CAPERNAUM, CHORAZIN, BETHSAIDA. 41 of the sea of Galilee. Nearly all of those towns have utterly perished, and not a stone remains to tell us where they stood. Such is the case with the cities of Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida. How the warning voice of the Saviour rings through the eighteen hundred years that are past, sounding the solemn warning in our ears, "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." "And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." (Matt. xi. 21, 23.) And surely has the prophetic denunciation been accomplished. The guilty cities have perished from off the face of the earth, and the traveller on the shores of the sea of Galilee searches in vain for any traces of Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida. The city of Capernaum lay on the north-western shore of the sea of Galilee. Here, after the commencement of his great mission, our Lord chiefly resided; hence it became the scene of many of his mighty works. It was here that the centurion's son was healed. Here, in the synagogues of Capernaum, our Lord first revealed to mankind those blessed truths, which, carried onward through insult and misery, through pain and death, by a few poor fishermen, have spread the wide world over, and have shewn millions upon millions of immortal souls the pathway to eternal happiness. Lower down towards the south lay the villages of Chorazin and Bethsaida It appears that there were two Bethsaidas, one on the north-western shore, and another on the north-eastern shore. The former is, therefore, called Bethsaida of Galilee, to distinguish it from the latter. Bethsaida of Galilee was the city of Andrew, Peter, and Philip; and of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Nothing can be found to mark the spot where these cities stood. Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida, have sunk out of existence and out of memory; and where once was heard the hum of busy multitudes the stillness of death prevails. There the fields remain uncultivated, and there the wandering Arab fixes his tent, unconscious of its ancient people and its ancient glory. TIBERIAS. The city of Tiberias was situated towards the southern extremity of the western shore of the sea of that name, and not very far from Bethsaida. It was built by Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee in the time of our Saviour, consequently this city was built about our Saviour's time. It was called Tiberias in honour of the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, with whom Herod Antipas was a great favourite. In a very short time it became the chief city of Galilee. When the Jews were driven from Judea by the Romans, Tiberias became their principal residence. Here they established schools and synagogues, and here flourished some of their most learned doctors. Tiberias is one of the holy cities of the Jews, and thither, after a wandering life in the various countries of Europe, borne down by insult and long-continued oppression, penniless and ragged, they return to be buried in the graves of their forefathers. The modern Tiberias is a mean, miserable place, the population of which is about 4000, one fourth being Jews. Notwithstanding the unhealthiness of its situation, and its liability to destructive earthquakes, the attachment of the Jews to the site of their ancient city prevents its being deserted. It is only mentioned once in Scripture, and that incidentally, as "being nigh unto the place where" the five thousand were fed. Examination. (Mixed Methods.) The first town I mentioned to you was the town of ... Dan. It is situated near the source of the Jordan. It was called at first ... Laish, and was possessed by the... ... ... ... Sidonians. The portion of country which was allotted to the... Danites was between the tribes of Ephraim and ... Simeon. This portion they found much too ... small for so large a... tribe; and in seeking another they travelled northward, till they came to... Laish, from which they drove the... Sidonians, and having burnt their.... city, built another which they called... Dan, after the name of Dan their... father. The name often occurs in the proverb, "from Dan to Beersheba," an expression used to denote the whole extent of ... Palestine. Dan was one of the chief seats of ... Jeroboam's idolatry. Here he set up a... golden calf, which the people... worshipped. After Dan I mentioned three ... cities, all of which were situated on the western shore of the sea of Galilee. The first city was called... Capernaum, the second... Chorazin, and the third Bethsaida. All these cities have utterly ... perished; their sites are unknown. The city of Tiberias was situated near the middle of the western shore of the sea of Galilee. It was built by Herod Antipas about the time of... Christ, and was called...Tiberias in honour of ... Tiberius, the Roman ... Emperor. It soon became the principal city of... Galilee. It is one of the holy cities of... the Jews, who, after wandering through the various countries of ... Europe, return thither to be... buried in the graves of their ........ ... forefathers. ... ... ... What was the town of Dan called at first? Who lived there? Where was it situated? How came the Danites in possession of it? What brought the Danites so far from their own country? What proverb is it which speaks of Dan? What is that expression used to denote? Who committed idolatry here? What idol did he set up? Where were the cities of Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida situated ? Where, more particularly, was Capernaum? Who was healed here? In what direction were Chorazin and Bethsaida from Capernaum? What does our Saviour say with regard to these cities? Why were they denounced? What has become of them? What apostles of our Lord were born in Bethsaida? Was there other Bethsaida? What was this Bethsaida called in order to distinguish it from that? Where was the city of Tiberias situated? Who built it? Why was it called Tiberias? Who drove the Jews from Judea? Whither did any they go? What did they establish there? What sort of place is the modern Tiberias? What is its population? What proportion are Jews? How often is this city mentioned in Scripture? In what manner is it mentioned? 3. CANA OF GALILEE. This town is about 15 miles west from Tiberias. It stands on the side of a hill, and is surrounded with groves of olive trees. It is celebrated in Scripture as being the scene of our Lord's first miracle, the changing of water into wine. It possesses a Greek church, which, the superstitious monks say, is built upon the site of the house in which Christ met the wedding party. The inhabitants to this day use water-pots of limestone, such, very probably, as those referred to in the Scriptures. Near the village there is a large spring, enclosed with a wall, which is thought by some to be that from which the water was drawn at the time of our Lord's visit. Cana was the birthplace of Nathanael, of whom Christ said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." Here the nobleman of Capernaum besought the Saviour to heal his son. "Come down," said the distressed father, "come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth." About four miles north-east of Cana there is a ruined place called Kâna el-Jelil. This is thought, and with much probability, to be the true site of Cana of Galilee. 4. NAZARETH. About five miles south of Cana, towards the northern extremity of the plain of Esdraelon, and completely encircled with mountains, lies the city of Nazareth. It is a well-built place, and stands on the side of a hill, reaching nearly to the bottom. The houses are built of stone, and, like all the houses in this country, have flat roofs. In the immediate neighbourhood figs, olives, and grapes, grow in great abundance. Wheat, barley, rice, are also produced in great plenty and of est quality. The scenery round about is remarkable for variety and beauty. Here are quiet and secluded dells covered with a rich vegetation, and in other parts deep chasms where the rocks stand up on either side enclosing glens of great loveliness. This was the city of Joseph and Mary. Here the Redeemer lived for thirty years of his life. O if those silent dells had language, or those stony rocks a tongue, what would they tell us of that wonderful Being, who, eighteen hundred years ago, wandered among them! What words of heavenly peace, of unimagined love would they utter in our ears! Here the Redeemer lived; here is the ground his hallowed feet have trod; here he pondered over the sins of a guilty race, and his world-wide mission of redemption! It was here He lived who first pronounced the solemn words: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.' The burning words sank into the hearts of men and became immortal. Ages have passed away, and empires have crumbled into ruins, but the words remain; and what that one solitary voice uttered in the neighbourhood of Nazareth has spread east and west, and north and south, till its "sound has gone out through all lands," and the little child and the grey-haired patriarch alike reply responsively, "Thou art the way, and the truth, and the life." 5. NAIN. About three miles south-west from Mount Tabor lies the little city of Nain. Though a place of no consequence it has always preserved its name. It is celebrated in Scripture as the scene of the miracle in which our Lord restored to life the widow's son. At the present day it is a very small place, inhabited "at most by a few families." 6. SHUNEM. About five miles south-west of |