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OUTLINES 
 
 OF 
 
 LECTURES 
 
 OX THE 
 
 BOOK OF DANIEL. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. F. A. COX, JD. D. LL. D. 
 
 
 First American edition. 
 
 NEW- YORK: 
 
 C. C. P. CROSBY, CLINTON HALL. 
 
 BOSTON:— GOULD, KENDALL & LINCOLN. 
 
 1836. 
 

 zsys-/ 
 
PREFACE 
 
 TO THE FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. 
 
 The laws of courtesy demand of the publisher, in presenting 
 this volume to the American reader, a brief reference, not only to 
 the learned author, but also to the contents of the work. The 
 standing of Dr. Cox, both in the literary and religious world, will 
 undoubted!}' secure for this book a favorable introduction ; and it 
 can hardly be expected that any one who commences it, and is 
 desirous of acquiring practical views of the inspired word, will be 
 dissatisfied with the remarkably apposite deductions, and elegant 
 illustrations, which arc here embodied. 
 
 It has been truly said, though there is keenness in the remark, 
 that most of those who undertake to write upon the prophecies, 
 take upon themselves the prophetical office ; in making up by 
 suppositions, what is wanting in facts, for the perfection of their 
 theories. To this charge the present author is not obnoxious. — 
 Leaving the deep, unfathomed mine of futurity to be explored and 
 developed by Him, who knoweth the end from the beginning, and 
 who is wonderful in counsel, as well as mighty in power ; ho has 
 generally taken the more humble, safe, and useful office of por- 
 traying the character of a man who could be pious at an idolatrous 
 court, and a politician too, (if high offico entitles to that distinc- 
 tion,) without tbo sacrifice of principle. A countryman of Dr. 
 Cox's has written on "Decision of Character" ; but did he not 
 overlook these more than heroic instances, recoided in the Book 
 of Daniel? The mere hero is a man of this world, but the pious 
 hero is a being of two worlds — and such were Daniel and his 
 three brethren, when threatened with the terrors of the fiery fur- 
 naco and the lion's den. 
 
11 
 
 Commendation after the work has been read will be unneces- 
 sary, and if offered previously might be deemed gratuitous; never- 
 theless, it is certainly proper to say, that in several English publi- 
 cations this volume has been spoken of in terms of high approba- 
 tion, while it is also due to the author, as well as to the public, to 
 notice a letter from Prof. Lee, of the University of Cambridge, 
 (Eng.) in which he expresses the opinion, that the plan and execu- 
 tion of these Lectures is among the happiest specimens of biblical 
 instruction within his knowledge. 
 
 To this sentiment the writer most fully responds, and would 
 only add, that these Lectures arc equally adapted to instruct and 
 edify ihe unlearned as well as the learned ; the Sabbath school 
 teacher, or the member of a Bible class. 
 
 The recent visit of Dr. Cox to this country, has justly endeared 
 his memory to a large circle of christians and philanthropists, and 
 it cannot bo doubted that thousands, who have seen his face, 
 will delight to peruse a work which the author has conducted 
 through several editions in his native country. 
 
 C C. P. C. 
 
 New- York, February, 1836. 
 
OF 
 
 THB 
 
 /?? 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LECTURES 
 
 ON 
 
 THE BOOK OF DANIEL, 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 DANIEL I. 
 
 It is characteristic of Scripture biography 
 to record the censurable actions of good men, 
 as well as their virtues and graces ; the entire 
 omission of the former, therefore, in the ac- 
 count of Daniel, leads to the conclusion, that 
 he was a person of pre-eminent excellence. 
 It is not merely, however, from evidence of 
 this negative character, but from the exhibi- 
 tion of extraordinary qualities of the highest 
 order, that he has been usually regarded as 
 oiie of the most perfect of human beings. 
 
 Daniel was a descendant of the kings of 
 Judah. He flourished during the reigns of 
 several Babylonish and Median monarchs, till 
 the period of the conquest of Babylon by Cy- 
 rus. The book which bears his superscrip- 
 tion, and of which he was the probable author, 
 contains a mixture of history and prophecy. 
 
Josephus states that this volume was shown 
 to Alexander the Great when he was at Jeru- 
 salem. The interest it awakened in the con- 
 queror's mind, might have been such as to in- 
 duce his favorable treatment of the Jews, after 
 having shown some exasperation against 
 them, in consequence of their refusing, as it 
 was said, to supply his army with corn, dur- 
 ing the siege of Tyre. 
 
 Verse 1. — In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king 
 of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto 
 Jerusalem, and besieged it. 
 
 2. — And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his 
 hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which 
 he carried into the land of Shinar, to the house of his 
 god ; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house 
 of his god. 
 
 The date of this overthrow of Jerusalem, 
 which commenced in the third, and terminated 
 in the fourth year of the captivity of Jehoia- 
 kim, may be fixed with sufficient certainty, A. 
 M., 3398, or about 600 years before the 
 Christian era. 
 
 What a melancholy picture does the history 
 of our race exhibit ; a picture not only of 
 sufferings, but of* mutual wrongs ! Sin has 
 embroiled mankind in endless hostilities, and 
 filled the whole earth with violence. Families 
 discordant, cities besieged, and nations at 
 war, — are the events that replenish those 
 volumes with tragical narrations, which ought 
 
5 
 
 to have presented to us the annals of benevo- 
 lence, friendship, and improvement. 
 
 The success of Nebuchadnezzar is express- 
 ly attributed to the providence of God. It 
 arose from his " determinate counsel and fore- 
 knowledge." In numberless instances wherein 
 we can discern nothing but the operation of 
 human passions, there is in reality an all-con- 
 trolling superintendence and agency : some 
 profound design which the foresight of man in 
 vain attempts to pursue through its mysterious 
 ramifications, or even to perceive in its incip- 
 ient form, is to be accomplished, which it may 
 be, other times shall develope, and other gen- 
 erations witness ; or results are in prepara- 
 tion, which, lying concealed for ages from our 
 view, shall viily emerge trom the darkness of 
 time, amidst the bright and wonderful revela- 
 tions of eternity. The narratives of Scripture 
 differ from those of common history in this, 
 among other respects, that the revolutions of 
 empires, and the contentions of states, are 
 noticed only so far as they concern the king- 
 dom of heaven, or affect the interests of the 
 people of God. Hence the minutest circum- 
 stances, and the smallest movements acquire 
 importance and rise into grandeur; but, dis- 
 sociated from this connexion, the greatest and 
 the most splendid sink into insignificance. 
 
 Should any one be tempted to inquire whe- 
 ther God had not forgotten his covenant with 
 
Abraham, and the mercies promised to his 
 ancient people, with reference to whose sacred 
 abode he had said, " This is my rest for ever ; 
 here will I dwell, for I have desired it," (Ps» 
 cxxxii. 14.) — their apprehensions of divine 
 faithfulness may be allayed by remarking the 
 emphatic character of the declaration, "The 
 Lord gave Jehoiakim into his (Nebuchadnez- 
 zar's) hand." This providence was punitive, 
 and intended to bring the nation to a proper 
 sense of their transgressions. This is ex- 
 pressly intimated in several passages, 2 Kings 
 xxiv. 2, 3 ; " And the Lord sent against him 
 bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Sy- 
 rians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands 
 of the children of Ammon, and sent them 
 against Judah to destroy it, according to the 
 word of the Lord, which he spake by his ser- 
 vants the prophets. — 3. Surely at the com- 
 mandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, 
 to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of 
 Manasseh, according to all that he did." — 
 Jeremiah xxv. 8, 11 ; "Therefore thus saith 
 the Lord of hosts ; because ye have not heard 
 my words, — 11. This whole land shall be a 
 desolation, and an astonishment ; and these 
 nations shall serve the king of Babylon seven- 
 ty years." Chap, xxvii. 6 ; " And now have 
 I given all these lands into the hand of Ne- 
 buchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my ser- 
 vant ; and the beasts of the field have I given 
 him also to serve him." 
 
Nebuchadnezzar is said to have carried a 
 portion of the sacred vessels into the land of 
 Shinar, into the house of his god. This was 
 the original name of the country where Baby- 
 lon stood, and where the tower of Babel was 
 built. In the same place, or very near it, 
 was an idol's temple, where the captured ves- 
 sels were deposited in honor of the imaginary 
 deity, to whom the king imputed his victory 
 over the Jews. This treasure house was pro- 
 bably the edifice to which Herodotus refers, 
 where a large golden statue of Jupiter was 
 erected. There were also others of Juno find 
 Rhea. Historians compute the riches of this 
 temple at upwards of twenty millions sterling. 
 
 Far be it from us, under the spiritual dis- 
 pensation of the gospel, to urge the decora- 
 tion of places of worship in pompous imitation 
 of heathen splendor, or of Jewish magnifi- 
 cence ; yet, may not Christians take a lesson 
 of humiliation from contrasting the punctilious 
 solicitude of idolators respecting their tem- 
 ples, and the costly sacrifices so readily and 
 extensively made by the superstitious in reli- 
 gion, with their frequent parsimony and. reluc- 
 tance in maintaining the worship of the true 
 God? It comports not, indeed, with the sim- 
 plicity of the gospel, to rear ornate and splen* 
 did edifices for the celebration of its obser- 
 vances ; nor, on the other hand, does it accord 
 with the liberality of its spirit, for the professed 
 
 1* 
 
8 
 
 disciples of Christ, to allow his cause to be 
 encumbered with debt, and ground down by 
 legalized oppressions. 
 
 Verse 3. — -And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master 
 of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the chil- 
 dren of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes. 
 
 4. — Children in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, 
 and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and 
 understanding science, and such as had ability in them 
 to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach 
 the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 
 
 5. — And the king appointed them a daily provision of the 
 king's meat, and of the wine which he drank : so nour- 
 ishing them three years, that at the end thereof they 
 might stand before the king. 
 
 The object of this careful selection of dis- 
 tinguished individuals, was doubtless to en- 
 hance the king's glory in the eyes of the 
 courtiers, and of the empire ; and it was cal- 
 culated to produce this effect, because the 
 more honorable his attendants, the more 
 exalted would he himself appear. The orien- 
 tal monarchs have always been remarkable 
 for this display, that they might as much as 
 possible impose upon the ignorant multitude, 
 whether they kept a splendid court at home, 
 or travelled with a magnificent retinue abroad. 
 
 How naturally may our thoughts be direct- 
 ed to the u King of Zion," who, apart from 
 every motive of human ambition, and influenc- 
 ed solely by a benevolent aim to impart hap- 
 piness to the miserable, and salvation to the 
 
lost, chose his followers and associates from 
 among the poor, illiterate, and despised. It 
 was neither his purpose to invest himself with 
 external grandeur, nor raise his followers to 
 posts of earthly dignity ; but by placing them 
 in the domain of his own voluntary poverty, 
 to shew that the only legitimate objects of 
 ambition were virtue and religion. 
 
 That the Chaldeans, who were celebrated 
 for their science, should have forced it into 
 subserviency to the absurdities of astrology 
 and magic, is deeply to be lamented ; but we 
 may conclude, that Daniel and his companions 
 kept themselves free from these delusions. 
 Probably there was no attempt to coerce these 
 youthful captives, by the employment of a 
 despotic authority, which, it is evident, even at 
 this early age of their history, they possessed 
 the courage to resist. Education is important, 
 but we must never lose sight of its genuine 
 design. Let young persons determine to con- 
 secrate as well as to acquire knowledge ; and 
 let their instructors be at least as solicitous of 
 imparting moral and spiritual wisdom, as of 
 cultivating the intellectual faculties. 
 
 Verse 6. — Now among these were of the children of Judah, 
 
 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah ; 
 7«— Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names : for 
 
 he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar ; and to 
 
 Hananiah, of Shadrach ; and to Mishael, of Meshach,; 
 
 and to Azariah, of Abed-nego. 
 

 10 
 
 The object of this change of names, in con- 
 nexion with their instruction in Chaldean 
 literature, was to induce them to forget their 
 own religion and country, and slide easily into 
 idolatrous observances. It has been observed, 
 that as all their former names related to the 
 true God, so all their newly imposed names 
 had some reference to Babylonish idols. 
 
 Daniel signifies in Hebrew God is my judge; 
 Belteshazzar, in Chaldee, means the treasure 
 of Baal ; Hananiah, in Hebrew, is well pleasing 
 to God; Shadrach, in Chaldee, is the inspira- 
 tion of the Sun ; Mishael, in Hebrew, is pro- 
 ceeding from God; Meshach, in Chaldee, be- 
 longing to the goddess Sheshach ; Azariah, in 
 Hebrew, God is my help ; Abed-nego, in Chal- 
 dee, the servant of Nego, that is, the sun or 
 morning star, both of them esteemed as deities 
 by the Babylonians. 
 
 Verse 8. — But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would 
 not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor 
 witli the wine which he drank : therefore he requested 
 of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile him- 
 self. 
 
 9. — Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender 
 love with the prince of the eunuchs. 
 
 10. — And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear 
 my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and 
 your drink : for why should he see your faces worse 
 liking than the children which are of your sort? then 
 shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. 
 
 11. — Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the 
 eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and 
 Azariah. 
 

 11 
 
 12. — Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let 
 them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 
 
 13. — Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee 
 and the countenance of the children that eat of the por- 
 tion of the kings meat; and as thou seest, deal with thy 
 servants. 
 
 14. — So he consented to them in this matter, and proved 
 them ten days. 
 
 15. — And at the end often days their countenances appear- 
 ed fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which 
 did eat the portion of the kings's meat. 
 
 16. — Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat 
 and the wine that they should drink, and gave them 
 pulse. 
 
 In these verses we perceive the elements of 
 Daniel's eminent character. Observe, 
 
 I. The Dangers by which he was encom- 
 passed. 
 
 As in all probability, he had not at this time 
 attained to more than twenty years of age, he 
 was much exposed by his youth and inexperi- 
 ence. In that season of life the world assumes 
 its most attractive appearance, and finds the 
 greatest facility in imposing its delusions for 
 realities. The brilliance of the morning de- 
 ceives the unpractised traveller ; and the 
 snares which are laid to entrap virtue, are but 
 too frequently successful. Hence arises the 
 importance of sowing the seeds of religion in 
 " the fields of youth." 
 
 Daniel was a captive, and yet elevated to a 
 state of flattering distinction. This was a two- 
 fold source of hazard. As a captive he was 
 
12 
 
 in the power of the conqueror, and of the 
 officers of his court; and as one who was 
 selected on account of his personal appear- 
 ance and general capacity to be trained to 
 exalted station, he was peculiarly liable to be 
 led astray by the enchantments of the world* 
 His captivity tended to break his spirits ; his 
 distinctions to corrupt his virtue. Authority 
 on the one hand, and flattery on the other, 
 formed a powerful confederacy against his 
 principles. 
 
 His destiny, moreover, seemed to be linked 
 with that of his friends ; and as the leading 
 individual amongst them, upon him fell the 
 greatest weight of responsibility. The con- 
 duct they adopted in this emergency was 
 doubtless suggested by him, and his senti- 
 ments materially guided their judgment. He 
 thus involved them in the consequences of 
 his decisions ; and these were not unimpor- 
 tant to " strangers in a strange land." 
 
 II. The Moral Triumph which Daniel 
 obtained. It was complete and glorious. 
 
 He appears to have been perfectly conscien- 
 tious. Reflection roused into action a feeling 
 of insuperable reluctance to what was wrong ; 
 he " purposed in his heart that he would not 
 defile himself." Much of the food in use 
 among the heathen was forbidden by the 
 Mosaic law ; and had not this been the case, 
 their custom of offering up a part at their 
 
13 
 
 daily meals, as an acknowledgment to their 
 gods, was revolting to these servants of the 
 Most High. It is unsafe to resist the dic- 
 tates of an enlightened conscience. 
 
 He was besides entirely decided ; having re- 
 volved the subject in his mind he would not 
 swerve. We should always think before we 
 act, especially in religion ; but then proceed 
 with a prompt, vigorous, and persevering 
 determination. 
 
 There was a graceful modesty in Daniel con- 
 nected with his moral heroism. Although he 
 had " purposed in his heart" not to defile him- 
 self with heathen dainties, yet " he requested 
 of the prince of the eunuchs (or personal at- 
 tendants of the king) that he might not defile 
 himself." His conduct was respectful as it 
 was firm. When young persons are com- 
 pelled by principle to forsake father and 
 mother, to separate from the most endeared 
 associations of life, let them avoid all offen- 
 siveness of manner. What must be done for 
 conscience-sake, should be done for religion's 
 sake courteously. The proper regulation of 
 the temper is an essential part of piety itself; 
 and never does Christianity appear more 
 lovely than when she stands confessed with 
 the spirit of martyrdom in her eye, and the 
 blush of modesty upon her cheek. 
 
 Daniel manifested great judgment and wis- 
 dom. He did not press the point upon Ash- 
 
14 
 
 penaz, who supposed that a compliance with 
 his request would endanger him at court, but 
 made a judicious proposal to Melzar, which 
 that inferior officer consented to adopt, and 
 adopted with success. It is remarked by 
 Poole's Continuators, that by exchanging the 
 meat and wine for pulse, he gained the costly 
 provision of four men for three years, adding, 
 " Courtiers are no losers by the favour they 
 procure for God's servants." 
 
 Hence we perceive also that Daniel evinced 
 an exemplary spirit of self-denial and temper- 
 ance. Instead of yielding to the temptations 
 of luxury, he voluntarily subjected himself to 
 the humblest fare, that appetite might not be- 
 tray him into sin : besides, his patriotic and 
 religious sympathies determined him to prefer 
 abstinence, while his country and his friends 
 were suffering degradation. The 15th verse 
 furnishes a clear evidence that the divine 
 blessing sanctioned his conduct. 
 
 Verse 17. — As for these four children, God gave them 
 knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom ; and 
 Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 
 
 18. — Now at the end of the days that the king had said he 
 should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs 
 brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 19. — And the king communed with them ; and among them 
 all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and 
 Azariih ; therefore stood they before the king. 
 
 20. — And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, 
 that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times 
 
15 
 
 better than all the magicians and astrologers that were 
 in all his realms. 
 31. — And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king 
 Cyrus. 
 
 " Every good and every perfect gift is from 
 above." It is the prerogative of God to 
 qualify individuals for the stations which his 
 providence destines them to occupy. Daniel 
 was distinguished from his companions as 
 the possessor of prophetic endowments. — 
 Though they had " knowledge and skill in all 
 learning and wisdom," he had " understanding 
 in all visions and dreams." These were 
 among the most ancient modes of divine com- 
 munication. " If there be a prophet among 
 you, I the Lord will make myself known unto 
 him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a 
 dream." Numb. xii. 6. 
 
 The investigation which Nebuchadnezzar 
 instituted, and which he personally under- 
 took, into the literary progress of the Jewish 
 captives, was honorable to his character as 
 a sovereign. It proves that he was by no 
 means an unobservant spectator of what was 
 passing around him ; and that he did not 
 suffer himself to overlook the affairs of state 
 for the sake of self-indulgence. Though we 
 cannot commend the object he had in view, 
 or sympathize with the ambitious motives by 
 which he was guided, yet his activity and zeal 
 merit our approbation. 
 
 2 
 
16 
 
 The king's preference of the four illustrious 
 Jews was remarkable, when it is recollected 
 that the Chaldeans boasted of their literature 
 and science, and deemed all other nations to 
 be barbarians. Surely this superiority on 
 their part, which attracted royal favor in so 
 extraordinary a degree, was " from the Lord." 
 He exalts and depresses according to his good 
 pleasure, and to subserve the high purposes 
 of his universal government. To him we are 
 indebted for whatever talent, acquisition, or 
 influence we possess — to him, in humble 
 gratitude and with consecrated zeal, let us 
 devote all ! 
 
LECTURE II. 
 
 DANIEL II.— 13. 
 
 No delusion is greater or more frequent 
 than to imagine that persons of elevated rank 
 are inaccessible to the ordinary troubles of 
 life. Others, who occupy inferior situations, 
 are unable, owing to the distance, either to 
 hear the expression of their sentiments, or to 
 see through the external dazzle their actual 
 circumstances ; in consequence, they often 
 envy when they should com^^ & - ^ to 
 
 experience than the poet's declaration, 
 
 " Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." 
 
 Of this we have evidence in the record which 
 this chapter contains of the perturbations of 
 mind incident to royalty; and throughout 
 every gradation of society, we find a wise and 
 merciful adjustment of the proportions, sel- 
 dom, on the whole, remarkably unequal, of 
 suffering and enjoyment. This is obviously 
 the fact, although the sources of trouble are 
 as diversified as the conditions of men. 
 
18 
 
 » 
 
 Happy would it be if even the wise and the 
 good were exempt from the misconceptions 
 which prevail so extensively r and produce 
 effects so lamentable in others ; but the lan- 
 guage of the psalmist is but too just a repre- 
 sentation of the experience of all classes — 
 " I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the 
 prosperity of the wicked." The only effect- 
 ual method of removing these impressions is 
 pointed out in the instructions which he gain- 
 ed amidst the solemnities of religion — " I 
 went into the sanctuary of God ; then under- 
 stood I their end." 
 
 Verse 1. — And in the anoond year of the reign of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, where, 
 with his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from 
 him. 
 
 orientals,' have p&? h ^ nations > particularly 
 of the most curious and inexplicable phe- 
 nomena of our nature. In estimating this 
 faculty of the mind, we should avoid the ex- 
 tremes of contempt and of vulgar credulity. 
 Dreams may be viewed as common and ex- 
 traordinary. 
 
 Common dreams appear to result from the 
 fragments of recollected thought, the exag- 
 gerations of fancy, and the combination into 
 new forms, of circumstances with which we 
 have been previously conversant: and these 
 
.19 
 
 renewals of the past in an imaginative charac- 
 ter may arise from the state of the health, the 
 peculiar condition of the mind, or other 
 causes, which have more immediate relation 
 to our physical temperament and constitu- 
 tion. 
 
 Extraordinary, or supernatural dreams are 
 those which are sent by God to answer some 
 important and special purpose, or to convey 
 prophetic intimations. Abimelech was im- 
 formed in a dream that Sarah was the wife of 
 Abraham. Jacob was shown a mysterious 
 ladder in a dream. He was also informed 
 by an angel, in .a similar manner, of the me- 
 thod of multiplying his flocks. Joseph was 
 honored by prophetic dreams. Of this kind, 
 evidently, were the dreams of Nebuchadnez- 
 zar recorded in this book. 
 
 Verse 2. — Then the king commanded to call the magi- 
 cians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the 
 Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams. So they 
 came and stood before the king. 
 
 3. — And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, 
 and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 
 
 4. — Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O 
 king, live for ever : tell thy servants the dream, and 
 we will show the interpretation. 
 
 5. — The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The 
 thing is gone from me ; if ye will not make known unto 
 me the dream with the interpretation thereof, ye shall 
 be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dung- 
 hill : 
 
 6. — But if ye show me the dream, and the interpretation 
 thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts, and rewards, and 
 
 2* 
 
20 
 
 great honor: therefore show me the dream and the 
 interpretation thereof. 
 
 7. — They answered again, and said, Let the king tell his 
 servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation 
 of it. 
 
 8.— The king answered and said, I know of certainty that 
 ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone 
 from me. 
 
 9. — But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, 
 there is tut one decree for you ; for ye have prepared 
 lying and corrupt words to speak before me till the time 
 be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall 
 know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof. 
 
 10. — The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, 
 There is not a man upon the earth that can show the 
 king's matter : therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, 
 that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or 
 Chaldean. 
 
 11. — And it is a rare thing that the king requireth ; and 
 there is none other that can show it before the kiug ex- 
 cept the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 
 
 12. — For this cause the king was angry and very furious, 
 and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 
 
 13. — And the decree went forth that all the wise men 
 should be slain ; and they sought Daniel and his fellows 
 to be slain. 
 
 The peculiarity of Nebuchadnezzar's dream 
 renders his f orgetfulncss of it remarkable. It 
 is true that these airy visions are often im- 
 mediately dismissed from the mind; but a 
 dream of a very striking character seldom 
 vanishes entirely and at once from the me- 
 mory. In this case, however, we may justly 
 infer that the same hand which first impressed 
 its singular features on the mind of the mon- 
 arch, speedily obliterated every trace of it, to 
 
21 
 
 answer an important end ; because, had it 
 been recollected, he would have probably de- 
 tailed the outlines to these practised magi- 
 cians, who would have finished the affair by 
 pacifying him with some plausible interpreta- 
 tion. Many suppose that Nebuchadnezzar's 
 forgetfulness was only a pretext to try them. 
 This is questionable, and certainly not inti- 
 mated in the narrative. 
 
 It may be difficult, at this distance of time, 
 to distinguish with perfect accuracy, the dif- 
 ferent orders of the pretenders to divination 
 and learning here mentioned. The magicians 
 and astrologers were those who were skilled 
 in natural philosophy, and who addicted them- 
 selves to the casting of nativities. Some have 
 thought also, with sufficient probability, that 
 they were employed in the interpretation of 
 hieroglyphics. The magi in Egypt, Persia, 
 and other oriental nations, were similar in en- 
 dowments and profession. These were the 
 " wise men" who came to inquire after the 
 birth of our Lord. The sorcerers were those 
 who devoted themselves to necromancy, pre- 
 tending, in the use of diabolical arts, to hold 
 an intercourse with departed spirits. The 
 term Chaldeans appears to be general and 
 comprehensive. It is supposed that all these 
 classes formed, under this common designa- 
 tion, a college of literary men, who, in addi- 
 tion to their science, professed to have com- 
 
22 
 
 munications with superior beings, and, by 
 means of incantations, to command their as- 
 sistance ; and, as they considered dreams to 
 proceed from the agency of those beings, it 
 must have been in their power, according to 
 their own avowals, to recall a dream as well as 
 to give the interpretation. These magicians 
 were maintained at the public expense, and 
 the threat implies, that the buildings appro- 
 priated to their use should be demolished, and 
 their collegiate institution annihilated. 
 
 " There is none other," say they, " that can 
 show it before the king, except the gods ;" and 
 they had previously insisted, " there is not a 
 man upon the earth that can show the king's 
 matter." The allusion is probably to demons 
 or departed spirits, who were considered as a 
 kind of messengers between their reputed 
 deities of the highest order and mankind. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar declared, that if they did 
 not reveal his dream, they should be " cut in 
 pieces." This terrible proceeding seems to 
 have been frequent in ancient times. Agag 
 was hewed in pieces by Samuel ; and the Am- 
 monites suffered in a similar manner, by the 
 direction of David, — 2 Sam. xii. 31. Our 
 Saviour alludes to this punishment when he 
 speaks of the wicked servant being " cut in 
 sunder," — Luke xii. 46 ; and in the epistle to 
 the Hebrews, illustrious martyrs to the truth 
 are said to have been " stoned, and sawn asun- 
 der." 
 
23 
 
 Among the Romans, when any person was 
 found guilty of conspiring against the govern- 
 ment, or the ruler, he was capitally punished, 
 and his house demolished or appropriated to 
 some other use. Instances of the same na- 
 ture are traceable among the Greeks, as re- 
 lated by Herodotus and Pausanias. 
 
 When we reflect upon the arbitrary power 
 with which this celebrated king was invested, 
 and with which it was so common to entrust 
 the monarchs of antiquity, it becomes us to 
 cherish devout gratitude to God for the mild 
 spirit of our constitution* and the useful re- 
 straints it imposes on the exercise of the 
 highest functions of government. The en- 
 lightened age in which we live, the sound 
 policy by which public measures are generally 
 regulated, through being exposed to public in- 
 quiry and animadversion, and above all, the 
 
 been so signally manifested" to us as a nation, 
 and to whose goodness we have every scrip- 
 tural reason to appeal, — all inspire cheerful 
 anticipations respecting futurity. 
 
 It does not appear that Daniel and his com- 
 panions were required to accompany the 
 other reputed magicians to the king ; for what 
 reasons we cannot ascertain, and need not 
 conjecture. The statement of the 13th verse, 
 however, is adapted at once to rouse our sym- 
 pathy and apprehension, — " And the decree 
 
24 
 
 went forth that the wise men should be slain } 
 and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be 
 slain" But however imminent the dangers in 
 which God may suffer his faithful servants to 
 be involved, his eye never ceases to watch 
 over them. Sometimes, indeed, he permits 
 them to perish by the hands of his enemies, 
 or to be affected by the revolutions of society ; 
 but these events form a part of that myste- 
 rious agency by which the plans of an infinite 
 government are accomplished. If these pro- 
 spective and comprehensive designs do not 
 require such a sacrifice, his people may rely 
 on his special protection, his gracious pre- 
 sence, and his delivering mercy ; and if they 
 do, they may anticipate the consolations of 
 his love in death, and a happy transmission to 
 eternal rest. 
 
 1 ins part 01 tne narrative suggests a few 
 remarks on the subject of anger — of which 
 Solomon has remarked, with apparent severi- 
 ty, but justice — " anger resteth in the bosom 
 of fools." Periarider, of Corinth, one of the 
 seven sages of Greece, formed so just a con- 
 ception of the evils attendant upon the indul- 
 gence of this passion, that he left the follow- 
 ing maxim as a bequest to posterity; "be 
 master of thine anger." But, while even 
 heathens were able to discern and lament its 
 dire effects ; Christianity has laid the axe at 
 
25 
 
 the root of the tree, by requiring the extirpa- 
 tion of those principles which prompt to its 
 unholy ebullitions. 
 
 We are reminded by this history, that — 
 
 1. Anger is undignifying. There are few 
 of the vices in which a person appears in a 
 more degraded character. If, in a paroxysm 
 of anger, a man could borrow other eyes and 
 look at himself, he would be filled with con- 
 fusion and conscious shame. 
 
