reputed to have some particular actions done in them relating to the death and resurrection of Christ. As first, the place where he was derided by the soldiers; secondly, where the soldiers parted his garments; thirdly, where he was shut up, while they digged the hole to set the foot of the cross in, and made all ready for his crucifixion; fourthly, where he was nailed to the cross; fifthly, where the cross was erected; sixthly, where the soldier stood that pierced his side; seventhly, where his body was embalmed in order to his burial; eighthly, where his body was deposited in the sepulchre; ninthly, where the angels appeared to the women after his resurrection; tenthly, where Christ himself appeared to Mary Magdalen, &c. The places where these and many other things relating to our Blessed Lord are said to have been done, are all supposed to be contained within the narrow precincts of this church, and are all distinguished and adorned with so many several altars. Maundrel, p.69. The church is crowned with two cupolas; the eastern, called the temple of Golgotha, over the place of crucifixion; and the western, a stately rotunda, open at top, like the Pantheon at Rome; in the centre of which, and under the opening, stands the holy Sepulchre itself, having its entrance on the east side, hewn into the form of a small chapel, decorated with a small, elegant cupola, supported by polished pillars of porphyry. Within are two caves; the outer, or antichamber, about three yards square, capable of containing about a dozen persons; from thence, a narrow passage, about two feet square, leads into the inner, or tomb, where the body was laid, at the right side of the entrance, capable of containing about half a dozen persons. The inside of both is floored and lined with white marble *. *This fabric was burnt down to the ground, in the year 1808, as we learn from the following account, in the Christian Observer, May 1809, p. 326. "On the night of the 11th of October, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was discovered to be on fire; and though every effort was made by the Christians residing at Jerusalem to stop the progress of the flames, it was found impossible; and about five or six in the morning, the burning cupola, with all the melted and boiling lead with which it was covered, fell in, and gave the building the appearance of a great smelting house. The excessive heat which proceeded from this immense mass of liquid fire, caused not only the marble columns which supported the gallery to burst, but likewise the marble floor of the Church, together with the pilasters and images in bas relief, that decorated the chapel containing the Holy Sepulchre, situated in the centre of the Church. Shortly after the massive columns that supported the gallery fell down, together with the whole of the walls. Fortunately, no lives were lost; only a few persons were hurt, or scorched by the fire. This account of the Holy Sepulchre, collected from Sandys, Maundrel, and Hasselquist, throws considerable light on the circumstances of the Resurrection. 1. When the body of our Lord was interred in the inner vault, or tomb, Joseph of Arimathea, and his attendants, rolled a great stone to its entrance; which was afterwards "sealed" by the High Priests, and secured by a Roman "watch," or guard, "set," or stationed, in the antechamber. Matt. xxvii. 60-66. N.B. The Evangelist critically distinguishes between μvnμɛov" the sepulchre," in general, and rapos, "the tomb," in particular: our translation confounds both. 66 2. The Evangelist calls the stone, " great," and Mark, " very great," xvi. 4. And it is so described by modern travellers. According to Maundrel," it was kept a long time in the church of the Holy Sepulchre; but the Armenians, not many years since, stole it from thence by a stratagem, and conveyed it to a small chapel belonging to them, near Sion Gate; where they deposited it under the altar. It is two yards and a quarter long, one yard high, and as much broad. It is plaistered all over, except in five or six little places, where it is left bare, to receive the immediate kisses, and other devotions of pilgrims. P. 99. In its place a small stone is placed, to mark the spot where "the angel, who rolled away the stone" from the entrance, sat upon it," in the antechamber, and terrified the watch, so that 66 "It is stated, (and the fact if true, is doubtless a very extraordinary one,) that the interior of the above chapel containing the Holy Sepulchre, and wherein service is performed, has not been in the least injured, although the same was situated immediately under the cupola, and consequently, in the middle of the flames: and that, soon after the fire had been extinguished, it was found that the silk hangings, wherewith it is decorated, and the splendid painting representing the resurrection, placed upon the Altar, had not received the least injury." The fate of the whole of the walls, is remarkable, considering the great strength of the fabric, which Sandys in his time represented to be "of so strong a constitution, as rather decayed in beauty than substance." p. 132. A period, we trust, is thereby put to the disgraceful mummeries, superstitions, and corruptions, that have so long disgraced both the Holy Sepulchre, and the Church: Especially that pious fraud of kindling the Holy fire every Easter Eve, by a counterfeit miraculous flame, supposed to descend from heaven into the Holy Sepulchre; the process of lighting which is so well described by Maundrel; who adds, "'Tis the deplorable unhappiness of the Greek and Armenian priests, that having acted the cheat so long already, they are forced now to stand to it, for fear of endangering the apostacy of their people, who fix their faith upon, and make their pilgrimages chiefly upon this motive. It is the opinion of these poor people, that if they can have but the happiness to be buried in a shroud smutted with this celestial fire it will certainly secure them from the flames of hell!" Maundrel, pp. 94–97. they became as dead," or were entranced at the brightness of his presence. Matt. xxviii. 