A. He erected a place of exercise at Jerusalem for training up youth according to the fashion of the Greeks, and made as many of them as he could forsake the religious customs and usages of their forefathers, and conform themselves in many things to the customs and ceremonies of the heathens; verses 9—15.

8 Q. What became of this Jason?

A. A few years after, when he employed Menelaus his brother to pay his tribute at the Syrian court, he was supplanted by him; for Menelaus by bribery obtained the priesthood, and put Jason to flight.

9 Q. Did Menelaus behave himself better in his office?

A. He was worse than Jason; he stole some of the vessels of gold out of the temple, he went to Antioch, where he was reproved by Onias, who was yet living, for his wickedness, and out of revenge procured Onias to be slain.

10 Q. What was done at Jerusalem in the mean time?

A. Lysimachus being left as a deputy by Menelaus, practised many sacrileges on the vessels of the temple, which occasioned a great insurrection in the city, wherein multitudes of the party of Lysimachus were wounded and slain, and the church-robber himself was killed.

11 Q. Did Jason ever return again to Jerusalem?

A. When there was a false report of the death of Antiochus, Jason with a thousand men assaulted the city, and slew many citizens, but was at last put to flight, and being driven from country to country, and from city to city, he perished in a strange land, without the honour of a burial; 2 Mac. v. 5-10.

12 Q. Did Antiochus the king suffer these things to pass unresented?

A. Upon the report of such a tumult in Jerusalem, he imagined that Judea had revolted, and he came upon the city, and ordered his men of war not to spare young or old, and there were fourscore thousand destroyed in the space of three days. 13 Q. What profaneness was Antiochus guilty of in the temple?

A. Being conducted by Menelaus into the temple, he took away the remaining holy vessels, the altar of incense, the golden table, and the candlestick; he tore off the golden ornaments of the temple, and robbed it of the hidden treasures, he offered a large sow, that unclean and forbidden beast, on the altar of burnt-offering, and left Jerusalem overwhelmed in blood and mourning.

14 Q. Did he pursue this mischief and madness any longer?

A. Two years after he sent Apollonius, his collector of tribute, with a thousand men, who fell suddenly on the city on the sabbath while they were at worship, and slew the citizens and the priests; he made the sacrifices cease, led the women and children captive, pulled down the houses and the walls, built a castle or fortress on a high hill in the city of David over against the temple, to overlook and annoy them, and placed a garrison therein, and laid up the spoils of the city there.

15 Q. What further instances of rage did Antiochus shew against the jewish religion? A. He issued out an order that all his dominions should be of one religion, chiefly designing to distress the Jews: He forbid their children to be circumcised, and forbid all burnt-offerings and sacrifices in the temple to the God of Israel: He called it the temple of Jupiter Olympius, set up his image on the altar, and sacrificed to it; he commanded the people to profane the sabbath, he set up altars and groves, and chapels of idols

throughout the cities, and required them to offer the flesh of swine and other unclean beasts, and then to eat it; and he destroyed the books of the law wheresoever they were found.

Note, This image of Jupiter, set up on the altar by Antiochus Epiphanes, is supposed to be the abomination that maketh desolate, foretold by Daniel, chap. xi. 31. as the Roman ensign with the eagle on it, which was the bird of Jupiter set up in the temple, was the abomination of desolation which Daniel foretels, Daniel ix. 27. and xii. 11. and which our Saviour refers to, Matt. xxiv. 15. Abomination is the common name for an idol in the Old Testament, and when such are set up in the sanctuary, it may be well called desolation, for the priests are driven away, and the true worship of God ceases. Observe yet further, that this Antiochus Epiphanes is called by some the jewish antichrist, because several of the same things are foretold of him by the prophet Daniel, which are also predicted of the Roman antichrist in the christian church by the apostle John.

16 Q. Did any of the Israelites comply with his commands?

A. Though there were multitudes who would not defile themselves, and break the law of God, yet too many of them for fear, and some out of ambition to please the king, conformed to his religion, and sacrificed, and burned incense to idols in the streets of the cities of Judea.

17 Q. How did the king punish those that refused?

A. He put the men to death every month, he slew several women that had caused their children to be circumcised, hanged the infants about their necks, and killed those that circumcised them. This persecution may be seen more at large, 1 Mac. chap. i. and iii. and 2 Mac. vi.

