revolutions it has undergone. For it was differently divided, 1. By its antient inhabitants; 2. By Joshua; 3. By the Romans; 4. In the time of CHRIST; and, 5. By Herod.

But it is not so as to its rivers and mountains; they are neither of them subject to change. The Jordan is almost the only river in the Holy Land; the others are rather brooks, or rivulets. This river divides Judea; for it has its rise among the mountains of Libanus; and, after having run through the Sea of Galilee, loses itself in the Dead Sea, which is in the other extremity of the Land of Judah, towards the south. It took its name from the city of Dan, in whose neighbourhood it rises; for Jordan, or Yarden, is the same thing as if it was said river of Dan." The Sea of Galilee, which Jordan runs through, is but a lake; but the Hebrews give the name of sea to any great collection of waters. The same may be observed of the Dead Sea it is a great lake, which the Greeks call Asphaltitis, on account of the bitumen it abounds with; and the Jews call it the Dead Sea, because fish cannot live in it. It was in this place, which is now covered by the lake, that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah stood. After Jordan are reckoned Jarmach, in the country of the Gergesenes, which rises among the mountains of Gilead; and Kirmion, near Damascus, otherwise called Amanach, or Abana; to which are added Pharphar, which runs down from Mount Hermon; Kishon, which

Ha Yarden, The River of Dan, or Judgment.

was in the tribes of Issachar and Zabulon; Arnon, which comes from the mountains of the same name, and runs into the Dead Sea; and Jabok, which falls into the Jordan.

This country has several mountains; the most famous of which are, Libanus and Antilibanus to the north; the mountains of Gilead, those of the Moabites, Hermon and Arnon, to the east; the mountains of the Desart to the south; and Carmel, the mountains of Ephraim, and the mountains of the Philistines, to the west. And there are likewise some in the middle of Judea, as Tabor, Gerizim, Ebal, Sion, Moriah, Hebron, and what the Gospel calls the Mountains of Judea. But, to return to the divisions before-mentioned,

I. When Abraham went into the Land of Canaan, it was inhabited by eleven sorts of people, who, as Moses tells us, took their names from the eleven sons of Canaan. They were these:

1. The Sidonians, descended from Sidon. They possessed the cities of Sidon, Tyre, Jokneam, and Acon, since called Ptolemais.

2. The Jebusites, from Jebus their parent, since called the Philistines. Their cities were Lachish, Gath, Ekron, Ascalon, Azotus, Gerar, and Debir.

3. The Amorites, descended from Amor, who had the cities of Nabah, Heshbon, Bozrah, and Ramoth Gilead.

4. The Girgashites, from Girgas. They had the cities of Damascus, Maachathi, Geshur, Zobah, Teman, Ashteroth, and Edrei.

b Gen. x.

5. The Hivites, from Hevah. Their cities were Jerusalem, Jericho, Ai, Bethel, Gilead, Libnah, Makkedah, and Bezer.

6. The Arkites, descended from Arak; who had the cities of Esebon, Midian, and Petra.

7. The Sinites, who descended from Sin; and were masters of the cities of Admah, Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboim, and Zoar.

8. The Arvadites, from Arad; who possessed the cities of Arad, Jarmuth, Hebron, Adullam, and Eglon.

9. The Zemarites, from Zemar. In their territories were built Samaria, Tappuah, Tirzah, and Tanai.

10. The Hamathites, from Hamath; who had the cities of Shimron, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Hamath.

11. To which likewise are added the Perizzites, to whom belonged the cities of Amalek and Bozrah. II. When the Israelites made themselves masters of the Land of Canaan, since from them called the Land of Israel; the most powerful people who inhabited it were the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. It was from them that Joshua gained it by conquest; and he divided it into twelve parts, which the twelve tribes drew by lot. The tribe of Levi indeed possessed no lands; GoD assigned the Levites the tenths and first-fruits of the estates of their brethren: though nevertheless they had some cities which were dispersed among the other tribes, and were therefore

called Levitical cities; and some of them were cities of refuge for those who should have killed any one unawares. But though the tribe of Levi did not partake of the division of the land, and this therefore was only among eleven of the sons of Jacob, yet was the Land of Israel divided into twelve portions. There were, I say, twelve tribes, notwithstanding, who divided the Land of Canaan among them, inasmuch as the children of the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, made two different tribes. Those of Reuben, Gad, and a part of that of Manasseh, were placed beyond Jordan, towards Arabia and Syria: the rest settled on this side of it.

The most considerable change which took place in this country was that which happened when the ten tribes were driven from it, and carried into captivity by the Assyrians. The Cutheans, who were sent to possess their country, dwelt chiefly in the tribe of Ephraim, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The tribe of Judah continued in captivity at Babylon seventy years; and the Greeks afterwards made themselves masters of the empire of the east; and some of them, who were kings of Syria, re-united the greatest part of the country which the tribes of Israel possessed to their crown; and by this means (the tribe of Judah remaining alone, after the others were dispersed,) the names which the different parts of the Land of Promise had received upon the division Joshua made of it among the twelve tribes, were changed long before the birth of JESUS CHRIST.

III. The Romans divided this country into Pa

lestine and Phoenicia. The former contained the antient country of the Philistines; the latter all the maritime cities as far as Libanus, and made a part of the kingdom of Syria.

IV. In the time of JESUS CHRIST, the Land of Israel was divided into Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and Idumea; and there were then several Galilees, as we shall see presently.

Judea contained a part of the antient tribe of Judah, and those of Benjamin, Dan, and Simeon. Its breadth was from Jordan to the city of Joppa.

d

Idumea, which was south of Judea, between Arabia and Egypt, had been conquered by Hircanus and this high priest commanded the inhabitants either to be circumcised, or to leave their country; upon which they chose to be circumcised, and from that time their country became a part of Judea; so that it is not to be wondered at, if St. Mark reckons the Idumeans among those who came to JESUS CHRIST. The name of Idumea was at first given only to the country which was possessed by Esau, who in Hebrew is called Edom, that is, red. His descendants were at first called Edomites, and afterwards Idumeans. We know of no king of Idumea but Esau, whom the Greeks call Eguogos, that is to say, red; and from hence the Red Sea, or Erithrea, has its name; and not from any particular colour, either in its water or its sand.

Samaria was at first only the name of a city, but it became afterwards that of a province. It

Mark iii. 8.