Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-10-25


of the visit when the boy Jesus was 12
years of age, first missed him, having
| supposed that he was in a company of
knfolks. They then went back to Jeru-
salem to seek for him and found him in
the temple. Sitting in the midst OF the
| teachers, both hearing them and asking
them questions" duke 2:41-5D. The
place whel they missed him was "a days
journey" from Jerusalem. Beeroth Is
about the distance a company of that
kind would travel in a days journey.
Beeroth now contains about 1000 inhab-
| itants. In ii are the remains of an an
cient Christian church and of a Khan or
inn, at which. according to tradition, the
parents of Jesus stopped on his first Wis
it TO Jerusalem, of which l have just
spoken. Near by are some interesting
reservoirs, and tower partly construct
ed of ancient materials. Two miles north
of Beeroth, or Birch, as it is now called.
on the crest of ridge $3.50 feet above
sea level, about 800 feet higher than Je-
rusalem, lies
BETHEL.
Although in plain view, we could not
| visit it because ii involved too much OF a
climb from the carriage road, which runs
along in the valley. But it is of sufficient
Interest 10 special HeHliOn as we
| pass in sight of il. The name means the
| ''house of God" Here Abraham. when
a wanderer ''journeying TOWARD the
/ south" pitched his tent" and "builded
an altar unto the Lord" Gen. 12:S). 1t
| is said also that on the crest Of the hill
directly east of the ridge on which
Bethel stands is the grand outlook where
Abram and Lot beheld the plain and the
the whole land to the southwark before
them. Here Jacob. fleeing from the
wrath of his brother EsaS, whom he so
craftily cheated out of his birthright.
with a stone for pillow, lay down to
| sleep. and dreamed that significant dream
| about the ladder set up on the earth.
and the top of 1t reached to heaven; and,
| behold, the angels of God ascending and
descending on it," Gen. 2s:l2). This, it
has been beautifully said, is the gospel
| In the Old Testament telling Of way of
communication between heaven and
earth, with the thoughts of man ascend
| ing up to God and the angels of Gods
mercy and love descending with messages
and all spiritual and other blessings for
him." You remember the noble and ia
| miliar hymn OF Mrs. Sarah Flower
Adams founded on this incident:
Nearer, my God. to Thee.
Nearer to Thee!
Fen though It be a cross
That raiseth me;
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
Though like a wanderer,
The sun gone down,
Darkness be over me,
My rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams Id be
Nearer. my God. to Thee.
Nearer to Thee!
There let the way appear,
Steps unto heaven:
All that Thou sendest me,
In mercy given:
Angels to beckon me,
Nearer, my God. to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.
Then, with my waking thoughts
Bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stormy griefs
Bethel I'll raise:
So by my woes to be
Nearer, my GOO, to Thee.
Nearer to Theei"
1t is said that the kings OF Israel-Saul,
David, Solomon, etc.-were crowned upon
this stone, which Jacob first used as a
pillow and then set up for pillar. The
story goes that at the time of the Baby
lonian captivity, when Jerusalem was de-
stroyed. the prophet Jeremiah rescued
Circa, daughter of Zedekiah, the last king
of Judea, and carried her first TO Tah-
panes, Egypt, and afterwards to Ireland,
where the princess was married at Tara
to Heremon, a prince of the Tuatha de
Daman, which is the Celtic name for the
Tribe of Dan. jeremiah, it is said, also
took with him this stone, which was used
as the throne of the Irish kings, called
Liza Phail, the Stone Wonderful. The
story goes on to relate that Fergus 1
carried the stone to Scotland, and thence
to London in the year 1900, and there 1t
was placed in the seat of the British
throne, and has been used at the corona
ton of every king and queen of England
from Edward 1 down to Edward VII. 1t
is. therefore the most precious historical
object in the British empire, as IT was
the palladium of Israel. The stone may
be seen in Westminster abbey in the seat
of an old Gothic chair, which stands in
the chapel of ST. Edward. beside the
sword and shield of Edward III, and the
graves of six kings, five queens. four
princesses, one duke and bishop.
Bethel afterwards became one of the
high places for idolatrous worship. and
instead of being the house Of God" ii
was turned into the house of idols,
(Amos SIS; Hos. 4:1O, where the golden |
calf was worshipped, q Kings 12:2S-3S). |
Its idolatries were finally destroyed by !
good King Josiah during the reforma- (
ton under him e Kings 23:15-1S). The |
present Bethel or Beitin, is now a viii |
lage with a population OF about 900, who |
dwell in houses mostly built of material |
from the ruins of ancient buildings. Near |
by are the ruins of church erected by !
the crusaders. and also of g reservoir |
S15 feet long by ZIG feet wide, and about