IRLF SB TED UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ANDREW SMITH HALLIDIL: f OF THE ^UNIVERSITY ijTtfiaS X W /r LIFE IN JUDEA: OR, of tl;t /irst &jjrtetian $ge. BY MARIA T. RICHARDS, OF THE UNIVERSITY PIITLADRLPIIIA: AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 530 AIIC11 STREET. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by the AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. PHILADELPHIA. STEREOTYPED BY GEORGE CHARLES. PRINTED BY KINO & BAIRD. ilij 6 PREFACE. while preparing these sketches, she had access to two extensive and valuable public libraries. No one is more fully aware than the author, that the design of her work is but imperfectly accom- plished, and that she has not rendered justice to her portraiture of times, in themselves full of inter- est and beauty. Leisure and opportunity for more extensive reading would, doubtless, have enabled her to improve what is now presented, as prepared during widely-scattered intervals of time, redeemed from the various demands upon the relation of a pastor's wife and the pressing claims of domestic duties. That the perusal of these simple pages may lead the young, into whose hands they may fall, to a more diligent study of the Holy Scriptures, as an inexhaustible fountain of beauty, wisdom, and love ; and, if aught has been written therein presumptu- ously or irreverently, that it may be caused to fall powerless to the ground, by Him who hath power to guide all things after the counsel of his own will, is the fervent prayer of the writer. M. T. E. Salem, N. J. CONTENTS. PART I. THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM. CHAPTER I. PAO A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA, 11 CHAPTER II. WELCOME AT JERUSALEM, 27 CHAPTER III. VISIT TO BETHLEHEM, 38 CHAPTER IV. STARTLING NEWS FROM BETHABARA, 53 CHAPTER V. VISIT TO ANTIOCH, 66 CHAPTER VI. A JOYFUL SURPRISE, V2 CHAPTER VII. SEARCHINGS FOR TRUTH, 88 CHAPTER VIII. A ROYAL TRIUMPH, 1P3 CHAPTER IX. THE PASCHAL SUPPER TV THE FAMILY, 113 CHAPTER X. THE BANISHMENT,... 123 CO 3 CONTENTS. > ( PART II. THE DOOMED CITY. CHAPTER I. PAG DISCIPLES AT EPHESUS, ........................................................... 141 CHAPTER II. CHANGES AND CONTRASTS, ........................................................ 152 CHAPTER III. PERSECUTIONS AT ROME, .......................................................... 168 CHAPTER IV. THE BESIEGED CITY, ............................................................... 168 CHAPTER V. AN UNEXPECTED INCIDENT ....................................................... 180 CHAPTER VI. THE BELIEVING PHARISEE, ....................................................... 190 CHAPTER VII. ESCAPE TO PELLA, .................................................................. 205 CHAPTER VIII. FALL OP THE CITY, ........................................ ; ........................ 218 CHAPTER IX. JERUSALEM DESOLATE....... .................................................... 231 CHAPTER X. THB ROMAIC TRIUMPH, ............................................................. 241 CHAPTER XL THE REUNION, ............... . .............................. . ......................... 255 CHAPTER XII. THE CHRISTIAN TRIUMPH. ................... ........... .......... . ........ . ....... 267 NOTES. A. CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST, 287 B. CHRISTIANS AT PELLA, AND THEIR PASTOR, 296 C. OUR LORD'S PREDICTIONS CONCERNING JERUSALEM, 308 fJnrt 3. THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM. OF TH? &UFOJ PAET I. THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM. "The heavens were not commanded to prepare A gorgeous canopy of golden air; Nor stooped their lamps th' enthroned fires on high : A single silent star Came wandering from afar, Gliding unchecked and calm along the liquid sky ; The Eastern Sages leading on, As at a kingly throne, To lay their gold and odors sweet Before the infant Saviour's feet" MILHAN. CHAPTER I. A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA. THE birth of Christ is related by the inspired historians as taking place under the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus, and when Herod the Great was king of Judea. At this period Rome had attained the meridian of her splendor, and stretched the arms of her power to the East and the West. From the days of Ninus, who lived about three hundred years after the flood, till the Christian era, was a period of two thousand years, during which time various empires succeeded each other in their sway over the earth. The Assyrian may be said to have taken the lead, as it was first til) 12 LIFE IX JUDEA. in point of time, and the cradle of Asiatic elegance and refinement. But the gigantic power of the Assyrians gave place to that of the Medes and Persians : this in process of time yielded to the valor of the warlike Greeks, while Greece herself, renowned as she was in arts and arms, had sunk under the dominion of Rome, who had thus gained the title of " Mistress of the World." In point of extent the Roman Empire was at this time a magnificent object, stretching from the Euphrates on the East to the Atlantic on the West, a distance of more than three thousand miles. It was two thousand miles from North to South, comprising sixteen hundred thousand square miles. This mighty empire lay in the most eligible part of the temperate zone, and produced all the conveni- ences and luxuries of life. Rome is said to have gained this vast dominion as much by the manners as by the arms of her citizens. Whenever the Romans had subdued a country, they prepared immediately to civilize it. They transplanted thither their laws, manners, arts, sciences and literature. Their exceeding wealth led them to spare no pains to render the public roads commodious, and to give easy communications between the most distant provinces of the empire. In this way literature and the arts became generally diffused, and the people of various countries enjoyed reciprocal intercourse. Thus there were many advantages resulting from bringing so many different nations under one government, and these coutri- outed a large share in facilitating the promulgation of the gospel by the labors of the Apostles, and consequently A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA. 13 may be ranked among the concurring events which consti- tuted the period of our Lord's advent, " the fullness of time." It is hardly necessary to revert to the literary state of the empire at this time. Rome, Athens, Corinth, Alex- andria, Antioch, Damascus, Ephesus, with their far-famed schools, flourished in unrivalled splendor. Sculpture, music, painting and poetry had attained the zenith of their glory, and philosophy, oratory, literature and the arts, with their triumphs swelled by the proudest names of genius, unitedly testified that the brightness of the golden age was yet undimmed. The religion of Rome, or rather the established supersti- tion of the empire, had been received by the nations under its dominion, which embraced a great part of the known world. According to the Greek and Roman Mythology, all nature teemed with divine agents. Fabulous deities were multiplied to the number of many thousands, and Ju- piter was adored as the head of the celestial association. The gods and goddesses who were held up for the worship of the people, were invested with human passions, and were the avowed authors of the most flagrant crimes. Un- der these influences, the state of society was to the last degree vicious and depraved. Thus over the noon-tide splendors of worldly wisdom rested the overshadowing gloom of a moral night. The period had come which Isaiah in prophetic vision had seen ages before, and of which he exclaimed, " Behold darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." 2 14 LIFE IX JUDEA. Notwithstanding the great advantage of the Jewish peo- ple in possessing the oracles of God, their condition at this time was not much superior to that of the Gentiles. Their religion was corrupted by the idolatrous practices of the nations around them, and divided among themselves into different systems, while the great mass of the people were ignorant of its divine teachings. Their civil liberty was gone. The powerful kingdom of Solomon had sunk into a subordinate province of the Roman empire, and was governed by a prince entitled to the name of Great, only by the magnitude of his vices. Their holy city and temple, which had been their pride and glory, were daily polluted by their conquerors, and both in their own coun- try and abroad, they were an oppressed people. Such was the state of the world and of the chosen people of God, when Christ appeared on earth. He lived and died. His apostles preached his gospel to scoffing thou- sands, against the opposition of power, wealth, learning, worldly philosophy and unyielding prejudice ; yet notwith- standing all this, before the close of the first century, pa- ganism and idolatry trembled beneath its power. The city of Rome, the vast heart, whose pulsations were felt to every extremity of the Roman empire, was seated on seven hills, and embraced a circumference of nearly twenty miles. Within this space were four hundred and twenty temples, perfected with all the triumphs of Grecian architecture, and supplied with statues of the deities to whom they were dedicated. Theatres, public baths, por- ticoes, and market places, were scattered throughout the A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA. 15 vast city. Triumphal arches were built over many of the streets and squares, in commemoration of the conquests of Roman arms ; and statues of her renowned kings, consuls, tribunes, and emperors, wrought with matchless skill, abounded everywhere. The dwellings of the common people were built very high, and crowded with the vast population of the city ; for the nobles had acquired, at an enormous expense, large portions of the ground, which they appropriated to their own use, and nearly eighteen hundred superb palaces, surrounded by extensive gardens, testified to the wealth and luxury of the patricians and citizens of Rome. Among the palaces of the Esquiline hill stood a villa, which in symmetry of proportion, beauty of design, and elegance of material, was unsurpassed even by the cele- brated villa of Maecenas, which was situated at a little dis- tance. Its light Corinthian columns were revealed amid the dark foliage of the surrounding trees, which, half-re- vealing, heightened their graceful and delicate beauty, and imparted to the mansion a rural charm of strong attract- iveness. Serpentine walks through borders of fragrant shrubbery, conducted to various retreats throughout the gardens, peopled by the statues of wood and water nymphs, and fresh with the breath of cooling fountains. This beautiful villa was the home of the Jew, Absalom. His parents had left Judea in the reign of Julius Caesar, and settled in Rome. Aminidab, his father, had engaged largely in commerce, and his riches increased exceedingly. The large patrimony which Absalom thus received multi- 16 LIFE IN JUDEA. plied in his hands, till he ranked among the most opulent of the citizens of Rome ; and when the beautiful estate upon the Esquiline became confiscated to the Emperor Augus- tus, Absalom had purchased it at an immense sum, paid in gold talents of Jerusalem. To this home he had brought his fair young bride, whom he had married at her father's house in Jericho. At their marriage the years of the bridegroom nearly doubled those of the bride ; and the disparity of age was not greater than the dissimilarity of their characters and habits of thought and feeling. Absa- lom had been reared most carefully in the customs of Rome, and was in all things, save the contour of face and form, and his disbelief in Jupiter, a Roman. But Cypros had been nurtured in the Hebrew faith, and forgot not the laws and institutions of her people. Children were born to them, and in their education the father would fain they might forget their Hebrew descent, and be taught to pride themselves in the honor of Roman citizens. The mother was equally desirous that, as the unmistakeable impress of the Jew was written upon their outward semblance, so their hearts and lives might not deny their birth, nor prove recreant to the trust imposed upon their people, of pre- serving among all nations the knowledge of the one true God, forgetting not the laws given to Moses, nor the pro- mises made to Abraham. In the court of Absalom the whole family group were assembled, and many eyes glistened in tears : for a part of their number were already habited for departure. Mu- A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA. It tual wishes of peace and prosperity were again and again exchanged. Directions and precautions for the journey were reiterated, messages to far off friends repeated yet once more, and still the mother's lips delayed to speak the farewell blessing upon her first-born son, and upon the daughter who had been the companion of her life, now to leave the home of their youth. But at length the parting words were said, and Cypros, taking the hand of her daughter, laid it within that of the young Roman who claimed her as his bride, and commended her to his ten- derest care, with all the full and earnest love that a mother's heart only can know. The travellers were soon on board the Anacreon, that lay in the Tiber, bound for Cesarea. The river was crowded with shipping, and it was with difficulty that the vessel slowly and carefully threaded her way among the various craft that thronged the harbor of Rome, from every sea. Often indeed did it come into contact with surrounding vessels, occasioning a commotion in the disen- tanglement, which seemed to be a great discomfort to some of the passengers, while it afforded amusement to others. At length, clear of all obstructions, the Anacreon floated gracefully down the Tiber, before a gentle northern breeze, and the party from the house of Absalom ascended upon the deck to keep in view the city whose shores they were leaving. The two young men were of about the same age and size. Both wore the Roman garb, and their souls seemed knit in close companionship, yet a single glance revealed the wide difference of their birth. Nathan, the 2* 18 LIFE IN JUDEA. son of Absalom, was in complexion even darker than most of his people. His hair and beard were of the deepest black, his eyes deep-set and penetrative, and his whole aspect one of grave and contemplative thought. Aurelius Gracchus, the Roman, was evidently one upon whom the cares of life weighed lightly, and by whom its pleasures were not misappreciated. His face had been too fair, but for its rosy glow of health ; and the expression of his full grey eye, and broad open brow, relieved by clustering curls of dark brown hair, revealed a character of honor and truth. Julia, the bride of Aurelius, and sister of Nathan, greatly resembled her brother, save that his air of grave abstraction was in her supplanted by a joyousness of expression, and a countenance indicative of lively inter- est in all that was transpiring about her. Aurelius and Nathan had mingled together from child- hood, having pursued the same studies under the care of the same instructors ; and in their youth they had daily listened to the disputations in philosophy at the schools of Athens. It had long been determined that Nathan, when he should reach maturity, should visit Syria and Egypt, to acquire that knowledge of men and things which can only be gained by travel. Meanwhile, letters had been often exchanged between Cypros and her sister Alexan- dra, who dwelt in Jerusalem, the latter entreating, that when Nathan should depart on his journey, he might pass through Jerusalem, and tarry a while therein, and had also earnestly craved that he might bring with him his sis- ter Julia, that she might dwell with her until his return. A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA. 1? To these requests concerning her daughter, Cypros at first turned a deaf ear, but, as every day revealed more and more strongly her Roman preferences, she was inclined to consent, hoping that a visit to the land of the Hebrews might draw her heart to her own people. Yet a year was to elapse ere her son would go forth. While yet she pon- dered the thing in her own mind, Aurelius, who was to accompany Nathan upon his way, formally asked the hand of Julia of her father. He had been a frequent visiter at the villa of Absalom, and had become attracted by the society and conversation of Julia, who possessed an active and gifted mind, and who had, for several years, constantly kept pace with the studies of her brother, and read with him the poets and historians of the golden age of Augus- tus. The pride of Absalom was highly flattered, that a eon of the Gracchi, one of the noblest names of Rome, should seek the hand of his daughter. Cypros, although in her heart she would have wished a son-in-law from among the Jews, yet withheld not her consent where many concurring circumstances were demanding it at her hand. Accordingly, at the expiration of the year, the nuptials of Aurelius and Julia were solemnized according to the cus- toms of the Hebrews. Absalom gave with his daughter a vast dowry, and made a great festival, whose splendor and costliness fully rivalled the magnificent entertainments of the nobles of Rome. The declining sun now gilded the thousand palaces and temples of Rome, whose pure marble and glistening gold reflected his beams with dazzling glory ; and so wide-spread 20 LIFE IN JUDEA. was the magnificence of the mighty city, that she seemed in very deed made to hold the sceptre of universal empire. " How glorious is Rome," exclaimed Aurelius, " how proudly doth she sit the queen of the nations, and her seven hills are as seven thrones, whence her power goeth forth into all the world." "Thou hast well said," answered Nathan ; "and if her justice and mercy were equal to her power, many nations might rejoice in her dominion ; but now, who among her nobles and senate holds not his life as that which may be forfeited at any time by a whisper of the dark Tiberius ? And hath not the blood of the common people been poured out as water, both in the east and the west, as the price of her far-reaching conquest ?" " Such are the chances of war," replied the other. " Rome must sustain her authority by her arms ; and for Tiberius," he added, lowering his tone, " he is already old. May the gods hasten his death, and give to Rome an em- peror worthy of her greatness." " Were the long-promised King of Judea to arise," resumed Nathan, after a pause, " her people, at least, should throw off the yoke of Rome, and boldly assert the freedom which hath been so long wrested from them." " Now, this is but a wild dream of thine," answered Aurelius, " that a king shall arise, who shall presume, with the small handful of thy people, to match the legions of Rome. The thing were worse than folly." "A handful I sayest thou," returned Nathan, his eyes suddenly flashing as with the light of living fire. " Where A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA. '21 are the Jews of Persia and Arabia, of Syria and Egypt, of Judea, yea, even of Rome ? And were the Deliverer to appear, all, even as one, should gird on the sword in his defence. Even with a handful did Judas and Matta- thias come forth from the mountain fastnesses of Galilee and conquer the tyrant Antiochus ; and shall the many fail to accomplish, with their promised king, what has been done by the few ? Nay, verily, and this would I say, though I spake in the ears of Tiberius himself." "Now, surely thou art mad," exclaimed Julia, " that thus thou wilt speak where many may listen and report thy words. I marvel thou considerest not whereunto such speech will tend." " Thy caution is well-timed, Julia," said Aurelius, and he added, addressing Nathan, " thou art counting too far upon the allegiance of thy people unto a new king, for thou knowest there are many who count it a higher honor to be citizens of Rome than children of Abraham." "What thou hast said cannot be denied," answered Nathan, " that many of our number prefer, in outward seeming, the customs of the lands wherein they may be thrown, to those which should ever distinguish us as a pe- culiar people ; but even in such, the promises of Judea often lie buried deep in the heart, and when the times shall oe fulfilled, many a Hebrew who now, perchance, may dwell content in a strange land, shall arise, his soul lighted with hope, and his arm nerved with the strength to re- deem the heritage of the Lord from the reproach of the heathen." 22 LIFE IN JUDEA. " I know not what strange deeds thou wouldst wish our people to do," said Julia, " but it is well all are not like thee, my brother. They who have more years and more wisdom than thyself, say that Judea hath greater pros- perity and peace beneath the eagle wings of Rome than she hath had under her own governors and kings, when the country hath been a scene of civil factions and intestine broils." " But the times of which thou speakest were those in which our country had not had time fully to rise from be- neath the crushing oppression,, whose iron heel had ground her to the very dust. If thou wouldst look upon the Hebrews aright, cast thine eyes backwards to the reigns of David and Solomon, when all Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, dwelt each under his own vine and fig tree, a free and happy people." "Yet," said Aurelius, " were even David and Solomon now to arise" " Thou shalt say no more concerning the Hebrews," interposed Julia. " Ye may compare the verses of Horace and Pindar, or dispute the doctrines of Epicurus with those of Plato and Socrates. Ye may talk of Tiberius, or his base favorite Sejanus, or the prospects of Caius Cali- gula to the empire of Rome. But of the Jews ye shall not speak, seeing that herein ye will never agree." "Thou hast spoken," answered Aurelius, "and most loyally do we obey thy commands. Bring a warmer cloak for thy lady, Clodia," he added, addressing the maid-ser- servant of Julia, " the evening air freshens from the sea." A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA. 23 The Anacreon bad now advanced into the Mediterra- nean, and her path lay parallel with the fertile shores of Italy, which were in view upon the left, while upon the right stretched the broad expanse of the sea, its waves slightly foaming to a fresh breeze, and sparkling beneath the light of a full moon. The mingled grandeur and beauty of the scene, the inspiring motion of the vessel as she rode gracefully and proudly over the deep blue waters, and the sweet melody of some Greeks who were singing odes to Minerva, accompanied by the lyre, all filled the susceptible, ardent soul of Julia with an overflowing hap- piness ; and it drew near midnight ere she would consent to leave a scene of so much enchantment, and retire to her cabin below. The voyage from Rome to Cesarea was highly enjoyed by Julia, Aurelius and Nathan. After passing between the southern point of Italy and the island of Sicily, whereon the towering form of ^Etna seemed to pierce the clouds, they came into the open sea, which on every hand met the sky in the horizon. Yet this seemed not monotonous, for with changing winds, and different lights and shadows, it presented an ever-varying beauty, caught from sunrise and sunset, from twilight and moonbeam, and from the overshadowing wings of the star-lit night. Just touching at Crete, they gazed upon the dim outline of the far-famed Mount Ida, and tarrying for a while at Cyprus, they ad- mired its fertile valleys, sweet with the breath of orange groves, its hills empurpled with the luxuriant vine, and its ?ery mountains rejoicing in the unsurpassed richness of 24 LIFE IN JTTDEA. the soil, decked with the spontaneous growth of the hya- cinth and narcissus, giving the country the appearance of an immense flower garden. At length the vessel drew near the shores of Judea, and approached the harbor of Cesarea. This harbor, which was a wonderful work of art, had been built at great ex- pense by Herod the Great. Its vast walls, whose founda- tions were laid beneath twenty fathoms of water, swept round from the south in the shape of a half-moon, two hundred feet in width, and likewise in a curved line from the northern part of the shore, enclosing a basin which in size seemed a lake where ships might ride securely at all times, protected from the violence of the southern winds, which were especially dangerous upon that unbroken shore. The entrance to the harbor was from the north, and upon each extremity of the vast wall which enclosed it, rose a lofty tower, supporting three colossi of huge proportions. Upon this wall, wholly of marble, and of enormous dimen- sions, were built large edifices, designed for the reception of merchandize ; while on the inner side it afforded, for its entire length, a broad and spacious pavement, where ships might be unladen of their burdens. All along the walls, towers were reared at intervals, both as an additional or- nament and as a means of defence ; and upon an elevation opposite the mouth of the haven was a temple of Caesar, a superb structure, and of so great magnitude as to be seen far off upon the sea. From the inner shore of the haven rose the city ; its streets descending to the water at equal A BRIDAL PARTY LEAVING ROME FOR JUDEA. 