298 The Tabernacle and"Irk afterwards to ;imitate intheir wars with the Philifins, received a fad reward of their temerity and boldnefs, t Sam. 4. From the Wildernefs the Ark was carried to Gilgal, Jofh:5. to thence removed withthe Tabernacle toShilo, loth. 18. 2. Some fuppofe that alter this it was occatio- nally removed to Mizpeb, as 3udg. tt. t1. ao. t, 27. 21. 1, 2, becaufe it is fad in tholeplaces, that.fuch things were done before the Lord in Mizpeb : but that expref. lion doth not neeeffarily inter the pretenceofthe Ark and SanEtuary in that place. Yea, the context teems to intimate, that it was at another place diítantfrom thence; as v. 26. they went up fromthe place ofthe Alfembly in Mizpeb to the houfe of God, where the Ark was. In Shechem alfo it is fuppofed to have been, from the Affembly that yofhua made there chap. 24. s. upon the dole whereof, he fixed a clone of me- morial before the Sanauary, v. 26. But yet neither doth this evince the removal of the Arkor SanEtuary. For Shechem being not far from Shile, the people might meet in the Town for convenience, and then go fome ofthemwith JoJhua unto Shiro, as is moltprobable that they did. From Shiro it was carried into the field of Aphek aga nil the Philiffins, s Sam. 4.2._ and being takenby them,was carried firft toAJhdod,then to Ekron, then to Gatb, t Sam. 5. thence returned to 'Kiriath-jearím, t Sam. 6. to the houfe ofAbinadab, 1 Sam. 6. thence to the houfe of Obed-Edom, 2 Sam, 6. thence to mountSion in Jerufalem, 2 Sam. 6. into á place prepared for it by David. And from thencewas folemnly introduced into, and enthroned in the mojf hoyplace ofthe Tem- ple, built bySolomon, 1 King. 8. 6, 7. In the mean time, whetheroccafionally, or by advice, the Tabernacle was removedfrom Shilo, and that raft place of the folenin Wor- ofGod altogetherdefected, and made an example ofwhat God wouldafterwards do unto the Temple, when his Worthip therein alfo was ìieglec`kedand defiled, Jer. 7. 12, 14. 26. 6, 9. Ia the Temple ofSolomon it continued either unto the captivity of Jehoiak ni, when Nebuchadnezzar took.away all thegoodly veffels ofthe houfe of the Lord, pChron. 36.a o:or unto the captivity©f Zedekjah, whenhe carried awayall the remain- ingveffels, great andfmall, v. 1S.. Ofthe Talmudicalfable concerning the hiding of it by Jofiah, or Jeremiah, with theaddition ofits fuppofed refloration at thelati day, inthe fécond Book ofMachabees,I have fpoken elfe-where Whether it werereturned again with the veQols of the houfeofthe Lord,by Cyrus, is uncertain. 'fit were not, it was an intimation that the Covenant made with that people was waxing old; and hailingunto an expiration. Tne things that accompanied this Ark in the molt holy place were upon it the 4. 12. Mercyfeat ; on the ends ofit two Cberubims. The Mercy-fear as to its making, form, ufe, and difpofition, is declared, Exod, 25. 17. it in-called rro lipporeth; t0 ligni- ties CObide, tocover, toplailler over, to that, to piailler with Bitumenor pitch. In Pibel, to expiatefin, Exod. 30. so. Levit, 4. io. Ifthe name of the Mercy -feat be taken from the word in Kal, itfignifies only Operimentum, tegumentum, tegmen, a co- vering, and Ib ought to be rendred. Ifit be taken from thefence ofthe wordin Pihel, it retains the fignitìcation of Expiation., and conféquently of pardon and mercy. So it is byours rendred a Mercy-feat; and that with refpeéluntothe rendring of it by the 4pollle, irasípior, bleb.9. as by the LXX in this place iaasbtiov saíee av, the Propitia- tory placed on theArk, wherein what refpedh was had to the Lord Chrilt, theAponte declares, Ram. 3. 25. and largely inour Epifile, chap:9. 4 13. Its matter was ofpure Gold, and forIts dimenfions, it was raft as broad and long as the Ark whereon it was laid, chap. i32. sg. And this Mercy-feat or covering of Gold fems to have lain upon the Arkwithin the verge ofgoldorCrown that encom- patted it, being its fell plain without any fuch verge or Crown; for it was placed 743m4o ¡marl tp upon the Arkjuft over it, V.20. and fo was incompaffcd with its Crown, the Glory both ofjuftice and-Mercy, ofLaw andGofpel, -being the fame in Chrifl Jefus. §i At thetwo ends ofthis Mercy-feat wereplaced two.Cherubims, one at the one end, the other at the other ; bothof Gold, and, as it should feem, ofone continued work with thecovering it Pelf The name ofCherubims hath prevailed for there Figures or Images from the Hebrews; partlybecaufe it is retained by our Apofile, who calls them Cberubims ofglpry, xsosg. 'tog> "r, Heb. 9.5. and partly becaufe the lignification ofthe word beingnot wellknown, it cannot properly be otherwife expretfed; for which reafon it was retained allo by the LXX. Theywere ofthofe things which our Apollle, chap. 9. 23. terms iia,Psfÿyará rw "v iv cols ifavai.; Examples,exprellions, or,fimilitudes of things in Heaven, whofe framing and ereétion in reference unto the worship of God,
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