hath been no latter rain." The inference tion. This we may find another occasion drawn therefrom is, that in consequence of of giving. At present it remains to indicate the final great disobedience of the house of that there are these diverse and conflicting Israel, the latter rain has been withholden; views respecting the ancient and existing and thus the soil, although rich and capable condition of the "good land: of being fertilized by timely rains, is left comparatively unproductive. There is hence a deficiency of the products, not only of tillage, but of pasturage; and we may well inquire,

"Where is the land with milk and honey flowing?"

Mr. Lowthian states, that on his arrival at Jerusalem, and perceiving that all the milk that was brought into the city for one day did not exceed ten or twelve quarts, and this small quantity only goats' milk well watered; and that he could find no honey but a small piece which he had the pleasure of tasting while taking tea with the Bishop's chaplain; he was led, he says, to exclaim to himself,-"How completely have God's judgments been executed on this devoted land!" And he adds,-"Most clearly did I perceive that the natural cause of all this evil was the absence of seasonable rain. Rain which waters the earth, and blesses it with fertility, God has withheld, and thus brought all these evils and many more which I need not stay to enumerate, upon the land which flowed with milk and honey." Mr. Lowthian differs from those who determine the "former and the latter rains" of Scripture, with reference to the present condition of the country. The "former rain he conceives to be that of winter. This does fall, but is so uncertain that it sometimes does not come till January, in consequence of which, water becomes so exceeding scarce and dear, that the inhabitants are put to great inconvenience and loss. And as no agricultural operations can be proceeded with till this rain has made the earth soft, the harvest is thrown back; for it is mostly in March and April that the crop is gathered in. After that, as Mr. Lowthian believes, "the latter rain used to come; by which it is more than probable, nay, almost certain, that a second crop was produced: but this latter rain is now entirely withheld, and none is ever expected to fall during summer. On this account the best part of the year is lost, and no vegetable can grow nor keep alive, but those plants whose roots penetrate deep into the earth."

1. That this land never was and never could have been better than it is now, notwithstanding what the sacred writers say to the contrary.

2. That it is still, in fact, a fine and fertile country.

3. That although barren, there are indications of former fertility, and pastures which show what the whole once was.

4. That although once fertile, it is now barren by the special judgment of God, and will remain barren until that judgment is withdrawn.

An American traveller, the late Dr. Olin, gave much attention to this matter, and seems inclined to moderate between extreme views of the subject. After stating these views,-except the last, which had not then been put forth,-he says, "It is quite certain, I think, that some portions of Palestine, once fertile, are now irreclaimable. The entire destruction of the wood that formerly covered the mountains, and the utter neglect of the terraces that supported the soil upon steep declivities, have given full scope to the rains, which have left many tracts of bare rock where formerly were vineyards and cornfields. It is likely, too, that the disappearance of trees from the higher grounds, where they invited and arrested the passing clouds, may have diminished the quantity of rain, and so have exposed the whole country, in a greater degree, to the evils of drought, and doomed some particular tracts to absolute sterility. Besides these, I do not recognize any permanent or invincible cause of barrenness, or any physical obstacles in the way of restoring this fine country to its pristine fertility. These causes are not peculiar to Palestine. They exist perhaps to a still greater extent in Greece, and the islands of the Archipelago, and in the mountainous regions of Asia Minor. The soil of the whole country has certainly deteriorated under bad husbandry, and the entire neglect of the means of improvement. But a small degree of skill and industry would generally be sufficient to reclaim it, as must be evident to every traveller, who has observed the vineyards near Hebron and Bethlehem, and the gardens of Nablous" [Shechem.] He adds afterwards :-"

"I put

These views are interesting and remarkable; and the conclusion to which they point is well worthy of complete investiga- the question to almost every traveller I met

made, is that of the ancient city of Pella. the hill were considerable ruins, as if of an This city has a peculiar interest for Christians of all countries and all ages. That interest is not abated by the obscurity, if not thick darkness, in which, even to the learned eye, the subject has for centuries remained enveloped. And the discovery of the city after the lapse of some fifteen hundred if a new witness to the facts of primitive

made them regard the spot as the necropolis, the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them or burial-ground, of the city.