 2. It is unreasonable. In this state of ex- 
 citement, the most convincing arguments, and 
 the most well-founded remonstrances are 
 alike disregarded. Truth loses all its force ; 
 reason abandons her throne ; and the roused 
 lion acquires not only the appropriate epithet, 
 but the debased nature of the brute. Nebu- 
 chadnezzar furnished, on the occasion in 
 question, a most unhappy specimen of this 
 odious temper. 
 
 3. It is destructive of that just and useful 
 influence to which we should aspire, and for 
 which every one is naturally capacitated by his 
 position in society. "A drunken man," re- 
 marks an excellent author, " in the height of 
 his intoxication, is looked upon as so far from 
 being fit to receive or impart instruction, that 
 he is considered as no longer master of his 
 own conduct. He seems to act without con- 
 sciousness, and to rush into mischief without 
 apprehension of danger. As such, he is either 
 
26 
 
 pitied or despised by those about him ; and 
 for the time, is hardly entitled to the rank of 
 rational beings. It is much the same with him 
 who is intoxicated with passion. Such a man 
 cannot gain much influence over any but those 
 who are necessarily his dependents. He may 
 frighten his children or his servants ; but, if 
 his eyes were open, he might easily see that, 
 while he tramples on those who cannot resist 
 him, he is not revered for his virtue, but 
 dreaded or despised for his brutality ; and 
 that he lives only to excite the contempt or 
 hatred of society. He that has his hand 
 against every ma?i, need not wonder if every 
 ma?i J s hand is against him. He lives in a state 
 of war with mankind, as he is destitute of that 
 meekness which is the cement of society, that 
 love which is the bond of perfectness, that char- 
 ity which covers a multitude of sins* In the 
 present state of imperfection, mutual allow- 
 ances are necessary to mutual usefulness- 
 Without such allowances, variance, strife, 
 and contention, will keep us perpetually at a 
 distance from each other ; and prevent us both 
 from doing good to our fellow-creatures, and 
 receiving good from them." 
 
 4. Anger usually makes a rapid progress. 
 It resembles the torrent which rushes on with 
 increasing impetuosity down a steep descent, 
 spreading terror and devastation around. At 
 first it may be only like "the letting out of 
 
27 
 
 water ;" but it soon acquires a heedless and 
 resistless power. This idea is conveyed in 
 the twelfth verse, " The king was angry, and 
 very furious." He kindled as the debate pro- 
 ceeded, and he was wrought into incipient 
 madness, as his will, however unreasonable, 
 was counteracted. It is often found, that the 
 less an angry man is in the right, the more 
 enraged does he become. 
 
 5. Anger is productive of great un7iappiness* 
 Sometimes intemperate passion has led its 
 victim to do a deed of mischief in one hour, 
 or even in a single moment, which years have 
 not been able to repair ; and for the perpe- 
 tration of which, the man himself, when reason 
 has resumed her influence, has bitterly, but 
 hopelessly repented. The inward disquiet 
 to which it gives birth, the self-lacerations it 
 inflicts, and the general desecration of char- 
 acter it occasions by its effect upon other 
 habits of mind and thought, it would be diffi- 
 cult adequately to describe ; but, on the 
 other hand, the serenity and elevation of that 
 spirit which is under due regulation, is beauti- 
 fully depicted by a heathen moralist ; " The 
 upper and better ordered part of the world 
 next the stars, is driven together into no cloud, 
 hurried into no tempest, never tossed about 
 in any whirlwind, but is ever free from any 
 thing of tumult. Only the inferior regions 
 throw about thunders and lightnings. So is 
 
 3 
 
28 
 
 the sublime mind always quiet, in a state of 
 undisturbed tranquillity, sober, venerable, and 
 composed." 
 
 6. Anger is a most guilty passion. The 
 pleas which the passionate man sometimes 
 urges after a paroxysm of rage, and not un- 
 frequently insinuates even at the moment, in 
 extenuation of its violence, are merely the 
 subterfuges of a mind conscious, yet not wil- 
 ling to confess that it is in error. But no 
 provocation can justify such intemperate sal- 
 lies. How disgraced, and how criminal does 
 he appear, whatever his station, whose wrath- 
 ful explosions alike wound the sensibilities of 
 love, sever the bonds of friendship, and vio- 
 late the decorum of society ! Anger is de- 
 nounced in the New Testament as one of the 
 " works of the flesh." The late eminent 
 Robert Hall, after adverting to the declara- 
 tions of Scripture against the indulgence of 
 the irascible and malignant feelings, adds : 
 " Vindictive passions surround the soul with 
 a sort of turbulent atmosphere, than which 
 nothing can be conceived more opposite to 
 that calm and holy light in which the blessed 
 Spirit loves to dwell." 
 
 Unquestionably there are occasions, as 
 some have pleaded, when anger is lawful ; 
 as, when it is employed against our own sins, 
 the vices of others, the disorders found in 
 the house of God, and the irregularities of 
 
■ 
 
 'UHIVEESf 
 
 our own families. The more appropriate 
 appellation, however, in these instances, 
 would perhaps be displeasure; meaning to 
 express thereby a state of mind which suppo- 
 ses the exercise of judgment, in contradis- 
 tinction to that which obviously precludes it. 
 With the New Testament in our hands, 
 we cannot fail of perceiving the importance 
 of a due regulation of the temper, to attest 
 and to exemplify personal religion. Does 
 not Christianity require that in this, as well as 
 in other respects, we should differ from others, 
 and " do more" than they ? Ought we not 
 constantly to represent to ourselves the 
 •*' meekness and gentleness" of him whom we 
 profess to love and to imitate ; and whose ex- 
 ample benignly irradiates every page of the 
 evangelical narratives ? His displeasure, in- 
 deed, was strongly manifested against flagrant 
 impiety or base principle ; but how exempla- 
 ry were his forbearance, kindness, endurance 
 of contradiction, and patience in suffering ! 
 With what a softened effulgence did his ma- 
 jesty shine through his meekness ! In one in- 
 stance, it is true, when the Pharisees endea- 
 vored to find an occasion of preferring an 
 accusation against him, on the ground of his 
 healing on the Sabbath-day, " he looked round 
 about on them with anger ;" but he must pos- 
 sess little discrimination in reading the sacred 
 narrative, who does not perceive the charac- 
 
30 
 
 ter of this display of feeling, as it is imme- 
 diately intimated in the words, " being grieved 
 for the hardness of their hearts." At another 
 time, when " Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and 
 found in the temple those that sold oxen, and 
 sheep, and doves, and the changers of money 
 sitting," he drove them out, expostulated with 
 these mercenary traders, and virtually chas- 
 tised those of higher station by whom they 
 were countenanced ; but his solemn remon- 
 strance, " make not my father's house a house 
 of merchandize," evinces the motive of his 
 proceeding, and its character is more than 
 justified in the prophecy to which his disciples 
 adverted, " the zeal of thine house hath eaten 
 me up." Let, however, the entire life of our 
 Lord be regarded in evidence that he was as 
 far superior to the petty resentments, the 
 mean jealousies, the unworthy passions of 
 our nature, as the heavens are above the 
 earth ; nay more, that in all that is pure in 
 principle, ennobling in character, and heaven- 
 ly in spirit, he has left us an example, " that 
 we should follow his steps. Who did no sin, 
 neither was guile found in his mouth : who, 
 when he was reviled, reviled not again ; when 
 lie suffered, he threatened not ; but committed 
 himself to him that judgeth righteously," 
 
LECTURE III. 
 
 DANIEL II. 14—30. 
 
 Verse 14. — Then Daniel answered with counsel and wis- 
 dom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which 
 was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon : 
 
 15. — He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, 
 Why is the decree so hasty from the king. Then 
 Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 
 
 16. — Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he 
 would give him time and that he would show the king 
 the interpretation. 
 
 17. — Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing 
 known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his com- 
 panions ; 
 
 18. — That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven 
 concerning this secret, that Daniel and his fellows should 
 not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 
 
 Another proof is here supplied of Daniel's 
 " counsel and wisdom." He first inquires of 
 Arioch into the facts of the case, and then, 
 by his judicious remonstrances, induces that 
 officer to suspend the execution of the king's 
 decree, till he had obtained an interview with 
 Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 When we compare the request that " the 
 king would give him time," with the royal 
 language to the assembled magicians, "I know 
 
 3* 
 
32 
 
 of certainty that ye would gain the time ;" we 
 perceive not only an evidence of the estima- 
 tion in which Daniel continued to be held at 
 court — for it appears that his wish was im- 
 mediately granted — but a demonstration, in 
 the continued and effective superintendence 
 of Divine Providence, that " the king's heart 
 is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of wa- 
 ter : he turneth it whithersoever he will." 
 
 Daniel stimulated the companions of his 
 captivity, to apply to the only source of wis- 
 dom, in the present emergency. He and they 
 had a better hope than is found in any of 
 those resources to which others commonly re- 
 pair in seasons of perplexity and tribulation. 
 The men of the world either aim " to steep 
 their senses in forgetfulness," or to soothe 
 their anxious spirits by trusting in possibili- 
 ties, casualties, and changes ; the servant of 
 God withdraws from the turbulent scene 
 around him, to hold converse with the mighty 
 mover and supreme disposer of all events. 
 His language is, " God is a refuge for us ; a 
 very present help in time of trouble." 
 
 The importance of prayer, then, at all times, 
 but more especially in seasons bf impending dan- 
 ger or during deep affliction, is apparent. 
 While there are many scriptural grounds of 
 confidence whenever we approach the mercy- 
 seat, some promises apply with singular and 
 exclusive force to the " time of need," " the 
 
33 
 
 time of trouble," the hour of " passing through 
 the waters and the floods." 
 
 Daniel not only evinced his desire, by the 
 invitation given to his companions, that they 
 should participate in the credit and the safety 
 he expected, but showed a profound sense of 
 the necessity of united, as well as importunate 
 prayer. He requested them all to solicit "mer- 
 cies of the God of heaven concerning this se- 
 cret." While the individual supplication of 
 " the righteous man availeth much ;" union 
 in prayer is adapted to increase its fervency, 
 and, through grace, to promote its success. 
 And, while it is adapted to our social nature, 
 and suited to our circumstances of common 
 necessity, it has the express assurance of di- 
 vine blessing. 
 
 The proceeding of Daniel bespeaks strong 
 faith. He was convinced not only of the om- 
 niscience of the being he proposed to ad- 
 dress, but of his readiness to hear their en- 
 treaties. His faith adapted itself to the 
 exigency, and pierced through the clouds of 
 sense ; and doubtless he experienced what 
 the vigorous exercise of that principle is 
 adapted to impart, "joy and peace in believ- 
 ing." 
 
 Daniel directed them to pray concerning 
 this secret, that he and his friends might not 
 perish with the Chaldean magicians, because 
 he formed a proper estimate of life, while he 
 
34 
 
 felt solicitude for the honor of his God. The 
 preservation of life is an important good, and 
 cannot be disregarded without palpable folly 
 and sin ; but even this is to be sought, as it 
 is evident that it was in the present instance, 
 as an instrument of advancing the cause of 
 true religion. If duty had demanded its sac- 
 rifice, they were willing ; if it required its 
 preservation, they were thankful. Hence we 
 should learn to estimate the value of life 
 chiefly as a means of usefulness. Hear an 
 apostle : " For I am in a strait between two, 
 having a desire to depart, and to be with 
 Christ ; which is far better : Nevertheless, to 
 abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 
 And having this confidence, I know that I 
 shall abide and continue with you all, for your 
 furtherance and joy of faith." 
 
 Verse 19. — Then was the secret revealed un(o Daniel in 
 a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 
 
 That God should disclose the secrets of 
 futurity to mankind, is an evidence of won- 
 derful condescension. They might with per- 
 fect propriety have remained wrapt in the im- 
 penetrable mystery of his own conceptions 
 and purposes, and no being, however exalt- 
 ed, could have possessed the right, or, inde- 
 pendently of divine instruction, the capacity 
 to explore the depths of inexistent time. The 
 revelations of Deity respecting the events of 
 
35 
 
 ages yet to come when those revelations were 
 given, furnish indubitable proof of the charac- 
 ter of the individual who held a commission 
 from heaven, and a permanent demonstration 
 of the truth of religion when the prophetic 
 statement is recorded. Posterity, to whom it 
 is thus transmitted, have the opportunity of 
 comparing the prediction with the event; and 
 as none but the omniscient mind could know 
 futurity, none but those to whom he might 
 see fit to unfold it, could become acquainted 
 with its transactions. 
 
 But this passage must be regarded particu- 
 larly as an encouraging instance of answer to 
 prayer. This is a subject of great interest in 
 every point of view. It essentially involves 
 our comfort, well-being, and hopes ; but it 
 has been much perplexed both by the plausi- 
 ble sophistries of the indevout, and the sincere 
 and sometimes distressing scruples of the 
 pious. It has been asked, whether the impor- 
 tunity of so insignificant and unworthy a be- 
 ing as man can change the previous determi- 
 nations of an immutable being ? In this 
 supposed difficulty it is forgotten that God has 
 inseparably connected the means with the 
 end. If he has decreed that certain bless- 
 ings shall be given, he has equally decreed 
 they shall be sought for in prayer. Though 
 no event can be casual with the Deity, all 
 events are conditional to us. If I am diseas- 
 
36 
 
 ed or in adversity, the infinite being fore- 
 knows whether I shall recover from sickness, 
 or rise from poverty ; but this does not alter 
 the obligation or the necessity of sending for 
 the physician, or using vigorous efforts. The 
 earth shall be productive, but the seed must 
 be sown. It is the will of God that we should 
 pray, and, whether we can explain or not the 
 nature of the efficacy, it is real, promised and 
 apparent. 
 
 It has also been inquired whether we may 
 expect an answer to every prayer, and at 
 once? This must depend on the nature of 
 the case in both respects. We ought never 
 to pray for any thing which we deem a good, 
 especially for any temporal blessing, without 
 
 an absolute surrender of our views, desires, 
 and anticipations, to the divine will, with re- 
 gard either to the blessing itself, or to the 
 time and mode of its bestowment. If we so- 
 licit spiritual blessings in general, we may do 
 so without reserve ; but particular gifts, either 
 piritual or temporal, can only be sought spe- 
 cifically and for special purposes, in the 
 spirit of acquiescence in the decisions of 
 perfect wisdom. 
 
 These are circumstances in which the hon- 
 or of God is so obviously concerned, as well 
 as the happiness of his people, that we may 
 fully expect immediate answers to prayer. — 
 Of this we have many examples in Scripture, 
 
37 
 
 besides that of Daniel in the instance before 
 us. Living as we do under the Christian 
 dispensation, let us constantly realize that 
 name and those merits through which alone 
 we can successfully apply to " the throne of 
 grace ;" and let us continually cultivate that 
 spirituality of mind which will prompt to un- 
 ceasing pleadings with our heavenly Father, 
 for blessings which Christ is exalted to be- 
 stow. 
 
 Verse 20. — Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name 
 of God for ever and ever ; for wisdom and might are 
 his : 
 
 21. — And lie changeth the times and the seasons: he re- 
 moveth kings, and setleth up kings : he giveth wisdom 
 unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know under- 
 standing : 
 
 22. — He revealeth the deep and secret things : he knoweth 
 what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 
 
 23. — I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my 
 fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast 
 made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for; 
 thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter. 
 
 In the preceding verse, Daniel is said to 
 have " blessed the God of heaven ;" and this 
 paragraph contains the form of words in which 
 he expressed his adoration. The whole is 
 characterized by great simplicity and fervor, 
 and bespeaks a mind penetrated with awe, re- 
 plete with devotion, and filled with emotions 
 of grateful joy. 
 
 1. He adverts emphatically to the name of 
 God. Although this, and similar language, 
 
38 
 
 may be considered as a general appeal to the 
 perfections of the Deity, and to the veracity 
 of his promises, yet it ought never to be for- 
 gotten that a peculiar sacredness has, from 
 the earliest ages, been attached to the term 
 which was employed by his own authority to 
 designate the eternal Being ; and to this it 
 becomes us always in prayer to cherish the 
 most reverential regard. " I appeared unto 
 Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the 
 name of God Almighty (Al-Shaddai, that is, 
 self-sufjicicnt) ; but, by my name Jehovah 
 (that is, self-existent, and the cause of all 
 being), was I not known to them," Exod. vi. 
 3. This proclamation of the Divine name 
 was not published till the time of Moses. 
 After the captivity, the Jews, out of a super- 
 stitious veneration, ceased to pronounce it; 
 and they say that this name was only uttered 
 once in the temple, on the great day of ex- 
 "piation, and not at all subsequently to the 
 destruction of the temple. How awfully cri- 
 minal is the conduct of those who dare to 
 employ any one of the appellations of the 
 Great Supreme in blasphemous imprecations ; 
 and with what " godly fear" does it become 
 his sinful creatures to approach him even in 
 devotion, and while privileged to plead the 
 merits of the Saviour as the ground of access ! 
 2. Daniel refers also to the direct agency of 
 Providence in the conduct of human affairs* The 
 
39 
 
 blessed God is represented not only as pos- 
 sessing the "wisdom" to contrive and to super- 
 intend, but the "might" to "change the times 
 and the seasons," and to exalt or depress the 
 potentates of earth. With this truth impress- 
 ed upon our minds, let us always proceed 
 whenever we propose to unlock the treasures 
 of history; treasures, indeed, they can only 
 be, when through its enlightening influence, 
 they are justly appreciated ; otherwise they 
 are but an accumulation of trifles. ■ Their 
 value is to be estimated by their utility ; and 
 that utility can only be evinced by the illus- 
 trations they afford of the government of God. 
 Of this we may feel assured, that whatever 
 darkness may involve our conceptions, " the 
 light," as it is here expressed, " dwelleth with 
 him." 
 
 3. Daniel humbly acknowledges the especial 
 favor bestowed upon himself and his companions ', 
 in the disclosure of that mystery which the king 
 demanded. It is instructive to observe how 
 he comprehends his brethren in the efiicacy 
 of those prayers which they had mutually 
 offered, and in answer to which the secret was 
 unfolded. Religion emancipated him from 
 the' bondage of selfishness, and freed him from 
 the littleness of pride — " Who has made known 
 unto me now what we desired." 
 
 The appeal, "O thou God of my fathers," 
 reminds us that the recollections of piety are 
 
 4 
 
40 
 
 the most solemn and endearing that earth can 
 afford. Some are privileged to look back 
 upon an'extended succession of holy ancestry, 
 and to recount the names of multitudes endear- 
 ed by relationship to themselves, as well as 
 distinguished for their faith, who now form a 
 part of the celestial society. Their sun is set, 
 but their example continues to shed its holy 
 twilight around the horizon of life, and cheers 
 them on their pilgrimage. 
 
 This phraseology must, to a Jew, have been 
 peculiarly significant. It inspired reflections 
 on his covenanted relationship to God, by 
 virtue of his connexion with Abraham, Isaac, 
 and Jacob. The promises flowed in the 
 channel of his descent ; and he felt himself 
 allied to those whose histories were inter- 
 woven with the earliest transactions between 
 man and his Maker. He thus felt at once 
 the bond that united him with the splendid 
 past, and the more splendid future — with the 
 patriarchs of former times, and the sons of 
 light at all periods — with all that was glorious 
 in heavenly revelations and inspired predic- 
 tions. 
 
 Especially did this exiled servant of the 
 Most High cherish these sentiments, and re- 
 fer with ardent emotions to this beloved and 
 venerated name, in his present circumstances. 
 Country, kindred, home, religion — a thousand 
 thoughts which language fails to express, 
 
41 
 
 would rush upon him in confluent tides of 
 feeling, while he recorded the expressive 
 words — " God of my Fathers /" 
 
 24. — Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the 
 king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon : 
 he went and said thus unto him, Destroy not the wise 
 men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I 
 will show unto the king the interpretation. 
 
 25. — Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in 
 haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the 
 captives of Judah that will make known unto the king 
 the interpretation. 
 
 26. — The king answered, and said to Daniel, whose name 
 was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me 
 the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation 
 thereof? 
 
 27. — Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, 
 The secret which the king hath demanded, cannot the 
 wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, 
 show unto the king ; 
 
 28. — But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, 
 and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what 
 shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions 
 of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 
 
 29. — (As for thee O king, thy thoughts came into thy 
 mind upon thy bed what should come to pass hereafter ; 
 and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what 
 shall come to pass : 
 
 30. — But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any 
 wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their 
 sakes that make known the interpretation to the king, 
 and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.) 
 
 If, in the manner which Arioch is said to 
 have introduced Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, 
 we perceive the courtier, willing to embrace an 
 
42 
 
 opportunity of ingratiating himself into the 
 affections of his sovereign, we need not be 
 surprised, especially as the prophet had so- 
 licited his interference. But let us improve 
 the circumstance, by using it as a motive for 
 humiliation before God, that we are so little 
 solicitous of the highest place in his approba- 
 tion, and so little zealous in promoting the 
 interests of his glorious empire ! 
 
 The answer of Daniel to the king's question, 
 whether he was able to make known the dream 
 and the interpretation, furnishes a new de- 
 monstration of his superior character. Hav- 
 ing intimated that the astrologers, magicians, 
 and soothsayers were incapable of revealing 
 the mystery by their arts of divination, he 
 does not proceed to affirm his own ability, 
 but imputes the discovery to the " God in 
 heaven that revealeth secrets ;" wishing 
 himself to be regarded as simply the chan- 
 nel of communication ; and, to prevent all 
 possibility of misapprehension, he reiterates 
 the statement, and insists that the secret was 
 not disclosed to him for any wisdom he pos- 
 sessed more than any living. How opposite 
 is this to that spirit of self-exaltation which is 
 frequently evinced by persons under circum- 
 stances of far less powerful temptation ! What 
 a contrast to the disposition to bend every 
 trifling circumstance into subserviency to 
 personal distinction, and to give a false co- 
 
43 
 
 loring, as is too common, to facts, in order to 
 flatter a selfish vanity, or promote a worldly 
 interest ! Let us beware of falsehood in all 
 its Protean shapes. It may lurk in the impli- 
 cation, as well as stand prominently forward 
 in direct affirmations. Let us forever re- 
 nounce all studied ambiguities that are calcu- 
 lated to give a false impression ; and be will- 
 ing rather to suffer disparagement by excessive 
 caution, than aim to acquire honor by exag- 
 gerated statements, or a self-commending 
 phraseology. — " He that humbleth himself 
 shall be exalted." 
 
 • 4* 
 
LECTURE IV, 
 
 DANIEL II. 31—35. 
 
 Verse 31. — Thou, O king, sawest, and, behold, a great im- 
 age. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, 
 stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. 
 
 32.— This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his 
 arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 
 
 33. — His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 
 
 34. — Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without 
 hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of 
 ' iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 
 
 35. — Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and 
 the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the 
 chaff of the summer threshing-flowers ; and the wind 
 carried them away, that no place was found for them : 
 and the stone that smote the image became a great 
 mountain, and filled the whole earth. 
 
 By taking into consideration the origin and 
 progress of symbolical language, we shall be 
 assisted to appreciate the character of this re- 
 markable dream. 
 
 The earliest attempts at writing were, pro- 
 bably, rude outlines of external objects, as 
 trees and animals : whence arose the method 
 of conveying abstract and moral ideas by the 
 use of signs or symbols, as the figure of a 
 lion to signify courage, that of a serpent to 
 
45 
 
 represent cunning, and that of a leafless tree 
 to describe winter. Sculptured or painted 
 outlines of this kind were anciently exhibited 
 on the walls of temples, by the Egyptians, the 
 Phoenicians, and many other nations. Hiero- 
 glyphics (i. e. sacred engravings) abound also 
 on the monuments, coins and medals of for- 
 mer times, both before and after the inven- 
 tion of the alphabet ; and hence the human 
 figure has been often introduced by historical 
 and poetical writers to represent cities, peo- 
 ple, the progress or decline of empires, or the 
 relative importance of different parts of a 
 government. 
 
 As, therefore, the blessed God has seen fit 
 in Scripture to describe his own conduct by 
 means of terms in language, not indeed, strict- 
 ly applicable, but generally understood ; so, 
 in accommodation to the previous concep- 
 tions of mankind, and their pictorial method 
 of conveying abstract ideas, or the narrative 
 of great events to each other, a colossal hu- 
 man form was presented to the imagination 
 of Nebuchadnezzar, which, upon being recall- 
 ed to his memory, was adapted to impress 
 the monarch's mind with the probability and 
 consistent clearness of Daniel's interpretation. 
 He would easily admit that it was a suitable 
 emblem of political power, and political vicis- 
 situde. His mind was thus prepared for the 
 particular explanations of the prophet. Let 
 
46 
 
 us admire the wisdom, and adore the good- 
 ness of God, in so adapting his communica- 
 tions to the character of the human mind, that 
 subjects of mysterious grandeur and awful 
 interest are made intelligible even to beings 
 so inferior and unworthy ! 
 
 Verse 36. — This is the dream ; and we will tell the inter- 
 pretation thereof before the king. 
 
 37. — Thou, O king, art a king of kings : for the God of 
 heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, 
 and glory. 
 
 38. — And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts 
 of the field, a»d the fowls of the heaven, hath he given 
 into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. 
 Thou art this head of gold. 
 
 39. — And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to 
 thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall 
 bear rule over all the earth. 
 
 40. — And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron : for- 
 asmuch as iron brcaketh in pieces and subdueth all things : 
 and as iron that breakcth all these, shall it break in pieces 
 and bruise. 
 
 11. — And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of 
 potter's clay and part of iron ; the kingdom shall be di. 
 vided ; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, 
 forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry 
 clay. 
 
 42. — And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part 
 ' of clay ; so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and part- 
 ly broken. 
 
 43 — And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, 
 they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men : but 
 they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not 
 mixed with clay. 
 
 44. — And in the days of these kings, shall the God of hetv 
 ven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed : 
 
47 
 
 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it 
 shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, 
 and it shall stand forever. 
 45. — Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out 
 of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces 
 the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold ; the- 
 great God hath made known to the king what shall come 
 to pass hereafter : and the dream is certain, and the in- 
 terpretation thereof sure. 
 
 The first monarchy pointed out in this 
 brilliant image, was the Chaldean or Babylon- 
 ian, of which Babylon was the metropolis, 
 and Nebuchadnezzar the most celebrated in 
 the succession of kings. In the language of 
 prophecy, king comprehends kingdom, that is, 
 inclusively, the royal person or family, and 
 his empire. We learn from history, that at 
 this period, the monarchy in question extend- 
 ed over Assyria, Egypt, Phoenicia, Syria, 
 Arabia, and Palestine. The immense opu- 
 lence of the Chaldean government, and the 
 magnificence of the chief city in particular, 
 have led interpreters to regard this descrip- 
 tion, " thou art this head of gold," as expres- 
 sive of the splendor, no less than of the prior- 
 ity of this kingdom, in the prophetic series. 
 
 The pride of eastern sovereigns has always 
 induced them to assume the most pompous 
 titles, and to admit none into their presence 
 who should hesitate to use them ; but if Dan- 
 iel felt himself compelled to call this haughty 
 potentate, " king of kings," he took care to 
 
48 
 
 add, with a fidelity and a piety truly admir- 
 able, " the God of heaven hath given thee a 
 kingdom ;" — thus pointing out to Nebuchad- 
 nezzar that he was entirely indebted for his 
 possessions, influence, and glory, to the great 
 Supreme ; and insinuating, at this solemn 
 moment, a lesson of the greatest practical im- 
 portance both to the individual he was ad- 
 dressing, and to all who might hereafter be 
 called to sway the sceptre. 
 
 " The breast and the arms of silver," are 
 said to be emblematic of " another and infer- 
 ior kingdom," which was to " arise after" 
 that of Nebuchadnezzar. This was the Medo- 
 Persian. The arms represent the two kings 
 of the Medes and Persians, whose dominions 
 were united under Cyrus, when he captured 
 Babylon in the year B. C. 538. By the term 
 inferior^ some suppose there is a reference to 
 the moral character of the kings ; others re- 
 fer it to the rapidly declining glory and short 
 duration of that empire* From Cyrus to the 
 last monarch elapsed only 200 years. Ac- 
 cording to the Arabic version, however, the 
 meaning is simply, that this empire should be 
 next in order ; and perhaps the best principle 
 
 • of interpretation is to disregard the mere 
 comparative value of the metals which com- 
 pose the image. 
 
 The third kingdom is indicated by " the 
 
 % belly and thighs of brass." It is said to " bear 
 
49 
 
 rule over all the earth." This alludes to the 
 Macedonian or Greek empire, founded by 
 Alexander the Great. His conquests were so 
 extensive as fully to justify the description ; 
 for Europe, Asia, and Africa, were made sen- 
 sible of his power. The epithet of brazen- 
 coated Greeks, by which they were distinguish- 
 ed, on account of their eminence in military 
 prowess, seems appropriate to the vision, 
 though no stress need be laid upon it. The 
 Persian monarchy terminated in the over- 
 throw of Darius Codomanus, at Arbela, in the 
 year B. C. 331. After his death (B. C. 323), 
 the empire was divided by Alexander among 
 his four generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, 
 Ptolemy, and Seleucus. The thighs of brass 
 have been thought to represent the kingdoms 
 of the Seleucidse, in Syria, and the Lagidae, 
 in Egypt ; which constituted the last branches 
 of the Greek empire. 
 
