Melchisedec and that of Aaron. Concerning the former it is declared to be "an everlasting" and " unchangeable priesthood" (Heb. vii. 24); and respecting the latter, it is foretold that the Levites shall be restored (Jer. xxxiii. 21), yet that they shall only serve in the secondary position. "They are keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein" (Ezek. xliv. 14); but they cannot, and will not, be allowed to enter the circle itself, or approach unto the

as at the beginning" (Isa. i. 26), this feature of the case will be an element of that restoration.

The buildings forming the inner circle are said to be the cellæ of the "singers." Does not this term define one of the methods in which the people will be "taught the judgments of the Lord?" What could be more impressive than an innumerable company of messengers chanting the divine precepts, or hymning words of praise? Such a service did actually take place under the law of Moses, and doubtlessly will be re-instituted in Messiannic times.

It remains only to note how skilfully all parts of the plan are adapted for the one purpose in view. The way in which the people may enter the outer court, deposit their offering, and seek rest and refreshment in the dining saloons, has already been shown. For their needs in the matter of counsel and consultation, provision is also made. Passing through the gates of the inner court, they probably learn from the linen-robed attendants the number of the room in the inner court buildings in which they will receive attention. Again, the lines of traffic are protected from confusion by the convenient arrangements already adverted to; all is contrived upon a perfect plan. To this part of the house all must come for worship, as we learn from the statement that "the people of the land (the earth) worship at, or before the door of the eastern inner court gate " (chap. xlvi. 1-3); and from it they go forth by the opposite side of the house to the one on which they enter (verse 9., ibid). By this arrangement, friends who miss each other in the dining saloons may chance to meet in the other parts

of the house.

G. THE RESERVATION OF A PART OF THE HOUSE FOR THE USE OF THE LEVITES.

SOMETHING bearing upon this feature of the house has

order of priests.

It may be asked, Why should there be such a combination of the human with the divine in the administration of the service having its centre in the Temple? There must be a reason; probably it is because the Father intends to veil His hand. This has been done in His past dealings with the children of men; as, for instance, when the angel and Moses conjointly led the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exod. iii., xiv., xvii.); or, when there was Divine co-operation with Joshua (chap. v. 14-15); also in the concurrent administration of Israelitish affairs in the time of the Judges (Judges ii. 1, xiii.); and in the attendance of angels on the ministrations of Jesus (Luke ii. 8-17, xxiii. 43). Probably the organization of the kingdom will not differ in this respect from precedent. And when the Judges of Israel" are restored as at the first, and their counsellors

testimony already quoted in connection with what is to follow, it appears that the whole range of cellæ lying between the outer and the inner court on the north and the south sides is devoted to the use of the Levitical order of priests:

"He said unto me, the north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that are near unto the Lord shall eat the most holy things; there they shall lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering, for the place is holy" (chap. xlii. 13). As to what are the "most holy things" here referred to, we are told that every "devoted thing in Israel (ie., the first fruits, &c.) shall be theirs-the Levites'" (chap. xliv. 29-30). This is their inheritance-their living. But beyond this, they eat the sin offering and the burnt offering (verse 29), after the pattern of Aaron and his sons: These things are "most holy," and the

people who come to worship must not partake of them. In order that this rule may be carried out with facility and certainty, the cella lying between the outer and inner courts at the north and south sides are specially set apart for the use of the subordinate order of priests; they probably serve the people first, and afterwards attend to their own wants. The cellæ are conveniently situated between the inner and outer court, also for that change of garments already mentioned.

The extent of the arrangement is a striking feature. If four hundred and forty-four dining halls are provided for the servants who attend upon the guests, how vast must the multitude be who sit down to feast in the other parts of the Temple!

H. THE RESERVATION OF THE EASTERN SIDE FOR 66 THE PRINCE."

Ezekiel saw "the glory of the Lord" enter the sanctuary through the east gate (chap. xliii. 4). Afterwards, he was taken back "the way of the outward gate "of the outward sanctuary which looked toward the east," and found the gate shut (chap. xliv. 1). The meaning of this is explained in some of the following verses, when taken in connection with a portion of chap. xlvi.

"Then said the LORD unto me, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it; because the Lord, the Elohim of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut " (chap. xliv. 2).

This thrice-repeated law applies only to the outside gate of the eastern outer court-strictly speaking, the outer court gate. We read further on :

The

"Thus saith the Lord, the gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days, but on the sabbath it shall be opened; and in the days of the new moon it shall be opened (chap. xlvi. 1). Here we see that the restriction mentioned in chapter xliv. only applies to the outside gate, which for at least one thousand years is to be closed (Rev. xx. 4). inside gate is to be closed also, but opened occasionally. It is a beautiful feature in connection with this, that when the gate of the inner court is closed, the outer court. and its celle on the eastern side will form an extensive promenade, perfectly secluded. It is to be used in an official manner on "the sabbath and the day of the new moon" (chap. xlvi. 1-2). But we can scarcely think that will be its only use. The third verse of chapter xliv. states that "It is for the prince." But who is this prince? The things affirmed of him in these chapters lead to an answer:

He is introduced to our notice in an abrupt manner, just as though the prophet took for granted that his hearers knew all about the matter. The first mention of him is in verse 3, chapter xliv., where, without previous

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These extracts serve to show how briefly and curiously the prince is introduced to our notice; they are sufficient, however, to enable us to make out his identity when we take into consideration other things. We read in chapter forty-five:

"Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land” (chap. xlv. 1).

Concerning this offering, we further read:

"By the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it" (chap. xlviii. 8). The meaning of this verse will be understood by referring to the map of the "Holy oblation," Plate xi., page 52, which exhibits the detailed division of the Lord's portion. The "portion" as a whole extends across the land from the Mediterranean sea board to its eastern limits, and, as above stated, is 25,000 reeds wide, that is about 50 miles. This portion occupies a central position with twelve other parallel tribe-lots or cantonments, which likewise extend from east to west across the land (chap. xlviii. 1-28). The specified subdivisions of the oblation do not detract from its general title of "the Holy oblation," i.e., "The Lord's portion;" or, "the prince's portion." For while the specific use of the three central divisions of the oblation is mentioned, and while the "residue" is said to be "for the prince" (chap. xlv. 7; xlviii. 21), the square of twenty-five thousand reeds. is also his. This appears from the verse following the last reference :

"Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city in the midst, which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince."

So the holy square is the prince's as well as "the residue;" and this oblation is "The Lord's" portion.

Now, the prophet Zechariah testifies concerning the restoration, that "The LORD shall inherit Judah, His PORTION in the holy land" (See chap. ii., 10, 11, 12).

Here we may profitably ask, How is the Lord to inherit a "portion in the holy land ?" It by the word "Lord" in this passage, we are to understand the Increate Deity, we