leapt and ran and drove their cattle."

With regard to the worship of Fire and Light it is related that in
Jerusalem, at the present time, the Easter service is performed by the
bishop of the church emerging from a tomb with lighted tapers "from
which all crave lights."

On the authority of Peter Martyr, Bishop of Alexandria in the third
century, we are informed that the place in Egypt where Christ was
banished, which is called Maturea, a lamp is kept constantly burning
in remembrance of this event. Although the story of this banishment is
doubtless borrowed from the life of the Hindoo god Crishna, the fact is
evident that those who appropriated it, and used it in furbishing the
mythical history of Christ, had no scruples against fire worship--a
religion which we have been taught to regard as belonging exclusively to
the pagans.

In the ecclesiastical processions of the Church of Rome is frequently
to be observed the figure of a dragon, in the mouth of which "holy
and everlasting fire" is observed to be burning. A boy follows
the procession with a lighted taper, so that in case the fire is
extinguished it may be relighted. In referring to this subject the Rev.
J. B. Deane says:

"The whole ceremony may be considered as a lively representation of
an ophite procession as it advanced through the sinuous paralleiths
of Karnak. So that no wonder the illiterate races were deceived into
thinking that there was no harm in calling themselves Christians, for
all their dear old faiths are here--fire, arks, poles, and fire in an
ark."

Almost innumerable instances are given by various writers upon this
subject, showing that the sun worship of the ancients has been continued
to the present time by the so called followers of Christ, in the shrines
of the East, with no change even of names to distinguish it from that of
the Christian faith. By those who have spent much time in investigating
the Holy Land, it is related that nearly all the spots in and about
Jerusalem, sacred to Greek and Romish Christians as connected with the
life and death of their risen Lord, are equally sacred to the pagans
as commemorating the life and death of their Savior--the New Sun. Even
Gethsemane is marked by characteristics which prove that it is no
less interesting to pagans, or, more properly speaking, to the pagan
followers of Christ, than it is to those of the Greek and Romish
churches. Here is a holy tree, and not far distant is a cave of Mithr