 The fourth kingdom is pointed out by the 
 image having "legs of iron ; and feet, part of 
 iron and part of clay." The interpretation 
 is, that it shall be " strong as iron," and shall 
 " break in pieces and bruise." To the Mace- 
 donian or Grecian succeeded the Roman em- 
 pire, whose iron temperament, evinced alike 
 in the valor and hardiness of the people, and 
 the vigor, perseverance, and oppressive con- 
 sequences of their military achievements, and 
 whose division into the Eastern and Western 
 
50 
 
 empires, verify the two legs of the image. 
 This emblem may also have a further and 
 more specific reference to those. Imperial 
 persecutions of the church of Christ, which 
 have spread their sanguinary hue over the 
 pages of history, stained the memory of their 
 perpetrators with the deepest dye of guilt, and 
 accumulated upon their heads a weight of 
 fearful responsibility. 
 
 The feet and toes being " part of iron and 
 part of clay," exhibits the division of the king- 
 dom, and its finally enfeebled state, "being 
 partly strong and partly weak ;" through the 
 relaxation of ancient discipline, and by "ming- 
 ling with the seed of men" — or, in conse- 
 quence of the intermarriages and leagues with 
 the nations that inundated them from the 
 North, but with whom, nevertheless, they 
 could not amalgamate. The toes may repre- 
 sent the kingdoms which resulted from the 
 entrance of the Goths, Huns, and Vandals, 
 who were at first permitted to settle within 
 the Roman precincts, though they afterwards 
 become independent. But the Homan and 
 Northern nations were so dissimilar in their 
 habits arid character, that they never could 
 form one uniform people. 
 
 It may be inquired why only four empires 
 are exhibited in this prophecy ? The reason 
 probably is, that those were the empires with 
 whom the Jews came in contact, and by whom 
 
51 
 
 they were oppressed. The Turks, indeed, 
 conquered Palestine, but not while the Jews 
 held possession of the country. 
 
 The " stone which smote the image," is 
 explained by Daniel as referring to the set- 
 ting up of the kingdom, which is to stand upon 
 the ruins of preceding empires. 
 
 Bishop Chandler has justly remarked, that, 
 by the stone being a species of mineral alto- 
 gether different from that of which the image 
 was composed, it was implied, that " this new 
 kingdom should be not only different in num- 
 ber, or a distinct empire, but of another na- 
 ture from that of the image." The concur- 
 rent opinion of the best expositors may justify 
 us in assuming that the stone which was " cut 
 out of the mountain without hands," and 
 " smote the image," is an adumbration of the 
 kingdom of Christ. The correspondence 
 of the figure with the facts, and with other 
 descriptions in the sacred volume, appears 
 sufficiently to verify this application. Bishop 
 Newton remarks, that " the fathers generally 
 
 apply this to Christ himself but it 
 
 should rather," he says " be understood of the 
 kingdom of Christ, which was formed out of 
 the Roman empire, not by number of hands, 
 or strength of armies, but without human 
 means and the virtue of second causes." It 
 seems more strictly consonant to the spirit of 
 this prophetic vision, in which the head of 
 
 5 
 
52 
 
 gold is to be regarded as comprehending Ne- 
 buchadnezzar and his dominions, to consider 
 both Christ personally, and Christ in his go- 
 vernment, that is, Christianity, as equally re- 
 presented. The term stone is frequently ap- 
 plied to Christ in prophecy. Compare Gen. 
 xlix. 24, Isa. xxviii. 16, Psalm cxviii. 22, Matt, 
 xxi. 42, Mark xii. 10, Luke xx. 17, Acts iv. 
 10, 11, Eph. ii. 20, 1 Peter ii. 4—8. The 
 word mountain, into which the stone is said to 
 expand, is also employed as descriptive of the 
 establishment of the Saviour's dominion in 
 "the last days," Isa. ii. 2. The stone is de- 
 scribed as " cut out of the mountain," which 
 may be conceived to refer to the locality of 
 the kingdom, namely, the mountainous coun- 
 try of Judea. It is further affirmed, to be cut 
 or torn out " without hands," that is, without 
 human hands : it was to be accomplished 
 solely by the power of God. An illustrative 
 expression may be found in the epistle to the 
 Corinthians. The body to be possessed at 
 the resurrection is characterized as " a house 
 not made with hands," 2 Cor. v. 1. 
 
 The stone is seen to " break in pieces the 
 iron, the brass, the silver, and the gold ;" and 
 they became " like the chaff of the summer 
 threshing-floors," which " the wind carried 
 away, that no place was found for them." The 
 expression alludes to the threshing-floors in 
 Eastern countries, which were usually placed 
 
53 
 
 *m the tops of hills. In such a situation the 
 chaff would be easily dispersed ; and thus a 
 striking image is supplied, expressive of total 
 demolition. Literally, the kingdoms repre- 
 sented in the colossal statue, fell successively, 
 and only during the progress of ages ; so that 
 the several metallic emblems were not in his- 
 tory " broken in pieces together" This ac- 
 count, however, has been supposed to find its 
 verification in the fact that the political des- 
 potism and pagan idolatry common to all, and 
 which might be regarded as concentrated in 
 the last, were destroyed in the subversion of 
 the Roman empire ; but, perhaps it may be 
 sufficient to consider it simply, as a general 
 representation of the entire overthrow, at what- 
 ever period, of all these kingdoms, their 
 branches, and dependencies. The whole is, 
 in reality, a map of time to come, or as Bishop 
 Hurd observes, " the four kingdoms of Daniel 
 forma prophetic geography, being considered, 
 in the eye of prophecy, as coexistent, and as 
 still alive." It would scarcely have comported 
 with the dignity of the description, to have 
 exhibited the predicted ruin in detail ; and 
 Daniel describes as with one stroke of his 
 pen, the glance of his prophetic eye over the 
 ages and revolutions of a mysterious futurity. 
 Of " the kingdom of heaven," it is declared 
 that " it shall never be destroyed," as the pre- 
 ceding empires were ; and that it " shall not 
 
54 
 
 be left to other people," but shall become "a 
 great mountain," and " fill the whole earth." 
 The prophecy also intimates that " it shall 
 stand forever." 
 
 Dr. Homes remarks, that " the meaning of 
 the continuance of this monarchy of Christ 
 forever, doth not signify that it should never 
 have any end, as if Christ should never lay 
 down his power of government ; for the con- 
 trary is expressed in 1 Cor. xv. 24, 28 ;* but 
 the meaning is this ; first, it shall never be 
 destroyed (v. 44), that is, shall not end with a 
 devastation and desolation, as the former 
 monarchies did ; secondly, it shall not be 
 ' left to other people ;' that is, other people 
 shall never succeed the saints to possess it, as 
 another people successively succeeded and 
 possessed the other monarchies ; thirdly, that 
 the end of this monarchy of Christ (so far as 
 it may have an end), is only formally, of the 
 power or mode of government by Christ, who 
 resigns his power to God himself; not ma- 
 terially, for the saints shall continue for ever, 
 eternally happy, under the wing of the beati- 
 fical vision of God himself." This may be 
 regarded as a correct interpretation of the 
 phrase in question. In strictness, the king- 
 
 * •* Then cometh the end, when he shall bavc delivered up the 
 kingdom to God, even the Father ; when he shall have put down alV 
 rule, and all authority, and power. — And when all things shall be 
 subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto» 
 him that put all things under him,, that God may be all in alk* 
 
55 
 
 dom of Christ in the external form of it, will 
 be delivered up to the Father, and terminate ; 
 but in reality, as to the identity of its subjects, 
 it will continue. The earthly will flow into 
 and intermingle with the heavenly population, 
 merging into it, like a stream into the ocean, 
 or a morning beam into perfect day. It will, 
 therefore, incomparably surpass all other em- 
 pires in extent and duration ; being both uni- 
 versal and immortal. 
 
 Brightly and gloriously does this vision 
 arise before the eye of faith ! How insignifi- 
 cant are all governments, even the greatest, 
 to that of the Saviour, which not only com- 
 bines every element of true grandeur in its 
 constitution, but embraces in its range of in- 
 fluence unnumbered nations and countless 
 myriads of souls ! What fading pieces of 
 successive pageantry are " the kingdoms of 
 this world, and all the glory of them," to the 
 everlasting reign of the Son of God ! To be 
 a subject of this kingdom, to share in its bless- 
 edness, to be eternally associated with its 
 people, and their king must be to be elevated 
 to the height of all glory — to the very summit 
 of our intellectual, sanctified, and immortal 
 nature. 
 
 In those moments of spiritual enjoyment of 
 which the Christian is sometimes conscious in 
 contemplating this scene of transcendant at- 
 traction ; how vain do all other subjects ap- 
 
 5* 
 
5G 
 
 pear, even those which otherwise possess the 
 deepest general or personal interest ! Into 
 what a speck and an atom does our ascent 
 into this worldly theme appear to sink this 
 " present evil world !" What contemptible 
 nothingness seems to characterize not only all 
 that is common and even appropriate in the 
 pursuits of life, but even all that is most valued, 
 most eagerly sought, and most loudly applaud- 
 ed ! Still it is needful to remember that the 
 most delightful and splendid visions of the 
 future, ought not to divert us from the duties 
 of the present ; that we must not aim to "build 
 tabernacles" on the mount, for the mere in- 
 dulgence of a contemplative piety, but willing- 
 ly descend, though with sanctified emotions, 
 into the realities of life ; and that activity in 
 the service of Christ, combined with medita- 
 tion upon his character, a sense of his love, 
 and a conscious participation in the glory of 
 his kingdom, constitutes at once the most 
 privileged and the most useful condition of 
 existence. 
 
 To this practical application of the subject 
 we may be the more incited by recollecting, 
 in connexion with the fading nature of all 
 earthly dominions and governments, though 
 they embrace several successive generations, 
 the still greater fragility and brevity of indi- 
 vidual life. If empires occupy but a com- 
 parative moment in the flux of ages, what shall 
 
57 
 
 we think of our " appointed season on the 
 earth ?" Is it not a temporary bubble on the 
 stream ; or, as the Scriptures express it, " a 
 vapor, that vanishes away ?" But yet it has 
 everlasting associations ; and those associa- 
 tions originate in present character, which is 
 therefore the elementary principle of our im- 
 mortal destiny. The question whether we 
 love Christ supremely, or the world — whether 
 we live to promote his glory, and advance the 
 interests of his church, or subserve our own 
 selfishness, prejudice and passion, — whether 
 we are obedient to him, or " serve divers lust 
 and vanities," — will soon be answered, if any 
 of us should now feel repugnant to a direct 
 and conscientious reply, in our enthronement 
 amidst the splendors of the celestial kingdom, 
 or our depression to the depths of infernal 
 darkness and despair. 
 

 LECTURE V. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF DANIEL II. 36— 45, 
 
 AND 46—49. 
 
 Having, in the preceding Lecture, given an 
 explanation of the symbolical language of 
 Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which harmonizes 
 in general with the opinions of the most dis- 
 tinguished commentators, I have left for pre- 
 sent consideration the question of time, as 
 indicated by the words " in the days of these 
 kings," and subsequent expressions. In re- 
 ferring to the sentiments of others, be it un- 
 derstood that they are not pleaded as authori- 
 ties ; but while pursuing our own course of 
 investigation, it is satisfactory to find the sub- 
 stantial concurrence of those who have given 
 the greatest attention to the prophetic por- 
 tions of Holy Writ, and who, though they 
 have been sometimes charged with following 
 each other implicitly, afford ample evidence, 
 in their differences upon subordinate points, 
 of the independent character of their indivi- 
 dual inquiries. Never having seen the sub- 
 
:T9 
 
 ject before us exhibited in a precisely similar 
 manner, a candid consideration may be fairly 
 demanded, while, after a very careful research, 
 I proceed to give the result of my own deci- 
 ded judgment. Let us, however, " wrestle" in 
 prayer to the " Father of Lights," that if in 
 any thing we err, our minds may be irradiated 
 and rectified by the more abundant illumina- 
 tions of his Holy Spirit. 
 
 Some interpret the predictions, " in the 
 days of these lungs shall the God of heaven 
 set up a kingdom, which shall never be de- 
 stroyed," (v. 44.) and " thou sawest that the 
 stone was cut out of the mountain without 
 hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the 
 brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold," (v. 
 45) as referring exclusively to the final period 
 of the world, when the ten monarchies, which 
 arose in the decline of the Roman empire, 
 shall approximate the termination of their 
 power; consequently they allege that the 
 prophecy is to be regarded as still waiting for 
 its accomplishment : others believe that the 
 allusion is to the period of the first coming of 
 Christ, and the establishment of Christianity, 
 which they deem the " setting up of the king- 
 dom," or the commencement of that spiritual 
 dominion of the Son of God in the hearts of 
 men, which will result in the glory of the mil- 
 lenial dispensation. The question therefore 
 resolves itself into this, whether we are to con- 
 
60 
 
 sider the kingdom of Christ as established at 
 the introduction of his gospel, or whether it 
 is yet to be begun by his personal appearance 
 to introduce his kingdom and commence his 
 reign. The sentiments which I have been led 
 to entertain on this subject are developed in 
 the following particulars. 
 
 1. As in the common language of prophecy, 
 Icings are to be taken as representing king* 
 doms, and as in this vision four kingdoms only 
 arc named, and the image is presented in the 
 prophetic dream as a splendid whole, it seems 
 most natural, if not inevitable, to understand 
 the expression as referring to one of the four 
 kingdoms in question, that is, necessarily, the 
 last of them ; which is, the Roman empire. 
 Although the toes are mentioned as well as 
 the feet, and although this figure may find its 
 exemplification in the subdivision of that em- 
 pire into the smaller states, which arose after 
 the northern incursions, yet these arc not 
 specified in this part of the prophecy ; that is, 
 the toes are not mentioned as kingdoms, while 
 the empires are. By " these kings" therefore, 
 must be intended the kings, that is, kingdoms 
 which have been previously enumerated. Con- 
 sequently, " in the days of these kings," means 
 in the time of the Roman empire. 
 
 2. That the prediction of the stone does 
 not refer exclusively to the ultimate period of 
 the world, appears evident from the distinct- 
 
Gl 
 
 ness of the intimation that it would strike the 
 image upon the feet, not upon the toes : the 
 latter are mentioned after the former, as, ac- 
 cording to the general construction of the 
 statue, subsequent in time. Consequently, tho 
 empire of Rome was to be smitten when in its 
 strength, or before the division into several 
 kingdoms. This interpretation is verified by 
 the fact, that Christ was born in the reign of 
 Augustus, and the apostolic labors extended 
 to the period of the commencing decline of 
 Roman power, 
 
 3. To consider these representations as 
 solely applicable to the period of the second 
 coming of Christ, would be to suppose that the 
 whole of his first manifestation, and of all that 
 resulted from it in the early diffusion of Chris- 
 tianity, and its subsequent and existing exten- 
 sion were entirely overlooked by the spirit of 
 prophecy. The great events belonging to the 
 history of Christianity for nineteen or twenty 
 centuries, would not then acquire even the 
 notice of the least important transaction. — 
 But can we really conceive that the first ap- 
 pearance of Christ, which in its character was 
 more remarkable, and in its moral results in- 
 finitely more magnificent than all the glory 
 which can be supposed to invest the political 
 empires of the world, were their glory to be 
 viewed as in their combined and concentra- 
 ted effulgence ; — can it be presumed that the 
 
 'L 
 
62 
 
 Saviour's manifestation in our nature, the mis- 
 sionary labors of his apostles, the spread and 
 subsequent influence of his religion for suc- 
 cessive ages, should be kept out of view, and 
 as it were forgotten, in this map of future time ? 
 Was there indeed no place in the scene for 
 the wonderful revealings of incarnate love ? 
 
 4. It has already been shown that the term 
 stone has a specific reference to the person, 
 work and influence of the Redeemer. . It may 
 be said, that the reference would be no less 
 personal were it presumed to adumbrate his 
 final appearing ; but — 
 
 5. The comparative insignificance of a 
 stone, seems more accordant with other re- 
 presentations in Scripture of his personal 
 meanness, as well as the insignificance of 
 Christianity in its first promulgation, than is 
 consistent with the inspired representations 
 of his ultimate appearance. He was "a root 
 out of dry ground ;" he had "no form or come- 
 liness ;" he was "despised and rejected of men, 
 a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." 
 It is scarcely conceivable, that the ultimate 
 appearance of Christ "in the glory of the 
 Father, and all the holy angels with him," 
 can be made to comport with this emblem, 
 which so well accords with the lowliness of 
 his first advent, and the contracted sphere of 
 the gospel in its early propagation. 
 
 6. The "setting up of a kingdom," is phra- 
 seology which well harmonizes with the his- 
 
63 
 
 torical fact. It implies time and labor, such 
 as is usually bestowed on important works ; 
 and admits of an easy explanation in the con- 
 flict of opposing parties and principles, during 
 the period of what may be termed the com- 
 mencement of Christianity. The heathen 
 empire of Rome was forcibly struck when 
 the apostles fulfilled their Lord's commission, 
 in going forth "to preach the gospel to every 
 creature," and fell to pieces, when Constan- 
 tine, in A. D. 331 issued an edict, command- 
 ing the destruction of all heathen temples. — 
 It has been alleged, that smiting the image, 
 and breaking it in pieces, is ill suited to the 
 evangelical account of the " meekness and 
 gentleness of Christ, and the holy subduing 
 influences of Christianity. This objection 
 arises out of a contracted view of the subject ; 
 for however mild the spirit of our divine Mas- 
 ter, and of our holy religion, the diffusion of 
 its principles inflicts a blow, tremendous and 
 destructive, upon the vice, infidelity, and 
 superstition of the world. What is gentle 
 may yet be powerful. Of this, nature itself 
 affords ample illustration. 
 
 7. The growth of the stone into a mountain, 
 is another evidence that the spirit of prophecy 
 intended to represent a gradual increase of 
 Christianity, rather than a splendid manifes- 
 tation, for the purpose of an instantaneous 
 and universal diffusion of millenial glory and 
 
64 
 
 influence. It is difficult to perceive by what 
 possible construction of words the figure of 
 " a stone becoming a mountain," can be made 
 exclusively to represent the circumstances of 
 Christ's second advent ; but if we consider it 
 to describe the progression or growth of the 
 religion of Jesus, from the period of its pro- 
 mulgation, to its predestined universality, it 
 seems to correspond with the manner and de- 
 gree of its prevalence to the present time, 
 and the general expectation of the Christian 
 church, arising from this and similar predic- 
 tions, with regard to the splendid future. 
 
 One objection has been made to this view 
 of the subject, which has in it some plausi- 
 bility, but which, nevertheless, appears upon 
 examination to be devoid of force. How, it 
 is inquired, can it be affirmed that the kingdom 
 of Christ has been gradually extended, so as 
 to be likely to fill the earth, when we consider 
 the frequent decay of its influence, and the 
 narrow boundaries within which it is even 
 now, after the lapse of eighteen centuries, 
 confined ? To this it may be replied, that, 
 in the interpretation of prophecy, it is requi- 
 site to take large and comprehensive views of 
 time and space. It is not to individual ob- 
 jects, so much as to great outlines and promi- 
 nent events, that our attention is to be direct- 
 ed. Prophecy places us as on the summit of 
 a lofty rock, whence we are invited to survey 
 
65 
 
 fl.n immense expanse, skirted by a dim and 
 {indefinable horizon, It is not the figure or 
 the particular movement of the billows of this 
 ocean we are to regard, so much as the mighty 
 whole : it is not so much the advance or re- 
 trocession of each wave, as the progress of the 
 tide itself, which is to claim our attention. — 
 Christianity may flow or ebb in respect to its 
 influence, in particular places or times ; but 
 the question regards not what may be the 
 state of this'or that country at a given period, 
 or even whether a succeeding period presents 
 Christianity as more extended geographically, 
 than in the age which preceded it ; the ques- 
 tion mainly regards the stability of its princi- 
 ples, the various directions it may take, and 
 the indications it may contain within itself, 
 or which may be made manifest by the opera- 
 tions of Providence, of its ultimate and uni- 
 versal prevalence. 
 
 To require that we should vindicate the 
 prophetic statement as significant of a gradual 
 progress of religion in the earth, by showing 
 that it has literally, from year to year, or even 
 from one generation to another, increased in 
 an uninterrupted succession of obvious events, 
 constituting a regular diffusion, is surely too 
 severe a demand ; and is like asking, in order 
 to verify the vision, that we should mark the 
 dimensions of the stone each day or each 
 year, as it is becoming a mountain. To take 
 
66 
 
 another scriptural image, which describes the 
 progress of truth, it is like "a grain of mus- 
 tard seed," or it is like "a handful of corn 
 that was sown in the earth." The progress 
 of vegetation may suffer many interruptions, 
 and may seem at times to recede and decline, 
 while it is in fact upon the whole advancing 
 to the maturity of verdure, or of harvest : so 
 the fluctuations which affect the cause of 
 Christ, in its different localities or subdi- 
 visions, do not prevent its steady progress to 
 universal dominion. 
 
 It has been urged, as an objection to this 
 interpretation, that there does not seem to 
 have been much growth towards the mountain 
 since the apostolic age. Christianity, it is 
 intimated, is far, very far, from filling the 
 whole earth. But the remark is inapplicable, 
 for two reasons : first, that when the stone is 
 to become a great mountain, and to fill the 
 earth, is not stated, nor whether it shall be 
 throughout the entire period a gradual pro- 
 cess, nor whether it may not remain for cen- 
 turies without any very apparent enlargement, 
 and then rapidly swell to the dimensions of a 
 mountain ; and secondly, that comparing the 
 present times with the past, there is both a 
 real increase of religion as to geographical 
 extent in islands, kingdoms and continents, 
 many of them unknown to exist till later ages, 
 and others remaining until recently altogether 
 
67 *&£ik& 
 
 unenlightened; and there are also elements of 
 increase at work, and prognostications of it 
 in the moral heavens, to be seen in the activi- 
 ties of the Christian world. 
 
 8. A further confirmation of our views is 
 derived from the Saviour's assurance to the 
 disciples before his ascension, "All power is 
 given unto me in heaven and in earth." The 
 idea that this power should not be exercised, 
 nor even begin to be exercised, for nearly two 
 thousand years, seems inharmonious with the 
 plain implication of the passage, and unsuit- 
 able to the character of the Christian dispen- 
 sation. Often indeed it has been said, not 
 without sarcasm, consistently with the former 
 statement, that if Christ assumed his power at 
 that time, it must be confessed to be very 
 limited, and his dominion at present is inex- 
 plicably small. How, it is asked, can he have 
 exercised his power, or commenced his kingr 
 dom, when so few amongst mankind have 
 hitherto yielded to his authority ? Where is 
 this kingdom to be found ? The question pro* 
 ceeds on the false assumption, that to verify 
 the promise, it is necessary to suppose that he 
 must at once exercise all the power he pos- 
 sesses, or at least have a large dominion. But 
 we recognize the existence and the manifes- 
 tation of that power in every converted soul. 
 It is the putting forth of a spiritual energy 
 and influence which none but himself posses- 
 
 6* 
 
68 
 
 ses ; the sunrise of that glory which will at last 
 illuminate the universe. It is as truly a dis- 
 play of that power which is peculiarly his own, 
 as if he were actually, as he will be eventual- 
 ly, advanced to the throne of illimitable sov- 
 reignty and rule. 
 
 Will any one who is capable of apprecia- 
 ting the worth of an immortal soul, its de- 
 generate state, the curse that has fallen upon 
 it, the misery of which it is susceptible, and 
 to which it is exposed by sin, and on the 
 other hand, its possible blessedness, as re- 
 deemed and sanctified, in the mysterious ca- 
 reer of eternity — will any one, duly impress- 
 ed with these views, refuse to estimate this 
 moral dominion, even in a single instance, as 
 really greater and more glorious than the 
 political or temporal government of a world ? 
 Other things being equal, numbers may un- 
 questionably form an item in the grand ac- 
 count of empire, but is it the only or the chief 
 consideration ? Is it a question of arithmetic 
 or of morals ? Is Christ declared to be a 
 king because of the multitude, or the charac- 
 ter of the minds over whom he reigns, or is 
 destined to reign ? Is it not an anomalous 
 idea that though already millions have owned 
 his sceptre, he has no kingdom, because it 
 has not hitherto included the universal world ? 
 — Yes, even millions have obeyed him, and 
 accumulating multitudes are still flocking to 
 
69 
 
 the standard of salvation. " Christianity," 
 says Gibbon, " erected the triumphant banner 
 of the cross on the ruins of the capitol. Nor 
 was the influence of Christianity confined to 
 the period or the limits of the Roman empire. 
 After a revolution of thirteen or fourteen cen- 
 turies, that religion is still professed by the 
 nations of Europe, the most distinguished por- 
 tion of human kind in arts and learning as 
 well as in arms. By the industry and zeal of 
 the Europeans, it has been widely diffused to 
 the most distant shores- of Asia and Africa ; 
 and by the means of their colonies, has been 
 firmly established from Canada to Chili, in a 
 world unknown to the ancients." Had this 
 celebrated historian lived to witness the evan- 
 gelical and missionary labors and successes 
 of the present day, and could he have duly 
 appreciated them, his picture might have been 
 far more glowing and illustrative. 
 
 If, therefore, the erection of the kingdom of 
 Christ be referred to the period of the mille- 
 nium, or of his second appearance, it follows 
 that at present Christ has not commenced his 
 kingdom, I am aware that this is the senti- 
 ment of many excellent men, who formed upon 
 the supposition an entirely new scheme of 
 prophecy. The source of this fallacy ap- 
 pears to be the exclusive and uniform appli- 
 cation of the phrase " kingdom of God," or 
 " of heaven," to the final manifestation of the 
 
70 
 
 Saviour. In the New Testament, however, 
 it is obviously employed with reference to the 
 establishment of the Christian religion by 
 Christ and his apostles. The kingdom of 
 God, observes the late Mr. R. Hall, is " a 
 phrase which is constantly employed in Scrip- 
 ture to denote that state of things which is 
 placed under the avowed administration of the 
 Messiah, and which consequently could not 
 precede his personal appearance. But du- 
 ring his residence on earth, until his resur- 
 rection, this kingdom is uniformly represented 
 as future, though near at hand." (Works vol. 
 ii.p. 190.) 
 
 Let us seriously consider the following ci- 
 tations. " If I cast out devils by the spirit of 
 God, then the kingdom of God is come unto 
 you." (Matt. xii. 28.) That our Saviour 
 did eject demons at that time is unquestion- 
 able. The Apostles were directed to say to 
 those among whom they performed miracles, 
 " The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." 
 (Luke x. 9.) The evangelist Luke thus ex- 
 presses himself, " The kingdom of God \s 
 within you." This intimates its existence at 
 the time, in the hearts of believers, and ac- 
 cords with the apostle's statement when wri- 
 ting to the Romans : " The kingdom of God is 
 not meat and drink ; but righteousness, and 
 peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom. 
 xiv. 17.) But the true rendering of tne ori- 
 
71 
 
 ginal is, " The kingdom of God is among you" 
 which is very express as to this point. An 
 attempt has been made to neutralize the force 
 of this declaration, by referring to the occa- 
 sion of the parable spoken by our Lord re- 
 specting the nobleman who went into a far 
 country. He had said to Zaccheus, " This 
 day is salvation come to this house ;" and 
 " because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and be- 
 cause they thought that the kingdom of God 
 should immediately appear;" he, correcting 
 this notion by the representation of the ten 
 talents given to be employed for the benefit 
 of tht; owner of an estate in his absence. The 
 sense is sufficiently plain. They thought ns 
 he had said salvation is vu/tie, and lib ho was 
 going to Jerusalem, that the temporal kingdom 
 which they imagined he came to establish, was 
 about to be set up in the Jewish capital. He 
 intimates that they did not comprehend the 
 nature of his kingdom, for in fact its being 
 revealed or made to appear (which is the sense 
 of the original) in its fullest glory would be 
 at another time, and in a different manner 
 from what they anticipated. The term re- 
 vealed or made to appear, may be viewed as 
 strikingly illustrative, by contrasting it with 
 the fact of his frequent efforts to conceal his 
 miracles and his glory. In writing to the 
 Colossians, Paul adverts to the conversion of 
 believers, in these words, " who hath delivered 
 
72 
 
 us from the power of darkness, and hath trans- 
 lated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." 
 Although, therefore, the kingdom of Christ 
 will be inexpressibly more glorious than it was 
 at its commencement, or than it has hitherto 
 appeared, it seems impossible scripturally to 
 deny its piesent existence, or that the stone 
 has begun the predicted work of demolition, 
 which will issue in its own expansion into " a 
 great mountain." 
 
 Tor the more complete elucidation of this 
 prophecy, let us advert to the correspondip.tr 
 vision contained in the seventh chapter, which 
 we may do without unduly anticipating the 
 explanations to be hereafter given. 
 
 Having represented by symbolical figures, 
 different from those already mentioned, the 
 succession of empires, Daniel describes an 
 appearance which he beheld of " the Ancient 
 of days" coming to judge the power which 
 had been pre-eminent for idolatry, will-wor- 
 ship, and a persecuting spirit, and to take 
 away the dominion of the other nations, 
 though their political existence should be pro 
 longed. This is evidently a magnificent per 
 sonification of the Deity as " the Father ever 
 lasting." The epithet " Son of man" points 
 out with equal precision and certainty, "Christ 
 the Lord," who is represented as coming " in 
 the clouds of heaven" to the Ancient of days, 
 
73 
 
 to receive " dominion, glory, and a kingdom' 5 
 which should be indestructible. Upon asking 
 of one that stood by for an explanation of this 
 extraordinary scene, the prophet is told that 
 " the saints of the Most High shall take the 
 kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, 
 even for ever and ever." It is added that 
 a the kingdom and dominion, and greatness of 
 the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be 
 given to the people of the saints of the Most 
 High, whose kingdom is an everlasting king- 
 dom, and all dominions shall serve and obey 
 him." 
 
