Scriptures? How did he get the people taught? and the children? What was the result? What great king came to Jerusalem ? Why did he come? How was he met? What did they tell him? What did he do?

CHAPTER LXXXIV.

THE GREEKS.

ALEXANDER killed himself with eating and drinking when he was quite young, and his generals divided his empire amongst them, and it came at last into four great parts, Greece, Asia, Syria, Egypt. Palestine was between the new Greek kingdom in Egypt, and the Syrian Greek kingdom, whose capital was Antioch.

The Jews came into contact with the Greeks, who were very immoral, and had all kinds of bad practices, which God's law forbade : but they were very clever and very learned. This made the Jews uneasy, because the Greeks laughed at them for being so strict and particular; and they told them they were behind the age.

Then a bad spirit sprang up amongst them, and they wanted to be like other nations, just as they did when they made Saul king: and the priests fell away too, and got very fond of heathen games and amusements.

At that time a man called Jason, brother of the high priest, went to the Greek king and gave him a large sum of money to make him high priest, and he promised to make all the people use Greek customs.

So the king put down his brother and made Jason high priest, who set up a big Government school in Jerusalem, in which they only used heathen school books, and no Bibles. Then he encouraged the young Jews to all kinds of immorality, and to despise the law of Moses.

After this the king An-ti-o-chus, on his way back from Egypt, took Jerusalem suddenly, defiled the temple, set up the image of Jupiter in it, and offered swine upon the

altar, and ordered the people to eat the flesh, which was forbidden by the Law of God. He wished to stamp out their old religion.

But an old scribe, publicly before the king, refused to eat, and he was beaten to death by the king's orders. Then a woman refused, and her seven sons followed her example. The king ordered the tongue of the first who refused to be cut out, then the skin of his head to be peeled off, and at last had him burnt alive before the face of his mother and his brothers; but they all died bravely in the same manner, one after another.

This refusal spread to the country, until one Mat-tathi-as, a priest, killed a Jew who was about to sacrifice like a heathen, and the king's officer also, who was there to enforce the sacrifice; and then Matta-thi-as and his sons fled to the mountains, and all who would not give up their religion gathered round them, and they attacked the cities of Israel, and threw down the Greek altars.

When the old man was on his death-bed, he called his sons around him, and spoke thus to them :

"Now hath pride and rebuke gotten strength.

"Now therefore, O my sons, be ye zealous for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers. "And call to remembrance the works of the fathers, which they have done in their generations: and you shall receive great glory, and an everlasting name.

"Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was imputed to him unto justice?

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Joseph in the time of his distress kept the commandment, and he was made lord of Egypt.

"Phineas our father, by being fervent in the zeal of God, received the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. "Jesus (i.e. Joshua), whilst he fulfilled the word, was made ruler in Israel.

"Caleb, for bearing witness before the congregation, received an inheritance.

"David by his mercy obtained the throne of an everlasting kingdom.

Elias, while he was full of zeal for the law, was taken up into heaven.

"Ananias and Azarias and Misael, by believing, were delivered out of the flame.

"Daniel in his innocency was delivered out of the mouth of the lions.

"And thus consider through all generations, that none that trust in him, fail in strength,

"And fear not the words of a sinful man, for his glory is dung, and worms:

"To-day he is lifted up, and to-morrow he shall not be found, because he is returned into his earth; and his thought is come to nothing.

"You therefore, my sons, take courage, and behave manfully in the law: for by it you shall be glorious" (1 Macc. iii. 50-64).

NOTES.-Alexander the Great conquered all the known world. He was a Greek of Macedonia. Antiochus was the descendant of one of Alexander's generals. Jupiter-The chief heathen god of the Greeks-" father of gods and men." Phineas was the grandson of Aaron (Numb. xxv. 7). Jesus is used for Joshua (see Heb. iv. 8). Caleb was one of the twelve spies, who "bore witness" to the goodness of the promised land.

