This country, the future home of the great nation destined to spring from his loins, was in many respects eminently adapted for its special mission in the history of the World. In extent, indeed, it was but a narrow strip of country, but a little larger than the six northern counties of England, being nearly 180 miles in length[17], and 75 miles in breadth, and having an area of about 13,600 English square miles. Bounded on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, on the north by the mountains of Lebanon, on the east by the Syrian desert, on the south by the wilderness of Arabia, it was situated at the meeting-point of the two continents of Asia and Africa, “on the very outpost, on the extremest western edge of the East.” It was a secluded land. A wilderness encompassed it on the east and south, mountains shut it in on the north, and the “Great Sea” which washed its western shore was the terror rather than the thoroughfare of ancient nations. “Unlike the coast of Europe, and especially of Greece, it had no indentations, no winding creeks, no deep havens[18],” but one small port――that of Joppa――with which to tempt the mariner from the west. But while thus eminently adapted to be the “silent and retired nursery of the Kingdom of God[19],” it was in the very centre of the activity of the ancient world, _in the midst of the nations, and the countries that were round about it_ (Ezek. v. 5). On the South was the great empire of Egypt, on the North-east the rising kingdom of Assyria. Neither of these great nations could communicate with the other without passing through Palestine, and so learning something of its peculiar institutions and religion; and when the _fulness of time was come_ no country was better suited, from its position at the extremest verge of the Eastern World, to be the starting-point whence the glad tidings of Redemption might be proclaimed to all nations[20]. Moreover, narrow as were its limits, and secluded as was its position, it yet presented a greater variety of surface, scenery and temperature than is to be found in any other part of the world, and needed not to depend on other countries for anything that either the luxuries or actual wants of its inhabitants required. Four broadly marked longitudinal regions divided its surface. (i) First, there was the _low plain_ of the western sea-coast, broad towards the south, and gradually narrowing towards the north, famous for the Shephelah (_the low country_) with its waving corn-fields, and the vale of Sharon (_level country_), the garden of Palestine. From this was an ascent to (ii) _a strip of table-land_, every part of which was more or less undulating, but increasing in elevation from north to south[21], and broken only by the plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon. To this succeeded a rapid descent into (iii) _a deep fissure or valley_, through which the Jordan (_the descender_), the only river of importance in the country, rushes from its source at the base of Hermon into the Dead