"The prophet Jeremiah."
"And when, pray?"
"When Nebuchadnezzar and his army were just upon the point of completing the destruction of the city - and of the people."
"Then it refers to their return from captivity, does it not?"
"As the type of the other restoration," said Mr. Dinwiddie. "For 'In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name whereby she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.' Moreover, in Ezekiel's vision of a new temple and city, he gives the dimensions of the temple large enough to take in all Jerusalem, and the holy city as many times exceeding its utmost actual limits; and he says, 'The name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.' Jehovah shammah. I wish the day were come."
"You take it as entirely figurative!" said papa. "I thought just now you made it entirely literal."
"What is a figure?" said Mr. Dinwiddie. "And if you take away the literal, where will the spiritual be?"
"True," said papa. "These are things I have not studied."
And then we mounted to the height of Neby Samwil and sat down for a good long look. Mr. Dinwiddie was here as elsewhere invaluable. He told us everything and pointed out everything to us, that we ought to see or know. The seacoast plain lay below; - spread out for many a mile, with here a height and there a cluster of buildings, and the blue sea washing its western border. We could easily see Jaffa, Ramleh and Lydda; we picked those spots out first which we knew. Then Mr. Dinwiddie pointed us to Ashdod, and to Ekron, a little to the left of Ramleh.
"And that is where Nebuchadnezzar was with his army, before he went up to Jerusalem," I said.