Such is the locality which Dr. Robinson has just identified as the long lost Pella. The place lies on the elevation environed with high hills in the intervening space between Wady Mus (Mousa) on the north, and Wady Jabes (Jabesh Gilead) on the south.* The ruins are described by Dr. Robinson in these terms:-"They lie on a low eminence, flattened at the top, and surrounded by lofty hills. As we approached them from the north, we entered a plain, where we found ruins, among which were columns. The level on the elevation is covered with similar remains. Similar remains are found also on a plain which lies below, on the west. At the foot, on the south side, a strong fountain bubbles forth, forming a stream that runs to the south-west, (so as to fall into the Jordan). Near it a small temple once stood, two pillars of which still remain erect. The vale below is full of oleanders. From people whom we met, we ascertained that the name of the plain was Fahil, (the Fahkil of Irby, Mangles, and Bankes,) and that the epithet Tabakah | (Tabathat) was applied to the small plain which arose, terrace-form, some hundred feet above the valley of the Jordan. The position of this place in reference to Beisan and Wady Jabes, the extensive remains of what was clearly once a considerable city, the fountains abounding in water, (Pellam aquis divitem. Pliny H. N. v. 18,) and, finally, the name (Fahil, Pella) gave us a certain conviction that we stood on the spot of the ancient Pella. The first intimation that Pella was here, is found in Kiepert's Map of Palestine; our great object, namely, the ascertainment whether or not Kiepert's conjecture had a solid foundation, was now accomplished."

The Lord Jesus Christ foresaw the perils in which his followers would be involved when the guilty Jerusalem had come to its last hour. Desirous of preparing them for the time of woe and danger, he bade them when the heathen abomination had forced its way into the holy place, and so indicated that the day of prophetic doom had come, quit the lost city of David, and seek refuge on the high lands on the east of the Jordan. His words, which are recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, (Matthew xxiv. 15, Mark xv. 14, Luke xxi. 20, seq.,) run thus, in the report of the last Evangelist :—"When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that * See Zimmermann's "Atlas to Ritter's Erdkunde." Sec. V. Berlin, 1850.

which are in Judæa flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it (Jerusalem) depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto." To leave Jerusalem for the mountains, is no incorrect description for passing from the high lands of Judea to the still higher lands that run along the east of the Jordan, which among the dwellers in Jerusalem might well be known as "the mountains."

For many years the infant church in the metropolis of Judea struggled for existence and for growth in its native soil. Under the gracious aids of the Holy Spirit, it gathered strength amid great discouragement. One after the other, its pillars and its prophets were violently taken away. Stephen was stoned; James was beheaded; Peter, John, and Paul suffered imprisonment. Yet the church of Jerusalem accounted it a part of its duty to bear its witness on the soil where its Head had accomplished the redemption of the world, and where his Gospel had first taken root. Meanwhile the Jewish factions became more and more bitter against each other, and more and more pertinacious in withstanding their Roman masters. At length Titus sat down before the city, resolved to achieve its subjugation. The siege was pressed; famine, disease, and death, spread within its walls. Worst of all, its defenders fell, slain by each others' hands. Then, in the general fear, terrible omens found currency; sights were seen, and sounds were heard, by the superstitious and guilty Jews, which unstrung their hearts, and unnerved their arms. Then, when the impending ruin was beyond a doubt inevitable, the members of the Christian church, in whose ears the warning words of their Lord had long rung loudly, at last thought that the predicted hour of flight had arrived. The feeling seems to have been strengthened into a practical conviction, by a Divine admonition. The result was, that God's Church quitted Jerusalem, as in former days it quitted Palestine for Egypt, and Egypt for the Peninsula of Sinai. The event is thus recorded by Eusebius, (Eccl. Hist. iii. v.,) "When the whole congregation of the church in Jerusalem, according to an oracle given by revelation to the approved persons among them before the war, were commanded to depart out of the city, and inhabit a certain city, (they call it Pella,) beyond Jordan; which, when those that believed in Christ had removed from Jerusalem, and when the holy men had totally relinquished the princely

into

much devotion to his person and ministry.

metropolis of the Jews, and the whole country Christ, and attended him continually, with of Judea, then at length Divine vengeance seized them who had dealt so unjustly with Christ and his Apostles, and utterly destroyed that wicked and abominable generation from among men."