25 distances one from another, and crossed by others at right angles. As the Anacreon floated into this spacious harbor, all the magnificence of the city was fully revealed to the pas- sengers who now thronged her decks. Palaces, temples, and theatres, rose on every hand, all of white and polished marble, and built in the forms of Roman and Grecian ar- chitecture ; while the many vessels that crowded the whole length of the quay, and so filled the entire harbor, as to afford but a narrow passage to those that would approach near the city, created a scene of activity and confusion scarcely less than in the Tiber itself. " I see not howthou canst complain of Rome, Nathan," said Aurelius, " it was through her protection and munifi- cence that Herod built and adorned this beautiful city, and constructed her wonderful haven, conquering the im- petuous force of the waves of the sea by the triumphs of art." " Thou hast well said," quickly rejoined a fellow-pas- senger, who stood by, "that this is a wonderful haven; for both in size and excellency doth it surpass the famous Pi- raeus at Athens, near which I spent my youth. But this city of Cesarea is not all the fruit of the labors of Herod the Great. Other cities throughout Judea testify to his .munificence and splendor, and will long be the memorials of his fame." "Thou art then of Athens," asked Aurelius. " Nay, I now hold myself of Cesarea," answered the other. " During the years that I have dwelt here the city 3 26 LIFE IN JUDEA. hath greatly multiplied. Many Greeks and Romans have been attracted hither by the introduction of Roman cus- toms, and the institution of the games commemorated in honor of Caesar. The residence of Pilate, the Roman governor, in Cesarea, hath also imparted an additional consequence to the city, and it is now inhabited by Greeks, Romans, Syrians, Samaritans, and Jews." "Notwithstanding all thou mayest say of the splendor of thy city," remarked Nathan, " it is not the rightful capital of the land ; and it was an evil day for Judea when her metropolis was removed from Jerusalem to Cesarea." " Of that I know not," returned the Athenian, " per- chance it may be a matter of the law and traditions of the Jews," and so saying he walked away. CHAPTER II. WELCOME AT JERUSALEM. The party from Rome, after a short stay in Cesarea, proceeded to Jerusalem, to the house of Zerah, the hus- band of Alexandra. Thence Julia wrote the following letter : JULIA AT JERUSALEM, UNTO CYPROS OP ROME. I have assured thee, my mother, that I would diligently acquaint thee of my safety and welfare, and of all that should befall me on my way. I have sent letters from Cesarea by which thou wilt be apprised of what transpired upon our voyage thither. During our sojourn in that city, we were entertained in a princely manner, at the palace of Pilate, the Roman governor, who, as thou knowest, is a kinsman of the mother of Aurelius, and unto whom he bare letters from Rome. Pilate himself was continually busied in affairs of state, so that he spent very little time with us, which to say the truth I did not at all regret, for his as- pect is cold, dark and repulsive. In his presence my soul seemed shut within itself, and I was filled with an inde- finable sense of discomfort. But the wife of Pilate is one both to esteem and to love. Lovely in person, graceful in manner, and with a heart overflowing with sympathy (2T) 28 LIFE IN JUDEA. and kindness for all, most especially for those who are in jured or oppressed, she is universally beloved and vene- rated by the people of Cesarea, of whatever name or na- tion. This I could plainly perceive, as many times I rode forth with her in her chariot through the streets of the city, and witnessed the demonstrations of heartfelt respect which greeted her on every hand. So amazed was I at the extent and richness of Cesarea that I could hardly believe myself in one of the cities of Judea, all of which I had been accustomed to regard as small and lowly. The amphitheatre, the great market place, the royal palace, the hall of judgment, and above all the huge colossus of Tibe- rius, now in process of erection, on the most central and prominent point of the city, were all so vast and grand that it seemed almost that portions of Rome itself were trans- ported thither. But notwithstanding the days passed swiftly during our visit, I was delighted when I found my- self seated on my mule, and fairly on my way to Jerusa- lem. The distance is sixty-two miles, which we occupied four days in travelling, stopping frequently on our way, the better to enjoy the surrounding scenery. Our path lay through the spacious plain of Sharon, which stretches from Cesarea unto Joppa upon the sea coast, and extends eastward to the mountains of Samaria. I would, my mother, that I held the pen of the Lesbian Sappho, that I might fitly describe to you the exceeding beauty of this country, "the excellency of Carmel and Sharon." On the north of the plain rises the lofty form of Mount Carmel, two thousand feet above the level of the WELCOME AT JERUSALEM. 29 sea, and from thence a mountainous range extends along upon the east, terminating in Mount Ebal and Gerizim. On the west is the limitless view of the Mediterranean, and I the plains themselves are as the garden of Eden. Every point and little promontory jutting out in the sea, is clothed with luxuriant vegetation, and the pastures are of exceed- ing richness. The flowers are such as I never have seea I / before, for multitude and surpassing beauty. The narcis- sus, the white and orange lily, the carnation, and above all the rose of Sharon, in all its native perfection, filled the air with fragrance, and clothed the ground as with the brilliant carpets of the east. Say to my young sister Sa- lome, that the specimen of this famous rose, which she hath nursed with so much pride in her garden at Rome, would lose half its charms, could she gaze upon its kind, upon the plains of Sharon. As we passed on our way, Aurelius and Nathan, who were mounted upon horses, were ever and anon striking off to the right and the left, and after a circuitous path, returning once more to the more direct course, which I was obliged to keep upon my more slowly paced mule, accompanied by Clodia and a Greek servant, whom we had obtained in Cesarea, to take charge of the camel laden with our burdens. Aurelius was charmed with the novelty and freshness of the mode of travelling, so different from that of Rome, and his spirits, always open and glad, now revelled in joy- ousness ; and for my brother Nathan, I hardly think thou thyself wouldst have recognized in him, thy grave and thoughtful son. The very air of Judea seemed to inspire 3* 30 "LIFE IN JUDEA. him, and he rejoiced, even as if he came to a home from which he had long been parted. After passing through the plains of Sharon, we entered the Joppa road to Jerusalem, and approached the city about the ninth hour of the day. Before us lay the hill country of Judea, and in its midst, begirt on every side by nature's impregnable ramparts, sat Jerusalem, the pride and glory of our nation. I am not a loyal Hebrew, as thou very well knowest nay, chide me not in thy heart, my mother yet I freely acknowledge to thee that when first I gazed upon the city of David and Solomon, my He- brew blood swelled in every vein, and my cheek crimsoned with the glow of national pride. But thou needest not that I describe it unto thee. Thou hast often seen it in the rosy light of thy youth, and I know its picture is traced upon thy heart, in colors softly glowing as the tints of Apelles. We entered by the gate of Ephraim upon the north, and passing directly through the street which crosses from thence over Bezetha, soon arrived at the mansion of Zerah, which is situated upon the brow of Acra, having a fine view of the temple. The dwelling is large, built of polished marble, appearing massive and grand without, and not lacking in the lighter adornments of beauty within. We waited for a few moments in the porch of entrance, while a servant went to announce our arrival. Soon Ze- rah appeared, and with most courteous salutations wel- comed us to his house and conducted us into the court, where we received a joyful embrace from thy sister. In consequence of my weariness and travel- stained garments, WELCOME AT JERUSALEM. 31 she led me immediately to a guest chamber, amply provided with all the appurtenances of rest and refreshment, and with kind consideration left me to the attendance of my faithful Clodia. As the sunset drew near, Nathan, Aurelius and myself assembled upon the house-top with the family of Zerah, and while I diligently talked of thee, my mother, answering the many questions which Alexandra asked concerning thee and thy little ones, I was forming opinions of these, my kinsfolk, whose names I have so often heard from thy lips. Thy sister seemeth unto me greatly like thyself, and this semblance, from the first, opened my heart unto her with a ready love, which has every day increased. As for Zerah, her husband, there cannot be a more polished courtesy than his among the nobles of Rome, yet he wears such a garb of dignity, that I feel not at ease in his presence. His tall figure, long flowing beard, and general majesty of mien, impart to him a commanding air, such as is rarely equalled. Their only daughter, Mary, beareth the likeness of neither father nor mother, nor do I think, from her per- sonal appearance, she could be recognized as a Jewess. Her face more nearly approaches the Grecian models than that of any Jew or Roman I have ever seen. Her figure hath less height and more fullness of outline, and her com- plexion is much fairer, than is usual among the daughters of our people. She seemeth of a quiet spirit, and there is a strange charm about her that hath often moved my 32 LIFE IN JUDEA. soul with admiring delight, even as if I gazed upon a beautiful painting, or listened to a strain of rich music. Philip, the son of thy sister, I have not yet seen, as he is now absent from Jerusalem, neither can I give thee any description of him beyond what thou already knowest, for the family preserve a strange silence concerning him, which has restrained all my inquiries. As we sat upon the house-top of Zerah, which is, as I have said, upon the brow of Acra, and about the centre of Jerusalem, we enjoyed a fine view of different portions of the city. On the left hand was Mount Bezetha, covered with dwellings and market places. On the right Mount Zion, the most thickly populated and strongly defended hill of the city, with its beautiful palaces and impregnable towers, and before us stands Mount Moriah, crowned with her glorious Temple. " The temple, in magnitude and splendor, exceedeth all the conceptions I had formed of it," remarked Aurelius to Zerah, " and the walls of its foundation, reared to such an immense height from the valley below, form as stupendous a work as the superstructure itself." " Thou sayest truly," answered Zerah, " the wall which is upon the eastern side is the same that was originally raised by Solomon, perpendicularly from the valley; the intervening space between it and the sloping side of the mountain being filled with earth, that the area of its sum- mit might be equal to the plan of his intended building. Wherefore, the range of porticoes, standing upon that ter- race, is now called Solomon's porch." WELCOME AT JERUSALEM. 33 "And is this all that remains of the Temple, as built by Solomon ?" asked Aurelius. " Even so," answered the other, " it was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, after the captivity of our people in Babylon, on a larger scale, but with vastly inferior and diminished glory. But, over forty years ago, Herod the Great under- took to repair, enlarge, and beautify it. He employed eighty thousand workmen for nine years, and spared no expense to render it equal in beauty and magnificence to anything among mankind. On the morrow, when the sun shall have climbed above Olivet, I will take thee to its eastern front, and thou shalt there judge whether Herod hath fulfilled his purpose. For myself, I have seen the Capitolium at Rome, the Parthenon at Athens, and the great Temple of Diana at Ephesus ; and although these may surpass the Jewish temple in magnitude, yet in sur- passing excellence and strength of position, in symmetry of proportion, richness of adornment, and perfection of beauty, none can more truly fill the soul with wonder and delight than the Temple of Jerusalem. And when thou shalt have fully seen for thyself, young man, thou wilt ac- knowledge this to be the verdict, not of national partiality, but of just criticism." !' Above all," remarked Nathan, "there is an inviolate air of sanctity attached to our temple, which can belong to no other edifice on earth, seeing that for ages Mount Moriah hath been consecrated ground, and upon its sum- mit hath dwelt the visible glory of the Shekinah." " This is true to a Jew," answered Aurelius, " but so 34 LIFE IN JUDEA. doth the Roman regard the Temple of Jupiter, and the Greek the shrines of Minerva. Therefore, this air of sanctity of which thou speakest, which imparts the most powerful charm to a temple of worship, is equally felt by Greek, Roman, and Jew." " Not so, young Roman," said Zerah, " there, as Jews, we entirely dissent from thee. What are the gods of Rome but images which her own hands have made, personating the fabulous deities of human imagination ? How can they inspire heartfelt reverence and adoration ? But the Jew worships the only living and true God, who hath ap- peared unto our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who hath given the law to Moses upon Mount Sinai, and spoken to us again and again by the mouth of his holy prophets. The worship of Jehovah alone, who hath cre- ated the heavens and the earth, can exalt and purify his creatures." "I know what thou wouldst reply," resumed Zerah, after a pause, still addressing Aurelius, "thou sayest in thy heart that the Jews have not proved the excellency of their faith in their history. This is, in a great degree, true ; but, mark thee, the cause of all our calamities hath been that we have departed from the law of the Lord. Had we but diligently kept the statutes which God gave to our fathers, then should our state, founded upon the pillars of truth and righteousness, have been the growth of ages and a model for the nations, and we, at this moment, a free and unconquerable people." "If," said Nathan, "our people could but now look WELCOME AT JERUSALEM. 35 upon the law less as a system of outward observances, and more as David did, as laying its power upon the thoughts and imaginations of the heart, then should its blessed fruits appear both in our individual and national character. But now its excellence is obscured by long traditions, and" " Be ware what thou sayest of the traditions of the elders, my son," interrupted Zerah, upon whose brow a frown had gathered at the first words of Nathan ; " they who have most years and wisdom hold them of equal authority with the law itself." "Nevertheless, were the Messiah to appear," observed Nathan, with an undismayed air, " I firmly believe he would, in his office of a prophet, sweep away these multi- plied traditions as vestiges of lies, and present us only the law of God in its beautiful simplicity and truth." A mingled look of contempt and anger was the only reply that Nathan received to this speech, and half trem- bling I turned my eyes upon Mary. She had just lifted her head, which had been reclining upon the lap of her mother, and her whole face was lighted with an expression of surprised and delighted approval of the sentiment just spoken. What had stirred the anger of the father had evidently found a deep response of sympathy in the daugh- ter's heart. " A new prophet has risen up among us," said Alex- andra, addressing Nathan, " who would fain overthrow the doctrines of the Scribes and Pharisees. He is called John the Baptist." 36 LIFE IN JUDEA. " Name him not,'- said Zerah, " for he is no prophet, but a deceiver of the people." The conversation continued till the twilight deepened into the shades of evening, and we descended into the house. Thus passed the first hours of my visit at Jerusa- lem. During the days that have since elapsed, nothing has been left undone by the family of thy sister that could contribute to our entertainment. My apartments are spa- cious and delightful, overlooking the garden which ex- tends from the rear of the dwelling, which though not so large as our gardens at Rome, fully equals them in the beauty and variety of its blossoming plants and odori- ferous shrubs. Aurelius has already become so much in- terested in our country and people, that should he tarry long at Jerusalem I believe thou wilt find thy Roman son- in-law more a Jew in feeling than thy Jewish daughter. Nathan in Jerusalem seemeth another being from Nathan in Rome ; and here do I prophecy to thee, my mother, that he will forsake Rome, and make his dwelling-place in the land of our fathers. If this should be so, perchance thou wilt not grieve, but how great will be the disappoint- ment of Absalom 1 But here shall not I dwell. Even in Jerusalem, my heart prides itself with the thought that I am Roman born, nor could aught tempt me to forego the attractions of life in Rome, where wealth, learning, and art, will all minister to my happiness, and distinction and honor shall crown the proud name of my husband. For- give me if I cause thee pain, but I cannot dissemble, my mother; and here do I sincerely wish thou mayest have in WELCOME AT JERUSALEM. 3f thine other children what thou canst not have in me, true sons and daughters of Israel. Nathan hath prepared letters for thee, which shall im- part more information than I have done, but this I know thou wilt accept in love from thy daughter. CHAPTER III. VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. " J)OTH thy brother Philip remain long from Jerusalem ?" asked Julia of Mary, as one morning', shortly after her arrival, they were enjoying the cool of the day in the walks of the garden. An expression of inward pain crossed the face of Mary, and after a moment's silence, in which she was apparently struggling to preserve her composure, she replied, "My brother hath left his father's house forever. He is to our hearts as if buried in a living grave ; therefore my father hath forbidden that the name of his son should be men- tioned in his ears." " What sayest thou 1" exclaimed Julia, with unfeigned astonishment. " Of thy brother I have heard as a pattern of virtue and truth, the hope and the pride of his father's heart." " And so indeed he was," answered Mary, " till his mind became fixed to join himself unto the Essenes. An en- sample of virtue and truth he is still, for the law and com- mandments he hath kept from his youth up. But his soul was not satisfied, and he hath trusted to work out for him- self a finished righteousness by a self-denying life. There- fore he hath cut off his soul from all which it held dear, (38) VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 39 and made himself a perpetual alien from his home and his kindred." "And what is the faith of the Essenes, and where do they dwell ?" inquired Julia. " They dwell apart from the world, in lone places of the wilderness," answered Mary, " where they pass their time in contemplation, and religious duties. They hold their possessions in common, and have little to do with the business of life. Their fare is plain and coarse, their spirit unambitious and retiring, and their lives purer than other sects of our nation. They use no oaths, they sel- dom marry, and mingle not either in worship, or conversa- tion, or sympathy, with any other people. And Philip, unto whom my heart hath grown since I had any being ; who loved me with a tenderness, 'passing the love of woman,' even he hath gone to unite himself unto them. Truly the bitterness of my grief in parting with him hath been assuaged, because I know that he believeth he is doing the will of God. But, alas I in this thing he feedeth on ashes ; a deceived heart hath turned him aside ! May the Lord God enlighten his darkness." "Hast thou heard in Rome of John the Baptist?" re- sumed Mary. "Nay, I never heard his name until thy mother spake concerning him," answered Julia. "Doth he teach the people in the temple ?" " Neither in temple or synagogue," answered Mary ; " lie preacheth in the wilderness of Judea, and along the banks of the Jordan, whither many resort unto his baptism." 40 LIFE IN JUDEA. " And is he a prophet indeed ?" asked Julia ; " if so, I would fain see him and listen to his words." "The people differ greatly concerning him," replied Mary. " Some count him for a deceiver, and others have even thought him to be the Messiah himself. But the common people hold him for a righteous man, and a chosen prophet of the Lord. He forsaketh the habitations of men and dwelleth in desert places, and from these he comes forth, clad in rough garments of camels' hair, startling our nation from its spiritual slumbers by his severe denuncia- tions against sin, and by the words he utters concerning the coming of the Lord." " But will he not gather many about him," said Julia, " and eventually persuade them that he is the Messiah, and so prove, as thy father hath said, ' a deceiver of the people ?' " " On the contrary, he hath expressly said that he is not the u Messiah, but speaketh of one to come after him, infi- nitely greater than himself. His words are stern and fear- less. He rebukes the sins of the scribes and rulers, and openly denounces Herod himself. All this I have from Naomi, of Bethlehem, who hath diligently attended the teachings of John." " He must be of a daring spirit," observed Julia, " if he openly rebuke the king. Such deeds would cost him his life in Rome." "And so would they here," replied Mary, "but that Herod fears the people, who all hold John as a prophet. Moreover, the sin for which he reproved him, his contem- VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 41 plated marriage with Herodias, is an abomination in the eyes of all who regard the spirit, or even the letter, of the* law. " Alas I that the granddaughter of the beautiful and virtuous Mariamne could descend so low as to leave her husband, and become the wife of another." " And who was Mariamne ?" asked Julia, "that thus thou dost revere her memory. I have heard naught con- cerning her." "Naught of Mariamne!" repeated Mary. "I marvel surely that thou a Jewess hast not known her history She, with her brother Aristobulus, were the last of the direct line of the Asmonean family. Herod the Great, attracted by her surpassing beauty, and knowing that an alliance with one of her illustrious birth would greatly establish his throne among the Jews, early made her his wife. Her brother, Aristobulus, who entered upon the sacred office of the High Priest when only eighteen years of age, was the idol of our people, and on this very account, as dangerous to the popularity of the king, was drowned by his orders while bathing in a pond of one of the gardens of Jericho. Her aged grandfather, Hyrcanus, perished by the minions of Herod ; and Mariamne, unable to conceal her indignation at such unprovoked cruelty towards her relatives, and deeply stricken by the loss of a brother whom she had loved with enthusiastic fervor as the con- stant companion of her childhood, eventually shared the same fate. Her sons, Aristobulus and Alexander, were educated at Rome, but after attaining maturity, were both 4* 42 LIFE IN JUDEA. slain by order of their father. Herodias is the daughter of Aristobulus, and first married her uncle, Herod Philip, the son of Herod the Great, whom she now leaves to become the wife of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Gal- lilee." Just then Mary with her guest entered a passage which led from the street to the dwelling ; and the same moment a mule appeared at the gateway, laden with large baskets covered with fresh green leaves, and led by a woman past middle age, and of prepossessing appearance. " Naomi of Bethlehem," exclaimed Mary, turning to Julia. "Thou seest Julia, the daughter of Cypros of Rome," she added, addressing Naomi, " with whom thou wast brought up in thy youth at Jericho." " The blessings of our fathers be upon thee, daughter," said Naomi, gladly saluting her, " and mayest thou inherit the excellence of thy mother." " Come this way into the court, and rest and refresh thy- self," said Mary, " for the heat hath already waxed strong." " Nay, I will first attend to the unlading of my mule," answered Naomi ; and accompanied by Mary and Julia, she proceeded to one of the store rooms of the dwelling, where she was met by Alexandra, who with her hand- maidens, took from the baskets fresh butter and honey, with grapes, olives and figs. " My mother hath often talked concerning thee," said Julia, as shortly after they satin the court of the dwelling, " and hath sent both messages and gifts unto thee by my hand." VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 43 " Truly my soul clave unto all the house of thy mother with an exceeding love," answered Naomi, " seeing I was an orphan, and thy mother's parents took me in while yet a child of months, and brought me up more as a daughter than a handmaiden. My heart was sad when Cypros left her father's house for a home in Rome, for though I had then dwelt several years with my husband at Bethlehem, I was not weaned from the friends of my youth. But shortly after, Alexandra made her dwelling place in Jeru- salem, in which I was glad, seeing it is but a two hours' journey from Bethlehem. Truly I can say with David, 1 goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life.' At the death of my first-born, my own soul walked as through the valley of the shadow of death, and in after years I was smitten by the death of my husband, but he who again and again hath given me the cup of bitterness, hath filled it in love, and has since been the guide of the widow and the fatherless." " Hast thou heard John the Baptist since last I saw thee ?" asked Mary. " Nay," replied Naomi, for he hath gone farther up the banks of the Jordan, even to Bethabara, where he is still preaching to the people ; who, as I learn, daily flock to hear him. Surely God hath visited his people, and won- drous things shall soon unfold before our eyes." " Now thou shalt bring thy guests to Bethlehem," said Naomi, as she arose to depart, " that