The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-09-14
LETTER FROM PRESIDENT DURBIN TO
BISHOP WAUGH

| LEI LEX fROM PkESiDENI DuRBlN 10
BISHOP WAUGH.
We And the following interesting letter from Mr.
Durbin 10 the New York Christian Advocate:
summit Of .Noua Sinai, A O'clock,
Sabtalh qfies,oon, Feb. g. Ie43.
My DEAN BIsnor WAuon-Iiow shall put on pa
per what feel this moment as | sit apart from my
companions on the very summit OF Mount Sinai with
the expanded plains before In which Israel encanp-
cd at the giving OF the law 1t is impossible to doubt
feel the truth, and by faith see the ghtnings hear
the lhunders, and the trumpet waxing louder and
louder and feel this vast world of dark dreary DESC
lalion, within which Horeb is nclesed as a sanctuary,
quake under the tread Of the Almighty.
| Ii had been infdel, had come hither as have,
from Cairo (near the ancient Memphis, by the Wady
ell Teh, 90 Valley Of the WanderiDgs" which con-
meets with the Red Sea- about fifteen miles south of
Suez, through Wady Tamarik. by of the most
/ fearful and peculiar mountain passes 10 be found on
earth and had there the physical truth of the
Scriptures where the people 8 entangled in the
land,n and the wilderness of the Red Sea had shut
them IN" the only place between the Nile and the
OF which the Scripture history can be affirmed then,
II had stood on the opposite shore and looked down
upon the waters in which Pharaoh's host had sunk
lead and there read the triumphal song of Moses Ex-
odus, chap. Nv) should have felt that nowhere
else, nor under and other circumstances could that
Incompatible composition, lave been produced then
II followed them three days in the wilderness of
Shur," to the present bitter fountain of Hamarah,
| (the Scripture Dfarah) and next day to the Wadys
Garundel and Usait, where yet are water and many
palm trees amidst the surrounding dcsoaton should
have said, "Here is Elm," with its "twelve wells Of
water, and threescOrc and ten palm trees" Exodus
| XVI and from thence following their track through
| Wady Fleran, l had suddenly issued through the
Pass Nukb Hawy out into the plain Of Rehah, which
now lies before at the base of the perpendicular
walls of Horeb, rising like terrible battlement
twelve hundred or fifteen hundred feet high with the
valley of Wady Shek to the right and the wide
mouth Of Wady Lsja to the left all in full view Of
the gloomy, stern, desolae, /" thu1derspntered PIN
nacles," where now sit; would have bowed to
the authority of the holy history Of Moses, simply
upon the grounds Of lis geographical accuracy
/ which no writer, ancient or modern, has equalled
though he wrote three thousand five hundred years
ago, and in the midst Of encampment Of two mil
lions OF people, who depended upon him for guidance
and salvation Yet this accuracy is the result of
reusion through successive ages for no Jew has ever
made pilgrimage TO Horeb, (Which is itself q mira.
cleo except the prophet Elijah, who fled from Jez-
ebe, and whose pretended resting place in the rock
was shown us to day
But the shades of evening are drawing on, and the
dark shadows of the lofty mountains already pro-
jected far into the sandy plain. O! if yon glorious
sun, fast descending westward behind the distant
gloomy mountains, and just now with his orr MT beams
tlnng the dawn in yo,u heavens, under which dwell
all that hold most dear earth ; if his mild beams
which now fall almost level on me, could but convey
to you what feel this moment, it would be an epistIe
indeed. But must hasten down from the Mount of
|
says, where Moses beheld the burning bush There
hope to finish this letter, and say how have spent
the day OF the Lord in his holy mountain in cleft of
winch l was so fortunate to find young, vigorous
shrub planted BY the hand of the Almighty his own
holy hill, which have cut, and purpose if G od spare
us to meet again, and spend an hour of leisure toge-
ther, to present to you and to explain at length why
have adopted the route (he souhern) for Israel
from Egypt to the Red Sea,a route over which no one
believe, has passed heretofore who has written ex-
| w has off heo
gested by eminent travellers, who have felt pressed
with the difficulties Of the northern by Suez a
mong whom Buckhardt and .aborde
| wish could sit here in this deep solitude for an
hour longer, but my companions and guide are
gone, and the other young, active Arab is crouched
at my feet in establishment at my writing and appa-
rent earnesness; and seems to say, as he casts
glance at the setting sum- The ,cay doun is long and
dangerous So must say, FareceH to thee, Sinai
have stood upon the Alps, in the middle Of july
and looked around upon the snowy empire-I have
stood upon the Apprentices, and 10 ked abroad upon
the plains OF beautiful, eveDtful ltay-I have stood
upon The ALBANIAN mount, and beheld the scene
of !he Eneiad from the Circean promontory over
The Campagna, to the eternal city and The noun
ains of Tvol-I have sat down upon the pyramids
OF Egypt, and cast my eyes the sacred city
of Helopois, the land Of Goshen, the fields Of
Jewish bondage, and the ancient Memphis, where
Moses and Aaron, the part of God and his peo-
pie, contended with Pharoah and lli, servants the
death Of whose g first born Of and beast in one
night filled the land with wailing: but have never
set my foot on any spot from whence was visible so
! much stern, gloomy grandeur, heightened bv the ST.
lence and solitude that relgns around but infinitely
more heightened by the awful and sacred associa-
tons OF the first great revolution in form from God
to man. feel oppressed with the spirit that breathes
around me, and seems 10 inhabit this holy place. ]
shall never down upon the summit of Sinai again
and look upon the silent aud empty plains at its feet
but shall go down a better man, and aim so TO live
as to escape the terrible thunders at the last day,
which once reverberated through these mountains,
but have long since given way TO the Gospel Of peace
can scarcely tear myself away from the hallowed
summit and wish Too could lIngcr here forty DAYS
in converse with the Lord.
Monastery ef ST. CattGrine.
promised to finish this letter here and minated
that would say how had spent the morning But
must iorego this pleasure till you, as | have
already filled my sheet | may add however, that
spent IT at high mass, in the ancient church. built by
the emperor Jusilnian, in the sixth century. think
The Greek church is but little understood in our
country, and its services in Syria and here in Sinai
have strongly attracted my attention. and have made
diigent inquiries concerning its doctrines and wor-
ship, and hope to prosecute them further at Constan.
unople and Athens
have but thing TO regret since reached Ervpt
and at is, that DIR. Robinson and Mr. Smith did not
take the southern route from Cairo the Red sea in
dicated in the first part Of this letter. for must believe
that the traditions OF the country presented the names
OF ats mountains and valleys the side of the
Gull, together with the physical agreement Of the
passes with the history Of Exodus would fully have
satisfied their minds that this was the route Of the Is
races particularly, when TO this evidence was
added the probability that Israel was encamped near
Memphis, the ancient Egyptian capital where Moses
and Aaron and the elders Of Israel seem constantly
to be during their contention with Pharoh Such
conclusion. with the reasons drawn up by the doc
tors mastery hand, is all that is wanted to render
perfect their Incompatible volumes of Biblical Re-
searches IN z llestine.
As would still be remembered by my friends in
America, you will obige me, by mentioning me TO
such as are near you if you prefer to save your