Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-03-30

Before the morning sun overtopped
the hills of Bashan, / was in the sad
die. A ride of three miles westward
along the shore brought me to the
ruins of large town. 1t was en-
compassed by such dense Jungle of
thorns, thistles, and rank weeds, that
| had to employ some shepherds to
open passage for me. Clambering
to the top of shattered wall, l was
able to overlook the whole site
What scene of desolation was that ?
Not house, not a wall, not solitary
pillar remains 8 standing. Broken
columns, hewn stones, sculptured slabs
OF marble, and great shapeless heaps
of rubbish half concealed by thorns
and briars, alone serve to mark the
site of great and rich city. The
Arabian does not pitch his tent there,
the shepherd does not feed his flock
there, not sound fell upon my ear as
| stood amid these ruins, save the
gentle murmur of each wave as it broke
on the pebbly beach, and the mourn
full singing of the summer breeze
through sunscorched branches; yet it
is the place where Chorazin once
stood. Chorazin heard, but rejected
the words of mercy from the lips OF
its Lord, and he pronounced its doom
"Woe unto thee, Chorazinr' p Matt.
IL: 81.
After riding some three miles fur
ther along the lake, | reached a little
retired bay, with pebbly strand, just
such a place as fishermen would de-
light to draw up their boats and
spread out their nets upon. Here
were numerous fountains. several old
tanks and aqueducts, great heaps OF
rubbish, and fields of ruin. Two
Arab tents were pitched a little way
up ON the hill side, but | saw no other
trace there of human habitation OF
human life; and yet that is the site OF
Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and
Peter, James and John. Upon this
strand Jesus called his first disciples
Like Chorazin, this city heard and re
Ijected his words, and like Chorazim
it has been left desolate. "Woe unto
thee, Bethsaida."
A few minutes more and | reached
the brow of a bluff promontory which
dips into the bosom of the lake. Be
fore me now opened the fertile plain Of
| Gennesaret. At my feet, beneath the
western brow of the cliff, little foun
tain burst from rocky basin. A flo
tree spreads its branches over it, anc
gives it a name, Ain ct Tin, 1.-The foun
tain of the fig" Beside it are some
massive foundations, scarcely distin
guishable amid the rank weeds; ant
away beyond it, almost covered will
thickets of thorns, briers, and giganti,
thistles, saw large heaps of rnins ant
rubbish. These are now all that mari
: the site of Capernaum. Christ's words
are fulfilled: "And thou, Capernaum
which art exalted unto heaven, shall
be brought down to hell" Matt. IL
%.
On that day Iclimbed peak whicl
commands the lake and the Jordan
valley up to the waters of Merom.-
The principal scene of Christ's public
labors around me, region some thirtv
miles long by ten wide. When h,
had his house at Capernaum, h
whole country was teeming with lifi
and hustle ard industry. No less thai
ten cities, with numerous villages, stud
; ded tie shores of the lake and tn,
plains and the hill-sides around. TIL,
water was all speckled with the darl
boats and white sails of Galilee's fish
ermen. Eager multitudes followet
the footsteps of Jesus through the cit
streets, over the flower strewn fields
| along the pebbly beach. What wofu
change has passed over the land sine
that time! The angel of destruction
has been there.
= From tn a commanding height
through the clear, Syrian atmosphere
> | was able to distinguish, by aid of m
glass, every spot in that wide regio
celebrated in sacred history or hallow
! ed by sacred association. My ey
! swept the lake from north to soutl
from east to west; not a single sal
not a solitary boat was there. M
eye swept the great Jordan VALLEY
the little plains, the glens, the mour
tain sides from base to summit-not
city, not a village, not house, not
sign Of settled habitation was ther,
Z except the few huts of Magdals an
the shattered houses of Tiberias.
mournful. solitary silence reigned tr
umphant. Desolation keeps unbroke
Sabbath in Galilee now. Nature ha
lavished on the country some of he
: choicest gifts, rich soil. a geni;
y climate; but the curse of heaven ha
{ come upon it because of the sin {
man. saw how wondrously tim
} had changed prophetic sentence il
to graphic reality.
:. II will make your cities waste, salt
! the Lord; | will bring the land int
> desolation, | will scatter you anon
the heathen." "Upon the land sha
4 come up tnorns and briars, yea, upo
y all houses of JOY, in the joyous city
: so that the generations to come {
;, your children that shall rise up afte
+ you, and the stranger that shall CON
II from a far land, shall say when the
see the plaques of the land, Wher
- fore hath the Lord done thus unto th
= and? What meaneth the heat of tn
= great anger?" Jer. 26; Isa: 80
= Deut. 29.-Porter's S" Cities.
"A man who'll maliciously set fire
~ l>or,, cold M SIou lsond brr,, =,