and led to great excesses, Moses endeavoured to mitigate and abolish. For this purpose he appointed cities of refuge, placed in convenient parts of the country. Whoever had occasioned the death of an Israelite, might flee to one of these cities; and if, on receiving a fair trial, he was found to have done it without illwill, he was, as being free from the guilt of murder, protected from the wrath of the Goel, under the inviolable sanctity of religion. To the distinction of being one of these cities of refuge was Hebron raised.

Hebron is still a considerable place, and contains buildings which are held to cover the remains of Abraham and Sarah his wife. The district is fertile and beautiful. This is especially true of the vale of Mamre', lying a short distance from the town. This vale is distinguished for its fine grapes, bunches of which weighing twelve pounds are said to be still grown there. It also bears the name of the Vale of Terebinths (the Pistachio nut-tree). Of this most interesting district a recent German traveller thus speaks: There sank into the vale a swarm of locusts. Like a snow-storm they came down on us and our horses. The light of the sun was hidden. Hardly could we continue our way. The whole swarm then pitched on the fields. As we went on, the noise from the hoofs of our horses aroused them, when of a sudden, like swarms of bees, they crowded and hissed before our way (comp. Joel i. 6, 7, ii. 3). Locusts are one of the greatest plagues of the country. As we passed on, we here and there met with camps of Bedouins (wandering Arabs), who, with their herds, were enjoying the fresh grass and the fruitful fields. We came opposite to ed-Dirweh. Soon our road ran between vine and olive gardens. Every garden is fenced and provided with 'a tower' (Is. v. 2), 'a lodge in a garden' (i. 8), in which watchmen, or, during the vintage, the owner of the vineyard, keeps an eye on the labourers and the property. The grapes of Hebron are still the finest in the Land of Promise; and here it was, in the valley of Eshcol, that the twelve spies cut a cluster of grapes so large as to require two men to carry it (Numbers xiii. 23, 24). The houses of the city are quadrangular. On their top are domes, which give the town a pleasant appearance, and correspond with the surrounding hills. We ascended the hill on the south-east. At our feet lay Hebron, with its gardens and fields. On an elevation rising towards the west, was the noble oak of Abraham. In the south, our view extended over the barren flats of the desert. Towards the east, stretched the naked hills of the wilderness of Judah; while in front of the steep mountains of Moab, lay the depression of the Dead Sea. We descended from the hill thinking of David, who here for seven years reigned over Judah (2 Sam. v. 5). We left Hebron and rode down the valley to the oak, which stood about half an hour from the city. It is a tree, about four-and-twenty feet in circumference, whose branches

cover a space of ground ninety feet in diameter-one of the largest trees that we had seen in the Holy Land. This is held to be the grove of Mamre.' Near this spot it was that Abraham built an altar to Jehovah, and here Jehovah formed a covenant with his faithful servant, and promised him that in his seed (which seed is Christ) all the inhabitants of the earth should be blessed (Gen. xiii. 18, xv. 6, xvii.).

After having remained for three months with her cousin, Mary returned home to Nazareth, when she communicated to Joseph her husband that she was likely to prove a mother. Had he not on reflection been well satisfied, he could easily have put her away, for the Jewish law of divorce gave full power to the husband. All he had to do was, to execute a written declaration to the effect that he sent his wife from his house; and it was optional with himself whether he declared, or not, the cause by which he was actuated. Joseph, however, being by nature a mild and well-disposed man, was, under higher suggestions, led to receive Mary as his wife (Matt. i. 19, 24).

CHAPTER III.

MARY AND JOSEPH GO TO BETHLEHEM.

Jesus was born in February or March, U. C. 750, four years before the Vulgar Era, or U. C. 754.

Having remained a few months in peace at Nazareth, Mary had again to journey towards the South. Augustus, the emperor of Rome and master of the world, desirous of possessing accurate knowledge of the resources of his empire, had issued a command for taking a census of the Jewish people as well as other nations. The census consisted of two leading parts: first, the enrolment of each head of a family, stating his name, age, number of his household, and amount of his property; which was done with a view, secondly, of imposing a tax on individuals and communities proportionate to their resources. As the Jews attached great value to their genealogical derivation, and carefully preserved their family registers, the census was in Judea conducted so as to require each master of a house to repair to and be enrolled in the city to which his forefathers belonged. Joseph and Mary, accordingly, had to travel to Bethlehem, the city of David, their great progenitor. Mary being now near her time, would not have undertaken the journey. It must have been imperative on her. Hence we conclude that she was an heiress, the only

child of persons of some landed property; for females in Israel inherited land only when they had no brothers.

After a journey of several days, rendered more difficult by the bad weather of winter or early spring, Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem. The town was small; the descendants of David, now its visitors, numerous. Hospitality was, indeed, a Hebrew virtue; but either delay or a preference shown to persons of greater substance, occasioned the worthy couple to be left unprovided with a home. A cavern on the outside of the town, where herds and herdsmen sought shelter, afforded them a covering, and proved the birth-place of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Redeemer of the world.

It was the winter wild

While the heaven-born child,

All meanly wrapt, in the rude manger lies;
Nature, in awe to him,

Had doff'd her gaudy trim,

With her great Master so to sympathise.