 Here it is observable that though the An- 
 cient of days is said to give the Son of man a 
 kingdom ; the saints are characterized as the 
 saints of the Most High; and in the 27th 
 verse, the kingdom which they possess and 
 which he has given is, nevertheless, still de- 
 clared to be his kingdom, so that all domin- 
 ions shall serve and obey him. The reason 
 of this I presume to be, that, as Son of God, 
 Christ will reign over the mediatorial king- 
 dom, which will finally be, as the apostle de- 
 clares, delivered up to the Father, (1 Cor. xv. 
 24), at which period the outward form or 
 mode of Messiah's separate government will 
 subside into the universal and immortal em- 
 pire of Deity. This idea appears to be ex- 
 pressed at the close of the 18th verse by the 
 addition and reduplication of the words " for 
 ever" — " even for ever and ever." 
 
.. 
 
 74 
 
 The saints of the Most High are said to 
 take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom." 
 The former expression must either signify 
 secular or spiritual subjugation — a military or 
 moral conquest. But the progress of the 
 gospel, or the possession which it will ulti- 
 mately obtain, cannot be supposed to be by 
 the " right and power" of human prowess. 
 No principle of Christianity appears to sug- 
 gest or to sanction the formation of armies to 
 subjugate nations to its authority, and enforce 
 its establishment by the sword. If, therefore, 
 it be a moral or spiritual dominion, the " tak- 
 ing possession of the kingdom" must imply 
 the prevalence of Christianity over secular in- 
 terests, idolatrous worship, and ecclesiastical 
 domination. Christ will be acknowledged as 
 universal king, and christians, or the saints, 
 constitute his subjects. If the saints, then, 
 are to take as well as hold possession of the 
 kingdom, it must be cither by the means of 
 temporal power, or by the diffusion of their 
 principles. Can we, then, in consistence with 
 the nature of Christianity, suppose that this 
 occupation is by any other means than the 
 communication of knowledge, and the promo- 
 tion of purity, good will, and obedience to 
 Christ? 
 
 Let it be further examined what explana- 
 tion he himself gave of the nature of his king- 
 dom when his mistaking disciples, whose 
 
75 
 
 minds were encumbered with Jewish preju- 
 dices and anticipations, disputed on the sub- 
 ject of their claims to priority in the kingdom 
 of heaven. The question being proposed to 
 Jesus, " Who is the greatest in the kingdom 
 of heaven ?" The reply, upon the supposi- 
 tion that his kingdom was or would be tem- 
 poral, whether it was to be understood as 
 then or to be hereafter established, must na- 
 turally have contained an assurance that the 
 greatest would be the individual nearest the 
 royal person, and entrusted with the highest 
 offices of the state. But what in reality was 
 the answer ; and does that answer accord 
 with the idea of a temporal or a spiritual rule I 
 "And Jesus called a little child unto him, and 
 set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily, 
 I say unto you, except ye be converted, and 
 become as little children, ye shall not enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven. And whoso 
 shall receive one such little child in my name, 
 receiveth me." Compare Mark ix. 34, Luke 
 ix. 46, Luke xxii. 24 — 26. When Jesus avow- 
 ed himself as a king, in answer to the question 
 of Pilate, he neither represented his kingdom 
 as altogether future, nor as in its principles 
 and forms of its administration, worldly. " My 
 kingdom is not of this world." Great stress 
 has been laid by some upon the term now, 
 used in the concluding part of the same de- 
 claration. John xviii. 36. They plead that 
 
 7 
 
76 
 
 the clause " but now is my kingdom not from 
 hence" signifies, that it was not then begun. 
 In the first announcement of this remarkable 
 fact, the particle now is omitted. The misun- 
 derstanding may probably arise in some mea- 
 sure from the imperfect translation of the 
 passage in our version ; the force of the 
 original is this : " My kingdom is not of this 
 world : if my kingdom had been of this world, 
 my adherents* would have prevented my fall- 
 ing into the hands of the Jews ; but, as they 
 did not, it is evident my kingdom is not of 
 this world." Be it especially remarked that 
 the words " then would my servants fight," 
 are interposed between these members of the 
 sentence, which seem tantamount to an expli- 
 cit assurance of the spirituality, and of the 
 commencement of his reign, otherwise they 
 would be inapplicable. To render the time 
 referred to the more obvious, he adds, " that 
 I should not be delivered to the Jews ;" which 
 must unquestionably refer to himself personal- 
 ly, and the existing circumstances of his in- 
 cipient kingdom. In further explanation of 
 the subject, our Lord employed the following 
 language : — " Ye know that the princes of the 
 Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and 
 they that are great exercise authority upon 
 them. But it shall not be so among you," — 
 Matt. xx. 25, 2G.t 
 
 * Vide Campbell in loco. 
 
 f To place our interpretation of John xvii. 26 in a most convincing 
 
77 
 
 There seems to be only one point of diffi- 
 culty in the prophecy of Daniel as contained 
 in the seventh chapter, if we agree that the 
 
 light, as this passage has been so often perverted from its true mean- 
 ing, we may be allowed to subjoin a critical examination of the phra- 
 seology. The words in the original translated " but now my king- 
 dom is not from hence," are vvv 61 r) /3a<ri\ria fi ijiii ovk evnv ivrevOev. 
 The meaning of vfo 61 in the Greek is very clear, though in English 
 the words but now are too concise and elliptical to be readily under- 
 stood. Of the particle vvv there are three distinct uses observable in 
 both secular and sacred writers ; for it cannot be said in this, as in 
 some cases, that the phrase is differently employed in the scriptures 
 and the writings of uninspired men. These three senses, which arc . 
 again subdivided into more minute differences ef meaning, are, 1. 
 The chronic, when it is called an adverb of time : 2. The hortatory : 
 3. The argumentative. Of the first usage one example will be suf- 
 ficient : John v. 25, tp^rat, Opa leal vvv Unv, ** the hour is come and 
 now is ;" where it manifestly could denote nothing but time. In the 
 second sense, vvv serves to give an impulse to a command or exhor- 
 tation, and is used in such phrases as fepe vw, aye vvv, " come now :" 
 in Aristoph. Plut. 414, awevSe vvv, " make haste now." In cases simi- 
 lar to these, it is very commonly redundant, and is called by gram- 
 marians enclitic ; that is, it is rather employed to make the word pre- 
 ceding it emphatic, than of any force in itself. Then, the argumenta- 
 tive vvv is used with several shades of meaning and in various ways. 
 Our confined limits will allow us to speak only of one, which may be 
 called the adversative, or per contra sense. In this sense it is found 
 joined with 6e, the common adversative conjunction " but ;" and sig- 
 nifies " under existing circumstances," vvv 61, '• but as things actual, 
 ly are," in opposition to what had been stated in the hypothesis. It 
 announces the actual existence of something directly opposite to 
 what had been before, for the sake of argument, supposed to exist. 
 Thus Herodotus iii, 25, says, U fiiv wv paQuv ravra b Yia^Piani 
 iyvbHTifiaxee, Kal dirrjye o-nitroi rovcrpixov eirl t) dpxnQtv ycvofxevr) a^aprd6i : 
 j>v av ffoijtdi dvfii, vvv 6i ov6tva \6yov iroitvjitvof tj'ic aiei if to npooo). "It 
 
78 
 
 future kingdom of Christ is, not the com- 
 mencement of his kingdom, but its millenial 
 enlargement as preparatory to the period of 
 
 now (the vw employed here is the rw of transition, or inference, 
 which we class under the argumentative) Cambyses, knowing all 
 this, had changed his mind and led his army back upon his first fail- 
 ure, he would have been a wise man ; but, as he was not a wise man, 
 he inconsiderately continued to advance." The words which we 
 have translated, " but as he teas not a wise man" are vvv Si " but as 
 things were." In Herodotus iii. 21, the Ethiopian king says to the 
 Persian ambassadors. "The king of the Persians is not a just man," 
 and proceeds, ci yap r,v Sixatos, oJ>r' av iircOiftTjcc ^aJprjj aXX»jj 7i rrjs iuivrov, 
 hvt av ii 6ov\o(tuvt)v dvOptJirovs ijyc tr' tov jir]6iv i)iSnr]Tai } vvv Si airdJ t6%ov 
 ciiovrti TiiSe enca \iycrc. "For if he had been a just man, he 
 would never have aimed at the possession of any country besides his 
 own ; nor would he have endeavorod to reduce to slavery a people 
 from whom he had received no injury : but as he has done all this, as 
 he has aimed at the possession of another country besides his own, 
 SfC. (yvv 61, but under existing circumstances), give him this bow and 
 tell him what I say." 
 
 In Eukipides Phceniss. 1. 509. 
 
 I£« itaat ravrd xa\dv i<pv } oo<pov 0' apa 
 
 Ovk rjv av dfi<pi\cKTOi dvOpunrots tpn. 
 
 IS0i> ($' ot$' Spotov 6v6iv ) air 1 iaov (iporoti. 
 "If nature had endowed all with the same virtue, and wisdom too, 
 there would have been no* disputatious contention among men; but 
 as nature has not equally endowed all with virtue and wisdom (v$p 32, 
 • but as it is') there is nothing similar or equal in mortals." Comp. 
 AKisTorn. in Vesp. 710. First something is supposed lor argument's 
 sake to have existed, which, if it had existed, would have been in- 
 evitably followed by a certain result. Then, by showing that there- 
 was no such result, it is concluded that what was supposed to have 
 existed, could not have existed. Thus in the passage under con- 
 sideration, when Pilate said, " Thine own nation and the chief priests 
 have delivered thee unto me. What hast thou done ?" Jesus an- 
 
79 
 
 his descent to the final judgment. The Son 
 of man is exhibited to our view as coming 
 "with the clouds of heaven," v. 13. It has 
 been demanded whether these terms are not 
 similar to those which are employed to de- 
 scribe his final advent in the Acts of the Apos- 
 tles ; if so, are we not justified in concluding 
 that he may speedily come in glory and in 
 person to introduce the period of his final reign 
 on earth? "And when he had spoken these 
 things, while they beheld, he was taken up ; 
 and a cloud received him out of their sight. 
 And while they looked steadfastly toward hea- 
 ven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by 
 them in white apparel ; which also said, Ye 
 men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into 
 heaven ? This same Jesus, which is taken up 
 from you into heaven, shall so come in like 
 manner as ye have seen him go up into hea- 
 ven." — Acts i. 9 — 11. 
 
 swered, " My kingdom is not of this world ;" i.e. is not temporal. 
 He then proves it, by an argument far more intelligible to a Roman 
 governor than any he could have drawn from the Hebrew scriptures, 
 saying, " If my kingdom had been of this world, my adherents would, 
 by fighting, have prevented my being delivered into the hands of the 
 Jews; but as they did not fight (vvvdi) rny kingdom is not of this 
 world." How?— Because if it had been of this world, they would 
 have fought ; which was not the case. To have declared himself 
 temporal king of the Jews, would have been judged an act of treason 
 against the Roman emperor. The object of our Lord then is to show 
 Pilate that he is no temporal* king, and therefore is no traitor to 
 
 * Compare with this the account in John xix. v. 15. 
 
 7* 
 
80 
 
 It does not appear necessary, however, to 
 give the decorative circumstances which are 
 imputed to the manifestations of the Son of 
 God, a literal interpretation ; but, on the 
 contrary, such an interpretation rather de- 
 grades than elevates the subject. It scarcely 
 comports with the sobriety of sound criticism 
 to interpret the expression he shall " so come, 
 in like manner as ye have seen him go into 
 heaven," as signifying literally he shall come 
 
 the Roman emperor ; and this he proves, as we have said, in the 
 manner most intelligible to Pilate. This then is the drift of the ar- 
 gument contained in the 3Gth verse : "All kings of this world are 
 protected by their subjects fighting for them ; but / evidently am 
 not protected by m>/ subjects fighting for me; (else, I should not 
 have been brought by the Jews to trial, my adherents would have 
 fought in my defence) therefore, my kingdom is not, cannot be tem- 
 poral." One or two scriptural examples place the correct interpreta- 
 tion of this passage beyond all reasonable doubt: 1 Cor. vii. 14. 
 "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the un- 
 believing wife is sanctified by the husband ; else were your children 
 unclean ; bu> under existing cirru/nsfunres (vw Ai, in fact, as it really 
 is) they are holy." John xv. 22. 4! If I had not come and spoken unto 
 them, they would have had no sin ; but as I have come and spoken 
 urit j them (if: a. but under existing circumstances) they can have 
 nothing to say in excuse for their sin." 
 
 The Latin word nunc, now, is used in the same sense by Roman 
 writers; Cicero in Tusc. Qacest. iii. 2, says, "Suntenim ingeniis 
 nostris semina innata virtutum ; quae si adolescere liceret, ipsa nos 
 adbeatam vitam natu a perduceret. Nunc autem (precisely corres- 
 ponding to vvv 6i), simul atque editi in lucem in omni con- 
 
 tinuo pravitaie versamur." And in the same way he employs the 
 more explicit phrase ut nunc est, X. Fam. Ep. 31. ad Jin. "Con- 
 stitui, ut nunc est (under existing circumstances) cum exercilu pro- 
 fiebci." Comp. Epist. ad Attic, xii. 29. 
 
81 
 
 in a cloud ; but rather it must mean, in an ob- 
 vious and glorious manner.* Either this must 
 be allowed to be figurative, or similar descrip- 
 tions of the Deity must be admitted to be 
 literal, and we must build up a theory upon 
 the ruins of all the usages of language. Will 
 any interpreter, for example, affirm this to be 
 literal — " I will go, and return to my place, till 
 they acknowledge their offence ?" Hos. v. 15 ; 
 or the following : — " The Lord cometh out of 
 his place to punish the inhabitants of the 
 earth ?" Is. xxvi. 21 ; or the prophecy which 
 attributes the use of fire, in anger, and a sword 
 to the Lord ? — " For, behold, the Lord will 
 come with fire and with his chariots, like a 
 whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and 
 his rebuke with fames of fire. For byfre and 
 
 * The term translated in like manner is 6i> rponov, and is precisely 
 the same as is employed in Matt, xxiii. 37. "O Jerusalem, Jeru- 
 salem .... how often would I have gathered thy children together, 
 even as (-"»/ rpSnov) a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings." 
 The reference is to the character of the appearance. "Riding upon 
 the clouds," signifies success against our enemies and enlargement 
 of power. — More. 
 
 44 In the ancient prophets, God is frequently described as coming 
 in the clouds, upon any remarkable interposition and manifestation 
 of his power." — Newton. 
 
 " Christ is said to come in the clouds of heaven, in the style of 
 scripture, as often as he demonstrates his glory and majesty by the 
 signal effects of his favor. — Vitringa. 
 
 44 Any signal interposition in behalf of his church, or in the de- 
 struction of his enemies, may be metaphorically called a coming, or 
 & parousia of Christ." — Newtombe. 
 
82 
 
 by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh." 
 Is. lxvi. 15, 16. 
 
 But apart from all this, be it remarked, that 
 in Daniel, the Son of man is represented as 
 coming to receive a kingdom, not to exercise 
 judgment ; and the conferring of this kingdom 
 is ascribed to the Ancient of days. But Christ 
 is also described in the New Testament as 
 the Judge of the world. If, therefore, he is 
 to come in the clouds and in glory at the 
 commencement of the millenium, to receive a 
 kingdom, he will also come again on the day 
 of judgment, to decide the destinies of man- 
 kind. This would involve the necessity of 
 maintaining three separate appearances, name- 
 ly, at his incarnation, at the beginning of the 
 millenium, and at its conclusion ; a doctrine, 
 we apprehend, few would advocate. 
 
 It is worthy of notice, that of the Son of 
 man it is said he " came to the Ancient of days, 
 and they brought him near him," This is quite 
 different from coming to the world, or to the 
 earth, to assume temporal glory and domin- 
 ion. In short, it is a vision ; this must ever 
 be borne in mind ; a vision, not a history ; a 
 figurative and symbolical representation of 
 the future ; the splendid decoration of a scene 
 which is only to be viewed, like hieroglyphic 
 paintings, in its substantial events. Thus in 
 the poetical and figurative book of Job, Satan 
 is represented as coming among the sons of 
 
83 
 
 God, and a conversation is held between the 
 Lord and this fallen spirit. Is this literal ? 
 Besides, in the vision of the seventh chapter, 
 with which we are comparing that of the se- 
 cond, if it be insisted that the coming of Christ 
 is literal, then the coming of the Ancient of 
 days is literal ; and it is the Father, and not 
 the Son, who will introduce the millenium by 
 a visible and personal manifestation. But it is 
 a law in interpreting scripture, from which 
 we may never depart, not to strain metaphors 
 or similes too far ; and to take care that we 
 do not lose the spirit of the subject, in an un- 
 due attention to the minuteness of its details, 
 or the brilliancy of its^olorings. 
 
 A brief remark or two, of a general kind, 
 may not inappropriately conclude this sub- 
 ject. 
 
 1. We should be careful to avoid giving a 
 disproportionate attention to one part of inspired 
 truth, so as to neglect or disparage the rest. 
 This is undoubtedly a source of error ; and to 
 this we are in various ways strongly tempted. 
 Our solicitude to defend what is attacked, or 
 to elucidate what to many seems obscure, or 
 to indulge the pleasure of contemplating what 
 is magnificent, may have an ensnaring effect 
 upon the mind. Most men are more easily 
 captivated by what is imaginative or beauti- 
 ful, than by what demands patient investiga- 
 
84 
 
 tion and profound thought ; or than by what 
 more directly involves considerations of im- 
 mediate duty. Hence multitudes, who disre- 
 gard the most solemn appeals of religion, are 
 willingly led at once into the regions of theory 
 and speculation. That prophecy is a very 
 important study, and has been too much over- 
 looked, is readily admitted ; but it is to be 
 feared, that it has of late engrossed too ex- 
 clusive an attention, and, as in other times, a 
 mistaken zeal, or the pride of the singularity, 
 has drawn many astray. 
 
 2. Nothing, besides, is more essential to 
 the peace of the christian world, the comfort 
 of our own minds, ancL the proof of our per- 
 sonal piety, than avoiding the language and the 
 spirit of ce usurious/less. That it is one of the 
 prevalent vices of the present day, which has 
 been generated and inflamed by religious con- 
 troversy, and particularly by the discussion 
 of what is termed the millenarian question, 
 cannot be doubted. It appears to have origi- 
 nated, as it is natural that it should, in that 
 disproportionate regard to the prophetic por- 
 tion of scripture to which we have. adverted. 
 We first regret, then remonstrate, then cen- 
 sure, and often, alas, then despise those who 
 cannot be induced to attribute the same de- 
 gree of importance to a subject which we 
 ourselves deem of overwhelming magnitude, 
 and which we have, in our ardor, erected into 
 
85 
 
 a standard of orthodoxy, and a test of religion. 
 When this subject too is of a brilliant and 
 imaginative character, the senses are dazzled, 
 the judgment overruled, and the mind impa- 
 tient of doubt or contradiction. Hence some 
 soar even into wild enthusiasm, and dictate 
 to their companions the language of reproach 
 against those who lag behind them, in the less 
 glowing regions of sober and sedulous inquiry. 
 Even truth itself is held in unrighteousness, 
 when it is associated with slander ; and when 
 the tongue is calumnious, we can hardly be- 
 lieve it to be " set on fire" of heaven ! 
 
 3. It may be worthy of consideration whe- 
 ther those who advocate the setting up of 
 Christ's kingdom as still future, do not deduct 
 considerably from the motive to exertion which 
 arises out of the opposite sentiment. At 
 first sight, indeed, it would appear that the 
 expectation of the speedy and glorious mani- 
 festation of the Son of God to commence his 
 reign, must both awaken emotions of delight, 
 and prompt to the conduct which he requires. 
 But, inasmuch as this coming of Christ is 
 no more certain than death, nor probably so 
 near in its approach, it is difficult to realize it 
 as a stronger motive to action, when it is re- 
 collected, that the moment of our departure 
 seals our character and transmits us to his 
 presence. For what end, according to the 
 views of millenarians, is the gospel to be 
 
86 
 
 preached ? As a testimony to all nations. But 
 in their view, the publication of it cannot, to 
 any great extent, succeed ; their argument, 
 indeed, implies that it cannot succeed at all, 
 because the kingdom of Christ cannot be "set 
 up" till he comes in person for that purpose. 
 But while success is not to be the measure of 
 duty, it is continually referred to in scripture, 
 as the motive of action. If, however, we are 
 required to labor, simply because such is the 
 \\ \\ of Christ, however powerful such a mo- 
 tive is and ought to be, it is not the motive 
 generally urged in scripture as dissociated 
 from other considerations; and it proceeds, 
 in this case, upon the supposition that all our 
 efforts must be unavailable to the establish- 
 ment of his kingdom, since he will himself 
 personally come to erect it. But surely no 
 consideration can equal in force and magni- 
 tude that which is so fully stated in the sacred 
 volume, that in the promotion of his cause, 
 and the acceleration of his final dominion, 
 though the power and the glory be his own, 
 to us belongs the high distinction of success- 
 ful instrumentality. 
 
LECTURE IV. 
 
 DANIEL II. 46—9, and III. 1—8. 
 
 Although we have given an explanation of 
 the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, conformable 
 as we believe to its true intent, so far as it 
 may be ascertained by the light of collateral 
 revelations and the development of subse- 
 quent events, it is not to be imagined that the 
 Babylonish monarch was able to penetrate all 
 its mysteries. He was, doubtless, powerfully 
 afiected with the evident authority with which 
 Daniel spoke, the precision of his communi- 
 cations, and the general idea of changes 
 awaiting his own or other empires of the 
 world. The effect indeed produced upon hi* 
 mind at the moment, is thus represented : 
 
 Verse 40, — Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon hi> 
 face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they 
 should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him. 
 
 47, — The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth 
 it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, 
 and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldst reveal this 
 secret. 
 
 8 
 
87 
 
 4§. — Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave 
 him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole 
 province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all 
 the wise men of Babylon. 
 
 49. — Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shad- 
 rach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the 
 province of Babylon : but Daniel sat in the gate of the 
 king. 
 
 Like most men of violent passions, Nebu- 
 chadnezzar was driven, by Daniel's remark- 
 able statement, from the extreme of rage to 
 that of adulation. The question has been 
 much agitated among learned critics, whether 
 the king paid divine honors to the prophet on 
 this occasion, or whether he only heaped upon 
 him a profusion of eastern compliments. Ham- 
 mer has investigated this subject at great 
 length, to show that the words which counte- 
 nance the idea of a sacrifice, mean only such 
 tokens of respect as the oriental nations oc- 
 casionally use. Calvin considers that it was 
 a real adoration, and supposes that Daniel, 
 having contracted something of the pride that 
 belongs to the servants of a court, willingly re- 
 ceived it. But is it to be imagined that a man 
 so distinguished by the love of God, and by 
 his frequent rejection of personal honor, 
 should have been betrayed on this occasion 
 into such egregious folly and wickedness? 
 If we suppose that under the first excitement 
 of these astonishing revelations, the monarch, 
 exceeding the boundaries of reason, forgot his 
 
88 
 
 own dignity in an attempt to deify the pro- 
 phet, — in the absence of all evidence, it would 
 be severe indeed, to impute to so eminent a 
 servant of God, a disposition so hateful and so 
 opposed to all his avowed principles* The 
 expression " the king answered unto Daniel," 
 seems to imply there had been some unre- 
 corded conversation between them ; and may 
 not the most probable explanation be, that the 
 king was betrayed by a momentary impulse to 
 offer what Daniel resolutely though respect- 
 fully disclaimed ? Christians are sometimes 
 endangered by the honor which may be oc- 
 casionally received from men ; but O how 
 solicitous should they be of acquiring that 
 which comes from God ! Genuine religion is, 
 in every situation of life, the only safeguard 
 of virtue. We should constantly pray, " lead 
 us not into temptation." 
 
 After the acknowledgment made by Nebu- 
 chadnezzar in the 47th verse, it appears na- 
 tural to anticipate that he would henceforth 
 have rejected Bel, with the gods of the na- 
 tions, and have devoted himself to the exclu- 
 sive worship of the God of Israel. But when 
 the heart is unconverted to the love of the 
 truth, men will only render the homage of the 
 lips. And O how unavailable is mere exter- 
 nal adoration ! The concentrated force of all 
 divine requisitions seems to be put into that 
 authoritative yet affectionate appeal, — "My 
 son give me thine heart" 
 
89 • 
 
 In his highest elevation, Daniel did not for- 
 get his friends ; but at his request they were 
 raised to the superintendence of the affairs of 
 Babylon under his orders. His request to the 
 king was probably dictated, not only by the 
 feelings of private friendship, but by a solici- 
 tude for the interests of the church and na- 
 tion of the Jew.--, in which he knew that he 
 should be assisted by his associates. " It is 
 thus that God, from time to time, and for rea- 
 sons worthy of his sovereign wisdom, deems it 
 proper, even in this life, conspicuously to dis- 
 tinguish some of his servants by worldly glory, 
 while he leaves others in obscurity or in afflic- 
 tion ; showing, in the former instances, that 
 piety does not shut up the road to riches and 
 offices, and by the latter, that the possessions 
 of the present world are not real, and that this 
 is not the place of rewards. The piety and 
 zeal of Daniel, and of his three worthy friends, 
 assure us that these holy men rendered to God 
 the universal homage of their lives and for- 
 tunes ; and that, in the midst of an idolatrous 
 court, they carefully preserved the integrity of 
 their faith and the purity of their morals."* 
 
 * SAtraix, Disc. Historique*, Critiques, £e. continue* par. M. 
 Roqvks, Tom. vii. p. 493. 
 
90 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A considerable interval of time elapsed be- 
 tween the transactions related in the preced- 
 ing, and those which form the subject of the 
 present chapter. As, however, the events 
 which occurred during this period had no im- 
 mediate connexion with Jewish affairs, they 
 are omitted. It is not unusual, on a similar 
 account, for some of the narratives of scrip- 
 ture to contain abrupt and perplexing trans- 
 itions. The Septuagint and Arabic versions 
 refer the following events to the 18th year of 
 the rei^n of Nebuchadnezzar, after he had 
 obtained many splendid victories. But, as 
 the precise chronology is not indicated in the 
 text, it is immaterial. 
 
 Verse 1. — Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, 
 whose heigth whs threescore cubits and the breadth there- 
 of six cubits : he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the pro- 
 vince of Babylon. 
 
 2. — Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together 
 the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, 
 the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the 
 rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the 
 image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up, 
 
 3. — Then the princes, the governors and captains, the judges, 
 the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the 
 rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the 
 dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had 
 set up ; and they stood before the image that Nebuchad- 
 nezzar had set up. 
 
 4.__ Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O 
 people, nations, and languages, 
 
 8* 
 
91 
 
 8.— 'That at what time ye hear the sound of the comet, flutev 
 harp, saekbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and ail kinds of music, 
 ye toll down and worship the golden imago that Nebu- 
 chadnezzar the king hath set up ; 
 
 6,— And whoso folleth not down and worshippeth, shall 
 the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery 
 furnace. 
 
 7,— There fore at that time, when oil the people heard tho 
 sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all 
 kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the Ian- 
 guages, fell down and worshipped the golden imoge that 
 Nebuchadnezzar tho king had set up. 
 
 Various conjectures have been formed re- 
 specting the motives which might have led to 
 tnis extraordinary proceeding. Some have 
 supposed that it was Nebuchadnezzar's inten- 
 tion to falsify tho prediction of Daniel with 
 regard to the demolition of his empire j others 
 that he meant to obviate the jealousies that 
 existed among his people, on account of the 
 eulogistic language he had employed in favor 
 of the God of Israel, and the high distinctions 
 he had conferred on the Jewish captives ; 
 others, that the design was to give an osten- 
 tatious display of his opulence, and even to 
 render himself an object of public honor and 
 adoration* If this last mentioned purpose hod 
 been the real one, it would not have stood 
 alone in history as the single instance of this 
 folly and impiety- Caligula built a temple, 
 where he erected a statue of gold, which wag 
 every day clothed in a robe like that of th© 
 emperor, and peculiar priest* and sacrifice* 
 were appropriated to him, J)omitian ds- 
 
92 
 
 mantled the appellations of Lord and God, 
 whether addressed orally or in writing. Both 
 Alexander and Darius the Mede received di- 
 vine honors. There is nothing, however, in 
 this narrative to justify such a conclusion, with 
 regard to Nebuchadnezzar ; on the contrary, 
 when the accusation was preferred against 
 certain individuals who declined bowing the 
 knee before the image, the charge was that 
 they had refused " to serve his gods," The 
 most natural interpretation, therefore, is, that 
 the erection of this image was an act of gross 
 idolatry j proving the besotted state of the 
 human mind in general, when embued with 
 false religion, and the criminal forgetfulness 
 of this royal devotee in particular, of the di- 
 vine monitions he had received, and of his 
 own magnificent pretensions of reverence for 
 the God of Israel. He had before (ch. i. ii.) 
 presented the spoils of the temple of Jerusa- 
 lem to the tutelary god of the Babylonians ; 
 it is therefore probable that he dedicated this 
 image to the same divinity, to whom he re- 
 quired his people to pay homage. 
 
 The surprising dimensions of this statue 
 have induced some to imagine that the ele- 
 vation included a pedestal or pillar upon 
 which it might be presumed to have stood. 
 Threescore cubits would amount to about 
 thirty yards, or ninety feet j or at the utmost 
 to 105 feet, if the statement of Herodotus be 
 
93 
 
 admitted, that the king's cubit in Babylon was* 
 three fingers larger than the usual one. But 
 the Colossus at Rhodes, dedicated to the sun, 
 was seventy cubits high, and of such a mag- 
 nitude that its fingers were larger than ordi- 
 nary statues ; and the Colossus at Tarentum, 
 in Calabria, dedicated it to Jupiter, measured 
 sixty cubits. 
 
