mbly beseech thee that
thou wilt let some portion of thy Spirit come down and inhabit in this
temple, that thou mayst appear to be with us upon earth. As to thyself,
the entire heavens, and the immensity of the things that are therein,
are but a small habitation for thee, much more is this poor temple so;
but I entreat thee to keep it as thine own house, from being destroyed
by our enemies for ever, and to take care of it as thine own possession:
but if this people be found to have sinned, and be thereupon afflicted
by thee with any plague, because of their sin, as with dearth or
pestilence, or any other affliction which thou usest to inflict on those
that transgress any of thy holy laws, and if they fly all of them to
this temple, beseeching thee, and begging of time to deliver them, then
do thou hear their prayers, as being within thine house, and have mercy
upon them, and deliver them from their afflictions. Nay, moreover, this
help is what I implore of thee, not for the Hebrews only, when they are
in distress, but when any shall come hither from any ends of the world
whatsoever, and shall return from their sins and implore thy pardon, do
thou then pardon them, and hear their prayer. For hereby all shall learn
that thou thyself wast pleased with the building of this house for
thee; and that we are not ourselves of an unsociable nature, nor behave
ourselves like enemies to such as are not of our own people; but are
willing that thy assistance should be communicated by thee to all men
in common, and that they may have the enjoyment of thy benefits bestowed
upon them."

4. When Solomon had said this, and had cast himself upon the ground, and
worshipped a long time, he rose up, and brought sacrifices to the altar;
and when he had filled it with unblemished victims, he most evidently
discovered that God had with pleasure accepted of all that he had
sacrificed to him, for there came a fire running out of the air, and
rushed with violence upon the altar, in the sight of all, and caught
hold of and consumed the sacrifices. Now when this Divine appearance was
seen, the people supposed it to be a demonstration of God's abode in
the temple, and were pleased with it, and fell down upon the ground and
worshipped. Upon which the king began to bless God, and exhorted the
multitude to do the same, as now having sufficient indications of God's
favorable disposition to them; and to pray that they might always have
the like indications