The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-07-05
MISCELLANEOUS.
LETTER FROM REV. PRESIDENT
DURBIN.

VALLEY OF JEHosAPHAT, MARCH 7, Is43
Here set in the shade of the tomb o.
Zachnrias, al the foot ofMount Olvet, where
it descends into the-Valley of Jehosaphat
directly opposite the Eastern wall of the
Temple, and towering high above the brow
of Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah What
world of heavenly and transporting ener,
gy does this word awaken the bosom of the
Jew, and the Moslem, but particularly the
Christian The offering up of Isaac, the
plague of 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 travail and in
dustry of the exiles returned by permission
of Cyrus to rebuild their temple, the won>
derful miracles of Christ and his apostles
wrought on that mount before me, the OBJ.
stinate defence of the Jews, when Titus
pressed them from the Temple to Mount
Zion, the destruction of the sacred edifce,
the appropriation of tine holy mount to the
service of Moslemism, its restitution to
Christian worship by the Crusaders, and its
return again to the Moslem service, which
it yet continues, crowned with the Mosques
of Omar and Ell Aesa, whose beautiful
domes sit above the sacred place with ad.
mirable lightness and grace. As strolled
by open gateways, and looked in, how ear
nestly did long TO enter the sacred inclo.
sure, linger in its walks, and amid its trees
enter even the mosques, particularly that of
Omar, which covers, perhaps, the very spot
where Isaac was offered, and over which
the magnificent Temple of Solomon was
built, which he dedicated to God by the
most eloquent and sensible of all prayers,
except our Lords +; Il Kings. viii, %, &c y
but the fanatical Moslem forbids the feet
of the Christian dog TO tread upon the sacred
soil, and cross the consecrated threshold.
But | must return 10 the valley, from
whence promised you this letter before
left home, and which promise you received
somewhat doubtingIy. have wandered
up and down it, from the tombs of the Judg-
es. Just beyond IFS head, TO the North. West
Of the city, about one and half miles to the
well of Job. perhaps the En- Rogel of Scrip
ture. quarter of a mile below the South.
East corner of the city, 1t is indeed a val
ley of the dead or rather of tombs, for their
contents are gone; and the sepulchral cham
bers, where they slept in peace MANY cen
turtles ago, are now but gaping caverns in
the rock, where reptiles nestle, if they be
single, small sepulchres or flocks lie down,
If they be large, as The tombs of the judy
es, Kings and Prophets, and some in the
Southern cliff of the Gihon, both under and
and above the "Potter's Field" | have
rambled through them all, and found not a
figment of their former contents. The
limestone rock in which they are excavated
is soft, and has yielded to the elements.and
broken away in front of, and sometimes a.
bove the chambers. This is The case all
over Palestine, (also at Petra, where the
rock is soft sandstone,) and constantly re-
minds one OF his mortality, and reduction
to dust, and dispersion TO the winds of heav-
en-. What a glorious assurance, that the
soul is not committed TO the tomb, but re-
turns to God who gave it
have Just come up from the Pool of ST.
loan, which has connection with the Pool
of tine Virgin, several hundred yards higher
up. The first is in the mouth of Tysopeon
Valley, Just where it enters that of Jehos-
haphat, and the other is on the West side
of the latter not many hundred yards from
whence date this letter. The connection
is by a narrow passage cut through the point
of the hill which slopes down from the
South East corner Of the Temple. These
fountains are now subject to occasional vi
olent, irregular flows of the waters, which
makes one think of the Pool of Bethesda,
mentined in the fifth chapter of John, whose
waters the angel troubled sat certain sea.
son." Our countrymen, DIR. Robinson and
Rev. Mr.. Smith, witnessed one of these
singular movements Of the waters. We
were not so fortunate. No one knows
whence the waters come to these cavernous
pools, but there is steady tradition, and
general impression, that they have con.
nection with the fountains under the TEN.
pies area and perhaps Milton was appri- |
sed of this when he wrote,
"Siloas brook that flowed,
Fast by the oracles of God"
descended into the pool to wash as all
good pilgrims do. and found coarse, rag
ged, Swapping Arab women, washing dir
ty old quilt, which lay floating upon the lit
tie shallow volume OF water. She shrunk !
away from me as from the approach of !
leper. and stood hudded up in little chasm
in the rock, looking blankly upon my pill |
grim devotions. The water is sweet and
good.
shall not now undertake to describe the
tombs to you, but perhaps may allow you
to peep into my omnium gatherum, where !
| have plans of them, notes also. But feel
oppressed with sadness, as | cast my eve
up the side of Mount Olivet behind me, and
look upon the Jewish cemetry, Speeding
over the sacred hill side, covering it with |
short, thick stones, each of which lies fiat
on the ground, and pressed into it little,
as if they had once stood erect, and had
been Frustrated and pressed by some terrible
storm. They are a striking emblem of
Al r.orIo tod nd !