Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1909-09-02

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 disaffection 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 a 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 &C.
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. 1t was evident
that he appreciated that further ar
gument was Of no avail, for he turned
and as he stepped through. the door
/ hn k,,~ aNG a.
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 q
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 the 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 cities of Juda.
This 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 the
city and brought in armor and victuals.
And whenever any heather coveted
aught which was Jews he ruthless
Iy slew the Jew and toook his ALL.
Now the king, Antiochus, was not a
little annoyed because of the obsti-
macy of some few of the Jews, and Jhe
sent 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, pricing their
lives higher than obedience to Gods
law and acceptability with Him, and
they sacrificed unto the strange idols
, with which the city became filed and
, they profaned the Sabbath days.
| he Ar
obey the commands of the king was
that faithful Jew who had kept that
, little company from compromising
with evil some two years before. And
not one of that group had proved
faithless to the stand taken thai
, night. Some had been put to deatf
and others had fed into the Businesses
of the mountains. But their leader
still remained in Jerusalem, and nov
it became evident that he was the one
upon whom the wrath and enmity o.
the officials of the city was centering
But that they might cause him all tht
) suffering possible before putting hin
to death, they seized his wife and his
= infant son and put them both to dealt
before one of the affairs erected Il
5 the idols. All of which they forceC
this devout Jew to witness. There
. lay his wife in the awful agonies o
the slow and torturing execution
while their little son was strung b.
s the neck along the street with otheI
d infants much as bead pendants Nigh
n be hung from string.
"Wilt thou not yield now, seeing
t, the sure fate which awaits you If yoI
{. do not?" demanded the official. H,
p was hoping that he would be able t.
d get a recantation from the man, TO
e he knew that if he did, this mans in
t. fuenoe was so great that many other
4, too would bow before the idols ant
a. conform to the requirements of tn
y king. 81
It But no, he would not, exclaiminl