had ever imposed such a task on them. It was, they said, a secret which could only be disclosed by the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh." Nebuchadnezzar, greatly enraged, immediately issued an order to destroy all the wise men of Babylon; and Arioch, the captain of the guard, going forth to execute it, sought for Daniel and his companions to put them to death. This being the first intimation Daniel had received of the king's dream, and subsequent displeasure with the wise men, he begged a short respite from Arioch; and going to the king, promised to fulfil his desire, if he would grant him a little time for that purpose. Having obtained this request he went home, and called upon his three friends to unite with him in supplications to "the God of heaven concerning this secret," that their lives might be spared. The Lord was pleased to hearken to their prayers, and to reveal the secret in a night vision to Daniel, whose joy on this occasion broke forth into a sublime thanksgiving to the God of heaven, Daniel's next care was to preserve the lives of the wise men, and for this purpose he repaired to Arioch, desiring him not to kill them, but to present him to the king, whose demand he was now prepared to comply with. When brought before Nebuchadnezzar he was careful to disclaim any merit for himself, in the communication he was about to make: assuring the king that no man could make known the secret; but informing him that "there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets;" and adding that the Lord had not revealed it to him on account of any personal wisdom he possessed, but in order to make him an instrument of good to others. He then proceeded to relate the particulars of the dream, and to unfold the interpretation of it, in a prediction of the four great empires, which should suc

ceed each other; and of that universal dominion which the Lord Christ Jesus should establish to "stand for ever." I dare say you are tolerably familiar with the circumstances narrated in this chapter; yet, as I wish my letters to recommend the word of God, not to supersede it, I will beg you to read them over carefully; to compare the prediction with its historical fulfilment; and above all, to entreat the Lord, by his Spirit, to confer on you wisdom and understanding, that you may early devote yourself to the service of your God and Saviour. Daniel, as you know, was advanced by Nebuchadnezzar to great earthly dignity. But he had honours more congenial to his desires conferred on him in the favour and love of his God. In the seventh year of Zedekiah the Lord was pleased to speak of him, by the prophet Ezekiel, as one to be ranked with Noah and Job; and in the tenth year of the same monarch the prophet was again commissioned to mention him in the reproof addressed to the prince of Tyre:+ from which it is evident that the fame of his wisdom had extended all over the east; though he was not more than thirtytwo years of age at that time.

4

WE must for the present interrupt our reflections on Daniel's history, to notice what is related of his three friends as in the order of time their miraculous deliverance is previous to the other circumstances in the life of the prophet.

Ezekiel xiv. 14, 16, 18, 20.

↑ Ezekiel xxviii, 3

I have already adverted to Daniel's exaltation, and to his kind solicitude for his companions that they might share in it. They had with him dedicated their youth to God, and shared the privations which duty enjoined; they had also shared with him the favour of the Lord; and they were now not only to partake in his prosperity, but to be themselves eminently honoured as the servants of the living God; to be set forth as a spectacle to men and angels; as an example and encouragement to believers to the end of time.

The year after the destruction of Jerusalem, when Nebuchadnezzar, having settled the affairs of Syria and Palestine, was returned to Babylon, is considered to be that in which he set up the celebrated image of gold; and called upon all the people and nations under his widely extended sway, to fall down and worship it. Nebuchadnezzar very probably set up this image in honour of his idol Bel, to whom he ascribed the success of his warfare, and to whom he thus devoted a considerable part of the spoils acquired in it. Like many other idolatrous princes, he seems to have determined that all the nations he had overcome should reverence his idols; and the penalty he threatened for noncompliance was sufficient to compel obedience in general. We are not, however, to conclude that the Lord's people, who were captives in Babylon, obeyed this impious decree; or sought to escape the penalty by renouncing their allegiance to the Lord their God. There were, doubtless, many who, encouraged by the example and advice of Daniel and his friends, determined to "cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart," and to resist even "unto blood, striving against sin." The prophet Ezekiel too had been raised up to warn them against the sins which had caused their captivity; and

to renew the promises of a gracious restoration, on condition of their repentance.

-Daniel is not mentioned at all in this transaction, though it is not probable he was absent; as his ap pointment was in the king's palace; and as all the great men who held either civil or military appointments, even in the provinces, were summoned by special command on this occasion. It may, therefore, be inferred, that the enemies of Daniel and his countrymen were deterred from making their first efforts against him, by the great favour in which he stood with the king. They doubtless hoped, by the accusation against his three friends, to implicate him, and all the Jews in Babylon. If such was their scheme, it was not ill concerted, according to worldly policy. "But the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." The means they employed for general destruction were, by divine interposition, converted into the means of general preservation to his people and not only rescued them from present danger, but insured to them future safety in the worship and service of their God. I cannot suppose you are unacquainted with this wonderful narrative: therefore I shall not recount particulars, but merely offer remarks on them. Represent to yourself then the colossal statue set up in the plain of Dura, and the assembled multitudes ready to prostrate themselves at the appointed signal. See the monarch whose command they obey, and whose pride, as he contemplates this mighty assemblage of his subjects, suggests to him that he is something more than mortal, while the glittering pageant meets his view, the sounds of harmony awake at his bidding, and the multitudes fall down simultaneously to worship the golden image

which he has set up. It is easy to imagine him in this state of exaltation; for the pride of the human heart kindles under excitements very inferior to those he experienced. But what a mortification awaits him! In the midst of his complacency he is informed that certain Jews whom he had set over the affairs of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, are totally regardi less of his mandate: not only showing a general neglect of his religious opinions, but refusing to obey his positive command on this public occasion. The transition from self-exaltation to anger is rapid when pride is wounded. The multitudes prostrated in obedience seem to vanish from his view, and three captives of a despised nation occupy all the regards of this potent monarch, who in rage and fury commands them to be brought into his presence: not doubting that they would longer resist the command, when urged by himself, under such impressive and imposing circumstances. When the accused stand before him, he affects to disbelieve the report he has heard; and affords them still the power of yielding to his authority; at the same time setting before them what he considers an irreversia ble doom; and exalting himself almost to omnipotence by the inquiry, "Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?"

How striking is the contrast we behold, in the calm, but undaunted self-possession of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they decline making any apology to the king, and, in the simplicity of faith, express their trust in God for deliverance: declaring at the same time, that should the Lord see fit even to allow them to perish in his service, they should deem that preferable to a violation of his laws. Nebuchadnezzar's fury now