converted into a mosque, the foundations on which it is raised are, certainly, if not Jewish, at the latest Roman. In character, and particularly in magnitude, they are totally different from the superstructure, and the enormous size of the blocks of stone in the walls and the girth of the Cyclopean pillars are only to be matched at Baalbec and Palmyra. In one place an archway has been filled in, and pillars introduced of the same date and style as the church above. If, then, the series of vaults under the platform are as late as the crusades, they have been erected centuries later than the vaults under El Aksa, and the vault at the south-east corner of the walls which they join. If not, and, as is very probable, they are a continuation of the same gigantic foundations, then they must be like the others—either Roman, or still more ancient. The Mosque El Aksa, i.e. the superstructure, retains all the characteristics of a Christian edifice, the nave, side-aisles, crossing, &c. capitals of the pillars of the nave are, many of them, counterparts of those in the nave of Queen Helen's Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem ; and several of the capitals in the crossing' are exactly like those to be seen outside the great entrance of the Holy Sepulchre.

The

"I have trespassed at such length upon you that I will not venture to say more than that, whether these platform vaults be or be not remnants of the foundations of the platform for the courts of the temple, or of the age of Herod, it is most certain that such an artificial platform must at all times have been necessary, in order to obtain a level for the courts of the temple, or any other buildings standing on this spot. Writers upon Jerusalem commonly, almost universally, indulge in the use of the word 'plateau,' and speak of the 'plateau of Jerusalem.' A more patent misnomer could not be used. From west to east Jerusalem, far from being flat table land, is a regular, but, in some places, a steep decline. As it approaches the edge of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the descent of the site of the city is markedly so.

66

Bearing this fact in mind, the purpose of an arched platform, constructed to secure a level on which to raise a uniform series of buildings of an extensive character, is obvious. This platform may have been constructed by Herod-it may, perchance, have been constructed by other hands before him, on which to erect altars to the God of Israel; or it may have been raised by Christian masons during the occupation of the crusades, to form a grand level court-yard for the structure of edifices in which to celebrate the rites, ceremonies, and sacraments of Christianity."

II. THE REMAINS OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.

"M. Salzmann affirms that the monuments which have been regarded as belonging to a period of debased Grecian or Roman art, are, in reality, specimens of Jewish architecture. The remains of Solomon's Temple are numerous, and he looks on the north-western angle and place of wailing as being of later date. Nay, he even gives us hope that careful researches would bring to light important remains of the temple; for he says, after every severe winter, when the rain has saturated the soil, it falls down in places and exposes some of these remains to view. The masonry he believes to belong to the time of Solomon. The stones are of large size, such as Mr Fergusson states are peculiar to Judæa and Assyria, and have the Jewish style of cut. Would it be deemed too much to suppose, or rather to hope, that some Layard may, at a future period, do for Jerusalem what has been done for Nimrud?

"The walls of the temple close, as they are called, which Mr Wigley stated have always existed, in contradistinction to the temple proper, or inner enclosure, that was destroyed by Julian the Apostate, are, in the opinion of M. Salzmann, nothing more or less than the remaining constructions built by Solomon to support the foundations on which the superstructure of his temple was raised. This opinion is fortified by the fact, that these constructions nowhere assume the character and appearance of an enclosing wall, except at

some portions of the side to the west of the temple, where it separates the latter from the rest of the town; and by a passage in Josephus, to the effect that the deep valleys were filled up, and raised 400 cubits high to the level with the hill-top on which the temple was built. Admitting the correctness of these views, which have been corroborated by Mr Wigley, the deductions by M. Salzmann are most certainly logical. He says, whatever accident may have befallen the Temple of Solomon itself, the foundations remain intact, and their present dimensions coincide exactly with those given in the Scriptures and by Josephus. The platform within the harem is on a level with the exterior enclosure, and it is only beneath its level that the stones of the retaining constructions are to be found, which fact the author looks on as conclusive evidence. Above the level the constructions are of a later date and very different character, although they contain here and there the remains of masonry which have been worked up, like old materials, as it were, but which belong to the time of Solomon, as may be seen by the cut of the stones. The prophecy that there should not be one stone left upon another was completely fulfilled, for all parts of the temple that were capable of being destroyed were cast down, and every portion of the walls that rose above the level of the interior platform was thrown into the valley beneath, while the lower portions that served to retain the soil, and which we may, therefore, look upon as not actually forming part of the temple, were allowed to remain, except in places where considerable breaches had been made, and where traces of the Romans might be discerned.

more.

