After this, accompanied by his twelve apostles, "he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God." Certain women also, "who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities," attended him, and assisted in supplying his wants. Among these was Mary Magdalene, out of whom, we are told, he had cast seven devils.

Judæa, and throughout all the region round | by a striking parable, the impropriety of his about." In the mean time, the disciples of censure, and pronounced the sins of the John resorting to their master in prison and penitent woman forgiven. giving him an account of these miracles, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus, with an inquiry whether he was indeed the expected Messiah. It does not seem probable that this step was taken in consequence of any doubt in the mind of John; but, for whatever purpose it might have been intended, our Lord returned an appropriate answer, and then bore his testimony to the character of this faithful and eminent servant of God. After an awful warning to the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum where most of his mighty works had been done and a gracious invitation to laboring and heavy-laden sinners, to come and find rest in his service, our Lord entered into the house of Simon, a Pharisee, being invited by the owner to eat with him; and here an occurrence took place, which served further to manifest the abundant grace of the Redeemer's heart.

A woman who had been a notorious sinner, but who was now a real penitent, humbly approached with an alabaster-box of ointment, stooped, weeping, at the feet of Jesus, and, washing them with her tears, wiped them with the hairs of her head, and anointed them with the ointment. The condescension of Christ in suffering this freedom from a person of her character, met the disapprobation of the Pharisee; but Jesus showed him

Having healed a poor creature who was blind and dumb, and possessed by a demon, Jesus was accused by the Pharisees, of casting out devils through Beelzebub, the prince of devils.

This wicked and absurd charge

he clearly confuted; and warned them that their sinful malice in thus sinning against the Holy Ghost would never be forgiven. Some of the scribes and Pharisees then required of him a sign from heaven; but he refused to gratify their vain curiosity; and having delivered many solemn admonitions, and much divine instruction, he departed to the seaside, where he taught the people in a series of parables, which he afterward expounded more fully to his disciples.

He who had power over demons, diseases, and death, could also control the winds and the seas. An instance of this occurred, when going on board a vessel with his disciples, in order to pass over the lake of Tiberias,* there arose a great tempest, and the ship was taken by the Saracens under the caliph Omar; and though it passed into the hands of the Christians during the crusades, the Mahometans regained the possession of it toward the close of the fourteenth century. Widely scattered ruins of walls and other buildings, as well as fragments of columns, indicate the ancient extent of Tiberias. The stone of these ruins is described by the Rev. William Jowett as being "very black, so that there is nothing about them of the splendor of antiquity — nothing but an air of mourning and desolation. In this circumstance they differ so greatly from the magnificent antiquities of Egypt and Greece, as to leave the most sombre impression on the fancy: they are perfectly funereal."

* Tiberias, one of the principal cities of Galilee, was erected by the tetrarch Herod Antipas, who gave it this appellation in honor of the Émperor Tiberius. It was this Herod who beheaded John the Baptist (Matt. xiv. 3-11), and who sought the life of CHRIST himself (Luke xiii. 31). He probably resided in Tiberias, which may be the reason why the Saviour never visited this place. It was situated near the Sea of Galilee, on a plain of singular fertility, which was greatly increased by assiduous cultivation. Josephus describes this region as a perfect paradise, blessed with a delicious temperature, and producing the fruits of every climate under heaven, not at stated periods merely, but in endless succession throughout the year. The neglect of agriculture in mod- The modern town of Tiberias, which is delinern times has, of course, made it less productive; eated in our engraving, is, by the natives, called but the mildness of the climate, and the richness Tabaria, or Tabbareeah; it occupies part of the of the soil, are still extolled by travellers. When site of the ancient city, and is situated at a short the Romans made war upon the Jews, Tiberias distance to the west from the Sea of Galilee. It is surrendered without waiting for a siege: on this surrounded with walls and towers, which at first account, the Jews remained unmolested; and after view are very imposing on a nearer approach, the destruction of Jerusalem, this city became however, their insignificance is apparent. A few eminent for its academy, over which a succession cannon would put them down in an instant, of Jewish doctors presided until the fourth cen- though to an assault from the natives they would tury. In the early ages of Christianity, Tiberias present, probably, a very long and effectual resistwas an episcopal see: in the seventh century it | ance. One-fourth of the space within the walls

