Among the Holy Hills

To Mark Hopkins, D.D., LL.B.,

PHILOSOPHER AND TEACHER, GUIDE AND FRIEND,

THESE PAGES ARE INSCRIBED

IN LOVING AND GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF

THE LESSONS OF WISDOM FROM HIS LIPS

LONG YEARS AGO.

PREFACE.

That so many have been over the ground before, is no reason why the latest comer should not bring home a handful of wild flowers from Palestine. There is enough for all let each one gather what he will. He who is tempted and led on by these lighter attractions, may find something more and better, as nature leads up to life, and a small mountain country appears as the scene of a great history, and the cradle of a religion. The beauty of nature comes and goes; it changes with the seasons, with the early and the latter rains; but the charm of sacred association does not fade with the falling leaf or the departing year. The interest of this above all other lands, is that here was spent the most wonderful life that ever was lived on the earth. To know that life, we would trace it from its beginning, among its native hills. Such a purpose has given direction to the present journey, which follows closely in the footsteps of our Lord, not merely in the streets of Jerusalem, but through Samaria and Galilee, along the lake shore and on the mountain side. Studying the history

amid the scenes in which it transpired, it is a constant surprise and delight to see how the narrative fits into the very landscape, and is reflected in it, as trees on the bank of a river are reflected in its bosom. To give freshness to the scene, is to give reality to the event; faith comes by sight, and as sight grows clearer, faith grows stronger. And so at every step the sacred story becomes more real and more true.

If the descriptions in these pages often digress into reflections, the writer cannot help it: he must speak of that which is uppermost in his thoughts. One presence is everywhere, and we walk in its light. At the same time he has tried not to moralize too much; but to enliven his soberness with narrative and incident, so that the journey may not seem long, and that whoever keeps him company may not grow weary by the way. Thus riding side by side among the holy hills, we may pass the time not unpleasantly, and gain what is, after all, the best fruit of travel-some real knowledge, a clearer understanding, and a stronger faith.