were used for the Worship of God by Adam, Noah, and all the Patriarchs from the Beginning of the World, and long before Temples, Gen. 4. 4, 5, 8, 22, 23, 29, 9, 10. Exod. xx. 24. Andfrom themthe Heathenstook the Ufe of Altars, whereof they had three Sorts. 1. Those to the Celestial Gods, which were as high as a Man of a middle Size might ufe, and erected upon Hills, Groves, the High-ways: That of the Olympian Jupiter was 22 Feet high. 2. Those to the Infernal, which were placed upon a little Trench below the Ground. And 3. for the Terrestrial Deities, which were erected upon the Ground; but low, flagged with Sod, and covered with facred Vervaine. Altars were esteem'd moft facred; for upon them they made their most folemn Vows and Oaths, by laying their Hands upon them in a very folemn Manner, as we find in the Practice of Hannibal, &c. See Corn. Nepos, Cicero pro Flac. Tit. Liv. &c. They never permitted Whores and Murderers to approach them.

(u) Shrines; Fr. Sax. Lat. i. e. Defks, Cabinets, or Closets.

The Saxons meant thereby Clofets or Temples, like the Lares among the old Romans; wherein they kept the Reliques of their Saints, and the latter their Gods. In these they made their Prayers. Shrines were the Altars or Temples of those Idols, where thefe Devils were worshipped. Here, the Temple of the true God was made a Repofitory for those Idols; for fo Solomon, Manaffes, and other wicked Kings of Judah did.

(x) Sanuary; Fr. from the Lat. i. e. A holy and fanctify'd Place. The most holy Part of the Tabernacle, within the Veil, and in the Weft End of Solomon's Temple, adorn'd with two Cherubim, the Ark of the Covenant, and the extraordinary Prefence of God. It was unlawful for any Man to enter into it, but the High-Priest only, and that but once in the Year, on the great Day of Atonement, which anfwered to the Firft of our September. The most facred Place was call'd the Holy of Holies, i. e. The most Holy Place, Levit. xvi. 23.

(y) Moloch, Molech, Milcom, and Melcom; Heb. i. e. A King,

An

An Idol of the Ammonites ftrictly forbidden the Jews, Levit. 18. 21. 20. 2. The Prophets denounc'd and God executed grieVous Judgments upon all the Worshippers of it; and no Wonder, for it was a moft infamous Idol. ft, in his affuming the Name of a King, and robbing God of his Sovereignty and Glory. 2dly, in the Inhumanity of the Worship paid him. Moloch was a hollow Statue of Brafs, with the Head of an Ox and the Hands of a Man, with feven Chapels. It was made red hot, then the Priefts threw the Sacrifices into its Arms, where they were burnt to Death in a dreadful Manner. The Carthaginians offer'd zoo Children of their Nobility to it at one Time, and 300 at another; which made Darius fend Ambaffadors to Carthage, with an Edict to forbid them that Inhumanity. See Jufin. Hift. L. xix. Cap. 1. 490 Years before Jefus Chrift. The Americans 5 or 6000 Children every Year; and one of their Kings facrific'd 64080 Men in the Space of four Days, A. D. 1486. He that offer'd his Son, kifs'd the Idol, Hof. v. 2. It was the Saturn of the old Romans. This devilish Abomination was laid afide in Europe by the Decree of Conftantine I. A bleffed Effect of the Chriftian Re

ligion; therefore our Author calls it justly horrid, dreadful King. It was the Sun, and the feven Chapels fignify'd the feven Planets, whereof he is the chief. See Macrob. 1. 2. Curt. L. iv. Diod. Siculus.

(x) Ammonites; The Pofterity of Ben-Ammi, Heb. i. e. The Son of my People. The Son of Lot by his youngest Daughter, Gen. 19. 38. A mighty Nation in Arabia Felix, bordering upon Canaan; but miferable I dolaters, and always mortal Enemies to the People of God; for which Crimes God cut them off the Face of the Earth. They dwelt beyond Mount Gilead about 96 Miles from Jerufalem North Eastward, and were infamous Worshippers of this Idol. 1 Kings 11. 7.