they may enjoy the fresh breath of the plains, and drink of my wine and new milk." 44 LIFE IN JUDEA. But a few days elapsed before the bidding of Naomi was accepted. The party, consisting of Aurelius, Nathan, Julia and Mary, left Jerusalem before the sunbeams waxed strong, and at the third hour had arrived at the dwelling of the widow of Bethlehem. The town appeared stretch- ing from east to west, and covering the side of a hill, below which lay an extensive valley. In the eastern out- skirts of the town, in this fertile valley, was the dwelling of Naomi. The house was low, and half hidden by clus- tering vines. On either side a large palm tree spread its overhanging branches, heavy with clusters of ripening dates, which meeting high above the house formed a com- plete canopy, screening it from the rays of the sun. On one hand was a small vineyard, containing also olive and fig trees, and beyond a field of wheat was waving, white for the harvest. "Welcome in the name of Abraham," said Naomi, coming forth to meet her guests; and conducting them within the house, she brought water and napkins, and exchanged their dusty quter garments for others light and cool, of her own manufacture. After this her young daughter brought forth a pitcher of wine, cooled in the waters of a neighboring spring, and clusters of grapes fresh from the vines. " Thy house seemeth the very abode of peace and con- tentment," remarked Aurelius to Naomi ; " and thy wine and thy grapes are not surpassed in the vales of Falernus." " Truly, peace and contentment have ever been mine," answered the widow ; " and it is a heritage from the Lord, VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 45 better than thousands of gold and silver. Here, for many years, I have lived with my children, and though I possess nought but this small domain, my bread hath been sure, and my wine and oil have not failed." " And do thy sons still remain with thee," asked Julia. " Two have taken them wives in Tiberias, and are fishermen upon the Sea of Galilee," answered the widow, " and two are with me. Even now Benjamin dresseth the vines, and David tendeth sheep upon yonder plain, the very one where our renowned king once tended his flocks, and whence he went forth a stripling youth to the con- quest of Goliath." " Bethlehem I it is surely famous in the history of our people," said Julia, " for was it not on the way hither that Rachel, the wife of our father, Jacob, died and was buried. Here Boaz married Ruth, and here, too, was the birth-place of David, our great king." " Thou hast said truly, my daughter," replied Naomi, " yet hast thou not spoken the half of its glory; for the Lord hath said by his prophets, 'But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting !' Here likewise," she con- tinued, as her pale cheek grew paler, and her lip quivered with an expression of inward agony, " hath been fulfilled the words of Jeremiah ' A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping ; Rachel weeping for her 46 LIFE IN JUDEA. children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.'" " Yex not thy soul to speak of the death of the young Joseph," said Mary, " nor the deeds of the tyrant Herod, seeing it is bitterness." " Ah 1 I remember," exclaimed Julia, " my mother hath told me that thy first-born son was slain among the chil- dren of Bethlehem, by the orders of Herod the Great." " The young children of Bethlehem slain by orders of the king !" repeated Aurelius. " Such atrocious cruelty has not its parallel in all the annals of Rome." " Thou hast well said, young man," answered Naomi ; " few could scatter bitterness and death with so unsparing a hand as Herod. At his command my life was darkened in its morning, and though my heart hath since been able in peace and trust to stay itself upon God, yet then the sun of its joy went down, and hath never again risen." " Thirty years have passed," continued Naomi, in answer to the eager looks of her listeners, "since the deeds of which I have spoken occurred. About that time he was born in Bethlehem who was called the King of the Jews, and Herod, fearing for his own throne, sent forth orders to slay all the children in the precincts thereof, from two years old and under; and unto me was the dread decree fulfilled before I had even heard the tidings thereof. Joseph was my first-born, and then my only son. His feet had learned to go forth among the vines, and his tongue to say ' my father' and ' my mother.' Truly, he was a goodly child ; and often I said, in the pride and VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 41 gladness of my heart, that Moses, sleeping upon the banks of the Nile, could not have been fairer than he. One day I sat beneath the palm tree, with my distaff, and as it drew near noontide, I took my son in my arms, for his feet were weary with running, and he laid his bright head upon my bosom, lifting it once and again, that he might catch the first sight of his father when he should come from the sheep-folds to eat bread. At length Ezra, my husband, drew near, and the child sprang in gladness from my arms to go forth and meet him. But from another path approached two men, of harsh countenance, and de- manded my child in the name of the king. Terror made my heart to stand still, yet I seized again my son, and, folding him in a strong hold to my bosom, openly affirmed that he should never be taken from me. My husband saw that my words but kindled the anger of the men, and he fell upon his knees, and pleaded in the name of all tha.t is sacred for the life of our first-born, our only son. But their hearts were as that of their master, hard as the nether millstone. They tore the child from my arms, and bore him even as a lamb to the slaughter, for ever from my eyes. As they went forth, he stretched out his hands unto me, and cried with an exceeding bitter cry " But here the strong grief of Naomi mocked further re- straint, and bowing her head within her hands, her tremb- ling frame and streaming tears bore witness to the fearful desolation of that blow, which, though it had fallen on her heart long years before, yet had left its deep and in- curable wound as fresh as if of yesterday. The hearts of 48 LIFE IX JUDEA. her auditors were deeply moved, and offering not the mockery of words, they wept in silent sympathy. "For many weeks the light of my life went out," re- sumed the widow, after a pause, " and my reason departed from me. But, when I came to myself, it was good for me that I was afflicted, my heart grew humble and learned to have no other gods before the Lord ; till I could say with David, ' how precious, also, are thy thoughts unto me, God ! how great is the sum of them !' " The conversation now turned upon other subjects ; and Julia, separated from the group, seated herself near Eunice, who, sitting by her spindle, fast unrolled the white wool from the distaff with a motion as graceful as if she swept the strings of a harp. " Thou hast diligent fingers," said Julia, " and thy wool is fine and white. But dost thou not become weary with the labor ?" " Nay," replied the maiden, " for while I spin I listen to the words of my mother, or think of the wonders told in the books of our people, or sing the songs of David. At times I watch the sheep for my brother, on the slopes of the hill-side, and at noontide draw fresh water for the lambs of the flock, that they may drink and be refreshed ; go that, from the early cock-crowing to the sunset, my heart is glad while my hands are busy." After the simple noontide meal, consisting of bread, fruits, and milk, Naomi led forth her guests to a shady retreat, beneath the palm tree on the eastern side of the dwelling. VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 49 " Now," said Mary to Naomi, " thou shalt tell our friends the tale I have often heard from thee, concerning the babe of Bethlehem." "They surely know of the thing," answered Naomi, casting a surprised and inquiring look upon Nathan and Julia. " Our mother hath, indeed, told us somewhat of a won- derful birth here, announced by angels," answered Nathan, "but nought else do we know, and we would fain hear concerning it." "Not even a rumor thereof hath reached my ear," remarked Aurelius, placing himself in an attitude of lis- tening. "It was in the days of the taxing," said Naomi, "in the reign of Augustus Caesar, when every man went to be taxed to the city of his fathers, and Bethlehem was crowded with many people. Ezra, my husband, with other shepherds, watched his flocks upon yonder plains, on a still and peaceful night ; when suddenly an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. The light of this glory was above the brightness of the sun, and so great was the excellent majesty of the vision that the shepherds trembled exceed- ingly, and were sore afraid. But the angel said unto them, ' Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in 5 50 LIFE IN JUDEA. a manger. ' Then suddenly there appeared over the plains a multitude of the heavenly host, as if all the angels had left their shining seats of glory, and come down to earth to welcome the Son of David ; and in tones of richer, softer harmony than ever before fell on mortal ears, they sung their triumphant song : ' Glory to God in the high- est land on earth peace, good will to men.* Now, after the angels were returned into heaven, the shepherds were filled with great wonder and amazement, and they said one to another, ' Let us go into Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us.' So they came with haste into the city, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger, even as the angels had said unto them, and they returned glorifying and praising God. Wise men, also, guided by a star of heaven, came from the far East to worship the young child, and presented unto him gifts of gold, frank- incense, and myrrh." " And what became of the child ?" asked Nathan, ear- nestly ; " hath he grown up in Bethlehem ?" "Nay," replied Naomi, "for Joseph, the husband of Mary, was warned of God in a dream that Herod would seek the life of the young child to destroy it, and was commanded to depart into Egypt, whither he went in haste and by night. But, as I have learned, he returned to his own land after the death of Herod ; but fearing Archelaus, who reigned in Judea, he came not hither, but dwelt in the parts of Galilee." " The thing cannot be," said Nathan with an abstracted VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 51 air, as if replying to his own thoughts, "that the King of Israel would be born in a manger, seeing his reign shall be full of glory, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." " Beware, my son," answered Naomi, " for ' who hath known the mind of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?' Truly I believe that the Lord hath fulfilled the word spoken by his prophets, and that the babe of Bethlehem is Messiah Ben David, the promised Hope of Israel." " But where is he, that he cometh not forth to our deliv- erance ?" asked Nathan ; " surely the people wait for him." " He is among us even now, though we know him not," replied Naomi, " and when the time shall fully come, he will be made manifest unto Israel." " Did any believe on him," pursued Nathan, " or count that in him was the fulfilment of prophecy ?" " They were few in number," answered the widow, " nevertheless, a remnant rejoiced that in him they saw the promised seed of David. Among these was the aged Simeon, who waited for the consolation of Israel, and re- joiced that he was permitted to see the salvation of the Lord ; and the holy prophetess Anna, who gave thanks in the temple for the promised redemption. And with these I may also name my husband Ezra, whose faith was as strong as that of Abraham, seeing that on his spirit lay evermore the chastened awe of that glorious vision of angels ; and with his whole heart he believed the gracious words which had fallen on his ear directly from heaven : ' Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Sa- viour, which is Christ the Lord.'" 52 LIFE IN JUDEA. " Thinkest thou, Nathan," asked Mary, after a pause, " that our Messiah shall come as a conqueror ? Will he not rather restore the law to its purity, reveal unto us more fully the will of Jehovah, and unfold new truths be- fore our eyes, after which we now grope as in darkness ?" " Truly he will come as a prophet," answered Nathan, " but also as a king. Nor do I see how he can be the king of his people till he redeem them from bondage, and establish the throne of his dominion in their midst." As the day declined, Nathan and Aurelius went forth into the streets of Bethlehem. Eunice brought fresh wheat, and Mary and Julia, seating themselves, one on either side of the mill in the small court yard at the back of the dwelling, begged to be allowed to grind it. The wheat was poured into the deep circular opening in the upper millstone, which was turned by a crank upon the lower, the grain being pulverized by passing between the two stones, the surface of the lower of which was slightly convex, and that of the upper proportionally concave. Mary turned the crank half-way round, when Julia re- ceived it, and completed the revolution. In the mean time they sang a song, whose melody facilitated their movements, and thus highly enjoyed what was to them a novel employment. Eunice then took part of the wheat and baked cakes upon the hearth, while Naomi prepared a ready-dressed lamb for the evening repast. After the meal was over, the guests of the widow returned to Jeru- salem, as the fading twilight mingled with the beams of the new moon. CHAPTER IT. STARTLING NEWS FROM BETHABARA. DURING the pleasant conversation of the evening, in the tourt of Zerah, a guest was announced, as Carmi, of Jeru- salem. In person he was a model for either painter or sculptor. His expressive face revealed in every feature the indwelling soul. His robe of rich material, and brilliant coloring, was loosely girdled and disposed with the unstu- died grace of oriental costume, in admirable keeping with the contour of his face and form, and his whole air breathed elegance, refinement and poetry. Zerah arose to welcome him, but Carmi, shortening his salutation, said, hastily, " Hast thou heard the tidings from Bethabara ?" " I have heard nought," replied Zerah; " what tidings dost thou bring ?" "Thou knowest John the Baptist hath been preaching there, and the people have thronged to hear him. This day, while a large multitude stood upon the banks of the Jordan, one appeared requesting baptism. But John in- stantly and reverently expressed his unworthiness to per- form this act for the stranger, saying that it was far more meet that he himself should receive baptism at his hands. Nevertheless, at his command, he led him into the Jordan, 5* (53) 54 LIFE IN JUDEA. and when he was come out of the water, the heavens were opened above him, and a bright light descended, even as a dove, upon his head. And while the people gazed thereon in fear and wonder, there came a voice from the exceeding brightness of the opening heavens, making every man's heart to melt, and its words declared, ' This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'" This announcement evidently produced a thrilling in- terest in the minds of those who heard it, though varying greatly in its nature, according to the preconceived opi- nions of each individual. The face of Nathan glowed with hope, as if he felt the event betokened great things for his people, while the expressive features of Mary beamed with full satisfaction, gratitude and joy, as if at length a long fervent prayer of her heart were answered, or a glorious vision of the night suddenly fulfilled before her eyes. Ze- rah wore an air of incredulity, and inquired of his guest, " How hast thou heard all this, and how knowest thou but it is a device of John, to lead astray the people ?" " I have it from an eye-witness," replied the other, " and the thing is testified by thousands who to-day stood on the banks of the Jordan. Thou wilt not ascribe the opening clouds, the descending glory, the heavenly voice, to John, I trow ; or if thou dost, verily thou makest him a greater prophet than Moses himself." "What said the stranger to the people," inquired Na- than, "and what mission did he claim unto Israel." "Nought that I have learned," answered the guest. " After his baptism he immediately departed alone into STARTLING NEWS FROM BETHABARA. 55 the wilderness. So great was the reverence and awe that he inspired, that none dared follow." " It is the same, the very same, of whoso wonderful birth we have this day heard," said Mary to Julia, in a low tone, and with an expression of calm, earnest conviction. " The angels descended from heaven, to announce the coming of our Messiah to earth ; and this day the voice of God, from the eternal throne, hath sealed his ministry unto Israel." " If this be not the Messiah himself, 7 ' remarked Nathan, " he may be one sent of God to prepare his way, and teach the people of his coming." " Nay, that hath already been done by the preaching of John the Baptist," said Mary, eagerly; but a glance from her father suddenly sealed her lips, and covered her face with blushes. Carmi, compassionating her confusion, in- stantly said, " The maiden hath spoken truly. John the Baptist is a righteous man, and hath indeed prophesied of one to come after him, mightier than himself. Whether his prophecy be fulfilled in him who hath this day been baptized in Jordan, I know not ; but I pray that teachers may be multiplied unto Israel, who shall show that long fasts and loud prayers, sad countenances and broad phy- lacteries, are not sacrifices well pleasing to the Lord. God hath made the grape, that man might drink the wine thereof, and hath given oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengthened man's heart ; and he is glorified when these things are received with thanksgiving and gladness. God hath placed man here to be happy, and let each seek happiness as he may in doing deeds of jus- 56 LIFE IN JUDEA. tice and mercy, in the delights of study and the arts, or in the enjoyment of whatever this life may bestow. In his happiness he is fulfilling the design of his creation." " Thou art an Epicurean," remarked Aurelius, with evident satisfaction, " and I rejoice to find here a disciple of our far-famed philosopher, who hath taught that the happiness of mankind consists in the enjoyment of the mind, and the excellence of virtue." " Nay, I am not a disciple of Epicurus," answered Carmi, "though in many points I admire his doctrines. I believe in the one living and true God, and in Moses and the prophets by whom he hath spoken. But I receive only the written word. Were I bound to accept, with faith, the various traditions with which it has been encum- bered, and corrupted, and darkened, my soul should seek refuge amid the doctrines of a heathen philosophy." 11 Yerily, Carmi, it were a righteous act to cast thee out of the synagogue," interrupted Zerah. " I am a Jew and a Sadducee," continued Carmi, still addressing Aurelius, " and with all deference to the learn- ing of thy country, young Roman, I fearlessly affirm that our lawgivers and prophets have uttered profound er wis- dom than ever fell from the lips of all the sages of Greece and Rome ; that the lyrics of Horace and Pindar fall im- measurably short of the psalms of David ; and the loftiest strains of Homer and Yirgil are low and earth-born com- pared with the eagle wing, the bold, strong and lofty flight of our own Isaiah." " Thou speakest well concerning the law and the pro- STARTLING NEWS FROM BETHABARA. 57 phets," remarked Zerah to Carmi, stopping suddenly in his impatient pacing of the court, "but what effect have they upon the life and conversation of thy sect ? When do they bring the burnt-offering, the sin-offering, or the thank- offering to the temple ? When do they fast and afflict their souls before the Lord ? Do they not grievously neglect the tithes, the purifications, the incense ?" " The many requirements concerning these, are but traditions of the elders, having no authority in the law of the Lord," interrupted Carmi; "they shall vanish like a spider's web before the power of truth. These things are not what the Lord requireth, for what saith the prophet ; ' Is it such a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul ? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him ? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day unto the Lord ? Is not this the fast that I have chosen, to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the op- pressed go free, and that thou break every yoke ? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house V " These are the sacrifices which shall come up before the Lord of hosts sweeter than the breath of morning incense," continued Carmi, his face glowing with admira- tion of the beautiful picture of the prophet, " and by this glorious promise He hath sealed his approval thereof, ' Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall spring forth speedily, and thy righteousness 58 LIFE IN JUDEA. shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rear-ward.' " " And wouldst thou say," asked Zerah, " that the Phar- isees give not alms to the poor, nor bread to the widow and the fatherless ? If these are thy words, out of thine own mouth will I condemn thee. Where is the Sadducee that giveth alms from his abundance as doth Ben Levi, the rabbi, the scribe, and the Pharisee ?" "Yea, verily," answered Carmi. "Did I not see him on the last Sabbath, sweeping with his long robe and broad fringes through the beautiful gate of the temple ? Along his path gold and silver fell with ringing sound on the pavement of the court of the Gentiles. At the gate of the court of the Israelites, a poor paralytic stretched out his one unwithered hand, and with the gift that Ben Levi put therein came stern and bitter words of reproof for begging upon the Sabbath day. Then he passed on to the treasury of the Lord, and astonished all who stood thereabout, by the magnitude of his offerings. But do I not know that the soul of this very man hath gone out after unrighteous gain, and his hands are full of extortion ? Saw I him not as I came to thy house in the shades of this very evening, turn with a closed hand and harsh words from a child who had laid hold upon his garment, to beg a farthing, that he might carry food out of the city and place it within the reach of his leprous father ? And if I go out to-morrow at the third hour, shall I not hear his loud discordant voice lifted up in prayer at the corner of the great market place, and behold him with raised eyes and STARTLING NEWS FROM BETHABARA. 59 hands, wearing a face disfigured by sad contortions and long fasting ? May my soul be delivered from the right- eousness of Ben Levi, the Pharisee ! and may I not be united to his assembly in thy resurrection of the dead." "Beware how thou mockest concerning the resurrec- tion," replied Zerah. "When Messiah cometh, blessed be his name, he shall teach us more fully the truth of God regarding it. But enough hath already been revealed unto us that we may know there shall be a resurrection, wherein the righteous shall be rewarded, and the wicked punished according to the fruit of their doings. In this thing, Messiah shall set at naught the doctrines of the Saddu- cees." " And in many things shall He set at naught the teach- ings of the Pharisees," rejoined Carmi. " He shall teach truth with authority and power, and may his coming be hastened." " Amen to thy words," said Nathan, with a deep sigh. . The conversation was prolonged with increasing interest till the company separated for the night. In her own chamber, Mary perceived that a bracelet was missing from her arm, and taking a lamp in her hand, she returned seeking the lost jewel. But as she entered the court, she saw with surprise her cousin Nathan, still standing in the same attitude in which she had left him an hour before, with his arms resting upon the brim of a sealed fountain, and his face pale with an expression of abstracted and painful thought. " Art thou troubled in body or in soul, Nathan," in- 60 LIFE IN JUDEA. quired Mary with ready sympathy, " and is there aught of healing or relief that I can bring unto thee ?" " Nay, my cousin," replied Nathan, " unless thou hast some balm that will still the restless tossings of a spirit thrown hither and thither upon the waves of distracted thoughts ; unless thou canst point out to my soul a sure anchor, a haven of rest. How deep are the mysteries of our being 1 Here for a little, only to bud and blossom, then hasten to the grave, where there is no work nor device. And the sleep of the grave, what is it ? Truly, if hereafter the Almighty shall lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet, how many among the children of men might pray that there be no resurrection, and that the sleep of the grave might know no awakening ! Concerning these things I grope as a blind man, and know nothing." " But thou needest not walk in darkness," replied Mary, " thou hast the oracles of God. ' The law of the Lord is perfect: Converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure : Making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right: Rejoicing the heart, The commandment of the Lord is pure: Enlightening the eyes.' " "Yet, my cousin," said Nathan, with a deep and ear- nest solemnity, " who of even our own prophets hath an- swered that great question of Job, ' If a man die, shall he live again ?' " STARTLING NEWS FROM BETHABARA. 