Our great poet, Milton, has here stated the common impression. There is, however, sufficient reason to believe that our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, nor in what passes for the first year of the Christian era. The ordinary epoch was not fixed till the sixth century; and careful inquiries seem to show that the great event took place in the 34th year of the reign of Herod, the king of the Jews, the 750th year of the foundation of Rome, or four years before the common era, which assigns the 754 of Rome as that in which Christ appeared in the flesh. The exact day is not easily determined. Probably it was in February or March.

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Bethlehem-a word which signifies the house of bread,' formerly, in order to distinguish it from another place (Josh. xix. 15), called Ephratah (Micah v. 2)-stood in the territory of Judah, some six miles south of Jerusalem, and was a small though very ancient town. Its chief distinction was due to the fact that it was the birth-place of king David. That honour has been lost in the higher glory of having been the first spot on earth to receive the Saviour of the world. The modern place is a village of about a hundred and fifty houses, having narrow uncleanly streets, with many fallen abodes, and a population of about six hundred adult males, who for the most part are Christians, but, belonging to different sects, live in alienation one from another. The situation of the town is fine, lying on the slope of a ridge of hills, and being encircled by eminences. From the highest of the elevations on which the town stands (3029 feet above the sea), there is a good prospect, reaching to the plains of Jericho, the Dead Sea, and even the Arabian high lands. Towards the north, opens a broad valley which abounds in cornfields and pasture-grounds; it presents also vineyards, olive-gar

dens, fig-trees, and pomegranates. How productive might the district prove, were its inhabitants to prefer the toils and cares of diligent husbandry to the present idle and useless employment of forming crosses and rosaries for pilgrims!

Bethlehem abounds in memorials of Christ. Specially worthy of notice is the church of St. Mary, originally erected, in A.D. 320, by the empress Helena. It is in shape a cross, and has remains of ancient art which are not wholly worthless, though they are blended with traditions of small value. In front of the high altar is a star of marble inlaid in the floor, intended to mark the spot over which stood the star which guided the Magi, or wise men from the East, in their visit to the new-born King. The exact spot where Jesus was born is shown beneath the choir of the church, in an artificial grotto forty feet long, nine high, and twelve broad, narrowing towards the interior. Three porphyry pillars sustain the roof, which, as well as the walls, is decorated with pictures and hangings. The floor is laid with beautiful Mosaic work. In the inner part is a depression, the floor of which is formed of marble and jasper. This is held to be the exact spot where Jesus was born. And there, accordingly, are these words to be read:

Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est.
Here was Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

Beyond this depression is an altar at which mass is performed, and over which three beautiful lamps throw their light on a painting which represents the birth of Mary's son. Thirty-two lamps supply in the grotto the place of daylight. These, with other pictures and the tones of an organ, conspire with the spirit of the place to make the worship impressive.

About a quarter of an hour east of Bethlehem, on a pleasant plain, is a small village which the Arabs call after the name of the Shepherds. Nor far from it is the field where

The shepherds on the lawn,

Or e'er the point of dawn,

Sat simply chatting in a rustic row;

Full little thought they than,

That the mighty Pan

Was kindly come to live with them below;

Perhaps their loves, or else their sheep,

Was all that did their silly thoughts so busy keep.

When such music sweet

Their hearts and ears did greet,

As never was by mortal fingers strook;

Divinely warbled voice

Answered the stringed noise,

As all their souls in blissful rapture took;

The air, such pleasure loth to lose,

With thousand echoes still prolongs each heavenly close.

On those fields the mind is naturally led away to glean thoughts from the page of history, and bind them in bundles for its own edification; for there the good Ruth, who had come from a strange country, had gleaned for the support of her mother-in-law, on the land of her kinsman Boaz, who, in obedience to custom, as well as the high estimate he had formed of her gentle virtues, made the Moabitess his wife, and so had the honour of becoming the progenitor of David, the idol of the Hebrew people. Not far away is another monument, Rachel's tomb, which calls up the thought of the bright and simple life of the patriarchs (Gen. xxxv. 19, 20). Also, to the north-west of Bethlehem, is found the cistern of David, which tradition connects with a most interesting incident in the life of that hero. Pressed by his too powerful foes the Philistines, David, who had not yet succeeded in gaining the crown, was, in the midst of the toils and perils of war, obliged to hide himself in a cave. Here, as his enemies lay in front, hoping to effect his capture, David remained, till, famished with hunger and thirst, he was led to exclaim, 'Oh, that some one would give me drink from the well of Bethlehem! Three of his heroes undertook the task. Breaking through the ranks of the foe, they reached the well, took the water, and, returning, presented it to the parched lips of their master. He took the cup, and poured its contents on the ground. Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should drink water which has cost so much blood!' Such a sentiment confers greater honour on the hero than all his victories. Would that other things, purchased at the price of blood, were, how desirable soever, put aside and refused by those who now thoughtlessly enjoy them! War is too costly, too terrible, to be used as a means for gaining the highest worldly advantages.

CHAPTER IV.

THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.

For several weeks, Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus, remained at Bethlehem. During this period the latter underwent that rite, namely circumcision, which was necessary to his being a genuine son of Abraham. Men who were not of Hebrew blood might, indeed, be admitted to some communion with the Jews without being circumcised, provided they renounced idolatry and took on themselves certain moral obligations, known as Noah's seven commands. But such persons, not being admitted to the