| 476 city of Jerusalem to be rebuilt, and the Jews to gather there, Thus there will be two central places of gathering, and deliverance. Zion, and Jerusalem, when spoken of as being the two great places of deliverance, are not synonymous: for Jerusalem and its suburbs when spoken of at a distance are all ranked under the one head; but the prophets speak of Zion as being established, and having stakes, or auxiliary cities. The city of David or Zion at Jerusalem was merely an auxiliary and not the principal. Isaiah places this matter beyond doubt, that Zion and Jerusalem are not synonymous; but on two separate lands. "For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof, as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken: neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Bulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married." It is said, Gen x. 25, that in the days of Peleg the earth (not nations) was divided; it is also said, Gen i. 9 that the waters were gathered together unto one place at the time of the creation; and of course the land was in one place; but it is manifest that there has been a great division, so much so that the earth has been divided into continents, which the bible says was done in the days of Peleg; but according to the prophet Isaiah, when the time of restoration comes, then this continent upon which Zion shall be built, shall re-unite with the eastern, and thus fulfill the saying, "thy land shall be married," or joined. But says the objectors, how can there be two places of gathering if Ezekiel's word are true? "And I will make them one nation upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all." We have before proved that the land of America is a promised land to the House of Joseph; therefore, the "mountains of Israel" are here as much so as in the land of Canaan. The idea is that the whole earth will be subjected to one form of government, and to one code of laws, and one king shall rule over them whether in America or in Asia.-But the two continents are to be united, and then it will be an easy thing for them to become one nation upon the mountains (not mountain) of Israel, and at the same time the tribe of Joseph and others dwell in Zion, and its vicinity upon this land, and the Jews in the land of Canaan, and one king rule over them all.
The following thrilling account of the self devotedness of the Jews, scarcely has its equal on the pages of history.-Although such a course must be condemned, it shows their attachment to their ancient religion, the God of their fathers, and also their abhorrence of the Romans. Ed.
Fall of Herodio-Machaerus-Masada-Fate of Josephus-Agrippa-Berenice.
It might have been expected that all hopes of resistance, even among the most stubborn of the Jews, would have been buried under the ruins of the capital; that after the fall of Jerusalem, with such dreadful misery and carnage, every town would at once have opened its gates, and laid itself at the mercy of the irresistable [irresistible] conqueror. Yet, when Lucilius Bassus came to take the command of the Roman army, he found three strong fortresses still in arms-Herodion, Masada, and Machærus [Machaerus], beyond the Jordan relying on its impregnable position, defied all the power of the enemy. Machaerus stood on the summit of a lofty crag, surrounded on all side by ravines of enormous depth, which could not easily be crossed, and could not possibly be filled up. One of these ravines, on the western side, ran down, a distance of nearly eight miles, to the Dead Sea. Those to the north and the south were less deep, but not less impassable: on the east the hollow was 175 feet to the bottom, beyond which arose a mountain which faced Machaerus. The town had been built and strongly fortified by Alexander Janneus, as a check upon the Arabian freebooters. It was a place of great beauty, as well as strength, adorned with noble palaces, and amply supplied with reservoirs of water. Bassus determined to form the siege on the eastern side; the garrison took possession of the citadel, and forced the strangers, who had taken refuge there from all quarters, to defend the lower town. Many fierce conflicts took place under the walls; the garrison sometimes surprising the enemy by the rapidity of their sallies: sometimes when the Romans were prepared for them, being repulsed with great loss. There happened to be a young man, named Eleazer, of remarkable activity and valour [valor], who greatly distinguished himself in these attacks, being always the first to charge and the last to retreat, often by his single arm arresting the progress of the enemy, and allowing his routed compatriots time to make good their retreat. One day, after the battle was over, proudly confident in his prowess and in the terror of his arms, he remained alone without the gate, carelessly
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