I confess I take pleasure in believing that the spot pointed out to us as that of our Saviour’s sepulture, is the true one; and that, to the scene of his deep humiliation and his agony for us is in close proximity the scene of his triumph over hell and the grave; and though it can be no argument, I confess there seems to me to be a fitness of things where we are allowed to stand where stood the cross of Christ, and look down on the empty tomb, and say through him, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” FOOTNOTES: [18] Josephus, Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 4. §5. Also, Antiq. lib. xiv. cap. 4. §1. [19] Josephus, passim. [20] Jos. Antiq. lib. xv. cap. xi. § 5. [21] Do. § 3. [22] These dimensions seem incredible; but this is a subject that will be noticed by and by. [23] Jos. Antiq. lib. viii. cap. 3. § 9. lib. xv. cap. xi. § 3. [24] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. 5. § 8. [25] Antiq. lib. xv. cap. xi. § 4. [26] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. iv. § 1. [27] Ibid. [28] Tacitus Hist. Lib. v. cap. xi. [29] Ib. [30] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. iv. § 1. [31] Josephus informs us, that the Jews under Simon, “all set themselves to work and levelled this mountain; and in that work spent both day and night, without any intermission, which cost them three whole years before it was removed and brought to an entire level with the plain of the rest of the city; after which the temple was the highest of all the buildings. Now the citadel, as well as the mountain on which it stood, was demolished.” Antiq. lib. xiii. cap. vi. § 7. By the words, “to an entire level with the plain of the rest of the city,” he cannot mean to a level with the plain of Zion; for in another place (de Bel. lib. v. cap. iv. § 1.) he says that the upper city, or Zion, was much higher than this; we must understand him to say, that the peak was reduced to the general level of the rest of Acra. [32] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. iv. § 1. [33] Ibid. lib. vi. cap. vi. § 2, and cap. viii. § 2. [34] “For the city lay over against the Temple in the manner of a theatre, and was encompassed with a deep valley along the entire south quarter.” Antiq. lib. xv. cap. xi. § 5. [35] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. iv. § 2. [36] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. iv. § 2. [37] Ibid. Also cap. vi. § 1. [38] Ibid. lib. vi. cap. viii. § 1. [39] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. iv. § 1. et passim. [40] Ibid. [41] _Κυκλουμενον_ is the word used by Josephus; Whiston has translated it “encompassed;” L’Estrange, I think, translates it “passes along;” it means simply making a curve, either inward or outward, and so I have used it. [42] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. iv. § 2. [43] Jos. de Bel. lib. v. cap. vi. § 2.