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On the south-eastern side the ravine is continued, consulting the holy oracle, or of presenting before and is deeper and broader. On the west side the Lord the different sacrifices required by the there is another ravine, which at its deepest part law. On the three great festivals of the year, its joins the valley of the Kedron, at the foot of mount streets were crowded with people from the most Sion, and from thence rising by a gradual ascent, distant parts of the land, and during the periods at last loses itself in the plain on the north side in which these festivals were celebrated in their of the city. The summits of "the mountains purity, they must have tended in an eminent deround about Jerusalem" are not more than a good gree to promote harmony and good fellowship arrow-shot from the walls, and are not much higher among the tribes, and have filled their hearts with than some parts of the hill on which it stands.-gladness and gratitude. The great number of The appearance of the hills is rugged: they have priests, Levites, and teachers of the law, who cona few olive trees upon them, but little cultivation :stantly resided here, or attended in their regular their sides in many places present the bare rock, and the soil is covered with loose stones. The mount of Olives has a more pleasing aspect, and its sides are sown with grain, but it partakes in some degree of the general character. Between this mount and that of Evil Counsel there is an open valley, and the view in this direction is more extensive than from any other part of Jerusalem. The circumference of the ancient city was a little more than four miles, and must have extended more towards the north than the present Jerusalem. From the account of it given by Josephus, it would appear that the site of the city was much more uneven than it is now. He speaks of a valley between the city and temple, and of another valley that seems to have run nearly along the centre of the city, and particularises the hills Sion, Moriah, Acre, and Bezetha. The ground is still uneven, but there is no part within the walls that could with propriety be called a valley.

courses, would confer upon the city a sacred and religious character. The prophets added much to the solemnity of its aspect, as they mingled with the crowds in their austere garb, and lifted up their voice to reveal the will of heaven. When the fulness of time was come, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, and within a few miles of the city the voice of the angels was heard praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.

In the time of our Saviour, Jerusalem must have presented one of the most magnificent sights ever seen upon earth. The most favorable situation for viewing this prospect with effect would be from the mount of Olives, and at the very place where Jesus, on beholding the city, wept over it At one sudden turn in the road from Bethany, the city comes at once into sight. Between this mountain and the city was a deep and contracted ravine, then as now used as the place of burial, studded with the whited walls of the sepulchres It has been supposed, though it would seem erected to the prophets, and referred to by Christ upon insufficient authority, that after the expulsion as emblems of the Scribes and Pharisees, hypoof Adam from Paradise, there was always in an-crites, which did indeed appear beautiful outward, cient times a visible appearance of the shekinah, but were within "full of dead men's bones and all or symbol of the divine presence, that it was pre- uncleanness." The city was defended in the served by Noah in the ark, and afterwards by the weaker parts by a triple wall, and towers, monupatriarchs. The place appointed as the perma- ments, and palaces, proudly presented themselves nent abode of the presence was by divine com- in every direction. On the opposite side of the mand. We learn from the book of Chronicles, valley, the hill of the city rose perpendicularly that when God appeared unto Solomon, and gave near 500 feet, and was built up with immense him permission to erect a house "for the name stones, some of which measured 23 yards square. of the Lord God of Israel," he said, "I have The temple stood upon the summit of this precichosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there." pice, and our Saviour being raised a little above The mount of Moriah had already been conse-it, would be able to look over its walls into the crated, the mount of Sion was the residence of the king, and Jerusalem was in a convenient direction for the approach of the different tribes, when they came up three times a year to present themselves before the Lord. It was also in a position of great strength, which in those lawless times was a matter of the highest consequence. We have here another of those coincidences so often presented in Scripture, which were to the Jews, and must be to us, strong and satisfactory proofs that the attention of the divine mind had from the earliest ages been directed towards their state, and been preparing the thoughts of men for the coming of the Messiah. Upon that same mountain, upwards of 800 years previous to the erection of the temple, God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, a type of the daily sacrifice that was to be offered upon the altar, and of that greater sacrifice that was to be offered in due time near the same spot, "once for all."

