Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1878-04-04
JHRlUsALEpI.I
AtMoNDAY's sTRoLI.

4 Supper. These places arc outside the wall,
on Mount Zion, q little distance, and they
arc regarded Us genuine BY. many persons.
I The present city wall does not include more
than half Of Mouot Zion. The. part outside
is all terraced and cultivated. While there
] saw the prophecy fulfilled: "Zion shall be
{ ploughed as field" Over tho place
where the palace Of David likely stood,
saw the ploughshure drawn. How true
is It, uThe word Of the Lord shall stand"
From this I went to the southwest corner
Of tho Temple wall. Here l saw the i'm.
mense stones with bevalled edges; which
are here as Solomon placed them. meas
ured one % feet long and 8 feet tliok. Here,
too, is seen tho beginning of the nrched
i bridgwsy which connected the Temple and
Mount Rion. These immense stones found
in the old wall Of the Tomplo ao cut out
from On extensive quarry deep under the
city, which I visited some days after, and
I could SEQ tho method of outing them out,
which could never get satisfactorily ex.
planned before. In the quarry the rock is
quite soft, easily cut with knife, but
becomes quite hard on exposure to the air.
It is the samo kind Of rock out Of which
the old Uathedrals Of Western Europe were
built. cut out two beautiful specimens
from the quarry under tho city, which are
now quite hard
In following the west side of tho Temple
wall, soon came to- tho4pace of the Jews
Wailipg. 1t was touching sight to see
these Jews weeping and hear them rcpoat-
ing their prayers and kissing the ancient
stones of the Temple wall. Their prayer
is, "that God would remember Zion, and
turn away his anger from his chosen people,"
This sad spectacle tells of our mercies, how
we have the light while they arc in dark.
ness. Never did my heart utter the prayer
moro earnestly, that God would speedily
remember his ancient people and visit them
in mercy.
THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.
The next place visited was the Mosque
Of Omar, which stands on tho sito Of tho
Temple. The dome of tho Mosque is over
the large rock which forms tho summit of
Mount Moriah. o. this rock was situated
the Altar Of Sacrifice, and on the west side,
of course, was tho "Holy Place." and
beyond that the "Holy Of Holes," where
was the "Ark Of tho Covenant" and the
"Mercy Seat" carefully measured off
the distance of these places from the rock
on which tho Altar stood, feeling sure
was on the sacred spot, where the glory and
mercy Of the Lord once shone forth. Hero
was the visible centre Of Revelation for near
thousand years. I could scarcely tear
myself away from the Temple area, which
has not been covered up by the rubbish Of
centuries. Tho grounds are just the same
us in Solomon's day, only an addition to the
area was made by Herod, on the north sido.
I counted large number of cistorhs cut in
the rook-some of them fifty feet deep
and about as wide. On tho southwest
corner Of the Temple grounds stands a
mosque, which was oncea Christien church
of tue sixth century. The Judgment Hall
Of PLATE was at the northwest corner of the
Temple grounds, aud joined tho Tower of
Antonia. Near thisiplace, few years ago,
when excavations we're being made for tho
foundations Of convent, was discovered
tho pavement. of tho old street Of, Roman
time, about nihe feet below tho present
street, and it was along this street and on
this pavement Jesus walked when ho left
tho Prctorium for cruoidxion. About
twenty yards length was excavated, and
this is, now a part Of the etoreroom of tho
convent. I walked rcyerently over it.,
thinking Of Him who then bore the Cross
for US. sai }UiE
About two hundred yards west of this
locality is tho "Church Of the Holy SepuIA
ohre." In this I saw the reputed tomb of
Jesus; also tho tomb of Nicodcmus, and tho
rent rock, but did rot feel any interest
in this locality, for do not think it is tho
true place of the sepulchre, for it is inside
the second wall, and the sepulchre was evil
dsntly outside the wall. Some good anti
auorians, however, think tho location
genuine. Tho church belongs jointly to
the Greeks and Armenians, and they not
unfrcauently have quarrcls over it, and the
Turkish soldier has to come ip and com
mand the peace. .;a#.a
A WALK ABOUT ZION.
But I cannot mention all tho places and
objects I visited in aud about Jerusalem
I will close this letter with one Of my walks
about the city. Early one beautiful morn
ing, in company with my three travelling
companions, passed out tho Jaffa gate,
and turned to the left, down the valley of
Hinnom. The road to Bethlehem crosses
this valley on the rock wall or dam, which
makes the lower pool of Gihon, but i fol-.
lowed the course Of the valley round the
south side Of Mount Zion, to its junction
with tho valley Kedron, coming down to
the east side Of the city. All along the
south side Of the valley Of Hinnom, tho
rocky cliffs are high and preoiptous, full of
excavations for tombs. j ust at the juno.
tion between the two valleys is beautiful
level garden, in olden time called tho
"King's Dale" At'some point there was
the Altar of Molooh, which Solomon built
and Josiah destroyed. Here turned up
the Kedron yalley To tho Poolgof SiIoam