61 11 All," replied Mary, with the calm repose of an un- hesitating faith. " Our sacred oracles breathe everywhere that one great truth, ' Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was ; and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.' But though we have felt darkly after many truths, yet now the day-star has arisen, the perfect day hath dawned, in which the Sun of righteousness shall shine with healing in his beams, and we, even we, shall rejoice in his light. Our patriarchs and kings have waited for it in vain, and our prophets have only seen its glory afar off in visions, but we have come to the brightness of its rising. For this unspeakable blessing my soul is filled with joy and praise. Truly, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord !" she continued, lifting her eyes upward, full of the tears of thanksgiving, "and words would fail to tell thee, Nathan, how my inmost soul hath longed for the coming of Messiah Ben David." " And dost thou indeed believe that the glorious time of the Messiah hath begun ?" asked Nathan, " thou surely hast little ground whereon thy faith may rest." " I know not why I believe," said Mary, " save that my soul hath been taught of the Lord. Since the day when first I heard of the angel-song over the plains of Bethle- hem, it hath been written on my heart that the babe of the lowly manger was the Son of God. With this truth ever before me, I have studied the words of our prophets, and therein my faith has become firm and strong as an everlasting inheritance. This night, as I listened to the words of that marvellous voice, which from the heavenly 6 62 LIFE IN JUDEA. glory acknowledged him who was baptized in Jordan to be the Son of God, even in that same hour, the bright ladder of our father Jacob seemed set once more between heaven and earth. It was as if descending angels brought down to my soul the strong seals of the promises, assuring me that the glory of God is now fulfilled before my eyes, and ascending angels mounted swiftly to lay down in the very presence of God, my full-souled tribute of adoration and praise." " Thy faith is surely more to be desired than gold, yea than much fine gold," remarked Nathan, with his whole soul deeply penetrated by the words of Mary, and the light which shone upon her face, pure, peaceful, and radiant, as if directly caught from the angels, of whose communion she had spoken. " I have always thought deeply and earnestly concern- ing the God of our fathers," continued Nathan, after a short pause. " Since a child I heard his commandments from my mother's lips, and the highest reverence and wor- ship of my soul hath ever gone out unto Him. From my mother, too, I learned that our people were the chosen of God, through ages and generations, the repositories of his revealed word, the living monuments of his forgiveness and love, and they from whom should spring the Anointed One. But as my years advanced, I learned that the Jews were a peculiar people in Rome, only in receiving for theii birthright an inheritance of scorn, derision, and oppres- sion. Often from my very childhood has my blood rose in indignation at the taunts and assertions sometimes cast STARTLING NEWS FROM BETHABARA. 63 upon me as the son of a Jew ; at other times only with- held in consideration of my father's gold. But this very circumstance, in its manifest injustice and wrong, only bound me more strongly to my own people. Instead of seeking to wipe out as a stain, the memory of my Jewish birth, as is the case with many, I have ever been proud to array myself on the side of right and of justice. Yet I have brooded over this thing in the silence of my own mind, till my thoughts became as darkness. I have asked myself why is the Jew insulted and oppressed ? If we be the chosen of God, why doth he not appear for our deliv- erance ? Why doth he yet suffer us to continue the reproach of the heathen ? Why are we still in bondage, and under the foot of oppression ? And as I have felt my soul kindle in the ardour of youth, and my arm grow strong with the power of manhood, I have sought to find in what way I might serve my people and my country. For this great object I have been ready to consecrate my thoughts, my powers, my affections ; the vast wealth which will be my inheritance ; my early and my later life. But to all these dreams and visions there has been but one re- ply in my soul, ' When Messiah shall come, then shall thy country arise from the dust and throw off the yoke of her bondage. Then thou may'st gird on thy sword, and go forth triumphantly in her defence. Then shall thy land become the glory of all lands. Kings shall bow down unto her, and her enemies lick the dust of her feet. Jerusalem shall become a joy and a praise in the earth, and the Lord shall rejoice in his heritage.' For those days, my 64 LIFE IN JUDEA. cousin, I live," continued the youth, his whole face kindling with a*n enthusiam which Mary had not in the least sus- pected him to possess, "and when he cometh who shall restore the kingdom unto Israel, thou shalt see that this arm and this life is but a joyful sacrifice upon the altar of my country." " Thy sacrifice shall not be required at thy hands, Na- than," said Mary, " for Messiah cometh not as a warrior, with garments rolled in blood, neither numbereth the hosts of battle. Hear the words of Isaiah : ' For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. 7 " " Nay, my cousin, Israel must be redeemed from bond- age. She must have her own king, and hold the proud place which prophecy hath given her among the nations. This will be the first work of our promised Deliverer, and then shall come the glorious reign of peace and righteous- ness, of which thou hast spoken. Yerily, I can only give my faith to a Messiah who shall be the victorious King of Israel." "Alas, Nathan," replied Mary, "thou forgettest the balm for thy weary spirit which thou hast craved at my hands ; thou forgettest our broken law, our multiplied corruptions, our souls full of the 'wounds and bruises' of sin. Who shall restore righteousness unto ' a people laden with iniquity ?' Who shall make our spirits whole ?" "I long for a restorer of the law as ardently as thy- STARTLING NEWS FROM BETHABARA. 65 self," replied Nathan ; " I pray for a revealer of truth. In Rome, amid the studies of heathen philosophy, my soul hath been filled with doubts and perplexities, which have not always been fully dissipated by the teachings of our own sacred books. Therefore, I earnestly desired to come up to Jerusalem, hoping that here my mind might become enlightened, and established in the law and the prophets. But so it has not been. The disputations of Pharisee and Sadducee have agitated my soul more than the doctrines of the Epicureans and Stoics, till I sometimes feel as on a restless ocean, without rudder, or compass, or polar star." CHAPTER Y. VISIT TO ANTIOCH. The following letter was written from Syria, six months after the baptism of Jesus in Jordan : JULIA AT ANTIOCH UNTO CYPROS OF ROME. At this time, my beloved mother, if thou hast received my last letters from Jerusalem, thou art aware that we have passed the boundaries of the holy land of our fathers. Thou wilt readily conceive that I left Jerusalem with re- gret, for the whole period of my sojourn there was one of almost unmingled enjoyment. Unto thy friends, and now I may truly say, my own, my heart is united in the strong- est bonds of love. Alexandra hath always sought to sup- ply thine own place to thy absent daughter ; and Mary, could I tell thee of half her quiet graces, and the all-per- vading spirit of purity, peace, and love which invests her with a charm beyond the power of the painter 40 trace, thou wouldst not wonder that with my love for her is min- gled something of the reverent and mystic admiration which the Roman maiden cherishes towards the shrine of her favorite goddess. Our journey lay along the western bank of the Jordan, through a country everywhere smiling in fertility and (66) VISIT TO ANT1OCH. 67 beauty. We tarried for a few days at Tiberias, and vis- ited there the palace of Herod, which directly overlooks the Sea of Galilee. I was charmed with the exceeding beauty of the views from this palace. The sea lies, as it were, in a deep basin between the declivities which en- close it on all sides, excepting only the narrow entrance and outlet of the Jordan at either end. It is usually clear and smooth, reflecting the deep blue of the summer heav- ens, in a climate pure and balmy as that of my own Italy, and dotted everywhere with the white boats of fish- ermen, imparting to it a charm peculiarly lively and pic- turesque. From Tiberias we took a day's journey to Mount Tabor. I think nature hath nowhere spread a wider picture of beauty, than that on which I gazed from the summit of this mountain. The views are of surpassing variety, grandeur, and loveliness. But I will not now delineate them unto thee, nor tell of the various scenes of interest through which we passed till we reached the mountains of Lebanon Their iofty summits had appeared in the distance for many days before, and, as we drew near and nearer, they set at nought every conception I had previously formed of their won- drous vastness and sublimity. The ranges of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon are in two parallel chains, of crescent form, pursuing nearly the same course as the shore of the Mediterranean. Between these ranges lies the Yalley of Lebanon. As we stood in this valley, near the foot of the highest summit of Lebanon proper, the range seemed as a multitude of mountains, separated by deep ravines 68 LIFE IN JUDEA. The loftiness and steep ascent of this magnificent rampart, whose gigantic masses rear their heads into the region of the clouds, filled my soul with astonishment and awe. For some time my whole being was lost in contemplation. I could only wonder and worship. The far-famed cedars grow upon the sides of the mountains, and crown many of their summits. These, in their lofty height and far- extended branches, their conical form and beautiful sym- metry, present an unrivaled appearance of strength and majesty, and are worthy to be called the ' glory of Leba- non. ' The vales abound with the most luxuriant vegeta- tion. Plantations of olives, and vineyards producing the most delicious wine, creep up from the base along the sides of the mountains, whose far-off heights are covered with perpetual snow. Cold flowing brooks speed with their unceasing tribute to supply the rivers of the sur- rounding country, and appear on the distant heights from which they spring as silver bands begemmed with radiant jewels. We tarried for several days in this valley, that we might enjoy different views of the mountains, and behold their various aspects under changing lights and shadows. At times their towering summits were but indistinctly revealed amid the floating drapery of the summer clouds, which, refracting the sunbeams, hung about them as a glorious mantle of purple and gold. Again, they rose from the cir- cumambient clouds, and appeared like inaccessible islands amid the waves of the firmament. And yet again, their snowy peaks tower majestically into the clear and cloud- VISIT TO ANTIOCH. 69 less heavens, as everlasting watch-towers for the ministry of angels. As thus I gazed upon the highest summit, reflecting the light of the sun with a dazzling brightness equal to that of other suns, again and again was I forced to withdraw my eyes from the insufferable splendor, and as often, moved by a resistless impulse, yet once more lift them towards the blinding glory of Lebanon. Here, truly, was my soul oppressed with a new and strange sense of His power " who hath weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance ;" and my whole heart responded to the words of Isaiah " Truly, Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt- offering." I wrote thee while in Jerusalem, concerning one bap- tized in Jordan, called Jesus of Nazareth, and told thee of the faith of Mary, that He is the long promised Messiah of Israel. But of those whom I have heard speak of him, while I was yet in Jerusalem, only Mary and Naomi of Bethlehem give any heed to his coming. Since leaving the city, however, I have observed, through all the towns and villages on our way, that this same Jesus, and John the Baptist who has preached of his coming, are the all- absorbing topics of thought and conversation among the common people. By the side of the wells, where we often stopped to refresh ourselves, beneath the grateful shade of the terebinth or palm tree, at the inns, and by the shores of the sea of Galilee, we repeatedly encountered those who were conversing, with earnest words, and countenances ex- pressive of deep and intense interest, concerning him of 7'1 LIFE IN JUDEA. whom all appear to muse in their hearts whether he be the Messiah or not. At Tiberias we learned of a miracle he hath lately wrought at a wedding feast in Cana, wherein he turned water into wine, as is well attested by many witnesses. All seem to be waiting with the deepest sus- pense for farther developments of his character, and more direct knowledge of his mission. Nathan, who as thou knowest, feels great interest in whatever relates to the welfare and character of our people, hath attended the teachings of John, and diligently pondered his words. He hath also read the prophecies with Carmi, who, though young, is already learned in the law, and hath often talked with Mary, whose strong and unwavering faith is like a direct inspiration from heaven ; yet to him it seemeth im- possible, that this Jesus of Nazareth should be our pro- mised Messiah. But if, indeed, the King of the Jews should come, my mother, bearing clear evidences of his glorious person and power, Nathan would be one of the first to enlist under his banner, counting not his life dear unto himself, that he might serve his country; and if Palestine attain a high position among the nations, to which she looks, in thy day, my mother, thou shalt behold the brow of thy son crowned with the laurels of unfading glory, in the triumphs of our people, and know that he hath a high seat in the kingdom of Israel. But surely nothing short of direct miracle can accomplish this, or wrest from the mighty hand of Rome, the land she now holds with so secure and powerful a grasp. From Antioch we shall proceed to Sidon, and Tyre, and VISIT TO ANTIOCH. 71 thence embark for Alexandria. Our present arrangements are, to remain in Egypt at least one year ; after which Au- relius and myself will set sail for Rome, while Nathan will return into Judea. He would fain spend more time in the land of our fathers, and observe what the future shall reveal. In my future there is a day, which shines afar off in the mellow light of distance, yet it is brighter than the many days of anticipated happiness which are nearer at hand. It is the day when I shall gaze once more upon the palaces and temples of Rome, and tread the gardens of my beau- tiful childhood's home, upon the Esquiline hill when I shall once more be folded in thy warm and heartfelt em- brace, my mother, and behold the faces of my young bro- thers and sisters, and when I shall dwell in my own house, the beloved wife of Aurelius Gracchus, who, as my heart ever telleth me, is the noblest and best among the patri- cians of the city of cities, the queenly Rome. Till that time, my mother, I write, " Mizpah : The Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another." CHAPTER VI. A JOYFUL SURPRISE. Two years had passed away. During this time Alex- andra had died, and the heart of Zerah became more than ever bound up in his daughter, who was now the only light of his home. With her by his side, in the court, or upon the house-top, his soul dwelt at ease. He furnished for her any gratification in his power to bestow. He delighted to spread over her the protecting wings of his love, to shield her from every evil. He guarded her as the miser his gold, or the merchantman his pearl of great price. In her presence the proud Pharisee seemed to descend from the high pedestal which he had reared for himself above other men, and to become the sympathizing father, open- ing the innermost folds of his heart to the embrace and communion of the lowly one, who held the key of his entire being. For her his voice had a depth and tenderness of tone which it knew to none else, and his smile a light which beamed on no other. Mary was fully sensible of her father's devotion to her, and returned his love with all the pure and strong affection of her deeply spiritual nature, counting it her chief earthly joy to minister to his happi- ness. It was the eighth hour of the day. Mary sat alone in (72) A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 73 a deeply shaded arbor of the garden. Upon a low ble table by her side lay an unrolled scroll of parchment, which she was reading with an attention so entirely en- grossed, that another entered the retreat unperceived. But, the moment she became aware of his presence, she sprang from her seat to meet him, while he greeted her with all the warmth and pride of a brother's love. " Philip I" and " Mary !" were the only words uttered, as smiles shone through tears of joy on the face of the sis- ter, and the brother held her at a little distance, that he might more clearly see if memory had indeed treasured the exact image of one so dear. " But why earnest thou here, Philip ?" exclaimed Mary, after the first surprise and joy of the meeting ; " and how couldst thou leave the Essenes, to whom thou has joined thyself by a perpetual vow ?" " Nay, I am not an Essene," answered Philip. " Lis- ten, and I will tell thee what has befallen me since I left my father's house. Thou knowest, my sister, how earn- estly I desired, from my youth, to seek truth and right- eousness ; how my soul became weary with the endless precepts of the Pharisees, and my heart condemned the self-indulgent doctrines of the Sadducees. When first I acquainted myself with the teachings of the Essenes, I rejoiced, thinking I had found the way of truth. Their doctrines seemed so simple and pure, their lives so harm- less and self-denying, and so far removed from tempta- tions ; their object so single and great, only to serve God, leaving unthought of the riches and pleasures and honors t 74 LIFE IN JUDEA. of the world, and the brotherly love in banding them- selves together, even as David and Jonathan, in a per- petual covenant ; all this was so attractive to my eyes, that, as thou knowest, I withstood the opposition of father and mother, yea, and thine entreaties, my sister, that I might join myself unto them. " But the laws of the Essenes require that they who would become of their number must first mingle with them two years, before they take the final vow of consecration, which shall separate them for ever from their kindred and the world. During this time I became daily and increas- ingly convinced that the faith of this sect contains not what I sought. I found that sin can live and thrive in desert places as well as in the thronged city, and that the seeds of iniquity depend not on place, nor time, nor out- ward circumstances to bring forth their bitter fruits. My soul became weary, and I was filled with sorrow of heart. I said of laughter, It is mad, and of mirth, What doeth it? I considered all that is done under the sun, and said, ' it is all vanity and vexation of spirit. Wherefore, I praised the dead which are already dead, more than the living which are yet alive.' " Thus musing, I sat one morning on the east of the Sea of Galilee. The sun shone clear and brilliant in the cloud- less heavens, and the sea, like a mirror of molten gold, reflected every surrounding object in its pure transparency. At length a small ship glided swiftly over the waters, and drew near the shore, at no great distance from my resting place. At the same time I observed companies of people A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 75 coming from the cities and villages on the borders of the sea, as far as the eye could reach. All seemed to keep their eyes on this ship, and to guide their steps by its course. By the time it drew to land, many stood on the shore awaiting its approach. Twelve men stepped upon the land, and with them another, like them, but not of them, whom, I immediately perceived, was the object of universal interest and veneration. It was Jesus of Naza- reth. Advancing a little way from the shore, he ascended a rising ground, whose summit extended into a large plain, again surrounded by hills, and the people gathered unto him. Crowds of men, women, and children were seen flocking unto this desert place on the eastern border of the sea, so that, in the space of two hours, the very plain on which I had gazed in the early morning, with no human foot to disturb its unbroken solitude, was now alive with clustering thousands. " For myself, I had joined the multitude, from whose various remarks I learned that Jesus had intended to come with his disciples into this place, that they might rest awhile apart from the world. But the people, who had been listening to his teachings and followed his miracles, when they saw him departing, following him with one accord, and so great was their eager haste that, as I have said, many outwent the ship in which he came, and arrived first at the place of his destination. Nevertheless, so great was the compassion and love with which he received them, that none would have thought he came seeking rest for himself and his disciples. When he spoke, the vast 76 LIFE IN JUDEA. sea of beings about him listened with a stillness as unruf- fled as that of the smooth waters of Genesareth at their feet ; but, my sister, how shall I tell thee of his words ? - Unto my soul they came as light to the eyes of the blind, or as a flood of music suddenly poured upon the ears of the deaf. My whole soul seemed entranced in a raptu- rous and marvellous vision. Yet I was deeply abased in spirit, and longed for nothing so much as to bow at his feet, and there pour forth my full-souled tribute of ado- ration and love. But I kept afar off, feeling my unworthi- ness to approach him, who seemed clothed in a cloud of heavenly glory. " At length the sun declined toward the western hills, and his disciples approached him, requesting that he would now send the people away. But this he refused to do, and the disciples, at his bidding, immediately began to arrange the multitude in groups upon the green grass, by hundreds and by fifties. At the same time a lad drew near, and presented before him five barley loaves and two small fishes. At this I marvelled, for these were as no- thing to supply the far-reaching multitude. Nevertheless, he looked up to heaven and blessed and brake the loaves, and the disciples began to distribute them among the peo- ple. Company after company were supplied, yet still the unfailing plenty flowed from his hands, abundant as the showers of the latter rain. And, as I beheld the food multiply beneath his touch by a new creation, I could only think of that wonderful power which first said, ' Let there be light, and there was light.' At last all had A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 77 eaten and were filled. Five thousand men, besides women and children, were thus fed upon the created bounty of Jesus. I, myself, partook of those loaves and fishes, sweeter to my taste than the royal dainties of Solomon. " Immediately after the repast, Jesus sent away his disci- ples, who I noticed took a direct course to Bethsaida. The people, renewedly convinced of the divinity of his mission, by the wonderful miracle they had witnessed, would fain have taken him by force and compelled him to become their king. But the inspiring awe of his presence calmed their rash ardor, and when he had spoken a few words, all departed reverently and thoughtfully to their homes. But my eye gazed while it might upon the retreating form of Jesus, as he went up into a mountain alone. Then I bent my steps towards Bethsaida, hoping there I might see him, when he should come hither to enter the ship with his disciples, which I did not doubt he would do. But he came not ; and at even, the disciples pushed off from land, and were soon in the midst of the sea. Suddenly there arose a strong and tempestuous wind upon the lake, and I knew the ship must be tossed with waves, and the lives of all therein in jeopardy. During the long hours of darkness, I reclined upon the seashore, absorbed in thoughts of all the wonders I had seen and heard. About the fourth watch of the night, a strange wonder burst upon my astonished eyes. I saw him for whose approach I had so long watched m-vain, walking on the sea I Calmly and steadily he pursued his way over its tempest-tossed surges, and as I clearly saw his form revealed by a lumin- 1* 78 LIFE IN JUDEA. ous glory in the midst of the surrounding gloom, my soul quailed and trembled as before a vision of angels. Yet I gazed with entranced amazement till he passed beyond my sight, and suddenly there was a great calm. The raging waves lay still as an infant upon its mother's bosom ; the careering tempest hushed the hoarse, strong voice of its wrath ; and both winds and waters listened in deep and solemn silence to the word of the mighty One, who held their power in the hollow of his hand. As for me, fear came upon me, and trembling which made all my bones to shake, for I knew in that same hour, that mine eyes beheld Immanuel, God with us." The heart of Mary had leaped for joy, as she learned from her brother's lips, that he was a believer in Jesus ; but as he spake of the words and works of the Messiah, she forgot her brother's faith and her own, while her soul was filled with joyful adoration of Him, of whom Philip had spoken. As he paused, she replied not to his words, but said, as if only giving utterance to the intensity of her own emotions : " His name shall endure forever, His name shall be continued as long as the sun, And men shall be blessed in him : All nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only doeth wondrous things ! And blessed be his glorious name forever ; And let the whole earth be filled with his glory." " And thou hast found the Messiah of God," said Mary turning to Philip, after the first words of her lips had A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 19 ascended on high as an incense of praise ; " truly unto thee, my brother, hath the Lord fulfilled his word. " ' I will bring the blind by a way they know not, I will lead them in paths that they have not known, I will make darkness light before them, And crooked things straight.' " " Ah ! my sister," exclaimed Philip, " how would the words of Jesus distil upon thy soul, even as the dew on Hermon, or as the anointing oil upon the head of Aaron." " Thou shalt tell me more of his sayings," replied Mary, as her eyes instantly overflowed with tears at the thought of the unspeakable joy of listening to the teachings of Jesus from his own lips. " Hast thou sat near his pres- ence ; hath his eye rested on thee ; hath he ever spoken unto thee, my brother ?" " Yea, verily," answered Philip. " When first I knelt before him, weary and heavy laden with sin, his hand rested with divine compassion on this unworthy head, and beneath that touch the burden rolled from my heart. In the same moment he said, ' Son, thy sins be forgiven thee,* and shed the light of heaven full upon my raptured soul. Since then I have followed him through the cities and villages of Galilee and Samaria, listening to his worderfnl doctrines, full of truth and power, and beholding the- works of God done by his hands. Of all these wonders, i their variety and magnitude, it would be impossible to tell thee ; nevertheless thou shalt hear whatsoever my memory hath treasured." 