2-4. "Here," says the pious and eloquent Sandys, "thousands of Christians perform their vows, and offer their tears yearly, with all the expressions of sorrow, humility, affection, and penitence. It is a frozen zeal that will not be warmed with the sight thereof. And O that I could retain the effects that it wrought with an unfainting perseverance! Who then did dictate this hymn to my REDEEMER: "Saviour of mankind, Man, IMMANUEL, Who, sinlesse, died for sin, who vanquisht hell; I may be known, and entertained for thine !" P. 130. The circuit of the ancient city was considerably larger than of the modern, from which Mount Sion is excluded. Nehemiah has traced the course of the ancient wall and gates very accurately; chap. ii. 13—15: and again, in his account of the repairs of the wall; chap. iii. And Maundrel has given the dimensions of the modern city as follows; PACES From Bethlehem Gate, to the N.W. corner, (B) on the right hand.. 400 From that corner, to Damascus Gate. 680 From Damascus Gate, to Herod's From Herod's Gate, to Jeremiah's Prison Jehosaphat, (A) 380 150 ...... From Jeremiah's Prison, to the N.E. corner, next the Valley of From that corner, to St. Stephen's Gate 225 385 From St. Stephen's Gate, to the Golden Gate .... 240 From the Golden Gate, to the S.E. corner of the wall (D)... From that corner, to the Dung Gate 470 From the Dung Gate to Sion Gate.. ...... 605 From Sion Gate, to the S.W. corner of the wall (C). 215 From that corner, to Bethlehem Gate again 500 4630 These 4630 paces in all, reduced to yards, in the proportion of ten paces to nine yards, amount to 4167 yards, or near two English miles and a half. P. 110. The annexed Map of Jerusalem is copied in its outline, from the Map of Sandys, p. 123; and accommodated to the ancient site, from careful comparison of Sandys, Maundrel, and Josephus, with SCRIPTURE. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Site of the old wall. The figures denote, 1. 1. The mosque and area of the Temple. 2. The High Gate, Jer. xx. 2; or Golden, or Beautiful, Gate of the Temple; Acts iii. 2. The Sheep Gate, Neh. iii. 1; xii. 29; or Stephen's Gate. The Pool of Bethesda, John v. 2. Pilate's Palace, or Tower of Antonia, Matt. xxvii. 2; Acts xxi. 34.. The Prætorium, or Roman Tribunal, John xviii. 28. Pilate's Arch. Where Simon was pressed to bear the Cross, Matt. xxvii. 32. The Dolorous Way. 14. The House of Zebedee, or of St. John; John xix. 27. The Palace of Caiaphas; John xviii. 24. 21. David's Sepulchre, and the Cœnaculum; Matt. xxvi. 18. 22. 23. Where Peter wept; Matt. xxvi. 75. 24. 25. 26. The Water Gate; Neh. iii. 26; xii. 37. Where Stephen was stoned; Acts vii. 58. The Old Gate, Neh. xii. 39; or Gate of Damascus. Gate of Ephraim, Neh. xii. 39; Mark xv. 21. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. The Fountain and Pool of Siloam, John ix. 7; formerly called Shi- Garden of Gethsemane, Matt. xxvi. 36; John xviii. 1. The Tomb of Lazarus; John xi. 38. The House of Lazarus; John xi. 31. The Southern Road to Bethany, and the barren Fig-Tree; Mark xi. 12. To the accuracy of Sandys, his judicious successor, Maundrel, bears the following honourable testimony: "The descriptions and draughts of our learned, sagacious countryman, Mr. Sandys, respecting the remarkable places in and about Jerusalem, must be acknowledged so faithful and perfect, that they leave very little to be added by after comers, and nothing to be corrected." P. 68. The environs of Jerusalem are annexed, Plate III. from careful comparison of other ancient and modern authorities; and the bearings of the principal places around, in the Holy Land, or bordering thereon. ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS. The accuracy, however, of the foregoing account of Jerusalem and its Environs, has been lately impeached, and upon strong grounds, by that universal and intelligent traveller, Dr. Clarke, who visited the Holy Land in 1801; as not agreeing with his own observations on the spot, nor with the ancient history of Jerusalem, as recorded in Scripture and in Josephus. In the fourth volume of his Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, fourth edition, octavo, 1817, he has given a plan and description of Jerusalem, as it appeared to him, differing in several respects from the foregoing. 66 1. He disputes the supposed site of the Holy Sepulchre on Mount Calvary, within the walls of the modern City, as not being a grotto above ground," from which the rock has been cut away on all sides, to a level with the floor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, according to Sandys, &c. but as actually built of mason work, cased with thick slabs of that beautiful Breccia, vulgarly called Verd-antique marble. This objection is not novel; it was urged, he observes, long ago, and thus contemptuously stated by the Monk Quaresmius:-Audivi non |