Calvary, witnessed his crucifixion; while the Mount of Olives, most blessed of all, was the scene alike of his coronation, of his frequent and fervent prayers, of the agony of the garden, and of his ascension to the glory and majesty of his throne on high. The footprints of his feet are on the hills, in the plains and in the valleys of Palestine, and the echoes of his voice, in prayer, in blessing, and in warning and entreaty, have been heard throughout all its borders. Blessed and holy indeed is that land, whatever disasters may have since befallen it, for it has been consecrated by the presence of the Son of God.

As we draw nearer to the period of the overthrow of the Jewish power, and the destruction of Jerusalem, we find that the landscape widens, and

Palestine is not the chief seat of the Christian church, nor the mother-land of Christianity. The apostles did, indeed, as they were commanded, begin at Jerusalem, and the converts went from thence to all parts of the known world; but very early, Antioch, with its hundred thousand disciples, became the chief city of the Christian faith, and Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth, Thessalonica, Alexandria, Edessa, Pella, Babylon, Laodicea, Philadelphia, Smyrna, and Rome, were more conspicuous than Jerusalem for their Christian inhabitants, even in the lifetime of the apostles. Besides Jerusalem, the only places in Palestine named in the Acts of the Apostles, or the remaining books of the New Testament, are: Samaria, where there was a

great revival under the preaching of Philip; Joppa, where Peter had hi vision; Gaza and Azotus, Philistine cities incidentally mentioned; Lydda and Saron or Sharon, cities of the Sharon plain; Ptolemais and Cæsarea, the latter the Roman capital of the province of Syria; and just beyond the borders of the Holy Land, Tyre and Sidon, and at the northeast, Damascus, the scene of Paul's conversion.

5. After the death of Herod, surnamed the Great, the Romans made a new division of Palestine; the province of Judæa, which included Samaria, was under a Roman governor, Pontius Pilate filling that office during most of our Lord's life; Galilee with Decapolis (the ten cities), and Perea, the ancient Gilead, and Moab, forming the tetrarchy of Herod Antipas; while the region north, northeast, east, and southeast of the sea of Galilee, extending to the desert, was the tetrarchy of Philip, another son of Herod. Herod Agrippa I. maintained a sort of sway as a vassal prince over most of alestine. After A. D. 52, another change was made; Judæa, Samaria, Galilee, Perea and Idumæa, were included in the province of Judæa, under Felix and Festus, while the kingdom of Agrippa II. comprised only what had been the tetrarchy of Philip. These divisions were annulled after the destruction of Jerusalem, A. D. 70. For the next two centuries Palestine was but an obscure and poor province of the Roman empire, until after the conversion of Constantine, when it became a land of pilgrimage for Christians from all lands; Christian temples were reared on its holy places, and every place connected with the history of our Lord was eagerly sought out. In the seventh century after Christ, the country was invaded by the Persians, and Jerusalem captured in A. D. 614; it was retaken by the imperial forces of the castern empire; again attacked by the Arabs, and was finally surrendered to the Khalif Omar and the Saracens, in A. D. 637. It remained in possession of the Moslems for four hundred and sixty-two years, when the crusaders carried it by storm, after the most frightful slaughter, in July, A. D. 1099. It was recaptured by Saladin in A. D. 1187; was annexed to the Ottoman empire in 1517, and has remained under the Turkish control to the present time. The country is not densely inhabited, for wandering Arab tribes traverse it, and rob and plunder most of its inhabitants, the greater part of whom are Syrians, who speak Arabic; the Christian Syrians being of pure descent, and the Mohammedans of mixed races. The other inhabitants are a few Jews, Armenians, and Turks, some Druses, especially in the Hauran, and in Galilee and Carmel; and a small number of English and American settlers, missionaries, etc.

6. The only places of note now are Jerusalem, Gaza, Hebron, Joppa, Acro or Akka, Nablous, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Beirut, and beyond the border, Damascus. The population of Palestine does not probably exceed 900,000, of whom from 80,000 to 90,000 are Christians, 12,000 Jews, and the rest Mohammedans. A Mohammedan mosque occupies the probable site of the temple, and many former Christian churches have been converted into mosques. The Holy Land is regarded as sacred, alike by Greek and Roman Catholics, Armenians, Protestants, Jews and Mohammedans; but the Turkish rule has made much of it a desert. The labors of English and especially of American missionaries in Palestine, in Mount Lebanon, Beirut and other portions of Syria, have been greatly honored of God in the conversion of many of the people, and have also been the means of aiding in the understanding of God's holy word.

Within a few years past societies have been organized, both in England and the United States, for the purpose of a thorough scientific exploration of Palestine, and their efforts have been crowned with great success. We shall soon have a large map of Palestine, on which will be recorded with accuracy every place named in the Scriptures as belonging to Palestine; and the elevations and depressions of the country will be given by faithful and repeated measurements. So shall we learn to understand God's word better, and comprehend more fully his wonderful works among his ancient and covenant people.