is majestic, solitary, umbrageous; well adapted to afford a pleasant retreat under its branches. As Dr. Robinson remarks, it stands alone in the midst of the field; the ground beneath is covered with grass and clover; there is a well with water hard by; so that a more beautiful spot for recreation could hardly be found. It looks directly toward Hebron, the town being well seen from it. The high hill which lies beyond Hebron is also a conspicuous object in the prospect. The venerable tree cannot by possibility be mistaken, particularly at that season of the year.*

The patriarch sat in his tent-door, in the plains of Mamre, in the heat of the day; "and he lift up his eyes, and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him." As befitted the sheikh of a great pastoral tribe, and as many an Arab of meaner degree and poorer condition would do now, he went forward to meet the strangers, and pressed his hospitality upon them. They accepted it; and, resting under the tree that overshadowed their host's tent, partook of the fare he provided. The Lord, in human guise, was among these guests; and He then, under that tree in Mamre, renewed the promise that a son should be born to aged Abraham and Sarah, who should inherit the blessings of the covenant. From very early times, probably from patriarchal days, some huge tree in this immediate vicinity has been reverenced as that under which the three celestial visitants were entertained by the forefather of Israel and Judah; and from those days uninterruptedly, down to ours, tradition has invested some sylvan monarch with the interest and sanctity which would naturally clothe any object so honoured by the Divine presence. The present “Oak of Abraham" is, certainly, not the tree mentioned in Genesis, though probably for many centuries it has borne that distinction. It is a kingly tree, the grandest and most picturesque in Palestine south of Lebanon. It may be a thousand years old, possibly even more ancient; and it impresses one all the more, from the marked absence of fine timber throughout the land. It is a prickly oak, called by the Arabs "sindian." It measures about twenty-three feet round the lower part of the trunk. It rises from a great mass of gnarled and rugged roots, and almost immediately divides into three huge limbs. The branches extend from the trunk in one direction about fifty feet, and the whole diameter of their spread is here nearly ninety feet; and in another direction, at right angles, nearly eighty-five. Though evidently of great age, it is still sound and flourishing; and there are few trees to be compared with it, for size and appearance, in

* A traveller in Palestine cannot fail to remark how the people go about armed : for each one generally has his gun slung behind him. The gun appears to be about as common an appendage here as a walking-stick is in more civilized countries. The custom reminds one of what is said of Ishmael-that "his hand should be against every man, and every man's hand against him;" (Gen. xvi. 12;) though the fulfilment of that prophecy refers rather to the Arabs of the desert than to those who inhabit the villages. In my case, a rude demand for "backsheesh," made by an armed ruffian, prevented a close inspection of " Abraham's Oak."

Syria. The great plane-tree of Damascus is said to be nearly double its girth, forty feet; but it has suffered much, both from the hand of man and the tooth of time. Several of the cedars are also larger; though, being grouped together, they do not show to such advantage. But, though we have no early record of this venerable tree, we cannot but recognise it as a representative of the oaks of Mamre, under whose shade Abraham communed with his Lord, and received angels as guests. It is the last tree of that sacred forest; and, for this reason, all honour to its noble stem and wide-spreading boughs! It is a representative tree, and is well fitted to sustain the dignity of such a character; a most interesting monument, commemorating a sacred event which occurred in its close vicinage nearly four thousand years ago. More than this we cannot allow to superstition; nor can we indulge the pleasing dream, that this is the identical tree under which the father of the faithful, by entertaining strangers, "entertained angels unawares."

FROM HEBRON BACK TO THE HOLY CITY.

The scenery around Hebron is among the most pleasing and picturesque in Palestine. The hills are rugged enough to have features,-rocky, but not naked; while the deep winding valleys are well cultivated, deriving from the olive groves a rich appearance. This is the culminating point of the Palestine range, Hebron being, as already stated, the highest town in Syria. We are now on holy ground. Every footfall is upon soil trodden long centuries ago by patriarch and prophet: every view on which the eye rests was seen, as we see it, by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, by Samuel, David, and Solomon. The cities they built, or tenanted, are now heaps of ruins; but the features of nature remain unchanged. The mountains, the valleys, the fountains, the rocks, are all here. It is this which gives deep and lasting interest to this land. The sweetest lines that ever poet penned, the noblest strains that ever minstrel sang, were penned and sung among these acclivities by the shepherd-king. We follow the ancient road to Jerusalem. It is still well enough defined, but sadly out of repair.*