80 LIFE IN JUDEA. " Will my father receive me unto his forgiveness ?" asked Philip, when at length the subject of conversation had changed to matters of personal and domestic interest. " Alas ! I know not," answered Mary. " He hath written many bitter things in his heart concerning thee, because thou hast forsaken thy father's house, and brought low all his high hopes for thee. He now sitteth in council with the Sanhedrim, whence of late he hath always returned weary and perplexed. Thou shalt not see him till it draweth near the eventide : then his soul shall be soothed and refreshed, and better prepared to meet thee." The sun was just sinking in the west, when Philip, having walked for a while through the streets of Jerusa- lem, bent his steps once more towards his father's house. Passing through the porch, he entered the court, which was unoccupied, and seated himself, waiting for the appearance of his father or sister. In that familiar spot, a thousand memories of childhood swept over his soul with instantaneous and subduing power. He heard in spirit once more his mother's light and cheerful step, and listened to the voice now hushed in the silence of the tomb. All seemed to have been untouched since the day when, a light-hearted child, he had played in this very court. The rich and curiously carved panellings of cedar, the exquisitely wrought pavement of divers kinds of mar- ble, the disposing of the cushions and couches, the cool plashing of the central fountain, the slowly curling columns from the urns of sweet incense, each and every object was sweetly yet painfully full of associations of the past. A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 81 On the farther side of the court a door stood open, which led into a summer parlor. This parlor opened by folding doors upon a large and lofty portico, and thence upon the garden. Upon this room Philip gazed with deep interest, for it had been the favorite resort of his mother, and now, as he plainly saw, was devoted to the use of Mary. Carpets of finest material and richest dyes were spread upon the floor, hushing every foot-fall by their velvet softness, and the graceful folds of the heavy tapestry were wrought with rare and cunning devices, by the skilful hand of Alexandra. In one corner stood a harp ; on a couch near by lay a ready-strung lyre ; and on a small table richly inlaid with gold, were a work-basket and embroi- dery frame. The white marble columns of the portico gleamed through the clasping tendrils, and brilliant blos- soms of the climbing plants that entwined them, and be- yond, the trees and shrubbery of the garden appeared clothed in the golden light of the sunset. While Philip mused on these familiar things, he heard footsteps along the corridor adjoining the court, and pre- sently the voices of his father and sister in the parlor, who seated themselves in a part of the room opposite that which was revealed to his view. His heart beat thick and fast with the thought of meeting the father, whose anger had been so deeply stirred against him ; but suddenly the deep, rich notes of the organ woke beneath the well-known touch of his sister. Every strain seemed to breathe in its thrilling cadences, an expression of loftiest poetry, which made the soul of the listener one region of delight, and 82 LIFE IN JUDEA. filled it as a consecrated temple, for the sublime ode which followed. After the prelude, the clear sweet tones of the voice of Mary, with the deep, musical power of that of Zerah, blended in a sacred song : " God came from Teman, And the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of his praise. And his brightness was as the light j He had horns coming out of his hand: And there was the hiding of his power ! Before him went the pestilence, And burning coals wont forth at his feet. He stood, and measured the earth ; He beheld, and drove asunder the nations ; And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills did bow : His ways are everlasting ! " I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction ; And the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled : The overflowing of the water passed by : The deep uttered his voice, And lifted up his hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their habitation : At the light of thine arrows they went, And at the shining of thy glittering spear !" Here the song suddenly changed from its swift and sublime revealings of the footsteps of Jehovah, to a trust- ing expression in his mercy and love, as beautiful in its touching simplicity, as the rainbow which casts its marvel- lous spell of glory on the wings of the retreating storm. "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines, The labor of the olive shall fail, A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 83 And the fields shall yield no meat, The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stall, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I -will joy in the God of my salvation." A moment more and Zerah beheld before him the form of his only son, and listened to the words of confession and filial love that fell from his lips. The close resem- blance which the son had ever borne to the father, seemed at that moment so striking, that Zerah instantly recog- nized and felt its influence. He saw, as in a glass, his own image, and heard the echo of his own voice, in the rich manly fullness of the tones which now fell upon his ear. The long past since first he received to his arms his first- born son, with the high hopes concerning him, which for years had been as food to his soul, and the truth that he was the only one who should perpetuate his name in Israel, all filled his mind with the swift rush of thought, and moved his heart with a deep yearning to embrace the returning wanderer. His armor of pride fell off, as a coat of mail from the limbs of the warrior, and the strong tide of paternal love which had swelled beneath it, was revealed in the joyful welcome of Philip to the home and heart of his father. " And now as thou hast graciously forgiven the past," said Philip, " I would fain crave one favor at thy hands for the future : it is, that with thy permission I may avow myself a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth." " Comest thou hither to mock me ?" exclaimed Zerah, his face suddenly darkening as a summer sky beneath a 84 LIFE IN JDDEA. heavy tempest-cloud. " Knowest thou not that my soul is weary of the name of this unknown Galilean this son of a carpenter? Have I not sat in council, this very day with the rulers and elders of Israel, laboring to devise plans by which the spreading leaven of his doctrines may be stayed in the land ? And shall Philip, the son of Zerah, of Jerusalem, become his disciple ? Nay, verily 1 Thy last error is a hundred fold greater than the first. It would be well that thou wert an Essene to the end of thy days, rather than a follower of Jesus of Nazareth." " Nay, my father," replied Philip, " thou knowest him not, else thou wouldst rejoice that thy son should learn wisdom and holiness from his divine teachings. In the synagogues of Galilee, upon the mountain sides, and by the shores of Gennesaret, my soul hath been moved within me, by the new and wondrerful truths which he hath re- vealed. Thronging multitudes have paused in breathless silence upon his words, and when he hath ceased, have unitedly uttered their testimony with astonishment and awe : ' Never man spake like this man.' Have I not seen those who were weary with wasting disease, arise at his touch full of health and gladness ? Have not those who have passed through the valley and shadow of death been recalled by his word, and now again walk the earth ? Have I not heard the blind, whose eyes he hath opened, exclaim, with tears of thanksgiving, ' Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.' Have I not seen ' the lame man leap as an hart,' and heard ihe tongue of the dumb sing ? Yea, the snow-white and A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 85 crumbling flesh of the leper, hath become as that of the weaned child ; and the spirits of the unknown deep have obeyed his voice, acknowledged his power, and besought of him to stay his righteous judgments. These things have mine eyes seen and ears heard; and now with a full faith my soul hath found him, ' of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write,' the Son and the Lord of David." " My son," replied Zerah, with an aspect of composure, thy heart hath been beguiled by this deceiver, and the eyes of thy understanding darkened. Hearken to the counsel of thy father. Walk not for a season in the paths of this Nazarene, neither listen to his sayings, nor behold the strange deeds by which he ensnareth the people. In the meanwhile, Rabbi Ben Levi shall instruct thee more diligently in the law of the Lord, and thou shalt see that it is but folly to suppose that this wandering Galilean, who hath not where to lay his head, attended by a band of fishermen, is the promised prophet, priest, and king, whose reign hath lighted with its rays of far-off glory, the visions of our prophets. Thou shalt then see that thine ignorance hath been to thee a stone of stumbling, and thou shalt know that with many years dwelleth knowledge, and wis- dom with men of hoary hairs ; for who among all the rulers and elders of the people have believed in this man of whom thou hast spoken ?" ' Forgive me, my father," answered Philip, " but I can- not withhold my soul from the teachings of Jesus, neither should the words of all the elders of Israel shake my faith 8 ?6 LIFE IN JUDEA. in Him, seeing it is founded on a rock which hath an everlasting foundation." " And wilt thou again despise the law of thy father ?" exclaimed Zerah, his face once more kindling with anger. " Wilt thou hate instruction and forsake reproof? Then shall thy light be put out in utter darkness. The bitter curse of thy father shall lie down with thee in thy grave, and the soul of thy mother " "Nay, I beseech thee, my father, hold thy fearful words," exclaimed Mary, suddenly throwing herself at the feet of Zerah. " If thou lovest me, withdraw thy dread curse from the head of Philip. Have we not rested upon the bosom of one mother, and grown up together before thine eyes ? If thou shalt curse my brother, on me also thy withering words must fall, for I, even as he, am a believer in Jesus." " Thou art but a child," exclaimed Zerah, impatiently, and knowest not whereof thou dost affirm ; therefore do I still exercise my soul in patience with thee, knowing that when thou hast seen the approaching downfall of the Na- zarene, thou wilt turn from thy folly. But thy brother hath been stiff-necked and hard-hearted from the beginning. His neck is as an iron sinew, and his brow brass, and he will not be turned from his ways. Therefore," he conti- nued, turning to his son, " none of my words unto thee shall fall to the ground. Thou shalt eat the bread of poverty, and drink the cup of trembling. Thy feet shall not enter the dwelling of thy father, and thou shalt see my face no more." And thus saying the proud Pharisee gathered his robe about him and departed from the room. A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 87 The converse of his children was mingled with bitter tears, that their very meeting must be turned into parting ; yet there was joy in the midst of their sorrow. From the treasury of a full heart, Philip brought forth many of the sayings of Jesus, " full of grace and truth," which were to the soul of Mary as bread to the hungry. Descending into the depths of her spiritual being, they became to her as "a well of water springing up into everlasting life." On the other hand, Mary strengthened and comforted her brother by her clear, spiritual perceptions of truth, and by her firm and unwavering faith in the righteousness of his cause. At length, in the third watch of the night, the waning moon arose with faint and mournful light, and Philip bound on his sandals and girded his loins for de- parture. " We shall meet again, my sister," he said, after many words, which he had vainly thought to be the last, " else how should my faith stand this sore trial of parting with thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and give thee peace." " Amen," replied Mary. " ' The Lord preserve thy going out and thy coming in.' Let the blessed words of Jesus, which thou hast told me this night, be thy shield and exceeding great reward : ' Yerily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or bro- ther, or sisters, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come, life everlasting.' " CHAPTER VII. SEARCHINGS FOR TRUTH. NATHAN, the son of Absalom, after his sojourn in Egypt, had been recalled to Rome by the wishes of his father ; and now, after an absence of more than two years, re- turned to Judea. Arriving at Cesarea, he took his jour- ney to Jerusalem, through Sebaste, the chief city of Samaria, leaving on the right the plains of Sharon. On a certain day, as it drew near the sixth hour, he entered a village, and, approaching a small dwelling upon its outskirts, craved rest during the heat of noontide. The house was low and humble, and nestled just at the foot of a hill, which rose upon its southern side, entirely protecting it from the scorching sunbeams, and was to Nathan as " the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." The family, consisting of a father, mother, and two daughters, were enjoying their simple repast beneath a large terebinth tree, every face wearing not only an ex- pression of contentment but of delighted happiness. All immediately rose to welcome the traveller. One of the daughters brought a basin and napkin, and removed the sandals from the feet of Nathan and his servant, while the other led their weary mules to a cool retreat, and with her pitcher upon her head, brought them water from a (88^1 SEARCHINGS FOR TRUTH. 89 spring which sparkled and sung through its rocky channel at the base of the hill. At the same time, the mother prepared fresh cakes of barley, which, with dates and new wine, she presented for the refreshment of her guests. " Thou art a Jew ?" said the woman, in a tone of inquiry rather than assertion, evidently balancing in her mind the strong Hebrew physiognomy of Nathan, on the one hand, and his Roman garb, with the circumstance of his par- taking of the hospitalities of a Samaritan, on the other. "Yea, verily," answered Nathan, "a Jew from the crown of my head to the sole of my foot, though born in Rome." " It needeth no prophet to say thou art not of Jerusa- lem," answered the woman, " seeing thou hast eaten of the bread of a Samaritan." "And through how many generations," exclaimed Nathan, " is this useless quarrel to continue, and Jews and Samaritans remain at enmity to each other ?" " As long as there stands a temple upon Mount Mo- riah, or Gerizim," answered Ammon, the husband of the woman. " Our fathers sought to assist the people of Judea in rebuilding the Temple, when they returned from Babylon, but they cast out their tribute, and would none of their help. Therefore did they build a house to the Lord upon Gerizim, and here shall their children worship from generation to generation. For I trow the sons shall not bring their sacrifice to the house their fathers were not worthy to build." " Nevertheless," said his wife, " we will not retain anger 8* 90 LIFE IN JUDEA. in our hearts unto them. When Jesus shall take unto himself his power and reign, he will show us the way of truth, and will teach us to dwell together as brethren." " Thou hast well said, Rachel," answered Ammon, his whole expression instantly softening at the name of Jesus. He passed one hand across his brow and cheeks, then looked down steadfastly upon his hands, clasping and un- clasping them, turning them within and without, opening and closing them, all the while apparently absorbed in a kind of thoughtful amazement, and as if replying to his own contemplations, he exclaimed at length, " Blessed be his holy name for ever and ever." " What meanest thou ?" asked Nathan, whose curiosity was more excited by the strange manner of the man than by his words. " What mean I ?" responded Ammon. "Was I not a leper, as white as snow ? These very hands which thou seest clothed with flesh, fair and smooth, were but unsightly bones, whose covering had fallen off in scales, and whose sinews were consumed as before the moth. Seven long years I perceived the dread plague coming upon me, and I left my wife, who was unto me as Rachel to our father Jacob, and put from my arms my two young daughters, and departed alone into the wilderness. Alas, for the untold days and nights when I dwelt apart from the chil- dren of men, saying in the evening, ' Would God it were morning !' and in the morning, ' Would God it were evening!' and praying only to die. From afar off I watched the daily coming of my wife, as she placed my SEARCillNGS FOR TRUTH. 01 food at the foot of the great rock which thou seest across yonder plain ; but it was only afar off, for I dared not come near, lest I should breathe upon her the dread pestilence that was consuming piecemeal the flesh from my bones. I saw at hand no human face, I heard no human voice. Sometimes, as I lay in my bitter loneliness, the approach- ing sound of human footsteps fell upon my ear, and my desolate heart leaped suddenly within me, but I laid my hand upon my lip and fled, crying, ' Unclean ! Unclean !' " It was but one week ago that I found with my food a small piece of parchment, on which my wife had written, begging of me to come forth into the street which leadeth to Samaria, and pray to be healed, for Jesus of Nazareth was to pass by that day. So I went forth and fell upon my face in his path. All that were about him fled in haste from the fearful form of the leper, and I dared not lift my eyes lest he also should have passed on. But in a moment he bade me arise, and laid his hand upon my head and said, ' Be thou clean !' Then a new life suddenly coursed through my veins ; strength entered into my bones, and my flesh returned unto me, as in the pride of my early manhood. And I fell down at his feet and wor- shipped him, knowing that he is of a truth, the Messiah that should come into the world." After a season of rest, Nathan proceeded on his way. Passing through the village, he observed by the roadside, a child of seven summers sitting by a well, which was shaded by the drooping branches of a large willow tree. Her lap was full of clusters of camphire flowers, and tho 92 LIFE IN JUDEA. bright red blossoms of the pomegranate tree. These she took, one after another, in her hand, holding them near and then far from her eyes, and gazing upon them with an expression of absorbed and speechless delight. " Thou lovest thy flowers, little damsel," remarked Na- than, attracted by her extreme beauty, and her aspect of quiet but overflowing joy. " Are the glorious robes of the High Priest brighter than these ?" asked the child, lifting her large, soft eyes to the face of Nathan. " Peradventure they may be brighter, but not as beau- tiful," answered Nathan ; "bat hast thou never seen the High Priest ?" "Nay," answered Anna, " for I was blind. Until the day before the Sabbath, I had not seen the face of my mother, neither knew I the appearance of the light, but thought it something like the songs of the Levites in the Temple. But now I see all things. Jesus of Nazareth hath opened my eyes, and I will praise him while I have any being." "And what hast thou most delighted to see?" asked Nathan. " My mother's face," answered the child, quickly, " for it hath a softer light than the sun, and is fairer than the moon. And my soul marvelleth at the far-off glory of the heavens. Are those the chariots of God ?" she continued, pointing upwards to some clouds that slowly sailed in their snowy fleeciness through the blue depth of the firma- ment. SEARCIIIXGS FOR TRUTH. 93 "Nay, those are but clouds," answered Nathan. " It is even according to the thought of my heart," ex- claimed the child, suddenly rising and clasping her hands in delight. " Knowest thou not the words of David ?" she continued, with the assured air of one who has positive proof of what is affirmed, " ' He maketh the clouds his chariots : He rideth upon the wings of the wind.' " Musing on these and many other instances of the power of Jesus which had come to his knowledge since his dis- embarkment at Cesarea, on the fourth day, Nathan drew near to Jerusalem. On arriving at the house of Zerah, he heard the sounds of music and festivity, and was in- formed by a servant that Zerah had made a great feast, and bade many. He was immediately led to an inner chamber, where servants stood ready to wash his feet, after which they anointed his head with fragrant oil, and clothed him with a festive garment. He was then conducted into the court. Here three long, low tables were arranged in the form of a hollow square, around the outer side of which the guests reclined upon cushions, while the attendants stood in the space within, ministering to their wants. As Nathan entered the court, Zerah rose, and embraced and kissed him. Then, after courteously presenting him to his guests, he bade the master of the feast prepare for him one of the chief seats at the supper. The company was large, embracing many members of the Sanhedrim, and the most renowned rulers and scribes of Jerusalem. After the banquet was over, Zerah led the 94 LIFE IN JUDEA. i way to the house-top, and the conversation soon became animated. " Is Herod still at Tiberias ?" asked one. " Nay, he hath gone to Machaerus," answered Ben Levi. " There, amid the spacious halls of his palace, he dwelleth for a season, with the beautiful Herodias and her daughter Salome." " Herodias, the adulteress, may her name perish I" ex- claimed another, contemptuously. " Confusion of face belongeth unto us, that a ruler of our own people should thus have openly departed from the law of Moses. His mischief shall yet come down upon his own head ; for the king of Arabia shall avenge the wrongs of his daughter, the dishonored Fatuah, whom Herod hath put away, and the Jewish people will not sustain him in his career of iniquity." " Nevertheless," replied Ben Levi, " in one thing He- rodias shall be praised, even as Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite. By her cunning devices she hath obtained the head of John the Baptist." This speech evidently did not meet with a full response from all the company. A few there were of stern coun- tenance, who answered, " Thou hast well said." A much larger number, though manifestly enjoying secret satis- faction in the death of the prophet, scrupled to approve the manner in which it had been accomplished ; and yet others clearly expressed in their countenances their con- tempt and abhorrence of the deed. Lightning flashes of angry scorn gleamed from beneath the black heavy eye- SEARCHINGS FOR TRUTH. 