The first and second kings of Jerusalem. The far end of this chapel, called the chapel of St. John, and of the anointing, by reason of the stone which it neighbours, is confined with the foot of Calvary, where, on the left side of the altar, there is a cleft in the rock; in which they say that the head of Adam was found, as they will have it, there buried; others say in Hebron, that his bones might be sprinkled with the real blood of our Saviour: which he knew should be shed in that place, by a prophetical foreknowledge. Over this are the chapels of mount Calvary, ascended on the north side thereof by twenty steps; the highest hewn out of the rock, as is a part of the passage; obscure, and extraordinary narrow. The floor of the first chapel is checkered with divers coloured marbles; not to be trod upon by feet that are shod. At the east end, under a large arched concave of the wall, is the place whereon our Saviour did suffer; which may assuredly be thought the same and if one place be more holy than another, reputed in the world the most venerable. He is void of sense that sees, believes, and is not then confounded with his passions. The rock there rises half a yard higher than the pavement, level above, in form of an altar, ten feet long, and six feet broad; flagged with white marble; as is the arch and wall that adjoins. In the midst is the place wherein the cross did stand; lined with silver, gilt, and embossed. This they creep to, prostrate themselves thereon, kiss, salute; and such as use them, sanctify therein their beads and crucifixes. On either side there stands a cross: that on the right side in the place where the good thief was crucified; and that on the left where the bad; divided from Christ by the rent of the rock, a figure of his spiritual separation, which clove asunder in the hour of his passion. The insides do testify that art had no hand therein: each side to the other being answerably rugged; and these were inaccessible to the workman. That before spoken of, in the chapel below, is a part of this, which reaches, as they say, to the centre," Sandys, p. 161. "At about one yard and a half distance from the hole in which the foot of the cross was fixed, is seen that memorable cleft in the rock, said to have been made by the earthquake which happened at the suffering of the God of nature. When, as St. Matthew, xxvii. 51. witnesses, the rocks rent, and the very graves were opened. This cleft, as to what now appears of it, is about a span wide at its upper part, and two deep: after which it closes: but it opens again below, as you may see in another chapel, contiguous to the side of Calvary; and runs down to an unknown depth in the earth. That this rent was made by the earthquake, that happened at our Lord's passion, there is only tradition to prove but that it is a natural and genuine breach, and not counterfeited by any art, the sense and reason of every one that sees it may convince him; for the sides of it fit like two tallies to each other, and yet it runs in such intricate windings as could not well be counterfeited by art, nor arrived at by any instruments," Maundrell, p. 75. VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. THIS print shows not only the outer chamber, where the pilgrims are represented in acts of devotion, as is their custom at the commemoration of the crucifixion and resurrection, but the inner chamber also, with the altar marking the place where the body of Jesus laid. This altar is adorned with lights, and is held in the utmost veneration. The figures in this chamber are an Armenian and a Copthi priest. The entrance is guarded by Turkish Janizaries; and the pilgrims in the outer chamber, are from various eastern parts. The stone which lies down, and which a pilgrim is kissing, is supposed to be that which blocked up the entrance at the time of the resurrection: be that as it may, it is of a size exactly fitted to the doorway of the sepulchre. with hangings of damask and gold, at the expense of the king of Spain, I think the late king; who also so far patronized the convent, as to pay the debt it had run in arrears to the Turks, for permission to attend the sacred precincts. The paucity of pilgrims in late years having not been sufficient to pay the expenses of the place, the convent, of course, was distressed, and must have been abandoned, but for this royal generosity and zeal. The whole of these sacred premises is ornamented We shall extract from two of our earlier travellers, their accounts of this holy place, as it appeared in their times. "In the midst of the floor there is a stone about a foot high, and a foot and a half square; whereon, they say, that the angel sat, who told the two Maries that our Saviour was risen. But St. Matthew says, he sat upon the great stone which he had rolled from the mouth of the sepulchre; which, as it is said, the empress caused to be conveyed to the church of St. Saviour, standing, where once stood the palace of Caiphas. Out of this a passage through the midst of the rock, exceeding not three feet in height, and two in breadth, having a door of gray stone, with hinges of the same, undivided from the natural, affords a way to creep through into a second concave, about eight feet square, and