18 Q. What did the Samaritans do on this occasion?

A. When the Jews were in prosperity, they challenged kindred with the Jews, but they disowned them when they were under persecution: And therefore on this occasion they made an apology to Antiochus the king for having heretofore used the jewish rites, but now having renounced them, they complied with the heathen religion, and desired their temple on mount Gerizim might be made the temple of the Grecian Jupiter, the defender of strangers; 2 Mac. vi.

SECTION V.

OF MATTATHIAS, THE FATHER OF THE MACCABEES, AND THE GREAT REFormer.

1 QUESTION.

WHEN the persecution was so violent in Judea, was there any eminent public opposition made to it by any of the Jews?

Answer. Mattathias, a priest of the course of Joarib, who dwelt in Modin, was complimented by the king's officers, and tempted to comply with heathen worship there, according to the king's commandment; but he boldly renounced their superstitions, and declared his resolution to die in the religion of the Jews; 1 Mac. ii.

2.Q. What instance did he give of his courage and zeal?

A. When one of the Jews came to sacrifice on the heathen altar, which was at Modin,

he could not forbear to shew his indignation as a zealot, but ran and slew the man upon the altar, and at the same time killed the king's chief officer there who came to enforce these wicked commands.

3 Q. In what manner did he maintain his bold enterprize?

A. He cried with a loud voice through the city, "Whosoever is zealous of the law, let him follow me." So he and his sons fled to the mountains, and a great number of Jews fled with them, and hid themselves in the wilderness.

4 Q. Did not the king's army pursue them?

A. Yes, and camped against them, and attacked a considerable number of them on the sabbath-day.

5 Q. And did the Jews make no resistance?

A. None at all, because it was the sabbath; but they said, "Let us all die in our innocency:" Whereupon a thousand people were slain.

6 Q. Did Mattathias and his friends approve of this conduct?

A. It seems as if their zeal at first approved of it; but upon better consideration they decreed, it was lawful and necessary for them to defend themselves, if they were attacked again on the sabbath-day.

Note, This decree was ratified by the consent of all the priests and elders amongst them, and it was sent to all others through the land, and was made a rule in their following wars.

7 Q. What did king Antiochus do when he heard of this bold and public resistance made to his commands and his government?

A. He executed very great cruelties on all the Jews that fell into his hands who would not forsake the laws of Moses, since the mere terror of death did not affright them. 8 Q. What very remarkable instances do we find in history of this cruelty?

A. Seven brethren with their mother were terribly tormented, to constrain them to eat swine's flesh, which the law of Moses forbids.

9 Q. How did they endure their torments?

A. With great courage, one after another, in a long succession, they bore the various tortures that were inflicted on them, and declared they were ready to suffer rather than transgress the laws of their fathers.

ཝཱ

10 Q. What tortures were those which the king executed upon them?

A. A great variety of exquisite and bloody cruelties: Their limbs were cut off, their tongues were cut out, they were fried in frying-pans, the skin of the head was torn off with the hair, and they died under the anguish and violence of these torments, while the mother at the same time looked on, and encouraged them all to suffer boldly, in opposition to the intreaties, threatenings, and commands of the king.

11 Q. In what manner did she encourage her sons in their sufferings?

A. By the tenderest speeches of an affectionate mother to her sons, she beseeched them to fear God, and not man, and to endure in hope of a happy resurrection, when she should receive them all again in mercy.

12 Q. Did she herself also suffer the torment?

A. When she had seen all her sons die like martyrs before her, she finished that sad spectacle, and died also for her religion; 2 Mac. vii.

13 Q. What did Mattathias do all this while in the mountains?

A. He still encouraged the Jews to join with him, and among others, there were many of the assideans, who were zealous for the law, resorted to him.

14 Q. Who were the assideans, or chasideans, as it ought to be written?

A. A sect among the Jews who were called chasidim, or the pious, who were not only zealous of the law, but of many other constitutions and traditions, and forms of mortification, beyond what the law required: Whereas those who contented themselves with what was written in the law were called zadikim, or the righteous.

15 Q. What exploits did Mattathias and his friends perform?

A. They went.round about the towns and villages, pulled down the heathen altars, and circumcised the children; they slew and put to flight many of their enemies, and reco vered several copies of the jewish law.

16 Q. When Mattathias died, who succeeded him?

A. Just before his death he made a noble speech to his five sons to encourage them in the defence of their religion and their country, he recommended his son Simon as a man of counsel, but he made his son Judas, surnamed Maccabeus, their captain.

