Royal City of the Kingdom.

Moses said to Israel—Dent. xii. 15-16—"When ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when He giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye shall dwell in safety, then there shall be a Place which the Lord shall choose to cause his Name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you."

The time for making choice of this city arrived, when the Lord had given the kingdom to David, and rest from all his wars. David sought out the place, and Jehovah approved it. He "found it in the fields of the wood." He found it in a manner he did not expect. The Ark of the Covenant had been removed from Obededom's house to the City of David on Mount Zion, while the Altar of burnt sacrifice continued at page 25 Gibeon. Now David having been moved to number the people, who had sinned, 70,000 of them fell by pestilence in the country parts in three days. At length an angel^* of the Lord arrived at Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he was destroying, Jehovah said unto him, It is enough; stay thy hands. At this crisis David discovered the angel standing near the threshing-floor of Ornam or Araunah, the Jebusite, between the earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand, extended over Jerusalem. David having confessed his sin in numbering the people, and prayed that the plague might be stayed, the angel commanded Gad, David's seer, to tell David to go up and set up an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. When David saw the angel he would have gone to Gibeon, where the Mosaic Tabernacle was, to inquire of God before the altar there, but he was afraid because of the angel's sword which crossed the way. David must have been greatly relieved therefore when Gad delivered the message to him in the name of Jehovah. Without delay he went into "the fields of the wood," or district of the-forest, where the threshing-floor was situate, and purchased it for six hundred shekels of gold by weight, and built there an altar to Jehovah. When it was finished he offered burnt and peace offerings upon it, and called upon the Name of the Lord, who answered him by fire consuming the sacrifices, and in commanding the angel to sheath his sword—1 Chron. xxi.

Ornan's threshing-floor was on Mount Moriah, where Abraham had offered up Isaac, and through the substitute provided, received him from the dead in a figure. This appears from the testimony—2 Chron. iii. 1. The Ark of the Covenant^†—which is a New Testament name for Jesus, the Royal Son of David—was placed in the City of David, on Mount Zion, where it remained Forty Years^‡ preceding the building of the Temple by Solomon. This long residence distinguished Zion as the place of the throne of the kingdom, aft the building of the altar on Moriah designated it as the place of the Temple.

Moriah and Zion are not to be confounded as one city. They are two distinct mountains, and the sides of two cities, though in after times they came to be surrounded by one and the same wall, and to be vernacularly styled Jerusalem. The Temple was in Jerusalem, and the Throne in Zion, the city of David's house. They are the subjects of distinct prophecies, though oftentimes associated together, and these prophecies relate to Zion, "the hill of God" (hor-Elohim, the hill of Gods)^* the royal city of David's kingdom, "the hill which Elohim desireth to dwell in"—"yea, in which Jehovah will dwell for ever"—Psa. Ixviii. 15-16. Of this city "glorious things are spoken," for "all God's springs are in her"—Psa. Ixxxvii.

God has dwelt in Zion in ages past—Psa. lxxiv. 2. He dwelt there when the Ark rested there, for He dwelt between the out-stretclud wings of (the Chcrubim,^† representatively by the glory which they sustained—Psa. lxxx. 1. And in speaking to Moses and the High Priests, caused His voice to be heard, as if proceeding from the lid of the Ark, called "the Mercy Seat," which was overshadowed by the glory—Numb. vii. 89. The Ark, the Mercy Seat, and the Cherubim of Glory, were representative of the Christ; who is, therefore, termed "the Ark of God's Strength," "the Ark of His Testament," "the Mercy Seat," and "the Bearer of the Glory," in the Scriptures. Old and New. "When He comes in "the glory of the Father," He will "build the Temple of Jehovah, and bear the glory, and sit and rule upon his throne, and be a priest upon his throne"—Zech. vi. 13. When this comes to pass Jehovah will dwell in Zion again, and shine forth through Jesus there, as the Lion of the Cherubim of his glory, and in speaking to men will cause his voice to proceed from Him, as the blood-sprinkled seat of his mercy, divinely overshadowed with the brightness of His majesty.

"When the Lord shall build up Zion He shall appear in his glory." He hath chosen it—He hath desired it for his habitation. This, saith he, is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it. I will bless abundantly her provision;

^* Abraliamic Elohim.

^† Type of the Christ in his exaltation, surrounded and manifested in His children or brethren.

page 27 I will satisfy her poor with bread.^* I will also clothe her priests with salvation,^† and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. There will i make the horn (power) of David to bud. I have ordained a light for mine anointed. His enemies will I clothe with shame,^‡ but upon Himself shall his crown flourish"—Psa. cxxxii. "The Redeemer shall come to Zion and make thee glorious;" "the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish." "I will make thee Place of my feet, glorious. The sons of thine oppressors shall bow down at the soles of thy feet, and they shall call thee The City of Jehovah, Ziox, the Holy of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency of many generations"—Isa. lx.

This testimony is sufficient to prove that the Royal City of the Kingdom under the Old and New Covenants is Mount Zion, "the joy of the whole earth," when "Jehovah shall xeign over Israel there from henceforth for ever"—Mic. iv. 7.