The whole genuine and complete works of Flavius Josephus ... Translated from the original in the Greek language. And diligently revised and compared with the writings of contemporary authors, of different nations, on the subject. All tending to prove the authenticity of the work. ; To which is added various useful indexes ... ; Also a continuation of the history of the Jews, from Josephus down to the present time ... By George Henry Maynard, LL.D. ; Illustrated with marginal references and notes, historical, biographical, classical, critical, geographical, and explanatory. By the Rev. Edward Kimpton, author the the Compleat universal history of the Holy Bible. ; Embellished with upwards of sixty beautiful engravings, taken from original drawings of the Messrs, Metz, Stothard, and Corbould, members of the Royal Academy, and engraved by American artists.

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS ON THE MARTYRDOM OF THE MACCABEES.

I. MACCABEES. CHAP. I.

AS my design, in this discourse, is to shew that reason is the perfection of wisdom, and ru|ler of the passions, when duly improved by study and religion, I cannot but exhort my readers to apply themselves, with the utmost assi|duity, to the attainment of knowledge, the most important of all acquisitions. Reason is a necessary preliminary to knowledge, in which, if we excel, we may be said to excel in the noblest and most comprehensive of all virtues, which is prudence. It is reason alone that can effectually restrain the inordinate affections of the mind, correct the de|pravity of nature, and those corrupt inclinations which are opposed to the love and practice of vir|tue That branch or degree of it which subdues the passions of anger, fear, and grief, and whate|ver else enervates the mind, may properly be deno|minated fortitude.

To this it may perhaps be objected, if reason has this dominion over the passions, or perturbations of the mind, why has it not the same controuling power over ignorance and forgetfulness? This is a frivolous objection, and foreign to the case in point; for when we affirm that reason has a controuling power over the passions, we mean those defects of nature only as are opposite to justice, temperance, and fortitude, all which are of a distinct kind, and belong to the sensitive soul; but not such as are defects peculiar to itself, and appertain to the rational system. Again, in this objection the nature of this sovereignty is misrepresented; for we do not mean that reason en|tirely removes those affections, but does not so far submit as to suffer itself to be vanquished by them.

That it is in the power of reason to command and subdue the passions, I could demonstate by a va|riety of arguments, but shall, at present, confine my|self to the most approved and undeniable one, mat|ter of fact. I mean the example of persons who have signalized themselves inresolutely asserting and dying in defence of truth and virtue, among whom I apprehend none are more conspicuous, or more deservedly admired, than those of our country, Eleazar, and the seven brethren martyred with their mother. These, despising the most exquisite tor|tures, and persevering even unto death, have incon|testibly proved the command of reason over the passions: I mean those of the sensitive kind, as be|fore alluded to. I shall endeavour to give just commendations to these brave men, and their in|comparable mother, for their immoveable con|stancy; and to transmit their names with honour to posterity, for their stedfast adherence to virtue and their duty. These men excited the admiration not only of those who were indifferent spectators, or readers, of their sufferings, but even of their very enemies, and most prejudiced tormentors, who stood amazed at the courage and patience which their own implacable malice exercised after so inhuman and barbarous a manner. Thus they became the means of releasing their nation from oppression, conquering the rage of a tyrant by their sufferings, and becoming a sacrifice of expiation for their country.

The method in which I propose to proceed, will be, first, to make some general remarks on the point in debate, and then attend to this particular instance, giving glory to God, the fountain of wisdom, who hath been pleased to leave such un|deniable evidence of this truth in the persons whose virtues I am now about to celebrate.

The question to be resolved is plainly this. Whe|ther reason can controul and govern the passions? In order thereto it will be necessary to explain what is to be understood by reason, what by passion, how many species there are of passions, and whether reason bears sway over them all.

By reason then I understand the intellectual fa|culty improved and rightly guided by reflection, preferring a life conducted by wisdom and truth. By wisdom I understand the knowledge of divine and human affairs, and the true causes and grounds

of each, such as we attain by the discipline and in|struction of the laws, which teaches us to embrace those truths which relate to God with reverence, and those respecting men as things directed to, and de|signed for, the benefit of mankind. Wisdom may be divided into four particular branches; Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. The noblest and most comprehensive of these is prudence, be|cause reason, through its assistance and influence, attains dominion over the passions.

The passions that are most general are two, plea|sure and pain, each of which acts upon the body and soul. In these two passions of pleasure and pain are comprehended many others. Thus, in the in|stance of pleasure, it is preceded by desire, and fol|lowed by joy. In that of pain, it is preceded by fear, and followed by sorrow.

Anger is a mixed passion, between pleasure and pain, of which those must be sensible who mi|nutely observe how they are affected by it. In plea|sure is comprehended a base and wicked affection, which of all the passions is the most diffusive. In the mind are avarice, envy and contention; in the body greediness and sordidness. Pleasure and pain, like certain branches growing out of the body, have several scions, which reason, like the common hus|bandman, by lopping, tying up, watering, trans|posing, and ordering, corrects in their nature, and tames their wildness. Reason is the guide of the virtues, and governess of the passions. That this is not affirmed without ground, is evident from the mighty effect it has in matters where the virtue of temperance is obstructed. Temperance restrains the desires; some of which belong to the soul, others to the body; both of which are under the government of reason. When our appetites incline to such fish, fowl, or other delicious foods as are forbidden by our laws, and we abstain from them upon that very account, this is a demonstrative proof of the do|minion of reason over the passions. For the im|pulse of the appetite, by the assistance of reason, is restrained, and all the motions of the body are bridled by its coercive power.

CHAP. II.

BUT this is a matter of small weight when com|pared with the more stimulating desires of the mind, especially those that are excited by beauty. Joseph acquired immortal renown for conquering his passion by the standard of reason and sound re|flection,* 1.1 though in the bloom of years, and urged by the united impulse of beauty and importunity. It is not the mere allaying the fury of vehement pursuits after pleasure, and abstaining from the im|pure act, that reason can or ought to do, since it is plain our very inclinations are under its jurisdiction; otherwise the law would have been most absurd in laying upon us a command so impracticable as that, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." Now it is evident that when the law forbids us to covet at all▪ it more strongly implies that reason is able to curb and conquer our desires. And thus it is not only in those things which are opposite to the virtues of temperance, but justice also. Otherwise what re|medy could there be for reforming the luxurious, avaricious, or sordid man? When a man, of a co|vetous disposition, is prevailed upon to conform to the precepts of our law, he restrains his desires, lends to the poor without taking usury, and remits the debt at the year of jubilee;* 1.2 and though he be ever so frugal, yet he is obliged by this law, neither to gather in the fruits of his field or his vineyard in the sabbatic year.

Many other instances might be produced to shew that reason governs our passions: for the law, in some cases, exercises dominion over nutural affec|tions to parents; forbidding us, for their sakes, to betray the cause of truth and virtue: so it does over tenderness to our wives, commanding us to punish them for the transgressions of their duty: so again over love to our children, enjoining us to make them examples whem they do amiss: and lastly, over-kindness to our friends, in directing us to reprove their vices. In confirmation of this truth, it is further to be observed, that reason, when influenced by the law,* 1.3 overcomes hatred to enemies; for it prohibits the cutting down their fruit-trees: it orders us to restore to our enemies things which they have lost, and to help their cat|tle when fallen and in distress.

