abomination of desolation therein, he persecuted them in a most cruel manner, of which some shocking instances are recorded in the second book of Maccabees,* showing at once the horrible disposition of the king, and the power of religion to support those who suffered the most atrocious torments, rather than renounce their law, or do an act forbidden by their God. It is probably concerning the tribulations of those days that the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews speaks, when he says, "others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings: they wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." These patient sufferers, however, did not constitute the whole body of the people; some there were who, through fear of death or hope of gain, meanly complied with the king's commandments, and sacrificed to the heathen idols, and some on the other hand who were zealous and bold enough to draw forth their swords in behalf of their country and religion. The first who did so was a priest, who dwelt in the city of Modin, Mattathias by name; he slew an apostate Jew, whom he saw publicly performing a heathenish sacrifice, and being supported by a chosen band of followers, among whom were his five sons, he kept up from that time a constant warfare against the enemies of Israel. The principal among those sons was Judas, called also Maccabeus, who after the death of his father succeeded to the chief command, and after gaining many advantages over the Syrians, was at last slain in a battle, in which with eight hundred men only, he had attempted to resist upwards of twenty thousand of the enemy. His brothers, Jonathan and Simon, carried on the noble enterprise which Matta

* 2 Macc. vi. vii. + Heb. ix. 35, 36, 38. 1 Macc. i. 53.

thias their father had begun; they compelled their former masters to acknowledge their independence, and, having become successively high-priests, governed the land which they had rescued from oppression in peace and with honour.

Judas, when he regained possession of the temple, finding it profaned and plundered, made it his first care to restore it as much as possible to its former condition, and dedicated it anew with solemn ceremony to the worship of God; in memory of which the Jews observed an annual festival at the beginning of winter, with mirth and gladness, a custom which continued down to the times of our Saviour, as we learn from the tenth chapter of St. John's gospel, where mention is made that it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter: and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch; showing us the place meet for them that keep holiday, and sanctioning the appointment of such days by the public authorities of the nation. And doubtless it was because the public authorities of the nation were at that time deeply impressed with the importance of religion, and looked upon the glory of God as the great end of all their labours, that they were blessed with such signal success, and were enabled to raise their country from the state of an enslaved province, to that of a flourishing and respected commonwealth ; for " righteousness" it is that "exalteth a nation;" and "them that honour God, God will honour;" sentences which ought to be engraven on every public building in the land, and on the hearts of every member of the community; but most especially on those of its rulers, so that they may own them to be 66 in the hand of the Lord, and like the rivers of water to be turned by Him whithersoever he will." After the deaths of those noble brothers of the family of the Maccabees, the son of Simon succeeded to the

government, and for a time things went on well, but only for a time; dissensions arose in the ruling family, and those who thought themselves aggrieved, called in, fatally for themselves and their country, the assistance of the Romans.* This nation, which was now rapidly extending its conquests over Europe, Africa, and Asia, was always ready to interpose as an umpire in the disputes of others, and never failed to make its interference serviceable to itself, by reducing both parties to subjection, and incorporating their territories into its own dominions. It also had been more than once foreshown in the prophecies of Daniel -being represented as the iron legs of the great image, which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream, and explained to mean "the fourth kingdom, which should be as strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things, and as iron that breaketh all these, would it break in pieces and bruise." It was represented likewise under the appearance of a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly, which had great iron

They did ill too, in invading the kingly office, to which, as descendants of Levi, however meritorious their services, they had no claim.

Milton (Par. Lost, xii. 349-360,) gives a striking summary view of the events of the period :

"Returned from Babylon, by leave of kings,

Their lords, whom God disposed, the House of God
They first re-edify, and for a while,

In mean estate live moderate, till grown

In wealth and multitude, factious they grow;
But first among the priests dissension springs,
Men who attend the altar, and should most
Endeavour peace: their strife pollution brings
Upon the temple itself: at last they seize
The sceptre, and regard not David's sons;
Then lose it to a stranger, that the true
Anointed king Messiah might be born
Barred of his right."

+ Dan. ii. 40.

teeth, and devoured and brake in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet of it :"* for this also was explained to mean "the fourth kingdom upon earth, which should be diverse from all kingdoms, and should devour the whole earth, and tread it down and break it in pieces." It was also represented as "a king," rising up in the latter time of the Macedonian kingdoms," when the transgressors were come to the full, who should destroy wonderfully, and prosper, and practise, and destroy the mighty and the holy people; who, through his policy should cause craft to prosper in his hand; who should magnify himself in his heart, and by peace should destroy many: who should stand up against the prince of princes."+

This formidable nation being called in to settle the disputes of Judea, acted according to their usual custom, and took possession of the country; and being themselves soon afterwards divided into parties, first one and then the other became its masters, until this unsettled state of things was finally terminated by the accession of Augustus Cæsar to supreme authority over the whole Roman empire, and the appointment of Herod, son of Antipater the Edomite, to be, under him, king of Judea : a man in whose reign, disfigured as it is by cruelties of every description towards his own family and his subjects, this only is to be found deserving of commendation, that he undertook a thorough repair (so much so as almost to be considered as a rebuilding) of God's holy temple, which through lapse of time had greatly fallen into decay. He was made king of the country thirty-six years before the birth of our Saviour Christ, at which time the history of the New Testament commences; being a record of events eternally designed, in the deep counsels of God, to effect the most important changes Ibid. viii. 23-25.

Dan. vii. 7.

+ Ver. 23.

in the condition of mankind, and to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins.

May we receive the information communicated unto us in that holy volume, with the trusting obedience of his professed servants, with the love and gratitude of miserable sinners redeemed from the sad bondage of sin and death-may we draw from its assurances direction of our way through life, defence against the world's temptations, and hope and comfort in our last hour; and may he bless our future meditations upon it in the retirement of our private chambers, or in his holy house-where on those who meet together unitedly in his name, the Lord God hath commanded of old the blessing, even life for evermore.

BIBLE