and peace, certain it is, that no nation has ever more carefully studied to remove all trace of sorrow from religious services than the Jews. How earnestly do Ezra and Nehemiah exhort the people to lay aside their mourning, when the law was read at the feast of tabernacles, and the curse on its violation made known! "This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not nor weep; neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet; for this day is holy unto the Lord."*

course.

The company at Iddo's house were not unmindful of these precepts, and the time passed on rapidly in animated disThe servants were not excluded from their share; the innocent playfulness of the children was not repressed, and the gaiety of the females lent wings to the conversation. Iddo was the most animated of all, and Helon thought he had never seen an old man so full of vivacity. "See, thou mother in Israel," said he to his wife," the Lord has blessed us and permitted us to keep one Passover more, before we are gathered to our fathers. Let us thank him for his mercy, by the cheerfulness with which we celebrate it."

All present congratulated the venerable pair, and Iddo continued, "Why didst not thou, Selumiel, bring thy wife and Sulamith, who is lovelier than the fairest rose of Jericho? A prize for some fortunate youth, for as Solomon has said 'A virtuous wife is more precious than pearls.""

"What would Israel be," said Elisama, as the sounds of festivity from the adjacent apartments penetrated into theirs, "what would Israel be without the festivals of Jehovah ? Here we are all assembled before the Lord, to praise his faithfulness which is great, and his mercy which is renewed every morning. What compared with these are the Grecian Games at Olympia and Nemea? Would that Myron were here! We children of Israel are one people; we have one God, and one city of the Lord; and every Jew in Egypt, Asia, Syria, and Chaldea, always turns his eyes in his prayers

* Neh. viii. 9.

towards this one place. Think, my friends, that while so many hundreds of thousands are assembled in Jerusalem, millions in the remotest countries, into which our people has been scattered, cast longing looks this evening towards us, envying us our joy, and desiring nothing more, than to be in the Holy City and in the courts of Jehovah! I only regret that Gerizim and Leontopolis-"

"Hush," interposed Iddo, “today speak only of pleasing subjects. Our prince has subdued the rebellious daughter Gerizim. Jehovah ceases not to concern himself with the injuries of Joseph."

"The prophet," replied Elisama, "has declared that all the nations of the earth shall be united in the valley of Jehoshaphat, and when the Messiah comes the sceptre of Judah shall be extended over the whole earth."

"Hyrcanus stands beside the altar," said another of the company, "and the family of the Maccabees is flourishing. Who knows whether the Messiah will not speedily appear from among them?"

No," said Elisama, "the Messiah must come from the family of David, and the Maccabees are Levites of the family of Jojarib. The Jewish people and the priests consented that Simon should be their prince and high-priest, till God raised up the true prophet unto them. The Messiah, therefore, will not be a Maccabee, though Hyrcanus unites in himself the three offices to which he will be anointed. But would that he who is promised were come! His way is prepared ; Israel is once more free, and a people. What would I give, if in my grey hairs I might yet be permitted to behold him! What a glorious passover will that be, when He keeps it with us, in Baris or on Zion, and his people accompany him with palm branches and Hosannas! I envy you, Helon, for you may live to see that day."

"It will be a happy day," said Helon, "but not more happy than this." The old men smiled at his enthusiasm, and rejoiced that among the youth of Israel there should be such joy in keeping the festivals of Jehovah.

It was now become late. The hired servants, stationed by the waterclock in the court, called the fifth hour of night, and the paschal meal was not permitted to last longer than to the end of the first watch of the night, which terminated somewhere about an hour before midnight. There were two other watches between this and daylight, divided by the two cock-crowings. They heard the guests in the other apartments reciting the song of praise, and hastened to conclude. With the same prayer as before, they washed their hands again from the silver basin, and Iddo, having again blessed the cup, they drank once more from it. This was called the cup of thanksgiving. The second part of the Hallel was now sung, consisting of the 115th, 116th, 117th, and 118th psalms. Helon thought of the words of Isaiah, "Ye shall sing as on the night of a holy feast, and rejoice in your hearts as when they go with a pipe to the mountain of the Lord, to the refuge of Israel."* When the Hallel was finished, hands were again washed, and the cup was blessed and sent round for the fourth and last time. Helon would gladly have joined in praying the great Hallel, as they call the series of psalms from the 120th to the 137th, after which it was customary to send round the cup a fifth time, but midnight was already too The company broke up, and all retired to rest, designing to be early in the temple on the following day.

near.