 The dedication was in conformity with the 
 character of those idolatrous times ; and the 
 decree which appointed it evinced the spirit 
 of a malignant superstition. The deep de- 
 generacy of our nature, the littleness of hu- 
 man pride, and the intolerance of political and 
 religious despotism are here displayed. Noth- 
 ing was omitted that could impart celebrity 
 to the transaction, and enstamp it with gran- 
 deur. Not content with summoning together 
 his court and the inhabitants of the district of 
 Babylon, the king sent letters to all the pro- 
 vinces, requiring the attendance of all the of- 
 ficers of rank on this magnificent mockery, 
 that he might gratify his sight and sate his 
 ambition, by a kind of convention of all the 
 nations over which his dominion extended. 
 A herald was to notify the precise time when 
 the prostrations of this brilliant assemblage 
 were to be made before the idol-statute ; and 
 to render it the more intelligible to people of 
 different languages, the announcement was 
 to be given with the fascinating accomnani- 
 
94 
 
 ment of the "cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, 
 psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music.'* 
 Nor was this sufficient to satisfy this ardent 
 idolater ; for whoever ventured to disobey the 
 royal mandate, was to be instantly committed 
 to a fiery furnace. No doubt Nebuchadnez- 
 zar identified his own authority with the 
 claims of his imaginary deities, and thus 
 made it obvious, to himself at least, that im- 
 piety to them and disobedience to him were 
 similar or equal crimes. 
 
 It would be difficult to describe or even to 
 conceive the excitement which prevailed 
 throughout the empire of Babylon, and more 
 especially in the plain of Dura, at the dedica- 
 tion of this image ; for, though the principal 
 magistrates and nobles were specially sum- 
 moned, their presence would naturally attract 
 an innumerable multitude of all classes of the 
 people. While the idol was erecting its pro- 
 gress from day to day would be the subject 
 of private conversation, and of public an- 
 nouncement. The spot would be visited and 
 revisited by anxious thousands ; who would 
 praise their gods, admire the workmanship, 
 and detail through all the myriad channels of 
 possible communication its gradual progress 
 from cubit to cubit and inch to inch to its final 
 dimensions. It would be pronounced of un- 
 rivalled grandeur, the perfection of human art, 
 the glory of the monarch's reign under whose 
 
95 
 
 auspices it was reared. It would be viewed 
 as a monument capable of fixing a character 
 upon the age, promoting the interests of idol- 
 atry beyond all former precedent, and furnish- 
 ing a splendid talc for unborn generations. 
 Nothing was wanting to impart dignity to the 
 occasion, and peculiar pains were taken to se- 
 cure that uniformity in worship, which was 
 enforced by the king's sanguinary decree. 
 What a pitiable exhibition both of the weak- 
 ness and wickedness of man was now to be 
 seen in the plain of Dura ! What a desecra- 
 tion of the noblest faculties of intellectual and 
 moral beings to the basest purposes ! What 
 an atrocious and systematic attempt on the 
 part of a great ruler, to exclude " the blessed 
 and only potentate" from his own world ! 
 What a mean and creeping sycophancy on 
 the part of mighty nntions to his will, and to 
 the cherished superstitions of a dark age ! 
 How exalted were crime and folly! How 
 sunk and dishonored was human nature ! 
 
 1. The narrative under consideration is 
 calculated to suggest the importance of justly 
 appreciating the character of God, as an infinite 
 and spiritual intelligence. A right idea of his 
 nature and perfections is the element of all 
 true wisdom, and the onlv source of moral 
 consistency. Our primary thought of God 
 must affect all our thoughts. Error at the 
 outset must issue in continual and mnltifnrrn 
 
96 
 
 Varieties of subsequent error, as the streams 
 which diffuse themselves in different direc- 
 tions arise from the same fountain. Igno- 
 rance of God, however, is not to be regarded 
 as a mere mental error ; it is in fact essential- 
 ly moral, for the eccentricities of the human 
 mind in religion, have originated in men " not 
 liking to retain God in their knowledge.*" 
 Their creed has been dictated by their heart, 
 and their judgment has become polluted, till 
 being misled not only by the caprices of a 
 disordered understanding, but by the base and 
 cherished passions of a degenerate soul, they 
 have filled this once happy mansion of un- 
 fallen man, with polytheistic inventions and 
 atrocities. 
 
 2. Devout gratitude ought to be inspired in 
 our bosoms when we reflect that, instead of 
 being bewildered and destroyed by heathenism, 
 we possess the religion of Jesus; which attests its 
 divinity in the truth and simplicity of its princi- 
 ples, the uncompromising virtue of its precepts, 
 the purity of its tendencies, the greatness of its 
 discoveries, the plenitude of its grace, its re- 
 velations of the character of God, and of the 
 responsibility and immortality of man, and es- 
 pecially of the only ground of salvation for a 
 ruined world. Wherever the moral perfec- 
 tions of deity and the way of acceptance with 
 him are unknown, the consequence is visible 
 in the state of mankind. A relaxed virtue will 
 follow upon an erroneous conception of the 
 
97 
 
 supreme intelligence and of our relations to 
 him ; and wherever his being is virtually de- 
 nied, as in nations addicted to idolatry, the 
 very name of religion itself will be prostituted 
 to the basest passions. The views which the 
 mind entertains of truth, and especially of the 
 great first cause will necessarily modify the 
 character, because it will empoison or purify 
 the motives of action. The belief we enter- 
 tain will either. assimilate us to God by its 
 power and purity, or transform the object of 
 worship into the likeness of men, by its weak- 
 ness and corruption. In the former, we per- 
 ceive the influence of Christianity ; in the 
 latter, the operation of idolatry and poly- 
 theism. How excellent does the gospel of 
 Christ appear in contrast with the abomina- 
 tions of the heathen world ! It reveals God as 
 a spirit, and requires that " they who worship 
 him should worship him in spirit and in truth." 
 It depicts the state of man as an offender 
 against his Maker, degenerate in his nature, 
 sinful in his conduct, and exposed to an awful 
 but merited doom. To a certain degree 
 there exists in almost every nation a kind of 
 innate consciousness of this fact, — a bewilder- 
 ing sense of a condition which is fearful yet 
 undefinable ; from which the various forms of 
 false religion appear as so many distinct but 
 vain efforts at deliverance. But the appre- 
 hensions which this consciousness occasions, 
 
98 
 
 with regard both to present and to future woe, 
 are removed by the proclamation of pardon, 
 reconciliation, and eternal life, through the 
 atonement of Jesus Christ. In that great dis- 
 pensation of mercy it is made apparent, that 
 " whosoever believeth in him shall not perish," 
 and it becomes " a faithful saying, and worthy 
 of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into 
 the world to save sinners." 
 
 But what a paradox of folly and impiety 
 does it appear, that the decree of a heathen 
 prince to serve his false gods should be 
 promptly obeyed, and the command of the 
 only living and true God to believe in his Son, 
 should be perseveringly neglected — that an 
 idol should be adored and a Saviour denied — 
 that there should be unanimity in false wor- 
 ship, and division in the true ! We invite 
 you, not to a senseless statue, but to a gra- 
 cious father ; not to a thing of nought which 
 has neither eyes to see, nor ears to hear, nor 
 hands to help, but to one who «• pitied us in 
 our low estate," gave his life an offering for 
 sin, and has caused the declaration to be 
 written in legible and eternal characters, 
 " him that cometh unto me I will in no wise 
 cast out." 
 
 3. This flagrant exhibition of an impious 
 worship in the plain of Dura, may serve to 
 turn our thoughts to a species of idolatry, 
 which, if more refined, is equally dangerous and 
 
 9 
 
99 
 
 incomparably greater in extent. It is not con- 
 fined to heathen lands, but abounds in the 
 civilized world, and presents its hideous as- 
 pect even amidst the outward forms of religion 
 in Christendom. It is, in fact, an idolatry 
 that finds its abettors in the passions of every 
 human heart, and has its temple and its sacri- 
 fices, more or less consecrated, in every bo- 
 som. The plain of Dura could not have con- 
 tained the millions that worship the great idol, 
 Self, which demands and receives so many 
 willing prostrations, so many hard services, 
 such incessant and fervent devotion. Against 
 this destructive idolatry, to which the world 
 is grossly addicted, and which precludes, while 
 persisted in, the salvation of the soul, the 
 precepts of the gospel arc levelled, as its prin- 
 ciples are in utter and avowed hostility to it. 
 " If any man will come after me," said the 
 great teacher, " let him deny I !J\ and take 
 up his cross daily, and follow me." — " Who- 
 soever doth not bear his cross, and come after 
 me, cannot be my disciple." Splendid cere- 
 monies, which attach to those who observe 
 them a certain degree of distinction and glory, 
 may be easily performed ; but the internal 
 offering, " the sacrifices of a broken and a 
 contrite spirit," love to God and separation 
 from the world, can only belong to true reli- 
 gion, as they spring from the energy of divine 
 grace, and are the proofs of that moral vie- 
 
100 
 
 tory over human nature, which Christianity 
 alone can achieve. No pomp, or sound of 
 cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, and psaltery, are 
 here required. The spirit of genuine religion 
 is free from that which is ostentatious and 
 merely adapted to allure the senses ; it nei- 
 ther prevails by parade, nor by compulsion ; 
 it disclaims what is artificial and noisy ; its 
 music is the voice of prayer; its herald the 
 exhibition of a " conduct becoming the gos- 
 pel ;" its triumph the sanctification of the 
 heart. 
 
LECTURE VIL 
 
 DANIEL 111. 
 
 V.-rse 8. — Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came 
 
 near and accused the Jews. 
 9. — They spake, and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O 
 
 king, live for ever. 
 10. — Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man 
 
 that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, 
 
 psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall 
 
 down and worship the golden image : 
 11. — And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he 
 
 should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 
 12. — There are certain Jews, whom thou hast set over the 
 
 affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, 
 
 and Abed-nego ; these men, O kin^, have not regarded 
 
 thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden 
 
 image which thou hast set up. 
 
 This accusation was dictated by ingratitude. 
 When the Chaldean sages had failed to re- 
 cal and interpret the dream of the king, 
 Daniel had interceded for their lives ; (chap. 
 ii. 24.) now they requite his kindness by 
 scheming the destruction of his friends ! 
 
102 
 
 It was the result also of zeal for idolatry, 
 combined with hostility against the Jewish re- 
 ligion. This infatuation demands our pity, 
 while it compels our censure. It must be ob- 
 vious that the Babylonians were incapable of 
 appreciating the simple grandeur of that truth, 
 which, by a peculiar dispensation of mercy, 
 had been imparted to the people of Israel. 
 False religion has always been allied to cruelty 
 and oppression ; while that of the Bible in- 
 spires a philanthropy which aims to alleviate 
 the sufferings of humanity, and a benevolence 
 that seeks the eternal welfare of man. 
 
 The address of the accusers was evidently 
 instigated by envy and ambition : hateful tem- 
 pers, the growth of principles that have their 
 root in hell ! These men could not contem- 
 plate the elevation of Shadrach, Meshach, and 
 Abed-nego, "without the impatienee and vexa- 
 tion incident to ambitious minds. That per- 
 sons who were strangers, of another religion, 
 and captives, should be raised to distinction, 
 was not to be endured ; to compass their de- 
 struction was therefore a favorite object of 
 pursuit. With what a glow of satisfaction did 
 they observe their disobedience to the king's 
 decree ! They were delighted to see them 
 entrapped; and in marked and crafty terms 
 reported their treason and impiety — " these 
 men have not regarded thee." They first ac- 
 cuse them of rebellion against the kinL r , ft**d 
 
 9* 
 
103 
 
 then of disregard to the gods. Alas ! how 
 base as well as dangerous is flattery ; and how 
 little to be envied is the condition of those 
 whose eminence of station exposes them to 
 its snares ! And yet worldly men unwittingly 
 reproach the people of God with that which 
 is in reality their glory. These Chaldeans 
 were exalting the captive Jews whom they 
 meant to depreciate. They were investing 
 them with a wreath of unfading distinction, 
 and virtually seeking to embalm themselves in 
 imperishable disgrace. Their reproach was 
 honor ; their insult, renown ! 
 
 Verse 13. — Then Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage and fury, 
 commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abcd-nego. 
 Then tl y brought these men before the king. 
 
 14.— Nebuchadnezzar spake. Rod said unto them, Is it true, 
 (> Shadrach, Meshach* and Abed-negot do not ye serve 
 my gods, nor worship the golden image which 1 have set 
 up? 
 
 JC>. — Now, if ye be ready, that at what time ye hear the 
 sound oi the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and 
 dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall clown and wor- 
 ship the image which 1 have made, veil : but if ye wor- 
 ship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of 
 a burning fiery furnace : and who is that God that shall 
 deliver you out of my hands? 
 
 As no reason is given why Daniel was not 
 of the number of the accused party, none can 
 with certainty be assigned : the probability 
 is, either that he was absent on some state 
 affair in a distant province, or that his pre- 
 
104 
 
 eminence, " sitting in the gate of the king," 
 intimidated his adversaries, who would be 
 likely to vacillate between sycophancy and 
 malignity. 
 
 The effect which the accusers anticipated 
 was produced. They had referred with seem- 
 ing anxiety to the king's prerogative and au- 
 thoritv as well as to the claims of their reli- 
 gion ; Nebuchadnezzar became exasperated, 
 and offered them the final alternative, to con- 
 form or burn. When we recollect his former 
 expressions of reverence for the God of Dan- 
 iel, it seems extraordinary that he should have 
 added this boasting appeal, " and who is that 
 God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" 
 But it is only a new illustration of the stupify- 
 ing power of sin, and of the evanescent na- 
 ture of those impressions which go no deeper 
 than mere conviction. Nor is it unusual that 
 where there is a rooted and persisting preju- 
 dice, the stronger the evidence of truth, the 
 more inveterate is the hostility against it, and 
 the more superciliously and enthusiastically 
 does the mind retain its errors. 
 
 Verse 16. — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abcd-nego, answered 
 
 and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not 
 
 careful to answer thee in this matter. 
 17. — If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver 
 
 us from the burning fiery furnace ; and he will deliver 
 
 us out of thine hand, O king. 
 18. — But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will 
 
 not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which 
 
 thou hast set up. 
 
105 
 
 In estimating conduct, it is necessary to 
 take into consideration the standard of truth, 
 the motives which prompt to certain actions, 
 and the circumstances of the individual. 
 There can be but one infallible standard. 
 This, however, was very imperfectly revealed 
 to the heathen world, who were only indulged 
 with the light of nature ; but it was given to 
 the Jews in a dispensation which was precur- 
 sory to the fuller revelations of the Christian 
 economy. In the sight of God, actions are 
 estimated in their entire ncss, as consisting 
 partly of the external exhibitions of character, 
 and in part and principally of the internal 
 sentiment. An action apparently good, may 
 be essentially wrong, from the polluting in- 
 fluence of a secret iniquity of purpose, or from 
 the love of human applause, vanity, hypocrisy, 
 or other selfish principle. Circumstances 
 also have an obvious effect upon the charac- 
 ter of an action. That which is right, holy, 
 and wise, may partake of nothing extraordi- 
 nary, if there be a co-operation of favorable 
 influences and concurring events ; whereas 
 the same action or series of actions persevered 
 in amidst obstacles, obloquies, and inward 
 conflicts, may awaken in the spectator feel- 
 ings of exalted respect, admiration, and love. 
 Virtue struggling with difficulties, acquired 
 celebrity in the heathen world, and when that 
 virtue is the modification or expression of 
 
106 
 
 pure religion, it is the highest attainment of 
 our nature. 
 
 These remarks have been elicited by this 
 account of the noble heroism of Shadrach, 
 Meshach, and Abed-nego. Their conference 
 was characterized by that firmness and de- 
 cision which the cause required. As Israel- 
 ites they possessed the true religion ; they 
 knew the standard to which they were pledged, 
 and felt the extent of their obligations, Their 
 motives were pure, as their faith was genuine 
 and vigorous. By compromise they might 
 have gained the world ; by perseverance they 
 lost it. They were encompassed by every 
 influence which was adapted to urge compli- 
 ance ; but they yielded not, they hesitated not 
 for a moment. They chose pain instead of 
 pleasure, contumely instead of honor, life in- 
 stead of death. There were strong tempta- 
 tions to allure them astray — the example of 
 the multitude, the favor of the king, who had 
 raised them to distinction, their present lucra- 
 tive and higli employments, the facility of an 
 external obedience, which might seem to en- 
 sure not only their escape, but future useful- 
 ness : there were imminent dangers to alarm 
 them from the path of duty — the charge of 
 treason against their sovereign, and of rebel- 
 lion against the laws, the reproaches of mil- 
 lions who identified idolatry with religion, the 
 instant and terrible punishment of being cast 
 
107 
 
 into a burning furnace. But faith was equal 
 to the occasion ; she triumphed over earthly 
 attractions and human fears, showing the 
 strength of her wings and the intensity of her 
 vision as difficulties accumulated and the 
 scene grew darker around her. These holy 
 martyrs obeyed God rather than man. They 
 calculated that the loss of their rank and oc- 
 cupations was nothing to the loss of their 
 character as the children of God and 
 heirs of heaven. The fiery ordeal was ex- 
 quisitely painful, but not to be compared with 
 the " worm that never dieth, nor the fire that 
 is not quenched." Hell was more to be feared 
 than the furnace, heaven to be more desired 
 than the court of Babylon, and the love of 
 God more to be cherished than the applauses 
 of men. Severe indeed has been the test, but 
 they endured it unflinchingly, and have gained 
 an immortal crown. To sacrifice life in a 
 bad cause is infatuation and crime ; to yield 
 it readily in a good one is true glory. Happy, 
 thrice happy, the servants of God of the an- 
 cient church, and the disciples of Christ of 
 the Christian age, who shall be privileged to 
 meet in the blissful hereafter, to celebrate to- 
 gether the victories which divine grace enabled 
 them to achieve over sinful affections, earthly 
 adhesions, and a warring nature ! 
 
 Verso 19. — Then was Nebuchadrezzar full of fury, and the 
 form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Me- 
 
108 
 
 ?V»Hoh, and Abed-nogo ; therefore he spake, and command- 
 ed that they should heat the furnace one seven times 
 more than it was wont to be heated. 
 
 20. — And he commanded the most mighty men that were, 
 in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 
 and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 
 
 21. — Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, 
 and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast 
 into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 
 
 22. — Therefore, because the king's commandment was ur- 
 gent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire 
 slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and 
 Abed-nego. 
 
 23. — And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
 nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery 
 furnace. 
 
 24.— Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose 
 up in haste, and spake and said unto his counsellors, Did 
 not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire ? 
 They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 
 
 25. — He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walk- 
 ing in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt ; and 
 the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 
 
 26. — Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the 
 burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, 
 Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high 
 God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Me- 
 shach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the 
 fire. 
 
 27. — And the princes, governors, and captains, and the 
 king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these 
 men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was 
 an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats 
 changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 
 
 28. — Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the 
 God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath 
 
109 
 
 sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in 
 him, and hath changed the king's word, and yielded their 
 bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god 
 except their own God. 
 
 29. — Therefore I make a decree, That every people, na- 
 tion, and language, which speak any thing amiss against 
 the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall bo 
 cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill ; 
 because there is no other god that can deliver after this 
 sort. 
 
 30. — Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and 
 Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon. 
 
 The following are a few of the instructive 
 sentiments with which this portion of the his- 
 tory is fraught: — 
 
 1 . Early dcvotedncss to God is the best pre- 
 paration for future events, and a most encourag- 
 ing pledge of future excellence. The traits of 
 character in these Hebrew captives, at the 
 commencement of the book of Daniel, pre- 
 pared us to expect a maturity of faith and a 
 fortitude of mind like what is here displayed. 
 At that time they refused to defile themselves 
 with the king's meat, and thus disciplined 
 themselves to denounce his idolatrous wor- 
 ship. The blossoms of the spring do not in- 
 deed always ripen into the fruits of autumn, 
 but generally it will be manifest, that the ac- 
 companiments of exalted enjoyment and emi- 
 nent excellence in religion, will ensue from its 
 early implantation in the heart. 
 
 2. The element of true piety is the spirit of 
 
& 
 
 110 
 
 martyrdom ; and we may be assured that divine 
 grace, which capacitates for the first act of self - 
 denial, is sufficient, in its more copious communi- 
 cations, for every possible exigency, A spiritual- 
 ly-minded man must be in a state of conflict 
 with external circumstances ; it is the inevi- 
 table consequence and the condition of his 
 profession. Though some periods and places 
 may be more exempt from the severer trials 
 which attach to others, the spirit of Christian- 
 ity and of the world must, in different forms, 
 be in continual hostility. Looking at them- 
 selves, and calculating upon their present de- 
 gree of moral strength, the people of God 
 have often dreaded the difficulties in which 
 they might be involved, and doubted the re- 
 sult ; but in actual danger or suffering, and 
 while a grace proportioned to the day, upon 
 which they are always encouraged to depend, 
 has been imparted, the very feeblest in mind, 
 and the most tender in constitution, have out- 
 braved the machinations of Satan, and the 
 fiercest persecutions of men. He who takes 
 up the cross with holy boldness, will be en- 
 abled by prayer and faith to bear it, 
 
 3. As God is able to afford adequate support 
 to his people in every affliction, and will not 
 withhold his presence, so for the purposes of his 
 own glory, he has often wonderfully interposed 
 for their deliverance. In connexion with this 
 sentiment, it is important to realize another, 
 
 10 
 
Ill 
 
 which is in fact a branch of it, that as his 
 sovereignty will be exercised, and his wisdom 
 ought to determine, it becomes us to refer the 
 time and mode of infliction or rescue implicit- 
 ly, entirely, and devoutly to him. The inter- 
 positions of Providence are sometimes the 
 most remarkable when thev are the least an- 
 ticipated. These devoted saints entertained, 
 perhaps, some hope of deliverance; they 
 knew it was possible, and they might think, 
 from past mani testations, and the present good 
 effects likely to follow in favor of the true 
 religion, it might be deemed probable; but 
 " if not," they were prepared for the worst. 
 The Christian may not always be privileged 
 like them, to walk untouched in the flames ; 
 but he will never walk in affliction, while faith 
 is firm, unconsoled, wivisited, unscmetified ! 
 
 Was the form of the fourth indeed the Son 
 of Cod, or was it j-ome ministering spirit sent 
 to these "heirs of salvation V We attempt not 
 to decide, but may observe, that the Redeemer, 
 before his incarnation, was unquestionably in- 
 terested in the progress of the true church, 
 did in a marked manner evidently superin- 
 tend its interests, in constant anticipation of 
 the long predicted advent and atonement on 
 the cross, and will never fail to bless, as their 
 need and his own glory requires, his church 
 collectively, or his saints individually, in their 
 respective necessities. 
 
 
112 
 
 4. The enemies of truth and of piety expose 
 themselves to the present visitations of an aveng- 
 ing Providence, and the future iniseries of un- 
 quenchable fames ; a thought which demands 
 our pity, our prayers, and our exertions on 
 their behalf. How affecting, how awful, was 
 the fate of those who were employed to cast 
 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego into the 
 fiery furnace ! " They were utterly consumed, 
 in a moment." It was a signal exemplifica- 
 tion of the fact, that " the wages of sin is 
 death." Temporal sufferings are commonly 
 the result of immoral actions ; but " everlast- 
 ing destruction from the presence of the 
 Lord," and the " lake that burneth with brim- 
 stone and fire, which is the second death," 
 await also the servants of iniquity. " Gather 
 not my soul with sinners, nor my life with 
 bloody men !" 
 
 5. Let us recur, again and again, to the 
 sentiment, deduced from the conduct of Ne- 
 buchadnezzar after the miraculous escape of 
 these persecuted servants of the most High, — 
 that conviction, however strong, if momentary, 
 and an external change of conduct, however fa- 
 vorable to the interests of religion, if it be only 
 impulsive, is not to be confounded with true piety. 
 Conviction may induce men " to do many 
 things," when the heart remains unregener- 
 ate ; but real religion is a holy and steady 
 principle, burning in its purity like a vestal 
 
113 
 
 lire, kindled in the heart by coals from the al- 
 tar of heaven, and alike inextinguishable by 
 human power and infernal agency. Convic- 
 tion is indeed the incipient form of religion — 
 its germ and bud ; but to attest its reality and 
 stamp its character, it must blossom into de- 
 cision and ripen into perseverance. 
 
LECTURE VIIL 
 
 DANIEL IV. 
 
 This very remarkable document was writ- 
 ten by Nebuchadnezzar himself, but by divine 
 direction has been incorporated with the vo- 
 lume of prophecy. As an exposition of that 
 monarch's state of mind in the latter part of 
 his life, it must be regarded not only as one 
 of the most ancient, but as one of the most 
 interesting pieces of autobiography. 
 
 Verse 1. — Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, na- 
 tions, and languages, that dwell in all the earth : Peace 
 be multiplied unto you. 
 
 2. — I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that 
 the high God hath wrought toward me. 
 
 3. — How great are his signs ! and how mighty are his won- 
 ders ! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his do- 
 minion is from generation to generation. 
 
 The address " unto all people, nations, and 
 languages, that dwell in all the earth," refers, 
 of course to those of his own empire, in the 
 
 10* 
 
115 
 
 usual style of oriental exaggeration, accom- 
 panied with the common salutation, u Peace be 
 multiplied unto you." 
 
 The reference to the most High God is so- 
 lemn and impressive ; the language is sub- 
 limely simple, and contains the confessions 
 which repeated experience alone could have 
 extorted. It is pleasing to see this mighty 
 ruler impressed with the majesty of the Su- 
 preme ; and with an implied consciousness 
 both of his own insignificance and of the li- 
 mitation in space and time of his and all other 
 empires, celebrating, in exalted strains, the 
 eternity of God's dominion. 
 
 4. — 1 Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flour- 
 ishing in my palace. 
 
 5. — I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts 
 upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 
 
 6. — Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men 
 of Babylon belbre me, that they might make known unto 
 me the interpretation of the dream. 
 
 7. — Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chal- 
 deans, and the soothsayers : and I told the dream before 
 them ; but they did not make known unto me the interpie- 
 tation thereof. 
 
 It is one of the mysteries of providence, 
 that peace and prosperity are often afforded 
 to the wicked, while the righteous are involved 
 in every species of adversity. His own ac- 
 count presents Nebuchadnezzar to our view 
 in a state of the greatest worldly felicity, pos- 
 sessing at once domestic peace and public 
 
 •j* 
 
V- v or TEK *' 
 
 116 S&IIFQS^ 
 
 glory ; feeling life to be at its highest tide of 
 temporal enjoyment. We should be thankful 
 for prosperity, but have no reason to confide 
 in it. In this instance, however, the dream 
 of joy was soon interrupted by a vision that 
 excited foreboding, though perhaps indefin- 
 able apprehensions. He summoned once 
 more the wise men of Babylon, who had be- 
 fore declared that, if he could have recalled 
 his former dream, they would have given him 
 the interpretation. But the futility of all their 
 pretensions at length became manifest, in their 
 obvious incapacity on this occasion. 
 
 8. — But at the last Daniel came in before me (whose name 
 was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and 
 in whom is the spirit of the holy gods,), and before him I 
 told the dream, saying, 
 
 9. — O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I 
 know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no se- 
 cret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I 
 have seen, and the interpretation thereof. 
 
 10. — Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed : I saw, 
 and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height 
 t he vtofwas great. . 
 
 11. — The tree grew, and was strong, and the height there- 
 of reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end 
 of all the earth. 
 
 12. — The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, 
 and in it ivas meat for all : the beasts of the field had sha- 
 dow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the 
 boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. 
 
 13. — 1 saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, be- 
 hold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven. 
 
 14. — He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, 
 
117 
 
 and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter 
 his fruit : let the beasts get away from under it, and the 
 fowls from his branches. 
 
 15. — Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth, 
 even with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of 
 the field ; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and 
 Jet his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 
 
 16. — Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's 
 heart be given unto him ; and let seven times pass over 
 him. 
 
 17. — This matter iff by the decree of the watchers, and the 
 demand by the word of the holy ones ; to the intent that 
 the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the 
 kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and 
 setteth up over it the basest of men. 
 
 18. — This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now, 
 thou, O Bclteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof; 
 forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not 
 able to make known unto me the interpretation : but thou 
 art able : for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. 
 
 " The spirit of the holy gods" is a revolting 
 phrase after the indication we have had of the 
 king's knowledge of Jehovah ; but some critics 
 consider that the words are capable of a sin- 
 gular sense, which several versions assign to 
 them. He speaks also of Belteshazzar as a 
 name conferred on Daniel after the name of 
 Bel, whom he still denominates " our god." 
 
 By the word watcher we are to understand 
 an angel, so called, as being one of those ex- 
 alted intelligences who are appointed both to 
 guard important interests and to undertake 
 important embassies in the administration of 
 the divine government. " Bless the Lord, ye 
 
118 
 
 his angels that excel in strength, that do his 
 commandments, hearkening unto the voice of 
 his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts, 
 ye ministers of his that do his pleasure." 
 Psalm ciii. 20, 21. 
 
 The description of this dream will remind 
 the scripture reader of that remarkable illus- 
 tration which . is contained in the thirty-first 
 chapter of Ezekiel, where the images of the 
 cedar of Lebanon refer to the king of Assyria 
 retrospectively, but by anticipation also to the 
 king of Egypt. Lowth, in his Lectures on 
 the sacred poetry of the Hebrews, after com- 
 menting with great precision upon their poetic 
 and prophetic figures, adds, respecting tl;;~ 
 parable of Ezekiel — " than which, if we con- 
 sider the imagery itself, none was ever more 
 apt or more beautiful ; of the description and 
 coloring, none was ever more elegant or 
 splendid." 
 
