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Land of Promise.
(TO AND FROM.)'
Fly Rev. C. O’N. Maktinuale.
ARTICLE XXVII.
TURKKV [Continued]
(13). Palestine: By K'nersa (An
cient Gergesa) and Mejdel (Mag-
dala), or the Lake of Galilee, to
Tabariych (Ancient 1 iberias).
Not far from the spring'Ain et-Tin
our boatH came iu oloee to shore for us.
They are aitont 20 feet long by « wide
and 3 deep, and not being able to bring
flx>m up to tlie very shore on account of
their largeness, the sailors making bas
ket* of their 1 lands convey each )>oh-
wongor across the intervening space from
shore to lioat, a strangely charming ex
perience to some, to others quite objec
tionable.
In Christ’s time tho Sea of Galilee
was covered with large and small ves
sels of all sorts; shipbuilding being an
important industry at the city of Tnri-
ohaonfnow Korak) near the lower end
of tin I'.ea, u point at which Josephus
onoc gathered and munned 230 ships to
attack a strong fleet at Tiberius. Now
only a comparatively small number of
large boats are to be found on thiH sen,
begirt with a “continuous licit of ruins,
the drift of her ancient towns.”
In an important article on the ancient
shipping of the Sea of Galilee, Dr. Selab
Merrill notably observes: "Josephus
words, in describing dillerent vessels on
the Sea ol Galilee, are: Naas, ship;
Pinion, vessel; Hknplm, a boat smaller
than a vessel; Sohedia, a light bout,
some times a raft; AIiiih, tisliing boat.
Nans is used but onoe in the New Testa
ment, and that in connection with
Paul’s shipwreck. Skapha is used, but
only of t.lio boat which belonged to the
Ploioii. Pinion is the word which the
Evangelists invariably use of the Sea ot
Galilee,except in a few instances where,
to indicate a vessel of smaller size, they
use iih diminutive, Ploiarion. Ill Jilt).
29:211 Ploiarion is rendered ‘boat,’ but
elsewhere, asiuMk. li:W, ‘little ship.'
The Authorized Version always renders
Ploiou by ‘slop.’ lu this they are more
consistent tliau tho Revisers have been,
who in every oase in the gospels (forty
seven times) render it by ‘boat,’ while
in the Acts and elsewhere they render
it. by 'ship.' They can present no rea
son from grammar, etymology, or text
ual criticism, to justify them in render
ing Ploion liy ’ship’ when the passage
refers to Oae*aroa-on-tho-8ea and by
‘Iniat’ when the passage refers to Tiber
ias or Ga|iernaum. Much iwssages as
Matt. 14:20, 'Peter went down out of
the Ploiou,’ and Mk. 0:61, 'Christ went
up into the Ploiou,' would seem to be
sufllcient evidence that, somotliitig else
was meant than what English-speaking
people ordinarily mean by tho term
•bout.’ ”
When wo had set out from Tell Hum
and all the way to Kt Tnblgha the sea
about our boats looked grassy green,
while afar it appeared a deep bine, tho
mison being timt near the whore the sea
serves as a reflecting tuirror. As we left
'Ain et-Tiu and got well out into the
sea tiie deep blue became more patent.
We started out in a perfeotj^alm with
sails furled, but ore agreat while imssed
a stroug breeze sproug up, tlie sailors
working with might and main tuid
shifting sail as invasion demanded: at
times the force of the wind would make
the boat careen and run nearly even
with the sea's surface. This is charac
teristic, it may be calm in its repose one
mouieut and tlie next be in a howling
tempest, being one of tlie most treacher
ous waters in the world. This is occa
sioned by the many deep clefts or gor
ges coming down to its banks and serv
ing as conducting fuunels for the^cold
air oil the mountains to rush down sud
denly upon the sea with a boisterous-
ness for which little preparation can be
made. Ilcuoe it is that the seamen here
hug the snores as closely as possible to
avoid disaster. Neither persuusiou nor
tlieatciiuig will induce tlium to go far out
ou tlie bosom of tiie sea. It was at sueli
a boisterous season that Christ, being
awaked with the ory “Oarest.Thou that
wo Perish?. 1 ! tvrogp .and rebuked the
winds and the sea with His ineffable—
“Peace, be still!” and At another time
oame walking upon the soft, by uight to
his affrighted disciples saying, “It is I,
be not oliaid!” It was on this sea that
Peter ventured to meet the Master, and,
beginning to sink, cried oat, “Lord,
save, or I perish I” His faith then not
euly wouldn’t have moved a mountain
but couldn’t move o’er the moving sea.