95 brows of Nathan ; and Carmi, springing to his feet, his fine face glowing with righteous indignation, exclaimed, " Let all who hear me bear witness, that from the approval of this thing I wash my hands in innocency, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I refuse to utter my testimony against the dark deed that hath been done by the word of Herodias, in the dungeons of Maehserus. It were a perpetual reproach unto Herod that he had im- prisoned a righteous man, whose only fault was that he spoke truth to the people ; a grievous sin, indeed," he continued, casting a look of withering scorn upon Ben Levi. "But, as if this were not enough, he hath brought a blot upon his name which all ages shall not wipe out. Far in the desolate dungeon, far from the face of man and light of heaven, he hath shed righteous blood, for which he that sitteth in the heavens shall yet make inqui- sition. As for Herodias, who hath defiled a daughter's lips to ask for that fearful gift, and hath received from a daughter's trembling hands the head of John the Baptist, bearing, even in death, upon his calm and settled brow, the seal of a prophet of the Lord, I speak not of her doom. Ye remember Jezebel and the walls of Jezreel." There was, in the tone and manner of Carmi, a resistless eloquence, that cast its subduing power over all who lis- tened to his words. He had suddenly unsheathed the sword of divine justice, and every man trembled as its fearful brightness flashed before the eyes of his understand- ing. Not a word more was spoken in extenuation of the sin of Herod or Herodias. The face of Ben Levi gath- 96 LIFE IN JUDEA. ercd blackness ; but unwilling to provoke further speech from Carmi, he sealed his lips in silence ; while the young Saddueee, with the calm repose of one who has uttered the unbiassed voice of truth, gathered his robe about him, and resuming his seat by the side of Nathan, entered once more upon the subject of conversation which had been interrupted by the words of Ben Levi. At an early opportunity Nathan inquired of Zerah concerning the absence of Mary, which he learned from the servants. " She abideth for a few days at the house of Naomi of Bethlehem, "said Zerah, " who hath long craved this favor at my hands. But my daughter would not leave me alone. Now I have made a feast for several days, and called my friends and neighbors together, she hath gone forth for a little, knowing that my heart shall not be desolate. ' Truly as the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters.' " At sunrise the next morning, Nathan mounted his mule, and set his face toward Bethlehem. At an angle of the street of the Water Gate, he suddenly encountered Carmi, seated upon his spirited Arabian horse, and going forth, according to his usual custom, to enjoy the freshness of morning. " I go unto Bethlehem Ephrata to behold the face of my cousin Mary," said Nathan, after the usual salutations. " Wilt thou not also go with me ?" The invitation was accepted, and the two rode on, be- guiling the time by pleasant converse respecting the SEARCHTNGS FOR TRUTH. 97 various localities in their way, each made sacred by some tradition from the ages of the past. "One thing I would fain ask of thee," said Nathan, after their conversation had gradually unfolded more of the inner being of each to the other, than either had known before " how is it that thou, being a Sadducee, sittest often in the court of Zerah, the Pharisee, whose doctrines thou despisest." " Knowest thou not that I am his kinsman ?" replied Carmi, with a slight embarrassment, quite foreign to his usual manner. " Yea, verily," answered Nathan, " I know thou art his sister's son ; nevertheless a man seeketh not vinegar to his teeth, nor smoke to his eyes, even among his own kins- folk." " Thou sayest truly," answered Carmi. " The doc- trines of the Pharisees are to my soul as wormwood to the tongue ; yet bitterness is forgotten in the taste of the honeycomb." " Even so," replied Nathan, " the multiplied precepts of Zerah are like a continual dropping in a rainy day, but the words of Mary, as ' apples of gold in baskets of silver.'" As the travellers approached the dwelling of Naomi, they discovered Eunice tending sheep upon the neigh- boring hillside. She was clothed in a simple robe of white, and about her head were twined flowers fresh with the dew of morning. She sat upon the grass, surrounded by her flock, the sheep quietly browsing the rich herbage 9 98 LIFE IN JUDEA. at a little distance, and the white lambs sporting in merry gambols with the garlands which hung from the crook she held in her hand. She seemed to sit as a queen of the flocks and the flowers, and her loving subjects were bow- ing to the graceful sceptre of her dominion. And so beautiful was the mountain shepherdess, in the glowing light of morning, that the whole scene was to the observ- ers as a realization of some vision of painting or poesy. Naomi was within her lowly cot, her hands busy with the spindle and distaff, and Mary was seated at her feet, reading aloud from the prophecy of Isaiah. The faces of both were turned from the door, and their minds so deeply engrossed with the words of the prophet, that Nathan and Carmi stood at the very entrance, yet they perceived it not. The scripture which was read was this : " He is despised and rejected of men ; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him ; He was despised, and we esteemed him not. But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities : The chastisement of our peace was upon him And with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray j We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Joyful greetings, with mutual inquiries, and expressions of rejoicing, or sorrowful sympathy, succeeded the recog- nition of the visitors. But after the first surprise and joy of the meeting, the conversation turned upon the great and all-pervading subject, which filled all minds through the SEARCHINGS FOR TRUTH. 99 length and breadth of the land the life of Jesus of Nazareth. " I hope, my son, that thon dost now believe that Jesus is the Christ of God," said Naomi to Nathan ; " seeing the works he has done bear full testimony to his power and glory." " Nay, I cannot believe," answered Nathan, " for if he be the Messiah, why doth he not take unto himself his power and reign. Nevertheless, for this very cause, I came into Judea again, that my own eyes may see, and my own ears may hear, what hath been testified unto me." Mary had resumed her roll of parchment, and with a calm, clear voice, read once more the passage her auditors had heard at the door-way. " Of whom speakest the prophet this ?" she asked, lifting her eyes to Carmi, with her finger resting at the words ? " That is still a contested point among the masters of Israel," answered Carmi. " Peradventure it hath found its fulfillment in the life of some one of the prophets." " Yet how can this be ?" pursued Mary, " for of whom among all our prophets may it be said, that ' by his stripes we are healed, ' and upon whom hath the Lord laid the iniquity of us all ? But here, as in a glass, I behold the face of Jesus Christ. Is he not despised and rejected of men ? Have not our people hidden their faces from him ? Is he not a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief?" "Yea, verily," remarked Naomi, "and yet bitter chas- tisement shall yet be upon him ; for he hath assured his 300 LIFE IN JUDEA. disciples that he must yet suffer many things, and be re- jected and slain by this generation." " The kingdom of the Messiah is to be an everlasting kingdom," said Nathan. " Believest thou this, Mary ?" "Even so," answered Mary, " his dominion is without end." " Then do not thine own words condemn thee ? for thou sayest he shall be put to death," said Carmi. "His kingdom is not of this world," replied Mary. " He hath himself said, ' The kingdom of heaven is within you.' Unto all who receive him giveth he power to be- come the sons of God, and in the hearts of them that believe on his name, doth he already reign as Prophet, Priest, and King. And should he be put to death at Jerusalem, that death will be the finishing of the great work he hath descended from heaven to accomplish. Have not all the services of our faith, during the long ages of preparation for the Messiah, pointed to one great sacrifice ? What meaneth the bleeding victim upon the altar of daily burnt-offering, the sprinkling of blood before the mercy-seat on the great day of atonement, and the scape goat led into the wilderness, to bear away the sins of the people ?" " And if thou canst interpret their meaning in the life of Jesus," said Carmi, " I trow thou art wiser than thy teachers." A flush crossed the cheek of Mary, betokening a slight ruffling of her spirit at this remark, but it passed in a moment, and her face was again as a calm summer sea, SEARCH1NGS FOR TRUTH. 101 reflecting depths of heavenly purity, as in a low, earnest tone she said, " I cannot tell thee all the hidden meanings, all the glorious revealings of the law and the prophets, that often burst upon my soul, as strange and sweet as songs of angels in dreams of the night. I see them but dimly ; I know them not fully myself. Yet they are of a radiant glory, like the gems of Aaron's breastplate ; and I bind them upon my heart, and garner them in my bosom, knowing that they shall be read to me when I shall wor- ship on high with Moses and Elias. Nevertheless, hear the words of John the Baptist, who came to prepare the way of the Lord. Seeing Jesus as he drew nigh, he said, ' Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world.' See ye not here," she continued, clasping her hands in earnestness, while her face shone with the light of a living faith, " the Lamb without spot or blemish, the slain Lamb of the Passover ? And, as the sprinkled blood upon the door posts saved our fathers in Egypt from the touch of the destroying angel, so shall his blood save his people from their sins. For he hath said that he will give himself for the life of the world." " Yet who are his followers ?" exclaimed Carmi ; " the poor, the unlearned, publicans and sinners. Who among the wise and learned have given heed to his claims as the Christ ? Do they not all count them as folly ? Truly his mission is good, and he hath been a gracious prophet unto the common people. As a prophet, I esteem and honor him, but no more." The widow gazed for a moment upon Carmi, rich in the 9* 102 LIFE IN JUDEA. treasures of learning and wisdom, and then upon the quiet maiden at her feet, taught by the Spirit of the Lord, and lifting up her eyes, she reverently repeated the words of Jesus " I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." For six months Nathan was a frequent attendant upon the teachings of Jesus ; but although he could not but acknowledge their purity, originality, and power, so strongly rooted were his prejudices, that he still refused to believe that the Lowly One, who had not where to lay his head, was the long-promised hope of Israel, and he became more than ever confirmed in his expectations of a future temporal king. Meanwhile, the rulers of Israel trembled at the vast power of Jesus over the hearts of the people through the length and breadth of the land. In the great council of the Sanhedrim they devised many a scheme by which they might prevail against him, and stay the influences of truth, which emanated from his path, like light from the morning sun, exposing the vain traditions, the heavy burdens, and the gross materialities of a corrupted religion, under whose blinding power the people walked in darkness. CHAPTER YIII. A ROYAL TRIUMPH. IT was the tenth day of Nisan, and the feast of the Passover drew nigh. As Nathan went up to the Temple, at the hour of morning service, he was astonished at the multitudes who were bending their way thitherward. Jerusalem at this time was filled with people who had come from all parts of the land to purify themselves for the feast. The wall that enclosed the summit of Mount Moriah was built up from the valley below, in some places to the perpendicular height of six hundred feet. In this wall .were nine gates, now all open, and receiving their living tide of worshippers, who, on every side, were ascending the long flights of steps that conducted to the sacred hill. Nathan joined the crowd that were slowly mounting the toilsome ascent upon the eastern side of the mount, and entered the vast two-leaved doors of the beau- tiful gate which led into the Court of the Gentiles. This court was so spacious upon the south as to occupy nearly half the surface of the hill. Upon the east, north, and west it was quite narrow. On the inside of the wall, between the gate, there were porches, or piazzas, about twenty feet in width, having a flat roof of cedar, sup- ported by massive pillars of marble. These walks afforded (103) 104 LIFE IN JUDEA. a delightful promenade, and were greatly frequented by the people. Within the Court of the Gentiles was the Court of the Israelites, divided into two parts the outer and eastern one for the women, the inner and western one for the men. The Court of the Women was separated from that of the Gentiles by a double wall, with an intermedi- ate enclosure of fifteen feet. The first of these was a low partition, of elegant construction, on which stood pillars, at equal distances, with inscriptions in Greek and Latin, importing that no alien should advance farther. From this an ascent of nine steps conducted to the inner and higher wall, which was entered by three gates one upon the south, one upon the east, immediately opposite the beautiful gate, and one upon the north. The Court of the Women was square. From its western side fifteen semi- circular steps led to the great gate, Nicanor, the entrance to the Court of the male Israelites. This court was in the form of a gallery. Immediately within it was the Court of the Priests, separated therefrom by a wall about a foot and a half in height. These two courts surrounded the Temple upon its northern, eastern, and southern sides. From the Court of the Priests, a flight of twelve steps conducted to the Temple itself, consisting of three parts, the portico, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. The portico was one hundred and fifty feet high, and as many broad. It was covered with plates of gold, and adorned with golden vines of exquisite workmanship, and of such immense size, that their clusters were from A ROYAL TRIUMPH 105 five to six feet in length. Here too were displayed rare and costly gems, and other rich gifts which had been pre- sented as votive offerings. A large portal opened into the Holy Place, wherein stood the altar of incense, the tables of shew bread, and the golden seven-branched can- dlestick, with its ever-burning lights, fed with olive oil. The Holy of Holies was separated from the sanctuary only by a veil, whose sacred and mysterious folds were lifted but once in the entire year. Nathan stood in the Court of the Israelites. Near him, within the low wall of the court of the priests, was the altar of burnt-offering, with its fires ready for the sacrifice. Beyond, in the Holy Place, the priest with incense stood by the golden altar. At a given signal he kindled the incense, and the whole congregation without joined in the prayers. Then were offered upon the brazen altar the daily meat-offerings and drink-offerings ; at the conclusion of which the Levites sang a song of praise, whose pauses were filled by the clear and thrilling peal of silver trum- pets, and the worship of the people. The soul of Nathan was filled with the religious fervor inspired by the impos- ing solemnities of the service, and heightened by the whole surrounding scene. From the place where he stood, the Temple rose upon his left in all its effulgent splendor, reflecting the eastern sunbeams with a brilliancy which caused the dazzled eye to turn away from its insufferable brightness. On his right he looked down through the gates Nicanor and Beautiful, on to the Mount of Olives, 106 LIFE IN JUDEA. while on every hand kneeling thousands were covering the spacious courts of Moriah. A large part of the people still remained, after the con- clusion of the morning service. Many had offerings to present of a voluntary or expiatory nature. Others em- braced this opportunity to meet with friends, and others still promenading the long porticoes, enjoyed the fine view of the city spread beneath them. In the large southern area of the Court of the Gentiles, Nathan was observing the many strangers and foreigners who were present, the buying and selling of articles needed for the sacrifices of the temple, and the money-changers busy at their tables. " Is the prophet of Nazareth in Jerusalem ?" asked an aged Jew from the seashore, as he purchased a pair of turtle-doves. " Nay," replied the person addressed, counting in the mean time the silver pieces given in payment for the article, " I trow not ; he hath not walked openly among the peo- ple since the great miracle he wrought in Bethany. This, more than aught else he hath done, hath stirred the anger of the Scribes and Pharisees ; seeing that thereby many have become his disciples, and from that day the rulers have taken counsel together to put him to death." " That is not so easily done as thou thinkest," quickly rejoined a bystander. " Let the rulers and elders lay violent hands on Jesus, and they will kindle a fire in Jeru- salem which neither Pilate nor Herod, nay, nor Csesar himself, shall be able to quench." " It is true they fear the people," answered the seller t A ROYAL TBIUMPH. 107 of doves, "else had the Galilean prophet long since shared his fate who preached in the wilderness of Judea. Nevertheless thou shalt see that Jewish rabbles can find means to compass their own devices." " But canst thou not tell me where I may find him ?" pursued the aged man who first had spoken. " I have come up, leaning upon my staff, from the region of Beer- sheba, near the borders of the Great Sea, for mine eyes fail for their longing to behold him before I die." " Perchance he will come up to Jerusalem," replied the other, turning to another purchaser. " There are yet five days before the feast of unleavened bread." " Sir, what thinkest thou ?" asked a young Roman in broken Hebrew, of Nathan. " Will the Jewish prophet teach in the temple this week ?" " Indeed, I know not," answered Nathan in Latin, " but so I fain would hope, that thou mayest see that Je- rusalem hath a teacher more marvellously eloquent than the orators of Athens or Rome." "Truly, I have come hither, out of my course from Tyre to Rome," answered the stranger, " that I might behold him of whom so great a fame has gone abroad." A little after, as Nathan paced to and fro in Solomon's Porch, he observed a group intently listening to the words of one about whom they had gathered, and drawing near, he perceived that the speaker was giving an account of the raising of Lazarus, with all the life-like detail which an eye-witness alone could impart. " Would that we might see Lazarus, who hath lain four 108 LIFE IN JUDEA. days in the grave," was the eager response of some of the listeners, as the narrator ceased. Others, with faces of .deeper thought, exclaimed, "Would that we might see Jesus I" Thus, among the multitudes of Jerusalem, was there one deep under-current of thought. It was pictured upon a thousand faces of eager inquiry, heard in the words of low and solemn converse, and expressed by unnumbered lips, in tones of deep earnestness : " What think ye, that he will not come to the feast ?" "Jesus is even now coming up to Jerusalem from Beth- phage and Bethany," remarked one, in eager haste, as he gained the summit of Moriah ; and the tidings quickly spread through all the courts of the temple. Mary, ac- companied by Eunice, was just descending the steps of the Court of the Women, and immediately repaired to Solo- mon's Porch, that she might behold the approach of Jesus. Here she met with Nathan, who obtained for the two maidens a position just within the outer wall, which commanded the entire view of Olivet. A large procession already appeared on the mount, waving palms in their hands, and the eastern breeze bore faintly to the temple the echoes of their shouts of gladness. As they advanced, some spread their garments, and others threw green branches of victory in the path of him whom the people delighted to honor. As he gained the summit of Olivet, borne onward by the meek footsteps of the unbroken foal which he rode, and was thus revealed to the view of the multitude in the valley below, who had gone A ROYAL TRIUMPH. 109 forth out of the city to meet him, the full chorus of thou- sands of voices rent the air with the triumphant acclama- tions, " Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord." But as Jesus gazed upon Jerusalem, he wept over it. His heart went out unto the rebellious city, with the fulness of infinite love, and the chosen few who surrounded him heard his pitying response to the joyous welcome of her sons and daughters : " If thou hadst known even thou at least, in this thy day the things which belong to thy peace ; but now they are hid from thine eyes." The tide of living beings grew every moment broader and stronger, and moved onward through the valley of Jehoshaphat to the foot of Moriah. " Hearken to the voices of the young children," exclaimed Mary ; " their hosannas are full of sweetest praise. Surely now the vision of the prophet is fulfilled before our eyes, ' Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion ! shout, daughter of Jeru- salem ! behold thy King cometh unto thee ; he is just and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.'" " Ah !" exclaimed Eunice, in a fervor of joyful enthu- siasm, as Jesus entered the outer court of the Temple, " would that the Levites might sing that lofty song 1 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.' " "Nay," said Mary, awed and subdued with the deepest emotion by the presence of Immanuel, whom she had so 10 110 LIFE IN JUDEA. long earnestly desired to see, " The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him." This day, which was the first day of the week, the peo- ple waited in vain for the teachings of Jesus, for he looked round about all things ; and when the eventide was come, he went out into Bethany with the twelve. But, return- ing to Jerusalem on the morrow, he cleansed the temple, and dispossessed all who bought and sold therein, with an authority which astonished the people, and so intimidated the chief priests and scribes, that they dared not resist his sovereign power. On the third day, as Mary went not up to the Temple, in accordance with the wishes of her father. Nathan detailed to her the teachings of Jesus : the para- ble of the vineyard, the conversation with the Pharisees and Herodians concerning the tribute money, the discus- sion with the Sadducees upon the resurrection, the search- ing rebukes addressed to the Scribes for their heartless worship, and the blessed words of commendation with which he noticed the two mites which the humble widow cast into the treasury of the Lord. " And what were the words of Jesus to-day ?" asked Mary of her cousin, as he joined her in the garden, about sunset of the fourth day. "He hath not been in the temple," answered Nathan, "and I feared I should come to thee with no tidings of him ; but as I passed the sheep gate, I met a man just returning from Bethany, of whom I inquired concerning Jesus. He hath spent the day in the house of Simon, the leper. While sitting at meat, a woman brake a box of A ROYAL TRIUMPH. Ill precious ointment, and poured it on his head. At this some had indignation, on account of the waste of the ointment, but Jesus stilled their murmurings, and accepted her sacrifice, saying that she had anointed his body for his burial." " For his burial 1" repeated Mary. "It is even so. He will fall into the hands of those who seek his life ; for hath he not said that he will give his flesh for the life of the world ?" " Yet the Scribes and Pharisees cannot now lay their hands on him, because of the people," answered Nathan, half replying to the words of Mary, and half in parley with his own thoughts. " There are thousands at this time in Jerusalem, from all parts of the land, who have listened to the words, "and witnessed the miracles of this great prophet ; for such indeed he is. And these, despite all commands from Jewish Priest or Roman Governor, will arise as one man in his defence." "Nevertheless, evil is now determined against him," answered Mary. " This day Ben Levi and Ben Ephraim have held converse in the court with my father, and I heard dark words of subtlety and betrayal. Alas! Nathan, woe is me that my father hath set himself against the Lord, and against his Anointed I Truly it is a cup of bitterness which my soul cannot drink, that on his hands should be found the blood of the Holy One. With tears and anguish I have besought the Lord to turn his heart, and if this be not so, how shall I endure to see the guilt that he shall bring upon himself and on his people ?" 112 LIFE IN JUDEA. " Thou afflictest thy soul in vain ;" remarked Nathan. " If the counsels of Jerusalem prevail against this pro- phet, shall it not prove to thee that he is not the Anointed of the Lord ?" " Nought shall move my faith in him," replied Mary. " It is founded upon the rock of ages, and shall endure forever " CHAPTER IX. THE PASCHAL SUPPER IN THE FAMILY. THE fifth day of the week, being the fourteenth of the month Nisan, was busied in preparation for the approach- ing feast of the Passover. In the dwellings of the Phari- sees this feast was observed according to the law and to the traditions, with scrupulous exactness. As early as the beginning of the fourteenth day, that is, the evening before, all parts of the house were diligently searched with lighted candles, that every particle of leaven might be gathered and destroyed, before the time of the Passover began. Before noon it was carefully burned ; the master of the dwelling presiding over the ceremony, and repeat- ing the words, " All the leaven that is within my pos^ session, which I have seen, or which I have not seen, which I have cast out, or which I have not cast out, be it as though it were not : be it as the dust of the earth." The paschal lambs having been previously selected, without spot or blemish, on the tenth day of the month, were all slain as other sacrifices in the Court of the Priests. As it was a great work to kill and dress so many as were necessary for the occasion, the evening sacrifice on that day was offered before the middle of the afternoon, and the rest of the day, from that time to the end of it, was 10* (113) 114 LIFE IN JUDEA. occupied entirely with the preparation of the Passover. The slain lambs were carried away to the several houses where they were to be eaten, and immediately made ready for roasting by being thrust through by a wooden stake, and so placed before a large fire. According to the commandment, each must be thus exposed, till it was roasted in a perfectly thorough manner. It was a regu- lation that no lamb should be used for less than ten per- sons ; each family, or company, therefore, was required to have at least that number of members. As every room was in demand to accommodate the vast multitude that assembled to keep the feast, the houses of the city were at such times regarded as common property, and were opened to admit as many as they could conveniently receive ; so that strangers, who came up from any part of the land, might make use of any house that had room for them, free of all expense, and as a matter of right. Soon after it became dark, that is, with the commence- ment of the fifteenth day of Nisan, the Passover table was spread, and surrounded by its little company in all the houses of Jerusalem. Around the table of Zerah, nearly twenty were gathered, consisting of Mary and Nathan, Naomi, with her daughter and two sons, with the servants of the household, and those of their kinsfolk, who joined them at the feast. The supper commenced with the ceremony of drinking a small cup of wine, mingled with water, by each individual, after Zerah, in the name of all, had given thanks over it to the God of all blessings. This was the first cup, and THE PASCHAL SUPPER IN THE FAMILY. 