Further, it is evident that reason bea••s sway over the more violent passions, such as ambition, vain-glory, and envy; for all these unseemly dispositions are removed and subdued by a mind instructed by sound reason; as is anger also, though the most un|governable of all passions. If this were not the case, how could our wise ancestor Jacob so severely condemn that fact of his Sons, Simeon and Levi, when they, contrary to reason, utterly destroyed the whole race of the Shechemites? saying,* 1.4 in abhor|rence of their intemperate rage, "Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel." He had certainly no view in speaking thus, unless persuaded that reason was able to conquer wrath.

CHAP. III.

WHEN God created man, and endued him with reason and a freedom of will, he, at the same time, implanted in his nature variety of passions and dispositions, and set his intellectual mind upon the throne, to exercise government over all the sensual appetites within. He then imposed a law as a rule, whereby he might direct himself, and lead a life of temperance, justice, and goodness. What ground can there be then for that objection, which makes a doubt whether reason can master the passions, be|cause it does not appear that it attains to absolute dominion over forgetfulness and ignorance? We are not to expect that reason should totally exempt us from all evil dispositions; but it will aid us in our conflicts with such dispositions; it being the proper office of reason not to change, but assist na|ture; not to be a destroyer but an auxiliary.

This matter may receive some illustration from the example of David. We read that, after hav|ing engaged a whole day with an army of Philis|tines, and made great slaughter among them,* 1.5 the king retired in the evening into the royal tent, fa|tigued and spent, where all the forces of our fore|fathers were encamped around him. The rest of the company refreshed themselves contentedly; but the king being exceeding thirsty, could not satisfy his appetite with any water drawn out of those springs of which they had plenty. An inconside|rate desire seized him to drink of the water fetched from the enemies garrison. Hereupon some of his officers, desirous of satisfying him, armed them|selves, took a vessel, broke through the enemies trenches, passed their guards, sought out the well of Bethlehem, and thence brought to the king the water he so ardently desired. But David; though parched with thirst, recollecting how inhuman and dangerous a thing it would be to gratify his ap|petite at the hazard of mens lives, and that drink|ing the water would be in effect to drink blood, opposed reason to inclination, and made a libation of it to the Deity.

Thus a mind, strictly temperate and wise, can over|come the impulse or the passions, extinguish the flames of the most furious desires, contend with the most exquisite bodily pains, and, in fine, quell all the perturbations that discompose the human frame, by a steady principle of virtue But it now becomes necessary to confirm this argument, by demonstra|tive proofs of this power of reason exemplified by practice, of which our forefathers have given un|deniable instances. When, through strict observance of their laws, they had ingratiated themselves with foreign princes, and prevailed upon Seleucus Nica|nor, king of Asia, so far, that he set apart a portion of his public revenues to defray the expence of the sacrifices, as highly approving their institutions,* 1.6 it happened, after this profound tranquility, some of

them were brought under various and severe trials, by the ill offices of wicked men, who disturbed the public peace in the manner hereafter related.

CHAP. IV.

A Certain man, named Simon, creating a quarrel with Onias, who was high-priest for life, and a man of the greatest integrity, after having en|deavoured to vilify his character by the foulest as|persions, and finding his attempts vain to lessen him in the esteem of the people, fled to a foreign court, with wicked intent to betray his country. He ac|cordingly applied to Apollonius, who was then go|vernor of Syria and Phoenicia, and told him, that, from his great zeal for the king his master, he was come to make a discovery of a vast sum of money deposited in the treasury at Jerusalem, not appro|priated to the temple, or employed to any public use, but wealth hoarded up by private men, and therefore of course the right of Seleucus. Apol|lonius having received this account, commended Simon's zeal for the king's service, waited upon Se|leucus, and imparted to him the secret. Upon this information he soon obtained a commission from the king, and marched into our country, bringing with him the traitor Simon, and a very powerful army.

Upon his arrival, he gave out, that he came, by order of the king, to remove the private money that was in the sacred treasury. The nation taking alarm, and complaining of it as an horrible injus|tice to deprive those of their money who had depo|sited it in the sacred treasury, resisted the officer as much as they were able. But Apollonius, with menaces of force, made up to the temple. The priests, upon this, with their wives and children, prostrating themselves before the sacred place, implored the Almighty to defend his own temple from prophanation and contempt.

Apollonius still persisting, and entering the place with a body of armed men, as he was about to seize upon the treasury, behold angels from heaven suddenly appeared, mounted on horses, clad in shin|ing armour, and struck Apollonius and his soldiers with fear and trembling. The governor fell to the ground in the court of the Gentiles, stretching out his hands to heaven, and supplicating the Hebrews, with many tears, to offer their prayers for him, that he might not be destroyed by that tremendous host. The high-priest Onias, moved with compassion, and fearing lest Seleucus should impute the death of Apollonius to human treachery, granted his re|quest; so that being miraculously saved, he return|ed back to the king, and related to him the parti|culars that had befallen him.

But king Seleucus dying soon after, he was suc|ceeded on the throne by his son Antiochus, a man of an imperious and savage disposition, who de|prived Onias of the priesthood, and put into that office his brother Jason, upon a compact of an an|nual tribute of three thousand six hundred and sixty talents, which he had covenanted to pay him. The king having constituted this Jason superintendant, not only over ecclesiastical matters, as high-priest▪ but also over civil affairs, he put our nation under severe trials, and, by introducing new customs, contrary to the law, hurried them into all manner of impurity. He not only instituted Grecian games in our metropolis, but abolished the use of the temple, insomuch that the Divine vengeance being provoked. Antiochus was stirred up to make war against the Jews. Being engaged in an expedition against Ptolemy, king of Egypt, and informed, at the same time, that some of the inhabitants of Je|rusalem had expressed joy at the report of his being dead, he turned his forces that way, and made great havock among them, publishing withal an edict, forbiding any of them to observe the customs of their country, upon pain of death. Finding this edict had not its intended effect, but that all his se|verest threatenings and punishments were so far despised, that even the women (who continued the practice of circumcising their children) were cast down headlong from the walls of the city, (though they knew what they were to suffer,) he was so amazed at the little regard shewn to his authority, that he came in person, and by torments compelled those that were brought before him, to eat of mea••s unclean and forbidden by the law, and thus abjure the religion of their country.

CHAP. V.