CHAPTER XII.

THE DAY AFTER THE

PASSOVER.

WHILE the paschal lamb was eaten by the people, the priests in the temple were cleansing the altar of burnt-offering. This was commonly done in the last watch of the night, to

* Isaiah xxx. 29.

wards the cock-crowing, but on this occcsion during the first. Next they themselves partook of the paschal lamb, and soon after midnight the gates were opened, for the ingress of the children of Israel, many of whom were there even at this early hour, in order to see the splendor of the illuminated temple. As soon as the watchman had answered in the affirmative the customary question of the priest, "Does it begin to be light as far as Hebron ?" all the streets leading to the temple were filled with men, dressed in their gayest clothes. On no other occasion of the year was the temple so crowded as on the morning after the Passover.

The usual morning sacrifice was first of all offered. The lamps were extinguished, incense was burnt upon the altar, and the lamb was sacrificed to Jehovah, with the usual meat and drink offering. Then followed the special offering for the feast, two young bullocks, a ram, seven yearling lambs with meat and drink offerings. Next, a goat was offered as a sin-offering; the Hallel was sung, and the blessing pronounced. The whole body of the priests was assembled; on ordinary days, only some families of the fathers were present; on the sabbath the whole course; but on high festivals the whole twentyfour courses, the collective body of the priesthood.

Helon had been among the first who had come up to the temple of Jehovah, at the crowing of the cock. He beheld all with deep interest and profound devotion, and as he gazed on the temple and the splendid ritual performed in it, the fond wish of his early childhood awoke in his heart, that he too might be thought worthy to become a priest of Jehovah and to minister at his altar. With increasing eagerness he looked for the appearance of the high-priest, the head and crown of the tribe of Levi and of all Israel. He had expected him to appear yesterday, and during the morning sacrifice, but he had not shown himself. Helon felt an enthusiastic admiration for the heroic family of the Maccabees, and none of them all had risen to such an eminence as John Hyrcanus.

In Egypt, in Hebron, on the pilgrimage and through the whole preceding day, he had been hearing the praises of the man whom he was now about to see.

He was standing upon the lowest of the fifteen steps, which led from the court of Israel to that of the women, when there arose a cry among the thousands who surrounded him, "The high-priest is coming!" He came from an adjoining building and walked towards the altar. The breastplate with its precious stones beamed from his breast. Over the ordinary white robe of the priests, which descended in folds to his feet, he wore a magnificent upper robe of a blue purple. The bells between the pomegranates, on the borders of his robe, gave a clear sound as he walked. Over this upper garment he had a third, which was shorter, called the ephod, splendidly embroidered with purple, dark blue, crimson and thread of gold, on a white ground. On his head was a white turban, and over this a second, striped with dark blue. On his forehead he wore a plate of gold, on which the name of Jehovah was inscribed; and being at once high-priest and prince, this was connected with a triple crown on the temples and back part of the head.

The priests made way for him, as he entered in his glory, and stepped in majesty along. Arrived at the altar, he looked around on the innumerable multitude that were assembled, while silent congratulations were addressed to him by every heart. Helon thought on the splendid description of the high-priest Simon, the son of Onias, in the book of Jesus the son of Sirach,*

The mere description had often awakened the enthusiasm of Helon, but now he saw it realized, in the most impressive service ever performed in Israel - - that of the morning after the Passover. There stood the high-priest, spiritual and temporal sovereign of the people, on the mountain of Jehovah, in sight of his sanctuary, and looked through the lofty portico, full upon the curtain of the most holy place. On

* Ecclesiasticus i.