From the time of David, Jerusalem was the constant resort of all those who were desirous of

courts by which it was surrounded. We are told
that Herod had employed 10,000 men during the
space of eight years to strengthen, restore, and
enlarge it. It was at this time of greater extent,
though perhaps of less exquisite workmanship,
than it had presented at any earlier period. It
had a portico of white marble, the columns of
which were each of one stone, and 44 feet long.
It had nine gates covered over with silver and
gold, and another that was still more precious,
made of Corinthian brass. The parts that were
not gilded were beautifully white, so that it ap-
It
peared at a distance like a mountain of snow.
was covered in front with plates of gold, and when
the sun shone upon it, and lighted it up into glory,
it was impossible to look at it from its brightness,
and it then shadowed forth the Deity that was
worshipped within, "whom no man hath seen, or
can see.'

The Jerusalem of modern times is not the city of the Scriptures, any more than that it is built upon the same spot. The walls are of hewn stone,

about 40 feet high, and without any mole or but-that are not without interest, though connected tresses. They have battlements, and have long and narrow embrasures, with projecting towers at irregular distances of the same form and height. There are several Arabic inscriptions upon them, the purport of which was not explained to me.— Some of the stones are very large, and were probably used in the ancient city. The gates through which there is admittance are four in number: the Damascus gate, that opens towards the plain on the north; St. Stephen's gate, that opens towards the eastern ravine; Zion gate, upon the hill of the same name; and the gate that leads towards Bethlehem and Jaffa. The other gates are now walled up. They are all formed of pointed arches, with an entrance-tower, but have little sculptural decoration. On the outside it is possible to walk all round the city, close to the walls.

In the INTERIOR of the city there are few vacant spaces. The houses are built of large rough stones, close to each other, and are two stories high. Little more is seen towards the street than a plain wall and a mean entrance. Every house has one dome or more, the roofs being universally built of this form, as no timber can be procured except from a great distance. Most of the buildings, the convents excluded, are falling into decay, but there are not many that are so far in ruin as to be entirely deserted. The streets are narrow, paved with flat stones, and many of them on a declivity.

The public buildings are not numerous, nor are any of them, except the mosque of Omar, very magnificent. Near the Jaffa gate is a castle, formed of two strong towers, called the castle of David, or the tower of the Pisans. A few cannon are here mounted, and it is surrounded by a dry moat. There are not many mosques in proportion to the celebrity of the place even in Mussulman estimation. They are all falling into ruin, and no efforts are made to repair them.

The convents are for the most part situated in the north-west quarter of the city. The Greeks have thirteen, and the Roman Catholics, or, as they are here called, Latins, the Armenians, Syrians, Copts, and Abyssinians, have each of them one. They each contain a chapel, and a number of small rooms for the use of the pilgrims. They are supported by contributions from all parts of Christendom. The pilgrims are allowed the free use of them, and in some they are provided with support for a certain number of days or weeks.The Armenian convent is situated near the hill of Zion. It is by far the most extensive, the most splendid, and the most liberally endowed. It is usual with English travellers to remain at the Latin convent. The accommodations are more comfortable, but some of our countrymen have died here, and others have been taken ill, which has excited suspicion against the monks. I had no intercourse with them, as they are declared enemies to us and our cause.

The different orders of monks, for many centuries the only representatives of the Christian church near the spot where the divine Victim was sacrificed for the sins of the world, awaken feelings

with much of melancholy and sorrow. I am not so uncharitable as to suppose that some of them may not have had the love of God in their hearts, and have obeyed in sincerity the Saviour whom they ignorantly worshipped. They have suffered much from the oppressions of the Turks, but though persecuted and exposed to death, they have been firm in their post; and when one has perished, another has always been found ready to stand up and supply his place. Their principal employment is the chaunting of the appointed services, the song of which is heard without ceasing in the church of the Sepulchre, at all hours of the day and night, and a more unfavorable situation can scarcely be conceived for the keeping alive of the spiritual affections. It is affecting to witness the rude zeal of the deluded pilgrims; but I have felt far more, when I have seen the priests and monks, in some of whose countenances a beam of intelligence seemed to shine, bowing down before a picture or stone, and appearing to pay it adoration.