WHEN Antiochus, that cursed tyrant, had seated himself upon a tribunal, surrounded by his counsellors, and a str••ng body of armed men, he commanded many of the Hebrews to be brought by force before him, and compelled them to eat of swine's flesh, and meats offered to idols, upon pain of the torture in case of refusal. After many had been thus barbarously treated, a certain man, named Eleazar, of the family of the priests, by profession a lawyer, far advanced in years, and known to se|veral who stood round the tyrant, was brought be|fore him. Antiochus observing the venerable sage, thus addressed him:

Before I proceed to use any severity, let me advise thee, reverend old man, to save thy own life, by submitting to eat of swine's flesh; for I pay great respect to thy age and grey hairs; and am surprized that the experience of so many years should not have made thee wiser than still to persevere in the Jewish superstition. It seems to me a most unreasonable thing for men to abridge themselves of any innocent pleasures, and great injustice to themselves, and ingratitude to nature, to refuse any of those enjoyments which her bounty hath provided for us. Why shouldest thou then express such abhorrence of that most delicious of all meats, which seems, in the flesh of swine, to have been designed as our best entertainment, and a singular favour? This may in others seem somewhat more excusable; but in you, who are a person of better judgment, it would be a most unaccountable folly, to be prejudiced by a false and empty notion of reli|gion; and for an idle fancy to contemn my au|thority, and draw a needless punishment upon your own head: wilt not thou then suffer thine eyes to be opened, and be awakened out of this dream of thy peculiar persuasion, and set thyself free from the bondage of so morose and singular a notion? Will this friendly expostulation pre|vail for no deference to be paid my kindness? and the compassion I have for thy age, move thee to no compassion upon thyself? Methinks it should; for though what I have said does not convince thee of the vanity of thy opinion in this point, yet you must needs allow, that if there be a power above, which does, as you suppose, re|quire the observance of this religion, that power hath so much goodness as to pardon the trans|gression of his laws, when it is not the offender's own act and choice, but the effect of force and pure constraint.

Eleazar, having duly attended to these words, entreated of the king permission to speak for him|self, which being granted, he stood forth, and, in the presence of the whole assembly, spoke to the following effect:

Know, Sire, that we, who are fully convinced that it is our duty, in all things, to behave our|selves according to the law given us by God, are perfectly persuaded, that no necessity can more oblige us, no force be stronger upon us, than that by which we stand bound to obey his law; and for this reason we think our acting contrary to it, cannot be dispensed with on any terms whatso|ever. Nay, though our law were not, as you are pleased to suggest, really divine, yet, Sire,

[figure]

Engraved for the American Edition of MAYNARD's Jo••••phus.

ELEAZER by command of ANTIOCHUS the Tyrant dragged to the TORTURE, for refusing ••o cal ••i••inas Has•• and sacrifice to Idols. Published by William Durall N. 〈…〉〈…〉 Street.

must crave leave to say, that, so long as we con|tinue to believe it divine, that very persuasion ought to be an effectual restraint upon us from violating, or thinking meanly of, any religious ordinances established by it. Do not therefore imagine, if we should submit to defile ourselves by unclean meats, that this would be deemed a small and pardonable fault. For the presump|tion of the offender is the same, and the autho|rity of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 equally insulted, be the instance in which a man transgresses greater or less. The fact itself makes no difference in point of guilt. You were pleased, Sire, to speak contemptuously of our religion, as an institution unbecoming men of reason and philosophy. But I must be bold to say, it is the best and most consummate philosophy; for it teaches us temperance, the conquest of our passions and desires, and sets us above all our pleasures. It trains us up in the exercise of fortitude, and commands us to un|dergo all manner of pain willingly and chear|fully. It teaches us the most exact justice; and orders us to confine our worship and absolute re|verence to the one true God, where alone they are of right due. Upon this account we dare not eat things prohibited and unclean; for we are fully persuaded that God, who created our nature, had due regard to it; that the very in|stitution of this law was so far from a hardship, as in itself to be an act of goodness and mercy, and that the things forbidden are hurtful to our souls▪ whereas those allowed for food are useful and convenient. It is therefore the very extre|mity of tyranny to force us not only to sin against our law, but to eat that which is therefore not allowed us because of a quality not fit to be eaten. But this is a sort of triumph which I shall never give you over me. Nor must I falsify the solemn oaths, and only engagements, where|by our ancestors have bound themselves, and their posterity, to the faithful observance of this law; not though you should command my eyes to be put out, and my bowels to be burnt. Old age hath not so impaired my mind, or enfeebled my body, but that, when religion and duty call me to it, my reason can yet approve itself youthful and vigorous. If this reply provoke you, pre|pare your instruments of torture, and heat your furnace hotter still▪ all that shall not move me to spare my old age, so as, for the saving my per|son, to violate the law of my country and my God. That holy law, to which I owe my in|struction, I will never desert. Thou dearest of all virtues, temperance, by which we preserve our native sovereignty over our appetites, I will never abjure the••; thou best of all philo|sophy, I will never disgrace thee. Thou holy order of priesthood, and study of the law, I will neither forego, or be a blemish to you. My ancestors shall find me come to you pure and constant; a soul as free from such a stain as un|daunted under all manner of torments, even unto death.

CHAP. VI.

ELEAZAR, having made this noble and spirited reply to the tyrant's exhortation, was dragged by the guards that stood round to the cruelest tor|ments. They pulled off the old man's garment, the venerable habit of his religion, and having bound both his hands behind him, unmercifully scourged him; an officer calling out at every stroke, "Obey the king's commands." The brave Eleazar sustained his torment as if he had been in a dream, without deviating a title from his profession. The good old man stood with hi•• eyes uplifted to heaven, while the blood stre••med down from his body to the ground, till, no longer able to sustain the torments, he fell upon the pavement: but this was owing to bodily infirmity; for his mind was as constant and resolute as ever. Upon this one of the guards stamped upon him in order to raise him. Still he bore their barbarous insolence, and, with surprizing constancy, suffered their stripes, till his very tormen|tors stood in admiration of his extraordinary mag|nanimity, and wondered to find so noble a soul in a body so aged and infirm. At length some of them, touched with compassion at his decrepid age, and moved by remembrance of ancient friendship, thus addressed him:

Why dost thou thus, for no manner of reason, expose thyself to all these sufferings? Permit us, Eleazar, to set before thee some lawful and clean meats; and do thou make as though thou didst eat swine's flesh, according to the king's com|mand; so shalt thou save thy life, and yet commit no wickedness.

But Eleazar resolutely answered,

Far be it from us, who are children of Abraham, to be guilty of such cowardice and wicked sub|tility, by so much as seeming to do an act that does not become us. How absurd would it be for me, who have led a life of sincerity and truth hitherto, and preserved my reputation free from blemish, by a strict observation of the law, to change my course now in extreme old age, and set an ill example to others! to purchase a little remainder of life at the expence of foul dissimulation, and live that little with the scorn••••••d derision of all the world, for my fear and base compliance?

When they perceived him thus resolute and inflexi|ble, and that their pity could have no influence up|on him, they changed their disposition, and brought him to the fire. There they applied new instru|ments of torture, threw him upon the fuel, and, as he burnt, poured scalding and nauseous liquors up his nostrils. Burnt to the very bone, and ready to expire, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,

Thou seest, my God, the miseries I endure; and that I chuse to die by fire and torment, for the sake of thy law, when it was in my power to pre|serve my life for transgessing it. Be thou, there|fore, gracious, O Lord, to thy own people, and let the vengeance executed on me suffice for what they have deserved, Make thou my blood a purification for them, and accept my life in|stead of their lives.

With these words this pious man gave up the ghost.

Hence it is evident that reason, improved by reli|gion, has command over the passions; if it were otherwise, it is to them that the praise of this noble testimony to truth and constant virtue ought to be ascribed. But since, from this instance, it appears plain that the former was victorious, we cannot, with truth, deny that reason is the governing principle: and, indeed, it is most equitable to confess the same, after so full a demonstration not only of bodily pains, but likewise of pleasures too, refilled and van|quished: for the undeviating tendency of our pas|sions is to indulge pleasure and decline pain.

