For we find King Jofiah ordering it to 2 Chron. be replaced.

XXXV. 3.

z Mac. ii.

What is faid to have become of it, after the Babylonish Captivity, may be seen in the Apocryphal Writings: whence we ib. v. 16. may likewife conclude, the Jews never pretended to be in Poffeffion of it after the second Temple was plunder'd by Antiochus Epiphanes; whatever they did before.

I

As for the Tabernacle and the other holy Things that belong'd to it, we find that in the Days of Saul, it had been remov'd from Shiloh to Nob, (a City on this 1 Sam. Side Jordan, between the Tribes of xxi. 1. Judah and Benjamin,) not far from Jerufalem; which had been affign'd to the Priefts and Levites for their Habitation; among whom Abimelech, and his Son Abi Mark . athar were fucceffively High-Priefts..

26.

In the Time of David we find it remov'd to the High-Place that was at Gi- Chron. beon; a City of the Tribe of Benjamin: xxi. 29. probably, upon the Occafion of Saul's having order'd Doeg the Edomite to flay all the Priests at Nob which bloody Commiffion he executed accordingly; on all,

i. 3.

except Abiathar, who efcap'd to David. 2 Chron. And we likewise read of its being ftill there, in the Beginning of the Reign of Solomon: after which we meet with no further Account of it.

But here it may be noted, once for all; that tho' the Tabernacle and the Temple were, in fome respects, very different, yet, as they both meant one and the fame Thing, (the chief Refidence of religious Worship) thofe two Names are us❜d pro1 Sam. mifcuously for each other, in feveral Places of Scripture.

i. 9. iii. 3.. Jer. x.

20.

SECT. IV.

The HIGH-PLACES.

But, beside the Tabernacle, both before the Building of the Temple, and after, there were Places of Worship call'd HighPlaces; which this People, fometimes took the Liberty to refort to, contrary to God's Deut. xii, exprefs Command, who had faid; ye shall utterly deftroy all the places, wherein the nations, which ye shall poffefs, ferved their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the bills, and under every green Tree. Yefhall

2.

not

not do fo unto the LORD your God. But, et unto the place which the LORD your God fhall choose, out of all your tribes, to put bis name there, even unto his babitation fhall ye feek, and thither thou shalt come, &c. For, after they had got Poffeffion of the Land of Canaan, they quickly ran into the reigning Idolatries of the Country; and being fometimes without any Chief, Governour or Judge, every Man did that 7 which was right in his own Eyes.

C

Indeed, God feems to have been indulgent to them in thofe Times of their blind Stupidity, and to have conniv'd sometimes at their worshipping, (provided they worfhip'd Him and not other Gods) upon High-Places, and under green Trees.

1 The Angel of God directs Gideon of the Judg. vi.

!

20.

Tribe of Manaffeb (whom he had appoint-
ed to judge Ifrael) to make his Offering
and Libation, under an Oak; where
afterwards he built an Altar unto the
LORD.

Samuel, the Judge and Prophet, of the
Tribe of Levi, built an Altar unto the Sam.
LORD in Ramah; which is call'd the
High-Place; doubtless, by a fpecial Dif-

pensation

vii. 17a ix. 12.

2 Chron.

i. 3.

penfation from God; because, when the Ark was taken by the Philistines, the Tabernacle at Shiloh in all Probability was either neglected, or fecreted by the Priests. For after when it was known to be in Gibeon, we are told that Solomon and all the congregation with him, went to the highplace that was in Gibeon; for there was -the Tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Mofes the fervant of the LORD bad made in the wilderness.

And when the Scripture mentions the happy and profperous Times in the Beginning of Solomon's Reign, there is this

1 Kings. Exception made; Only the people facrific'd iii. 2. in High-Places; because there was no boufe built unto the name of the LORD, until thofe

days. And of Solomon it is faid, That be lov'd the LORD, walking in the ftatutes of David his father; only he facrific'd and burnt incenfe in High-Places. And the king went to Gibeon to facrifice there; for that was the great High-Place; a thousand burntofferings did Solomon offer upon that altar.

Neither did they altogether forbear this erroneous Practice, after the Temple was built. For Jeroboam, the firft King of

Ifrael

Ifrael after the Revolt of the ten Tribes,
as well as all the Kings his Succeffors,
gave themselves up to this prohibited way
of Worship, in all the abominable Ido-
latries of the Heathens: till the LORD
justly punish'd them for their Impieties,
by suffering Shalmanefer King of Affyria
to destroy their City and their Place, and
to carry them away captive into a strange
Land, from whence they never return'd

more.

xvii. 9. Sic.

Their Provocations are thus enumerated by the infpir'd Penman; The children of If- ? Kings rael did fecretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God; and they built them high-places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. And they fet them up images and groves in every high bill, and under every green tree: And there they burnt incenfe in all the HighPlaces, as did the heathen whom the LORD

carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger. For they ferved idols, whereof the LORD had faid unto them, Ye shall not do this. S Thing, &c.

S

And