In all probability St. John was the unnamed disciple who appears in the first chapter of his own Gospel; and, if so, his advance from a disciple to a constant attendIn Pella, the Jerusalem church remained ant on Jesus, and, finally, to an apostle, may for more than half a century. At length the be clearly traced out. It would not suit the Emperor Hadrian, (117-137 A.D.,) having course of this narrative to enter on this subcompleted the ruin of Jerusalem, and convert-ject in any detail; but, on the supposition ed it into a heathen city, with the name of that such a view is correct, the account of Aelia Capitolina, the church at Pella anxious himself, as the unnamed disciple, will bring to resume what seemed its proper position, migrated from Pella, and returned to Jerusalem, where it remained for centuries.

to mind his usual modesty: the account of his call, as a permanent attendant on Christ, will show the readiness with which he left all and followed the Saviour: and, lastly, his ordination to the apostleship brings before us that surname,-viz., Boanerges, or a son of thunder,-which, as given by the Lord himself, infallibly tells of his capacity to preach and to minister, so as to subdue by the word of power, not less than to win by the gentler accents of love. Mark iii. 17.

From what has preceded, it is obvious that in repairing to Perea or the mountain ranges in the east of the Jordan, the Christians of Jerusalem were guided by the express directions of their Master. The scantiness of our information does not enable us to state with the same certainty, why the city of Pella was selected in preference. There is, however, reason to believe that St. John was selected as one of the three Pella was a city of liberal tendencies, where apostles, whom Jesus took with him on several Jewish narrowness and hate had little sway, occasions, when the rest of the twelve were and where the enlarging culture of Grecian not admitted to the same privilege. Thus it civilisation was greatly predominant. In was, for instance, when Jesus raised the Pella settled many of the veterans who had daughter of Jairus to life. Thus it was, accompanied Alexander in that expedition of again, at the Transfiguration. And, in all his, which, though prompted by ambition, probability, the recorded instances of this was in God's hands very promotive of civilisa- special honour are only a few among many tion and mental expansion, and which largely others, granted to the "disciple whom Jesus contributed to prepare the world for Christ. loved." But all this honour and all this Nor was it an inconsiderable recommendation intimacy kindled no presumption in John's to persons who were flying for their lives inward spirit. Seldom, indeed, do we find from heathen as well as Jewish enemies, that him giving expression to any of his own senthe Jordan is fordable opposite Pella. Both timents, in addressing his Lord or his fellowIrby and Robinson mention the fact; and servants. And once only do we find him both passed the Jordan at this point, where meeting any special blame from the Saviour's there are not less than three fords, and where lips. Certainly, an error of judgment was in consequence the fugitive Christians would corrected, which he, with the other apostles, find a ready access into "the mountains," had committed in forbidding one, who followed where their Master had commanded them not them, to do miracles in Christ's name. to seek a refuge. And he had especially brought this act of theirs before the Lord's notice; but no blame followed specially addressed to him. Not so, however, at another time. When the Samaritans would not receive Jesus, "because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem," (in order to celebrate the passover,) then James and John, forgetting, in their zeal, all due meekness and love to their fellow-creatures, and as yet ignorant of the true work and mission of Jesus in the day of his humiliation, asked leave of him to command fire to come down from heaven and

ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST.*

ST. JOHN the Evangelist was a Galilæan, the son of Zebedee and Salome. Of his father, we only know that he pursued the calling of a fisherman, with men serving under him. Of his mother, we know that she became a disciple of the Lord Jesus

*The arrangement of this article is made according to the plan adopted by the Rev. Francis Trench, in his work entitled "Life and Character of St. John the Evangelist."-Longman and Co.

consume them, even as Elias did. But He

turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went into another village." Luke ix. 51-56.

by the previous view of the same Saviour in his own glory? What a preparation in all this for John's testimony, first to a suffering, and then to a glorified Redeemer! Matthew xxvi. 36-46.