CHAP. VII.

OUR reverend father Eleazar may be deemed a skilful pilot, holding the rudder of the ship of piety in the sea of the passions, tossed to and fro with the threatenings of the tyrant, and overwhelmed with the waves of torment. Nevertheless, he changes not the rudder till he reaches the haven of victory by a direct and prosperous course. A city besieged with various engines, never made such resistance against the furious assaults of an enemy, as the divine mind of this pious sage against the at|tacks of stripes, tortures, and death, till, at length, he vanquished through the aid of reason engaged in the cause of religion.

"O priest, most worthy of the sacerdotal dig|nity, who didst not pollute thy sacred body with im|pure viands! O guardian of the law, and professor of a philosophy all divine! O noblest assertor of the religion of thy country, in spite of passion, of torture, and of death! Thou hast gloriously con|firmed the equity of our law by thy sufferings and perseverance; rendered our rites more conspicuous, but not abrogated them; and, by realities and deeds, established the precepts and doctrines of our holy profession. O, venerable sage, superior to torments,

above the force of raging flames, most glorious of conquerors, who hast led thy passions in triumph! As heretofore our father Aaron, armed with a censer, ran into the midst of the temple, and vanquished the destroying angel, in like manner did Eleazar, de|scended from the same Aaron, steadily adhere to his profession, and conquer in the midst of devouring flames. And, what is most astonishing, when age and infirmities had enervated his body, he exerted an invincible resolution of mind. O happy age! integrity and sanctity unquestionable, that gave testimony of so illustrious a death!"

What more satisfactory evidence can be required of the power of reason over the passions, than that of an aged man enduring so much for the cause of piety and virtue, with such undaunted intrepidity? But as it may be alledged, by way of objection, that this in age is less to be wondered at, because, as strength and courage decrease, so the passions and love of life may then be supposed to be considerably abated, I shall proceed to shew, that even young men, whose reason has been fixed upon true prin|ciples, have, undergone, and overcome, torments heavier than the former.

When the tyrant found himself foiled in this first attempt, and that he could not compel the venera|ble Eleazar to violate the laws of his country, he became so incensed, that he commanded others of the Hebrew captives to be brought before him, promising them immediate liberty, upon condition of their eating forbidden meats, and threatening them with greater torture than had been inflicted in case of refusal.

CHAP. VIII.

PURSUANT to the order aforesaid, there were brought before the tyrant seven sons, with their ancient mother. The men, from the symmetry of their form, and elegance of their deportment, at|tracted his notice; and therefore, after beholding them with a kind of approbation, he commanded them to approach, and thus accosted them:

Young men, from an approbation of your per|sonal appearance, I have kind intentions towards you: nor can I but pay a more than ordinary re|spect to your family, which hath the unusual blessing of so many such brethren. To advise, therefore, that you would not be guilty of the same mad and most absurd zeal, with that poor old bigot, whom you saw perish in the midst of agonies and tortures, is a kindness far below what I design for you. I invite you to comply with me, with an assurance of my particular friend|ship: for I have it in my power to oblige and ad|vance them that obey me, in as eminent a manner as I have to punish those that stand out against my commands. Be assured then, you shall not fail of preferments, but have places of honour and profit, and great trust under me, provided you will renounce your country's customs, and be content to live after the Greek manner; laying aside the foolish distinction of meats, and indulg|ing those appetites and pleasures freely, in which youth, never fond of restraint, must find a de|light now denied you by the tyrant of your own superstition. Consider too, that if such advan|tageous offers be rejected, you must expect that your obstinacy will be the more provoking; and I shall be obliged to make every one of you ex|amples, by a death as full of pain and horror as the anger of an incensed king can inflict. Be persuaded to pity yourselves, when a stranger and an enemy has set you an example of pity. Throw not lavishly away so much youth and beauty, which I am very loth should perish: but perish it must unless you will save it by that one way, Therefore consider well. Methinks you should consider, and not resolve too rashly, when I assure you, that, in case of disobedience, you have no|thing to expect but racks, fire, and death.

The tyrant had no sooner thus spoken, than he commanded the instruments of torture to be pro|duced, in order to work more strongly upon their fears, than words and menaces he imagined could do. When the guards had set before them the wheels, racks, manacles, combustible matter, and other implements of horror and execution, Antio|chus, taking the advantage of the impression he sup|posed this spectacle would make, once more applied to them in terms to this effect:

Young men, con|sider the consequences; your compliance is no longer a wilful offence: you may rest assured that the Diety you worship will consider your case, in being compelled to violate your law.

But they were so far from being terrified at the consequence of a denial, that their resolutions became stronger, and through the power of reason, aided by religion, they triumphed over his barbarity. What is it reasonable to suppose would have been the mea|sures pursued, had there been but an individual among them timorous, or inordinately fond of life? Would not such a one have addressed himself to the rest, in terms similar to the following?

What stupid and fool-hardy wretches are we thus to continue deaf to the invitations and kind advice of a king, who calls us to gain and pro|motion, upon our obedience! Why should we amuse ourselves with vain imaginations, and per|sist in a fatal obstinacy, which can end in nothing but death? Shall we be so insensible as to have no regard to these dreadful engines of cruelty? None to the menaces of an unrelenting tyrant, inexorable enough to put in execution all that he hath threatened? Shall we not rather abandon this empty point of honour, and that false pride of constancy, that is certain to prove our destruc|tion? It can be no crime to have some respect 〈◊〉〈◊〉 our youth, which promises many happy years▪ some pity to our poor aged mother, whose grey hairs must be brought down with unspeakable sorrow to the grave, to see so many sons cut off at once, and herself made childness in an instant by our disobedience. What the king says is very rational, that God is too just and good not to make allowance for the hard circumstances we lie under. Why should we then throw ourselves out of life, at a time when we are best fitted to taste the sweets of living? Why hurry ourselves headlong out of a world where every thing con|spires to delight and entertain us most agreeably? Let us not strive any longer with our fate; nor buy applause so dear as at the expence of racks and death. The law itself is not so severe as to condemn for involuntary offences; and the more just our fears are, the less there is of will in the compliance. What pretence can we have then for this obduracy? Or why should we be so fond of a mistaken courage, which is indeed no better than despair and obstinacy, when nothing but death is before us if we stand out; and life and security, plenty and pleasure, are surely ours, if we do but submit?

CHAP. IX.

