The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1909-09-11

let NJ go and make q covenant
with the heather that are round about
u.s." they said. "for since we failed
to fellowship with them. we have had
much sorrow"
Many had been well pleased with
the suggestion and had forthwith es-
tablished communications with their
heather neighbors and apparently
were prospecting under the compact
And this messenger had come to this
group of Jews who still held aloof
from the popular disaffecti,n to the
heather, and presented the suggestion
that they too make alliance with the
people about them
Nay" we cannot do this great in
iquity," spoke up again the first
speaker. "Once such departure from
Jewish law and ordinances is begun
and there is no telling to what lengths
It will go. You all know that already
there are some Of our brethren who
have been to the king and secured
/ license to do after the ordinances Of
the heather as though they were
Gentiles indeed. And thou knowest
how they have built places of wor-
ship in our holy city Jerusalem 40
cording to all the manner and custom
of the heather, and have made them
selves uncircumcised and have for
saken the holy covenant. Yea. they
have sold themselves to do mischief"
This earnest plea had its effect and
1t was plain to see ere he had finished
speaking that all were determined to
stand against the enticements of the
Gentiles except the one who had
brought the message It was evident
that he appreciated that further ar
gument was of no avail, for he turned
and as he stepped through the door
he turned and with a sheer on his
face he said:
you are foolish, indeed. Trouble
will surely come to you"
Not long after this the king Anti.
ochus returned in triumph from Egypt
where he had been waging war, and
came down upon Jerusalem with a
great army. And when he had taken
the city he entered proudly into the
sanctuary of the temple and took
away the golden altar and the candle
stick,of gold and all tho vessels there
Of And the table of shew bread, and
the pouring vessels, and the walls, and
the censers Of gold, and the precious
vessels, and all the gold and silver.
| and much hid treasure. And he caused
all kinds of indignities to be prac.
ticed upon those Of the Jews who re.
! fused to conform to all the customs
of the heather. Those were terrible
| days in Jerusalem, for the strength of
| the young men and the young women
was taken, and the beauty of women
was changed. Thsu matters continued
| for two years and then the king sent
his chief collector to gather tribute
from Jerusalem and the citios Of Juda
| This collector spake peaceable
words unto the Jews, but all was de-
his demands he fell suddenly upon the
city for loot and destroyed much
people. Having done this, he brought
in great companies Of heather, and
they strengthened the walls of the
city and brought in armor and victuals
And whenever any heather coveted
aught which was Jews he ruthless
| ly slew the Jew and toork his ALL.
Now the king, Antiochus, was not a
little annoyed because of the obsti.
macy of some few of the Jews, and he
sent a decree into the lind of Israel
that every one should leave his laws
and obey only those laws which the
king himself had made.
And very many of the Jews were
consenting to this thing. pricing theiI
lives higher than obedience to Gods
law and acceptability with Him, and
they sacrificed unto the strange idols
with which the city became filled and
they profaned the Sabbath days.
Now among the few who refused Il
obey the commands of the king wal
that faithful Jew who had kept tha
little company from compromising
with evil some two years before. AND
not one of that group had proved
faithless to the stand taken tina
night. Some had been put to dealt
and others had fed into the Businesses
of the mountains. But their leade
still remained in Jerusalem, and nov
1t became evident that he was the ont
upon whom the wrath and enmity O
the officials of the city was centering
But that they might cause him all thu
suffering possible before putting hin
to death, they seized his wife and hi
| infant con and mt them 10th tn deatl
before one Of the affairs erected Il
the idols. All of which they force'
this devout Jew to witness. Their
lay his wife in the awful agonies O
the slow and torturing execution
while their little son was strung b.
the neck along the street with othe
| infants much as bead pendants nigh