A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

Again, by the captivity, the glory and magnificence of the temple was taken away, and the temple that was built afterwards, was nothing in comparison with it. Thus it was meet, that when the time dr•w nigh that the glorious antetype of the temple should appear, that the typical temple should have in glory withdrawn.

Again, another thing that they lost by the captivity, was the two tables of the testimony delivered to Moses, written with the finger of God; the two tables on which God with his own finger wrote the ten commandments on Mount Sinai. These seem to have been preserved in the ark till the captivity. These were in the ark when Solomon placed the ark in the temple, 1 Kings viii.9. There was nothing in the ark, save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb. And we have no reason to suppose any other, but that they remained there as long as that temple stood. But the Jews speak of these as finally lost at that time; though the same commandm•n•• were preserved in the book of the law. Th•se tables also were withdrawn on the approach of their antetype.

Again, another thing that was lost that the Jews had before, was the Urim and Thummim. This is evident by Ezra, ii.63. "And the Ti•shat•• said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there should stand up a priest with Urim and Thummim." we have no account that this was ever restored; but the ancient writings of the Jews say the contrary. What this Urim and Thummim was, I shall not now enquire; but only observe, that it was something by which the high priest enquired of God, and received immediate […] from him, or by which God gave forth immediate oracles on particular occasions. This was now withdrawn, the time approaching when Christ, the antetype of the Urim and Thummim, the great word and oracle of God, was to come.