QUESTIONS.

Who was Alexander? What caused his death? Who had his kingdom? How were the Jews injured by it? Who was Jason? What harm did he do? How did he get the power? What did Antiochus do at Jerusalem? How did he force the Jews to insult their law? Who first refused? Who next? Who made the final stand? How? Who gathered round him? What advice did he give his sons? Whom did he quote as examples? To what facts of history did he refer with regard to Abraham? to Joseph ? to Joshua? to Caleb? to David? to Elijah? to Ananias, Azarias, and Misael? to Daniel?

CHAPTER LXXXV.

THE MACCABEES..

JUDAS MAC-CA-BEUS took up his father's work, made David his example, and slowly gained ground, till Antiochus sent an army of 40,000 foot and 7,000 horse

and elephants, and bade the merchants of Tyre to come with their money to buy the Jewish prisoners, whom he was expecting to take. Judas encouraged his men, though he had only 3,000. They attacked the army in two parts, defeated it, and took, as part of the spoil, the money of the merchants. The next year they routed the army again, and marched to Jerusalem, where they cleansed the temple, and held a great feast for eight days.

Antiochus was in a great rage when he heard of this, and set out, vowing he would make Jerusalem one great graveyard of all the Jews. As soon as he had said so, he was seized with great pain in his bowels; but he made them drive his carriage so much the faster, that he might not lose his revenge, until his carriage was upset, and he was so hurt that he had to be carried in a litter. His body began to decay and to breed worms, so that the bearers refused to carry him, and he died miserably in the mountains.

Judas still fought many battles, but he lost many of his men, and found on their dead bodies some gifts offered to idols. He was so grieved at this infidelity, that he made peace with the Romans; and as soon as he had done so, most of his men were seized with a panic and ran away, and he, with the rest, fell fighting against their enemies.

This same family still kept in power over the people, till at last Herod the Great, who came from a heathen family of Philistines, but was adopted by an Idumean noble, married one of the Maccabees, and made himself master of Jerusalem. He then handed over the country to the Romans, who kept him in power in the hope of bringing the people over to the Roman government. He tried to make friends with the people by giving money to restore the temple; but he was really a heathen, and very cruel. He put to death his wife, and her father and mother, nearly all his own sons, and every person who had any power in Jerusalem; but he was very humble to the Romans, and did whatever they told him. So the Romans became masters of the land, and the Jews had to pay taxes to them.

QUESTIONS.

Who was Judas? Whom did he imitate? What did Antiochus do? What was the result? How did Antiochus die? What was he trying to do? What feast had Judas kept? Why did Judas fail at last? How did he die? Who was Herod? Whom did he marry? Who were his great friends? What was his character?

CHAPTER LXXXVI.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

A PARABLE is a story of real life which might have happened, since it contains nothing contrary to our experience. It is not, however, called by this name, unless it is used to illustrate some religious doctrine or course of action.

There are very few parables in the Old Testament. The following seem to be all that can properly be so called, viz. :

1. The little ewe lamb (2 Sam. xii. 1).

2. The two brothers striving together (2 Sam. xiv. 6). 3. The escape of the Syrian prisoner (1 Kings xx. 39). 4. The vineyard (Isa. v. 1).

But there are three more of a similar kind, though they cannot be strictly called PARABLES.

They are1. The thistle and the cedar (2 Kings xiv. 9). 2. The trees choosing a king (Judges ix. 7).

3. Micaiah's vision (1 Kings xxii. 19).

All these latter three are used to illustrate some religious truth, or to direct us to some religious course of action; but they all relate scenes which are contrary to our experience, or, as we may say, are unnatural. The two former are more like fables, since trees are made to act and talk like persons. The last of the three is a vision of heaven and spiritual beings; but it is used by Micaiah as a parable.

A FABLE is a story used to teach some moral lesson : but it is not taken from real life; for very often animals, and even trees and plants, are made to talk, as if they were men and women.