 19. — Then Danid (whose name was Belteshazzar) was 
 astonished for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. 
 The king spake and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, 
 or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar 
 answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that 
 hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine ene- 
 mies. 
 
 20. — The tree that thou sawest, which grew and was strong, 
 whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight there- 
 of to all the earth : 
 
 21. — Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, 
 and in it was meat for all ; under which the beasts of the 
 field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the hea- 
 ven had their habitation : 
 
119 
 
 22. — It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong : 
 for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and 
 thy dominion to the end of the earth. 
 
 23. — And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one 
 coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree 
 down, and destroy it ; yet leave the stump of the roots 
 thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass 
 in the tender grass of the field ; and let it be wet with the 
 dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of 
 the field, till seven times pass over him.- 
 
 24. — This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the do- 
 crce of the Most High, which is come upon my lord the 
 king : 
 
 25. — That they shall drive t lice from men, and thy dwell- 
 ing shall he with the beasts of the field, and they shall 
 make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee 
 with the dew of heaven, and seven times sliall pass over 
 thee, till thou know that the Most High rulcth in the king, 
 dom of men, and givcth it to whomsoever he will. 
 
 20. — And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of 
 the tree root's; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, 
 after that thou shall have known that the heavons do 
 rule. 
 
 27. — Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto 
 thee, and break ofF thy sins by righteousness, and thino 
 iniquities by showing mercy to the poor : if it may be a 
 lengthening of thy tranquillity. 
 
 In this paragraph three things are obser- 
 vable, — 
 
 1 . The astonishment of Daniel. No sooner 
 had the king related his dream, than the pro- 
 phet was overwhelmed with feelings of sur- 
 prise and awe, which entranced him, as it 
 were, for an hour. This sensibility was ho- 
 norable to his humanity, his loyalty, and his 
 
120 
 
 religion. He not only perceived the nature of 
 that dire calamity which he saw to be ap- 
 proaching, and which, while it would more 
 immediately smite his sovereign, must involve 
 an empire in affliction ; but he had an awful 
 realization of the hand of God in it. The eye 
 of sense contemplates only the outward scene 
 and machinery of events ; but faith regards 
 the invisible intelligence who touches the 
 prime spring of all, and regulates every move- 
 ment. 
 
 2. The explicit and authoritative announcement 
 of the interpretation of the dream. To this he 
 was encouraged by the king himself; but 
 whether because he felt humbled, or because 
 he cherished a spirit of daring defiance for 
 the worst, is not stated, though the subse- 
 quent narrative would lead us to suppose the 
 former. Having prefaced his painful com- 
 munication with words which, though compli- 
 mentary, bespoke distress of mind rather than 
 adulation, he declared that the lofty and far 
 spreading tree, with its redundant foliage and 
 fruit, was an emblem of Nebuchadnezzar him- 
 self, in his present prosperity, subsequent 
 abasement, and final restoration to his dignity 
 and dominion. Some have given very minute 
 explanations of the leaves and fruit, and beasts 
 of the field, and fowls of heaven ; but it must 
 not be forgotten that the intention of these 
 allegorical paintings is to convey general 
 
121 
 
 ideas, and that by too precise an analysis and 
 ramification of the sentiment, the imagination 
 may be amused while the mind is uninstruct- 
 ed. In the 10th verse the tree is said to be 
 " in the midst of the earth," which is " meant 
 perhaps as a centre from which the extensive 
 circuit of his empire was described. The 
 sovereigns of the world are often represented 
 by large trees in the language of other coun- 
 tries as well as in the prophetic language of 
 the Hebrews. Princes are also considered as 
 the branches, the leaves as the soldiery, the 
 fruits as the annual produce, and the shadow 
 as the protection which men may receive un- 
 der government." — Wintle. 
 
 A tree is a beautiful illustration of prosperi- 
 ty. Thus the psalmist represents the righteous 
 as " like a tree planted by the river of water, 
 that bringeth forth his fruit in his season ; his 
 leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he 
 doeth shall prosper." 
 
 The denunciation against this haughty mon- 
 arch is awfully applicable to the decree which 
 will virtually go forth at last against the whole 
 plantation of wickedness, and every proud 
 head that exalts itself against God, — " Hew 
 the tree down and destroy it!" The axe of 
 divine judgments is even now applied to the 
 roots, and fall they must, with all their en- 
 vied foliage, fruit, and glory, unless grace 
 prevent by transplanting them into the garden 
 
122 
 
 of the Lord, and causing them to be " rooted 
 and grounded in faith." 
 
 3. The solemn appeal to the monarchy v. 27. 
 The spirit of his illustrious compatriots Shad- 
 rach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, breathed in 
 the language of Daniel, who, with an intre- 
 pidity that became his character and his pro- 
 fession as the servant of the Most High God, 
 volunteered his counsel to Nebuchadnezzar. 
 One might fancy the prophet confronting this 
 Lord of many realms, in the attitude of a fear- 
 less but respectful resolution ; simple in his 
 attire, penetrating in his look, measured and 
 awful in the tones of his voice, calm in his de- 
 portment, and great in the majesty of truth 
 and inspiration, while the king listens, trem- 
 bles, — O that we could add, and " turns to 
 the Lord with purpose of heart !" To this 
 happy conclusion, however, we can scarcely 
 arrive, when we find that the threatened judg- 
 ment was not averted, which in other instances 
 followed upon repentance, and when, after the 
 lapse of a year, he walks upon his palace 
 walls, as the history immediately relates, in 
 all the pride of self-sufficient greatness. Of 
 all obdurate things, surely the human heart is 
 the most obdurate ! 
 
 It may be seen from this narrative, that 
 fidelity in executing the duties of the public 
 office of a servant of God is a quality of essen- 
 tial importance, but involves no trifling diffi- 
 
 11 
 
123 
 
 culties. Every day's experience verifies the 
 fact that u the fear of man bringeth a snare," 
 and that much devotion to sustain a lively 
 faith is the only effectual means of escaping 
 its entanglements. 
 
 It is further obvious that the most pointed 
 and powerful appeals to the consciences of 
 men will not invariably succeed ; but the fai- 
 lure of our endeavors ought not to prevent 
 reiterated effort and perseverance. The sove- 
 reignty of divine grace has not unfrequently 
 been manifested in frustrating an instrumen- 
 tality which, in human estimation, has seemed 
 the most adapted to the end, and in prosper- 
 ing that which has been regarded as, in itself, 
 the least distinguished, valuable, and effective. 
 It is thus we are led to discriminate between 
 the work of man and the operations of God. 
 
 The judgment pronounced upon Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, it seems to be intimated by Daniel, 
 was conditional. His reformation might avert 
 the threatened evil — " if it may be a lengthen- 
 ing of thy tranquillity." Similar instances 
 occur in Scripture. Compare Is. xxxviii. 1 — 5; 
 Jerem. xviii. 7 — 10 ; Jonah iii. 4 — 10. 
 
 Verse 28. — All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 29. — At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace 
 of the kingdom of Babylon. 
 
 30.-— The king spake and said, Is not this great Babylon 
 that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the 
 might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? 
 
124 
 
 Herodotus assures us that the wealth and re- 
 sources of the state of Babylon, were equal to 
 those of a third part of all Asia ; and he re- 
 presents the city as square, each side of which 
 was 120 stadia, or 480 in circumference. The 
 least calculation is 360 stadia, or 45 miles. 
 Pliny affirms it to have been 60 miles. The 
 walls were 50 cubits in height, and their 
 breadth sufficient to admit, according to Dio- 
 dorus, six chariots to drive along abreast. A 
 branch of the river Euphrates ran through the 
 centre, across which a bridge extended of a 
 furlong in length, with a palace at each end. 
 The proud monarch claims the honor of erect- 
 ing this city ; but though this was not strictly 
 the fact, it only became one of the wonders 
 of the world by his addition of the walls of a 
 hundred gates, the temple of Belus, his palace, 
 the hanging gardens, and other magnificent 
 decorations. 
 
 But what is all this grandeur to that " city 
 of God" of which real Christians are the des- 
 tined inhabitants, and of which the prophets 
 have given so splendid a description ! What 
 was the glory of Babylon, with the accumu- 
 lated treasures of ages, to the " glory of God !" 
 Every spot will be " holy ground ;" for John 
 " saw no temple therein ; for the Lord God 
 Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 
 And the city had no need of the sun, neither 
 of the moon to shine in it : for the glory of 
 
125 
 
 God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light 
 thereof." 
 
 The king of Babylon looked round upon 
 the edifices and public works of his far-famed 
 metropolis, saying, " Is not this great Babylon 
 that I have built ?" The day is not distant, 
 when each disciple of the blessed Jesus, while 
 traversing the golden streets, and the sacred 
 walls and enclosures of his celestial abode, 
 will exclaim, with emotions of exquisite de- 
 light, commingled with self-abasing gratitude 
 — Is not this the " new Jerusalem," which my 
 Redeemer has built by the might of his power, 
 and for the glory of his majesty ? Instead of 
 the pride, the selfishness, and the mean pas- 
 sions of earth, " there shall in no wise enter 
 any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever 
 worketh abomination, or maketh a lie ; but 
 they which are written in the Lamb's book of 
 life !" 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar "walked in the palace," 
 that is, probably, in the palace gardens — with 
 what an air of self-importance is better ima- 
 gined than expressed — and spake, in the re- 
 corded language of boasting and disregard of 
 providence and God, to his surrounding par- 
 asites. Poor, pitiable worm of the earth ! — 
 « While the word,"— Yes,— 
 
 Verse 31. — While the word was in the king's mouth, there 
 fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnez- 
 zar, to thee it is spoken ; The kingdom is departed from 
 thee : 
 
126 
 
 32. — And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling 
 shall be with the beasts of the field : they shall make 
 thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over 
 thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the 
 kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 
 
 33. — The same hour was the tiling fulfilled upon Nebuchad- 
 nezzar : and he was driven from men, and did eat grass 
 as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, 
 till his hairs were grown like eagles' J ealhers, and his 
 nails like birds' claws. 
 
 We suggest the following as materials for 
 reflection on this subject : — 
 
 1. Sin is of a hardening nature, retaining 
 its hold in defiance of warnings, and even of 
 repeated punishments. 
 
 2. The most exalted of human beings is but 
 an insignificant atom in the hand of infinite 
 power. 
 
 3. God is never unmindful either of his 
 threatenings or of his promises ; which leaves 
 the impenitent nothing to hope, and the believ- 
 ing nothing to fear. 
 
 4. The punishments which God inflicts 
 upon the wicked, here or hereafter, have re- 
 lation to their character and demerits. 
 
 5. As the possession of reason is the high- 
 est distinction of man, so the continuance of 
 our mental sanity, which might in one moment 
 be deranged, either in sovereignty or in judg- 
 ment, ought to inspire our most devout and 
 daily gratitude. What a visitation was seven 
 times, that is, seven years, of such madness ! 
 
 11* 
 
127 
 
 6. It is, in general, a proof of divine good- 
 ness that our curiosity is so much baffled re- 
 specting the events of time to come, and that 
 an impenetrable veil is thrown over our own 
 future history. 
 
 Verse 34. — And at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar 
 lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding 
 returned unto me ; and I blessed the Most High ; and I 
 praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose domin- 
 ion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from 
 generation to generation : 
 
 35. — And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as no- 
 thing : and he doeth according to his will in the army of 
 heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth ; and none 
 can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou 1 
 
 36. — At the same time my reason returned unto me ; and, 
 for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness 
 returned unto me ; and my counsellors and my lords 
 sought unto me ; and I was established in my kingdom ; 
 and excellent majesty was added unto me. 
 
 37. — Now, I Nebuchadnezzar praise, and extol, and honor 
 the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his 
 ways judgment : and those that walk in pride he is able 
 to abase. 
 
 How far this last return to the sentiments 
 and expressions of religion was genuine, and 
 whether we are to regard Nebuchadnezzar as 
 finally converted to God, may be regarded as 
 one of those questions which, while we are 
 benevolently desirous of giving it the most 
 favorable construction, must be referred to 
 the great mass of unfathomable mysteries. 
 The evidence we have a right to demand in 
 
128 
 
 general, of a renewal of character, must be 
 proportioned to the nature of past delinquen- 
 cies ; and it often requires much holy skill to 
 pilot our judgment between the Scylla and 
 Charybdis of uncharitableness and laxity. We 
 should be kind, but not compromising ; deci- 
 ded, but not repulsive, austere, and unjust : 
 and, for ourselves, let us ever bear in mind 
 the responsibility that attaches to our pre- 
 eminent advantages. 
 
LECTURE IX. 
 
 DANIEL V. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar lived only about a year 
 after his recovery from madness. He was 
 succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach, who 
 married Nicotris, a person much extolled by 
 historians for her virtue and sagacity. To 
 this latter was born Belshazzar, who was a 
 weak and effeminate prince. The history 
 has now advanced to the fifty-first year of the 
 captivity. 
 
 Verse 1. — Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a 
 thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thou- 
 land. 
 
 2. — Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to 
 bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Ne- 
 buchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in 
 Jerusalem ; that the king and his princes, his wives and 
 his concubines, might drink therein. 
 
 3. — Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken 
 out of the temple at the house of God which was at Jeru- 
 falem ; and the king and hii princes, his wives and hi* 
 concubines, drank in them. 
 
130 
 
 4. — They drank wine and praised the gods of gold, and of 
 silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 
 
 At this time Cyrus was besieging Babylon ; 
 and, had not the king been immersed in self- 
 indulgence instead of devoting himself to the 
 interests of his empire, now involved in the 
 most perilous circumstances, he would have 
 proclaimed a fast instead of appointing " a 
 great feast." Even if the supposition be cor- 
 rect that it was the regular return of some 
 national anniversary, or more probably of 
 some day devoted to idol gods, prudence, at 
 least, might have dictated its suspension at so 
 momentous a crisis. But the love of plea- 
 sure is inherent in our fallen nature, and oper- 
 ates, alas, with an intensity that presents a 
 humbling contrast to the influence which the 
 love of God exerts in our hearts ! Is it that 
 there is more sincerity in the passion of the 
 world than in the profession of the Christian ? 
 Or is it not the truth that the nature of the 
 principle, and its actual energy as portrayed 
 in the lives, labors, and sufferings of a " cloud 
 of witnesses," whose names are recorded in 
 history, evince its surpassing power ? Behold 
 a subject for profound self-examination and 
 prayer ! 
 
 The festival of Belshazzar illustrates not 
 only the folly and infatuation of sin, but its 
 tendency to progress and multiplication. Sin 
 walks in a train ; and with what others, and 
 
131 
 
 of what a frightful character, one vice may as- 
 sociate itself, is impossible to calculate. Z>e- 
 scent on the precipitous road to ruin is easy, 
 but return is difficult ; and, however strong 
 the attractive influence of iniquity, it has no 
 repulsive force. The elements of evil readily 
 rush into combination, and remain in close 
 and inseparable adhesion, till a moral power, 
 extraneous and divine, produces a division 
 and destruction of them. Beware of the first 
 step — the first compliance — the first union in- 
 to a state of companionship with the wicked ; 
 for, as in the case of this impious monarch, 
 feasting may lead to intoxication, intoxication 
 to profanity, sacrilege, and daring defiance of 
 God. The holy vessels of the temple were 
 brought and desecrated with many a toast and 
 song of revelry, in honor of their idol vanities, 
 and many an impious laugh, at the religion of 
 the captive Jews ! Sensuality, in all its various 
 modifications, from the meanest to the loftiest 
 modes of indulgence, has always been a pre- 
 valent vice in nations, whether barbarian or 
 civilized, who have been addicted to false re- 
 ligion. It is the faith of the Bible alone that 
 can emancipate, purify, and ennoble our na- 
 ture. Innumerable are the occasions,* even in 
 a far better state of society than that which 
 prevailed in the heathen world, when it is most 
 appropriate and most important to call to mind 
 the apostolic injunction, " Be not drunk with 
 
132 
 
 wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the 
 spirit." The revelry on this occasion, how- 
 ever, possessed, a peculiar character of im- 
 piety, " they praised the gods of gold." There 
 appears to have been, as Wintle remarks, a 
 kind of competition, or the appearance of a 
 triumph of the false gods over the true one, 
 whom Nebuchadnezzar had still honored, and 
 for whom he required respect to be shown. 
 This appears more strongly in the Alexandrine 
 and Coptic versions, which add, " but the ever- 
 lasting God they praised not." 
 
 5. — In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, 
 and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster 
 of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the 
 part of the hand that wrote, 
 
 0. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his 
 thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were 
 loosed, and his knees smote one agamst another. 
 
 " In the same hour" — that hour of compli- 
 cated crime, and of unsuspecting hilarity — 
 that hour when danger and duty were alike 
 forgotten — that hour to which the prophets 
 had repeatedly referred in perspicuous and 
 pointed descriptions — that hour which was 
 the crisis of Chaldea's destiny and of Israel's 
 near deliverance : — in that hour came forth 
 fingers of a man's hand, and wrote upon the 
 plaster of the wall, which filled the king with 
 astonishment and terror. But wherefore this 
 alarm ? The wor<}s were unintelligible, being 
 
133 
 
 probably written, as Lowth observes, in the 
 old Hebrew letters, now called the Samaritan, 
 of which the Chaldeans were ignorant ; and 
 there seemed ample room for imagining some 
 optical or other delusion. If it were at once 
 deemed supernatural, why should even an ap- 
 pearance of this nature have occasioned seri- 
 ous apprehension ? Why might it not have 
 proved a happy omen, a mysterious intimation 
 of good, and not of evil ? What was there in 
 a shadow or an unknown character traced 
 upon the wall to terrify a man at the summit 
 of human glory, and congratulated by a thou- 
 sand feasted and flattering courtieis? Ah, 
 there is no defence against the power of con- 
 science ; no thunders that can drown its 
 voice ; no wealth that can purchase its ver- 
 dict; no elevation that can escape its visita- 
 tions. It is not necessary to employ the tem- 
 pest, or the lightning, or the flaming angel to 
 excite the fears of a sinner, — a word, a whis- 
 per, a look, a shadowy inscription on the wall 
 will suffice ! u The wicked flee when no man 
 pursueth ;" and, O how vain is all human suc- 
 cor when conscience sets a man's own mind 
 against the self-convicted transgressor ! Of 
 all the thousand lords none appear to have re- 
 garded the apparition ; it was Belshazzar 
 himself who trembled at the sight. Of all the 
 multitudes that visit a city, or a town, that 
 cross a plain or a mountain, that pass by a 
 
134 
 
 wood, or a tree, or a cottage, there shall be 
 but one who is affected by any extraordinary 
 emotions ; and why ? That one associates 
 the city, the town, the plain, the mountain, 
 the wood, the tree, or the cottage, with the 
 thrilling recollection of a crime committed 
 there, which other intervening events, or 
 years, cannot prevent, or banish from the 
 recesses of memory and conscience, The 
 visitations of providence, however, are some- 
 times prompt as well as awful ; and, notwith- 
 standing the ease, self-confidence, and tran- 
 quil anticipations of the wicked, they may be 
 overwhelmed with a confusion, sudden as the 
 whirlwind, appalling as the thunderbolt. "The 
 triumphing of the wicked is short ;" and " God 
 is no respecter of persons." 
 
 7. — The king cried aloud to bring in llie astrologers, the 
 Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, 
 and said to the wise wen of Babylon, Whosoever shall read 
 this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall 
 be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his 
 neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 
 
 8. — Then came in all the king's wise men; but they could 
 not read the writing, nor make known to the king the in- 
 terpretation thereof. 
 
 9. — Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his 
 countenance was changed in him, and his lords were as. 
 tonied* 
 
 Alas, how miserable are the resources to 
 which the guilty mind is driven by its terrors I 
 The king cried aloud for the astrologers, the 
 
 12 
 
135 
 
 Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. Astrolo- 
 gers ! Chaldeans ! Soothsayers ! Wretched 
 confidences, and pitiable monarch who knew 
 no better hope ! It is not, however, the re- 
 iterated failures of all his worldly dependen- 
 cies that will induce an unconverted man to 
 seek a better refuge ; but, with an infatuated 
 tenacity of grasp, he will hold to his pleasures, 
 his delusions, and his associations, till he per- 
 ish with the mighty nothings in which he has 
 trusted ! Let us be thankful that the revela- 
 tions of the kingdom of heaven are ours ; that 
 a foundation is laid in Zion for a sinful world, 
 which is Jesus Christ, on which we may se- 
 curely repose for salvation ; and that " he 
 that believeth shall not be in confusion." 
 
 10. — Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king 
 and his lords, came into the banquet-house ; and the queen 
 spake and said, O king, live for ever ; let not thy thoughts 
 trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed : 
 
 11. — There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit 
 of the holy gods ; and, in the days of thy father, light, 
 and understanding, and wisdom, like the wisdom of the 
 gods, was found in him ; whom the king Nebuchadnez- 
 zar thy father, the king, J say, thy father, made master 
 of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 
 
 12. — Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and 
 understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of 
 hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in 
 
 ; the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar : 
 now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpreta- 
 tion. 
 
 !3- — Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And 
 the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Dan- 
 
136 
 
 id, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, 
 whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? 
 
 14. — I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods 
 is in thee, and that light, and understanding, and excel- 
 lent wisdom is found in thee. 
 
 15. — And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been 
 brought in before me, that they should read this writing, 
 and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but 
 they could not show the interpretation of the thing: 
 
 16. — And 1 have heard of thee, that thou canst make inter- 
 pretations and dissolve doubts: now, if thou canst read 
 the writing, and make known to me the interpretation 
 thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a 
 chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler 
 in the kingdom. 
 
 The interference of the queen upon this oc- 
 casion presents a pleasing specimen of female 
 kindness. Many suppose it was the queen- 
 mother, or Nicotris. This, however, is not 
 expressed. There must have been much to 
 check and even to alienate affection in a 
 wicked and despotic character ; but conjugal 
 fidelity, and the same may be said of maternal 
 love, triumphs in the hour of distress ! The 
 adaptation of woman to promote the comfort 
 of life is a gracious provision of God, and the 
 disposition to soothe anxiety, to alleviate suf- 
 fering, to shield or aid in danger, is alike cer- 
 tain to operate, and honorable to display. 
 
 So Belshazzar had forgotten Daniel ! He 
 had, indeed, as he intimates, " even heard of 
 him ;" but amidst the follies and flatteries of a 
 court he had overlooked his eminent character 
 
137 
 
 and claims. Probably also he dreaded him, 
 for nothing is more detested by a profligate 
 court, or a wicked king, than a faithful, un- 
 yielding servant of God. The world will "love 
 its own ;" and if Christians expect that their 
 principles or pretensions will be duly estima- 
 ted by it, they will suffer disappointment. He 
 who " knew what was in man," and foresaw 
 the inevitable effect of a spirit of holy separa- 
 tion and independent action, founded upon 
 love to God, said, "Marvel not if the world 
 hate you." 
 
 It need excite no surprise, however, that 
 Belshazzar was profuse in his promises of 
 gain and honor upon this occasion, because 
 his own interest was essentially implicated ; 
 and, whatever contempt the men of the world 
 may have for the religion of the people of 
 God, or however they may disregard then* vir- 
 tues, they are sufficiently willing to notice 
 them when their influence can be made sub- 
 servient to their own advantage ; when other- 
 wise they are to be forgotten, or, it may be, 
 ridiculed, misrepresented, and persecuted. 
 
 17. — Then Daniel answered and said before the king. Let 
 thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another ; 
 yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make 
 known to him the interpretation. 
 
 IS. — O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar 
 thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory and ho- 
 nor : 
 
138 
 
 19. — And, for the majesty that he gave him, all people, na- 
 tions, and languages, trembled and feared before him ; 
 whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept 
 alive, and whom he would he set up, and whom he would 
 he put down. 
 
 20. — But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind harden- 
 ed in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and 
 they took his glory from him : 
 
 21. — And he was driven from the sons of men ; and his 
 heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with 
 the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and 
 his body was wet with the dew of heaven ; till he knew 
 that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and 
 that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. 
 
 22. — And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled 
 thine heart, though thou knewest all this ; 
 
 23. — But thou lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; 
 and they have brought the vessels of his house before 
 thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concu- 
 bines, have drunk wine in them ; and thou hast praised 
 th)gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and 
 stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know ; and the God 
 in whose hand thy breath is. and whose are all thy ways, 
 hast thou not glorified. 
 
 24. — Then was the part of the hand sent from him ; and 
 this writing was written. 
 
 In Daniel's renunciation of the proffered 
 donations, we have a fine exhibition of disin- 
 terestedness. The servants of God, especially 
 those in official situations, ought to cultivate 
 this spirit to the utmost ; and to assist them 
 in doing so, let such be induced to reflect on 
 their obligations — their vows-^-the example of 
 distinguished saints — and, above all, on the 
 character of the Saviour. 
 
 12* 
 
139 
 
 The address of Daniel to the king is distin- 
 guished by its uncompromising faithfulness : 
 comprising the following important refer- 
 ences : — 
 
 1. He appeals to a striking fact in Belshaz- 
 zar's ancestral history, v. 18, 21. The term 
 for father is the same as grandfather ', and it 
 should have been so rendered. 
 
 2. He points out the radical defect in the 
 monarch's own character, and the disregard 
 he had manifested of every monition. 
 
 3. He charges directly upon his conscience 
 the pride, impenitence, and sacrilegious im- 
 piety of his conduct. 
 
 4. With fearless resolution he convicts him 
 of his misdeeds, in the presence of all the 
 wealth, rank, beauty, and power of his king- 
 dom. 
 
 5. He preaches to him, in pkin and pointed 
 language, truths of high import and concern ; 
 as, the supremacy of Jehovah — his provi- 
 dence — his omniscience — and his claims. 
 
 25. — And this ia the writing that was written, mene, mene, 
 
 TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 
 
 Zf>. — This is the interpretation of the thing; mene: God 
 
 hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 
 27. — Tekel : thou art weighed in the balances, and art 
 
 found wanting. 
 23. — Peres : thy kingdom is- divided, and given to the 
 
 Medes and Persians. 
 29. — Then commanded Belah&zzar, and they clothed Dan- 
 
 iel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about hw neck. 
 
• 140 
 
 find made a proclamation concerning him, that he should 
 be the third ruler in the kingdom. 
 
 The signification of the words in Chaldee is 
 literally, "He hath numbered, he hath num- 
 bered — he hath weighed — they divide." This 
 was a fearful announcement, and yet the pro- 
 phet was immediately invested with the pro- 
 mised insignia of distinction and favor. Some 
 of the worst of men are often governed by feel- 
 ings of honor, where they refuse to submit to 
 the demands of religion. Let Christians learn 
 from this circumstance to adhere, at least as 
 strongly, to the superior principles which they 
 profess. Daniel's acceptance of the gifts after 
 his refusal, proceeded probably from his in- 
 difference to them, as much, perhaps, as from 
 the dictates of courtesy and propriety. 
 
 The words, " Thou art weighed in the bal- 
 ances, and art found wanting," admit of an 
 application to many important cases. There 
 is a standard of rectitude and truth, the devia- 
 tions of our conduct from which will expose 
 us to the judgment of God, whose decisions 
 will be at once impartial and final. While ull 
 mankind are guilty in his sight, there are three 
 general circumstances to be regarded as af- 
 fecting our destiny — our capacities — our ad- 
 vantages — our resolutions and pledges. Bel- 
 shazzar had learned nothing from experience, 
 but "lifted up himself" in proud rebellion 
 against the Almighty. His conduct may re- 
 mind us that, — 
 
141 
 
 1. Whoever is defective in humility before 
 God, which is the element of all real repen- 
 tance, is u found wanting." 
 
 2. Whoever neglects the monitions of pro- 
 vidence, and, where he possesses them, the 
 instructions of scripture, is "found wanting." 
 
 Whoever prefers a present indulgence 
 to a future and eternal reward, is " found 
 
 nting." 
 
 1. Whoever shuts his eyes against the 
 light he enjoys — the light of nature, or reve- 
 lation — is " found wanting." 
 
 Various methods of estimating the charac- 
 ters of men are adopted by God, so as to bring 
 home to individual conviction essential de- 
 fects. Terrific or merciful manifestations 
 have a relation to the peculiarities of sinners 
 in their natural constitution, station, associa- 
 tions, and opportunities. The heathen and 
 the civilized, the wealthy and the poor, the 
 wise and the ignorant, the self-righteous and 
 the humble, the hypocrite and the sincere pro- 
 fessor, the backslider and the faithful, the 
 worldly and the spiritual, are, with innumer- 
 able others, placed under this scrutinizing dis- 
 cipline, to their glory or their shame ; and we 
 suggest for serious reflection that they are 
 weighed in four respects : 
 
 1. The balances are continually placed at 
 the disposal of conscience. 
 
 2. They are given to the use of the christian 
 ministry. 
 
142 
 
 3. They are placed in the pale hand of 
 death. 
 
 4. The Supreme Judge will take them into 
 his own hands in the last day. 
 
 30. — In that night was Belsbazzar the king of the Chal- 
 deans slain. 
 
 31. — And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about 
 threescore and ten years old. 
 
