The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1843-10-10
Miscellaneous.
Valley of JehOsaphat.


We find the following letter from Professor Dursin,
of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa. TO Rev. Henry
Scer of Baltimore, in the New York Christian Ad-
vocate:
MARCH 7, 1913.
My Dear Brother Sccr:-gIere sit in the shade
of the Tomb of Zacharins, at the foo, of Mount Oil
vet, where il desccnds into the Valley of Jehosnphat
directly opposite the eastern wall orthe Temple, and
towering high above the brow of Mount Muriah-
MOUNT MoRGAH! What a world Of heavenly and
Transporting energy does this world awaken in the
bosom orthe Jel, the .loslem but particularly the
Christian, The offering up of Isaac, the plague
David for numbering the people, when the angel of
destruction stood here, with drawn sword in the
threshing floor of Oman, Il Chron. xxi,) the travel s
industry Of the eXies returned by the permission of
Cyrus to rebuild their temple, the wonderful miracles
of Christ and his apostles wrought the Mount be-
fore me, the obstinate defence of the Jews, when
Titus pressed them from the Temple to Mount Zion,
the destruction Of the sacred edce the appropriation
Of the holy mount to the service of Nosemism, its
restitution to Christian worship by the Crusaders and
its return again to the Nosem service, in which it
yet continues, crowned with the Mosques of Omar
and FL Aesa whose beautiful domes sit above the
sacred place with admirable lighness and grace. AS
! stroled by the open gateways, and looked in how
earnestly did long to the sacred enclosure,
inger in its walks aud amid lis rees enter even the
mosques, particularly that of Omar, which covers,
perhaps, the very spot where Isaac offered, and
where the magnificent Temple of Solomon
built which he dedicated to God by the most elo
qucnt and sensible ofprayers, except Lords; Il
Kings, viii, 23, &c.) but the ianNca Mosem forbids
the feet Of the "Chistian dog to tread upon the
sacred soil or cross the consecratod threshold.
But must return to the Valley, fiom whence
promised you this letter before left home, and which
promise you received somewhat doubtngly. have
wandered up and down it, from the tombs Of the
Judges just beyond its head to tho northwest of the
the city about one and half miles, to The well of
Job perhaps the En- Rogel Of Scripture quarter Of
Il mile below the southwest of the city. 1t is
indeed valley of the Dead or rather of tombs, for
their gone and the sepulchra chambers,
where they slept in peace many centuries ago, are
but gaping caverns in the rock, where reptiles
nestle, if they be single, small sepulchres; hocks
lie down il they be as large the tombs Of the judy
es, Kings and Prophets, and some in the southern
cliff of the Gibon both under and above the "Poe,S
Field" have rambed through them all, and found
not fragment ofiheir former contents The lime
stone rock in which they excavated is soft, and
has yielded to the elements, and broken away in front
of, and sometimes above the chamber, This is the
all Palestine, (aso atPera where the rock is
soft as sandstone,) and constantly reminds Of
his mortality, and reduction dust, and dispersion
the winds of heaven. What glorious assurance
that the soul is committed to the tomb but returns
to the God who gave it,
have Just up from the Pool ofSioam, which
has a connection with the Pool of the Virgin, several
hundred yards higher up. The first is in the mouth
of the Tysopeon Valley, just where it enters that of
Jehoshaphat and the other is the side Of the
latter, not many hundred yards from where date
this letter. The connection is by narrow passage
cut through the point Of the hill which slopes down
from the fountains subject to occasional vio
lent, irregular flows of the WATERS, which make
think of the Pool of Bethesda, mentioned in the 9Th
chapter Of John, whose waters the angel troubled,
sat certain seasons'' Our couutrymen, DIR Robinson
and Mr. Smith, witnessed one of these singular move
ments Of the waters We not so Fortunate
No ono knows whence the waters to these
caveruous pools but there is steady tradition, and
general Impression, that they have connection with
the fountains under tho temples area aud perhaps
iIton was appraised Of this when he wrote:
''Sioa's brook that flowed