answered with a loud voice, that if all nations were to forsake their own gods, yet he and his sons would never fall from theirs, nor from their law and ordinances.'

"And just when he had done speaking, a Jew came up to sacrifice to the king's false god on the altar at Modin, which so aroused the indignation of Mattathias, that he fell on the offending Hebrew, and killed him on the spot. The king's officer stood by; and he smote him also, and killed him, after which he pulled down the altar, and cried aloud once more, 'Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me.' Then he and his sons fled into the mountains, leaving all that ever they had in the city.

"These are the famous Maccabees; and when they spoke of the covenant, as you will see they did very often, you must not think that it was a mere meaningless phrase. They alluded of course to that solemn covenant into which the whole nation had entered in Nehemiah's time, about 220 years before."

"Excuse me for interrupting you, Mrs. Conway," said Martin; "but can you tell me the origin of that word Maccabeus?"

"Not positively," she answered, "because it is uncertain. Some say that Judas got it from a Hebrew word which means the hammerer;' he was the 'hammerer' of the Syrians, as Charles Martel afterwards was of the Turks. But other people suppose that it came from an abbreviated form of the motto inscribed on his banner: Mi camo-ca Baalim Jehovah-Who is like unto Thee among the gods, Jehovah? However, to go on :-these Maccabees very soon became the leaders of the faithful, and had many followers with them in the wilderness, not men only, for the people went out to them in families, taking their cattle with them.

"But you may be sure they were not left in peace.

They were pursued, and one large company, as I told you just now, was attacked on the Sabbath-day, and cut to pieces.

"Mattathias and his family, however, happily were not with them; and while they mourned for their countrymen right sore' they said, 'If we all do as our brethren have done, and fight not for our lives and laws against the heathen, they will now quickly root us out of the earth.'

"So they determined to be valiant; and went round the country, pulling down the idol altars, and doing what they could to reform these terrible evils.

"In the midst of this work, old Mattathias was called away to his rest; but before he died, he exhorted all his sons to give their lives in the service of their religion, and to remember the faith of their old heroes, and how that faith had been manifestly approved by God. And he gave them for leaders, Simon, whom he described as a man of council-he was to be as a father to them; and Judas Maccabeus, who from his youth had been mighty and strong, he was to be their captain. Then he blessed them and died, all Israel making great lamentation for him."

209

CHAPTER XXIII.

HEROES.

"The people that do know their God shall be strong."-DAN. xi. 32.

“IT

T would take much too long to tell you about all the battles of Judas, but his victories were so wonderful that soon they were talked of among all the surrounding nations.

"God was as plainly with him as He had been with Joshua of old, and used him as His instrument to deliver His people from their cruel oppressors, and to re-establish the true religion in the land.

"His first engagement was with an immense Syrian host, which he completely routed, the general, Apollonius, being slain. Immediately afterwards he had to turn on another strong force, and this before he had time to collect his own troops. His little company were alarmed at the sight of their numerous foes; but Judas told them that it was all one with God to save by many or by few, and leading them on, caused a great slaughter.

"Then Antiochus, becoming aware that he had a powerful foe to contend with, ordered Lysias to collect still larger forces, and proceed to a war of extermination, while he went into Persia to procure the necessary supplies.

"Forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horse were soon got together by Lysias; and many of the neighbouring merchants, taking it for granted that he would

succeed, collected all their gold and silver to buy up the slaves who would be taken.

"But Judas, who had on each previous occasion first called on the God of battles to help, now summoned all Israel to an old place of prayer, named Maspha, near Jerusalem; and there they fasted all day in sackcloth and ashes, and with rent clothes.

Silence

"Jerusalem was then 'void as a wilderness.' and desolation reigned there; and all the sacred things were in the hands of their enemies. But a copy of the law was obtained, and though in it the heathen had painted the likenesses of their images, yet they read therein, having found sacred garments for their priests, and stirred up the Nazarites to their work.

6

"It was at Emmaus that they encamped, and there Judas addressed his men in these words: Arm yourselves, and be valiant,' he said; for it is better even to die in battle, than to see the calamities of our people and our sanctuary.'

"Yet next morning, when he stood in the plain, with three thousand men, in presence of this great host, his own little company trembled again, and again Judas had to rally their courage.

"Then sounding their trumpets, as seems always to have been the Maccabean custom, they joined battle; and the heathen were soon discomfited, and fled in a panic, losing many men, and leaving great spoil of gold and silver, blue silk and Syrian purple, and other treasures in their tents, to become the prey of the Jews.

"As for Lysias, fearing the displeasure of his sovereign, he was afraid to drop the war; but while he was reinforcing at Antioch, the five brave brethren, greatly strengthened by this evidence that their God was really fighting for them, resolved to go up to Jerusalem to cleanse the sanctuary.

"So once more the whole congregation gathered together to pray, after which they marched to the Holy City. On their arrival, after great lamentation over the defilement and desolation which reigned therein, they set to work, ordering one company to fight the men who were in the fortress that overlooked the temple, and appointing blameless and holy priests to cleanse the sanctuary. They had to make many new vessels; and the altar having been greatly defiled, they did not like to use it, and so hid away the stones in some secret place in the mountains, until a prophet should arise and direct what should be done with them.

"When the work of restoration was complete, there was a great festival of dedication, much music and rejoicing, and much praising God for His goodness, the front of the temple being decked with crowns of gold and shields; and finally, the walls and fortifications of the city being restored. It was a wondrous work, wasn't it, for one man to effect? But still his labours were far from ended. For the heathen around, instead of being overawed as in the olden time by the manifestation of Jehovah's power, were furious at the restoration of His worship, and rose on the Jews in all undefended parts of the land. Appeals for help reached Judas from all quarters; and leaving a guard in the city, he had to divide his forces, sending one brother here, another there, and going himself from place to place to the relief of the distressed. I could not tell you how many battles he thus fought, nor how many towns he took. Suffice it to say that in time he became master of the country, and that he repeopled it with its rightful owners, by bringing them in from all parts out of reach of their enemies.

"The only defeat that we read of at this time was when Joseph and Azarias, the captains left in charge of