THE SHEPHERD-KING 349
men and devils do their utmost. Has it not been foretold in advance that the same precious foundation stone upon which millions would build unto their eternal safety, would also become a stone of stumbling and rock of offence against which many would stumble, and fall, and be broken to pieces ? l
But " the foundation of God remains sure," and those whose feet are firmly planted on it have no occasion to fear. Therefore the prophet adds : " He that believetk shall not make haste " that is, to flee in alarm at the threatened judgments, in the day when God ariseth to shake terribly this earth, but shall abide safe on the unshakeable Rock of Ages and Eternal Refuge.
But, secondly, the corner-stone served not only as a foundation, but, to quote a dictionary definition, it is " that stone which unites the two walls at the corner." It is a point of much interest that the original foundation stone of Solomon s Temple was actually discovered as one of the early results of the exploration carried on by the Palestine Exploration Fund. I take the following from a small work by one of its agents, which gives the account of this discovery :
" Among the ancient Jews the foundation corner-stone of their sanctuary on Moriah was regarded as the emblem of moral and spiritual truths. // had two functions to perform : first, like the other foundation stones, it was a support for the masonry above ; but it had also to face both ways, and was thus a bond of union between two walls. . . .
" The engineers, in order to ascertain the dimensions of this foundation stone, worked round it, and report that it is three feet eight inches high and fourteen feet in length. At the angle it is let down into the rock to a depth of fourteen inches ; but, as the rock rises towards the north, the depth of four feet north of the angle is increased by thirty-two inches, while the northern end seems entirely embedded in the rock. The block is further described as squared and polished, with a finely dressed face.
1 Isa. viii. 14, 15 ; Matt. xxi. 42-44.