The pilgrims usually arrive about Christmas, and continue here until Easter. There is now a much smaller number than were present in former times. The pilgrimage is little calculated to benefit their souls. They have a long season of leisure, which might be brought to some advantage, but they employ it too often in smoking, drinking, gambling, and other occupations equally adverse to spiritual improvement. We appointed a time to wait on the patriarch of the Greek church, but on that day a messenger had arrived from the pacha, to claim the usual share of the offerings, and he could not receive us. The pilgrims are now subject to much fewer exactions than they formerly were, though even their present annoyances are sufficiently great. They have to purchase tuskaras, or passports, and are continually required to show them to the officers of government; and if they have them not at hand, they are detained until another can be procured, for which they are required to advance an additional sum. The principal source of their vexation arises from the natives of the country, as they are cheated in every bargain they make, and they have no redress, without submitting to still greater insults. Some camel-drivers having brought a number of women to the beginning of a dangerous descent, in the road to Jericho, refused to proceed without an immediate present, but I interfered in their behalf, and was for the time successful. When the pilgrims had bathed in the Jordan, many of them were not allowed to remount their animals until another sum had been extorted from them. Besides visiting the sacred places, they have their arms marked with a cross and other devices. It appears to be considered as a religious ceremony, to receive the indellible mark, as a kind of hymn is constantly sung during the operation, though no priest is present. On their departure from Jerusalem they receive a printed paper, certifying that they have acted as good pilgrims, and granting them absolution in consequence. With this paper, a candle lighted at the holy fire, and a dress dipped in the Jordan, they fondly imagine that no harm can come near them for ever. Those who have visited the stations

are dignified by the name of hadgi, after the manner of the Mussulmans. There are now few Greeks from the Morea, the greater part being from Russia and Asia Minor, where the march of intellect has not yet extended. As knowledge increases, the number of pilgrims will lessen in proportion, the convents will have no occupants, and one scandal will be wiped away from the Christian church.

Not far from the Jaffa gate is a pool of water which dries up in summer. There is always to be seen a number of Jews, particularly females, seated near it. I inquired the reason from a Jew, but he would give me no definite answer. I was told by others that they expect the Messiah to appear near that spot. Near St. Stephen's gate there is another pool, said by some to be that of Bethesda, and by others to be the dungeon into which Jeremiah was let down by cords: perhaps both accounts are equally correct, and it may be neither the one nor the other. There are three arches in it, now walled up. Not far from the same gate I visited the ruins of an extensive convent. The church has been subsequently used as a mosque. It is still so perfect, that with a little repair it might again be used as a place of worship. The palace of the governor is entered from the same street. The front looks towards the site of the temple, and it is said to occupy the same spot as the palace of Pilate. Near it are several mosques and large buildings in ruins.

The via doloroso leads from the judgment-hall of Pilate to the place of our Saviour's death. Connected with it are the houses of Pilate and Herod; the window from whence the governor presented Jesus Christ to the people, when he said, 66 Behold the man!" the place where the cross was taken from the shoulder of Jesus and laid upon Simon, the Cyrenian; a hole in the wall, made by the fingers of Christ when he rested for a moment by the way; the place where the cock crew at the denial of Peter; and many other places of a similar description. But the greatest of all wonders, and from whence some idea may be formed of the credit that is due to these traditions, is a stone in the wall of a convent, with an opening miraculously formed, by which it received power to speak when our Saviour replied to the insinuations of his enemies against the disciples: "If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out!"

The mosque of Omar is by far the most magnificent edifice in Jerusalem. It is built upon the site of the temple, and probably with some of its ancient materials. It was commenced by Omar, the caliph who took Jerusalem, and was finished by his successors. The inclosure in which it is situated, called the Haram Schereff, is said to be 1459 feet long, and 995 feet broad, and includes a large proportion of the whole city. No Christian or Jew is allowed to enter it upon pain of death; but Dr. Richardson, a recent traveller so far ingratiated himself with an Effendi, upon whom he successfully performed a surgical operation, that he was permitted to visit and examine it four successive times. He is the only Christian who has entered it as such since the crusades. It may be seen from mount Olivet, and from several situations in the city I looked through the entrances at