"The most ancient portion of these constructions, according to Mr Wigley, but only the best preserved according to M. Salzmann, is the western wallHeit-el-Morharby-under the shadow of which the Jews bewail the fall of Sion. It is an enormous mass of wall, about thirty yards in length, and perfectly preserved. The aspect of the construction is the strangest that eye has ever seen. The stones are nine, twelve, and fifteen feet long-sometimes The surfaces are perfectly smooth, exhibiting no trace of the chisel, and are enclosed within a border. Nowhere has the author ever seen stones of such dimensions, forming an exterior enclosure and retaining wall, worked with so much care, and so perfect. Neither Rome nor Greece has left us any like, except at Jebail, a Phoenician city, whence the workmen employed by Solomon came. Quoting the Book of Kings, which says, 'And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits,' M. Salzmann concludes that the stones of the place of wailing are those described in the text. Stones of like dimensions and character may be seen scattered about and worked into the outside wall of the close. Towards the south, the wall is screened from view by modern buildings and plantations, but beyond them it appears quite changed in character, and Romanised, except at the basement. Further on, about fifteen yards from the south-western angle, is the bridge discovered by Dr Robinson, which is considered by Mr Fergusson undoubtedly to belong to the Herodian era, but to which both M. de Sauley and M. Salzmann assign an earlier date.

On

"Mr Williams imagined that the arches of the bridge were part and parcel of the vaulted constructions that are to be seen in the substructure of the mosque El Aksa; but he was most certainly mistaken; as it was very easy to be at the time of his researches, when the ground was so encumbered. the temple side the arches or vaultings are supported by the wall of the close, and the facings have what the author appropriately calls the Solomonian character; moreover, the diameters are much greater than any that are to be found in the substructure of the mosque El Aksa. On the other side attempts were made to discover the abutments of the arch, but without success, which is to be regretted, as if they had been continued, additional proofs might have been brought to light to strengthen the proposition that this bridge was the one that connected the temple to Mount Sion.

"Thirteen yards from the bridge is the south-western angle of the close, which exhibits all the characteristics of Solomonian architecture, stones of the same enormous dimensions, and receding inwards to the extent of about a couple of inches, so as to form a series of narrow steps as it were. This peculiarity is brought forward in confirmation of the opinion as to the date of the masonry, for it appears clearly indicated in the description of the temple-' And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle, and he made chambers round about. The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits, and the third was seven cubits broad; for without, in the wall of the house, he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.' This system of construction gives to the face of the structure a strong resemblance to works of Egyptian architecture, as well as great solidity to the building.

"Proceeding from the south-western angle, the wall of the close may be easily followed to the foot of the mosque El Aksa. It is generally of the same antique character, and in an excellent state of preservation. Here it stops, and must be sought for in another direction. In different portions of its length the wall shews remains, which both M. de Sauley and M. Salzmann unhesitatingly ascribe to a pre-Herodian era, or to the time of Solomon, intermixed with specimens of Roman and Arab art, and of that style, born of the union of the two latter, which we call Gothic. Thus, in one part of the ancient wall is a triple doorway about fifteen feet wide, with a Roman arch cut over it; and to the left is a moulding, discovered by M. de Saulcy, and evidently of early Jewish origin; while a little further on is a Gothie door, the work of the Crusaders or their successors. All the doors are considerably below the level of the platform, and warrant the supposition that substructures of great importance may still exist, of which we are entirely ignorant. In another part of the antique wall, where it rises nearly to a level with the platform, the author remarked two windows, which appear to have escaped the notice of former writers, and which he believes to be the work of Solomon. One of them is perfect, and the other is blocked up. Beyond the windows, and to the left, but in the same horozontal right line, are loopholes; and it is presumed that all these openings communicate with vaulted passages beneath the foundations of the temple.