as much in height, with a compost roof of the solid rock, but lined for the most part with white marble. On the north side, there is a tomb of the same, which possesses one half of the room; a yard in height, and made in the form of an altar; insomuch, as not above three can abide there at once; the place no larger than affords a liberty for kneeling. It is said, that long after the resurrection, the tomb remained in that form wherein it was when our Saviour lay there when at length by reason of the devouter pilgrims, who continually bore away little pieces thereof, relics whereunto they attributed miraculous effects, it was enclosed within a grate of iron. But a second inconveniency which proceeded from the tapers, hair, and other offerings thrown in by votaries, which defiled the monument, procured the pious Helena to enclose the same within this marble altar, which now belongs to the Latins whereon they only say mass, yet free for other Christians to exercise their private devotions: being well set forth, and having on the far side an antique and excellent picture, demonstrating the resurrection. Over it perpetually burns a number of lamps, which have sullied the roof like the inside of a chimney, and yields to the room an immoderate fervour. Thousands of Christians perform their vows, and offer their tears here yearly, with all the expressions of sorrow, humility, affection, and penitence. It is a frozen zeal that will not be warmed with the sight thereof. And O that I could retain the effects that it wrought, with an unfainting perseverance!" Sandys's Travels, p. "On Easter morning the sepulchre was again set open very early. The clouds of the former morning were cleared up, and the friars put on a face of joy and serenity, as if it had been the real juncture of our Lord's resurrection. 167. "The mass was celebrated this morning just before the holy sepulchre, being the most eminent place in the church, where the father guardian had a throne erected, and being arrayed in episcopal robes, with a mitre on his head; in the sight of all the Turks, he gave the host to all that were disposed to receive it; not refusing children of seven or eight years old. This office being ended, we made our exit out of the sepulchre, and returning to the convent, dined with the friars," Maundrell's Travels, p. 75. Having lately inspected a model of this holy building, brought from Jerusalem, by one of the British officers who accompanied sir Sidney Smith, in his ever memorable defence of Acre, I am led to think, that Mr. Mayer, who made the drawing from which our Plate was engraved, in order to show the inner chamber advantageously, has made the entrance too large as it certainly is impossible, judging by that model, to see the altar in the inner chamber, as shown in our print. ON THE STATE AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE HOLY CITY OF JERUSALEM, AT DIFFERENT TIMES. WITH A PLATE, HINTING AT ITS DIMENSIONS IN FOUR DIFFERENT PERIODS. THE alterations made by time on the face of the earth, though considerable, are insignificant when compared with those produced by the labours of man; mountains, rocks, and for the most part, rivers, also, remain, not greatly changed from their ancient appearances, where only the lapse of ages has acted upon them but where the devices and exertions of human art, and the varying intentions of human labour have been directed, whether during many ages, or few, the changes made are striking, and their effect in producing dissimilarity is wonderful. Every city bears witness to the truth of this remark; but as no city, with which we are acquainted, in addition to its character of society, habitation, or polity, adds that of sanctity also, we are hardly capable of making proper allowance for the effect of this principle, and its attendant consequences. Those who attribute to any particular place the character of sanctity, will, no doubt, not only honour, but also adorn the subject of their consecration: they will dignify all they can the place of their devotion; but, this very attention will excite enmity in others; and a place thus distinguished, will be distinguished also by the effects of that enmity; it will be attacked and defended, destroyed and restored, with a resolution and perseverance, which establishments merely civil are not to expect. Such has been the lot of that very ancient city of Jerusalem; and to set before the eyes of our readers the proofs of this fact, and the nature of its consequences, is the intent of our present reflections on the subject. The antiquity of the Jewish nation, of which Jerusalem was the capital, is itself considerable; but that of this city may reasonably be placed greatly ante rior; for to whatever period of the world we refer the establishment of the Hebrew commonwealth, certainly this city was extant before it. The name seems to be compounded of two appellations; first, Salem, or Peace; secondly, Jebus, afterward varied into Jerus; this perhaps denoting its inhabitants, or at least, originating in a reference to their appellation. Josephus informs us that Salem was the capital of the kingdom of Melchisedec, and the same city as Jerusalem; the Arabians assert, that it was built in honour of that