xvn. THE STONES BURIED IN THE JORDAN. 303 



men, and planted on the upper terrace of the valley 

 beyond the reach of the annual inundation. In this 

 manner was formed the first sanctuary of the Holy Land, 

 which was a circle of upright stones like one of the 

 so-called Druidical circles in which our pagan ancestors 

 worshipped in our own country. The twelve stones of 

 which it was composed continued for several generations 

 to attract the reverence of the people, and the spot was 

 chosen as the site of the tabernacle, where it remained 

 till it was removed to Shiloh. 



But besides this memorial which was set up on the 

 western bank of the Jordan, there was another set up in 

 the bed of the river itself. In the place where the feet 

 of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood, in 

 the centre of the channel, twelve stones like those which 

 had been carried across to the opposite bank, were ar- 

 ranged probably in the same manner; and when the 

 river, which had been temporarily driven backwards to 

 allow the Israelites to cross, returned to its forsaken 

 bed, its dark muddy waters flowed over the buried 

 stones and hid them for ever from view. Thus there 

 were two monuments of the miraculous passage of the 

 Jordan taken from the materials of its own bed ; one 

 that gave rise to the sacred shrine of Gilgal, which was 

 for a long time the appointed place of worship in the 

 land ; and another that was buried out of sight for ever 

 in the muddy ooze of the deep rushing river. The 

 sacred narrative tells us what were the purpose and 

 meaning of the monument that stood on the dry land 

 and was visible to every eye ; but we have to find out 