BUT no language similar to this was uttered from the mouth of one of these brave youths; for the apprehension of the racking pains they were about to endure little effected their mind. They triumphed over their impending misfortunes; and when the tyrant commanded them to eat of the for|bidden viands, they, with one voice, and, as it were, with one spirit, made him this reply:

To what purpose, O king, is the delay? If with design to know our final resolution, be as|sured we are ready to encounter death in its most frightful forms, rather than transgress the laws of our fathers. For, besides the reverence due to the example of our ancestors upon other accounts, this is what our obedience to the law, and the pre|cepts of Moses, requires from us. Do not then attempt any more to persuade us to apostacy; do

not put on a counterfeit pity for those who know you hate them; even death itself is more sup|portable tha•• such an insulting, dissembling com|passion, as would save our lives with the loss of our innocence. Thou thinkest to terrify us by threatenings of death and torture, notwithstand|ing the same experiment made upon the old man hath so lately taught thee how ineffectual all such methods are upon the servants of the true God; and if the old men of our nation endure so cou|rageously such exquisite pains for their religion, is it reasonable to suppose that the young ones will suffer the reproach of being behind them in constancy and patience? As we have been edu|cated under his particular care and instructions, so we shall conquer after this example. Try us, therefore, and see if it be in thy power to destroy our souls, when we suffer in the cause of God and religion? This is impossible: your cruelty can|not hurt us; for all the effect our pains can have, will be to secure us the glorious rewards due to unshaken patience and injured virtue. Upon you the consequence will be very different and dreadful; for by the murders of so many innocent men, you arm the Divine vengeance against your|self; and, for the temporal punishments which you inflict, will become so obnoxious, as to suffer the punishment of everlasting torments.

The tyrant enraged at their contumacy, gave the word of command; and the guards immediately brought forth the eldest of the seven brethren, and having torn off his garment, and tied his hands behind him cruelly scourged him; and continued their lashes till they were tired, but could avail no|thing. They then put him on the wheel, where his body being extended, he underwent the severest tor|tures of the rack▪ thus reproaching his torment••••▪

Monster of cruelty! enemy to the Divine Justice▪ you torment me in this manner not for he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or impiety, but as an assertor and defender of the sacred law.

The guards th•••• exhorted him 〈◊〉〈◊〉 comply, eat of the king's me••••, and thereby 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a respite. But he answered.

〈…〉〈…〉 ••••at your whe•••• can dest••oy 〈◊〉〈◊〉 D••••••k ••y limbs in pieces, burn my flesh distort my ar•• ••••rries; yet all the torments you can 〈…〉〈…〉 shall serve but to convince you, that it is the pe|culiar glory of an Hebrew to be invari••••ly fir•• in suffering for the cause of virtue.

They the•• put fire under him, and exposed his body, as much extended as possible, to the devouring ••••ames, inso|much that he exhibited a spectacle horrible beyond description, and thus continued till nothing was le•••• of human form, but a skeleton of broken bones.

During the shocking scene, this brave youth, and worthy descendant of faithful Abraham, was not heard to utter a groan, but bore his torments wi•••• such invincible fortitude, as if he had been transla|ted to immutability in the midst of the flames, ex|claiming.

My brethren, follow my example: de|sert me not in this noble conflict, nor disclaim the relation of generous constancy, by which we are allied in soul more nearly than in blood, En|gage, resolutely engage, in the sacred warfare; nor doubt but that the Almighty Creator of the universe will be propitious to our nation, and avenge himself on the cruel tyrant.

With these words the brave youth expired.

While the spectators stood fixed in astonishment and admiration, the guards advanced with the se|cond brother, and fixed his hands in manacles of iron: but, before they put him to the rack, they de|manded if he would accept the conditions. Find|ing, by his reply, he had adopted the same noble re|solution with his brother, they tore off his flesh with pincers, and flayed off the skin of his beard, face, and head. He bore this torture with singular mag|nanimity, saying,

How welcome is death in any form, when we suffer for our religion and laws! Art thou insensible, inhuman tyrant, that thou art rather thine own tormentor than mine, in finding thy tyrannic aims defeated by our con|stancy? The comforts of conscious virtue allevi|ate my pains, while the dreadful load of your im|piety shall fall on your own head, and the Di|vine vengeance make an example of such a mon|ster to the whole word.

CHAP. X.

THE second brother having made this glorious exit, the third was produced, and pressed with arguments and entre••••ies to taste and preserve his life. But he replied, with v••hemence▪

Are you ignorant that I am the son of the same father and the same mother with those that went before me? Shall I ••••e••, in this last scene of life, renounce the honour of that alliance▪ The same institu|tions were taught us all, and I will abide by them until death▪

The freedom of this speech enraged the executioners, who, to express their ma|lice and resentment, stretched his hands and feet on the engine, and broke them to pieces▪ but when they found this method did not deprive him of life, they drew off his skin at the ends of his fingers, and slayed him from the very crown of his head. Not content with mangling his body in this merciless manner, they dragged him to the wheel, where, being yet more distended, he saw his own flesh torn from him, and streams of blood gushing from his body. When at the point of death, he exclaimed▪

Merciless tyrant! we suffer thus for the religion and law of that God who i•• ••o••e to reward us: but remember, thou shalt suffer pains much more insupportable for thy impiety and cruelty.

Having died thus equally glorious with his pre|ceding brothers, the fourth was produced by the guards, and persuaded to bethink himself, and be wiser than those who had gone before him. His answer, was,

Your fire has not heat enough i•• it to make me despond or renounce my opinion. I solemnly swear by the happy exit of my brothers, by the eternal destruction of the tyra••••, and the glorious life of the pious▪ I will not ••••••••ance their magnanimity. Invent and bring thy tor|ments, tyrant, and make the experiment whether I am not a branch of the same stock, and ani|mated with the same soul, as those wh••••e blood thy impious hands have spilt.

Antiochus, on hearing these words, was so excessively enraged, that all the force of passion was visible in his countenance. He gave immediate orders to cut out his tongue; whereupon he thus proceeded:

You may deprive me of the instrument of utter|ance; but that God who seeth the heart, knows the inward sensations of the silent. Here is the member; you cannot by this act▪ deprive me of reason. O that I could lose my life by inches, to support the cause of religion. Though you take away the tongue, which chaunts the praises of God, remember that his high hand will very soon let its vengeance fall down upon your head.

CHAP. XI.

NO sooner had this brother, exhausted with pain, and miserably mangled, finished his course, than the fifth sprang forward of his own ••ord, exclaiming,

Prepare your torments: I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 here ready to suffer the worst you inflict. I come voluntarily to die in the cause of virtue; and, by a cruel catastrophe, to procure an endless punish|ment on you for the barbarities you have com|mitted on the bodies of my brothe••••. Mortal enemy to virtue, religion, and mankind, what have I done, wherein have I transgressed, to de|serve this merciless treatment? Do we not wor|ship the universal parent of nature according to his own decrees? Do we not act in conformity to the institution of his most holy laws? These are things that ought to meet with reward instead of punishment.

While these words were in his mouth, the tor|mentors bound and dragged him to the wheel, to which fastening his knees with iron rings, they stretched him round the engine, and then broke

his joints. Being miserably tortured in this man|ner, he thus spoke in unspeakable anguish▪ "Ty|rant▪ thou dost us the greatest honour against thy inclination; for the glorious torments you inflict upon us, only serve to testify an extraordinary zeal for our laws and religion."

When he had borne testimony to the truth of his religion, after the example of his heroic brothers, the sixth youth was brought before Antiochus, and being demanded, by the tyrant, whether he would accept deliverance in the terms aforementioned re|solutely answered,

It is true, indeed, I am younger than my brothers, but my mind is the same with theirs. We had all of us the same parents, and the same instructions, and it is but necessary that we should all die alike for them; therefore if you are determined to put me to the torment on my refusal to eat, torment me.

