The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-08-30

Inc modern village Is very 1nsignfn-
can't Josephus says that it received
its name of Sebastia from Herod, in
honor of Augustus. The city has been
sacked and plundered times without
number. Upon its extreme summit
Ahab had its famous ivory palace. and
this acropolis constituted the capital of
the ten tribes. until they were carried
captive into Assyria. The modern re-
mains, which are the finest | have seen
in the Holy Land outside of Jerusalem,
only date back nominally to the time
of Herod, of course, but it is doubtless
true that Herod employed much of the
material of former ages in creating his
splendid structures; in which event ths
debris represents a pre-Herod;an ga
tiquity. Against the city fof ~ s.Siatry
Micah and Hosea lauroied forth the
invectives of prophecy: II will mako
Samaria as heap of the field, and As
paintings OF a vineyard; and ]
will pour down the stones thereof
into the valley, and will
discover the foundations thereof"
"Samaria shall become desolate, for
she hath rebelled against her God; they
shall fall by the sword. their infants
shall be dashed to pieces" etc. There
have been numerous literal fulhllments
of these predictions. Looking down
into the valleys as we rode around the
HILL we frequently discovered broken
columns and building rubbish.
We rode completely around tic hill,
circuit of about two miles, tracing the
remains of Herod's magnificent colon
made.
There were evidently four rows Of
columns clear around the hill, support
ing a porch above. The porch has
vanished, but great many of the mas
sive columns are still standing. Other
pillars are broken in two, lie PROSTATE,
or are utilized in the construction of
stone walls. We counted nearly 100,
and Mr.. Floyd says that the great
majority have either been destroyed by
the natives or carted away to Europe
to occupy inches in museums. The
level place at the extreme top of the hill
was adorned by sixteen very large COL
umns. 1t was doubtless in the general
Enclosure that the great temple of Baal
stood, which was utterly destroyed by
Jehu, after he had received the heads
Of Ahab's seventy sons in baskets at
the gate of Jezreel, and mercilessly
slaughtered all the priests of Baal, as
recorded in the tenth chapter of the
Second Kings.
1t was very near Samaria that Elisha
dwelt when the horses and chariot of
Naaman, the Damascene leper, halted
before the door of his humble home.
Now, as then, leprosy holds carnival in
nan1acons and 10 r1a1 ;,a,,ro
BILE as it was by the King of Israel when
he rent his clothes under the impression
that the audacious Naaman was tool
of Benhadad's to pick quarrel with
him. .Grasping, penurious Gehazi was
made to inherit the leprosy of the Syr-
ian captain, which ''should cleave unto
his seed forever" Perhaps some of the
modern Nablous lepers are the inherit
ors of this fearful legacy of Gehazi.
My impression is that it was dreadfully
stupid of Naaman to put confidence ia
the word of native 1ike Gehazi.
What terrible agony there must have
been in Samaria during that memora-
BILE siege of the interchangeable Benhadad.
After having Travelled through the
Orient it does not seem at all incredi-
BILE to me that the people resorted to
doves dung for food, until it actually
became costly luxury Gil Kings vi,
25).
Not only did Elijah and Elisha work
wonders in Samaria, but even the Apos-
ties wrought miracles and preached
there. The revival which was started
by Philip, who far eclipsed the witcher-
les exercised by Simon the Sorcerer, in
duced the Apostles who had remained
behind in Jerusalem to re-enforce him
by sending Peter and John thither.
Then was the Holy Ghost given, which
Simon sought to buy with money (the
first impulse of an Oriental when he
thinks there is no chance of getting
thing as free gift). We were shown
the ruins of an interesting cathedral,
known as the Church of St. John, in
which, it is claimed, the beloved dis
ciple met his death. These ruins are
INTELLECTUALLY interesting. Jerusalem
Cor. ". O. Times Democrat.