dered all that lived any where in Egypt, to bė brought in Chains to Alexandria to be flain by his Elephants.

24 Q. And were they deftroyed according to the King's Appointment? A. The Elephants being made Drunk with Wine and Frankincenfe, and let loose upon them, instead of falling upon the Jews, they turned all their Rage upon the Spectators, and deftroyed great Numbers of them.

25Q. What Influence had this upon the King? A. He durft no longer profecute his Rage againft them, but fearing the Vengeance of the God of Ifrael upon himself, he revoked his cruel Decrees, reftored their Privileges, and gave Leave to put to death the Jews that had abandoned their Religion, and worshipped Idols.

Note, This Story is found in that which is called the third Book of Maccabees, written by fome ancient Jew under that Title, because it gives an Account of the Perfecution and Deliverance of the Jews as the first and fecond Book of Maccabees do; though this was tranfacted long before the Name of Maccabeus arose, and therefore it ought rather to have been called the firft Book than the third. It is not found among our Apocryphal Books, because it was never inferted in the Vulgar Latin Verfion of the Bible, but it is found in many of the Manufcripts of the Greek Septuagint, and particularly that of the Alexandrian Manuscript in the King's Library.

SECT

SECT. IV. Of the Jewish Affairs under ANTIOCHUS the Great, SELEUCUS, and ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, Kings of

Syria.

10. DID

ID the Jews afterwards at Jerufalem continue under the Government of the Ptolemies who were Kings of Egypt? A. When Ptolemy Philopator was dead, and Ptolemy Epiphanes came to the Crown, the Jews having been greatly perfecuted by the Ptolemies, fubmitted themfelves to Antiochus the Great, King of Syria; and when he came to Jerufalem in a folemn Proceffion, they went to meet him, and received him gladly.

2Q. How did Antiochus reward them? A. He granted them many Privileges, as he had done to their Countrymen who were fettled in Babylonia and Mefopotamia, having always found the Men of that Nation faithful to him."

3.Q. What Confidence did he put in them on this Account? A. He tranfported feveral of them from Babylonia to the Leffer Afia to keep his Forts and Garrifons, and gave them good Settlements there; whence fprang a good part of the Jews that were found in that Country in the Apoftles Times.

4Q. What remarkable Event fell out in the Days of Seleucus Philopator, Son and Succeffor to Antiochus the Great? A: Simon, a Benjamite, being made Governor of the Temple, fome Differences arose between him and Onias the third, the High-Prieft, an excellent Man, concerning fome Disorders in the City: and when Simon could not obtain his Will, he informed Ароба

Apollonius the Governor of the Province under Seleucus, that great Treafures were hid in the Tem ple; whereupon Heliodorus the Treasurer was fent to seize them.

5 Q. How did the Hand of God appear against Heliodorus in bis Attempt to enter the Temple? A. The Priefts and the People made great Out-cries and Supplications to God, upon which Heliodorus is reported to have feen a Vifion of a Horfe with a terrible Rider upon him, who fmote Heliodorus with his Fore-feet, and two young Men appeared who fcourged him forely; upon which Heliodorus fell fuddenly to the Ground in Darkness and Confufion; but being reftored by the Prayers of Onias, he acknowledged the Power of God, and departed from the City.

Read this Story more at large, 2 Maccabees, Chap. iii. I confefs it feems to have fomething a little fabulous in the Air of it, as alfo other Stories in that Book.

6Q. How came fo good a Man as Onias to be turned out of the Priesthood? A. When Antiochus Epiphanes fucceeded his Brother Seleucus in the Kingdom of Syria, Jafon bribed him with a large Sum of Money to turn out his own Brother Onias, banifh him to Antioch, and confer the Priesthood on himself; not that he affected it as it was a Religious Office, but as it included the Power of Civil Government, 2 Mac. iv. 7.

7Q. What did this wicked Jafon do when he was High-Prieft? A. He erected a Place of Exercife at Ferufalem, for training up Youth according to the Fashion of the Greeks, and made as many of them as he could forfake the Religious Customs and Ufages of their Fore-fathers,

and

and conform themselves in many things to the Customs and Ceremonies of the Heathens, ver. 9, &c.

8 Q. What became of this Jalon? A. A few Years after, when he employed Menelaus his Brother to pay his Tribute at the Syrian Court, he was fupplanted 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 Jafon; he ftole fome of the Veffels 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 flain.

10 Q What was done at Jerufalem in the mean Time? A. Lyfimachus being left as a Deputy by Menelaus, practifed many Sacrileges on the Veffels of the Temple, which occafioned a great Infurrection in the City, wherein Multitudes of the Party of Lyfimachus were wounded and flain, and the Church Robber himself was killed.

11 Q. Did Jafon ever return again to Jerufalem? A. When there was a falfe Report of the Death of Antiochus, Fajon with a thousand Men affaulted the City, and flew many Citizens, but was at laft 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 fuffer thefe things to pass unrefented? A. Upon the Report of fuch a Tumult in Jerufalem, he imagined that Judea had revolted, and he came upon the City, and ordered his Men of War not to spare young or

old

old, and there were fourfcore Thousand destroyed in the Space of three Days.

132 What Profaneness was Antiochus guilty of in the Temple? A. Being conducted by Menelaus into the Temple, he took away the remaining holy Veffels, the Altar of Incenfe 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 Beaft) on the Altar of Burnt-offering, and left Jerufalem overwhelmed in Blood and Mourning.

14 Q. Did he pursue this Mifchief and Madness any longer? A. Two Years after he fent Apollonius, his Collector of Tribute, with a thousand Men, who fell fuddenly on the City on the Sabbath while they were at Worship, and flew the Citizens and the Priests; he made the Sacrifices cease, led the Women and Children captive, pulled down the Houfes and the Walls, built a Caftle 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.

15Q. What further Inftances of Rage did Antiochus fhew against the Jewish Religion? A. He iffued out an Order that all his Dominions should be of one Religion, chiefly defigning to diftress the Jews: He forbid their Children to be circumcifed, and forbid all Burnt-offerings and Sacrifices in the Temple to the God of Ifrael: He called it the Temple of Jupiter Olympius, fet up his Image on the Altar, and facrificed to it; he commanded the People to profane the Sabbath, he fet up Altars and Groves, and Chapels of Idols throughout the Cities, and required them

to