115 was followed by the washing of hands, after the general manner of purifying. The table having been till this time unfurnished, was now supplied with its provisions ; the cakes of unleavened bread, the bitter salad, the lamb roasted whole, the peace-offering meat, and a dish of thick sauce, composed of dates, figs, raisins and vinegar. Zerah, and all the others after him, then took a small quantity of the salad, with another thanksgiving, and ate it ; after which all the dishes were immediately removed from the table, and a second cup of wine placed before each one of the company as at the first. This strange way of beginning the meal was designed to excite the curiosity of children, that they might inquire concerning the nature and import of the feast. But one child was present at the table of Zerah. It was a girl of seven years, sitting by the side of her widowed mother, who was sister to one of Mary's handmaidens. For her the ceremony was scarcely necessary, as her face wore an expression of eager and intense interest. Her appearance had seemed to Na- than, from the first, like a half-remembered dream, but it was not till her voice repeated the question, "What mean ye by this service ?" that he recognised the little maiden whom he had met on his way to Jerusalem, whose sight had been restored by Jesus of Nazareth. It was the first time that Adah had seen the Passover. In reply to the child's question, Zerah arose, and re- counted the thrilling tale of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage. As he concluded, the dishes that had been re- moved, were again placed upon the table, whereupon he 116 LIFE IN JUDEA. said, " This is the Passover which we eat, because the Lord passed over the houses of our fathers in Egypt," and then holding up the salad, and after it the unleavened bread, he stated that the one represented the bitterness of their servitude, and the other the sudden redemption which the Lord wrought on their behalf. He then re- peated the 113th and 114th Psalms, and a prayer, after which all the company drank the wine that had been standing for some time before them. This was the second cup. Another washing of hands now took place, when Zerah, taking up the unleavened bread, brake one of the cakes in two, again gave thanks, and with the rest began to eat, each first making use of a piece of the bread, with some of the salad and thick sauce, then partaking of the peace-offering meat, and last of all of the paschal lamb. The meal thus over, they all washed again, after the cus- tom of common meals, and united in drinking another cup of wine and water. This was the third cup, called, by way of distinction, the "cup of blessing," because thanks were returned over it in an especial manner. There was yet another cup made ready a little after, just before the company rose from the table, denominated "the cup of the Hallel," or " the cup after supper." Before partaking of this, Zerah took occasion to ques- tion the young sons of Naomi, and the little Adah, con- cerning the various observances of the feast. " And whom alone should you worship and glorify ?" asked he of Adah, after listening with evident satisfaction to many of her answers, revealing an entire familiarity with the THE PASCHAL SUPPER IN THE FAMILY. 117 history of her people. The child folding her hands, and lifting her eyes heavenward, slowly answered, " The Lord God of Israel, blessed be his name, and Jesns, the Son of the living God, who hath opened my eyes." Anger and scorn burned on the cheek of the Pharisee, and words of quick rebuke had well nigh burst from his lips ; but suddenly to his spirit came the vision of the little smitten one, who had in former years occupied the same seat at the feast of the Passover, wrapped in mid- night darkness ; and as he now gazed upon her, as she sat with an expression of profound reverence and holy joy, lighting up her face of strange and spiritual beauty, it seemed as if an angel had spoken to him. His rebuke died in silence on his tongue, and presently drinking the fourth cup, he closed the celebration of the feast. Never had the paschal supper seemed so full of meaning to Mary as on this night. She saw it pointing backward to the redemption of her people from bondage, and point- ing forward, in its full and deep significance, to a greater redemption, which she felt was surely at hand. During all the feast, the words of John, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, "were vibra- ting through her soul, with a fuller and a sweeter power than ever before ; and many of the sayings of Jesus, over which she had pondered, seemed illumined with a new and clear light before her spiritual vision. Still she was troubled and perplexed about the future fate of Jesus, and distressed concerning the part which she knew her father would take in his apprehension. If, as she feared, Jesus 118 LIFE IN JUDEA. were delivered up to the Jews, how should his kingdom advance ? What could his few disciples do without his presence ? Was it possible that he would yet suffer him- self to be taken, while his cause was in its very infancy, and his few followers so feebly prepared, both in numbers and influence, to withstand the hatred and opposition that would be arrayed against them ? These and many other kindred thoughts passed through her mind, as she ate the bread and drank the wine of the Passover. How would her faith have been strengthened, had she known that in that very hour, in an upper chamber of Jerusalem, the Messiah, in whom she believed, was consecrating that bread and wine as a memorial of his own great sacrifice, to be observed as an ordinance of his redeemed through all ages and generations, saying unto them, " This do in remembrance of me ; for as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come ?" How would her anxious heart have found rest, could she have listened to the words of healing balm that were even then flowing from his lips ?" " Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me. It is expedient for you that I go away ; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have over- come the world." How would her soul have melted in contrition and love could she have listened to the petitions then breathed from the heart of the great Redeemer! THE PASCHAL SUPPER IN THE FAMILY. 119 " And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me ; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." It was near midnight when the company separated. Mary had retired to her room, but not to her couch. After an half hour of meditation, she heard her father's step along the court, and the opening of the street door. A strange sense of impending evil came over her, and stepping quickly from her room, she went upon the house- top. It was the time of the full moon, and though heavy clouds obscured the heavens, she saw by the faint light, that Zerah bent his steps toward Mount Zion, and doubt- ed not that he was on his way to the palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest. An expression that she had heard from Ben Levi, on the preceding day, flashed across her mind, and she was convinced that her father had gone forth to attend a night council of the scribes and elders. This was so unprecedented a circumstance, that she felt that it betokened something immediate and decisive respecting the fate of Jesus. She had long feared this, but now her convictions of its near approach came over her with all the power of sudden evil tidings. Her heart sunk like a leaden weight within her, and the fountain of her tears was sealed. So fearfully great seemed to her the crime of taking counsel against the Lord's Anointed, so terribly 120 LIFE IN JUDEA. overwhelming the guilt of seeking the life of the Messiah, that the appalling magnitude of her father's sin, seemed to freeze the blood in her veins, and make the pulses of her life to stand still. At length, as she strove to turn her dread and struggling thoughts into petitions for divine mercy and power, to turn the heart of her father, there flowed into her soul so full a sense of the infinite compassion of Jesus, that her oppressed heart melted in tears of mingled sorrow and love. She knew not that beneath that very moon, whose light was veiled by clouds of surrounding gloom, was then transpiring a scene such as earth had never before witnessed ; for her Creator, he, by whom all things were made, knelt in humiliation upon her bosom, under the crushing weight of the sins of the world. In the hour when an angel was sent from heaven to strengthen him, surely cherubim and seraphim must have hushed their songs of rejoicing, and every ministering spirit of God have paused on the swift wing of his flight, to gaze in amazement upon the Lord of life and glory, whose tears and sweat of blood were falling in great drops upon the ground of Geth semane. It was in the third watch of the night that Mary's at- tention was awakened by a band of men, advancing with slow and cautious tread along the street which lay between Acra and Zion. She watched them till a turn in the street hid them from her view. But, as they wound round the base of Moriah, the whole were again revealed by the lurid glare of torches and lanterns, which had been THE PASCHAL SUPPER IN THE FAMILY. 121 lighted since leaving the more populous streets of the city. Mary's first suspicions were confirmed, that these men had gone forth to seek Jesus, that they might deliver him to the rulers and elders. She quickly descended to the chamber of Naomi, to whom she narrated what she had seen, and, accompanied by her faithful friend, repaired again to the house-top to observe what the night should reveal. " Perchance he may have gone out to Bethany," said Mary, after an hour of fruitless watching, " and if they find him he may pass through the midst of them, and escape out of their hands, as he hath often done before." " He is, doubtless, on Mount Olivet, or in Gethsemane, whither he goeth often with his disciples," answered Naomi ; " but his hand is not shortened, and if this night he be delivered up to the chief priests, then shall we know that the set time hath come/when all that is written in. the prophets and psalms concerning him shall be fulfilled." The moon had now chased away the heavier clouds which lay in her immediate path, and at this moment a gleam of fitful brightness shone full on the returning band, who were crossing the opening at the foot of Moriah, of which the house-top of Zerah afforded a view ; and in due time they appeared on the same street through which they had departed. As they came near Mount Acra, Mary, who had fixed her straining gaze in speechless earnestness upon them, suddenly exclaimed, " It is he ! Seest thou not, Naomi, one walketh, as it were, alone, and Roman soldiers guard him on every hand ?" 11 122 LIFE IX JUDEA. " It is surely he," answered Naomi, as a nearer ap- proach revealed to her feebler sight that indescribable presence, before which, many times her soul had been prostrated in reverence and melted in love. " It is surely he, and his hour hath come." " They go to the house of Annas," said Mary, after a pause, as she distinctly traced their course to that place, which was situated opposite on Zion ; "but what do they there ? The Scribes and Elders are assembled in the court of Caiaphas." " Behold, one folio weth afar off," remarked Naomi, as a solitary man passed slowly along the street, and cau- tiously waited within a short distance of the place where the soldiers of the band tarried without. " Seest tliou, Naomi, they again come forth ?" resumed Mary, as, after a short time, the company left the dwelling of Annas, and disappeared in the direction of the palace of the High Priest. When all had vanished from her sight, she bowed her head upon her hands and wept in an abandonment of grief. At first, Naomi sympathized too deeply with her feelings to attempt to comfort her, but, as she beheld her whole frame shake like a reed, under the overwhelming power of her sorrow, she repeated words of prophecy, showing that all these things must come to pass, and sayings of Jesus which should soothe her trou- bled spirit. " But how he hath loved Jerusalem 1" answered Mary, as her voice struggled to find utterance through choking tears ; " how have his bowels of compassion yearned over THE PASCHAL SUPPER IN THE FAMILY. 1 23 her sons and daughters. How he would fain have gathered her children together, as a hen gathereth her brood beneath her wings ; how he hath wept over her in the fullness of his love, and now she thirsteth for his blood ! Ah, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, can it be that thou dost reject the Son and Lord of David ? Can it be that he is even now betrayed into the hands of those who make haste for his death ? Alas, my father, how shalt thou deliver thy soul ? For thee my life is brought low with exceeding heaviness ; my heart breaketh with anguish." At length the shrill sound of the second cock-crowing broke yet again on the silence of the departing night, and Mary yielded to the entreaties of Naomi to seek her couch, that she might rest and be refreshed. At the same time the warning notes of that second cock-crowing rung through the hall of the High Priest's palace, and pierced the soul of him who had " followed afar off," as with a two-edged sword of remorse and agony. A look from him who knew the hearts of all men sealed its mission. All the solemn promises of the past, the prophecy of his fall, and its complete and aggravated fulfillment, flashed in vivid review before his mind, " and he went out and wept bitterly." The day had come to which the whole Jewish economy had pointed for ages the antitype of all its types the substance of all its shadows, which had been prefigured year by year under its own appropriate name the Great Day of Atonement. Its mystery of mysteries was finished. Its accompanying wonders of darkness and earthquake, 124 LIFE IN JUDEA. of rending rocks and rising dead, and the parting of that mystic veil, which showed in its rich and blessed signifi- cance, that a way of access was now opened into the very presence of the Eternal. All had passed, and the hours of the Sabbath drew on. The various details of the day's events had been com- municated to Mary, from time to time, by her cousin Nathan. She had wept bitterly over the mockeries and insults of the trial, the smiting, and spitting, and buffet- ing, the sceptre, and purple robe. Her heart had bled in anguish at the recital of the scourging, the crown of thorns, the agonies of crucifixion, the drink of vinegar and gall. The knowledge that Jesus had been compelled to bear his own cross till exhausted by weariness, greatly moved her, and brought vividly to her mind that He had once said, " Whosoever taketh not his cross and follow- eth after me, is not worthy of me." In the deep and awful solemnity of the darkness that was over all the land, from the sixth to the ninth hour, she remained alone in her chamber, with great . searchings of heart. She felt that she had not confessed the name of Jesus so fearlessly and openly as he had directed his followers to do ; that although she had more than once expressed to her father her belief in him, yet when he had put away from him her avowal, she had suffered herself to be silenced through fear of displeasing him. Of a modest temperament, she had hitherto so blended her own life with that of her father and friends, that she had scarcely realized her indi- vidual responsibility. But now a new sense of personal THE PASCHAL SUPPER IN THE FAMILY. 125 duty sprang up within her. She longed to give her name, her influence, her all, to the cause of Jesus. She coveted the privilege of being numbered among his followers, though it were bought with poverty, persecution, and dis- inheritance. She resolved that she would go in unto her father on that day, and clearly and explicitly confess her faith in Jesus as the long-promised Messiah of Israel, avow her unalterable purpose to identify herself with his cause and kingdom, and live to the glory of his name. With this determination she sought his presence, and revealed all that was in her heart. Zerah spoke not in anger to his weeping child, but besought her, with words of deep and earnest love, to turn from a faith in one, whose power, he assured her, was finally overthrown, and who would soon be acknowledged, even by herself, to have been a deceiver of the people. He assured her, that should she persist in her confession of Jesus, she would banish herself from his presence ; for no one should dwell beneath his roof who should acknowledge the Nazarene Prophet to be the Messiah of Israel : and he entreated her, with caresses of deepest affection, not to leave him childless, nor make his house desolate. It seemed to Mary that, at this time, her whole nature clung with a stronger tenacity than ever before, to the protecting love of her father; but she thought of the words of Jesus, "Whoso loveth father or mother, more than me, is not worthy of me : whosoever he be of you, that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." In the sore con- flict of her soul, her faith triumphed, and with a voice full 11* 126 LIFE IN JUDEA. of the pathos of deepest sorrow, at the sufferings she was inflicting, she assured her father, with unwavering firmness, that whether life or death were her portion, she could never cease to confess the name of Jesus. After a long interview, Zerah waived his daughter from his presence, and bowed his head upon the writing-table before him. As Mary left the room, she heard the words groaned forth, in bitterness of spirit, "Woe is me, widowed and childless both Philip and Mary in a living grave." A moment more, and Zerah was roused by a soft touch upon his shoulder. He lifted his head. His face was fearfully pale, and his breath came thick and short, as if the life-current had been suddenly stopped at its fountain. With a gaze of strange bewilderment, he looked upon his kneeling child, and listened to her words, " My father ! my father ! cast me not away from thy presence. Who shall know, as I, when thou art weary and perplexed, and thy soul fretted within thee ? Who shall minister to thee in the day of pain and sickness ? Who shall give thee the kiss of welcome, when thou comest into thy house, and pour thy wine, and anoint thy head with oil, and make ready thy couch by the cooling fountain, at the heat of noonday ? Who, at morning, shall break thy slumbers with a psalm of praise upon the harp, or waken the voice of the organ at eventide ? Truly, I have loved thee not less, but more, my father, since I have trusted in the Christ, the son of the living God. I have wrestled with strong crying and tears, that thou mayest be taught of God, to receive Jesus as Messiah: for faith in him is i THE PASCHAL SUPPER IN THE FAM11 Y. 127 rest, and peace, and joy. Ah 1 my father, I have borne thee on my heart in the night watches, and my prayers for thee have gone up before the breaking of the day. Doubt not, for my own soul hath tasted his divine full- ness. Fear not, for this day hath revealed his infinite compassion. Heardest thou not his prayer, ' Father, for- give them, for they know not what they do ?' How my heart hath blessed and magnified his name for those life- giving words ; for now I know that thou mayst be for- given. If thou wilt receive Jesus as the Christ, thou shalt find about thee the arms of an everlasting love, and a strange joy shall bear thy soul, as on eagles' wings, to the very gates of Paradise. Oh I my father ; wilt thou not also be his disciple ?" " Will I also be his disciple I who hath this day died the death of the cross on the hill of Calvary ?" answered Zerah, in a voice of bitter scorn. " Thou art surely mad." Then, as if by violent effort to restrain the strong tide of paternal love which had swollen full in his soul, he said, in tones hoarse with emotion, " Thy words are but mockery to me, even bitterness and wormwood. De- part!" CHAPTER X. THE BANISHMENT. THE ensuing day was the Sabbath, and distinguished by peculiar solemnity, being in the days of unleavened bread. To Mary, as she remained in her chamber, with her solitude occasionally relieved by the attendance of the faithful Naomi, it was a day of mingled sorrow and joy. Sadness filled her heart at the thought of leaving the pleasant home, full of sweet memories of childhood, where Philip and herself had played in gladness, all the day long, through its courts and gardens. Around her, on every hand, were memorials of a most affectionate mother, whose life had been bound up in that of her husband and children. It was likewise grievous to part with the servants and handmaidens of the household, for since her mother's death, her slightest wish had been a law to every inmate of the dwelling, obeyed with unwavering love. Yet she mourned not for herself, but for her father. He, she knew, would be desolate and heart-stricken ; while within her own soul was that supporting and inspiring faith which should evermore be to her as a fountain of living waters in a desert. But most of all, on that memorable day, did her thoughts linger about the tomb of Joseph, of Arjma- (128) THE BANISHMENT. 129 thea, and her heart yearned for a share in the work of those women, who had prepared spices and ointments, and only waited till the hours of holy rest should be past, that they might go and anoint him who slept in silence, within that sealed and guarded sepulchre. Although her Lord had been slain by the hands of wicked men, and she but dimly understood the few of his sayings which had come to her ears concerning his resurrection, her belief wa- vered not, nor trembled. As Abraham, when he bound upon the altar the son of the promises, accounted that God was able to raise him from the dead ; so did she, a true spiritual daughter of Abraham, look with an undis- mayed faith upon the Lord of life and glory, sleeping in Joseph's tomb, fully accounting that what God had pro- mised he was able to perform. On the first day of the week, a letter was handed to Mary, bearing her father's seal and superscription. Its contents revealed a strange commingling of pride and tenderness, and a strong warfare between love for his child, and a deep-rooted hatred to the meek and lowly Jesus. He gave her but that day to remain in his house, should she persist in her own course, and forbade her ever to enter its courts more, or lift her eyes unto his face, either in street, synagogue, or temple, till she should abjure her faith in the Nazarene. Whenever she should do this, he promised her his full and free forgiveness, and a joyful welcome to his heart and home. At the same time he had made ample provisions that she might still be supported in abundance and delicacy ; and mentioned many 130 LIFE IN JUDEA. points, revealing a father's tender care, concerning her residence in Jericho, where he supposed she would choose to dwell, with the kinsfolk of her mother. He assured her likewise, that his wealth was nought to him, now that he was deprived of his children ; that he valued it chiefly for their sakes, and that she should still possess a sure title to her inheritance. Mary felt that she could not be sufficiently grateful, that the storm, which she feared, had been stripped of so much of its power. She remembered her father's quench- less anger in parting with Philip, and recalled with shud- dering dread the bitter curses that had fallen on his head ; and, as she compared these with the tenderness of spirit manifested towards herself, she thanked God that he had tempered the wind to the shorn lamb. While yet a third time she read her father's letter, and lingered over its unconscious expressions of love, Eunice suddenly burst into her room, with a face all bewildered with amazement and joy, exclaiming, " He is risen ! He hath risen from the dead, and they have seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive." " How knowest thou ? Who hath told it unto thee ? Hath any seen him ? Doth he still walk among men ?" were questions which flowed from Mary's lips in rapid suc- cession. Then, as if a new light had suddenly broke upon her mind, she repeated the prophetic words of David : " For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." " Thou hast THE BANISHMENT. 