The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-05-09
VISIT TO THE TOMB OF LAZARUS AND
THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE.

Tie Rev. r. A. Holland is contributing
to the Louisville Courier series of interest
ing letters from the Holy Land, which he
has been exploring for some months past.
We present below graphic pictures of the
I0mb Of Lazarus and the Garden Of GetA.
semaHe, which we select from his letter of
March 23d, written from Constantinople:
THE TOMB OF LAZARUS.
But digress. The path is precip1tous.
We dismount and lead our horses down.
We have reached the tomb of Lazarus. We
enter by a low opening, and feel our way
dow a long, winding dilapidated staircase
to a small chamber, the walls of which are
partly plastered, partly the naked rock of
the cavern. From this chamber a few steps
lead into a low vault, I imagine not more
than nine feet square. Therein lay the body
of Lazarus. The closeness of the atmosphere
limits our inspection to a mere glance. We
retire to the larger room, and sitting upon
the floor, Bible in hand, one of us reads
aloud, by candle-light, st. Johns account of
the miracle and of the Saviour's intercourse
with those whom it most affected. How
touc!iingly simple, how surprisingly beauti-
full tlat Gospel sounds when read on the
spot it commentaries. The past tense be-
comes the present. The scene is not finish
ed, but transporting. Right there in that cell
the corpse has been lying four days, and
every day Mary has been here to weep. The
noise of conversation, as of many persons
al,cve, began to hear
y shadow is in the door, 1t is HIS The
LON; expected and prayed-for has come from
beyond Jordan. His mellow voice, trem-
elous with emotion, but loud with authority,
peals down the arched staircase and echoes
among these sepulchral walls, "Lazalvs
c0h'c FORTH" 1t goes deep beyond, reaching
into the regions of death. Hush! do YOU
hear that rustling See he comes stoop-
ING, bound hand and foot with grave
clothes and his face bound about with q
napkin" Slowly he mounts the steps. He
is on the threshold. He has passed out under
the sky. Listen again "Loose him and
let lam g0!" And Lazarus the dead brother,
no longer dead is in the arms of his bereav-
ed sisters, no longer bereaved Neighbors
gather around and passionately greet him.
Bethany is glad. The news flies throughout
the land. Crowds come from Jerusalem to
see {" the man " who has wrought the wonder,
and believe him God
Reluctantly do we tear ourselves from the
hallowed place. We go from the grave to
the house of Mary and Martha, and that of
Simon the leper, where while Jesus sat at
supper, Mary Amounted his feet with costly
spikcnard, and wiped them with her hair,
and, as the room then aods, even so to-day
the aoorld is " filled with the odor of the
ointment"
THE GARDEN OF GETHsEMANE
We return to Gethsemane, over the south
ern shoulder of Olivet, by the road Messiah
followed on the morning of His triumphal
entry into Jerusalem. Our raps are more
successful this time than before, for the heavy
iron gate soon swings open with creak, ex-
hibiting the tonsured head OF Padre Louis.
who invites us into the garden. 1t disap-
points at first There is too much of art.
too little of nature. The happy medium, so
desirable and so rarely obtained between
culpable neglect and excessive care, is not
found here. The fancy which has already
Gethsemane of its own does not
at once recognize the claims of this: objects
to the lmprisoning walls, to the trim parter-
res, to the tront-yard neatness of the ratings.
TO the representations automatically calcula
ed, and marked by cruciixes on the stucco-
,d Enclosure, to the air of perfect readiness
or he-scrutlny-ot-connoiseur-ship in the
whole.
But the eye speedily becomes accustomed
o what 1t cannot alter, and concentrates its
ttentlon upon the olive trees doubly grand |
: grand from their own palpable antiquity.
Which they are the sole surviving spectators
n n earth. These trees are eight in number.
heir gnarled and massive stems, and far
preading leafy boughs give them the ap-
earance of patriarchs in the attitude of
lesslng. l cannot understand WHY thew
iould not be as old as the event reauirers
or 40 desire to understand, if an illusion
Veler imam the truth is to be dissolved by
re explanation. I abandon criticism to
udlte caVllers and recline under the foliage
the largest and most ancient of the trees
e &c one supposed to have shadowed the I
e r' WITH WI his prostratlons of agony. Here,
'ath, He fell on the ground and prauad GT
nlle g his disciples slept stones cast hence
laIlgued to watch with Him. Here
rice troet ne bowed himself and groaned the r.
n treaty ~ to +h be delivered from the mysterious
nr o ill., 'he intensity of that strug gle. 1t
ung tne crimson perspiration from His q
nples and forced the strengthen;ne, 0,,o LIS