Middletown transcript., 1872-11-02
Popular Atlistrllann.
JERUSALEM.

OF all the cities of the globe, Jerusa-
lem has bcen the mes. memorable for its
divine honors, in prophetic distinctions,
aud it, mistortuues Its original uamc
was Salem; is first king sad to be Mel
chifcdec, and the proposed offering Of
lsanc wa. said 10 haze been on Mount
Moriah. one OF its three hills, attrrwari
the site II tn Temple Jerusalem wa,
conquered IL the time of Joshua l..
history was theucl forth succession 81
,ic.rs l. VIII. recovered US thr can
auiier. anl iattu and burupil Joshua,
then earA.ai T., tas tebu,ii,>, aul final.
Is captured nd Ia bis restoration
Il the fallen .tnrics df l.rl.l lis lef,y
position ani ,ii,nt strength Grttrtaia.i
'Ur caIqarr ~ make il ht- rarltai, an /
.,rYu. ilebtla, and f1set,us tue uFu-
len, fatiiIity aud natural liveluess Of Sa-
ulnria h. fixed h. throne IN the citadel
of - .l.husite,, ard named it the /" City
nt itayii
.Icrusnlcm stands nearly central be.
tween lhe Mediterranean ant the jordan.
thirty >eYen mile, cnst Il the former. aud
twenry.thr.c ~cs, % it.e .a;ier l,ayid
brought the ark within IL gates with great
pomp, aud liked the site IT the temple on
Noun, Moriah hu, the erection Of the
Temple was appointed 70 his still greater
son The reign ot solomon was the sum
nit Of jewish graDpeur. ana tnc ouilline
Of the Temple was the summit u the
grandeur Of solomon 1t wa. the most
magnificent cditcc ever raised hy man :
not merely fnr i,s position pn the pinnacle e
of the sscreA mountain. or tor il, uuhlr
architecture. but it. spleuior Where.
ever gold, cedar or marble could be shown
it was all gold cedar, 1r marh
When solomon. IN advanced years. fill
into idolatry. evil wa. drclrrd against
Israel TIE kingdom # David Wa shaft
Of It's strength by the ,p,s If the ten tribe
and the civil war Terminated only IN their
captivity Judah still retained lts royalty
for 1870 yeara loaser. an,il the Assyrian
invasion when the city was stosu.pd aud
he Temple was burned by Nebuchainez.
gar. and los, its independence as king
dom forever Restored. after a captivity
Of seventy years in Babylon, it returned
only an enfecblci vassalsgr and ruined
Templc--cyen saw its commonwealth re.
covered only to fall again and after suf-
fcring the repeated suprenacics Of Syrians
Egyptians and Romans. finally perished
as nation by the Roman sword
Yet the city was not wholly deserted
bu, an attempt Of the emperor. in the
year al Of the Christian era, to make it
a Roman fortress raised an instruction
which wns ext;nguished 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 pilgrimage
to the wreck Of the city to discover the
sites made memorable by the history Of
our Lord A. p sec Constantine re-
pealed the edict excluding the Jews from
entering Jerusalem, but he allowed their
entrance only once in the year to weep
over the destruction Of the city The
ages Of monarchism followed; aud in the
reign Of Justinian--a man of whom his
tory has scarcely yet decided whether be
was philosopher or dupc. a warrior or
| a bastard. a rcstorer or destroyer Of EN-.
pire--the sitc 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. 52z J
He also built succession of converts in
the neighhortood Of Jerusalem and Jeri.
cho. and hospitals for the pilgrims oi
both Of these cities.
| But evil days were at hand. 4 Per.