"Following the ancient wall from the south-eastern angle, as far as it is distinguishable, for a distance of eighty yards, we come on to a Roman construction, in which are set the bases of columns, projecting beyond the surface about sixteen inches. Probably they belonged to the temple. One is of verde antico, and the other of a violate marble veined with white. Next we come to Arab constructions, intermixed with Roman one, which continue up to the gate of Jehoshaphat. The gate, although of comparatively modern construction, is composed of large blocks of stone, bearing traces of their ancient origin. Further on is the golden gate, the origin of which is doubtful. All that is about the posts and archvaults is Arab in construction. The ornamentations is singularly rich, and has no analogy to the architectural remains of the time of Justinian or Hadrian. Mr Williams maintained that the golden gate was one of the gates of the temple, without being able to decide on who was the author. According to the tradition of Christian inhabitants, it was by this gate that Christ made his entry into Jerusalem, in commemoration of which it was opened on Palm Sundays, under the Latin Kings. By this gate Heraclius brought back the cross, which he had recovered from the Persians. Its primitive ornamentation is paralleled only by that of the gate on the south side of the temple wall, beneath the mosque El Aksa. M. Salzmann is of opinion that both of them belonged to the temple built by Herod and mentioned by Josephus."

Poetry.

THE JUDGMENT.

THE last long note has sounded,
The dead from dust to call;

The sinner stands confounded,

With fear on fear surrounded,

As by a sea unbounded,

Before the Judge of all.

No longer now delaying

The hour of dreaded doom;

No more the sentence staying,
No more the cross displaying,
In wrath His throne arraying,

The Judge, the Judge has come!

What wild shrill voice of mourning
Comes up from hill and plain?

Dark spirits, pardon scorning,

Proud hearts, long mercy spurning,

Bold rebels, deaf to warning,

Now cry, but cry in vain!

See how these heavens are rended
By yon sky-filling blast;

Earth's year of grace is ended;

He who in clouds ascended,

Now, with heaven's hosts attended,
Returns, returns at last!

Cease, man, thy God-defying;

Cease thy best friend to grieve;

Cease, man, thy self-relying;

Flee from the endless dying;

Swiftly thy time is flying;

Embrace the Son and live!

Give up thy vain endeavour

To heal thy wounds and woes;

He is of life the Giver,

And from His cross the river

Which quenches thirst for ever,
All freely to thee flows.

With gush, and gleam, and singing,
See the bright fountain rise.

For thee that fount is springing,

To thee its gladness bringing;
Why then so madly clinging
To vanity and lies?

NOTICE.

All readers of this Journal are most earnestly besought to give it room in their prayers; that by means of it God may be honoured and His truth advanced; also, that it may be conducted in faith and love, with sobriety of judgment and discernment of the truth, in nothing carried away into error, or hasty speech, or sharp unbrotherly disputation."

BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH,

THE QUARTERLY

JOURNAL OF PROPHECY.

APRIL 1858.

ART. I.-JOSEPH MEDE.

"A SUBLIME genius has surprised the learned world with a great desideratum-A Key to the Revelation." Thus wrote Bishop Hurd regarding Joseph Mede, whose works he had been studying; and in so writing he was just re-echoing the opinion of those who had welcomed his works when they first appeared; for Mede was looked upon, among the learned of his time, as the special reviver of the study of prophecy, and as pre-eminently successful in his investigations in that department. Some, indeed, admitted this pre-eminence with a qualification, calling him "the first Fifth-Monarchy man," or commending his apocalyptic writings for modesty, discretion, and learning, if only he would " forbear his millenarian fancy."† Yet all agreed in awarding him the palm of rare erudition, and still rarer sagacity and tact in opening up the prophetic records. If you visit the Inner Chapel of University College, Cambridge, you may read on his tomb a long inscription in Latin, which, playing on his name, in allusion to Gen. xli. 45, styles him "ZAPHNATH-PAANEAH redivivus," because, it is added, "our JOSEPH was a most felicitous interpreter of mysteries, greedily grappling with difficulties, penetrating the most

* Fuller's History of Cambridge, quoted in Brooks' Lives of the Puritans, vol. ii. p. 432.

Sir William Boswell's Letter from the Hague, 1633, in book iv. of Mede's Works.