illustrious patriarch, by twelve neighbouring kings; whether or not they built it for him, we may be allowed to suppose they supported it; and, if the reader will turn to our thoughts on the character of Melchisedec, Gen. xiv. plates, he will see how closely this agrees with the statements there submitted to his judgment. Without further evidence, as the subject has already come before us, we shall consider the ancient Salem as the origin of the succeeding Jerusalem, and shall call the reader's attention to its situation, and to those places understood to lie in its neighbourhood. We have many instances of a sacred precinct for worship giving rise to a town, and the progress is extremely natural; yet we must carefully remember, that every sacred precinct is not a temple; but that, in early ages, many places were allotted for worship, &c, which never were covered in by building: and indeed, people who perpetually dwelt in tents, and removed from place to place, might consecrate particular patches of ground, or rocks, or hills, &c. but could have no inducement to erect devotional buildings upon them. In order to treat this inquiry properly, I must assume that the town of Salem stood on mount Moriah, and that mount Moriah was one of those sacred places to which we have alluded. My notion of it is, that a plot of ground, of some determinate and regular form; oblong square, usually, I suppose; was prepared, levelled, and bounded by a hedge, or plantation of trees, called in Scripture, "a grove ;" and that this answered the purpose of a place for worship. Such a separated place being resorted to, at first a few tents were pitched, to accommodate the resorters, then a few houses were built, and these by degrees from a village increased to a town, and at length from a town to a city. In one of these stages, probably that of a small town, we are first made acquainted with Salem; of which we read, that Melchisedec came forth from it; that the valley of "Shaveh," or "the king's dale," was adjacent to it; that it was considered as a place peculiarly sacred, and where the word of the Lord was made known among the sons of men. [These [These ideas are combined in our attempts to ascertain the person and character of Melchisedec, above referred to.] I know not how far we may consider as certain, that this mount Moriah is that on which Abraham offered up Isaac, Gen. xxii. offered up Isaac, Gen. xxii. General opinion favours the sentiment, but general opinion is not decisive, though it may be presumptive evidence. I shall however remark, that Abraham did not find an altar ready built on that mountain where he sacrificed; yet it seems to have been a consecrated place; it agrees therefore with our notion of a portion of ground enclosed for worship, and if I mistake not, it was in this enclosure, i.e. in some part of the hedge, or grove around it, that the ram, substituted instead of Isaac, was caught by his horns: it is denoted by the word sabek, and the Lxx render "caught in the plant [plantation?] sabek," retaining the term; the Talmud renders trees. Interpreters differ as to what species of plant this was, but from the usage of the word elsewhere, it seems to denote a closely planted grove, or thicket, Psalm lxxiv. 5; Isai. ix. 5. which is precisely what I presume is its import here. In this we have one mark of a consecrated place; and if we suppose it was on the summit of mount Moriah, while the usual station of Melchisedec was, in his tents, in Salem, at some distance, lower down the mount, whether that patriarch was now absent, or whether Abraham reached the consecrated spot privately, or however that might be, as we do not affirm that a city was established here at the time, but perhaps a few straggling shepherds; in this resembling mount Sinai, we may easily adjust circumstances to perfect coincidence with the utmost privacy. That many places were distinguished in the manner we have described is well known in classic antiquity; and they may be justly reckoned as a species of high places, common among the Hebrews. But, we remark, that if this sacred spot was not enclosed by the town of Salem, it does not contradict our conjecture, though it should be thought that town was really extant in this early age. Our Plate contains four plans of the site of Jerusalem; by inspecting the first of them, the reader will see the situation of mount Moriah, with the sanctum marked on it; and the other places as above named, "the king's valley," or "the valley of equity:" we have considered as that afterward called "of Jehoshaphat," or "the judgment of the Lord;" and the tribunal might stand under where that gate, called the golden gate, is now extant. This is in compliance merely with the tradition, which says, that from hence all mankind shall be judged. As the whole of these four plates are traced from the same plan, the reader will perceive at once, by mere inspection, the relation these places bear to each other, and will judge by their appositions, better than by any prolonged description. The next occurrence in which, as we have thought, the city of Salem is mentioned, is that, 2 Sam. v. 6, &c. The reader will find in the EXPOSITORY INDEX, a statement entirely new respecting this passage ; |