The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-10-26
Mistellaaeous.
JERUSALEM.

Ofal the cities Of the globo, Jerusa-
lem has been the most memorable for
its divine honors, 10 prophetic distine-
items, aud its misfortuDes. Its original
name was Salem; its first king said to
be Melchizedec; aud the proposed
Offering Of Isaac was said TO have been
on Mount Moriah, one Of its three hills,
afterward the site of the Temple.
Jerusalem was conquered in the time
Of Joshua. Its history was thcnceforth
a succession ofsieges. II was recovered
BY the Canaanites, aud re taken aud
burned by Joshua, then captured by
the Jebusiles, and finally captured by
David, in his restoration Of the fallen
glories of Israel. Its lofty position aud
evident strength determined the con.
queror to make it his capital, and
leaving Hebron, aud rejecting the opu-
lent fertility aud natural loveliness of
Samaria, he fixed his throne in the
citadel Of the Jebusites, aud named it
the "City Of David"
Jerusalem stands nearly central be.
tween the Mediterranean aud the Jor-
dan, thirty seven miles east Of the
former, and twenty three west of the
latter. David brought the ark within
its gates with great pomp, and fixed the
site Of the temple on Mount Moriah;
but the erection of the Temple was
appointed to his still greater son. The
rnt Of l..ln hA e
Jewish grandeur, aud the building of
the Temple was the summit Of the
grandeur Of Solomon. 1t was the most
magnificent edi6ce ever raised by man;
not merely for its position Of the pin.
nacle Of the sacred mountain, or for its
noble architecture, but its splendor.
Where ever gold, cedar or marble could
bo shown, it was all gold, cedar, or
marble.
When Solomon, in advanced years,
fell iuto idolatry, evil was declared
against Israel The kingdom of David
was shoru Of its strength by the loss of
the ten tribes, and the civil war termi-
mated only in their captivity. Judah
still retained its royalty for l30 years
longer, until the Assyrian invasion,
when the city was sturmed and the
Temple was burned by Nebuchadnezzar,
and lost its independence as Kingdom
forever. Restored after a captivity of
seventy years 10 Babylon, it returned
only an enleebled vassalage aud ruined
Temple-even saw its commonwealth
recovered only to fall again; aud after
suffering the repeated supremacies of
Syrian, Egyptians and Romans, finally
perished as nation by the Roman
sword.
Yet the city was not wholly deserted
but an attempt of the emperor, in the
year l4l of the Christian era, TO make
it Roman fortress raised an iusurrec.
lion which was extinguished in national
blood, and concluded the national ruin.
For nearly two centuries more Jerusa-
lem was forgotten by the world At
length, on the accession OF Constantine
to the imperial throne, the Empress
Helena is presumed to have made n
pilgrimage to the wreck of the city to
discover the sites made memorable by
the history of our Lord "a. d. 326)
Constantine repealed the ediet exclud
ing the Jews from entering Jerusalem,
but he allowed their entrance only once
lu the year to weep over the destruction
Of the city. TIE ages OF mouarchism
followed and in the reign of Justin
ian-a man of whom history has scarce
ly yet decided whether he was phi.
losopher or dupe, warrior or das.
tard, u restorer or destroyer of en-.
pire-the site Of Jerusalem was adorned
once more, according TO the custom of
the time, by building a superb church
on Mount Moriah TO the Virgin "a. D..
527. He also built succession of
con' cnts in the neighborhood of Jerusa.
lem and Jericho, aud hospitals for the
pilgrims OF both these cities.
But evil days were at hand. A
Persian invasion Of the Greek empire
rushed on Syria A. D. GA, broke the
emperor's army, aud storined Jerusalem
with desperate slaughter. All now was
rapinc; but the Persians at length
retreated; aud the Emperor Heraclius
entered the city, bearing the Cross on
his shoulder. A still more formidable
trial awaited this "city OF misfortune"
Mohammed ravaged Arabia, Egypt aud
Syria. The torrent of fire and steel
rolled on Palestine. Jerusalem was
besieged "a. D. 637), aud, after a
desperate defense, was taken. Omar,
the coDqueror, then built the mosque
which still stands on the spot once
hallowed BY the Temple.
Jerusalem now rested, pewerless and
enslaved, for two centuries aud half;
but tho tenth century raised new
spirit in Europe formidable to Moham.
medan supremacy. A romantic belief
that the world was coming to It's end in
the year 1000 urged a multitude of
pilgrims to the Holy Land. Its masters
laid tribate on the Pilgrims. The
insults and injuries inflicted by tho
Arabs on those European strangers
became the universal rumor, aud reused
the universal wrath Of Europe. In the
tenth aud eleventh centuries Jerusalem
had passed from the Saracens to the
Egyptian Khalifs, from these to the
Turcomans, aud from them to the Egyp-
tians again. Ia this period of doubt
aud distraction the army Of the Crusa-
ders under Godfrey of Bouilon ap-
peared before Jerusalem, Ca. D. l.
099); the city was stormed aftor a
siege Of forty days the Moslems were
exterminated, tho Mosque Of Omar was
cousecrated as Christian church, aud
the successful commander was pro-
claimed King Of Jerusalem. The