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sion to the Jews, performed the services of the day before a congregation of only ten persons, giving us an excellent discourse from second Corinthians, fourth chapter, fourteenth and fifteenth verses.

I regret that I am now called away from you by some remaining preparations for our departure to-morrow morning. I had much more to say to you at this time, but must defer it until we shall be encamped beside some of Judea's pleasant streams, perhaps on Jordan's banks, when I shall delight to recur again to the scenes of the Holy City. Once more, good-night.

LETTER XXXI.

A Sabbath in Jerusalem.-Error of the Jews.-Missionaries in Jerusalem.Mount Olivet.-Bethany.-Grave of Lazarus.-Bethlehem.-Cave of the Nativity.-Proofs of the Cave's Identity.-Pools of Solomon.-Departure from the Holy City.-Lurking-place of Robbers.--The Dead Sea.-Its Bouyancy.-The Diamond of the Desert.

Jericho,

I WAS interrupted in my last letter before 1 had said all that I intended respecting the Holy City and its environs.

I remarked to you that we were favoured with a delightful discourse from the Rev. Mr. Nicholaeson on the Sabbath previous to our departure. Besides the pleasure we derived from being where we could hear the word of God on that day set apart exclusively for religious exercises, it was a peculiar privilege to hear the scriptures expounded by a very learned and pious theologian in the Holy City itself; that city where more great and important events connected with the subject of religion have taken place than in all the world beside; the spot where an old and dark dispensation of types and shadows was, after its final consummation, rolled back into the long eternity of the past by the reful.

gent beams of the "Sun of Righteousness," which here, on this spot, first broke forth upon a benighted world. The mysterious imagery and typical obscurity in which, from the creation of the world, Divine truth had been enshrouded, were here explained and made manifest to the commonest understanding by the simple yet sublime doctrines of a revealed religion.

How few there were among the Jews who understood, or, understanding, heeded the words of their holy prophet Isaiah, when he lifted up his voice before the multitude, saying, "Awake, awake; put on thy strength, oh Zion; put on thy beautiful garment, oh Jerusalem, the holy city."

"Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem." Yet the Jews, though believing in a Messiah, shut their ears to the spiritual import of the words of the prophet, and their mental vision could only see a future temporal king, who should extend their border, and multiply their wealth and power.

Mistaking his other prophetic words, intended to encourage the future church of Christ amid its early persecutions, as applying to themselves, their ambition knew no bounds, and their pride led them to reject the son of the carpenter of Nazareth as the Messiah, under whose glorious reign the whole world was to be subjected, and all the Gentile nations were to bow in submission to the throne of David.

The fathers of the early Christian church, when they opened their sacred scriptures, there found these words of the prophet: "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited." The veil of the temple having been rent in twain at the consummation of that long foretold event,

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the death of the Son of God, the hidden mysteries of the temple were brought to light; and on the morning of the glorious resurrection, Christ delivered to his disciples "the key of knowledge," whereby they might open the sealed mysteries of antiquity, and thenceforth walk" in the way of understanding."

Therefore, instead of being imbued with the spirit of their ancestors, to "go forth conquering and to conquer" in a temporal sense, they clothed themselves in "the armour of righteousness," in order to establish on earth the spiritual kingdom of their Lord and master, as " ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

Christ said unto his disciples, "Go thou and preach the kingdom of God." "I send you forth as lambs among wolves." "He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me."

They did go forth, and one of them, never wearied in well-doing, ceased not to preach until he had taught in every nation of the then known world; and from the remotest isles in which his voice was heard, we now see teachers sent back to remove the blindness of God's peculiar people, who remain here hovering round their fallen altars, seeking for "bread," yet finding only "a stone." The reverend missionary to the Jews in Palestine is indefatigable in dispensing the "bread of life" to the "poor and hungry" in spirit among the children of Israel.

St. Paul said that " the children of Israel could not stead. fastly look to the end of that which is abolished. But their minds were blinded: for unto this day the veil remains untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart."

But then follows that promise which should be emblazon.

ed in golden letters in every synagogue on earth, and written on every page of their sacred Pentateuch, that every Jew might see it, and inquire of the rabbi its meaning: "Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away."

May this worthy missionary to the Jews never be obliged through weariness of spirit to stop and inquire of this headstrong race," Why do ye not understand my speech ?" but may he be supported throughout a long and useful ministry, by the consoling idea that Paul "planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."

Among all the missionaries whom I have met in the East, this is the only one I have seen in the Oriental costume; and the effect produced upon me by hearing the gospel preached by one in the picturesque garb of the ancient pa triarchs, was such as I shall never forget.

It is a very gratifying sight to see in the houses of all our missionaries throughout the East one or more native children in the Frank costume, speaking and reading the English language, and by their exemplary conduct setting a good ex, ample to the numerous juvenile pupils in the schools attached to each establishment.

In Jerusalem, our American missionaries have established a school for the purpose of giving an elementary education to the youth of every religious creed.

Being forbidden by the Moslem law to make proselytes, they thus instil into the youthful mind, along with the knowledge of the world, those good principles and love of virtue, by which, when they come to man's estate, and shall succeed to the present rulers in the government of the land, they may be better disposed than are the latter towards the humble labourers in the vineyard of Christ, and hereafter permit them to enlarge its boundaries beyond the mere walls of the present schoolhouse.

Mr. Whiting and Mr. Lanneau accompanied us one day

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to the top of Mount Olivet, where we found a small chapel, built there by the Christians to commemorate the ascension of Christ, which they believe took place from that spot. We entered the chapel, where we requested our worthy missionaries to join us in singing the ascension hymn.

My companions, who had often heard the soul-stirring strains of the sublime Miserere rolling through the arcades of the gorgeous Vatican, declared that this simple melody, proceeding from the lips of these pious missionaries, and reverberated by the domes and naked walls of this little temple of the Ascension, produced a greater effect upon them than the combined effort of the whole choir in the palace of St. Peter.

So much for association; for from that it is that most of our pleasurable emotions arise.

The poet may sing of the "pleasures of the imagination;" yet I hold that those emotions which spring from the association of ideas produced by the contemplation of tangible objects, which speak to the senses, particularly when those objects belong to the history of noble deeds of patriotic purpose, afford more real satisfaction and pleasure than are enjoyed by the poet in his highest flight of imagination, or in his most ardent flame of inspiration.

If, then, such associations give so much pleasure, how much more intense must be the feelings, and exalted the ideas, produced by the presence of so many objects connected with the history of the New Testament dispensation as surround the pilgrim in the Holy Land.

A half hour's ride from the top of Mount Olivet brought us to Bethany, now a mere village of some twenty Arab huts. Here we had shown to us a cave which tradition says was the tomb of Lazarus. We returned across the mount by the same path, it is supposed, which Jesus travelled whenever he went from Bethany to Jerusalem. The distance is not quite three miles. From the summit of the