Truly, when anybody loses sight of the
Lord Jesus, their own sinful gravity
must inevitably make them siuk lower
and lowt-r in the tea of trouble!
Hero we sang again and again ’till the
echoes resounded: ^
“When penrly moonbeams silently
Are falling on the silver sen,
’Tis then in dreams, O Lord, with Thee,
1 walk upon bine Galilee.
| Upon tby waves, blue Galilee,
1 1 see a bark toss restlessly,
And hear that voice npon the si a,
That calms thy waves, oh, Galilee.
Lord, when onr hearts are bowed with
woe,
May faith blot out our every ill,
And closer may we come to Thee
And hear Thy voice say, ‘Peace be
still.’
RrkrMN :
Oil, Galilee, blue Galilee!
Thy waves bring back His voice tome;
Like golden chimes on silver sea,
Oh. Galilee, blue Galilee!"
"8mall a* the lake is, and plaoid in
general as a molteu mirror,” says Dr.
W. M. Thomson, "I have repeatedly
seen it quiver and leap and boil like a
caldron, when driven by fiorco winds
from the eastern mountains, and tlie
waves ran high—high onough to fill or
cover the ships, as Matthew has it."
“The effect of half the lake In porfect
rest, while the other half was in wild
confusion," says 8ir diaries Wilsou in
describing a sudden storm viewed by
him from the ruins of Gamala on the
i list ns it swept quickly over n part of
the sea and lifted its calm waters into a
bright foaming sheet, "was extremely
grand; it would have fared badly with
any light craft caught in mid-
lake by the storm; and we could not
help thinking of that memorable occa
sion on which the storm is so graphical
ly described ns 'coining down’ on the
lake,"
Named "the Lake" or “Hea" of
"dioniiereth" from its harp shape of
“Geniiesnreth” after the plain of that
name; of “Galileo” from the circuit or
region round about; of “Tiberias” af
ter the liuiM'riul city on its shores, this
inland sea Is 082 feet below the Medi
terranean, twelve and a quarter miles iu
extreme length, and three-quarter miles
at its greatest width—from Mejdel
(Magdala) to Klierea(Oorgewu), and one
hundred and fifty six feet at its max
imum depth, mountains varying from
11100 to 3000 feet iu height bountifully
curving about it and closing it in every
where save where tlie River Jordan
comes in and goes out. The 8ea of
Galilee is bat an exceptional enlarge
ment of the Jordnu valley. And as Dr.
R. L. Stewart accurately states its note
worthy features: "Ou tho eastern side
the mountains rise abruptly from tho
plain which borders the lake, to the
level of the Hashau plateau; and tho
general impression is that of a bare
rugged wall of rook, oloft here and there
by deeply-gashed torreut beds. Iu these
are occasional patches of green, but tho
prevailing colors are the red and brown
of the vast, masses of bare basaltio rook.
On tiie western side the range is broken
into rounded hills aud grass-oovered
slopes, whtoh in some places terminate
abruptly os they upproaoh the margin
of tlie sea. Between tlie base of the ou-
olosing hills and the coast line there is
nn almost continuous belt of green low
land, varying in width from a ribbon-
like Btrip to a generous expanse of one
or two miles. Over the rim of the
mouutaiu-wall northward the prospect
is closed by the towering heights of
Hermon, From every outlook south of
Magdala the cloudy coronal and snowy
mantle of this mujestic mountain may
be seen; aud at some points ** 8681118 80
near that it can hardly be distinguished
from tlie contour of the mountain mass
whioh overshadows tlie margin of tlie
lake. Tlie Jordan descends from Lake
Huloh to tiie Galilean basin, a distance
of eleven miles, throuh a narrow gorge
in a succession of rapids or cascades.
