and sacred memories; designed to minister to the present needs of the people, pointing ever to the great hope of the coming of the promised Messiah, the temple was constructed also to recall the blessings of the past. The memorial idea which is made a characteristic feature in Bruton Parish Church restored has ever been present in the life and form of the Church of God. In the days of the patriarchs, who wandered from place to place, seeking pasture for their flocks and herds, the house of God was a rude altar, made of the unpolished stones of the wilderness. Used for sacrifice, these altars were left for memorials to mark the points where God revealed himself to His people—Bethel, Horeb, Jehovahnissi. and Peniel were names which stirred the memory and inspired the people of many subsequent generations to "praise the Lord for His goodness and declare the wonders that He doeth for the children of men."
The tabernacle, too, was constructed upon a memorial plan. Associated with God's care of His people during the years of their wilderness wandering, it remained for them a place of worship until the nation was established in the land of their inheritance and the temple built, and then it came to be the inspiration of the great national Feast of Tabernacles.
When the temple was erected with its splendid magnificence, the past was welded into the temple structure, and woven into the temple ritual. In the ark of the covenant were kept the tables of the law, the manna with which God had fed His people, and Aaron's rod that budded, cherished tokens and reminders of the past. The golden threads of memory were woven into the life and thought of the people. At the feast of the Passover God's mercies shown in the land of Egypt were recalled, at Pentecost the people were reminded of the fires and thunders of Sinai, and at the Feast of Tabernacles the green bough houses, built in the streets and upon the housetops of the city of the great King, recalled the experiences of the nation's past. When the time came for them to lay the foundation stones of the temple, the place