* On leaving the valley of Eshcol, the road assumes a character of roughness and crookedness, which it retains to Bethlehem. "For some distance," writes au intelligent traveller, (whose remarks I have often taken the liberty of blending with my own,)“ our road lay between the high walls which enclosed the vineyards; in some places it was paved with loose blocks of stone, and was very rough and uneven; in other parts it passed over solid rock, worn into holes by constant traffic; but, is spite of these asperities, it was not a bad road over which to ride a sure-footed Syrian Arab. When we emerged from the valleys of Mamre and Eshcol, we left the vines and olive trees, the well-built terraces, and the abundant springs, behind us, and our course lay over wild hills, some being quite bare, while others are covered with brushwood of dwarf-oak, arbutus, &c. The soil in the valleys is rich, and the hill-sides are all seamed with the marks of ancient terraces, indicating the careful cultivation carried on here of old. Now they only afford scanty pasturage for flocks." Referring to this road, Dr. Robinson says: “Wheels certainly never passed here." Dr. Wilson, however, and Mr. Ewald differ in opinion from him on this point. Dr. Wilson says,

Along it Abraham passed on that journey of faith, to sacrifice his son on Moriah; along it David led his veterans, to conquer the stronghold of the Jebusites on Zion; and along it, perhaps, our Saviour was borne in His mother's arms, on the way to Egypt, to escape the cruelty of Herod.

This road, from Hebron to Jerusalem, was for the whole of the last century quite unfrequented by pilgrims or Frank travellers. During that period no one appears to have visited Hebron; and, for many years preceding, its visiters had been but few. In the fourteenth century it was on the high road of the pilgrims, between Sinai and Jerusalem; and many went thither from the holy city, who did not adventure upon the risks and hardships of the desert pilgrimage to Sinai. In those times there was an hospital at Hebron, where charity was dispensed on a vast scale. Twelve hundred loaves of bread, besides oil and other articles of food, were distributed daily to all comers, of all creeds and nationalities. The annual expenses were estimated at twenty-four thousand ducats, part of which was derived from property in the neighbourhood belonging to the hospital. In the fifteenth century pilgrims began to take the Gaza route, and in the next century that by Hebron was almost deserted. From that time, till the year 1806, Hebron was lost sight of; but then Seetzen succeeded in reaching it on his road to Sinai, and Ali Bey followed him the next year. Eleven years later it was visited by Captains Irby and Mangles, and thirteen years afterwards by Ponjoulat. Monro also, in 1833, reached it from Jerusalem. Since 1835 there have been no difficulties sufficient to deter travellers from including the city of the patriarchs among the sacred sites to be explored in Palestine.

A reason is given for the avoidance of the Hebron road by pilgrims and travellers in the last century. Late in the seventeenth century, a Frank merchant, who was riding a spirited horse in the streets of the city, accidentally knocked down and killed a Moslem child. He succeeded in escaping the fury of the populace by a precipitate flight; but they were so exasperated by this casualty against all Christians, that none ventured to go near the city. The monks at the other holy places gave warning to "the pious,” to omit this station in their pilgrimage. Before this accident, however, this route had been partially deserted, on account of the turbulent and lawless character of the inhabitants of Eshcol.

The weather continued pleasant, and we met with little worth recording. The few camels we passed were patiently carrying their loads of fuel; while others were waiting for their burden, or receiving it. No creature seems so peculiarly fitted as the camel to the climate in which it exists. Their home is the desert, and they were made in the wisdom of the Creator to be the carriers of the desert. The coarse and prickly shrubs of the wastes are to them the most delicious food; and even of these they eat but frugally. Their power

"We thought that in several places we observed the rock cut, as if to afford a regular path for such carriages as would be used by the ancient Jews." Mr. Ewald also says, "We did, in fact, perceive vestiges of an ancient carriage-road all along, from Jerusalem to Hebron." I cannot say that I recognised any traces of the ancient carriage-road here spoken of

of going without food, as well as without water, is wonderful. They never appear to tire, but commonly march as freshly at evening as in the morning. If they once begin to fail, however, they soon lie down and die. Their wellknown habit of reclining upon the breast to receive their burdens is not, as is often supposed, merely the result of training: it is an admirable adaptation of their nature to their destiny as carriers. This is their natural position of repose, as is shown also by the callosities upon the joints of the legs, but especially by that upon the breast, which serves as a pedestal beneath the huge body.