For the greater part of this distance tiie
descent is more than ninety feet to the
mile. From the gateway of the hills
the river emerges, a foaming, swirling
torreut, crosses the belt of the coast
plain, some two miles in breadth, aud
eutenng the sea passes through it, as
does the Rhine through the Sea of Con
stance. For ;a considerable distauoe its
course may be traced by its turbid wa
fers, but at length it is lost to sight and
hushed to rest iu the bosom of the lake;
aud, ere it passes out ou its downward
plunge to the Dead Sea, it is clear as the
waves which rippie along the beach of
tho Genuesaret plain.”
Dr. Selah Morril, after weeks of study
on the shores of this silent sea, gives
this testimony as to ite remarkably
varied natural features: "At every two
or three miles of travel a new picture
presents itself so that, were an artist to
go around the Sea of Galilee aud make
a collection of views, illustrating its
shores, plains, streams, springs, hills,
castles, and grander mountains which
look down upon it from a distance, the
result would be a wonderful surprise.
certainly to thou-1 ho are not familiar
with this legion, as showing the variety
and beauty of scenes of nature that were
constantly before the eyes of onr Lord.”
Dr. Manning,in “Holy Fields,” justly
declares that in the midst of these sur
roundings there is nought “to distract
onr thoughts from that Divine Presence
which here abode in humau form One
great memory lingers undisturbed
amongst these hills and valleys. The
bnstle of modern life and the squalid
misery and degradation of the eastern
peasantry would equally clash with the
sacred, tender associations of the spot
where ‘most of His mighty works were
done,’ mostof His 'gracious words’ were
spoken. The stage is empty, and there
is nothing to prevent our peopling it
with hallowed memories of Him who
'spake an never man spake,' who was
Himself ‘The Way, and The Troth, and
The Life.’ "
This is the 8ea on whioh we sail;and
as we row southward from Khan Min-
yell’s spring, we soon pass Mejdel (tho
anoient Magdala) ou our right, with its
two-soore huts, solitary palm-tree, and
buried ruins, Mejdel or Migdol means
"watch-tower,” but these are all that
remain to mark the place whero onoe
lived Mary called “the Magdalene,” so
’wonderfully reclaimed by aud devoted
to the Saviour, and the first person to
whom whoa risen He showed Himself.
(See Matt. 15:30, and Jno. 30:10-18.)
Mejdel is perhaps also one with Migdal-
K1 of the tribe of Naphtali (Josh. 19:38).
Just about opposite Mejdel, to tho
other side of the Sea, are tho ruins of a
town termed Gersaor Khoren, identified
hy scholars as Gergesa. It once gave
the name to a small surrounding district
(Matt. 8:39), this being included in a
larger district whose capital 8 miles off
was called Gadera, and hence it with
truth oould be spoken of as "in tlie coun
try of tlie Oadarenes which is over
against Galilee” (Lk. 8:26). Near this
place the fierce demoniacs were healed
and the herd of swine perished. Hero
we have a striking illustration of the
confirmation of the Book hy tin* Land,
ns told by that master of personal
knowledge of Holy Land, Dr Thomson,
and easily confirmable by a visit: "In
Oersn we have a position which fulfills
the requirements of tho narratives, and
with a name so near that in Matthew
as to be iu itself a strong oorroboratiou
of the identification. The site is within
a fow rods of the shore, and a moan-
tain rises directly above it, in which are
ancient tombs; out ot some one of them
the mail possessed of the devils may
havo issued to meet Jesus. Tho lake is
so near the bast; of the mountain that a
herd of swine feeding above it, seized
with a sudden panic, would rush madly
down the declivity, those behind tumb
ling over uud thrusting forward those
before, and, as there is no space to re
cover on the narrow plain between the'
base of the monutain and the lake, they
would crowd headlong into the water
and perish. Farther south the plain
becomes so broad that the herd might
havo stopped and reeoilod from the
lake, whose domain they would not
willingly invade.” This fact is also
noticed, that wild hogs abound iu this
place, as wild aud fierce as though they
woro still “possessed." Up the lake to
Gersa and thence to the east runs the
railroad to Damascus ; while three miles
south of Gersa ou the same side of the
lake on the precipitous heights overlook
ing the Wady Fik are the ruins of that
onoe almost impregnable stronghold,
Gumala (so named from its likeness to a
camel), noted for its desperate resist
ance of the Romans.
