Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1909-09-22

us. 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 Cd
taDnshed 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 disaffection to the
heathen. and presented the suggestion
tnat 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 a departure from
jewish law and ordinances is begun
and there is no telling to what lengths
II Will go. You all know that already
| there are some Of our brethren who
nave been to the king and secured
| Incense to do after the ordinances of
the heather as though they were
Gentlles indeed. And thou knowest
| now they have built places Of wor.
snip In our holy city Jerusalem &C.
cording to all the manner and custom
or the heather. and have made them
selves uncircumcised and have for.
saken the holy covenant. Yea. they
| nave sold themselves to do mischief"
This earnest plea had its effect and
II was plain to see ere he had finished
speaking that all were determined to
ssand against the enticements of the
Gentiles except the one who had
Drought the message. It was evident
tnat he appreciated that further ar
gument was of no avail. for he turned
and as he stepped through the doc,
he turned and with q 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
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
SUCK OF gold and all the vessels there
OIL 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 mon and tho 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 cities of Juda.
Ihls collector spake peaceable
words unto the Jews, but all was de-
ceit, for when they had paid him all
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 tho
city and brought in armor and victuals.
And whenever any heather coveted
aught which was Jews he ruthless
ly slew the Jew and toook his ALL.
Now the king. Antiochus. was not q
little annoyed because Of the obsti-
macy or some few OF the Jews, and he
sent a decree into the land 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. prizing their
lVes 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 to
obey the commands of the king was
that faithful Jew who had kent that
little company from compromising
with evil some two years before. And
not one OF that group had proved
faithless to the stand taken that
night. Some had been put to death
and others had fed into the fastnesses
or the mountains. But their leader
still remained in Jerusalem, and now
IL became evident that he was the one
upon whom the wrath and enmity of
the officials Of the city was centertng.
But that they might cause him all the
suffering possible before putting him
to death. they seized his wife and his
infant son and put them both to death
before one Of the affairs erected TO
the idols. All OF which they forced
this devout Jew to witness. There
lay his wife in the awful agonies of
the slow and torturing execution.
while their little son was strung by
the neck along the street with other
infants much as bead pendants might
be hung FROM a string.
wilt thou not yield now, seeing
the sure fate which awaits you II you
do not?" demanded the official. He
was hoping that he would be able 10
get recantation from the man. for
he knew that II he did, this mans in
fiuence was so great that many others
too would bow before the idols and
conform to the rannirarnnnta Of H.