" in

grass-grown field hard by, and as the "wells of water Palestine are always surrounded with memorable associations, the traveller is advised to resort thither in order to picture the scenes of Bethel's ancient glory. For the mere view, however, the ruins of the tower on the top of the hill presents a wider field.

Bethel was the place where Abraham reared an altar, and called upon the name of the Lord, who had just given this land to him, and to his seed after him, for ever. From here he went into Egypt, and fell into temptation, dishonouring God before the heathen king, who sent him away out of the land. "And he went on his journeys from the south, even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord" (Gen. xiii. 3—4).

Here Jacob, weary with his forty miles' journey, and away from home and kindred, "took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down on that place to sleep" (Gen. xxviii. 11).

Here he saw the vision—the wondrous vision of angels ascending and descending the mystic ladder, and when he awoke he made the solemn vow which consecrated him to the service of God.

The name of this place was Luz, but Jacob said, “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven, and he called the name of that place Bethel” (i.e., the House of God). When Jeroboam sought to wean the hearts of the people from the service of God at Jerusalem, he set up here the golden calf, against which the prophet of Judah was sent to cry in the name of the Lord, and, to confirm his mission by a sign, the altar was rent in pieces by invisible hands, and its ashes poured out. Jeroboam

stretched out his hand against the prophet, and it was withered until it was restored at the intercession of the prophet. Bethel, the House of God, was changed into Bethaven, the House of Idols, until at length the prophecy uttered by the man of Judah was fulfilled in the person of Josiah, who utterly destroyed every memorial of the idolatrous worship established by Jeroboam, and spared nothing in the city save the sepulchre of the man of God from Judah, who cried that day against the altar. For the whole of this dramatic story, see 1 Kings xii., xiii. .; 2 Kings xxiii. 15—20.

Here, or hereabouts, "there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty-and-two children "-little children who said to Elisha, " Go up, thou bald head.”

After the Babylonish Captivity, Bethel was inhabited again by the Benjamites. In later times it was captured by Vespasian, and finally dwindled down to its present insignificance.

Bethel presents an interesting subject to the devotional student. Here was the house of God, the place of altars, and of visions, and vows. Here arose the alien sanctuary, with its idolatrous altar, and here may be seen God's protest against false worship. "The high places also of Avon, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars" (Hosea x. 8). "For thus saith the Lord, Seek ye me and ye shall live, but seek not Bethel. . . . . Bethel shall come to nought" (Amos v. 4, 5).

....

Somewhat curiously, Bethel is not mentioned in any part of the New Testament.

A short distance from Bethel is Ai, celebrated as the scene of Joshua's victory (p. 240).

Leaving Bethel we enter at first upon rather a rough road, but in an hour, after ascending a hill, we reach the most fertile regions of Palestine, abounding with vine

yards and orchards, and still bearing everywhere the signs of the blessing of Ephraim (Deut. xxxiii. 14, 15). To the left is the village of 'Ain Yebrùd, one of the most fertile spots in the fertile land of Ephraim, but the road to it is a hard one to travel.

By and by we see Jifna, and 'Ain Sinia, and then the village of Yebrûd. One or two ruins are passed, one of them called the Kasr-el-Berdawîl, supposed to mean the Castle of Baldwin. We are now in an exquisite valley, or glen, called the Wady-el-Haramîyeh (i.e., Glen of the Robbers). It is usual to camp for the night at Sinjîl, some little distance further on; when, however, any obstacle arises to prevent this, a good camping place is at 'Ain-elHaramîyeh, the Robbers' Fountain, where the water is remarkably good, the scenery exceedingly picturesque, but the reputation of the place bad to the last degree, as its name implies. Leaving the glen with its caverns and cisterns, and profusion of ferns where the water drips down the cliff, the traveller enters on a more open valley, which is as romantic as any in Palestine, and soon arrives at Sinjil.

In order to visit Shiloh the road to the right must be taken; the direct road to Nâbulus, however, is to the north of the plain, above which Sinjîl is situated.

Shiloh, Arabic Seilûn, is now one large heap of ruins, and the first thought of the traveller, as he beholds the large mound covered with masses of débris, huge stones, and pieces of broken column, will be the singularly graphic fulfilment of the prophecy of Jeremiah, who used it as a type of the destruction which should fall upon the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. "Go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

And now, because'ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called ye, but ye answered not; therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh" (Jer. vii. 12-14). I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth" (Jer. xxvi. 6). The history of Shiloh was remarkable, and the traveller will peruse it amid the ruins, with the keenest interest, being satisfied that there can be no shadow of a doubt that Seilûn is the site of Shiloh.

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Here Joshua divided the land among the tribes, and here the tabernacle was reared (Joshua xviii.) Around the ruins of the ancient well, the daughters of Shiloh" danced in the yearly festival (Judges xxi. 19-23). Here dwelt Eli, and to this place Hannah came yearly to the sacrifice, bringing with her the "little coat" for the boy Samuel, who ministered before the Lord (1 Sam. i.) Many eventful scenes occurred here-the sins of the sons of Eli, the sudden death of the old man, as he heard in one breath of the desolation of his own house, and the desolation of the house of God. With the loss of the ark, Shiloh lost all; it was taken by the Philistines and never returned, and from that time the city is seldom even mentioned. Ahijah, the prophet, dwelt here, and hither in disguise came the wife of Jeroboam to learn the doom of that sinful house.

Among the ruins will be seen the remains of an ancient church. On the entablature of the doorway is sculptured an amphora between two wreaths. The front of the ruins is pyramidal, and four columns yet remain erect. Other fragments, denoting former greatness, are strewn about.

The plain in the spring-time presents a green and well

cultivated appearance, thus forming a striking contrast to the site on which Shiloh stands.

Crossing now the cultivated fields, we descend to the Wady-el-Lubbân, and by and by reach a fountain of excellent water, beside the ruined Khan el-Lubbân. This is supposed to be the ancient Lebonah, and if so it establishes the position of Shiloh. "Behold there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah" (Judges xxi. 19). Some rock tombs will be found here.

We are now on a much better road, passing the village of Es-Sawiyeh on the left, and in a few minutes more the khân of the same name. We rest for a while under a large oak-tree, and then descend by a rather sharp road to the Wady Yetma, then up hill to a bleak plateau, where a splendid view greets the traveller. Stretched before him is the great plain, surrounded by the mountains of Samaria. Before him on the left is Gerizim, and beyond that Ebal, while far away to the north is the snow-clad Hermon. Everywhere there is fertility, and although so many ages have passed since the dying patriarch gave his blessing on Ephraim, the "good things" remain, even to the olive and the corn, the fig and the vine, the fruitful bough by a well, and blessings prevailing unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills.

Instead of proceeding by the road on the left, which leads direct to Nâbulus, the traveller is advised to take the road on the right, which leads to Jacob's Well.

The plain is beautifully level, and the horses that have for the past few days been picking their way over stony places, will probably be as glad as the riders to have a good canter here, and, as in Palestine the opportunities are so rare, it is well to make the most of them.