 Xenophon states that Gadates and Gobryas, 
 who conducted the army of Cyrus up the bed 
 of the Euphrates, went to the king's palace, 
 and, the doors having been opened to ascer- 
 tain the cause of the tumult, they rushed in 
 and slew the king who was standing amidst 
 his courtiers, sword in hand. Herodotus re- 
 lates that " they had passed through the gates, 
 which were left open in this riotous night, and 
 had taken the extreme parts of the city, before 
 those who inhabited the middle parts knew of 
 the capture." Herod. Lib. 1. Xenoph. Cy- 
 rop. This occurred about B. C. 538, after a 
 reign of seventeen years. Darius the Mede, 
 to whom the empire was transferred in con- 
 junction with Cyrus, is the same with Cyaxa- 
 res, the son of Astyages, and therefore the 
 uncle of the conqueror. How precisely was 
 the prediction of Jeremiah accomplished, 
 " How is the hammer of the whole earth cut 
 asunder and broken ! how is Babylon become 
 a desolation among the nations ! I have laid 
 
143 
 
 a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O 
 Babylon, and thon wast not aware : thou art 
 found, and also caught, because thou hast 
 striven against the Lord." How exact is the 
 prophetic anticipation of Isaiah, " Thus saith 
 the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose 
 right hand I have holdcn, to subdue nations 
 before him ; and I will loose the loins of 
 kings, to open before him the two-leaved 
 gates ; and the gates shall not be shut ; I will 
 go before thee, and make the crooked places 
 straight; I will break in pieces the gates of 
 
 hrsss on/1 out in ann/lfin t]\cx have nf iron • nnfl 
 
 MHWMi V ,.»> v A \_, v.» o A AA OtAliUV/1 lAA V> * J 1 O A. tU W A. A A X^t 11 J ttll V ( 
 
 [ will give thee the treasures of darkness, and 
 hidden riches of secret places, that thou may- 
 801 know that I the Lord which call thee by 
 thy name, am the God of Israel !" The im- 
 pressive representation by the same prophet 
 of its subsequent condition has been amply 
 i ified, " And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, 
 the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall 
 he as when God overthrew Sodom and Go- 
 morrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither 
 shall it be dwelt in from generation to genera- 
 tion ; neither shall the Arabian pitch his tent 
 there, neither shall the shepherds make their 
 fold there ; but wild beasts of the desert shall 
 lie there ; and their houses shall be full of 
 doleful creatures : and owls shall dwell there, 
 and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild 
 beasts of the island shall cry in their desolate 
 
144 
 
 houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces ; 
 and her time is near to come, and her days 
 shall not be prolonged." 
 
LECTURE X. 
 
 DANIEL VI. 
 
 Verse 1. — It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an 
 hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the 
 whole kingdom ; 
 
 2. — And over these three presidents, of whom Daniel was 
 first; that the princes might give accounts unto them, 
 and the king should have no damage. 
 
 3. — Then this Daniel was preferred above the president^and 
 princes, because an excellent spirit teas in him ; and the 
 king thought to set him over the whole realm. 
 
 Xenophon informs us that Cyrus devised 
 the plan of government, with regard to con- 
 quered nations, which is here ascribed to Da- 
 rius. Archbishop Usher, therefore, supposes 
 with great probability that it was first devised 
 by Cyrus, and at his suggestion pursued by 
 Darius. After the conquest of Egypt by 
 Cambyses, and of Thrace and India by Da- 
 rius Hystaspes, seven provinces were added, 
 making the Persian empire in the time of 
 Esther to consist of a hundred and twenty- 
 seven provinces. 
 
146 
 
 The measures adopted on the occasion of 
 this great conquest, bespeak political sagacity. 
 Under God, the peace and stability of king- 
 doms depend on the enactment of good laws, 
 and the selection of proper persons to execute 
 the plans of government. The appointment 
 of Daniel resulted from the new king's percep- 
 tion of " an excellent spirit in him," which, 
 however true of his piety, is to be interpreted, 
 in harmony with the ideas of Darius, chiefly 
 as referrible to his intellectual qualities and 
 great experience. He had now been employed 
 in the service of the monarchs of Babylon 
 during the long period of at least sixty-five 
 years. On this occasion he became the 
 second person of the empire in rank ; a dis- 
 tinction which roused again into action the 
 demons of jealousy, envy and hatred. 
 
 • 
 
 4. — Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion 
 against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could 
 find none occasion nor fault ; forasmuch as he was faith- 
 ful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 
 
 5- — Then said thes.-; men, we shall not find any occasion 
 against this Daniel, except we find it against him con- 
 cerning the law of his God. 
 
 The conspiracy of these presidents and 
 princes was, in the circumstances and princi- 
 ples of it, the greatest possible compliment to 
 Daniel. Their sharp-sighted enmity could 
 detect nothing upon which to ground a charge, 
 in his entire direction of national affairs. 
 
 13 
 
147 
 
 Though his vigilance, penetration, experience, 
 and activity, in despite of his age, exceedingly 
 annoyed them, every attempt to find a flaw, 
 to prove a weakness, or to justify a suspicion 
 either of disloyalty or mal-administration, fail- 
 ed ; and they were driven to the necessity of 
 attacking his piety. Christians, who are call- 
 ed by the providence of God to fill offices in 
 the state, should be peculiarly circumspect lest 
 their political conduct disparage their religious 
 profession. This remark may be applied to 
 the people of God in general, whatever their 
 station in society ; for, as spiritual religion 
 will always be an object of dislike to worldly 
 persons, it should be the concern of every 
 christian so to live in the midst of them as to 
 afford no just occasion for the reproach of in- 
 consistency, either in spirit or deportment. 
 Jf- occasion be sought, let enemies be com- 
 pelled to seek it in their devoted, and, to them, 
 objectionable piety. This is required, both 
 on account of the cause itself, and as an attes- 
 tation of the sincerity of their own vows and 
 pledges. A contrary behaviour is detrimen- 
 tal to the best of causes, incompatible with 
 the true character and tendency of our holy 
 faith, and enhances the awfulness of an ap- 
 proaching judgment. Every condition of life 
 is beset with moral difficulties and dangers ; 
 a motive to " watch and pray, lest we enter 
 into temptation." 
 
148 
 
 6. — Then these presidents and princes assembled together 
 to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for 
 ever. 
 
 7. — All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and 
 the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have con- 
 6ulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make 
 a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any 
 god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall 
 be cast into the den of lions. 
 
 8. — Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, 
 that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes 
 and Persians, which altereth not. 
 
 9. — Wherefore King Darius signed the writing and the 
 decree. 
 
 By what arguments or sophistries Darius 
 was persuaded to issue this ridiculous law, we 
 are not informed ; one thing is evident, that 
 these nobles — and this was worthy of them as 
 conspirators against so important a life — did 
 not hesitate to approach the king with a wilful 
 untruth. They said, all the presidents and 
 princes had consulted ; but was not Daniel 
 one, though the chief of them, in authority and 
 in reputation ? It is the unhappy condition 
 of royalty, even when best sustained by cha- 
 racter and prudence, to be exposed to the 
 snares of artifice, the perversions of prejudice, 
 and the falsifications of malignity. Great, 
 too, as the greatest king may be, it is not un- 
 frequent to see him so inveigled by the power 
 and combination of wicked advisers as to lose 
 in a sense all freedom of action. The en- 
 forcements of the New Testament, therefore, 
 
149 
 
 are most needful to be regarded ; for surely, 
 both for their own sakes and for that of their 
 people, it becomes us to ;< pray for kings and 
 all in authority over us," 
 
 The proposal of these counsellors was a 
 kind of attempt to deify the king, and, by lay- 
 ing on him so flattering an unction, to soften 
 any possible resentment at their intrusiveness 
 or unreasonableness. It was a common prac- 
 tice among Pagans to deify their heroes. 
 This was done both by Horace and Virgil to 
 Augustus, and Pliny to Trajan. In ascribing 
 divine honours to fellow-men, or in their 
 daring to aspire after them, we see the la- 
 mentable degradation of our nature ; but it 
 may afford us a profitable lesson. Let us be- 
 ware of flattery, as at once suspicious in its 
 principle, and dangerous in its tendency ; and 
 while we cannot, and ought not on some ac- 
 counts to be insensible to that estimation 
 which Solomon denominates " a good name," 
 and worthy of a certain degree of solicitude, 
 be it our supreme concern to obtain the appro- 
 bation of God ! 
 
 10. — Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, 
 he went into his house ; and, his windows being open in 
 his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees 
 three times a-day, and prayed and gave thanks before hi* 
 God, as he did aforetime. 
 
 This is a fine exhibition of character. 
 
150 
 
 " He knew that the writing was signed,"— r 
 and he knew too that it was aimed at him, and 
 that it was a compound of malignity and ab- 
 surdity ; but he uttered no reproach, and 
 made no remonstrance, either with his perse- 
 cutors for their injustice, or against them, in 
 any appeal to the misguided sovereign. It is 
 a great attainment in christian excellence to 
 be able to maintain silence amidst extreme 
 provocation ; and to hold on our way in firm 
 and dignified adherence to the truth amidst 
 the machinations or insults of the world. 
 
 " He went into his house" — and for what 
 purpose ? Not to devise a counterplot — not to 
 indulge in bitter lamentations over his hard 
 lot, or secret repinings at the conduct of pro- 
 vidence — but to pray. This was his habit 
 " three times a day," and he continued the 
 practice as before. Do any plead for an ex- 
 emption from the duties of devotion or a re- 
 mission of their frequency ? let them observe 
 the conduct of Daniel, who never allowed 
 either the cares of a mighty empire, or the 
 active combination of wicked men to compass 
 his ruin, to interrupt his devotions. While 
 too many endeavour to excuse their religious 
 negligences upon the ground of excessive oc- 
 cupation, there are others who have not even 
 this plausible but unjustifiable plea ; on the 
 contrary, in defiance of every remonstrance, 
 cYerv precept, every example, and every dan- 
 
 13* 
 
151 
 
 ger, they persist in " living without God in the 
 world." 
 
 The holy city, with its temple, was now 
 desolate, but he prayed with " his windows 
 open in his chamber toward Jerusalem." The 
 temple was regarded by the pious Jews -as a 
 type of Christ, and the circumstances of its 
 dedication filled their minds with sentiments 
 of the profoundest awe and solemnity. This 
 was the encouragement of Jonah when " cast 
 into the deep, in the midst of the seas." At 
 this extremity he resolved, " I will look again 
 toward thy holy temple." Compare 1 Kings 
 viii. 28—30. 
 
 It is worthy of particular notice that Daniti 
 "gave thanks before his God, as he did afore- 
 time." A devout heart will discover reasons 
 for gratitude when others can perceive nothing 
 but occasions of lamentation. No condition 
 of life is really so disastrous as to be incapable 
 of suggesting motives to thankfulness to a 
 spiritual man ; for the stream of life has always 
 its interminglings of alleviation and compara- 
 tive good. As this eminent servant of God 
 also was identified in character with those who 
 acforned the earliest annals of the christian 
 church, it is not improbable that he was ani- 
 mated by a spirit similar to that of apostles 
 who " rejoiced that they were counted worthy 
 to suffer shame for the name of Jesus." The 
 conduct of Daniel is a severe reproof to tho&e 
 
152 
 
 who, under circumstances of far inferior 
 temptation, conceal their religion for the sake 
 of acquiring gain or evading reproach. This 
 is often as unsuccessful in policy, as it is cri- 
 minal in principle ; and sometimes, even with 
 regard to immediate results, certainly with 
 respect to ultimate consequences, the path of 
 duty is the path of safety. But, as the sequel 
 will show, we must not suffer our judgment to 
 he guided by present appearances. 
 
 11. — Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying 
 and making supplication before his God. 
 
 12. — Then they came near, and spake before the king con- 
 cerning the king's decree ; Hast thou not signed a decree, 
 that every man that shall ask a petition of any god or man 
 within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into 
 the den of lions ? The king answered ar.d said, The thing 
 is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, 
 which altereth not. 
 
 13. — Then answered they, and said before the king, That 
 Daniel, which is of the captivity of the children of Judah, 
 regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast 
 signed, but maketh his petition three times a-day. 
 
 14. — Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore 
 displeased with himself) and set his heart on Daniel to de- 
 liver him, and he laboured till the going down of the sun 
 to deliver him. 
 
 15. — Then these men assembled unto the king and said unto 
 the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and 
 Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king 
 establisheth may be changed. 
 
 16. — Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, 
 and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spako 
 and said unto Daniel, Thy God, whom thou servest con- 
 tinually, he will deliver thee. 
 
153 
 
 17. — And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of 
 the den ; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and 
 with the signet of his lords, that the purpose might not be 
 changed concerning Daniel. 
 
 It is no less true than lamentable that on 
 many an occasion, since the age of Daniel, 
 men have been condemned for prayer to God 
 as for the highest crime and misdemeanor ; 
 and such is the prejudice and perverseness of 
 the wicked that it is questionable whether any 
 violation of human laws has been deemed so 
 odious and worthy of punishment as obedience 
 to the commands of God ! 
 
 The king, having suffered himself to be en- 
 trapped, could not escape, unless he had pur- 
 sued the high and honourable, though to him- 
 self most dangerous course, of refusing to 
 execute an unrighteous decree. When we 
 consider the folly of the principle recognized 
 bv the laws of the Medes and Persians that no 
 royal statute could be changed or abrogated. 
 we have great reason to acknowledge the good 
 providence of God in permitting us to enjoy a 
 civil constitution in which the respective power 
 and rights of king and people are wisely ad- 
 justed, so as to become an instrument, not of 
 oppression, but of personal and national pros-* 
 perity. 
 
 The expectation which Belshazzar expresses 
 of the deliverance of Daniel from the peril of 
 the lion's den, if it were nothing more than a 
 
154 
 
 vague hope, was probably produced by a re- 
 collection of the circumstances of the escape 
 of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, on a 
 former occasion. He was willing to indulge 
 every thought that could alleviate the anxiety 
 which afflicted him ; an anxiety the more dis- 
 tressing that it was produced by his own in- 
 consideration or vanity. It is the bitterest 
 ingredient in the cup of sorrow to know that 
 our own folly or sin has introduced it ; while, 
 on the other hand, no alleviation can be great- 
 er than conscious rectitude of mind and inno- 
 cence of conduct. 
 
 " They brought Daniel and cast him into 
 the den of lions." The word signifies pit, and 
 was probably a deep excavation to prevent 
 the escape of these furious and powerful ani- 
 mals. We shudder at the cruelty of the ac- 
 tion, and feel indignant at the baseness of the 
 motive ; but " the dark parts of the earth" 
 have ever been " full of the habitations of cru- 
 elty," and will continue to be so till the light 
 of truth shall irradiate, and the energy of the 
 Holy Spirit shall sanctify them. Then, in- 
 deed, will the world be no longer an Acelda- 
 ma, — a field of blood ; but the abode of peace, 
 purity, benevolence, and joy. 
 
 And do we not pity Daniel ? What a de- 
 plorable termination, as it appeared, of so dis- 
 tinguished and useful a life ! Think of that 
 aged saint, despoiled of all, forsaken of all, 
 
155 
 
 cast in a moment from the light of day into a 
 dungeon where the most ferocious of wild 
 beasts were kept, whose nature would prompt 
 them to tear and rend in pieces this defence- 
 less being. Great as might be the triumphs 
 of faith in that momentous crisis, we cannot 
 but imagine some instinctive emotions of ter- 
 ror as he fell down the awful descent into the 
 lions' mouths. What a passage into eternity ! 
 What a contrast to the quietude of home, — 
 the soft and silent tread of love, — the tender 
 sympathies and assiduities of friendship in the 
 hours of a slowly approaching dissolution, the 
 reciprocities of holy converse and a kind fare- 
 well ; bespeaking a heavenly calm in the one, 
 and a sweet sympathy in the other, and a con- 
 joined assurance of a speedy, happy, and 
 everlasting re-union in brighter worlds ! But 
 we proceed with the narrative — 
 
 Verse 18. — Then the king went to his palace, and passed 
 the night fasting : neither were instruments of musio 
 brought before him ; and his sleep went from him. 
 
 19. — Then the king arose very early in the morning, and 
 went in haste unto the den of lions. 
 
 20. — And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamenta- 
 ble voice unto Daniel; and the king spake and said to 
 Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, 
 whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from, 
 the lions ? 
 
 21. — Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for 
 ever. 
 
 22. — My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' 
 mouths, that they have not hurt me ; forasmuch as before 
 
156 
 
 him innocency was found in me ; and also before thee, 
 king, have I done no hurt. 
 £3. — Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and com- 
 manded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. 
 So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner 
 of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his 
 God. 
 
 The miraculous deliverance of Daniel is 
 ascribed to the ministration of an angel. Of 
 these exalted intelligences we know little ; 
 but the inspired record relates frequent in- 
 stances in ancient times of the instrumentality 
 of spirits of this order, in conducting the af- 
 fairs of the church. If they have not always 
 been permitted to interfere for the rescue of 
 saints from peril, there is reason to believe 
 that they are capable of cherishing a benevo- 
 lent sympathy with our temporal and moral 
 condition ; and it seems consonant with the 
 best feelings of a sanctified nature, as well as 
 with scripture intimations, to realize the future 
 as a state in which saints will be brought into 
 association of the most improving and ele- 
 vating kind with their immortal company. 
 Through grace we are privileged to anticipate 
 an introduction to that celestial region, where 
 they walk " high in salvation and the climes 
 of bliss." 
 
 What a night was that when Darius was 
 sleepless in his palace, and Daniel tranquil, 
 perhaps joyful, in his dungeon ! Who would 
 not pity the miserable monarch ? and who 
 
157 
 
 would not envy the happy martyr ? Fever, 
 restlessness, self-reproach, were the demons 
 that haunted the couch of greatness, — " joy 
 and peace in believing," like spirits of light, 
 beamed on the ground where helpless piety 
 reposed ! O for Daniel's dungeon, rather than 
 Darius's empire ! 
 
 Verse 24. — And the king commanded, and the) brought 
 
 those men whieh had accused Daniel, and they cast them 
 
 into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives ; 
 
 and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their 
 
 bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the 
 
 den. 
 25. — Then King Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and 
 
 languages, that dwell in all the earth : Peace be multiplied 
 
 unto you. 
 26. — I make a decree, That in every dominion of my king. 
 
 dom, men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel ; 
 
 for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his 
 
 kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his do. 
 
 minion shall be even unto the end. 
 27. — He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs 
 
 and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered 
 
 Daniel from the power of the lions. 
 29. — So this Daniel prospered in tiie reign of Darius, and in 
 
 the reign of Cyrus the Persian. 
 
 The indignation of Darius now broke forth 
 upon the accusers of Daniel. In this we trace 
 the signal retributions of Providence, though 
 we cannot justify the violence of the king. 
 That he was greatly exasperated, cannot, 
 however, excite surprise, nor that, like his 
 predecessor and grandfather on a similar oc- 
 
158 
 
 ^asion, he was deeply impressed by this 
 supernatural manifestation. Evil principles 
 often, even in this world, conduct to an awful 
 end. 
 
 We hail the edict as solemn and compre- 
 isive in expression ; and it would be 
 pleasing to feel assured that it was dictated 
 by right principles, and by more than a mo- 
 mentary impulse. If, however, the cloud be 
 not entirely removed, we may rejoice in even 
 this degree of light that is cast upon the 
 memory of Darius. 
 
 U 
 
LECTURE XL 
 
 DANIEL VII. 
 
 The preceding chapter terminates that part 
 of this book which is strictly historical ; the 
 remaining portion comprises the prophetic 
 visions of Daniel himself. The period of time 
 which elapsed during their communication 
 may be estimated at twenty-one or twenty- 
 two years. The first of the series contained 
 in this chapter, is the only one written in the 
 Chaldee language ; probably with a primary 
 view to the advantage of the ruling monarch, 
 and, on account of its general similarity of 
 meaning, to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 1. — In ihe first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel 
 had a dream, and visions of his head upon his bed ; then 
 he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 
 
 2. — Daniel spake and «said, 1 saw in my vision by night, 
 and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon tho 
 great sea. 
 
 3. — And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse on« 
 from another. 
 
160 
 
 4. — And the first was like a lion, and had eagles' wings : 1 
 beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was 
 lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon the feet 
 as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 
 
 5. — And, behold, another beast, a second, like to a bear, 
 and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in 
 the mouth of it between the teeth of it : and they said 
 thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 
 
 6. — After this I beheld, and lo, another, like a leopard, which 
 had upon the back of it four wings like a fowl : the beast 
 had also four heads ; and dominion was given to it. 
 
 7. — After this I saw in the night visions, and, behold, a fourth 
 beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly ; and 
 it had great iron teeth ; it devoured and brake in pieces, 
 and stamped the residue with the feet of it : and it was 
 diverse from all the beasts that were before it : and it had 
 ten horns. 
 
 8. — I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up 
 among them another little horn, before whom there were 
 three of the first horns plucked up by the roots : and, 
 behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and 
 a mouth speaking great things. 
 
 It appears that Daniel not only related but 
 wrote his dream. This secured accuracy, 
 and gave permanency to the inspiration for 
 the benefit of succeeding ages. The preser- 
 vation of this and other records of Scripture 
 demands our grateful acknowledgment to God, 
 whose providence has effectually watched 
 over them, and caused their transmission to 
 our distant times, with the exception of slight 
 literal inaccuracies, in their primitive perfec- 
 tion ! 
 
 The " great sea" is the usual designation of 
 the Mediterranean, to distinguish it from the 
 
161 
 
 lakes of Judea. The striving of the " four 
 winds of heaven" evidently imports the tumults 
 and commotions of mankind in great political 
 struggles ; to the successive results of which 
 the allusions are made in the following de- 
 scription : — 
 
 The four beasts plainly correspond with 
 the four monarchies exhibited to Nebuchad- 
 nezzar in the image which he saw constructed 
 of different metals, and ultimately demolished 
 by the stone cut out of the mountain. The 
 first is compared to a lion. A similar emblem 
 is employed in Jeremiah (chap. iv. 7) " The 
 lion is come up from his thicket, and the de- 
 stroyer of the Gentiles is on his way." While 
 the head of gold represents the splendour 
 of the Babylonian monarch and monarchy, 
 this animal portrays its dignity and domina- 
 tion. Its '• eagles' wings" indicate the rapidity 
 of its conquests ; their being at length " pluck- 
 rd, v the diminution and final subversion of the 
 empire, the personal afflictions of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, and the final victory of Cyrus. Its 
 being raised from depression, and having a 
 man's heart, appears to have its antitype in 
 the madness and subsequent restoration of him 
 who was emphatically the head of gold. 
 
 The second beast or bear x which depicts 
 the Medo-Persian empire, is said to " raise 
 up itself on one side" or it raised up one do- 
 minion, as the word also signifies. If received 
 
162 
 
 in the former sense, the reference may be to 
 the eastern quarter, whence the Persians came, 
 and their elevation above the Medes and 
 Babylonians. If in the latter, the union into 
 one empire of the Medes and Persians. The 
 " three ribs between the teeth" are supposed 
 to mean Babylon, Lybia, and Egypt, who were 
 most severely oppressed by these conquerors. 
 It may also contain an allusion to the de- 
 structive character of their warlike progress. 
 The leopard is the Grecian or Macedonian 
 empire ; the natural fleetness of the animal 
 elucidating the rapidity of Alexander's pro- 
 gress through a succession of victories to 
 universal empire. Four wings of a fowl are 
 said to have been seen on the back of it, more 
 fully to convey the idea of a combination of 
 activity and swiftness. Some, however, sup- 
 pose that the union of the empires of Assyria, 
 Media, Persia, and Greece is intended. The 
 beast had " four heads," referring to the four 
 divisions of the empire under the successors 
 of Alexander. u If we reflect on the small 
 beginnings of this power, the difficulties which 
 it surmounted, and the vast strides it made 
 toward universal empire, extending its con- 
 quests as far as the Ganges in so short a space 
 as twelve years, (1 Mac. i. 7.) we shall not 
 be at a loss to assign a fair interpretation for 
 the last clause of this verse, and to conclude 
 
 14* M 
 
163 
 
 that such dominion was the gift of God." 
 ( Wintle.) 
 
 The description of the fourth beast is 
 strikingly illustrative of the Roman power. 
 It is observable that the name of no particular 
 animal is assigned to it ; probably because no 
 one could convey a sufficiently impressive 
 emblem of its characteristic strength, cruelty, 
 and fierceness. It had " ten horns," which 
 shadowed forth ten kings or kingdoms, as 
 afterwards explained. These have been vari- 
 ously enumerated by different writers, but all 
 agree in including many of the European as 
 well as Asiatic nations, whose representatives 
 exist at the present day. These correspond 
 with the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image. 
 The " little horn" has the marks of the papal 
 power. Before this horn three of the first 
 were plucked up by the roots. In the eighth 
 century the three states, the Exarchate of Ra- 
 venna, the kingdom of the Lombards, and the 
 state of Rome were reduced, and the pope 
 commenced his temporal jurisdiction. Afr, 
 however, two of these were not primarily 
 among the ten, Faber suggests that the king- 
 doms of the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the 
 Lombards are to be understood, which some 
 have deemed to be a better founded interpre- 
 tation . The horn having " eyes like the eyes 
 of a man," denotes the exercise of continual 
 vigilance and sagacity, which the papal power 
 

 164 VLu!5a£ 
 
 has ever manifested for the advancement of 
 its influence. The " mouth speaking great 
 things" has been amply verified in its imperi- 
 ous dogmatism and blasphemous pretensions. 
 " The prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and the vision of the four beasts, equally pre- 
 dict tiiat, from the era of the Babylonian 
 monarchy to the commencement of the mil- 
 lennium, there should be four, and no more 
 than four empires, universal so far as the 
 church is concerned." (Faber.) 
 
 9. — I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient 
 of day 3 did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and 
 the hair of his head like the pure wool, his throne was like 
 the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 
 
 10. — A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him : 
 thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand 
 times ten thousand stood before him : the judgment was 
 set, and the books were opened. 
 
 The version of the common Bible, " I be- 
 held till the thrones were cast down," does 
 not appear correct. The rendering of the 
 Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic, is, 
 " until the thrones were set up" This inter 
 pretation is more in accordance with the 
 judicial arrangements immediately described, 
 and is adopted by the Jewish expositors. 
 Comp. Matt. xix. 28 ; Rev. iv, 4 ; also the 
 use of the word in Ezra vii. 25. 
 
 The " Ancient of days" is described as 
 sitting upon one of the thrones prepared for 
 
165 
 
 his reception, and both his personal glory and 
 judicial retinue are magnificently pourtrayed. 
 That the Almighty God is intended by Ancient 
 of days, is universally admitted. Although, 
 strictly speaking, " days," as a measure of 
 time, can have no proper relation to the ex- 
 istence of an eternal Being ; they have that 
 necessary relation to our conceptions, which 
 affords the data of thinking with some degree 
 of precision upon a subject, whose grandeur 
 must otherwise be dissipated in mere generali- 
 ties. The psalmist suggests similar ideas to 
 enhance our sentiments of the immortality of 
 the divine essence. 
 
 The snowy whiteness of his garment repre- 
 sents his perfect holiness, which is still further 
 illustrated in connexion with wisdom and 
 solemnity in the administration of justice by 
 the hair of his head appearing like wool, 
 The throne being like the fiery flame, points 
 out the terrific character of that searching and 
 uncompromising investigation which would 
 lead to fearful results, and the wheels like 
 burning fire, prognosticate at once his majes- 
 ty — piercing, penetrating, awful, and the rapid 
 progress of those providential visitations which 
 would bespeak the indignation of a sin-aveng- 
 ing Deity. The pertinency of the description 
 will appear from the remark of Grotius, that 
 the ancient thrones, and " Sillae curules," had 
 wheels. The fiery stream preceding him con- 
 
166 
 
 veys a further idea of holy indignation ; and, 
 connecting it with the preceding verse, some 
 manuscripts read, " his throne was flames of 
 fire, trailing and issuing from his presence." 
 The thousands ministering unto him evidently 
 allude to the innumerable multitude of angels, 
 and the concourse of people standing before 
 him refer to the nations that were to be ar- 
 raigned. The opening of the books imports 
 the deliberate character of that proceeding 
 which should be founded upon the recorded 
 actions of the great delinquents, and which 
 should have respect to the laws and will of 
 God. The sit ling of the judgment, as thus 
 prepared, has a clear reference to the so- 
 lemnities and general construction of the 
 Jewish Sanhedrim or Great Council. 
 
 The judgment in question is to take place 
 after the monarchies described shall have ex- 
 isted, and after the little horn, or papal power, 
 shall have prevailed in the earth. That the 
 reference is not to the final judgment, or, what 
 is more emphatically called, the " last day,*' 
 is evident, because hero God the Father is 
 said to occupy that judicial station which, in 
 the New Testament, is universally ascribed 
 to the Son ; and because it is not the judg- 
 ment of individuals, as when " small and great 
 shall appear before God," but of nations and 
 of the great anti-christian power. We must 
 bear in continual recollection that this is a 
 
167 
 
 vision, that the circumstances are the decora- 
 tive arrangements of a court of justice, and of 
 the Jewish council in particular ; and that, 
 therefore, like all hieroglyphic symbols, all 
 scriptural allusions to the personal appear- 
 ance, the form, the countenance, or the hands, 
 arm, and feet of the Almighty, it is a figura- 
 tive adumbration of the great reality of a just, 
 final, and awful retribution that awaits anti- 
 christian nations. 
 
 11. — I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words 
 which the horn spake; I beheld, even till the beast was 
 slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning 
 flame. 
 
 12. — As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their 
 dominion taken away : yet their lives were prolonged for 
 a season and time. 
 
