11 Q. In what manner did she encourage her sons in their sufferings?

A. By the tenderest speeches of an affectionate mother to her sons, she beseeched them to fear God, and not man; and to endure, in hope of a happy resurrection, when she should receive them all again in mercy.

12 Q. Did she herself also suffer the torment?

A. When she had seen all her sons die like martyrs before her, she finished that sad spectacle, and died also for her religion, 2 Mac. vii.

13 Q. What did Mattathias do all this while in the mountains?

A. He still encouraged the Jews to join with him, and among others, there were many of the Assideans, who were zealous for the law, resorted to him.

14 Q. Who were these Assideans, or Chasideans, as it ought to be written?

A. A sect among the Jews, who were called Chasidim, or the pious, who were not only zealous of the. law, but of many other constitutions and traditions, and forms of mortification, beyond what the law required; whereas those who contented themselves with what was written in the law, were called Zadikim, or the Righteous.

15 Q. What exploits did Mattathias and his friends perform?

A. They went round about the towns and villages, pulled down the heathen altars, and circumcised the children; they slew and put to flight many of their enemies, and recovered several copies of the Jewish law.

16 Q. When Mattathias died, who succeeded him? A. Just before his death he made a noble speech to his five sons, to encourage them in the defence of their religion, and their country; he recommended his son Simon, as a man of counsel, but he made his son Judas, surnamed Maccabeus, their captain. 17 Q. How came he to be called Maccabeus? A. The motto of his standard was the first letters

of that Hebrew sentence, Exod. xv. 11. Mi Camoka Baclin Jehovah, that is, Who is like to thee among the gods, O Lord? which letters were formed into the artificial word Maccabi, and all that fought under the standard were called Maccabees.

Note, This has been a common practice among the Jews to frame words in this manner. So Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon, that is, the son of Maimon, is called Rambum ; Rabbi Solomon Jarchi, is called Rasi. Nor is the use of the first letters of words for such kind of purposes unknown among Heathens or Christians. The letters S. P. Q. R. were written on the Roman standard, for Senatus Populus Quæ Romanus ; that is, "the Roman Senate and People." Jesus Christ our Saviour hath been called a fish, in Greek IXOTE, by the Fathers, because these are the first letters of those Greek words Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Saviour.

SECTION VI.

Of the Jewish Government under the Maccabees, or Asmoneans: And first of the three Brothers, Judas, Jonathan, und Simon.

1 Q. WHAT valiant actions did Judas and his brethren do, in defence of the law, and against their persecutors?

A. He won many battles against king Antiochus. and his generals, and encouraged himself and his soldiers, in the name of God, whensoever they began to faint.

2 Q. Where are these acts of Judas and his brethren recorded?

A. The earliest account of them is found in the first and second book of Maccabees.

179 Here note, That the first book of Maccabees is a very accurate and excellent history, and comes nearest to the style and manner of the sacred writings: and is supposed to be written a little after these persecutions. and wars were ended. But the second book consists of several pieces of much less value: it begins with two epistles from the Jews of Jerusalem, but both are supposed to be fabulous stories, and in some parts impossible to be true. The following parts of it pretend to be an abridgment of the history of one Jason; it relates some of the persecutions of Antiochus, and the acts of Judas, amplified with particular circumstances; but it is not of equal esteem with the first book, for it seems to affect miracles and prodigious events, beyond reasonable credibility.

3 Q. How did king Antiochus resent these attempts of Judas, and his success against him?

A. When he went into Persia to gather the tribute of the countries there, he left Lysias with half his army, and with express orders to destroy and root the Jews out of their land..

4 Q. Did Lysias pursue the king's orders?

A. Yes, with great diligence he sought to execute these cruel orders: his army of forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse, encamped at Emmaus, near Jerusalem and another army of a thousand merchants, flocked thither upon presumption of their victory, with great quantities of silver and gold to buy the captives for slaves.

5 Q. How did their wicked counsel to destroy Es-rael succeed?

A. When they were thus secure and confident of success, Judas and his brethren assembled at Mizpah, fasted, put on sackcloth, laid open the book of the law before God, where the heathens had painted their images, cried mightily unto God for help, sounded the trumpets, brought the army into order, and pre pared for battle and for death; unless God pleased to make them conquerors.

6 Q. What was the event of so much pious zeal and courage?

A. Judas and his army put to flight and destroyed several large parties that Lysias bad sent against him, they drove the enemy out of Jerusalem, and almost out of the land of Judea, and took a very large booty both from the army and the merchants.

7Q. What was the first work that Judas and his people applied themselves to upon this great success?

A. They went up into mount Sion, and when they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, the gates burnt up, shrubs and grass growing in the courts of the temple, they rent their clothes, fell down upon their faces, and made great lamentation, with humble cries to heaven.

8 Q. Had they power and time to repair the temple, and restore the worship of God?

A. Yes; they applied themselves to the work with all diligence, they sought out priests of blameless conversation to cleanse the Sanctuary; they pulled down the altars of burnt-offering, because the heathens had defiled it; they built a new altar, as the law directs, with whole stones; they made new holy vessels, the altar of incense, the table, and the candlesticks, all of gold, which they had taken from their enemies; and they set all the parts of divine worship in order again, and offered sacrifices according to the law.

2 Q. How did they kindle the sacred fire on the altar?

A. Having lost the fire which came down from heaven, which was kept burning on the altar at Jerusalem before the Babylonish captivity, they struck fire with flints, and so kindled the sacrifices and the lamps, 2 Mac. x. 3.

Note, We do not read, that the second temple ever had the sacred fire; the story of Jeremiah's hiding it, in 2 Macc. 1. is accounted a mere fable.

10 Q. Was there any thing remarkable in the time or day of this restoration of temple worship?

A. That very day three years wherein the heathen had profaned the altar by the offering of unclean beasts on it, it was dedicated with songs, and harps, and cymbals, and burnt offerings of God's appointment, and that for eight days together. This was two years after Judas had the chief command, and three years and a half after the city and temple had been laid desolate by Apollonius.

11 Q. What lasting memorial was appointed for this restoration of the worship of God in the temple? A. Judas and his brethren, and the whole congregation ordained that three days of the dedication of the altar should be kept yearly with mirth and glad

ness.

12 Q. Did the worship of God continue long here after this solemnity?

A. We are told by historians, that it continued from this time without any interruption from the Heathens, till the destruction of the temple by the Romans, though Jerusalem and the temple were often in the hands of the Heathens.

Note, Some this was that say feast of dedication very which our Saviour honoured with his presence at Jerusalem; though others think it was the dedication of Solomon's temple. Yet the season being winter, it rather agrees to the time of Maccabeus's dedication.

13 Q. Were not the Jews at all annoyed or disturbed by the enemy in this pious work?

A. There was still that fortress built by Apollonius remaining in the hands of the Heathens and apostate Jews; it stood on Mount Acra, a rising ground over against the mountain of the temple, and rather higher than that mountain, whence the Jews received some annoyance in going to the temple.