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Helon's kindling glance thanked Elisama for thus expressing the sentiment of which his own heart was full. But one of the elders replied, "The sound of the trumpet is heard also in Leontopolis, and the psalm might be repeated with equal propriety, before a journey to the nome* of Heliopolis." "I always maintain," said Elisama, "that Israel is Israel nowhere but in the Holy Land.”

"But does not the law itself declare," said the elder, " Thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land? Did not the patriarchs of our nation always repair to Egypt in their distress, and did not the land of Ham almost always show a brotherly compassion for the children of Shem? Why did our forefathers always resort to this land of wonders, rather than to Syria or Mesopotamia? Does it not appear as if some secret guiding of Providence. had always impelled Israel to unite himself with his brethren of Mizraim? Was not our father Abraham himself in Egypt? "And well did Pharaoh reward him by his treatment of Sarah," interrupted Elisama. "Jehovah himself forbad Isaac to go down to Egypt."

"Yet," replied the elder, "Jacob came hither with seventy souls; Joseph was proclaimed the father of the land, and Pharaoh said to him, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in the land of Egypt.§ Moses was born here and brought up at court, and Jeremiah also was here. When Alexander founded this city, he brought a multitude of our nation hither; the first Ptolemy settled a hundred thousand of them in different parts of the land, and because the kings thought us to be the brethren of the Egyptians, we have obtained the privileges of the highest rank of citizens, and are called, like the conquerors themselves, Macedonians. The Lord has moved the heart of the king and queen, and Onias, the son of Onias, has built us a temple in Leontopolis, which is an exact copy of that on

*Nome-province, or territorial division. Gen. xxvi. 2.

t Deut. xxiii. 7.

§ Gen. xli. 44.

Jer. xli.

Mount Moriah. Soon shall we be still more highly exalted. You know that let the schemes of Ptolemy Lathyrus be what they may, his mother Cleopatra, who is joint regent with him, has the administration in her hands, and by her means (a thing unheard of in any other country) two of our nation, Hilkias and Ananias, the sons of Onias, are at the head of the army."

"The God of Israel bless Cleopatra our queen! May he increase her a thousand fold, and cause her seed to possess the gate of their enemies," exclaimed the elders.

"What thou hast said of our fathers, and of their journeys into Egypt is true; but acknowledge also," said Elisama, "that they never failed to return to the Holy Land, when they had an opportunity; and we will do the same."

"No," said the elder, "we have our own temple in Egypt, our Oneion."

6

"But," said Elisama," it is contrary to the law of the Lord; on Moriah only should the temple and the altar stand. Jehovah spoke to Moses saying,* To the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither shall ye come, and thither shall ye bring your burnt-offerings: but take heed that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in any place that thou seest; in the place which the Lord shall choose there shalt thou offer thy burnt-offerings, and do all that the Lord thy God requires of thee.' And five hundred years after, when the temple was built, he said to Solomon, when he appeared to him in the night, I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place to myself, as a house of sacrifice.'t And this place is Moriah, where Abraham was about to offer up his own son."

"Knowest thou not," continued the elder, "what Isaiali, the greatest of all the prophets, said two hundred years later? Our high priest wrote the passage to the king and queen at the building of the Oneion. In that day shall five cities in 2. Chron. vii. 12.

*Deut. xii. 1-14.

the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan and swear to the Lord of Hosts: one shall be called Irhaheres,' that is Leontopolis."*

Elisama replied, "I adhere to the words of the psalm, "The Lord hath chosen Zion and delights to dwell therein.'t To Isaiah also the Lord spoke, saying, 'I will comfort you as one whom his mother comforteth, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.' We might say to you of Alexandria what the Lord said by the mouth of Jeremiah, 'Go up into Gilead and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt!"§

"Yet Jehovah, in the same chapter calls Egypt a fair heifer."