131 made knowii to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance." A moment more, and Naomi entered rejoicing, and re- hearsed from the beginning all the wonders of the resur- rection, as they fell from the lips of Mary Magdalene, who had herself seen Jesus as she stood near the sepulchre, and to whom he had said, " Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father ; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God." " Moreover," said Naomi, " an angel in shining garments said to the women who were at the sepulchre, ' Go your way ; tell his disciples and Peter, that he goeth before you into Galilee ; there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.' " " Tell his disciples and Peter," repeated Mary. " What marvellous love, when it was Peter who denied him in the hall of Caiaphas. ' For I am not yet ascended,' " she con- tinued. " He will not dwell long on the earth. ' I ascend unto my Father.' Ah ! what joy to see him, to worship him, to receive his last blessing, ere he shall depart from the earth he hath so wonderfully blessed. How glorious is his resurrection," she said, after a little pause, in which she had been laboring to grasp the great fact in its ful- ness and power. " Truly in this he hath shown himself to be the Son of God. He hath triumphed over the malice of the wicked. He hath set his foot on death, and burst the gates of the tomb. Ah 1 Naomi, thinkest thou not that my father will yet believe on him. Can he be blind to the matchless glory of this resurrection ? Shall 132 LIFE IN JUDEA. it not be to him as the voice of the angel Gabriel, that standeth in the presence of God ?" Mary had chosen to tarry for a time with Naomi at Bethlehem. They were to go forth in the coolness of evening, and it drew near the time of their departure. At this hour, Mary had been accustomed to listen for the footsteps of her father, as he daily visited her own parlor, and spent a season in music or social converse. But now he had gone forth from his dwelling, and as she sat in her accustomed seat, and realized it was for the last time, her gorrow in leaving her delightful and beloved home was swallowed up in the consciousness that she had now con- secrated herself unreservedly to the cause of Jesus. This imparted a sense of satisfaction and peace, such as she had never before experienced. The truth that Jesus had risen from the dead, likewise filled her with adoring won- der of his person and power, enlarged her view of the grace and glory of his mission, and lifted up her soul with an unspeakable gladness. Even her sorrow for her father was relieved, as she contemplated it through the medium of her own peace and joy ; and her hopes became fervent and strong, that he would yet be convinced of the truth which filled her own soul with its infinite fulness. Thus absorbed in thought, she mechanically touched the keys of her organ. Her soul, deeply susceptible to the power of music, was roused by its first breath to a spirit of joyous praise, and after a prelude of lofty and soul- Btirring harmonies, her lips uttered a sacred psalm : THE BANISHMENT. 133 "0 sing unto the Lord a new song; For he hath done marvellous things His right hand, and his holy arm Hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation ; His righteousness hath he openly showed In the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth Toward the house of Israel : All the ends of the earth Have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth ; Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise." " Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands ; Let the hills be joyful together Before the Lord; For he cometh to judge the earth ; With righteousness shall he judge the world, And the people with equity." As Mary ceased, a sudden rush of feeling swept over her, and she felt, in an instant of thought, all that is contained in those words, " the last time." Once more the organ breathed forth a cadence mournfully tender, as if laden with memories of the past, and touchingly plaintive as the falling tears of her who woke its melody. It was as if the spirit of music uttered a requiem on the departure of her with whom she had so often held con- verse at that golden hour of sunset. A farewell, too, of unutterable sadness, it fell on the ear of Zerah, who, all unknown to his daughter, had re- turned to his house, and sat within the locked doors of an adjoining apartment. He had that day worn his usual aspect of calm, proud dignity, in city and temple, yet ah, 12 134 LIFE IN JUDEA. beneath its veil, how restlessly had tossed his troubled spirit*! But now in solitude, the Pharisee was lost in the man and the father ; and had Mary known his earnest yearnings ouce more to embrace her, and the strange tears that pressed fast and bitterly from his crushed and bleeding heart, her burden, as she crossed for ever the threshold of her home, would have seemed greater than she could bear. Philip, the son of Zerah, had been in Jerusalem for many days preceding the feast of the Passover ; but as he was an outcast from his father's house, he enjoyed no inter- view with Mary while she remained there. The bond between the brother and sister was now cemented in three- fold strength. They were one in congeniality of charac- ter, one in faith, and one in the affliction of being dis- owned on account of that faith, by their only earthly parent. At Bethlehem they again met, and renewed once more the delightful intercourse they had enjoyed ere Philip first became an alien from his father's house. The rapidly succeeding wonders of the crucifixion and the resurrection had left unconvinced and untouched, the hearts of Nathan of Rome, and Carmi the Sadducee. The one rejected Jesus because he had not restored the kingdom of Israel to a high position among the nations ; the other, because he had eaten with publicans and sin- ners, preached the gospel to the poor, and set at naught the learning and worldly wisdom, at whose shrine he worshipped. They had yet to learn, that in the everlast- ing kingdom which was then set up in their midst, " God THE BANISHMENT. 135 hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and things which are de- spised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence." It was the day of Pentecost, and it drew near the twelfth hour. Naomi, with Mary and Eunice, sat beneath the palm tree on the eastern side of the dwelling, looking ever and anon along the way which led to Jerusalem, as if in waiting for an expected guest. " I fear thou wilt greatly grieve for thy brother when he hath departed," said Naomi to Mary, noticing the earnest interest with which she watched for his coming. " For thy sake, I could wish him to remain in Judea." " It were a joy to me, if it could be so," answered Mary, " but Philip hath forsaken all, that he may follow Christ, and far be it from my lips to forbid the sacrifice. He desireth above all things to preach the glad tidings revealed by Jesus, to those who have not seen His mighty works, nor heard His words, full of grace and truth." " Behold, yonder cometh Philip, and two others with him," exclaimed Eunice, as three horsemen appeared in sight, and approached in the direction of the dwelling. " They are Nathan, and Carmi of Jerusalem, "answered Mary, quickly. "Truly it is a pleasant thing to greet them once more." The travellers alighted from their horses, which were taken in charge by David and Benjamin ; and Philip, ad- vancing joyfully, saluted Mary, saying, " I have good news 136 LIFE IN JUDEA. for thee, my sister, precious tidings. Behold thy brethren in Christ Jesus." " How sayest thou, Philip ? Thy words cannot be true V replied Mary, gazing with an amazed expression, alter nately upon her brother and his companions. "It is even so, and blessed be his holy name for ever and ever," answered Nathan and Carmiwith united voice, and countenances of subdued, yet joyful emotion. The miraculous events of the day of Pentecost were now narrated by Philip to the little group of eager and aston- ished listeners ; the mighty rushing wind, the cloven tongues of flame, the speaking with other tongues, the wonderful words of the Galilean fisherman, Peter, armed with resistless power from on high, all fulfilling the promise of the descent of the Comforter, the Spirit of all truth, which Jesus had promised to his disciples. " Surely," added Philip, " his Spirit doth indeed convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment ; and so mighty is his power, that three thousand, among whom are Carmi and Nathan, have been baptized in Jerusalem, in the name of the Lord Jesus."* Nathan, with all the native enthusiasm that lay hidden in his soul, then spoke of his full and heart-felt acceptance of Jesus, as Messiah, the Son of David, the promised hope of Israel. Renouncing his former expectations of tem- poral grandeur and renown for his people, he received the kingdom of Christ into his heart as "righteousness and * See Note A. THE BANISHMENT. 137 peace and joy In the Holy Ghost ;" and Carmi, with words of chastened emotion, laid down his former vain- glorious wisdom at the feet of Jesns, and expressed his earnest desire that he might henceforth be taught of Him, who was meek and lowly of heart, yet in whom was the fountain of all knowledge and truth. "And now, my sister," at length remarked Philip, " after a few days I must again say unto thee, 'Mizpeh.' I go forth to labor in the vineyard of the Lord. In the day when he was taken up, having blessed his disciples upon Mount Olivet, ere a cloud of glory received Jiim out of their sight, he gave commandment that they should tarry in Jerusalem, till they should be endued with power from on high ; therefore have we continued together, as thou knowest, praying with one heart and one soul for the promise of our ascended Lord. This promise he hath this day fulfilled ; and now what remains but his last commandment, ' Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.' Therefore I go, without gold, or silver, or many changes of raiment ; but I go in the footsteps of him who had not where to lay his head, and in the strength and glory of his promise, ' Lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.' " While yet the day-beams lingered in the west, Naomi brought forth her choicely-guarded, and deeply-worn copy of the prophecy of Isaiah, and opening the seals, she desired Philip to read therein. And he read the Scrip- ture in which it is written : 12* 138 LIFE IN JUDEA. " Arise, shine ; for thy light is come, And the glory of the Lord is risen upon theo. For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, And gross darkness the people : But the Lord shall arise upon thee, And his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, And kings to the brightness of thy rising." " The sun shall be no more thy light by day ; Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto theo : But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, And thy God thy glory." An exceeding interest pervaded the little company that listened to these words, on the evening of the day of Pen- tecost, beneath the palm tree of the humble widow of Bethlehem. David and Benjamin gazed with faces of- inquiring eagerness, that asked, when should be the end of wonders ; Eunice seemed overflowing with fervent delight ; Carmi and Nathan, the intellectual pride of the one, and the national pride of the other, having melted away beneath the power of the cross, were earnestly listen- ing, with all humbleness of mind, as new creatures in Christ ; Philip, with glistening eyes and glowing cheeks, seemed kindled into rapture by the matchless glories of the words that were falling from his lips ; Mary's spiritual face was lighted up with joyful thanksgiving ; and upon the placid countenance of Naomi, furrowed by the deep traces of years, and of sorrow, was written the sentiment of the aged Simeon, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." S3. THE DOOMED CITY. PART II. THE DOOMED CITY. I feel it now, the sad, the coming hour ; The signs are fall, and never shall the sun Shine on the cedar roofs of Salem more ; Her tale of splendor now is told and done : Her wine-cup of festivity is spilt, And all is o'er, her grandeur and her guilt. MILMAW. CHAPTER I. DISCIPLES AT EPHESUS. IN a vine-clad portico of a dwelling, in the suburbs of Ephesus, sat a mother surrounded by her little ones. The prospect which lay outspread around them, was one which nature and art had conspired to render attractive and de- lightful. On the left lay rich plains, interspersed with groves of the tamarisk tree, and watered by the mazy windings of the Cayster ; while filling the foreground, and stretching far to the right, till the view was lost in the long perspec- tive, rose a hill of gradual ascent, upon which was seated the illustrious city, which had gained the title of " The ornament of Asia." Of this picture, the crowning dis- tinction was the majestic temple of Diana, which towered up from the immense magnitude of its base, and amid the 04U 142 LIFE IN JUDEA. long lines of its lofty columns, as one of the seven wonders of the world. But neither smiling plain, winding rivers, nor the city, with its palaces and temples ; neither the heavens above, of a cloudless blue, nor the flowers that enamelled, as with brilliant gems, the gardens at their feet, had power to charm the eyes of the young children, nor draw their at- tention from the words that were falling from the lips of their mother. Even the soft breezes that fanned their glowing cheeks, and played caressingly among the curls of their waving hair, as if beckoning them forth to glad- some gambols, passed unheeded by, as each, with eyes glistening in unshed tears, and mouth half-parted in wonder, and face all radiant with admiration, listened to J that tale of marvellous love and sorrow, which is still fresh and unspent, after the lapse of eighteen centuries the story of Jesus of Nazareth. The tale was finished, and after a few moments of thoughtful silence, the little group, with the buoyancy of childhood, ran forth to their play, while she who had fed their opening minds with holy truth, now rejoiced in their innocent gladness. As she watched their feats of agility and strength, or encouraged the younger ones to take part in the childish games, suddenly Damon left seeking the hidden Fannia, to say, that a chariot had passed through the gateway, and was approaching the house. A moment more, and the travellers stood within the court of entrance, while, as the mistress of the dwelling entered to receive them, she stopped for an instant, as overcome by DISCIPLES AT EPHESUS. 143 sudden surprise, then rushing forward, fell upon the neck of the one, and then the other, exclaiming, in tearful glad- ness, " My father 1 my mother I welcome, thrice welcome to Ephesus." " Helena, my daughter, are these all of thy fold ?" asked the father, as, passing through the outer to the inner court, he encountered the little ones. "Truly, I learn at Ephesus that I am no longer young." "Even so," answered Helena, and she presented them one by one with a mother's joy and pride. " This is Da- mon : seest thou how he beareth the image of Cleanthes, his father ; and Sappho, who from her very birth hath been unto me as the lily of the valley ; and Fannia, in whom it is a joy to trace thy features, my mother ; and the little Julian ; and the lamb of the flock, I will bring shortly he yet sleepeth." " And where is thy husband, my daughter ?" asked the mother. " A messenger hath already gone forth to bid him hasten to his house," said Helena. " It will greatly de- light him to greet thee once more. He is in his studio, where of late he hath spent many days, perfecting a statue that is to adorn one of the chief market-places of the city. He will now trust it to no chisel but his own." At this moment footsteps were heard approaching the apartment, and Helena, going forth and closing the door, met her husband in the court. " Now tell me," she said, as she laid one hand on his 144 LIFE IN JUDEA. arm, and with the other held fast the lock, " what guests have I within to show unto thee ?" After one or two unsuccessful attempts of her husband to answer the question, she hastily threw open the door, exclaiming, joyfully, " Aurelius and Julia, of Rome." In the midst of the joyful salutations that followed, a nurse appeared with the infant son of Helena, who took the lovely child and placed him in the arms of her father, saying, "His name is Aurelius Gracchus." After the first surprise and joy of the meeting, and the guests had been entertained with the accommodations of rest and refreshment, the party of four held long and de- lightful converse during the quiet hours of evening, in an upper balcony, which afforded a broad view of the city and plains of Ephesus, now reposing beneath the soft light of the waxing moon. The close resemblance that existed between Julia and Helena, would, by an observer, have been attributed to the relationship of sisters, rather than to that of parent and child : for Julia appeared still in the meridian of her days, while the dark style of her beauty, enhanced by her rich and tasteful costume, and her manners, formed by long mingling in the court of the Caesars, imparted to her an air of unsurpassed grace and elegance. Helena had evidently been born for as brilliant a maturity ; but at a glance one might read that her character was more quiet and retiring, developing its graces within the charmed precincts of home, rather than amid the brilliant circles of which her mother had long been a leading star. This DISCIPLES AT EPHESCS. 145 difference of character was greatly owing to influences which had exerted a transforming power over the heart of Helena, since her residence in Ephesus. The countenance of Aurelius, yet lightly impressed with the signet of years, wore the same expression of frankness and honor which marked his youth. It was his secret pride, that through life he had maintained a character of virtue, whose integrity he had preserved unbroken amid all the corruptions by which he had been surrounded, in the luxurious court and society of Rome. In earlier years he had distinguished himself in the army, and more recently his time had been mainly devoted to the great questions of statesmanship, which grew out of his duties as a member of the Roman Senate, a position he now sustained with great prudence, ability and power. The Grecian Cleanthes, was of a character ardent, refined and poetical, and now as Aurelius turned his dis- course upon the delights of art, and especially upon the triumphs of sculpture, all the artist was kindled within him. A glow of enthusiasm flushed his pale cheek, and lighted his lofty brow, as with eloquent words he responded to the sentiments of Aurelius concerning the glory of his chosen art. At length, in a pause of the conversation, Cleanthes turned to Helena, saying, " Thou didst meet me with a joyful surprise when I came to my house, and I also was bringing good tidings unto thee. Hath thy heart yet room for more gladness ?" " Yea, verily, I will receive what thou hast brought," 13 146 LIFE IN JUDEA replied Helena, " for well I know it cannot equal the joy of seeing Aurelius and Julia." A slight expression of incredulity mingled with the smile that passed over the face of Cleanthes, and he said, "An epistle of Paul, the beloved, hath this day come unto the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." Helena sprang from her half recumbent position on a low couch at her mother's feet, her eyes instantly over- flowed with tears, and clasping her hands in earnestness, she said, " From Paul, the beloved ! Have the church assembled this night to hear its precious words ? Oh, my husband I why hast thou not told me this before ?" " Are ye still disciples of this Paul, of whom I have heard that he is now a prisoner in Rome ?" exclaimed Julia, in a tone of mingled wonder and vexation ; "and do ye now hold fellowship with those of the populace who have been banded together by his teachings ? Yerily I thought that long ere this -ye would have beheld the reproach of the thing. It is a marvel unto me that ye should so persist in this folly." " We are not disciples of Paul, but of Jesus," answered Cleanthes, mildly ; " and for the reproach of the world, of which thou hast spoken, we endure it with gladness, having received, through faith in Christ Jesus, the earnest of an incorruptible inheritance." " It is a mere matter of opinion, however ye may regard Paul, or Jesus, whom he preacheth," remarked Aurelius, evidently chagrined by the sudden recollection of the truth DISCIPLES AT EPHESUS. 147 that Cleanthes and Helena were converts to the faith of Jesus ; for although this circumstance had transpired several years before, during Paul's visit to Ephesus, and Aurelius had been duly informed thereof, yet accounting these doctrines of Paul a bubble on the tide of popular novelty, which would soon burst and be forgotten, he had scarcely retained the knowledge of the thing. " If any choose to believe in this new doctrine," he ^ontinued, " they have full liberty to do so ; but let them not so unceasingly press their belief upon the acceptance of others. I allow that Jesus was a Jewish prophet, of mighty words and works; but there have been other Jewish prophets, and sages and philosophers both of Greece and Rome, and may I not believe in them like- wise ? But this sect of the Nazarene not only reject all other gods, and turn away from every oracle of truth, except that revealed by Jesus, but would fain persuade all men to do the same. Had they power to carry out their own principles, they would overthrow all the existing forms of worship, which have been the growth of ages, and demolish every temple in the empire of the Caesars. It is for this thing that I regard them as the subverters of the public peace, and dangerous to the welfare of the people." " But," answered Cleanthes, " can we whose souls have aforetime been mocked with the dumb oracles of Grecian and Roman deities, or perplexed with the dark responses which but entangled the path of the blind ; can we refuse to give utterance to the voice of Truth that hath come 148 LIFE IN JUDEA. unto us from the Eternal Throne ? Shall we cover the light that hath now shed its rays over the trackless future of our being, or hide within our own souls, Jesus, who hath dawned as the rising sun, on the hitherto impenetra- ble midnight of the grave, and illumined for us an eternal existence in the presence of the living God ? Ah ! couldst thou but hear the words of Paul, how would he unfold to thee the wonders of this faith, its blessed joys, its strong refuge, and its glorious hopes ; how would he lead thy soul upward, till all the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them, were but as the small dust of the balance before thine eyes ; and thou wouldest see the infi- nite glory of Jesus, sitting at the right hand of God to make intercession for us ; and thy soul would still mount above angels, and principalities, and powers, in the itrong assurance of his redeeming love." " Said I not rightly, my son," remarked Aurelius, "that this thing should be but a matter of private judgment. Behold, now it filleth thy imagination even as a dream of poetry. Truly, if it have the same power over all men, I would diligently labor that it might be stayed, lest it bring forth fruitfully the mischiefs of insubordination and sedi- tion. But there is no real cause for fear," he added, musingly, " the believers in this new doctrine are few, and in most instances unlearned and uninfluential. They are not to be counted among the millions of the empire who would sustain the ancient modes of worship." " Deceive not thyself, that the kingdom of Jesus Christ shall thus come to nought," replied Cleanthes. " He DISCIPLES AT EPHESUS. 149 hath himself said, that it shall spread till it reach the hearts of all men. It is a tree whose roots are now strik- ing in secret, deep and wide, whose branches shall yet fill the whole earth, and all nations shall sit beneath its shadow." " Verily, Clean thes, thou shouldest have been a poet rather than a sculptor," remarked Julia. "In this thing thou hast misinterpreted the inspirations of thy genius." " Oh I my mother," remarked Helena, giving utterance to the thoughts that had filled her mind, since her hus- band had alluded to Paul, " if thou hadst only been in Ephesus during those blessed years, when the coming of Paul was unto us as the visit of an angel from heaven, surely thou wouldst have been mightily convinced that Jesus is the Christ promised for ages to thy people. He would have shown thee how the blood of Christ hath opened a way, both for Jews and Gentiles, into the very holy of holies, insomuch that thy soul would have melted within thee at the marvellous love of Jesus. He unfolded before our minds strange mysteries, and holy revealings, and burning aspirations, that my tongue cannot utter ; yet he was gentle and compassionate among us, even as a mother to her youngest born, and loved the little company of saints as sons and daughters. And when at last he had departed from us to go to Jerusalem, he sent from Miletus unto Ephesus, and called the elders of the church, and gave unto them his parting words of love and bless- ing, saying, 'I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face 13* 150 LIFE IN JUDEA. no more.' Truly many have sorrowed for these words that he spake, that they should see his face no more ; and many shall rejoice to hear again his words of grace and power, in the epistle he hath written. Thou wilt go with us, my mother," she said, pleadingly ; " on the morrow, thou shalt meet with the little assembly of the church at Ephesus, and behold their overflowing joy, as the words of Paul fill their hearts with fullness of love, and stir their souls as by the sound of a trumpet." " My brother Nathan hath, by his importunity, pre- vailed on me to promise that I would once attend the preaching of Paul at Rome," answered Julia, " for truly he hath besought me for this thing until I grew weary of his words. But on the very day when I was to hear him, even as I entered my chariot to go forth, a messenger came in haste from the Empress, bidding me immediately to her presence ; therefore I listened not to Paul at that time, neither since have I had a convenient season. So I will hear this epistle, if it please thee, my daughter, and the hearing thereof shall likewise serve for the fulfilment of the promise I have made to my brother." " What a joy it would be to me to behold one