In a garden beneath this cliff, where Joseph’s new tomb was, there is a tomb bearing marked characteristics. The workmanship shows it to be Jewish and of the Herodian period, yet when first discovered there were traces of a cross painted upon the wall. Although there is room in the sepulchre for four bodies, one only of these has been completed, one only occupied. In digging near the foundations of a neighboring monastery, a Christian grave was found bearing the remarkable words, “Laid near his Lord.” We may never know the real meaning of these facts, but they are at least significant, and especially so in view of the cogent arguments which can be urged against the acceptance of the traditional site of the Holy Sepulchre.
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“Delivered by a Dog.” A minister of the gospel, who had a country parish in New England, tells this story:
“A farmer belonging to my parish, and who was quite well off, died suddenly. Shortly after his death his widow, who was a good Christian woman, concluded to give up the farm and take a small house in the neighboring village. The farm was sold and then an auction was held to sell the things on the farm and in the house, except the furniture that would be needed for the little house in the village.
“I went to see her,” said the minister on the day of the sale. “I told her I thought she had done wisely in concluding to give up the farm, for it was half a mile away from any other house, and she would be lonely and unprotected there.
“‘Oh! no,’ she said, ‘not unprotected; far from it! You forget that I am now under the special charge of that God “who careth for the widow and the fatherless,” and who, I am sure, will protect us.’
“And now, let me tell you how God did protect them. There was a good deal of money in the house that night from the sale which had taken place. The only persons in the house were the mother with her three young children and their maid servant.
“Some time after going to bed she heard a strange and unusual noise at the back of the house. Then she was startled by the barking of a dog, apparently in the room under her chamber. This alarmed her still more as they had no dog of their own.
“She arose and dressed herself hastily. She awoke her maid and they went down stairs. They first looked into the room where they heard the dog. There they saw a huge black dog, scratching and barking furiously at the door leading into the kitchen. She told her servant to open the door where the dog was scratching. The girl was brave, and opened the door without a fear. In a moment the dog rushed out, and through the open door the widow saw two men at the kitchen window, which was also open. The men instantly turned to run, and the dog leaped through the window and ran after them. There was a fierce fight between them, but the men finally got away, though followed far off by the faithful dog.
“Mrs. M., and her maid fastened the window and doors, and concluded to sit up for the rest of the night, for, of course it would be impossible to sleep after what had taken place. They had hardly taken their seats before they heard their noble protector scratching at the outer door for admittance. They gladly let him in, and when he came up to them, wagging his great bushy tail, they patted and praised him for his goodness and courage. Then he stretched his huge form beside the warm stove, closed his eyes and went to sleep. The next morning they gave him a breakfast that any dog might have been glad to get. As soon as he had finished his breakfast, he went to the door, and stood impatiently whining till the door was opened, when off he ran in a great hurry, and they never saw him again.