"True, but he threatens her; 'destruction cometh from the north,' and in us will his word be fulfilled, 'ye shall be ashamed of Egypt as thou was ashamed of Assyria.""||

"Now accursed be he who reviles the Oneion, the temple of the Lord, and Egypt and the qeeen," exclaimed the elder, in vehement indignation. They had long ceased to eat, as their conversation became more animated, and sat upright upon their cushions. The elder started on his feet, and seemed about to offer some violence to Elisama; but a grayheaded elder, who had hitherto only listened, interposed between them, and with the calmness of age said to them both, "Peace, my children! There is enough of strife in Israel; let not us increase it. Do thou remain in Egypt, and thou, Elisama, take thy way to Jerusalem. The Messiah cometh

and will teach us all things."

"She

The mother entered the room. "What sayest thou, dejected mother in Israel,” continued the aged man. could not," she said, "divest herself of the fear that one of the travellers would never return. So it had been six years before. Her only comfort was, that her deceased husband had been buried in the valley of Jehoshaphat, and nothing would have induced her to consent to Helon's departure, but

* Is. xix. 18.

Ps. cxxxii. 13.

Is. lxvi. 13.

Jer. xlvi. 11, 20.

Jer. ii. 36.

the thought that he would visit his father's grave. Ye all knew him," said she, turning to the guests, "he was a stay of Israel in a foreign land.”

The elders turned to Helon and said, "Blessed be thou, for thou art the son of an upright man, and one that feared God." "As to thy apprehension that one of us may not return,” said Elisama, "let us rather hope, that we shall bring back with us a new member of the family, a future mother, either from Jericho or from Anathoth."

The mother smiled, with a significant look, which seemed to say that she already knew more of this matter. The elder, who had scarcely recovered from his passion, seemed not well pleased that the number of Aramæan Jews in Alexandria should be increased. Helon blushed, and observed the modest silence which became a youth in Israel, in the presence of his elders.

"Of the two," said the old man, "thou wouldst rather receive thy new relation from Anathoth." "True," she replied, "many of our friends live there, and there the holy prophet Jeremiah was born." The mention of Jeremiah was sufficient to kindle Elisama. His forefathers had accompanied the prophet, when, after Ishmael's outrage upon Gedaliah,* he was carried into Egypt, by the people who feared the vengeance of the king of Babylon; and he had sojourned with this family. "While there lives one of our race," exclaimed Elisama, "never shall it be forgotten by us that we once entertained a prophet of the Lord. His writings are our favorite study, and by them we are directed to seek the Holy Land." The discourse assumed a more cheerful character. The last cup was emptied. Sallu washed the hands of the guests, and sprinkled them with fragrant oil. Elisama pronounced the thanksgiving, and the old man rising up, took Helon's hand and said, "Farewell, and take with thee my blessing." Then, laying his hands upon the young man's head, he said

*Jer. xli. xlii. xliii.

"He that keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth.
May Jehovah be thy keeper, thy shade on thy right hand.
May Jehovah preserve thy going out and coming in,
From this time forth and for evermore."- - Ps. cxxi.

The other elders also blessed him, but it was evident that they would have done it with a more hearty good will, if he had been going to Leontopolis. All the guests took leave, and returned to their respective abodes.

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Ir was late in the evening: the slaves extinguished the seven-branched lamp and laid the cushions for beds in the porticoes which surrounded the inner court. All retired speedily to rest, that they might set out the earlier on the following morning. But the mother still lingered on the spot; her grief increased as the time of departure drew nigh; weeping she embraced her child, and said, “Call me Marah, for I am a sorrowful mother in Israel." Helon in silence leaned upon her bosom, till Elisama came, and said to her: "Bethink thee of what our prophet saith,* Rachel weepeth for her children and refuseth to be comforted. But thus saith the Lord, refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eye from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded and thy children shall come again to their own border.'" He forced her away into the inner apartments, and himself lay down on one of the cushions in the portico.

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Helon did not attempt to sleep. Wishing his uncle calm repose, he ascended the roof of the house where stood the Alijah, a small apartment like a turret, dedicated to secret

* Jer. xxxi. 15.

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