churches, and monasteries, all of which, glittering in the sun's rays, shone with inconceivable splendour.

"As we drew nearer, our whole attention was engrossed by its noble and interesting appearance. The lofty hills. whereby it is surrounded,* give to the city itself an appearance of elevation inferior to that which it really possesses."

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Dr. Clarke, in describing the sepulchres of that country, says, They are excavations made in the heart of solid rocks. They exhibit a series of subterranean chambers, hewn with marvellous art, each containing one or many repositories for the dead, like cisterns, carved in the rock, upon the sides of those chambers. The doors are so low that to look into any one of them it is necessary to stoop, and in some instances to creep on our hands and knees. These doors are grooved for the reception of immense stones, once squared and fitted to the grooves, by way of closing the entrances. Of such a nature were indisputably the tombs of the sons of Heth, of the kings of Israel, of Lazarus, and of Christ."

These sepulchres are stationed in the midst of gardens. Dr. Clarke descended into one of them, which he thinks was probably the identical tomb of Jesus Christ. It is now [1806] to be seen in the place of the crucifixion, which was a public cemetery, [the place of a scull,] called in the Hebrew Golgotha, without the city, and very near to one of its gates..

"The large stone that once closed its mouth had been, perhaps for ages, rolled away. Stooping down to look into it, we observed within a fair sepulchre, containing a repository upon one side only for a single body, whereas in most of the others there were two, and in many of them more than two. As we viewed this sepulchre, and read upon the spot the description given of Mary Magdalene, and the disciples coming in the morning, [John 20.] it was impossible to devest our minds of the probability that here might have been the identical tomb of Jesus Christ; and that up the steep which led to it, after descending

* As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people, from henceforth, even for ever. Ps. 125.

tom.

ud.

Where there was a thin surface of earth, and a rock at the bot

*As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is rouna

about his people, from henceforth, even for ever. Ps. 125.

from the gate of the city, the disciples strove together, [John 20.] when John did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.' They are individually described as stooping down to look into it; and they express their doubts as to the possibility of removing so huge a stone, that when once fixed and sealed it might have baffled every human effort."

This is a striking illustration of the truth, simplicity, and beauty of the Holy Scriptures.

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES.

Matthew, 13. 1.

The same day* went JESUS out of the house,† and sat by the sea-side and great multitudes were gathered together unto him so that he went into a ship and sat ; and the whole multitude stood upon the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, ¶ saying, Behold a sower went forth to sow ;** and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side,††. and the fowls came and devoured them up some fell upon stony places,‡‡ where they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprung up, be

* Our Lord scarcely ever appears to take any rest.

This was the house of Peter, with whom our Lord lodged when in Capernaum.

The sea of Galilee; on the borders of which the city of Capernaum was situated.

It may be read "the vessel or boat." Probably a particular vessel belonging to some of the fishermen was kept for Christ and his Apostles. See ch. 4. 22. and John. 21. 23.

¶ A parable means a comparison or similitude, in which one thing is compared with another: spiritual things with natural.

** Under the parable of the sower our Lord intimates, 1. That of all the multitudes attending his ministry few would bring forth fruit to perfection; and 2. That this would be a general case in preaching the Gospel among men.

tt The hard beaten path where no plough had broken up the ground. Where there was a thin surface of earth, and a rock at the bot

tom.

cause they had no deepness of earth, and when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away: And some fell among thorns,* and the thorn sprung up and choaked them; But other fell into good ground, and brought fruit, some a hundred fold-some sixty fold-some thirty fold.. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.‡

Mark 4-35.

And the same day when the even was come he saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side: and when they had sent away the multitude they §took him even as he was in the ship: And there were also with him other little ships and there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full; and he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow and they awoke him, and said unto him, Master carest thou not that we perish? And be arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the Sea, Peace, be still-and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm :¶ And he said

*Where the earth was ploughed up; but the brambles and weeds had not been cleared away.

† According to their different situations, circumstances, and mental capacity.

Those who would hear effectually must hear attentively. In the very beautiful explanation given by our Lord of this parable, from the 18th to the 23d verse, it appears that care ssness, inattention, and worldly mindedness are three great causes of unfruitfulness. same parable related by Mark, ch. 4., and Luke, ch. 8.

See the

The disciples. He was now in the boat which usually waited on him; and out of which he was teaching the people. There were several other boats attending; but they did not wait to provide any accommodations for the passage across the lake.

The agitation of the sea was the effect of the wind: The effect ceased when the cause was removed. Joshua did not say to the earth, earth stand thou still, because the earth is not the cause of its own motion; but sun stand thou still; or restrain thy influence; which influence is the proper cause of the revolution of the planets. Both Christ and Joshua spoke with the strictest philosophical precision.

¶ One word of Christ can change the face of nature, and restore calm and peace to the troubled soul. See the same event related by Matthew, ch. 8. and Luke, ch. 8. CLARKE.