bernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the
table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the
second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all; which had
the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with
gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that
budded, and the tables of the covenant; and over it the cherubim of glory
shadowing the mercy-seat."(668)

The sanctuary to which Paul here refers was the tabernacle built by Moses
at the command of God, as the earthly dwelling-place of the Most High.
"Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them,"(669) was the
direction given to Moses while in the mount with God. The Israelites were
journeying through the wilderness, and the tabernacle was so constructed
that it could be removed from place to place; yet it was a structure of
great magnificence. Its walls consisted of upright boards heavily plated
with gold, and set in sockets of silver, while the roof was formed of a
series of curtains, or coverings, the outer of skins, the innermost of
fine linen beautifully wrought with figures of cherubim. Besides the outer
court, which contained the altar of burnt-offering, the tabernacle itself
consisted of two apartments called the holy and the most holy place,
separated by a rich and beautiful curtain, or veil; a similar veil closed
the entrance to the first apartment.

In the holy place was the candlestick, on the south, with its seven lamps
giving light to the sanctuary both by day and by night; on the north stood
the table of showbread; and before the veil separating the holy from the
most holy was the golden altar of incense, from which the cloud of
fragrance, with the prayers of Israel, was daily ascending before God.

In the most holy place stood the ark, a chest of precious wood overlaid
with gold, the depository of the two tables of stone upon which God had
inscribed the law of ten commandments. Above the ark, and forming the
cover to the sacred chest, was the mercy-seat, a magnificent piece of
workmanship, surmounted by two cherubim, one at each end, and all wrought
of solid gold. In this apartment the divine presence was manifested in the
cloud of glory between the cherubim.

After the settlement of the Hebrews in Canaan, the tabernacle was replaced
by the temple of Solomon, which, though a permanent structure and upon a
larger scale, observed the same proport