17 Q. How came he to be called Maccabeus?

A. The motto of his standard was the first letters of that Hebrew sentence, Exodus xv. 11. Mi Camoka Baelim Jehovah, that is, Who is like to thee among the gods, O Lord? which letters were formed into the artificial word Maccabbi, and all that fought under his standard were called Maccabees.

Note, This has been a common practice among the Jews to frame words in this manner. So Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon, the son of Maimon, is called Rambam, Rabbi Solomon Jarchi is called Rasi. Nor is the use of the first letters of words for such kind of purposes unknown among heathens or christians. The letters S. P. Q. R. were written on the Roman standard for Senatus Populus Que Romanus, that is, the Roman senate and people. Jesus Christ our Saviour hath been called a fish, in Greek Ixer, by the fathers, because these are the first letters of those Greek words, Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Saviour.

SECTION VI.

OF THE JEWISH GOVERNMENT UNDER THE MACCABEES OR ASMONEANS: AND FIRST OF THE THREE BROTHERS, JUDAS, JONATHAN AND SIMON.

1 QUESTION.

WHAT valiant actions did Judas and his brethren do in defence of the law, and against the persecutors?

Answer. He won many battles against king Antiochus and his generals, and encou raged himself and his soldiers in the name of God whensoever they began to faint. 2 Q. Where are these acts of Judas and his brethren recorded?

A. The earliest account of them is found in the first and second books of Maccabees. Here note, That the first book of Maccabees is a very accurate and excellent history, and comes nearest to the style and manner of the sacred writings, and is supposed to be written a little after these persecutions and wars were ended: But the second book consists of several pieces of much less value: It begins with two epistles from the Jews

of Jerusalem, but both are supposed to be fabulous stories, and in some parts impossible to be true. The following parts of it pretend to be an abridgment of the history of one Jason, it relates some of the persecutions of Antiochus, and the acts of Judas amplified with particular circumstances, but it is not of equal esteem with the first book, for it. seems to affect miracles and prodigious events beyond reasonable credibility.

3 Q. How did king Antiochus resent these attempts of Judas, and his successes against him?

A. When he went into Persia to gather the tribute of the countries there, he left Lysias with half his army, and with express orders to destroy and root the Jews out of their land.

4 Q. Did Lysias pursue the king's orders?

A. Yes, with great diligence he sought to execute these cruel orders: His army of forty thousand foot, and seven thousand horse encamped at Emmaus near Jerusalem, and another army of a thousand merchants flocked thither upon presumption of their victory, with great quantities of silver and gold, to buy the captives for slaves.

5 Q. How did their wicked counsel to destroy Israel succeed?

A. When they were thus secure and confident of success, Judas and his brethren assembled in Mizpah, fasted, put on sackcloth, laid open the book of the law before God where the heathens had painted their images, cried mightily unto God for help, sounded the trumpets, brought the army into order, and prepared for battle and for death, unless God pleased to make them conquerors.

6 Q. What was the event of so much pious zeal and courage?

A. Judas and his army put to flight and destroyed several large parties that Lysias had sent against him, they drove the enemy out of Jerusalem, and almost out of the land of Judea, and took a very large booty both from the army and the merchants.

7 Q. What was the first work that Judas and his people applied themselves to upon this great success?

A. They went up into Mount Sion, and when they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, the gates burned up, shrubs and grass growing in the courts of the temple, they rent their clothes, fell down upon their faces, and made great lamentation with hunble cries to heaven.

8 Q. Had they power and time to repair the temple, and restore the worship of God? A. Yes, they applied themselves to the work with all diligence, they sought out priests of blameless conversation to cleanse the sanctuary, they pulled down the altar of burntoffering, because the heathen had defiled it, they built a new altar as the law directs with whole stones, they made new holy vessels, the altar of incense, the table, and the candlesticks, all of gold, which they had taken from their enemies, and they set all the parts of divine worship in order again, and offered sacrifice according to the law.

9 Q. How did they kindle the sacred fire on the altar?

A. Having lost the fire which came down from heaven, which was kept burning on the altar at Jerusalem before the Babylonish captivity, they struck fire with flints, and so kindled the sacrifices and the lamps, 2 Mac. x. 3.

Note, We do not read that the second temple ever had this sacred fire; the story of Jeremiah's hiding it, in 2 Mac. chap. i. is counted a mere fable.