morrow under the turpentine-trees beyond the city gates.' Almost in front of us, and between the northern and the southern wall, stands the far-famed Mosque of Omar. [Mark its position.] It is built upon the summit of Mount Moriah, and occupies the site of Solomon's Temple. Even at this distance it has a majestic appearance, and contrasts strangely with the dull, sombre, heavy-looking buildings around it. It stands within a large, enclosed square, upon a platform elevated about fourteen feet from the ground, and is approached by marble steps on each side. In shape it is octangular, or eight sided, each side measuring sixty-seven feet in breadth. The building is surmounted by a splendid dome, ninety feet in height and forty in breadth, beautifully ornamented with coloured tiles, which produce a most imposing and brilliant effect. The Mosque of Omar is the Saint Paul's of Palestine. It is the holy place of the Mahommedans, who think that it is guarded day and night by an invisible host of 70,000 angels. Woe betide the Christian or Jew who is found within its sacred walls! The Koran, or the sword—become a Mahommedan, or die-are his only alternatives.

A little beyond the Mosque of Omar, and near the centre of the city, rising up majestically from an ocean of houses, there are two large domes, one white, and the other dark-coloured. These are the churches of Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre, and mark the supposed sites of the Crucifixion and the Burial. Whether or not they stand upon the precise spots sanctified by the last and awful scenes of man's redemption, we cannot say-but this we know, that somewhere near this place the Son of God was nailed to the cross, and suffered for our sakes an ignominious death; that not far from this he was buried by Joseph of Arimathea in his own new tomb, and that on the third day he broke the bonds of death and rose again from the dead. All this we

* Lamartine.

know, and a few yards more or less of earth, in the position of those churches, can make no difference in the events they were designed to commemorate. We could see a great many more large buildings, but as these possess no particular interest for us, we will turn our attention from the city to the hill upon which we stand, and the valley beneath our feet.

Immediately beneath us is the brook Kedron, and the valley of Jehoshaphat. The brook is crossed by a small wooden bridge, to the left of which is the Garden of Gethsemane. The Mount of Olives appears to have been the favourite retreat of the Saviour. Here, amid groves of the olive and the palm, he spent whole nights in prayer. Many, many times his wearied feet have crossed this mountain on his road to Bethany, the town of Martha and Mary, which lies on the other side of the hill. On one occasion, as he rode from Bethany to Jerusalem on the foal of an ass, acclaiming thousands followed him, strewing his pathway with the leaves of the palm, and holding olive branches in their hands. "And when he was come nigh, even now at the ascent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." (Luke xix. 37, 38.) Now listen attentively while I read two verses from the Gospel of St. Luke. "And he (Jesus) led them (the disciples) out as far as to Bethany; and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." (Luke xxiv. 50, 51.) This mountain then was the scene of that glorious ascension which is at once the proof and the earnest that one day we, too, shall rise from the dead. Here stood the wondering disciples, looking at the ascending Saviour, till a cloud received him out of their sight.

Another deeply affecting incident is mentioned in the Bible in connexion with the Mount of Olives. When the ungrateful Absalom conspired against the throne and the life of his father David, the latter fled from Jerusalem, which was then the seat of his government; and we read that "David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went bare foot : and all the people that were with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up." (2 Sam. xv. 30.)

Let us now descend the hill, cross the little wooden bridge that spans the brook below, and walk up the steep sides of Mount Moriah to the St. Stephen's gate. On our right and on our left are scattered a few of those olive-trees from which the mountain received its name. The bottom of the valley is covered with tombs. This is the common burial-ground of the Jews. Tombs are found in almost every direction outside the walls of the city.

Examination.

Can you give me any reason why Jerusalem should be so interesting to us? Give the names of some persons connected with its history. How long has the city been in existence? What nations have at different times possessed it ?

Can you tell me anything for which it has been remarkable? Where is it situated? What is the character of the surrounding country? What is the average height of the mountainous district, in which Jerusalem is built, above the level of the Dead Sea? What is the shape of the city walls? What is their general height? By what are they guarded? What defend the city on three sides? Name these sides. What bounds it on the north? Who have encamped here? What army, most probably, was destroyed here? By what is the northern side of the city defended? What is the length of the city? Its breadth?

Throughout the whole of this Lesson I suppose the teacher to use the "pointer," to mark the position of the place he is speaking about on the sketch. Simple as this expedient is, it is of great use in enabling a child to realize the picture.

Its circumference? On which side is the brook Kedron ? What is its direction? Where does it empty itself? What mountain lies east of Kedron? What mount lies at the southern extremity of Olivet? Where is the valley of Hinnom? The valley of Rephaim? How many gates are there to the city of Jerusalem? Name them and give their position. What is the character of the roads leading from these gates? In looking down upon Jerusalem from the mount of Olives what would we see? What is there peculiar in the appearance of the city? What principal object would attract our attention? Upon what mount is it built? Give me a general description of the Mosque of Omar. What would be the fate of any Jew or Christian found within its walls? What can be seen a little beyond the Mosque of Omar; What person often crossed the Mount of Olives on his road to Bethany? Relate the particulars of two important events which occurred on this mountain in the life of our Saviour. Can you mention any other event with which this mountain is associated? &c.

II. INTERIOR OF THE CITY. Let us now suppose that we have reached the St. Stephen's Gate, the eastern entrance to the city. This is a strong stone building, upon the portals of which four lions are cut out. Almost immediately within this gate we would see a large hollow place in the earth in the form of a square. Its sides are covered with small stones, and these again have been plastered. This is supposed to be the Pool of Bethesda, mentioned in John v. 2-9. There seems to be no reason for doubting the truth of this supposition. Here, then, that "great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered," used to wait "for the moving of the water.' Here our Saviour cured the man 66 which had an infirmity thirty and eight years." The pool is now dry, and has certainly not held any water for centuries. Its length is 360 feet; breadth 130 feet; depth 75 feet. The first thing, perhaps, which would strike our attention on entering Jerusalem would be the extreme ruggedness of the streets. It is all up hill and down hill, up hill and down hill, from one

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end of the city to the other. would most likely claim our attention would be the narrowness of the streets. You are accustomed to see fine broad streets, in which four or five carriages may run abreast, and yet give room for foot-passengers on both sides. Not so the streets of Jerusalem. There you would find it a difficult matter to squeeze yourself past one well-loaded camel. The streets seldom exceed eight or ten feet in breadth, and generally speaking they are badly paved, and in some parts exceedingly filthy, and filled with rubbish of every description. You can easily infer from this that no carts, waggons, coaches, nor any vehicle of like kind can be found in the streets of Jerusalem. Goods are carried backwards and forwards chiefly on the backs of camels; and a four-wheeled waggon in Jerusalem would be a stranger thing than a drove of loaded camels in London. In many places the opposite sides of the streets are united by low arches; so that in some cases the people may be said to live on both sides of the street. It often occurs, too, that where the streets are not covered with arches, there they are covered with planks of wood, or old mats. This is done, most probably, to shelter the inhabitants from the sun; though it makes the streets very dull and gloomy. Timber being exceedingly scarce in the neighbourhood of the city, the houses are all built of stone; only the doors, sashes, and a few other portions, are made of wood. They are low, square, dull-looking masses, and from the Mount of Olives have more the appearance of prisons, or sepulchres, than human habitations. In Jerusalem it would not be very far wrong to say that the front of the house is the back, and the back of the house the front. The side facing the street, and which we call the front, is almost like a dead wall. A low door of entrance, and, it may be, one or two small, latticed windows, so made as to keep out the ligh and let in the air, are all that can be seen.

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