Hereupon they fastened him to the wheel, and having broken his bones, put fire under him. Then the guards heated their spears, and trust them into his back and sides, till his very entrails were burnt up, In the midst of these torments he exclaimed.

O glorious conflict, in which so many brethren have engaged for the sake of their religion, and all came off victo|rious, for a mind rightly informed of the truth▪ and armed with steady principles of virtue, must for ever be impregnable. I will accompany my brothers, and relying on my own probity as my defence, now submit to death. But thou, tyrant, must not think to avoid a punishment which your cruelties deserve; for a death, attended with the most dreadful of torments, hangs over your head. Six of us have baffled thy rage and malice. As for your fire, it feels cold to us; your tormenting engines are far from giving us pain; ••nd all the violence you can use is fruitless, and of no consequence. For so long as our law is so nobly asserted, we retain a reason that all the world and its punishments cannot subdue.

CHAP. XII.

THE sixth brother being dispatched at last, by being thrown into a boiling cauldron, the se|venth, and youngest, appeared, whom, when the tyrant saw fettered and pinioned, and though so im|placably outrageous against the rest of his brethren, his heart began to relent. Calling upon him, there|fore, to approach the tribunal, he endeavoured to soothe him with these words:

You see what kind of deaths your brothers have undergone; but their disobedience and contu|macy have been the sole means of all their tor|ments, and the cruelties they have sustained. Yet you, if you obey not my commands, shall be exposed to the same, nay, worse torments, and so suffer an immature death: but if you comply with my desires, I will take you into the num|ber of my friends, you shall have a considerable post in my kingdom, and be a governor in the state.

Not content with these persuasions to the son, he addressed himself to the mother, with seem|ing compassion for her loss, entreating her to pre|vail upon her child, in pity to her at least, to save this small remnant of the family, and not to bring on her the affliction of having all her offspring so sadly torn away at once. But his mother, addressing him in the Hebrew tongue, exhorted him to suffer, as we shall shew in the sequel. Upon this he sud|denly exclaimed, "Take off my fetters, for I have something to communicate to the king, and all his friends." The king and his nobles hearing the promise the young man made, seemed greatly re|joiced; and his chains were immediately knocked off. Taking the advantage of this circumstance, he "thus exclaimed:

Impious and cursed tyrant, have you no fears nor apprehensions in your mind, after having re|ceived at the hands of the Almighty the kingdom and riches you enjoy than to put to death his ser|vants, and torment his worshippers? These cru|elties shall be returned with an eternal punish|ment from the hands of the Divine vengeance. Is your conscience touched with no scruples, inhu|man monster, thus to deprive of their tongues those who share alike the same nature and pas|sions with you, and who are born of the same elements, and thus put innocent persons to cruel torments, and take away their lives in the most unmerciful and barbarous manner? They have undergone a glorious death, and shewn how much their piety and observance was for the maintenance of the true religion; whereas thou, impious man, shall be exposed to ••ll•• you little dream of▪ for taking away unjustly the lives of those who were worshippers of the Supreme Be|ing. For this reason I will suffer death, and, in my last pangs, discover how much my desire was to follow the brave example of my brothers. I beg and entreat the God of my fathers that he would be propitious and merciful to our nation; but that he may chastise you while you 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ and after death, that your punishment may be augmented.

Having finished this address, he threw himself into the boiling cauldron, and so gave up the ghost.

CHAP. XIII.

FROM these particu••••rs we have enumerated, it must be confessed that reason, guided and sup|ported by religion, has power▪ over the passi•• when we see seven brothers in perfect agreement•• and upon the same principle, despising and vanguish••ing the most exquisite pains, and even death itself. Is it not manifest, that had th••se 〈◊〉〈◊〉 been govern|ed by their passions, they had submitted to polu•••• themselves with unlawful means, refused no co••••••|tion to procure ••ase and safety, and been totally subdued? But since they combated these passions by a judicious use of reason, we are bound to ac|knowledge, with abundant praise to the holy martyrs who suffered, that▪ as they despised 〈◊〉〈◊〉 most dreadful torments, so reason 〈…〉〈…〉 covered its dominion over the subject passions 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in th••se instances. For as the mol•••• and forts 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the share break all the force of the waves and ••••••|ther, and render the harbour to co•• and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to ride in, so did this seven-fold fortification of ••••••|son▪ protect the harbour of piety from all the storms and boisterous inundations of passion•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉

How moving, how affecting a ••ight was such a company, encouraging and assisting each other•••• the exercise of their piety, like the voices which contribute, every one by his distinct part, to make up a perfect melody? With such an harmony of hearts did they exclaim:

Let us die like brethren in the defence of our laws; let us imitate the brave example of the three Assyrian youths, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 defied the furnace of the king of Babylon▪ 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fighting for the cause of virtue; let us never des|pair, not once be cast down. When religion an•• a good conscience are at stake, let us abando•• all ignoble fears, and act with becoming resolu|tion.

Another said,

Assume courage, my bro|ther, and suffer all with an insurmountable bra|very of mind.

Others of them recognized ancient facts.

Remember whence you derive your origin, and what father Isaac could suffer in the cause of piety.

Then in general looking on each other with countenances serene, and highly pleased, they exclaimed,

Let us chearfully consecrate our bo|dies to God. Let us pay him back the lives he lent us for his service, and devote these bodies to the defence of his most holy law. Why should we stand in fear of one who only seems to kill the body? The only danger worthy of our dread in that of souls abandoned to torments everlasting, which can never be the fate of such as keep and honour the truth. Let us then arm ourselves with an holy fortitude, so shall Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob receive us when we die, and all our pious ancestors congratulate and applaud our constancy.

As they were dragged one by one to the place of execution, those whose turn was not yet come, en|couraged those that went before them, with words

to this purport:

Brethren, do not dishonour us, nor elude the expectation of your brethren who have already suffered death.

These must have been very engaging exhorta|tions; for none can be insensible what charms, what powerful influence so near a relation carries with it; what tender affections the All-wise Providence hath infused into their hearts, who have derived their being from the same father and mother, been maintained at one common table, conversed per|petually together under the same roof, instructed by the same teachers, and intiated in the same re|ligion. Such was the affection, such the endear|ments, and▪ of course, such were the weight and efficacy the admonitions and mutual encourage|ments of these seven brothers to one another; for they were brought up in the same faith, trained up in the exercise of the same virtues, and the better men they were, the better they must love each other. Natural affections is never so happily improved as by perfect agreement in goodness, and united zeal in the love and service of God. And as each of these would love the rest more ten|derly in proportion as he himself was more religi|ous, so would he necessarily, in the same propor|tion, and upon the same account, become more worthy to be beloved by all the rest. And yet we may observe in this very ca•••• a mighty conquest of reason over passion; for though the brethren had all the tender concern that nature and blood, birth and education, acquaintance and personal worth, could inspire them with, yet these manifold en|dearments were so vanquished and borne down when religion lay at stake▪ that, in a cause so noble, the very tortures and deaths of their dearest rela|tions gave a sensible satisfaction to those of the number who yet survived, and were the undaunted, nay, even pl••ased, spectators of them.

