wax before the flame. The earth shall be rent asunder, and all that is in the world perish, and there shall be judgement upon all men. But with the righteous shall he make peace; he will guard his chosen, and upon them shall be mercy. They shall all belong unto God, and they shall prosper and be blest. He shall succour his chosen, and manifest his light upon them, and they shall be in peace.

Behold, he cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgement upon all, to destroy the ungodly, and to convict all flesh of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

SCENES FROM THE BOOKS OF MACCABEES

§ 43. Lament over Jerusalem.

In those days rose up Mattathias; and he dwelt at Modin. And he had five sons, Joannan, Simon, Judas called Maccabæus, Eleazar, and Jonathan. And when he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Judah and Jerusalem, he said, Woe is me! wherefore was I born to see the ruin of my people, and of the holy city, and to dwell there, when it was delivered into the hand of the enemy, and the sanctuary into the hand of strangers ? Her temple is bereft of its glory;* her glorious *The original Hebrew may have run "is become as Ichabod," a touching reference to the ruin of the older sanctuary of Shiloh in the days of Eli (C. J. Ball).

vessels are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in the streets, her young men with the sword of the enemy. What nation hath not had a portion in her palaces, and gotten possession of her spoils ? All her adornments are taken away; instead of a free woman she is become a bond slave. And behold, our sanctuary, even our beauty and our pride, is laid waste, and the gentiles have profaned it. To what end therefore should we live any longer?

Then Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes and put on sackcloth, and mourned very sore.

1 MACCABEES ii. 1-13.

§ 44. Death of Mattathias.

Now when the time drew near that Mattathias should die, he said unto his sons, Now hath pride and rebuke gotten strength, and a season of overthrow and fierce anger. Now, therefore, my sons, be ye zealous for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers. Call to remembrance what acts our fathers did in their generations; so shall ye receive great honour and an everlasting name. And consider now, throughout all ages, none that put their trust in God did stumble. Fear not then the words of a sinful man: to-day he shall be lifted up, but to-morrow he shall not be found because he is returned unto his dust, and his thought is come to nothing. Wherefore, my sons, be valiant and show yourselves men in behalf of the law, for by it shall ye obtain glory. And, behold, I know that Simon your brother is a

man of counsel; give ear unto him alway: he shall be a father unto you. As for Judas, he hath been strong and mighty from his youth up: let him be your captain and fight the battle of the people. Take also unto you all that observe the law, and avenge the wrong of your people. Recompense fully the heathen, and take heed to the commandments of the law.

So he blessed them and was gathered to his fathers; and he died in the hundred and forty and sixth year, and his sons buried him in the sepulchre of his fathers at Modin, and all Israel made great lamentation for him.

1 MACCABEES ii. 49-70 (selections).

§ 45. Judas Maccabæus.

Then his son Judas, called Maccabæus, rose up in his stead. And all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that clave unto his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel. And he got his people great honour, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike harness about him, and did battle, guarding the host with his sword. In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey. For he pursued the ungodly and sought them out, and burned up those that vexed his people. Wherefore the ungodly shrank for fear of him, and all the workers of lawlessness were troubled, and salvation prospered in his hand. He angered also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed for ever.

Now Jerusalem lay desolate as a wilderness; there was none of her children that went in or out; the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the citadel; the joy was taken from Jacob, and pipe and harp ceased. Wherefore the men of Israel assembled themselves together, and came to Mizpeh; and they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes, and laid open the books of the law, for the which the heathen were making diligent search, that they might paint therein the likeness of their idols.

Then cried they with a loud voice, saying, Behold, thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness and brought low. And the heathen are gathered together to destroy us; thou knowest what things they purpose against us. How, then, shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help?

And Judas said, Arm yourselves and be valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these gentiles; for it is better for us to die in battle than to behold the calamities of our nation and our sanctuary. Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, even so shall he do.

1 MACCABEES iii. (selections).

§ 46. The Victory at Emmaus.

Then took Gorgias five thousand footmen and a thousand picked horsemen, and moved his camp by night to the end he might fall upon the Jews

and smite them suddenly: and the men of the citadel were his guides.

Now when Judas heard thereof, he removed and the valiant men with him, to smite the king's army which was at Emmaus, while as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp. In the meantime came Gorgias by night into the camp of Judas; and when he found no man there he sought them in the mountains, for, said he, These fellows flee from us. But as soon as it was day, Judas showed himself in the plain with three thousand men; nevertheless they had neither armour nor swords to their minds. And when they saw the camp of the heathen that it was strong and well fortified and compassed about with horsemen that were expert in war, Judas said to the men that were with him, Fear not their multitude, neither be afraid of their assault. Remember how our fathers were delivered in the Red sea when Pharaoh pursued them with an army. And now let us cry unto heaven, if peradventure the Lord will have mercy upon us and will remember the covenant of our fathers and destroy this host before our face this day: that all the heathen may know that there is one who delivereth and saveth Israel.

And the strangers lifted up their eyes and saw them coming over against them; wherefore they went out of the camp to battle; and they that were with Judas sounded their trumpets and joined battle; and the heathen were discomfited and fled into the plain. Howbeit all the hindmost of them