PART
I.

A. D. 30 and 31.

I.

Of Enon and Salim.

2.

Of Se

chem, or Sychar.

CHA P. IV.

Of our Saviour's Journeyings from the first Passover after his Baptifm and Entrance upon his public Ministry, to the fecond Paffover.

THE

HE paffover holy days (during which our Saviour had by his miracles converted many, and among the rest Nicodemus, a ruler or principal perfon among the Jews) being now ended, our Lord, with fome of his difciples, withdrew from Jerufalem into another part of Judea, where he continued for fome while. At this time John was baptizing in Enon, near to Salim, because there was much water there, John iii. 22, 23. And indeed the name Enon does import the fame as a place of fprings; but the only mention we have of it in Scripture is here, where it is defcribed to be situated near Salim. And the fituation even of this last place is now uncertain, unless it be the fame with Shalem (or Salem), a city of Shechem, mentioned Gen. xxxiii. 18. or else the fame with Shalim (or Salim), mentioned 1 Sam. ix. 4. If it be the fame with either of thefe, it lay within (what was called in the times of the New Teftament) the province of Samaria.

Our Lord, after he had fpent fome time in this part of Judea, knowing how the Pharifees had heard that he made and baptized more difciples than John (though our Lord himself baptized not, but his difciples), to avoid any ill defigns that the Pharifees might be contriving against him, he left Judea, and departed again into Galilee, having alfo by this time heard, that John the Baptift was caft into prison by Herod. Now JESUS, as he went the ftraight way from Judea to Galilee, muft needs go through Samaria; where in his way he comes to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his fon Joseph; hard by which town there is a well called Jacob's Well, where, Jefus being wearied with his journey, fat down and refted himself, John

IV.

iv. 1, 2, 3, &c. The defcription here given by the Evange- CHAP. lift, of Sychar, puts it out of all doubt, that it is the fame with Sychem; the difference between the two names proceeding in all probability only from a dialectical or corrupt way of pronunciation. This city is at prefent called Naplofa, and ftands in a narrow valley between mount Gerizim on the fouth, and Ebal on the north, being built at the foot of the former, upon the top of which the Samaritans, whose chief refidence is here at Sychem, have a fmall temple or place of worship, to which they are still wont to repair at certain feafons, for performance of the rites of their religion. What thefe rites are, Mr. Maundrel tells us, he could not certainly learn but that their religion confifts in the adoration of a calf, as the Jews give out, feems to have more of fpite than of truth in it. Sychar, or, as it is now-a-days called, Naplosa, is at present in a very mean condition, in comparison of what it is represented to have been anciently. It now confifts chiefly of two ftreets, lying parallel under mount Gerizim, but is full of people, and the feat of a Baffa.

Mr. Maundrel acquaints us, that fetting forwards from Sychem towards Jerufalem, and proceeding in the narrow valley between Gerizim and Ebal (not above a furlong broad), he and his companions faw on their right hand, juft without the city, a fmall mofque, faid to have been over the fepulchre purchased by Jacob of Emmor, the father of Shechem, and which goes by the name of Jofeph's fepulchre, his bones having been here interred, after their transportation out of gypt, Josh. xxiv. 32.

At about one third of an hour, we came, faith Mr. Maundrel, to Jacob's well, famous not only on account of its author, but much more for that memorable conference, which our bleffed Saviour here had with the woman of Samaria, John iv. If it fhould be queftioned, whether this be the very well, that it is pretended for, or no, seeing it may be suspected to ftand too remote from Sychar, for women to come from thence to draw water; it is anfwered, that probably the city

* Journey from Aleppo to Jerufalem, p. 58, 59, &c.

M 2

extended

3.

Of Jacob's

well.

PART extended farther this way in former times than it does now, I. as may be conjectured from fome pieces of a very thick wall,

4.

Of the parcel of

ground that

Jacob gave

to his fon

Jofeph.

5.

Our Lord

ftill to be feen not far from hence. Over the well there stood formerly a large church, erected by that great and devout patronefs of the Holy Land, the Empress Helena: but of this the voracity of time, affifted by the hands of the Turks, has left nothing but a few foundations remaining. The well is covered at prefent with an old ftone vault, into which you are let down through a very ftraight hole, and then removing a broad flat stone, you discover the mouth of the well itself. It is dug in a firm rock, and contains about three yards in diameter, and thirty-five in depth; five of which we found full of water. This confutes a story commonly told to travellers, who do not take the pains to examine the well, viz. that it is dry all the year round, except on the anniversary of that day, on which our bleffed Saviour fate upon it, but then bubbles up with abundance of water.

At this well the narrow valley of Sychem ends, opening it. felf into a wide field, which is probably part of that parcel of ground given by Jacob to his fon Joseph, John iv. 5. It is watered with a fresh stream rifing between it and Sychem, which makes it fo exceeding verdant and fruitful, that it may, well be looked upon as a standing token of the tender affection of that good patriarch to the beft of fons, Gen. xlviii. 22.

