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During the interval of peace the Jews had been largely emigrating into the surrounding countries; for there were some kings and rulers who perceived that their morality was of a higher kind than that of other nations, and who especially esteemed them on account of their strict adherence to their oaths. And these kings either directly invited them, or held out great inducements to cause them to settle in their dominions. So Jews did not now, you see, remain shut up in their own land. It was not indeed in such an independent and prosperous condition as to tempt them to do so; and therefore they were ready to avail themselves of invitations to settle in other parts of the world, and especially where they could obtain the same privileges as those enjoyed by the inhabitants. You remember how from the Acts of the Apostles we learn that there were in those days Jews in most habitable countries.

"And it is very evident, the story of the Septuagint alone shews it, that these were not without their influence on the countries where they dwelt, that through them the heathen learnt in some measure to disbelieve their own false systems, and to know something about the one true God, indeed much more than we generally think. As we get on, and come to Christian times, we find that at least people didn't believe as they used to believe in their old religions or in the old fables about their gods; but that they yearned after something better. And no doubt a good deal of this feeling came from the presence 'of Jews among them.

"In some cases the Jews made proselytes. But much more generally, I imagine, the degree of knowledge gained through them caused this sort of shaking among the nations.'

"But the times of peace for the poor Jews, of which I have been telling you, did not always last, as I was

just saying. To Ptolemy Euergetes succeeded Ptolemy Philopater, and very soon he was engaged in war with the famous Antiochus the Great, King of Syria.

They fought for the possession of the Holy Land; and Philopater came off conqueror. Then the Jews who had hitherto been so well treated by their Egyptian masters sent to congratulate him; at which he was very pleased, and proposed to pay a visit to Jerusalem, and there to offer sacrifices to Jehovah. Heathen princes, you know, are often willing to do this to the god of any country which they have conquered. They esteem it a sort of compliment to the religion of the country. And Philopater meant nothing more. He was very curious, however, to see the inside of the temple, and examine all its mysteries; and as soon as he arrived in Jerusalem he expressed his intention of visiting it.

"It was of no use for Simon the high priest to explain to him that none but priests were allowed to enter there, and that the king could only see the outer courts and chambers. Philopater was quite determined; he would not brook any denial of his wishes, but proceeded to force his way into the holy place, and would have gone where the high-priest alone could enter, and that only with blood and once a year, into the very holy of holies, within the veil.

"But a strange terror which completely paralyzed his limbs, seized him as he was about to do so; and he had to be carried out half dead by his attendants.

"You might suppose that this, at least, would have convinced him of his error. But no, instead of acknowledging himself wrong, he fell into the most violent rage, and left the city vowing vengeance against the whole Jewish race.

"He began at Alexandria by forbidding any person to approach him who did not worship his gods. Then he

ordered all the Jews to be branded with an ivy-leaf, the mark of his god, Bacchus. Afterwards he went further, and ordered that all who did not actually worship Bacchus should be degraded to the lowest rank, and lose all their privileges. Still the Jews stood firm, and only three hundred out of many thousands turned traitors to their God.

"At length the rage of the monarch became a perfect fury; and he determined to exterminate the whole race of Jews. For that purpose he caused all those in the land of Egypt to be brought in chains to Alexandria, and there shut up in a place used for public sports, called the Hippodrome, and then invited the citizens to come and witness such a tragedy as they had never before seen. But all the night before it was to take place the wicked monarch was drinking to such excess in honour of his god, the god of wine, that he was unable to appear; and the spectacle was consequently postponed. It was the same on the night following. And the whole time of agonizing suspense was spent by his intended victims in constant prayer to the God of all gods, that He would vouchsafe as in days of old to appear for their deliverance. Nor did they cry in vain. On the third day the king came; and the gates of the Hippodrome were thrown open to admit the elephants, which had been previously intoxicated with wine and frankincense to make them furious, and which were intended to trample under foot the doomed multitude. Now picture to yourselves the dismay outside the enclosure, and the triumphant thanksgiving within, when the furious animals suddenly turned as by one impulse, and instead of attacking their destined victims, trampled under foot the barbarous spectators who had come to enjoy a scene of terror and of anguish from which they supposed themselves secure.

"The king could not comprehend the sacredness of

God's temple, but he was forced to acknowledge now that Jehovah had a people peculiarly His own, and that he who touched them, touched the very apple of His eye.

"He had escaped with his own life this time; but he dreaded that vengeance should overtake him, and therefore not only did he set the captives free, but all the late cruel decrees were repealed, and the Jews put back into their former position, with power to deal as they would with their apostate brethren. And they, perhaps justifying themselves by the stern laws against idolatry, put the whole three hundred to death."

"Oh, dear! how horrid! and just after they had escaped themselves!" said Janet.

"Yes; it seems so to us; but you must remember the light in which idolatry and apostasy had always been regarded among the Jews; how when Moses found the people worshipping the golden calf, he ordered a slaughter to be made, in which 3,000 people perished; how any one who blasphemed or cursed his God was to be stoned (Lev. xxiv. 15, 16); and how all intercourse with the surrounding nations was forbidden, lest they should tempt the people to idolatry, and so bring on them utter destruction.

Idolatry was to a Jew the sin of sins. It was the breach of the very first commandments-most emphatically the crime of high treason-a sin for which under their law no sacrifice was provided."

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CHAPTER XXI.

DARK DAYS.

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man."PSALM cviii. 12.

"ANTIOCHUS the Great, on the death of Philopater,

went back to his old design, and invaded Syria, promising great things to the Jews when they should be under his rule. Josephus, in his book, has inserted all sorts of letters from this same Antiochus, in which he tells the king of Egypt and various other people of his great favour towards the Jews; how pleased he was at their reception of him; and how he meant to repair both their city and their temple. However, the power of this king either to favour or disfavour was not of long duration; for the young king of Egypt, Ptolemy Epiphanes, appealed to that iron power that was then fast rising in the world, I mean the Roman nation; and they first ordered, and then attempted to force, Antiochus to give back to Epiphanes all the countries that he had taken from Egypt. It was the time of the great Hannibal, you know; and he eagerly gave assistance to the enemy of Rome; yet notwithstanding, Antiochus lost so much of power, that he could not keep his promises to the Jews. "At length Antiochus died; and his son, Seleucus IV., succeeded him. Pressed for money to carry on his wars and his government, this king bethought him of the treasures in the famous temple at Jerusalem, or rather he

his