The

the green grass in its open courts; but even for this, the Turks grumbled at me, and warned me to proceed no further. An air of beauty still rests upon the place, that is presented by no other part of Jerusalem. The Sakhara is the principal building. It is an octagon, each side of which contains seven windows, and is said to be about 60 feet long. It has four entrances, ascended by spacious steps, over which are lofty arches, and is surrounded by an elevated platform of marble.The dome has been much admired. It is said to be 93 feet high, and 47 feet in diameter. next building in importance is the mosque El Aksa. The windows in the dome are of painted glass. The four orthodox sects of Mahomedans have each their appointed places of prayer.—— There are many other buildings within the inclosure, some of which are inhabited by dervishes.Next to the temple at Mecca, this is considered as the most sacred place in the world. It is the gate of Paradise, and the spot where Mahomet alighted when he came from heaven in a single night. At an early period of his career, he directed his followers to turn their faces towards Jerusalem in prayer, as they now do towards Mecca, and the city is called by them, "El Koodes," or the Holy. It contains, among other curiosities, the throne and judgment-seat of Solomon, marks made by the fingers of the angel Gabriel, the sacred stone that Mahomet carried upon his arm in battle, a print of his foot, and the stone upon which he is to sit at the judgment. There is also a series of nails in a block of marble, one of which is said to be miraculously withdrawn at the conclusion of every grand event in the universe: they were at first eighteen in number, but they are now reduced to three and a half. It was upon the stone containing the print of the foot, that the ancient prophets sat when they delivered their predictions: it made an attempt to ascend to heaven when the spirit of inspiration departed from man, but was detained by the angel Gabriel, from whence the marks of his fingers, until Mahomet came, and fixed it for ever upon this spot.

The church of the Sepulchre, which is the only remaining object within the city that deserves attention, has of late years produced a great difference of opinion among the travellers by whom it has been visited. It is maintained by many that it does not occupy the site of the places by which it professes to be rendered sacred. I have examined the question with some care, but after all find it difficult to decide either one way or the other. I cannot learn at what period the chain of tradition can have been broken. It has been said that the early Christians were not so superstitious as to encourage the fooleries by which the church in later times has been unhappily distinguished; but they were perhaps less pure in this respect than some individuals would be disposed to allow. The churches of Smyrna have this passage in their account of the martyrdom of Polycarp, which took place in the year 167:-"The centurion, perceiving the malevolence of the Jews, placed the body in the midst of the fire, and burnt it: then we gathered up his

form of a grove or orchard, than a place for Low-
ers and pleasure, and there are yet in the same
spot many sepulchres "hewn out in the rock."-
It would be a work of no mean service to Chris-
tianity, could it be proved that the monks and pil-
grims are utterly in error; and it is well the sa-
credness of the places can be called in question
by arguments so powerful as those within our
reach.

They have ministered to folly, superstition, and actual crime; whilst they have promised a plenary forgiveness of sin, they have added to that sin, rendered its stain deeper, and its punishment more severe; and whilst they have professed to mag

bones-more precious than gold and jewels-and deposited them in a proper place, where, if it be possible, we shall meet, and the Lord will grant us, in gladness and joy, to celebrate the birth-day of his martyrdom." At the end of the same century it was a common practice among the believers to go up to Jerusalem expressly "to visit the sacred places," and the Christians were never prevented from living within the city, even when the severest edicts were issued against the Jews. On the other hand, we know that the city was entirely destroyed by Titus; and it would appear that the exact site of the sepulchre at least was not known in the reign of Constantine. "When Helene, the emperour's mother," says an old trans-nify the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, lation of Eusebius, "founde the auncient Jerusalem, lying all wast, in a heape of stones, as it is in the prophet, she searched diligently for the sepulchre of Christ, in the which he was layd, and out of the which he rose againe, and at length, although WITH MUCH ADOE, through the helpe of God, she found it. And why it was so HARD a matter to finde, I will declare in fewe words; even as they which embraced the faith of Christ highly esteemed of that sepulchre, and monument of his passion, so of the contrary, such as abhorred Christian religion, heaped in that place much earth, and raised great hilloks, and buylded there the temple of Venus, and having suppressed the remembrance of the place, they sette up her idole. This have we learned of olde to be true."

they have taken from them all their power, by substituting a personal visit to the supposed Calvary in place of an application by faith to the Son of God in heaven. It was in mercy that the tomb of Moses was hid from the knowledge of the Jews, and it has been in equal mercy that the exact situation of the tomb of Jesus has been hid from the knowledge of the church, as it has thus been saved from the desecration of the thousand sins that have been committed under the sanctity of its name.

