Far Off | Page 5

to carry a traveller along the steep,
rough, and narrow paths, and a traveller must be a bold man to venture
to go to the edge of the precipices, and near the robbers' caves.
SAMARIA.
In the midst of Palestine is the well where the Lord spoke so kindly to
the woman of Samaria. In the midst of a beautiful valley there is a heap
of rough stones: underneath is the well. But it is not easy to drink water
out of this well. For the stone on the top is so heavy, that it requires
many people to remove it: and then the well is deep, and a very long

rope is necessary to reach the water. The clergyman (of whom I have
spoken so often) had nothing to draw with; therefore, even if he could
have removed the stone, he could not have drunk of the water. The
water must be very cool and refreshing, because it lies so far away from
the heat. That was the reason the Samaritan woman came so far to draw
it: for there were other streams nearer the city, but there was no water
like the water of Jacob's well.
The city where that woman lived was called Sychar. It is still to be seen,
and it is still full of people. You remember that the men of that city
listened to the words of Jesus, and perhaps that is the reason it has not
been destroyed. The country around is the most fruitful in all Canaan;
there are such gardens of melons and cucumbers, and such groves of
mulberry-trees.
GALILEE.
How different from Sychar is Capernaum! That was the city where
Jesus lived for a long while, where he preached and did miracles. It was
on the borders of the lake of Genesareth. The traveller inquired of the
people near the lake, where Capernaum once stood; but no one knew of
such a place: it is utterly destroyed. Jesus once said, "Woe unto
Capernaum." Why? Because it repented not.
The lake of Genesareth looked smooth as glass when the traveller saw
it; but he heard that dreadful storms sometimes ruffled those smooth
waters. It was a sweet and lovely spot; not gloomy and horrible like the
Dead Sea. The shepherds were there leading their flocks among the
green hills where once the multitude sat down while Jesus fed them.
Not very far off is the city where Jesus lived when he was a boy.
NAZARETH.--All around are rugged rocky hills. In old times it was
considered a wicked city; perhaps it got this bad name from wicked
people coming here to hide themselves: and it seems just fit for a
hiding-place. From the top of one of the high crags the Nazarenes once
attempted to hurl the blessed Saviour.

There is a Roman Catholic convent there, where the minister lodged.
He was much disturbed all day by the noise in the town; not the noise
of carts and wagons, for there are none in Canaan, but of screaming
children, braying asses, and grunting camels. One of his servants came
to him complaining that he had lost his purse with all his wages. He
had left it in his cell, and when he came back it was gone. Who could
have taken it? It was clear one of the servants of the convent must have
stolen it, for one of them had the key of the room. The travellers went
to the judge of the town to complain; but the judge, who was a Turk,
was asleep, and no one was allowed to awake him. In the evening,
when he did awake, he would not see justice done, because he said he
had nothing to do with the servants at the convent, as they were
Christians. Nazareth, you see, is still a wicked city, where robbery is
committed and not punished.
There is much to make the traveller sad as he wanders about the Holy
Land.
That land was once fruitful, but now it is barren. It is not surprising that
no one plants and sows in the fields, because the Turks would take
away the harvests.
Once it was a peaceful land, but now there are so many enemies that
every man carries a gun to defend himself.
Once it was a holy land, but now Mahomet is honored, and not the God
of Israel.
When shall it again be fruitful, and peaceful, and holy? When the Jews
shall repent of their sins and turn to the Lord. Then, says the prophet
Ezekiel, (xxxvi. 35,) "They shall say, This land that was desolate is
become like the garden of Eden."[1]
[1] Taken chiefly from "A Pastor's Memorial," by the Rev. George
Fisk.

SYRIA.

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