We halted a short time at the fountain near the Pools of Solomon; and, instead of pursuing the road through the valley of Urtâs, took another direction, leaving it on our right, and came to Bethlehem. Here we arrived in good time in the afternoon, and I visited again the Church of the Nativity, my former visit being on Christinas-eve, when I attended the midnight services, or ceremonies, of the Latin Church, annually celebrated here in commemoration of our Lord's advent. There were many people in Bethlehem to-day; and when I got to the basilica, or church, I was surprised to see the large area of the church occupied with dealers in shells, crosses, and beads, and a variety of other articles of the kind, which these "traffickers in holy things" were selling to the pilgrims. Along the aisles on either side, near the rows of pillars, each dealer had his wares spread on the ground; and here they were, buyers and sellers, a numerous throng. The whole scene had the appearance of a bazaar, which indeed it was, to all intents and purposes; and was sufficient to remind one of the traffickers of old in the temple at Jerusalem, when they made it "a house of merchandise." I passed through this part of the building, and went into the Greek Church, in which there was a large congregation assembled for service. On inquiry I found the Greeks were keeping their Christmas-eve, which is twelve days later than either Roman Catholics or Protestants observe. Next day, at Jerusalem, I was present at one of their services, when they were celebrating their Christmas-day in a subterranean chapel connected with the tomb of the Virgin, on the Mount of Olives, and within a short distance of Gethsemane. The chapel lies considerably underground, as I found by the number of steps to descend. It is somewhat remarkable that I should happen to be at Bethlehem on both occasions, that is, on the two Christmas-eves. It was probably between four and five P.M., when we left for Jerusalem. Following the highway, the plain, or valley, on our left was that of Rephaim, "the valley of the giants." Along the road we have now traversed, David, the newly-anointed king of Israel, inarched to take possession of his capital. Its occupants defied the Lord's anointed: "nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David;" and then "David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David."

The Philistines heard of his accession, and marched against him, “and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim." And "David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt Thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will

doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand." David obeyed: he smote the Philistines, who left their images behind in their flight, “and David and his men burned them." Again the Philistines" spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim;" and this time again "David inquired of the Lord," who commanded him not to meet them, but to "fetch a compass behind them ;" and when he heard "the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry-trees," he was to bestir himself; for the Lord was then going before him to the slaughter of the Philistine host. Again David obeyed, and the Lord performed His word given to His servant. The plain was probably well known for its fertility; for Isaiah alludes to "him that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim."

The sky had been somewhat overcast while we were at Bethlehem; and just as we left the town, rain began to fall, and continued to descend fast and heavily all the way to Jerusalem; and the wind also was high. We crossed the valley of Hinnom, ascended Mount Zion, (on whose crest stands the citadel, some of the massive stones of which are supposed to be a relic of Herod's fortifications, and identical with the tower of Hippicus,) and reached the city before the closing of the gates. Inclement as the weather was, we met people on the road going to Bethlehem for the night, to observe Christmas-eve there, according to the rites of the Greek Church. Camberwell. J. M.

BRIEF EXTRACTS FROM PASQUIER QUESNEL'S COM

MENTARY ON THE GOSPELS; *

CHIEFLY CONCERNING THE CHARACTER AND WORK OF A CHRISTIAN MINISTER.

Sackville, New-Brunswick, June 29th, 1864.

(To the Editor of the Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine.)

MY DEAR SIR,-I beg permission to place the accompanying manuscript in your hands, for your consideration, whether portions of it, at least, may not be profitably inserted in our Magazine.

Very much depends on a continual stirring up of the ministers of Christ's Gospel. The accompanying extracts seem to me adapted to that end. If my younger brethren can thus be rendered more holy, and more zealous for Christ and for souls, my labour in making the selections will be repaid a thousandfold. But having said so much, I beg now to leave the whole affair in your hand; and to your opinion I shall defer without a murmur. Yours very truly,

EDMUND BOtterell.

* Solemn words are these, carefully selected from one of the most learned and pious authors of the seventeenth century. Quesnel was a Presbyter of the Oratory; and into his "Notes," to borrow the words of Mosheim, "the marrow of the Jansenist doctrines is very elegantly and ingeniously wrought." The book had the honour to be proscribed by Clement XI., in the year 1713. One hundred and one of Father Quesnel's propositions are condemned in the too famous Bull, or decree, which from its first word is called Unigenitus.—EDITORS.

VOL. X.-FIFTH SERIES.

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