The Jordan And Jericho

Correspondeoce of the Courier. W had sccn "that greit and melancholy marvel," the Dead Sea. The intense heat and the awful stilloess of the place -ed us and we were glad to hasten od to the green Tamarisk groves and refreshiog waters of the Jordán. After an hour'fi ride, we rcaehed the "Upper Ford," or 'Pilgrim's Bithing l'laco." We shall alway; reiucuiber lïmt Vlsit, I ano pmc. Il was "Jordan's Stormy Banks," indeed. The wind was blowing a galo, filling our eyeswilh the blinding sand. Mrs. G. had all she could do to keep her seat in the saddle. Hurriedly disinounting, we hardly knew where to spread our lunch cloth, for, every few moment a large linib broken by the force of the wind, wonld come tuinblin to the ground, to the great eonsternation of the horses and mules hitched here and there. Two or threc other parlies wore present, just ready to start on their way, a procceding which looked ratlier dubious. Very soonk however, the storm had blown over, the air was cool and quiet and we enjoyed our two hourj' rest in the shade of the trees on the banks of the river very wueh. Mr. M filled a small tin can with water, as he liad done at the Dcad Sea. He was a Profesor of Chetni-try and iutended to analyze the waters. Ajl we had conscientiously bathtd in the Dead Sea, so, like all true pilgriins, we breafted Jordan's wave, and found the S'xsond bath much more rcfreshing. Soon Abdallah, our dragomán, bcgan to be very iiupatient to go on to Jericho. The onvent was sinall, and there were other partios who miglit eet in ahead of us. Bcsidcs Jericlio would bc crowded with of jii!i;ritiiH that oigiit. But e knew it was only a two hours' ride and that we had no needof harrying so we tarried a wliile longer. It i? b sacrcd spot, a plaoe where one loves to lioger and recall the past. What a scène was that, when the mighty host of the Iiraelitts, who bad boen wandering during forty yoars in the wilderoess, and were now in joyful anticipation of finding a home and rest in that long prouiised land flowiog with milk and boney, saw the flojd of Waters stand and rise upon an heap, and then crossed over on dry ground. Jacob, öideon, Abner, David, Absalom and niany others passed over tliis river, and here came down those two holy noen one of wtiom was soon to take liis flight to another world in a chariot of fire. "And Elijah took his raantle and wrappod it togethcr and smote the waters so that they twowent overjon dry grouad." ilisha, as he returned, taking the same mantle, bequeathed bim by his illustrious predecesaor, smote the waters with the same resu'.t. Here, also, Naaman bathed and was cured of his leprosy. But these incident9 of the Old Testament palclbefore those of the New. Here rang out the voice of one crying in the wilderness : "Repcnt ye ; for the kingdom of' heavto is at haQd." What eouDÜess multitudes thronged around this spot to listen to the thrilling wordá of tlie bold, fearless prophet and be baptized! Mo.-t sacred of all is the mcmory o! our Lord's visit here when "He was baptized of John, and, lo, the heavens were open unto Ilim, and He saw the Spirit of God desceoding like a dove, aad lighting upon Him : anl, lo, a voice frotn heaven saying : u my beloved Son ia whom I aru wcll pleased. " Says Mr. Max Gregor in Rob Rob : - 'Jurlan i.s the sacrod btream not only ef ilic Juw, who has 'Mosen and tbc prophotn;" of the Cbristian, who treasures the memories of bn Master's l:fe upon earth ; of the ca.-tuut Ishmae'itc, wlio bas dipped lii-i wandering bloody fo)t in this river Kinoe the days of llagar; hut of the Muslitn faithful also, wide scattered over the world, who dueply reverence the Jordán. No other river's name is known so long ago and so far away as this, which calla up a host of past memories from the Mahoinedan of the plains of India, from the lattst Christian settler in the Itocky Mountains of' America, and from the Jews from the every part of the globe. Nor h it only of the past that the name of the Jordán tells, for in the more thoughtful hours of not a few, they hear it whispering U them bofore, strange übadwy truths of that future happier land that lies over the streaui of death." Again Abdullah appears and urges the necjssity of procodins on our way. A very pleasant ridc brouglit us to modern Jerioho. What multitudes, and how luany illustrious ones, had gone up by that sauie path! We stopped at the Latin