Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-05-21
The Holy Places.

particulars, although the events that trans.
pred there are well-known. The traveller
who describes them is the Rev. John HoI.
land. correspondent of the Louisville Cour-
Ter, and his letter is written from Constant.
nople, under date of March %:
There are two spots, however, in the vicin.
ity Of Jerusalem of which must say some.
thing, more to crafty my own lore TO talk
about them than to instruct or entertain Won
Ii not mentioned in the list, it is because they
| occupy separate chamber OF the heart. hang.
ing just over the altar of its Utmost sanct1>
airy. Before them affection, like priest.
keeps It's golden lamps Continually burning.
BETHANY AND GETHsEMANE.
Connected in situation, in history, in the
otogy. They are on opposite sides of Olivet.
1t was in Bethany that Jesus was Amounted
for his buEial, aud in Gethsemane that he
was seized for his execution. 1t was in Beth
any that Jesus gave the sweetest token of
His friendship for man by sharing mans
! home, Its joys and SORROWS, and in Gethsema-
| nc that lie gave the strongest evidence of
| His Infinite love for man By drinking to the
dregs the NORWOOD aud the gall of mans
iniquity and its penalty. l remember well
the day, as who would not, we visited those
footprints of Divinity. Gathering out of St
Stephens Gate We passed through the Turks
cemetery, where, vailed and draped in white.
the women, whose business it is to 90 morn.
! ing and evening to the tombs and mourn.
were leaning against the sculptnred turbans,
engaged IN the tormalities of grief. We then
descended a steep hill by the spot pointed
out as that where the protO.martyr "fell
asleep under the stones of the mob and
with the heavens open to receive him. Cross
ing the bridge over the KedrOn, and leaTiug
the tomb of the virgin on our left, we turned
the corner of the wall of Gethsemane,ap
halted before the gate of its upper or eastern
side, until Antika our guide could notify the
padre OF our presence. Antika dismouuted
and raped energetically, but the padre did
not respond, so we determined that he was
either dead to the world" in slumber, or alb
sent on an errand of charity, and concluded
also not to tarry longer, but to continue our
ride to Bethany and rap again on our return.
Our route was that taken by David in his
fight from Absalom. AS we tolled up the
rough, century>WOrn road, every particular
of that sad event so infinitely and vividly
narrated in ii Samuel, XIV and XVI, came to
mind. The indulgent father and exiled
King, fleeing from his son and throne, event
over the brook kCdron toward the way of the
wilderness. And went up the ascent of Oh
lvet, and wept as he went up, and had his
head covered and he went barefoot and all
the people that were with him covered every
man his head, and they went up weeping as
they went up" On the summit we rested
as did that procession while david worship
ped God, and Hushai the Archite, came to
meet him with his coat rent and earth upon
his head" Inclining to the left, we crossed
the northern shoulder of the mount and ar
rived at the place, easily fixed little below
whitedomed wely or Sheiks tomb, at which
DAVID w al e
the hill by Ziba, the servant of Mephiboseth.
who brought with him a ''couple Of asses sad
died upon them two hundred loaves of bread.
and hundred bushels of raisens, and hun
dred summer fruits, aud a bottle of wine"
Still further down the declivity there was an
other interruption Of the fight. Shemei, the
son of Gera, came forth cursing as he came.
and cast stones at David, his servants. his
household, his people, and the mighty men
on his right hand and his left, could but
think while riding along that even had the
monarch been able to have held his kingdom
and quclled the insUrrection, the pain caused
by the ingrattude and rebellion Of his idol
lied son was enough for the stoutest spirit to
support, but when to that pain was added the
. treachery of officers and subjects, the neces-
sity Of sudden departure, the sweeping away
as by whirlwind of his prosperity, the dan
ger OF starvation, of capture, of death at the
hands OF his own offspring, wondered that
he did not sink somewhere upon this road and
die with broken heart
How / rejoice that it was otherwise
Death would have snapped the lyre. strings
which the measure of the calamity served on
" to strike as with bold hand into psalms
that have never been sIlenced since-that.
floating through ages of sorrow, have been
increasingly swelled by the praises they
Pod fbo eli, !: ~
into singing; and their end is not vet, nor
can be until God shall have wiped all tears
from His children's eyes
But we are in sight Of Bethany. There it
sits in its sequestered nook, hamlet of about
twenty halt-runed houses. 1t has beggar's
look. 1t was never the home of the rich. the
| proud, the grand. But He who. tbouph
rich, for our sake became poor, abided with
| its humble inhabitants And now what
name that conquered world and that made
senates trenble and nations applaud, is so
| familiar to Christendoms ear aud tongue and
heart as the names of - Martha and her sister
and Lazarus" the family that Jesus loved ?
When Paris and London shall be as MIN
! evan and Babylon to-day are when the names
| of them all shall have entirely faded from
memory, this insignificant village shall still
be young in its Immortality of reuowu. For
Bethany is celebrated in the annals of heaven.
and on resurrection day, whose morning. star
was lighted here in the resurrection of Laza-
rus to his anguished sisters, Bethany shall
be distinctly heard and form a thrilling note
IN the hosannah chorus of the redeemed.
TIE TOMB OF LAZARUS.
But digress. The path is preeipitozs.
We dismOunt and lead our horses down. We
have reached the tomb of Lazarus. We en-
ter by low opening, and feel our way down
long, winding, dilapidated staircase to a
small chamber, the walls of which are partly
Plastsred, partly the naked rock Of the cav