(a) Rabba or Rabbath; Heb. i. e. Great. The chief City of the Ammonites on the North-East Side of Jordan and the River Arnon. It was well water'd by the Springs of Mount Arnon and Mount Gilead; therefore it was call'd the City of Waters, 2 Sam.

12.

David took and plunder'd it, and made all the Inhabitants Slaves. There the brave Uriah loft his Life, 2 Sam. 12. 26.

(b) Argob; Heb. i. e. A Lump of Earth or Gravel. A large, very fruitful, and populous Country, lying on the Eaft

of

of Jordan among the Mountains, and belong'd to Og King of Bafan, near Mount Gilead, Deut. iii. 13, 14. Afterwards it was call'd Trachonitis, Gr. i. e. Rocky or Stony. See Luke 3. 1.

(c) Bafan, or Bafhan; Heb. i. e. in Ivory or Tooth, because it lay between two Ranges of Mountains, like the Tooth of an Elephant. It was also call'd Peraa, Gr. i. e. beyond, because it lay beyond Jordan, Northward from Jerufalem. A fine fruitful Country beyond Jordan, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon.

(d) Arnon; Heb. i. e. A wild Afb; because these Trees grew upon the Banks of it in Abundance. It is a fmall River of the Moabites on the East Side of Fordan, rifing in Mount Gilead, watereth these Countries, and runs into the Dead Sea, 20 Miles from Jerufalem Eastward. was the uttermoft Boundary between the Moabites and Ammonites. Num. 21. 13.

It

(e) Solomon, Salomon, or Schelamoh; Heb. i. e. Peace or Peaceable, because he was a peaceable Prince, not like his Father. The Son of David by Bathsheba, (Heb. i. e. The Daughter of the Oath) the third King of I

PHET,

rael, and the wifeft of all Mortals, fince the Fall of Adam, 1 Kings 4. 29. Yet he fell into this abominable Idolatry, and built a Temple to this Devil, near that which he himself had erected to the living and true God, to gratify his idolatrous Wives, 1 Kings 10. 5. Ahaz Manaffes, and other impious Succeffors follow'd his fhameful Example, which brought divine Vengeance upon them. He was born in the Year of the World 2971, before Jefus Chrift 1029. Built, befides other Edifices, a famous Academy upon Mount Sion, where he taught Philofophy, Prov. 9. 1. And from him Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Ariftotle, Trismegiftus, &c. borrow'd their Principles of Philofophy. He reign'd 40 Years, liv'd 60, and was the faddeft Inftance of human Frailty extant; yet he repented, was pardoned, and fav'd.

(f) Hinnom; Heb. i. e. Gracious. This was the Name of the Poffeffor of the Valley,which is call'd alfo the Valley of BenHinnom, Heb. i. e. of the Son of Hinnom. It lies at the Foot of Mount Moriah and Mount Olivet, Southward. There ftood the Grove of Moloch, whereia

wherein they offered Children and other Sacrifices to this cruel Idol. It was also call'd the Valley of Tophet, and our Saviour liken'd it to Hell. Vhe Valley of Jehofaphat runs a-crofs the Mouth of it, which is fo call'd, because there that pious King was buried.

(g) Tophet; Heb. i. e. A Drum, because Idolaters beat Drums, &c. to drown the Cries of miferable Creatures, which were broil'd to Death in that Pit of Fire. A Cruelty, which God never commanded, always abhorr'd, ftrictly prohibited, and feverely punish'd. Jerem. 7.31.

19. 5.

(b) Gehenna; Gr. from the Heb. i. e. The Land of Hinnom; for Hinnom was the Lord of it; and Tophet, because Idolaters beat Drums in the Grove of Moloch which ftood there. But our Saviour and others mean the Place of the Damn'd thereby. Mat. 18. 9. because of the dreadful Torments there.