This brings ns abont abreast of the
ouly towu of auy modern oonsequenoe
ou the lake, Tabariyeh, as it is now
called, or Tiberias, a little less than half
way from its southern extremity. How
glad we are to see a town of size again,
though tiie only one in a region where
once were not less than nine oities of
over 16,000 each, besides a teeming
population along these shores. Tiberias
isnow a city of abont 6.000 (of whioh
4,000 are Jews, 300 Christians, and the
balance Moslems). It has loug borne
the repute of being the filthiest city iu
tho Holy Land, and, according to the
Arabs,the home of "the Kiug of Fleas.,’
To the writer there seemed bnt little
difference between this and, other cities
in the Land, they all need sanitation so
badly.
It is one of the four sacred cities of
the Jews in Palestine, and here the
Ashkenaeim; Jews greatly • outnumber
the Sephardim. The Free Ohuroh .of
Scotland has a remarkably prosperous
work going on among the Jews, witli^
medical, educational^and evangelistic
branches. These Jews (among whom
are many immigrants from Polish Rus
sia) are supported largely by European
alms, and it is not an uncommon thing
to see them even in summer with their
heavy high hate and far capes. There
are a number of synagogues, Latin and
Orthodox Greek ohorchesand monaster
ies, the modern buildings of the Scotch
Free Ohuroh, the modernized "Hotel
Tiberias," and a few other worthy
bnildings, besides whioli tlie rest are
low-roofed, squatty, dirty, illy-ventilat-;
ed hovels of mud and stone. Around
all is a wall, entered by a gate on euch
side of the quadrangle, made strong by
massive towers at eaoli angle and at
middle of every side; the walls still
standing are from 6 to 10 feet thick and
about 20 high. Earthquake shocks have
thrown down the castly iu the^north-
west corner, and badly shattered or pros
trated many parts of thej walls. Of an
cient remaius little is visible now save
tlie foundations of old walls, and broken
columns, aud a well-preserved piece of
old mosaic pavement remaining at the
foot of the hill on which Herod's pal
ace ouoe stood.
On the site of Rakkath (Joah. 19:36)
according to the Talmud, Herod Anti-
pas reared aud dedicated to'the reign
ing Roman Emperor the city of Tiber
ias, a name which has also been given to
to the lake (See Jno. .6:1; 21:1). k It
soon beoanpe the capital of the Galilean
province. Before this Herod, the sou of
Herod the Great, aud Totraroh of Gali
lee and Perea, Jesus was tried in Jeru
salem (Lk. 28:7). In this important
city was the palace in whioh Herod
lived with Herodias(his brother Phil
ip's wife) nndisturbedjutil his sin was
openly denounced by Johu the Baptizer;
from lieuoe went out the order for
John's arrest and imprisonment; and
here was held that notorious birthday
feast at which tho daughter of Herodias
danced and on her mother's crnel mo
tion asked the head of John to be given
her ou a waiter. (Mk. 6:14-39.)
Tiberias was fortified by Josephus
during the Jewish wars, bnt submitted
voluntarily to Vespasian, and, escaping
disasters at Roman bauds, became the
seat of the Jewish Sanhedrim (by trans
fer from Sepphoris) after tlie fall ol
Jerusalem, aud for centuries was a seat
of Hebrew learning. Here the oral
traditions of tlie elders were reduced to
a written body in the form of the Misli-
na under Kubbi Judith Hnkkadosh; and
the Palestinian Geinara (the so-called
Jerusalem Talmud) under Rabbi Jooha-
nan were compiled also; the school ol
the Talmud developing against Chris
tianity as it gained ground. Here ulso
flourished and lie buried the famous
Jewish philosopher Mairuonidesi^the
Rabbi Akiba, who took such a promi
nent part in tne revolt of Bar-Cocliba;
aud the celebrated Talmudist Rabbi
Meir. Here was beguu tiie work of tiie
Massorotic critics giving ns the “West
ern" or “Tiberian" pointing of the He
brew ..Bible, now generally accepted.