66

was covered with the waves. In the midst | fear of some other calamity, induced the of the storm, Jesus was asleep in the hinder wicked Gadarenes earnestly to request that part of the vessel; but the disciples, over- Jesus would leave their country; and thus whelmed with fear, broke in upon his slumber, they lost the benefits and blessings of his crying out, Master, Master, we perish!" ministry; for he accordingly departed from He arose from his pillow, and gently reprov- the coast of Gadara, and returned to the city ing their want of faith, "rebuked the winds of Capernaum. and the sea, and there was a great calm !” Arriving in the country of the Gadarenes (or Gergesenes), on the other side of the lake, he was met by two men, coming out from among the tombs, who, though possessed with devils, and raging with madness, cried out, acknowledging Jesus to be the Son of God. From these unhappy creatures he expelled the infernal spirits, suffering them, at their own request, to take possession of a herd of swine, which were feeding near the seaside; whereupon the whole herd ran violently down into the sea, and perished.

The loss of the swine, and probably the

is stated by Dr. Richardson to be unoccupied by house or building; and many parts of the town are in a ruined and filthy condition. The population has been computed at one thousand five hundred or two thousand persons; eighty houses are occupied by Christians, and one hundred and

While in the house of Matthew, who had made an entertainment for his master, he received an application from the ruler of the synagogue, by the name of Jairus, who fell at his feet, begging that he would come and heal his little daughter, then lying at the point of death. Before he arrived at the ruler's house, the spirit of the damsel had fled; but Jesus, taking her by the hand, awoke her from the sleep of death, and restored her to the astonished and rejoicing parents..

After several other miracles of mercy and goodness, and a considerable time spent in

sacred edifices which were erected by the Empress Helena: it is said to occupy the identical spot on which stood the house of the apostle Peter, who, previously to his becoming a disciple of JESUS CHRIST, had been a fisherman on the lake

The Sea of Galilee, which is seen in the background of our engraving, derives its name from its situation on the eastern borders of the province of Galilee; it was anciently called the Sea of Chinnereth, or Chinneroth (Num. xxxiv. 11; Josh. xii. 3), from its vicinity to a town of that name. In 1 Macc. xi. 67, it is called the water of Gennesar, and in Luke v. 1, the Lake of Gennesaret, from the neighboring land of that name. Its most common appellation is the Sea of Tiberias, from the contiguous town of Tiberias, which has been described in the preceding paragraphs.

Fishing-nets and tackle. (From the Nineveh marbles.)

fifty by Turks, but the largest portion (amounting to two hundred) is tenanted by Jews of all nations, who come here to spend the rest of their days. On the north side of the town, not far from the lake, there is a Greek church, the architecture of which exhibits much of the character of those

This capacious lake is from twelve to fifteen miles in length, and from six to nine in breadth ; along the shore its depth varies, and in some parts

it
may be sixty feet. The water is perfectly fresh,
and is used by the inhabitants of Tiberias to drink,
and for every culinary purpose. The waters of the
northern part of this lake abound with delicious
fish. It is remarkable that there is not a single
boat of any description on the Sea of Tiberias_at
present, although it is evident from the gospel his-
tory that it was much navigated in the time of
Jesus Christ.

THE DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS RECEIVING THE HEAD OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.

occasion was seized by the wicked Herodias, | food, and likely to suffer for the want of it. who instructed her daughter to ask the bead But a lad present having five barley loaves of John the Baptist. This was accordingly and two small fishes, these were so increased, done; and the bloody gift was presented to the damsel in a charger.