The church of the Sepulchre is approached by a narrow entrance, that leads from a small street into an open court nearly surrounded by convents, and used as a bazar. There are money-changers and venders of curiosities from Bethlehem, such as rosaries, crosses, and pictures worked in mother-of-pearl; persons beating brazen cups to announce that they have sherbet for sale; the blind and maimed crying out in mournful accents to excite the compassion of the pilgrims; and on the ground are exposed to view, clothes, spices, fruits, wax tapers, and cutlery. The exterior of the church is not imposing. The entrance is formed of two pointed arches, one of them walled up.The stone over the open door-way has a well-executed sculpture, partly broken, which appears to be ancient, and to represent some historical event, in separate compartments.

That which follows appears to have arisen from the craftiness of the priests, such as the finding of a sepulchre and three crosses, and future ages have been willing to be duped by the credulity of the old empress. The place of the crucifixion cannot have been far from the palace of the governor; it was "nigh unto the city;" it could be seen "afar off;" it was "without the camp," or city; it was probably on an elevation, though of this we have no certain evidence, unless the name Golgotha, "the place of a skull," be understood as referring to its shape and appearance; it was near a public road, as "they that passed by re- On entering the church, a party of Turks are viled him;" it was near a garden, as, "in the seated near the large door, smoking and chatting, place where he was crucified, there was a gar- and laughing at the follies of the people. They den; and in the garden a new sepulchre, where- are always present when the church is open for in never man was laid-there laid they Jesus." public worship, to preserve order; but it can be It appears to me impossible the present sepulchre, opened at any other time by an application from or pretended sepulchre, can be made to agree with the superior of a convent. The first open space these plain statements of Scripture, more espe- is a large hall or chapel, for the building is very cially with that which places Golgotha without irregular in its form. Opposite the entrance is a the city. I repeatedly examined the site, and marble slab, said to mark the spot where the body from every possible direction, but the result of all of our Lord was laid to be anointed for the burial. my observations was the same, that it must of The people were kneeling down to it continually, necessity have been included within the walls of to kiss it, and wipe the dust from its surface. It the ancient Jerusalem. All the other arguments has three immense wax tapers at each end, and that have been brought against it, and which it eight lamps suspended over it. In the wall at would be to no purpose to repeat here, may per- the right hand are three doors. The third leads haps be set aside; but this appears to me unan- to a recess, where a fissure is shown in the stone, swerable, and must throw the strongest suspicion said to have been made when the rocks were rent upon every other kind of proof that may be attempted in its favor. Were we to take Scripture for our only guide, the scene of the crucifixion would be placed near the gate of St. Stephen, and would overlook the valley of Hinnom, from the opposite side of which it might have been witnessed by the women, whilst the high priest saw it from the walls. The garden was probably more in the

at the crucifixion. It is defended by a grating, so that I could not examine it very closely; but it is supposed by those competent to judge, that it is a natural fissure, made by a convulsion of the earth. It is immediately under the place where the cross stood, say the monks, and the skull and some bones of old Adam were found in it by the empress Helena.

Near the wall opposite the entrance, on the right hand, there is a narrow passage. At its commencement, a flight of steps, about twenty in number, leads to the chapel of Calvary. It is divided into two compartments, separated from each other by arches. At the end of the first division is an altar, near which is shown the very hole in which the cross of our Saviour was placed, and also the holes of the crosses of the malefactors, not a yard distant from each other. There are many lights, pictures, and ornaments, and the pulpit from whence the Latins preach on Good Friday. The floor is of variegated marble. At the end of the other division is also an altar, intended to mark the place where Jesus was nailed to the tree.

On descending again into the passage, and proceeding along its course, there are altars in it erected to commemorate the places where Christ was scourged, where the soldiers divided his garments, where they arrayed him in a mock robe, and so on, for almost every circumstance narrated by the evangelists relative to the death and burial of our Lord. At the end of this passage, a few steps lead down to the chapel of St. Helena, where the true cross was found by the empress, the wood of which has been so miraculously multiplied, that from it another ark might be built of equal dimensions with the ark of Noah. It is more plain and more ancient than any other part of the church. When the Easter of the Latins and Greeks falls at the same time, there is sometimes a battle ecclesiastical to gain possession of this place.