Whether St. John was the "certain young man," of whom St. Mark speaks as following Jesus at the time of his capture, "with a linen cloth cast about his naked body," is a disputed point, and perhaps needs no farther elucidation in a brief narrative such as the present. And the same course may, perhaps, be judiciously pursued with regard to another much contested point, viz., whether St. John was, or was not, that "other disciple," who, besides Simon Peter, is known to have followed Jesus, when taken prisoner and bound, into the palace of the high priest. Matters of assured certainty in his history, and sub

The next incident, illustrative of St. John's life and character, is that of his and of his brother's claims for preferment in Christ's kingdom. For though, in one gospel, their mother presents a petition of this nature for them, yet, in another, they are represented as doing it for themselves. In this act there was, no doubt, an exhibition of faith in the Lord's name, power, and dominion; but, at the same time, there was an admixture of much ignorance, and, perhaps, of presumption too. Nor from his mind, nor from that of the other apostles, was this ignorance or indistinctness, on such matters, removed, until the Holy Ghost visited both him and his fellow-jects bearing incontestably on his character, servants with power from on high on the summon us rapidly on. Mark xiv. 51, 52; Day of Pentecost. Then to him and to them John xviii. 17. "all things became new." Matt. xx. 17-28.

St. John was one of those four disciples who were with Jesus when he "was sitting on the Mount of Olives, over against the temple," and who "asked Him privately" those questions which led to that full and magnificent prophecy, recorded by the three first evangelists, on the destruction of Jerusalem, on his own future return in glory, and on the whole course of events which, previous to that time, his church was to anticipate. He was also selected by his Master to go from Bethany, in company with Peter, on the "day of unleavened bread," and to prepare the Passover for Jesus and his disciples.

This event first introduces him, gifted and adorned with that beautiful name, the "disciple whom Jesus loved." Instead of employing his own name, in the narrative where it thus appears, he uses the appellation by which, no doubt, he was then well known and distinguished, and which has accompanied him ever since that day, and which shall continue his so long as God's Word endures. John xiii. 23.

The three disciples who were favoured and honoured by the Lord with the transient view of his glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, were now called by him to be present at a period of his deep humiliation. Jesus took with him "Peter and the two sons of Zebedee" into the Garden of Gethsemane, where he endured his agony. One spectacle well indeed prepared them for the other. For who could so well endure seeing Jesus prostrate, and in his intense suffering, as those who had been strengthened to bear such a sight

He, alas! with all the apostles, forsook Jesus and fled, on his seizure and arraignment. Silence, and confession of our own fallen nature, most becomes us here. Soon again are we cheered in following St. John's course.

The narrative of Scripture presents us with no account of any other male disciple, or apostle, as attending Jesus at the crucifixion, either near or afar off. Many women of his company were there, on their strong faith, and perhaps still stronger love; but, among the men, whom He had chosen to himself, only St. John is told of, as present. Seeing this, we acknowledge, with all gladness, his love too, his holy courage, his true fidelity. The enemies of Jesus might have recognised him with ease, as a Galilæan, and as one so intimate with his Lord. And his fellowapostles were not there to support him; but, nevertheless, there stood the "disciple whom Jesus loved;" and not afar off, but at the very foot of that ignominious cross, on which our Saviour hung "between two thieves," and "numbered with the transgressors." There, too, he received that wondrous trust,—that great pledge and testimony of his Master's love, confidence, and approbation:-" When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son. Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." John xix. 25—27.

All the apostles, except Judas, were in many ways the witnesses to Christ's resurrection from the dead. But on this matter,