CHAP. XIV.

THE pious and virtuous youths not only excited one another to suffer these terrible conflicts so as to make them surmount all the pains they might be put to▪ but also were the cause that their bro|thers during their torments, bore every thing with astonishing resignation. Oh! minds more absolute than the most sovereign princes, and more free than liberty itself! Not one of them was observed to be|tray any fears, nor have any scruples on the ap|proach of death; but all, as with one accord, run|ing the race of immortality, embraced death amidst their torments. As the hands and feet obey the motions of the mind, and so direct themselves, even so did these youths, from a motive of piety, consent to die in its cause. As the number of days in which the world was created give us the idea of God, and shew the perfection of his majesty and goodness, so do these most renowned martyrs, by running the whole circle of pains and tortures, com|pose one finished piece of constancy and courage, and teach us that perfection of fortitude which ba|nishes the slavish fear of death. But alas! how far short of this pattern do we stop! we, who cannot so much as hear or read without trembling and amaze|ment, what they not only heard, not only saw, but felt and bore without the least disorder of mind.

Nor ought we to wonder that reason in man should have this dominion over his passions, when the mind of a woman contemned more cruelties than these, and of a different nature. For the mother of these seven youths had such presence of mind as to be a spectator of the tortures her children endured. Reflect on the force of natural affection, how diffu|sive to one's offspring: nay, this we observe in the brute creation, who have a tincture of the same kind of affection and love for their young as mankind. But there is no necessity for producing examples of brute animals to confirm this love for their young, when the very bees, at the time they are employed about making their honey, revenge themselves on those that approach them, and cause their stings to do the office of swords, and other military weapons, upon those that would attack their little ones.

CHAP. XV.

BUT so true a daughter of Abraham was the mother of these gallant youths, that even com|passion for her own children could not break in up|on her duty. Such was her no••le zeal, that, when two things were offered to her choice, religion and the present safety, and great preferment of seven sons, she wisely gave the preference to the former, which leads to eternal life and happiness. By what language shall I describe those tender passions of parents, that union of nature between them and their children, which, in a wonderful manner, draws upon their offspring the same lines and fea|tures of body, and impresses the same dispositions of soul? How can I represent the concern they feel for these images and parts of themselves, when in any manner of distress? How especially that of mothers, whose weaker minds, and natural excess of fondness, render them still more sensibly touched by whatever effects their children, than fathers are wont or expected to be? This mother was more under the influence of such affection than mothers in common. Seven painful births had made us many additions to this love; and every time her travail was repeated it was a fresh exercise of it, a fresh and strong endearment towards all for whom she had endured the same pangs.

But, notwithstanding all this, the fear and love of God overcame her concern for the present safety and advantage of her children. Never did she love them so tenderly as when their steady virtue, and constancy in the truth, charmed her affections, and endeared them to her; for they were just and wise, temperate and magnanimous, affectionate to each other, and dutiful to their mother to that degree, that they even died in the cause of their law in obe|dience to her. Though she had such extraordinary reasons to love her sons, yet not all the exquisite pains and cruelties they were expose 〈…〉〈…〉 once divert the opinion and resolution 〈…〉〈…〉 ••rmed within her breast, for she exhorted 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of them singly, and all of them together, not to de•• any sufferings, or death, for the sake of religion▪ Though she was an eye-witness to the torments in|flicted on each of her sons, yet the cause of piety engrossed her soul, and she still maintained the sin|cerity of her intentions. Her piety was so firm, that it remained unchangeable by the horrid, the thrilling spectacle of her children being exposed to inconceivable tortures. Extraordinary mother! that felt greater pangs of sorrow now than she ever experienced at bringing them into the world. Perfect pattern of piety! Thou didst not utter a sigh at seeing thine eldest expire. The second giving up the ghost amidst his torments could not draw a tear from those eyes; nor could the third in his last terrible moments, or any one of them in the midst of their torments.

The songs of Syrens, and the dying 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of swans, with all their bewitching and enchanting melody; were not so persuasive to your ears as the last ac|cents of your sons in their expiring moments. When nature and affection pleaded strongly with thee, and the pains and unparalleled sufferings of thy children added weight to their arguments, thou wouldst not accept a short deliverance with guilt, but gavest them up to death in prospect of a more lasting bliss. Thou didst thus approve thyself a true daughter of Abraham, an heiress of all his faith and fortitude.

Mother of our nation! protectress of our laws! bulwark of piety! more patient than man, and armed with more fortitude to undergo difficulties! the glory of thine own sex▪ and superior to ours! For as the ark of Noah, which then contained all the surviving world, rode triumphant upon the waters of the general flood, so thou, protectress of the law, tossed on every side with the deluge of the passions, and the torments of thy sons, as with the most violent storm, didst bravely bear up against the fierceness of a dreadful tempest.

CHAP. XVI.

TO return to the point at which I have been aiming; if a woman, aged, and the mother of seven sons, could not only sustain the sight of those children expiring in tortures, in consideration of the cause for which they suffered and died, it is evident, beyond dispute, that reason, supported by religion, hath a power superior to our passions. It has been abundantly proved, that not only men have overcome vast difficulties, but that a woman despised the most exquisite pains. The lions among whom Daniel was thrown were not so fierce, nor was the furnace of Mishael, though heated with the most raging fires, so hot as those violent passions which natural affection and piety had kindled in her breast, when she saw seven sons successively expire in agonies inexpressible. Yet reason and religion quenched these so furious and manifold affections.

It is reasonable to suppose, that had this woman the least degree of pusillanimity in her composition, she would have burst out into lamentations similar to the following.

Miserable woman that I am, who having brought seven sons into the world, am now parent of none! To what purpose, my sons, have I borne the many sorrows I have suf|fered for you, and the many solicitudes in bring|ing you up? Beloved children, whose faces I shall no more behold, nor rejoice in their mar|riage and posterity, nor have the much desired blessing in being esteemed happy in any descend|ants of the second and third generation. I once was happy, happy above my neighbours, when surrounded with seven comely children; but now I am deprived of them, and left desolate; nor have I a son to pay me the last duty of inter|ment.

The piety of this eminent woman disdained such complaints. She was so far from desiring any of her children to live, that it would have been matter of grief to her had they not died as they did. She therefore besought them to fulfil her joy, and en|couraged them in dying for the cause of religion. Noble matron! the tyrant was subdued by thy per|severance; and, both in thy words and actions, thou hast approved thyself mighty; for when thou wert apprehended with thy sons, and saw Eleazar put to the torture, thou stoodst immoveable, and thus ad|dressed them in the Hebrew language.

My sons, you have a glorious conflict before you, to which being called, that you may leave your nation a testimony of your faith and reli|gion, contend chearfully in defence of the laws of your country. It would derogate from your characters, to suffer an aged man to be exposed to the pains of the rack, while you shrink, in the prime and vigour of youth, under the same trials. Remember what life is, from whom you derived it, to whom you owe it, and that it is your indis|pensable duty to undergo every difficulty and danger in the course of the religion of its grand author. For him did our father Abraham hasten to sacrifice his son, the future parent of our na|tion. Nor did that son tremble, or once recede, when he saw a father's hand, armed with a wea|pon of death, uplifted to give the fatal stroke. For how was pious Daniel cast a prey to hungry lions, and the three children into the fiery fur|nace. You, who are partakers of the same faith, should not be disheartened, if you are made par|takers of the same sufferings; for it is most das|tardly, in those who have a true sense of religion, to betray a pusillanimity, when called upon to sustain difficulties.

