Mark xiv. 32.-" AND THEY CAME TO A PLACE WHICH WAS CALLED GETHSEMANE," &c., &c.

1690. The Garden of Gethsemane.- Passing down the deep hill from the gate (of St. Stephen) into the valley of the Kidron, and crossing the bridge over the dry watercourse,

near

the bridge, on the right, is the place fixed on by early tradition as the site of the garden of Gethsemane. It is a plat of ground nearly square, enclosed by an ordinary stone wall. . . Giving myself up to the impressions of the moment, I sat down here for a time alone beneath one of the aged trees. All was silent and solitary around; only a herd of goats were feeding not far off, and a few flocks of sheep grazing on the side of the mountain. High above towered the dead walls of the city, through which there penetrated no sound of human life. It was almost like the stillness and loneliness of the desert.-Robinson's "Researches."

"The principal feature in the garden was eight olive trees, gnarled and time-worn, probably the most aged, and undoubtedly the most venerable, in the whole world. Their large trunks, much decayed, and small tops of foliage still survive the lapse, probably, of two thousand years or more. Around the bottom of these trees, on the surface of the ground, heaps of dry stones have been built up. And certainly, when I looked at the aged stocks in all the different stages of hardy decrepitude, I felt somewhat apprehensive that their life would ere long become extinct. But I noticed, and the fact was explained to me, that plenty of young suckers were sprouting from the base, and it is said, in proportion as the vigour of the parent ceases, this offspring grows with the more rapidity, indicating that the roots never decay. Moreover, when the young shoots acquire a certain strength and stature, one of them seems to take the lead and the rest begin to fade, so that this one in time becomes the sole representative of its parent. And thus there is a renewal of these trees as often as required, and probably every two or three hundred years or more. And in this way it is easy to conceive that these olives grow still where they did in the time of our Saviour; and also, that if they had even been cut down, as has been alleged, by Titus at the siege of Jerusalem, they would live still, and their boughs and blossoms would mark the spot anew. It is said that the enclosure of the garden has been enlarged about one-third, so as to contain about the third of an English acre. JULY, 1867.

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Besides the eight aged olives, it is now planted with three young cypresses, many hollyhocks, roses, wallflowers, and some rosemary."-Aiton's "Lands of the Messiah."

Genesis xxiv. 59.-" AND THEY SENT AWAY REBEKAH THEIR SISTER,

1691. Eastern Nurses.-Nurses were formerly held in very high esteem, and considered as being entitled to constant and lasting regard. "The nurse in an Eastern family is always an important personage. Modern travellers inform us that in Syria she is considered as a sort of second parent, whether she has been fostermother or otherwise. She always accompanies the bride to her husband's house, and ever remains there, an honoured character. Thus it was in ancient Greece."

Hebrews iv. 7.-"TO-DAY IF YE WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS."

1692. Procrastination. — The Massacre of Glencoe.- Few examples can be found in history which more strikingly illustrate the danger of procrastination than that of the "tragedy of Glencoe ;' and though at this day nearly two centuries have elapsed since the dreadful tale first struck terror upon the minds of those who heard it, even yet it speaks to us with a voice of warning.

The early part of the reign of king William III. was much disturbed by discontent and rebellion among the turbulent tribes in the north of Scotland. Proud and fierce they were by nature, and their habits of life, which were not unlike those of some of the Bedouin tribes of Arabia (for their chief subsistence was by plunder and theft), made them peculiarly untractable when king William attempted to place them under the wholesome laws to which their more peaceable neighbours in the south were already subject.

Various means were tried to conciliate them, and large sums of money offered as compensation for any loss which they might sustain by the new rule, but without effect, and it was found necessary to appeal to the strong arm of the law. William, therefore, issued a proclamation which he had duly circulated amongst the rebel chiefs, that all were to repair to a given spot on or before the 31st of December, 1691, and there sign a declaration and take

oath of allegiance to the king. All who neglected to comply with this command by the time given were to be treated as outlaws, and be liable to death as traitors to the Crown.

