Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-06-05
THE CAVE OF MACHPELAH.

lev. w. l.. Gage, who is furnishing ar
interesting series of articles on "Sludes in
Bible Lands" for the tSaJJa,h at Home
has the following in the March number:
There is no doubt whatever that tho
place where Abraham and Sarah. Isaar
and Rebekah. Jacob and Leah, were bu.
r'ed, is now sacredly guarded within the
mosque at Hebron. 1t is one of those
places which are equally revered at the
present time by Jew, Mohammedan, and
Christian; and there has not been year
por day since the time of Abraham
when that rock tomb has been exposed to
dissertation, or when a guard has not beel,
set over it. From the time when Aba
ham purchased it, down all tho centuries
Of the Old Covenant, it remained in the
! hands Of the Jews. The Christians then
gained possession of it; then the Mvham
meJaus graspei it; but tho patriarchs, es.
pecialiy Abraham, were beloved III their
eyes, and it suffered no de:riment. The
Christians held it again for the little sea-
son in which the Crusaders were victori
Gus, and then relinquished it once more
into the hands of the Moslems. These
hold it to day, as must be said TO the
shame of the Christian world. There is
but one race which should possess and
keep that hallowcd tomb-,he Jews them
selves. 1t ought, indeed, to be freely open
TO the Gentle world; to those who, though
not of the Abrahamic lineage, yet revere
his memory and accept the fulfilling of his
faith and yet it is owed to the Jews, that
it be taken from those who !old it now in
their foul and unseemIy clutch, and give
to tho descendants of the ancient patri-
archs. Happily, the strong arm of the
British government has wrested within our
days what assuredly would not have been
given, and the Prince of Wales, accom-
panied by small and chosen party of
friends and scholars, has been permitted
to 60 as far as some might consider it
seemly under any circumstances to ad-
ance. is true, they did not onter the
cave itself; the darkencd shrines which
bear the names Of the ancient patriarchs
and their wives, and which are jealously
guarded by the Moslem keepers, are di-
rectly over the tomb; yet in that part of
the mosque which is called tho Shrine of
Abraham the royal party saw a hole about
eight inches across, which leads directly
into the cave below. Every night lamp
is lowered into the vault, but it is with
drawn 10y day. The original entrance is
closed by masonry, but was doubtless on
the Southern face Of the hill, and so stua-
ted that Abraham, as he sat under his
oaks, could look fully into it. The stu
dent who may wish to trace the architcc-
tural history Of the mosque will find it
iully detailed in Hilter's work on the Holy
Land, Vol. III. PIP. 305, ct So and no
one can fail to 10 instructed Ly the graph
'c narrative which Dean Stanley, one on
the Prince of Wales party, has given Of
the royal visit in 1862. 1t is not to be
forgotten that the great earnestness to PEN
citrate the cave of Machpelah is peculia4,
it would seem, to the Christian nations OF
the present day. The pasha of Jerusa-
lem. who yielded the right Of entrance to
the English party, expressed wonder at
their curiosity, and said that "he had never
thought OF visiting the mosque for any
other purpose than Of snuAing the sacred
air." Yet it may be doubted whether, in
case strong curiosity should prompt a
Mohammedan to descend, he would dare
to, for Quaresmius tells US shat easily as
the seventh century it was firmly believed
that if any Mussulman entered the cavern,
immediate death would be the conse-
quence." l trust, however, the growing
weakness Of the Turkish government will
allow of even more perfect exploration.
tits not too much to say that in good
measure OF probability, the body Of jacob,
embalmed as it was in Egypt, is in as per-
feet condition there to-day as are the
mummies which are disinlcrred on the
Nile; and it may be the first layers of the
masonry still to be seen at Hebron were
laid by Joseph himself on the occasion OF
bis fathers sumptuous funeral. That this
is no idle fancy is shown by the wealth
and power Of the man, whose father had
been Hebrew shepherd, but who bad
wrought out bis fortune with such signal
success in Egypt. Here Joseph had be-
come habituated to magnificent sepulchers,
as we'll as to sumptuons' sepultures; and
after that costly psgeantry Of burial des-
cribed so strikhgly in the closing chapter
Of Genesis, it il hardly to be supposed that
he would fail to-designats with acme ar
cbitectural memorial the simple rock grave
which Lis great-grandfather purchased,
aud which for three generations had lain
in its original rudeness.
EXCESSIVE ExERcIsE.--Those who
hauo onne thponoh Tho ooyo.oo& &so:o