Thus did this matron exhort her seven sons, whom she enjoined rather to suffer death than violate the divine law, especially when assuredly persuaded that those who die in the cause of God, shall live with God, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the succeeding patriarchs, in mansions of immortal bliss.

CHAP. XVII.

IT is said of this dauntless woman, that, after be|ing scourged, and otherwise severely tortured, by order of Antiochus, she finished her punishment by voluntarily throwing herself into the flames.

Courageous matron! thus defeating the tyrant's rage, disappointing his infernal schemes, and ex|erting a most noble faith, proof against all shocks that laboured to overturn it! Take comfort, there|fore; thy patience is supported by a firm reliance on the divine goodness, and a well grounded hope of future reward. The moon, encircled with her attendant stars, shines not so bright in the firma|ment of heaven, as dost thou, reflecting light upon, and receiving it back again, from thy seven illu|strious sons, fixed in the celestial mansions, and ho|nourable in the Divine presence. Thy race des|cended from the stock of Abraham. Were 〈◊〉〈◊〉 able to depict this act of piety in true and lively colours, our passion scarcely could sustain the mere representation. Were a monument to be erected as a memorial by the nation to which they are so great an honour, an inscription to the import of the following might become it.

Here lies a venerable priest, an ancient mother, and seven gallant sons, cut off by the rage of •• tyrant, attempting, but in vain, to overthrow the Jewish constitutions. These brave champio•••• stood in the gap, asserted the religion and ri•• of their country, committed themselves and their cause to God, and persevered in dispite of tor|ments and death.

The encounter was truly divine: virtue was the judge of the combat, and disposer of the prize; and patience was the proof and exercise of it. To th•••• the victory was to be adjudged, and immortal bli•••• was to be the reward of the conquerors.

Eleazar was the first champion; the mother of th•• seven sons made a glorious defence; the brot•••••• stoutly fought; the tyrant was their adversary, and the world were the witnesses. Religion obtained the victory, and yielded the crown to her champions▪ Who but must admire these noble assertors of the divine law? Who but, on gazing on them, must stand in amaze? The tyrant himself, and the whole court, were struck with admiration at their forti|tude: but now they stand at the throne of heaven▪ and enjoy a life of immortality. Moses writes, "All his saints are in thy hand:" for these men, being devoted to God, are celebrated with immor|••••l renown. Nor was the benefit of their trials confined to their own persons, but the blood shed upon this occasion was accepted by divine justice as a propitiatory sacrifice, and delivered Israel from the oppression under which they groaned.

Antiochus, considering the extraordinary virtue and resolutions of these men, gave testimony to their magnanimity, and, by a public officer, pro|pounded it as a pattern worthy the imitation of his own soldiers. He enlisted many of the Hebrews into his service, and, by their valour, having subdued his enemies, became an absolute conqueror; learning, by experience, that religion inspires men with the truest courage; and that none are capable of serving their prince in wars, comparably to those undaunted con|temners of life, who dare to encounter tortures and death for the sake of God, and a good conscience.

O sons of Israel! race of faithful Abraham! pay obedience to this law: that reason, assisted by reli|gion, has dominion over the passions, not only of those which are called internal, but also external pains and troubles.

CHAP. XVIII.

THUS did these heroes nobly fight and conquer: nor did they overcome death and torments only, but the enemies also that inflicted both, re|storing

peace to their nation, and the observance of that long neglected law, the contempt whereof provoked the Almighty to scourge the people with that worst of calamities, the tyrant Antiochus. But while he became an instrument of vengeance to others, he treasured more against himself; for, when he found he could by no means force the Jews to embrace foreign customs and rites, and abdicate their own, he departed from Jerusalem, and un|dertook an expedition against the Persians; nor was it long before the divine justice overtook him, and cut him off the face of the earth by a most mise|rable death.

For duty to the memory of the pious mother, I add another exhortation she gave to her seven brave and virtuous sons.

I was long a chaste virgin, nor did I wander from my father's house. No seducer of youth corrupted me in the fields; nor did I fall a prey to the subtle craftiness of a betrayer. The prime of my life I past in the strictest conjugal fidelity to my husband. When you, my children, were grown up, your father died, happy in the esteem of all that knew him▪ He had the satisfaction of being the parent of dutiful sons; nor did he sur|vive the loss of one of them. While he conti|nued with you, he usually instructed you in the knowledge of the law and the prophets, and set before you the renowned examples of patience and suffering virtue: Abel murdered by his own brother Cain, Isaac designed for a burnt offering, Joseph imprisoned for his chastity, and Phineas zealots for the divine law. He displayed the vir|tues of Ananias, Azarias, and Mishael, and of Da|niel cast into the den of lions.* 1.7 He would frequent|ly remind you of God's preserving providence by repeating from Isaiah, 'When thou pa•• through the waters I will be with thee, and when through the rivers they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned,* 1.8 neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.' He taught your infant tongues that song of David. Many ar•• the afflictions of the righte|ous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all;' and called upon you to observe that maxim of Solomon in his Proverbs,* 1.9 'That wisdom is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her.* 1.10' Nor did he forget to teach that divine hymn of Mo|ses, 'I kill and I make alive:' and again, what he pronounces of the law, and the diligent ob|servers of it, It is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days.

O melancholy, or rather glorious day! when the merciless Grecian tyrant kindled his impious fires, prepared his c••uldrons, and, with infernal fury, dragged and bound to the engines of torture, and exercised, with the most excruciating pains, the seven-fold offspring of this daughter of Abra|ham! when he deprived them of their eyes, of their tongues, and put them to death with all the cruel|ties that malice could invent▪ These horrid barba|rities were retaliated on their perpetrators; while those sons of Abraham, with their victorious mo|ther, are translated to bliss unspeakable, admitted to the triumphant society of their pious ancestors, and enjoy with them a glorious immortality in the vision of that beatific ••eing whom they had so faithfully served, and to whom be ascribed all glory and praise, both now and for evermore. Amen.* 1.11

END OF THE MARTYRDOM OF THE MACCABEES.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gen xxxi••.
• * 1.2

  Exod. xxii.25. Levit. xxv.
• * 1.3

  Deut ••x.19 Exod. xxii•• 4, 5.
• * 1.4

  Gen. xxxlv Gen. xlix.7
• * 1.5

  2 Sam. xxiii.
• * 1.6

  2 Macc. iii.
• * 1.7

  Isaiah ••l•••• 2.
• * 1.8

  Psal. xxxiv.19.
• * 1.9

  Prov. iii.18.
• * 1.10

  Deut. xxxii.39.47.
• * 1.11

  Such of our Readers as are desirous of being acquainted with the Lives of the Martyrs, more particularly of those who have sealed the Truths of the Christian Religion with their 〈◊〉〈◊〉, are referred to

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