convent. Tbe hall and dioiog room were alive and swarming with Ilussian pilgrims. They were packtd all over the fioor, like sardines in a box. However, among the rooms reservcd for páying guests, there was one btill unoocupied, which would accommodatc Ml and iijyself; and uur friend, Mr. M , a hcarty American, thought hu ouiJ get along for one night on the divan in the dining room, so we were in a manner provided for. But M did oot bring io a very favorable report the next uioming. The pilgrims were talking, praying and moving around all night long. Modern Jericho is one of the ruost tihhy and polluted spots in the Holy Lan 1, t'ie town coasisting of a few uiud hovels full of vermin, and inhabittd, without exoeption, by thieve.s and bejigars. NeverthelchS, it is not devoid of intercit. It is the site of the inetent Q'úgú, where the Utm-i,up twelve stones taken from the bed of the . ta. Ilere they ato of the old corn of ÜM laii-I and llj manna ceafel. And then, coniuries latur, our Saviour pUHÜ thi way calling to Zvcch.xus in the sycamoru tivc, nu 1 meeting blind HartUDfcus btgjing by the road.--ide. Two or thn.M miles from here-knoient Jericho, the city of palm-troai and tho scène of Joshua's victorie. An immens luound of debrid and a fui'.' Hpring of wator are all ihat mark the spot, fulfilling the prophecy: "Curse J Le the man befoic the Lord, that riscth up und buildeth thi= city, J oricho. " Ilere, too, as in aiany other places ia Palestino, the chief interest lies in the historical associations. In iniagination we saw the spies journeying acrosa yondcr plain, approaching the bigh and strong walls of the opulent city of the vallcy, and upon which stood the house of Rabah, who gave theui succor. And over there ia the inountains we faney we can make out the very Joshua's ariny raarching with mighty iread arouud the doomed city, and these bilis echoed back the shrill blaat of the trumpetó. And when the beventh day had come, wliat a shuut the panic-stricken inlabitanUi must have heard, wheo all the people mingled their loud voices with tbs blasts of the trumpeta. Then "the walls of Jcricho feil down flat, and there followed Llood, havoc and death." llabab, with her kindred, sat with tear-dimnied eyes and saw the smoke of the burning city ascending. Not the least imposing feature in the landscape is the high, precipitous mountaia called Quaraatainia (Forty Days), the traditional sccne of our Lord's temptation. Tbe side facing the plain is perpendicular, white and nakcd, and midway is penetrated by holes and caverns where hermits used to retire for prayer and fasting in imitation of their Mater. They look inaccessible. An 1 now wc are goiug up to Jerusalem from Jericho, and of course we werc shown the preciso spot where a certain man feil aniong thieves and was cared for by the good Satnaritan. As we ascended the billa, looking back we enjoyed one of the finest views in all Pifantinn There was the wilderness of Engedi to the s)uth, where David fiod trom hi.s cruel and ungrateful kinir ; on tlii other side of the valley the niountains of Moab, rising likea huge pur plu wall from the shores of the Duad Bel ; the JorJan coming f 'rotu the far away north and marked by a long line of dark foliare ; fully a hundred miles away the snow-niantled pcak of Mt. Hormon. And one other among the raany intere.-ting sights to be indicated here ií Mount Nebo, the burial place of Moses. There stands the celebrated mountain with its poak l'isgah nearly east of the northern end of the Dead Sea. "So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab. And he buried hiru in a valley in the land of Moab, but no wan knoweth of his sepulchre unto tbis day." In our guide-book was a poem by Mre. Alexander, whirh we read with great interest. Although bo familiar to most readers, I cannot refrain from quoting the first two verses : "Br Nebo's lonely raountaln. On this ide Jordan's wnvc. 1 11 u vale in the land of Moab, There lies a lonely grave." ¦And uo man knows the sepulchre, And uo man saw it e'er, For Ihe fingere ol God upturned tlie Bod, And lald the dead man there." Stopping on our way a few moments at Bothany, in a few hours Jerusalcm came in sight, as beautiful as ever, and we found dinner waiting us at the Prussian Hospice. Oh ! these happy days 6jeut in the Iloly Land, M full of thrilling interest, their memory will eive us an inexpressible joy all through lifu !