(i) Chemos or Kemos; II. Heb. i. e. Swift or Speedy, from the Swiftnefs of the Sun, which this Idol reprefented. Others fay hid and concealed; because of the fhameful Proftitutions and Rites of this Idolatry. Some take it to be the filthy Priapus of the Greeks and Romans. The Idol of the Moabites and Midiamites. It is frequently mentioned in holy Writ, and the Wor

fhip of it is very ftrictly forbidden, threatned and punish'd. Solomon built a Temple or Highplace for it alfo, Kings 11. 7. But pious Joias deftroy'd it, 2 Kings 23. 13. Chemos fhall go into Captivity with her Priefts and Princes; and Moab fhall be afham'd of Chemoh. Jer. 28. 7,13.

(1) Aroar or Aroer ; Heb. i. e. Heat or destroyed and rooted out; because Jepththa won a memorable Battle near it. Judg. 11. A City of the Moabites on the Banks of the River Arnon in the Land of Gilead, 2.1 Miles from Jerufalem Eastward, Joh. 12. 2. It fell to the Tribe of Gad, who repair'd and fortified it and other Cities; but called them by other Names, that there might be no Remains of Idolatry left among them, according to the Law, Numb. 32. 24. There was another City of this Name near Damafcus in Syria, I. 7.

(m) Nebo; Heb. i. c. A Prophecy. A City and Mountain of the Moabites, near to Mount Pifgah, 20 Miles from Jerufalem Eastward, on the East Side of the Dead Sea, belonging to Sihon or Og, very good for Pafture and Cattle, being a mountainous Country. Upon this Mountain Mofes had a fair View of Canaan, died, and was bury'd, Deut. 34. 1. And there Jeremy hid

the

the Tabernacle, Ark, and Altar of Incense, in a hollow Cave, z Maccab. 2. 5. 11 Oвs. Nebo, ·Hefbbon, Sibmab, Elealeh, &c. were rebuilt by the Reubenites, at the Permiffion of Mofes; who gave them new Names, to deftroy all Relicts of Idolatry. See Numb. 32. 37. as they were commanded, Deut. 12. 2, 3.

(n) Abarim; Heb. i. e. Bridges or Paffages; because of divers Fords over Jordan near to thefe Mountains. A Ridge of Mountains lying along the Eaft of the Dead Sea, belonging to Moab, which part the Kingdoms of the Moabites, Edomites, and Ammonites. Nebo, Pifgab, and Peor were feveral Mountains in this Tract. Num. 33. 47. Deut.

30. 49.

(0) Hefebon for Hefbbon, Heb. i. e. numbering, thinking or infrutting; because there was an Academy or School. The Royal City of Sihon or Sehon, King of the Amorites, therefore Sihon is called King of Hefbbon, Deut. 1. 4. It was zo Miles from Jordan on the Eaft. He had taken it from the King of Moab, but Mofes fubdued him, and divided all his Country to the Tribe of Reuben. This Country was well water'd and fruitful; for it lay between the River Arnon and Jobbock upon the Borders of the Ammonites. Num. 21. 26.

(p) Horonaim; Heb. i. e. The Mountains or Furies; and in the Syriac, Liberties. Two Cities of the Moabites, one was called the Upper, and the other Inferior or Lower, f. 15.5. There Sanballat, the bitter Enemy of Nehemiah, was born, Nehemiah

2. 10.

(9) Seon or Siebon, Heb. i. e. Rooting up or deftroying utterly; because he was a cruel Oppreffor of his Neighbours. A King of the Amorites, who refus'd the Ifraelites a Paffage thro' his Dominions into Canaan, which occafion'd a bloody War; but they vanquish'd him, and poffefs'd all his Country, Num. 21. 21, 32. He had taken Horonaim from the Moabites; therefore Milton judiciously calls these Cities the Realm of Seon.

(r) Eleale or Elealeh; Heb. i. e. The Afcenfion or Burnt-Offering of God. A Town 6 Miles from Hebbon, belonging to Sihon, beyond Jordan to the East, and 36 Miles from Jerufalem. It fell to the Tribe of Reuben after the Conqueft of these Countries, Num. 32. 37. It abounded with Vines and other good Fruits, and was a strong City in the Days of St. Jerome; he flourish'd in the 4th Century, and died 420.

(s) Afphaltos or Asphaltus, Lat. from the Gr. i. e. yielding Bitumen or Sulphur. A Lake of fulphureous,