it was "in the place where He was crucified" that there was the garden with the tomb

in it newly made by Joseph.

Among the arguments against the theory may be mentioned the general statutory prohibition of executions within the city-a topic which, in the most august of instances, is made the ground of typical or prophetical illustration (see Heb. xiii. 12). No criminal,

it is well known, could by Jewish law be executed or buried within the city limits; and

as we shall see, there is convincing proof that the Harâm area, within which the rock stands, was in the time of our Lord within the circuit of the city wall.

Of the numerous Mohammedan holy places and legends connected with the Dome of the Rock, it will be sufficient if we mention only a few. In the cavern they point out the praying-places of Abraham, David, Solomon, Elijah, and Mohammed. On the floor of the cavern is a slab of stone covering the Well of Spirits, from whence, on the Day of Judgment, all souls will be brought up, to appear before the throne of God, which will be planted upon the rock.

In the mosque are shown the banners of Mohammed and Omar, the footprint of the Prophet, hairs from his beard, and the shield of his uncle. Near the northern entrance

sits a man on the ground beside three and a half golden nails driven into a slab of jasper. Nineteen of such nails were driven in by Mohammed, and it was decreed that one nail should drop out at the end of every epoch, and when all were gone the end of the world would come. The devil, wishing apparently to hasten that time, made away with all the nails except three and a half, and then the angel Gabriel interfered and prevented him from doing any further mischief.

The Mosque El-Aksa is the next building of importance in the Haràm. It was founded by the Emperor Justinian, who erected a basilica here in honour of the Virgin; but it is doubtful whether much, if any, of the original building remains, with the exception of the substructions. It has been stated by some, amongst whom is De Vogüé, that the present structure is entirely Arabian, although its form of a lasilica, its cruciform plan, and the existence of certain remains, lead to the conclusive opinion that it was once a Christian church, afterwards dedicated by Omar) to the Moslem faith; while others, amongst whom is Mr. Fergusson, affirm that it was never a Christian church at all, but was built in the seventh century by the Caliph Abd-el-Melik. There is no doubt that in the time of the Crusades it was a Christian church, and that part of it belonged to the Templars, one of the three military orders which sprang up during the wars between the Christians and the Saracens, and who called it the Templum Solomonis.

The mosque is an immense building, and has the form of a basilica of seven aisles. It is "272 feet long by 184 feet wide, over all, thus covering about 50,000 square feet, or as much space as many of our great cathedrals." The porch has seven arcades leading into the seven aisles of the basilica; the nave and transepts are roofed with beams; the columns and piers are connected by a rude architrave consisting of beams of roughly-squared timber; the erlumns are antique, and the capitals are of four styles, some showing the acanthus-leaf. The dome is of wood, covered with lead on the outside, and within it is decorated somewhat in the style of the Dome of the Rock-tine mosaics on a ground of gold. The interior decorations consist of painted arches, texts from the Koran, and very handsome stainedglass wind-ws. Towards the east there is an exquisite pulpit carved in wood of the cedars of Lebanon, and inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl-the work of a native of Aleppo, and the gift of Salalin. Near to the pulpit is the praying-place of Moses, and the imprint of the footstep of Christ. Here, too, are a couple of pillars nearly close together, and the Mohammedans regard them with great awe, as they decide a very important question. It is alleged that all who can pass between these pillars-and only those of medium size can d: so—are sure of a place in heaven; but for those who fail the case is doubtful. At the eastern end of the Mosque El-Aksa is the so-called Jamia' Omar Mosque of Omar), where a traition states he prayed when he first entered the city, and where, others say, the proper M sype of Omar stood, the Dome of the Rock having been erroneously called the Mosque of Omar by the Franks.

There are many other things of interest to inspect, but we must only just mention them. At the entrance there is a stone slab in the pavement, no doubt marking the resting-place cf s me Listinguished Knight-Templar, but regarded by Moslems as the tomb of the sons of Aur n; then, there is the spot where Zacharias is said to have been slain; some pillars, having on their capitals the cherubie emblems, and at their lase lilies and pomegranates, said to be

remains of Solomon's Temple; and a cistern, known and revered as the Well of the Leaf. Tradition says that Mohammed delivered a prophecy that one of his followers should enter Paradise while yet alive. During the caliphate of Omar, a worshipper, one Sherik-ibnHaiyan, came to this well to draw water, when his bucket slipped from his hands and fell in. He went down after it, and to his infinite surprise came to a door, which he thrust open, and found it led to a magnificent garden. He wandered about for some time and then returned, bringing with him a leaf which he had plucked as a token. The leaf never withered, and devout Moslems have ever since regarded this well as one of the entrances to Paradise.

Before referring in detail to the substructions of the Mosque El-Aksa, let us return to the Harâm, and glance at some of the things that meet the eye there.