The Greek church is opposite the entrance into the sepulchre. It does not differ from the other churches of the Greeks, except in being more splendid. When lighted up by the numerous candles and lamps, it presents one blaze of magnificence. Some of the pictures are in better taste than those usually seen. In the middle of the floor, is a short marble pillar, said to be placed exactly in the centre of the world. Even to this the people were offering lights, and bowing down, and kissing it.

The churches of the Latins and Armenians are smaller, and have less of ornament. The ancient church of the sepulchre was destroyed by fire in 1808, and the present structure having been principally built at the expense of the Greeks, they appropriated to themselves the largest and most convenient, part of the edifice.

It is principally at Easter, when the services of the church particularly allude to places within compass of the sacred enclosure, that the full splendor of the priesthood is brought to bear upon the religious ceremonies connected with the time. Pilgrims from very distant parts now assemble to offer up their prayers at the sepulchre of the Saviour, on the anniversaries of his death, burial, and resurrection. Were there any thing of real devotion apparent in the minds of the people, were the influence that might be supposed to rest upon these hallowed spots, more manifest, I might be tempted to record at length the different processions, prayers, masses, and sermons, but under From the entrance hall, a wide opening to the present circumstances I should deem all this a left leads into a larger chapel, surmounted by a waste of time both to him who writes, and those dome, and surrounded by 16 pillars, square and who read. In one of the Greek processions 1 plain. There are galleries nearly all round, and counted upwards of eighty priests, all clothed in under them are different chapels and apartments. magnificent garments of crimson and gold. The The sepulchre stands under the centre of the Turks made way for them through the crowd, and dome, in shape like a church, with a small cupola laid on most unmercifully with their whips and for the steeple. It is built of coarse marble, has clubs. They had many banners, with parts of an inscription in Greek round the top, and is orna- Scripture and of foolish legends painted upon them. mented with pictures and artificial flowers. At The bishops had rich mitres, sparkling with jewthe outside of the western end, there is an open els; their robes were held on each side by an chapel for the Copts, Syrians, and other Chris- attendant; and incense was burnt before them. tians who have no separate place of worship. The They held in their hands a cross, which they entrance to the sepulchre is from the eastern end, moved to and fro, and the people bowed themand is defended by a railing. We were here re-selves as they passed. Some of the priests carried quired to take off our shoes. The interior is divided into two apartments. The floor is of marble, and small marble pillars are let into the walls, In the centre of the first division is a marble pillar, said to mark the place where the angel stood to announce the resurrection to Mary Magdalen and the other women. The place was crowded with people, and after much crushing and confusion, we at last effected an entrance into the sanctum. It is lighted by forty lamps, and the crowd within rendered the heat so insupportable that I remained in it only a few moments. The tomb is of white marble, without ornament, and about six feet long. The stone which was rolled to the mouth of the sepulchre was many years ago carried off by the Armenians, and is now shown in their chapel upon mount Zion. The sepulchre, it will be said, was "hewn out in the rock," and to this the monks will reply, that there was here a large rock, but that it has been cut away, leaving only the shell of the sepulchre, which is cased over by the marble walls of the present building.

books in rich bindings, others had large crosses, others had silver shrines of the chapel of Calvary, and others were employed in chaunting the appropriate service.

On the Sunday before Easter the pilgrims carry palm-branches in their hands, many of them cut or platted into various devices. These are the real palms, such as were actually used at the triumphal entrance of Christ into the city, so different from the palms used in England on the same occasion, that I cannot account for their choice, unless the palm be the only tree that blossoms at this early period of the year.

On the Saturday before Easter, the farce of the fire is exhibited to the pilgrims. I went early that I might secure a good place for seeing the exhibition. The church was crowded in every part, the women standing near the wall, and the men in the body of the building. I attempted to take my station near the females, as the men were beginning to be a little noisy; but they stoutly opposed me, until a good old lady spoke a few

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