It was, of course, useless for any of these rebel chiefs, with their handful of followers, or, indeed, for them all combined, to have attempted resistance to William's well-trained and powerful army. So that one might have reasonably supposed that all the chiefs would have immediately hastened to comply with the command; but it was a severe blow to their pride, and for a long time many of them refused to sign. At length, as the time drew near, one by one they gave way, and by the 31st of December all had affixed their names to the paper, and had taken the oaths, excepting one chief. Mac Ian was the leader of the smallest but haughtiest of the tribes, and it was no light source of gratification to him to see one and another of his more powerful neighbours submit to the king, while he alone held aloof. Not that he intended, for a moment, to finally resist; he knew that with the small force at his command (not above 200 souls in all) this was impossible, but he did hope to be the last of the Scottish chiefs to submit, and thus be accounted most brave of them all.

A day or two before the 31st he set out for Dunbar, but a heavy fall of snow had rendered the roads almost impassable, and so impeded his progress, that though he made most desperate efforts he did not arrive till nearly a week after the time, when he found the king's messenger had left for London, and without his signature. It happened that the three men in whose hands it lay to execute the king's threat of vengeance on those who neglected to comply with his command, were deadly enemies of Mac Ian's, and only rejoiced to see that his foolish delay had placed him in position where he was liable to be treated as a traitor, and on the arrival of the messenger in London hastened to execute judgment on the offender. A band of soldiers was at once raised and commissioned to hasten to Glencoe, the little valley where Mac Ian and his followers dwelt, to surround every outlet by which they might escape, and put all to the sword. On a given night the onslaught was made, and Mac Ian and many of his followers fell victims to the soldiery, who spared neither old man nor maiden, but slaughtered all who came in the way.

Many, indeed, escaped by hiding in the rocks, though of these not a few perished with cold and exposure to the frost, and by hunger. There was doubtless much cruelty in so rigorously carrying out

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the king's command, especially as the chief had been willing to submit ; but the lesson most forcibly taught is, "Put not off till tomorrow what should be done to-day."

How many a foolish one throughout this land now hazards his soul as Mac Ian hazarded his life, by delaying to make his peace with the great King of kings! who now proffers mercy to all who will repent and submit to His gracious rule, but who will one day close the book, and then all whose names are not inscribed within its blessed pages will be for ever exposed to His just wrath and indignation.

Job xxix. 13.-"THE BLESSING OF HIM THAT WAS READY TO PERISH CAME UPON ME: AND I CAUSED THE WIDOW'S HEART TO SING FOR JOY."

1693. The Joy of doing Good.—A person was once asked what had been the happiest moment she had ever known. She was one who had had more than a common share of the good things of this world. She had a bright home and many friends. She had achieved success in a brilliant society, and won literary fame, and had drunk deep of intellectual pleasures in the course of a life which was far spent. Yet she said the happiest moment she had ever known was that in which a withered old woman tottered into the room, held out her shaking hands towards her, and wept for joy as she exclaimed, "I said I'd come and thank you for saving my boy, though I dropped on the road." Her boy was a poacher, who, in a midnight affray, inadvertently, as he said-wilfully, as others declared-shot a gamekeeper. He was tried for his life, and almost to the last moment he had no counsel, as neither he nor his miserable old mother had the means of securing one. The lady, knowing nothing of him, heard incidentally that if he remained. undefended it would go hard with him, and she engaged a first-rate counsel on his behalf. The result was that although his sentence was death, it was accompanied by a recommendation to mercy. A petition, which was afterwards drawn up by his defender, procured a commutation of the extreme penalty; and so it was that the joys of happy love, and fame, and pleasure, paled before the grateful light in the poor old mother's eyes as she spoke her homely thanks, and then dropped back to her obscurity and was no more seen. Good Words.

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