Opposite the east portal of the Dome of the Rock is the Dome of the Chain, or David's Place of Judgment-an elegant structure supported by antique columns of different designs, paved with costly mosaics, and surmounted with a dome said by Moslems to have been the model for the Dome of the Rock. It is believed that once--a long time ago -a chain was suspended from heaven, and stood over this spot, and that when any two disputants could not agree the chain would move towards the one who had the right on his side, and this would settle the dispute. Near here is a structure where the prophets are said to have preached, and another where Solomon offered his prayer on the dedication of the Temple to the service of God; another, erected to commemorate Mohammed's nightjourney to heaven; an elegant pulpit, on horse-shoe arches—a fine specimen of Arabian artwhere a sermon is preached every Friday in Ramadan; and various other buildings.

Between El-Aksa and the Dome of the Rock is a marble fountain, beneath which is a large reservoir, formerly supplied from the Pools of Solomon, seven or eight English miles distant.

A tour round the Harâm by the walls will introduce us to many places of absorbing interest. By the east wall is a stairway ascending to the top of the wall, and here the view is very striking. Immediately below is the valley of Jehoshaphat—a mass of graves and memorial-stones, the dead of all generations filling up the once deep valley. Jews and Moslems believe that this valley will be the scene of the Last Judgment: the Jews, on the ground of a prophecy in which it is said, "I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about" (Joel iii. 2, 12); the Moslems, on the ground of a tradition that when Mohammed comes to judge the world he will sit on this wall at a spot marked by a broken column, built in horizontally to the wall. This is the first pier of the great bridge Es Sir'ab, which is to be thrown over the gulf of hell and to be crossed by all who wish to reach Paradise. But, thin as the bridge is at the starting-place, it will, as it lengthens, become fine as a hair, and each person will have to carry the burden of his sins as fetters. The wicked will fall into the gulf, but the righteous will be supported by angels, and the farther they go along the bridge the lighter will be their burdens, till at length they will fly in safety to their heaven.

Near to this is the celebrated Golden Gate, or, according to tradition, the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, where Peter and John cured the lame man. It is one of the closed gates, and

can only be entered from within the Harâm, although at the time of the Crusades it was open for a few hours on Palm Sundays. A Moslem tradition states that when our Saviour —who, it is said, entered Jerusalem through this gate on His triumphal procession on Palm Sunday-comes again to Jerusalem it will be to wrest the city from the hand of the Moslems; they have therefore prudently shut it up and walled it in. It is, however, generally agreed now that it corresponds with the Gate Shushan referred to in the Talmud; and, if so, "on it was portrayed the city Shushan, and through it one could see the High Priest who burnt the heifer, and his assistants, going out to the Mount of Olives." The gate probably dates from the third century after Christ; the interior is used as a place of prayer by the Arabs. It is a large vaulted portal, highly ornate, and every pillar, column, cornice, and capital have been debated by archæologists, who still differ, and probably will, as to the antiquity of the various architectural details.

Northward from here is a mosque called the Throne of Solomon, marking the spot where it is said he was found dead. "In order to conceal his death from the demons he supported himself on his seat with his staff, and it was not till the worms had gnawed the staff through, and caused the body to fall, that the demons became aware that they were now released from the king's authority." Looking through a breach in the north wall, the traditional Pool of Bethesda is seen, 120 yards long and 45 wide, lying nearly 70 feet below the level of the Temple plateau, and called at the present time the Birket Isra'îl, or Pool of Israel. At the north-west angle of the Harâm are the Turkish barracks— standing, it is believed, on the site of the fortress of Antonia-and the highest minaret of the Harâm.

Such are some of the main features of this remarkable spot, where, for centuries, no Christian foot has trodden until in quite recent times-a spot which is second to hardly any other spot in the world, and where still lie buried secrets which, so soon as the prejudices of the Moslems can be overcome, will doubtless be revealed to the searching eye of science.

Hitherto we have been in the track of legend-mongers and travellers; it is time we should now get on the track of scientific explorers.

The first explorer of the ruins of Jerusalem was Nehemiah, the prophet, who, in the book which bears his name, gives a singularly vivid description of the difficulties to be overcome in obtaining a rough survey before practical work could be commenced. "I arose in the night," he says, "I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by the Gate of the Valley, even before the Dragon Well, and to the Dung Port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof which were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the Gate of the Fountain, and to the King's Pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the Gate of the Valley, and so returned."*

Since his day Jerusalem has been again and again laid low in ruin, and explorers have risen up to do the same good work. Such were Origen and Jerome, Constantine and Helena; medieval pilgrims; and scientific travellers, such as Drs. Robinson and Smith, Lynch, De

• Neh. ii. 12-15.