88 GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.

tially appeared, who directed them to water at a little distance, by drinking of which their lives were preserved.

It may seem surprising to some, that neither Hagar nor her son found out this well, or pool, themselves. The ground being covered with bushes or shrubs must have caused the difficulty. In searching, unless they had come to the very spot, they would not have observed it, from the intervention of the shrubs.

I remember being in the same predicament when crossing the wild Bushman country. I had travelled the whole day without water, and halted among bushes, after sun-set, without finding water. In the morning we found we had been spending the night in thirst, within a few hundred yards of abundance of good water.

GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.

In Psalm lxxxiv. 6, 7, are described the journeys of the Israelites to their feasts at Jerusalem from distant parts of the country. It mentions their digging wells in the valley of Baca, which, in the rainy season, were filled with excellent water, and became a great convenience to succeeding travellers. In reference to them, the travellers are said to have gone from strength to strength till they arrived at mount Zion in Jerusalem, to appear before God there, which was the object of their journey.

When a weary traveller arrives at a well in the wilderness, his strength is nearly gone, but on

NO INNS IN CANAAN.

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drinking of its water, he is revived and strengthened for another stage; and, on falling in with another well, he receives fresh vigour for again proceeding on his journey. So that going from strength to strength may literally mean from well to well; though some understand by this, going from company to company.

NO INNS ANCIENTLY IN CANAAN.

And they [the Levite and his wife when on a jour. ney] turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah [a town in Benjamin]: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.—Judges xix. 15.

This circumstance happened a short time after the death of Joshua. It shows that there were no inns for the accommodation of travellers in those days, whose comfort, therefore, depended on the hospitality of the inhabitants; which seems to have given rise to the numerous exhortations in Scripture to hospitality, or kindness to strangers.

The same custom as what was practised by the Levite, prevails in African cities to the present time. Every district or ward in their towns has a square enclosure, to one of which strangers generally repair, and sit down in it, as the Levite did in the street. If any ask them to their house, which seldom occurs, it is well; if not, they must sleep on the ground, which, in warm and dry climates, is, of course, not such a discomfort

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JUDGING IN THE GATE.

as it would be in colder and damper ones. During our Lord's visit to Jerusalem, he and his disciples generally retired at night to the Mount of Olives, where they slept under the trees, or among the bushes. Many thousands of those strangers who attended the feasts must have done the same, as there could not possibly be accommodation in the city for so extraordinary an influx of strangers as were accustomed to attend the passover. Perhaps sometimes it might greatly exceed 1,000,000, as appears from the immense multitude found in it at its final destruction by the emperor Vespasian, of whom 1,100,000 are stated to have perished, though it appears that many of those came by particular invitation at that time, to assist in defending their city against the Romans.

KINGS JUDGING AT THE GATE.

And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city are thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.-2 SAM. xv. 2, 3.

Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king; for Israel had fled every man to his tent. -2 SAM. xix. 8.

Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates.-ZECH. viii. 16.

JUDGING IN THE GATE.

91

Upon this rock (said Christ) will I build my Church; and the GATES of hell shall not prevail against it. -MATT. xvi. 18.

It appears from the above, and other passages of Scripture, that the king of Israel distributed justice, or sat in judgment to decide causes that might be brought before them at the gate,—that the gate of the city was the place where these causes came before them, and where they pronounced their decision,-that the king held his councils at the gate, or where the elders or chiefs met the king, to consider the affairs of the nation, --and that, in fact, all their principal assemblies were held at the gates of the city.

This Jewish custom still exists high in the interior of South Africa. While in Kurreechane, a city about 1200 or 1300 miles up from the Cape of Good Hope, I was told that a cause was going to be brought before the king. Being anxious to witness it, I was led in haste to the gate, where I saw the king sit down at the right side of it, with his secretary on his right hand, and the prosecutor, or complainer, on his left, who stated his case across to the secretary. During his narrating his case, the king was looking about as if not attending to what was said; but I saw from his eye, that he was attending to what, for form's sake, was addressed to the secretary. When the party had finished what he had to say, the secretary repeated the whole to the king, as if he had been entirely ignorant of the matter. The king immediately gave judgment.

In consequence of a visit from the king of

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DYING AT SUN-SET.

Doughooboone, a city about 20 miles to the S.E. of Kurreechane, they had a feast on an ox which was a present from the royal visitor, and the feast was kept at the gate, which I had an opportunity also of witnessing,-so their legal and festival meetings are evidently held at the gate.

The gates of hell, in the passage quoted above, must refer to councils, policy, or plans of devils, not being able to effect the ruin of the Church of God.

DYING AT SUN-SET.

And a certain man DREW A BOW at a venture, and smote the king of Israel (Ahab) between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariotman, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. And the battle increased that day; howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even and ABOUT THE TIME OF THE SUN GOING DOWN, HE DIED.-2 CHRON. Xviii. 33, 34.

When crossing the continent of Africa in the year 1813, one evening after sun-set, one of my Hottentots was wounded by a wild Bushman's arrow, which was poisoned. He was extremely ill the whole night. About 10 o'clock next morning, a tame Bushman who belonged to my party, told me that when the sun was there, pointing to the bottom of the western horizon (meaning at sun-set), his breath would come out here, pointing to his mouth, or, that he should die. In the evening I watched the sun-setting,