Here too St. Jerome learned Hebrew
from a Tiberian rabbi and gained suffi
cient skill to translate, the Old Testa
ment into the Latin or Vulgute. Here
Christians loug held possession, until
Muliammadan misrule gained asceud-
euoy. It was the Saraceu Saladiu’s at
tack on Tiberias tlat occasioned the
disastrous battle of Hattiu, which sealed
the fate of the Crusaders.
Here we arrive on a beautiful Satur
day, aud on these shores encamp until
the Monday following.
[To be continued.]
Afraid of Strong Medicines.
Mauy people suffer for years from
rheuniatio pains, and prefer to do bo
rather than take tlie strong medicines
usually given for rheumatism, not know
ing that quick relief from pain may be
had by simply applying Chamberlain’s
Paiu. Balm aud without taking any
medicine internally. For sale by Holt
& Cates, Druggists, Newnan, Ga.
Our former fellow-townsman
and old Senoia boy, Mr. J. A. Mc
Crary, but now cashier of the
■First National Bank at Barnes-
ville, is also engaging in the fruit
business very extensively, having
recently set out about 30,000 peach
trees a few miles from that place.
—Senoia Enterprise-Gazette.
Tourist Gar Line Discontinued.
The Atlanta aud Sftn Francisco Tour
ist Car Line, leaving on Monday via the
West Point Roote lias been withdrawn.
This does not change the through
tourist cars leaving by this line on Tues
days, Thursdays and Saturdays, on the
same fast schedule via the Louisville &
Nashville and Sunset Route. The
Washington aud South-Western limited
trains leaving Atlanta at 4:30 p. m. via
the West Point Route, end handling
these cars, has mode a great record with
its Dining-Car Service, Palace Sleeping-
Cars and tlie remarkable schedule of
only four days to the Pacific Coast.
Too many quarrels are picked
before they are ripe.
Wakeful?
Sleeplessness Is a
Sign of Nerve Trou
ble and Should
Be LooKed To.
There are three different manifesta
tions of sleeplessness.
First, hardly to sleep a wink all night,
second, td lie awake a long time beforo
falling asleep: third, to fall asleep soon,
waking up after several hours and then
And It hard to sleep again.
They mean that somewhere In tho
nerve fibres, somewhere in the brain
cells, somewhere in the blood vessels
tliat carry blood to the brain* something
Is radically wrong, and must be righted,
or the end may be worse than death.
To right it. take Dr. Miles’ Nervine.
Some other symptoms of nerve trou
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ache. Worry. Fretfulness, Irritability, 1
Melancholy. Lack of Ambition.
They Indicate diseases which may lead
to Epilepsy. Fits, St Vitus’ Dance,
Nervous Prostration, Paralysis, Insanlty.i
- Nothlhg will give such quick and last
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“My husband had been sink for week:!,
could not sit up to have his bed made.
With all tlie medical help wo could get
lie continued to grow worse. Ho could
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sent away, and alt callers barred, be
cause he could not stand a bit of talk
ing. I read of a ease of nervous pros
tration cured by Dr. Miles’ Rostoratlve.
Nervine. We began giving It to him,
and In a few days he was able to bo
dressed. From that time he steadily
Improved. Nervine saved > his life.”—
MRS. A. Q. IIASKIN, Freeville, N. Y.
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Colds
It should be borne in mind that
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City soil is said to be sup.rior
to country soil for wild oats.-
Wh;n a doctor gives a tich pa
tient up, it’s up to the undertaker.
The individual who keeps his
mouth shut seldom lives to regret
it.
Some girls are so modest they
can’t help blushing when they
hear a man had his leg cut off in a
railway accident.
V