Our bleffed Saviour having ftaid two days, and been conreturns into verfant (contrary to the practice of the Jews) in a very faGalilee; miliar obliging way with the Samaritans, and fo having got again vifits many converts among them, he pursues his journey into GaNazareth. lilee; and taught in their fynagogues, being glorified of all,

where he

Cana and

Luke iv. 15. and being kindly received by the Galileans, they having feen all the things that he did at Jerufalem at the feaft, John iv. 45. Among other places in this country, he particularly vifited Cana of Galilee, where he had before made the water wine, and where he now again wrought a fecond miracle in healing the fon of a nobleman that was fick at Capernaum by his bare word, John iv. 46, &c. Our Saviour likewife this time made a vifit to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, which was the only place in Galilee, where

he

IV.

he was unkindly treated: for his townfmen being exasperated CHA P. by a discourse he made to them, they rofe up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might caft him down headlong. But he exerting his divine power, and paffing through the midst of them, none of them knowing how, he miraculously escaped them, and went his way, Luke iv. 16, 28, 29, 30.

In the forementioned difcourfe, which our Saviour made to the men of Nazareth, he mentions Sarepta, a city of Sidon, or within the jurifdiction of the Sidonians. It is called in the Old Teftament Zorephath, 1 Kings xvii. 9. and in all probability it is, as Mr. Maundrel obferves, the fame now called Sarphan, distant about three hours travel from Sidon towards Tyre. The forementioned writer tells us, that the place fhewn for this city confifts at prefent only of a few houses on the tops of the mountains within about half a mile of the fea. But it is more probable the principal part of the city stood below, in the fpace between the hills and the fea, there being ruins still to be seen in that place of a confiderable extent.

6.

Of Sarepta

Our Lord having made a miraculous escape from his townfmen of Nazareth, took his leave of their city, and came and dwelt at Capernaum, the description of which therefore I have reserved to this place. It is not once mentioned in the Old Teftament, either under this name or any other, whence it may be concluded, that it was not then in being. It is therefore not improbable that it was one of the towns built by the Jews at their return from the Babylonish captivity, upon the fea-coaft, that is, on the coaft of the fea of Galilee, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephtalim, and confequently towards the upper part of the forementioned fea-coaft. It took its name, without doubt, from an adjoining spring of great repute for its cryftalline flowing waters, this fountain or spring being, as Jofephus informs us, called by the natives Capernaum. And as the excellency of this fountain was, in all probability, one inducement to the building of the town in the place where it ftood; fo there feems to have been another motive

7.

Of Caper

naum.

1.

PAR T. for making choice of that fituation, namely, the conveniency of it for a wafting-place from Galilee to the other fide of the fea. For this feems to be alluded to by the prophet Isaiah in that prophecy, which was fulfilled by our Saviour's dwelling at Capernaum, and which runs thus, as cited by St. Matthew, chap. iv. ver. 15, 16. The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephtalim, by the way of the fea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, &c. Now this expreffion, by the way of the fea beyond Fordan, is, I think, to be understood as denoting thus much; that as the Gofpel fhould be preached chiefly within the lands of Zabulon and Nephtalim in general; fo more particularly at the city or town, whence was or fhould be the way by fea from Galilee to the country lying beyond Jordan. Galilee of As to the other expreffion, Galilee of the Gentiles, this norththe Gentiles, why fo ern part of Galilee was fo termed, either because it was very called. populous, or else because it was inhabited by many Gentiles as well as Jews. It remains only to observe, that on account of the fignal honour done by our Lord to Capernaum, in making choice of it for his dwelling-place, it is faid by our Lord himfelf to be exalted unto heaven: but on account of its not making a right ufe of this fignal favour, it drew from our Lord that severe woe denounced against it, namely, that it fhould be brought down to hell, &c. Matt. xi. 23. Which woe is fully verified, it being quite fallen from that grandeur it had in the times of the New Teftament, and fo decayed as, long fince, to confift but of fix poor fishermen's cottages, and perhaps now wholly defolate.

8.

Of the fea of

Galilee, otherwife called the

fea of Tibe

rias, and the

Having defcribed Capernaum, it will be proper to adjoin here a defcription of the fea of Galilee on which it stood, and of which therefore there is frequent mention in the Gofpels, either under the fame or elfe different names. For it is to be known that the fea of Galilee is the fame with the fea lake of Gennefareth. of Tiberias, and the lake of Gennefareth. As it was called the fea of Galilee from the province of Galilee in general, fo it was called the fea of Tiberias, from a town of that name ftanding on its western fhore; and it was called the lake of Gennefareth, from that particular tract of Galilee