 We have here the execution of that sen- 
 tence which is prophetically stated to be ful- 
 filled in the destiny of these rebel empires. 
 The destruction of the Roman hierarchy is 
 particularly specified. This " horn" for power, 
 this 4i beast" for vileness, being idolatrous and 
 persecuting, shall be slain, destroyed, and 
 punished, in the burning flame of divine in- 
 dignation. " The prophecy of Daniel has 
 here reached the fall of the spiritual Babylon 
 of St. John, previous to the introduction of 
 the kingdom of the Messiah. The lake of 
 fire of the one is the same as the burning 
 flame (or burning of fire) of the other, into 
 
168 
 
 which the body of the beast was seen to 
 be cast." Compare Rev. xiv. 8, &c, and 
 xvi. 19. 
 
 The " rest of the beasts" signifies the three 
 other empires, the Babylonian, Persian, and 
 Macedonian, who had their dominion taken 
 away, as history has long since recorded ; 
 but " whose lives were prolonged," — that is, 
 though no more possessed of empire, yet their 
 influence and impious principles still continued 
 to operate, notwithstanding their temporal 
 demolition. 
 
 13. — I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the 
 Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came 
 to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before 
 him. 
 
 14. — And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a 
 kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should 
 serve him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which 
 shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not 
 be destroved. 
 
 An additional circumstance of great interest 
 now presents itself in this prophetic scenery. 
 We cannot mistake the name which character- 
 izes " the Mediator of the New Covenant," who 
 as the " Son of man" assumed our nature with 
 its infirmities, took our place with its awful 
 curse and responsibilities, and became " head 
 over all things to the church." His " coming 
 in the clouds" implies the dignity and splen- 
 dour of the manifestation, but can no more be 
 
169 
 
 justly deemed literal than the garment and 
 the hair and the wheels of the Ancient of days. 
 lie came to the Ancient of days, and they, 
 the heavenly retinue, brought him before him. 
 And for what purpose ? To receive a king- 
 dom, which should be characterized by its 
 extent and by its perpetuity. 
 
 This vision, then, has two distinct parts ; 
 and each details events from the commence- 
 ment to the termination of a series of ages. 
 The first pourtrays the history of the four 
 great monarchies and the anti-christian power 
 till its destruction, that is, from the period of 
 <)00 years before the advent of Christ to the 
 commencement of the millenium ; the second, 
 from the setting up of the kingdom of the 
 Messiah, till the termination of it in the uni- 
 versal spread of Christianity after the over- 
 throw of anti-christian empires. Thus, amidst 
 the prevalence of impiety, idolatry, infidelity, 
 Mohammedanism, popery, and whatever else 
 exalts itself against God, we are cheered by 
 the prospect of their ultimate and eternal de- 
 struction ; while, amidst the depressions of 
 the true religion, the restrictions of its influ- 
 ence, the oppositions and persecutions of the 
 world, amidst all its present and long-existing 
 sufferings, reproaches, and insignificance, wc 
 are invited to rejoice in the assurance of its 
 final, glorious, unrivalled, and never-fading 
 pre-eminence. 
 
17G 
 
 1$. — I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my 
 body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 
 
 16. — 1 came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked 
 him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me 
 know the interpretation of the things* 
 
 17. — These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, 
 which shall arise out of the earth. 
 
 18. — But the saints of the most high shall take the king- 
 dom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 19. — Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which 
 was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose 
 teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass j which devoured, 
 brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet ; 
 
 20. — And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of 
 the other which came up, and before whom three fell ; 
 even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake 
 very great tilings, whose look was more stout than his 
 fellows. 
 
 21. — I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, 
 and prevailed against them $ 
 
 *22. — Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was 
 given to the saints of the Most High ; and the time came 
 that the saints possessed the kingdom. 
 
 33. — Thus he said, the fourth beast shall be the fourth king- 
 dom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, 
 and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, 
 and break it in pieces. 
 
 '.24. — And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten king3 
 that shall arise ; anil another shall rise after them ; and 
 he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue 
 three kings. 
 
 25. — And he shall speak great words against the Most Hig'i, 
 and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think 
 to change times and laws : and they shall be given into 
 his hand, until a time' and times and the dividing of time. 
 
 20. — But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away 
 his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end. 
 
 15 
 
171 
 
 27. — And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of" 
 the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to 
 the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom 
 is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve 
 and obey him. 
 
 28. — Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, 
 my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance 
 changed in me : but I kept the matter in my heart. 
 
 These verses contain an explicit interpre- 
 tation of the preceding vision, in accordance 
 with which we have endeavoured to frame 
 our explanations. Daniel, it appears, was 
 deeply affected with what he saw, and in his 
 dream applied to " one of them that stood 
 by," that is, an angel, for the developement 
 of these mysteries. He was then assured of 
 the emblematic reference of what he saw to 
 the four great empires, and, upon a further 
 inquiry into the meaning of the symbols, he 
 received information respecting the fourth 
 beast, and the horns in particular. In these 
 verses we have an additional intimation 
 respecting the persecuting spirit of the little 
 horn, which " made war with the saints'" — a 
 deep aggravation of its other guilt, as evinced 
 in boast and blasphemy. The saints of the 
 Most High are said to take the kingdom, that is, 
 the rule of the world by a moral and spiritual, 
 not a military, operation. It would ill comport 
 with the spirit of Christianity to suppose an am- 
 bitious seizure of empire ; but it is precisely 
 consonant with its principles, and with th(* 
 
172 
 
 continual aim of the people of God, to inter- 
 pret this of a subjugation and acquired do- 
 minion by the force of evidence, argument, 
 and example — such " a compelling of them to 
 come in," as ministers and missionaries daily 
 use in exhibiting the glory and the grace of 
 Christ, urging their compliance with his 
 claims, and appealing against the aversion of 
 their hearts and the pertinacity of their re- 
 sistance. 
 
 A particular period of time is here specified. 
 Times and laws are said to be given into the 
 hands of the little horn or power that should 
 speak great words against the Most High, 
 and wear out the saints, " until a time, and 
 times, and the dividing of time" It has been 
 before seen that by time in prophetic language 
 is signified a year ; by times, of course two 
 years'; by the dividing of time, half a year. 
 But a prophetic year is 360 prophetic days 
 or years ; therefore these three years and a 
 half correspond with 1260 years, which syn- 
 chronises with another period in prophecy 
 of forty-two months, the season during 
 which the apocalyptic witnesses were to 
 prophesy in sackcloth and antichrist to exist. 
 The computation must be made from the 
 period when the little horn or ecclesiastical 
 power of the church of Rome should arise. 
 That application of the prophecy is the 
 most probable, which fixes on the time, when, 
 
173 
 
 by the decree of Phocas, the Roman pontiff 
 was constituted universal bishop? and supreme 
 head of the church. This was in the year of 
 our Lord 606. This being admitted, the 1260 
 years of ecclesiastical domination would bring 
 us to A. D. 1866. 
 
 ry 
 
LECTURE XII. 
 
 DANIEL VIII. 
 
 Verse 1. — In the third year of the reign of king Belshazaar 
 
 a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after 
 
 that which appeared unto me at the first. 
 2. — And I saw in a vision ; aad it came to pass, when I 
 
 saw, that I was at Shushan in th# palace, which is in the 
 
 province of Elam ; and I saw in a vision, and I was by 
 
 the river of Ulai. 
 3. — Than I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and, behold, there 
 
 stood before the river a ram which had two horns, and 
 
 the two horns were high ; but one was higher than the 
 
 other, and the higher came up last. 
 4. — I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and 
 
 southward ; so that no beasts might stand before him, 
 
 neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand ; 
 
 but he did according to his will and became great. 
 5. — And as I was considering, heboid, an he-goat came 
 
 from the west, on the face of the whole earth, and touched 
 
 not the ground ; and the goat had a notable horn between 
 
 his eyes. 
 6. — And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I 
 
 had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in 
 
 the fury of his power. 
 7. — And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was 
 
 moved with choler against him, and smote the ram- and 
 
 15* 
 
175 
 
 brake his two horns ; and there was no power in the ram 
 to stand before him, but ha cast him down to the ground, 
 and stamped upon him ; and there was none that could 
 deliver the ram out of his hand^ 
 
 8. — Therefore the hc-goat waxed very great : and when he 
 was strong, the great horn was broken ; and for it came 
 up four notable ones, toward the four winds of heaven. 
 
 9. — And out of one of them came forth a little horn which 
 waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward tho 
 east, and toward the pleasant land. 
 
 10. — And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven ; and 
 it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, 
 and stamped upon them. 
 
 11. — Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the 
 host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and 
 the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 
 
 13. — And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice 
 by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to 
 the ground ; and it practised, and prospered. 
 
 13. — Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint 
 said unto that certain saint which spake, Mow long shall 
 be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the trans- 
 gression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the 
 host to be trodden under foot ? 
 
 14. — And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three 
 hundred days ; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 
 
 15. — And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen 
 the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there 
 stood before mo as the appearance of a man. 
 
 16. — And I heard a man's voice between the banks o/Ulai, 
 which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to under- 
 stand the vision. 
 
 17. — So he came near where I stood, and when he came, 1 
 was afraid, and fell upon my face ; but he said unto me, 
 Understand, Oson of man ; for at the time of the end shall 
 he the vision. 
 
 18. — Now, as he was speaking with me* I was in a deep 
 
176 
 
 sleep on my face toward the ground ; but he touched me, 
 and set me upright. 
 
 19. — And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall 
 be in the last end ©f the indignation : for at the time ap- 
 pointed the end shall be, 
 
 20. — The ram which thou sawest having tioo horns are 
 the kings of Media and Persia. 
 
 21. — And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the 
 great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 
 
 22. — Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, 
 four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in 
 his power. 
 
 23. — And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the 
 transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce coun- 
 tenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 
 
 24. — And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own 
 power : and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall 
 prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and 
 the holy people. 
 
 25. — And through his policy also he shall cause craft to 
 prosper in his hand ; and he shall magnify himself m his 
 heart, and by peace he shall destroy many : he shall also 
 stand up against the Prince of princes ; but he shall be 
 broken without hand. 
 
 26. — And the vision of the evening and the morning which 
 was told is true : wherefore shut thou up the vision ; for 
 it shall be for many days. 
 
 27. — And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days : after- 
 ward I rose up, and did the king's business ; and I was 
 astonished at the vision, but none understood it. 
 
 In this chapter, according to Faber, whose 
 interpretation appears to be on good grounds 
 now universally adopted, the prophet records 
 the history of the Mohammedan imposture. 
 This vision was exhibited to Daniel in the 
 third year of Belshazzar. Some have sup- 
 
177 
 
 posed he was at Shushan, or Susa, afterwards 
 the metropolis of the Persian Empire ; but 
 the words do not necessarily import more 
 than that he was so in imagination, standing 
 on the bank of the Ulai, or Eulreus, the river 
 which divided Susiana from the province of 
 Elam, a part of Persia. 
 
 M He beheld a ram with two horns ; one of 
 which was higher than the other (v. 3.) This 
 signified the kings, that is, kingdoms or united 
 empire of Media and Persia (v. 20.) The 
 Median empire was the most ancient, but the 
 Persian, which " came up last," was the most 
 illustrious. A ram was the royal ensign of 
 the Persians, and rams' heads, with horns one 
 longer than the other, are still traceable, says 
 Marcellinus {lib. xiv.) on the pillars of Perse- 
 polis. 
 
 The ram " pushed," or butted, " westward," 
 subduing Babylonia, Syria, and Asia Minor — 
 4i northward," beyond the Caspian sea into 
 the territories of the Scythians, — " southward 
 to Arabia, India, Egypt, and Ethiopia ; 
 and thus became " great" or exceeding power- 
 ful (v. 4.) 
 
 A " he-goat came from the west," which is 
 interpreted (v. 21) of the king, or kingdom of 
 Grecia, or Macedonia. This was the emblem 
 used by this nation, in consequence of their 
 first king Caranus adopting it, upon settling 
 at Edessa, whither he was guided, according 
 
178 
 
 to the direction of the oracle hy goats. He 
 called it JEgeae, or the Goafs Town. He 
 " touched not the ground ;" a phrase which 
 describes the rapidity of Alexander's con- 
 quests ; or, as may be better rendered, ac- 
 cording to the Syriac, " nothing touched or 
 hindered him in the earth," — he met with no 
 material obstacle to his progress. He had a 
 " notable horn between his eyes," that is, his 
 power was great, and his sagacity conspicu- 
 ous ; or in v. 21, by " king," may be intended 
 the kingdom in the usual prophetic sense of 
 the term, which kingdom, continued through 
 the life of Alexander, of his brother Aridaeus, 
 and of his two sons, Alexander and Hercules. 
 The goat is seen to rush upon the ram in a 
 furious manner, and smite him, and break his 
 two horns, and throw him down and stamp 
 upon him (v. 6, 7.) The troops of Alexander 
 were incomparably inferior in number to those 
 of the Persian monarch, whom he nevertheless 
 vanquished in three great battles, and pursued 
 him as a fugitive, till Darius was slain by his 
 own servants. Opposition was now at an 
 end, and the Medo-Persian empire trodden 
 under foot by the haughty conqueror. H One 
 can hardly read these words (v. 6) without 
 having," says Bishop Newton, " some image 
 of Darius's army standing and guarding the 
 river Granicus, and of Alexander on the other 
 side with his forces plunging in swimming 
 
179 
 
 across the stream, and rushing on the enemy 
 with all the fire and fury that can be imagined. 
 It was certainly a strange, rash, mad attempt, 
 with only about 35,000 men, to attack, at such 
 disadvantage, an army of more than five times 
 the number ; but he was successful in it, and 
 this success diffused a terror of his name, 
 and opened his way to the conquest of Asia." 
 But the " great horn" of this impetuous and 
 self-deemed invincible he-goat was soon 
 " broken," even while he icas yet in his strength ; 
 and four sprung up in its stead (v. 8,) but 
 ; ' not in his power" (v. 22.) After Alexan- 
 der's return to Babylon, which he proposed 
 to make the seat of his empire, and while 
 busily engaged in preparations for future con- 
 quest and a lasting dominion, he was unex- 
 pectedly, and as in a moment, removed by a 
 fever. " Ambassadors from southern Greece 
 now came to present Alexander with golden 
 crowns ; and these, on advancing to his pre- 
 sence, appeared in the sacred garlands, which 
 were never worn by deputies except when 
 commissioned to consult oracles, or to carry 
 gifts to the shrines of distant deities. But 
 while these servile republicans hailed him with 
 divine honors — while the bravest and best 
 disciplined army on the face of the earth loved 
 him as their leader, and revered him as their 
 king — while his newly-created fleet was fur- 
 rowing with unwonted keels the bosom of the 
 
180 
 
 Euphrates, and preparing to spread its sails 
 on seas unknown — while he was anticipating 
 the fulfilment of his early dreams of becoming 
 the master of the gold, the aromatics, the 
 myrrh, and the frankincense of the hitherto 
 untouched Sahara, and of compelling the sons 
 of the desert to add a third god to their scanty 
 Pantheon — while he was preparing to forge 
 the last link of the golden chain which was to 
 bind together his subjects on the Indus, the 
 Tigris, and the Nile, by the strong ties of 
 mutual advantages — the scene was suddenly 
 changed, and he was cut down in the prime of 
 life, in the height of his glory, and in the 
 middle of his vast projects." William's Life 
 of Alexander. 
 
 How strikingly verified was the prophetic 
 record, and how aftectingly impressive to 
 contemplate is the termination of that extra- 
 ordinary conqueror whom the world calls 
 " Great !" Let pride and vain glory survey 
 this earth, the field of ambition and of mor- 
 tality, and learn to repress the rising emotions 
 of delight in the pursuits, possessions, and 
 distinctions of this dream of being ; let chris- 
 tian piety survey, too, the scene, and cherish 
 more exalted feelings of joy in the moral 
 victory over mortal things and mortal passions, 
 even now achieved by its energy, and the 
 bright hopes permitted to be entertained 
 through him who is " the resurrection and 
 
181 
 
 the life," of deliverance from death, and M the 
 glory that shall follow." 
 
 When the great horn was broken, " four 
 notable ones" (v. 8,) or " four kingdoms arose 
 out of the ruined nation, but of inferior power 
 (v. 22.) These are identical with the four 
 heads of the leopard in the preceding chapter, 
 and describe the four kingdoms into which 
 the empire was resolved, under the successors 
 of Alexander ; extending to the " four winds 
 of heaven," that is, to Egypt on the south, 
 Thrace and the Lesser Asia on the north, 
 babylonia and Syria on the east, and Greece 
 on the west. 
 
 Our attention is now directed to " a little 
 horn," which became powerful in the south 
 and east, and " toward the pleasant land," or 
 Judea (v. 9.) It is seen to be exceedingly 
 aspiring, oppressive to the people of God. and 
 insulting to the " prince of the host," or Jesus, 
 who is " head over all things to the church" 
 (v. 10, 11.) In the subsequent explanation 
 this power is represented as a " king of fierce 
 countenance, and understanding dark sen- 
 tences," or enigmas, who should arise " in the 
 hitter time of their kingdom." He was to 
 destroy " the mighty and the holy people," to 
 be very crafty, but should be finally " broken 
 without hand," or destroyed by the immediate 
 power of the great head of the church, whom 
 he had impiously opposed (v. 23, 25.) This 
 
182 
 
 little horn is besides said " to cast down the 
 truth to the ground," which seems to charac- 
 terize its hostility to the christian religion, 
 aiming, therefore, more at spiritual than at 
 temporal domination. As the little horn, in 
 the previous chapter, which is described as 
 springing up among the ten horns of the Ro- 
 man beast, represents a spiritual, or ecclesi- 
 astical dominion, namely, the Papacy, so the 
 little horn of the Grecian he-goat must be re- 
 garded as denoting a similar kind of power. 
 
 It is now generally agreed that Faber has 
 suggested the only correct interpretation of 
 this vision. No previous theory was satis- 
 factory ; and we, therefore, follow him in 
 considering it as descriptive of the rise, pro- 
 gress, and destruction of Mohammedanism. 
 It is deeply affecting to think that the Church 
 of Christ once existed where, for ages past, 
 this delusion has prevailed, where a Christian 
 and a dog are synonymous terms, and where 
 Christians and Jews are only permitted, by 
 tiie payment of a capitation-tax " to wear," as 
 the Firman expresses it, " their heads for that 
 year." 
 
 Mohammed was born in Mecca. His 
 education was contracted, and his younger 
 days devoted to commercial and warlike pur- 
 suits. By his marriage with the widow of an 
 opulent merchant he rose to distinction in his 
 native city. For several years he frequently 
 
 16 
 
183 
 
 retired into the cave of Hera and cherished 
 his enthusiastic sentiments, till, at the age of 
 forty, he stated that he had held communica- 
 tion with the angel Gabriel, and was appointed 
 a Prophet and Apostle of God. In 612, he 
 publicly announced to his relatives and friends, 
 that he had ascended through seven heavens 
 to the very throne of Deity, under the guidance 
 of Gabriel, and had received the salutations 
 of patriarchs, prophets, and angels. This 
 monstrous statement, however, did not suc- 
 ceed, except with a very few ; and on the 
 death of his uncle, Abu-Taleb, who had been 
 his powerful protector, he was compelled, in 
 ()J2, to seek security by flight to Medina. 
 This henceforth became the epoch of Mo- 
 hammedan chronology. His power was now 
 consolidated and his influence extended bv a 
 large accession of deluded, but determined, 
 followers. He very soon professed to have 
 received instructions from the angel Gabriel 
 to propagate his religion by the sword ; and 
 power made him a persecutor. In seven 
 years, he became the sovereign of Mecca, and 
 this led to the subjugation of all Arabia, which 
 was followed by that of Syria. " In less than 
 a century, from the period of its rise in the 
 barren wilds of Arabia, the Mohammedan 
 religion extended over the greatest part of 
 Asia and Africa, and threatened to seat itself 
 in the heart of Europe." The unity of God 
 
184 
 
 was a leading article of Mohammed's creed. 
 When addressing the Jews he professed highly 
 to honour Abraham, Moses, and the Prophets, 
 and admitted, for the sake of conciliating 
 Christians, that Jesus was the Messiah of the 
 Jews, and will be the Judge of. all. This 
 compromising policy is seen in the Koran. 
 Mohammedan morals enforce many princi- 
 ples of justice and benevolence, and inculcate 
 a degree of self-denial ; but at the same time 
 permit the indulgences of some of the strongest 
 passions of our nature. The representations 
 given of paradise are adapted to gratify the 
 sensuality of men ; and of hell, to awaken 
 their fears of disobeying the Koran or the 
 Prophet. " Eastern Christendom," says Mr. 
 Foster, " at once the parent and the prey 
 of hydra-headed heresy, demanded and de- 
 served precisely the infliction which the rod 
 of a conquering heresiarch could bestow." 
 
 The " king of fierce countenance and un- 
 derstanding dark sentences," well expresses 
 the character of Mohammed and his religion. 
 " Mohammed," says Gibbon, " with the sword 
 in one hand and the Koran in the other, erected 
 his throne on the ruins of Christianity and of 
 Rome. The genius of the Arabian prophet, 
 the manners of his nation, and the spirit of 
 his religion, involve the causes of the decline 
 and fall of the eastern empire, and our eyes 
 are curiously intent on one of the most 
 
185 
 
 memorable revolutions, which have impressed 
 a new and lasting character on the nations 
 of the globe." The first efforts of this im- 
 postor were directed against the Jews, who 
 refused to receive Mohammed's effusions as 
 the revelations of heaven, and, in consequence, 
 suffered the loss of their possessions aud 
 lives. " When Christian churches," says Scott, 
 " were converted into mosques, the 4 daily 
 sacrifices' might be said to be ' taken away,' " 
 (v. 11, 12,) and the numbers of nominal 
 Christians who were thus led to apostatize, 
 and of real Christians and ministers, who 
 perished by the sword of this warlike, perse- 
 cuting power, fulfilled the prediction, that 
 " he cast down some of the host and of the 
 stars to the ground, and stamped on them." 
 It is said that " a host was given him against 
 the daily sacrifice (or worship of the Christian 
 church, corresponding with the Jewish sanc- 
 tuary) by reason of transgression." A rival 
 priesthood subverted the priesthood of a de- 
 generate church. The Imams of Mohammed 
 assumed the place of the apostate teachers of 
 Christianity. The event here predicted was 
 to occur in the latter part of the Grecian 
 empire [v. 23,] and when " the transgressors 
 are come to the full," or the apostacy, that is, 
 the papal apostacy, is fully developed ; which 
 corresponded with the fact. History relates 
 that the remains of the eastern empire and 
 
186 
 
 the power of the Greek church were over- 
 thrown by Mohammedans. Their chief en- 
 deavoured to diffuse his doctrine, but found 
 that it could not prevail by " its own power" 
 or the inherent moral strength of the system ; 
 it was requisite to support his pretensions by 
 force, but he exerted at the same time great 
 " craft" and " policy," Mohammed sanction- 
 ed as much of the inspired Scriptures as he 
 thought might tend to obviate the prejudices 
 of the Jews, and incorporated as much of his 
 own system with the errors of the eastern 
 church as might tend to conciliate Greek 
 Christians. Although Mohammedanism did 
 not at first spring up in the Macedonian em- 
 pire, yet it soon spread from Arabia to Syria, 
 and " occupied locally, as well as authoritatively, 
 the ancient dominion of the he-goat." — Scott. 
 It has been remarked, how r ever, by Mr. Forster, 
 [Mohammedanism Unveiled,] that the part of 
 Arabia which included the native country of 
 Mohammed, composed an integral province 
 both of the empire of Alexander and of the 
 Ptolemoean kingdom of Egypt. Ptolemy had 
 Egypt, Syria, Arabia, Caelosyria, and Pales- 
 tine. 
 
 One saint is described as addressing another 
 with the question, " How long shall be the 
 vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the 
 transgression of desolation, to give both the 
 sanctuary and the host to be trodden under 
 
 16* 
 
187 
 
 foot ?" The answer is, " Unto 2300 days." 
 These days are prophetic, that is, they sym- 
 bolize years ; curiosity, therefore, is naturally 
 eager to ascertain the chronology of this pre- 
 diction. It is some clue to the commencement 
 of the period, to remark that Daniel does not 
 refer to the origin of the monarchy, but to 
 same period afterwards, when it is become a 
 
 ttled government, because the Medo-Per- 
 sian ram does not rise from the sea, but stands, 
 already grown, upon the margin of the river. 
 Cyrus and Darius were conquerors, but it was 
 not till the seventh year of Artaxcrxes that 
 the empire had attained its strength. The 
 Medo-Pcrsian ram rose in the year B. C, 
 536, and continued to stand, till B. C, 330 : 
 the date of the vision, therefore, is between 
 these years. 
 
 We arc informed that the time, times, and 
 a half, or 1260 days, reach to the end of the 
 wonders, [ch. xii. 7, 0,] and here [v. 17, 19,] 
 that the vision of the ram and he-goat extends 
 to " the time of the end," or " the last end of 
 the indignation." Hence it follows that they 
 terminate together. That the period in ques- 
 tion is still future is obvious, because the 
 Jewish sanctuary has long been desolate, and 
 the Jews are not yet converted or restored — 
 an event joyous to the church, which the 
 * 4 cleansing of the sanctuary" foretells. This 
 eventful period, however, cannot be far dis- 
 
188 
 
 tant, and, let it be borne in mind, that as 
 Popery and Mohammedanism arose nearly 
 together, so they are destined to perish to- 
 gether, both meeting their final overthrow at 
 the time of the end. 
 
 How cheering is the fact, that, whatever 
 forms of error and delusion arise in the earth, 
 they can neither reach in extent of influence 
 or in duration of time beyond the limits 
 which an omnicient intelligence has prede- 
 termined ! Increasingly cheering is the as- 
 surance which prophecy, even imperfectly 
 understood, affords, that we are living at the 
 very eve of the fulfilment of those long- 
 recorded events, the downfall of papal, and 
 the destruction of Mohammedan delusions. 
 Their reign has been terrible and protracted ; 
 but the crescent is already on the wane, and 
 the crucifix is about to be superseded by the 
 cross. The false prophet and the man of 
 sin are both consigned to an inevitable doom, 
 while the " Sun of righteousness" is rising 
 upon rejoicing nations with an ever brighten- 
 ing glory. It is written in heaven — it is ful- 
 filling on earth — " he must increase." 
 
LECTURE XIII. 
 
 DANIEL IX. 1—19. 
 
 Verse 1. — In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, 
 of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the 
 realm of the Chaldeans ; 
 
 t. — In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by 
 books the number of the years, whereof the word of tho 
 Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would ac- 
 complish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 
 
 The monarch here mentioned is the same 
 person with the Cyaxares of heathen histo- 
 rians, to whose father, called by the Jews 
 Ahasuerus, they give the name of Astyages. 
 
 The passages in Jeremiah from which 
 Daniel obtained his information respecting 
 the duration of the Babylonish captivity aro, 
 contained in the twenty-fifth and twenty-ninth 
 chapters, (Jerem. xxv. 9 — 12; and xxix. 10, 
 11,) whence it is obvious that the sacred 
 writings were not destroyed in this national 
 calamity, and their preservation must have 
 proved an eminent benefit to the captive Jews. 
 
190 
 
 It has been before intimated that Daniel was 
 not prevented by the multiplicity of his public 
 engagements from devoting portions of time 
 each day to the duty of private prayer ; and 
 now it appears he united with it the reading 
 of the inspired books. Nor did he deem it 
 sufficient to glance over them in that cursory 
 and careless manner which is too often indi- 
 cative of a want of real interest in their con- 
 tents ; but he appears to have investigated 
 them in the spirit of devout inquiry. " He 
 understood by books the number of the years." 
 The Scriptures throw a great light upon 
 events, particularly as connected with the 
 history of the church of God, and will repay 
 the most diligent research. He who pleads 
 as an apology for neglecting them, any world- 
 ly occupations, will find no countenance in 
 the conduct of men like Daniel, who, though 
 high in station and full of business, highly 
 appreciated and improved his few privileges. 
 By means of these holy writings, though we 
 may not be able to unravel all the intricacies 
 and penetrate all the depths of providence, 
 we shall discover great principles which are 
 applicable to particular dispensations, and 
 may learn from transactions like those con- 
 nected with the captivity, that the calamities 
 of the church, as well as the sorrows of indi- 
 viduals, are righteous in their appointment, 
 wise in their administration, and proportioned 
 
191 
 
 to the necessities of the case in their degree 
 and duration. We learn also, that God never 
 forsakes his people in their afflictions, is never 
 at a loss for means to accomplish their de- 
 liverance, and fails not, if our folly do not 
 prevent, to educe good from apparent evil. 
 
 .*). — And I set my (ace unto the Lord God, to seek by 
 prayer and supplications, with lasting, and sackcloth, and 
 ashes. 
 
 It is observable, that this eminent saint did 
 not presume that even a direct promise of de- 
 liverance superseded the necessity of humilia- 
 tions and prayer. He knew that he who 
 waited to be gracious, nevertheless would be 
 inquired of by the house of Israel — that if the 
 sceptre of protection and favour were held 
 out, it must be touched by faith to experience 
 the benefit. How little have the great of this 
 world imitated this example ; forgetting that 
 ihey are more truly great as well as blessed 
 when pouring out their hearts before God, for 
 themselves and their country, in the prostra- 
 tions of piety, than when conquering in the 
 ensanguined field, or ruling on the golden 
 throne. 
 
 This language imports the appropriation of 
 some special seasons of prayer tor the express 
 object now become so dear to his heart and 
 so important to his nation. When there is a 
 peculiar pressure of affliction upon ourselves. 
 
192 
 
 or our beloved country, or any portion of the 
 human family, it is incumbent to set apart 
 especial hours of intercession on that ac- 
 count; and, in general, it would be highly 
 advantageous, to devote particular times to 
 particular and specific objects of devotional 
 supplication. 
 
 " Fasting, sackcloth, and ashes," were the 
 tokens of mourning and humiliation on extra- 
 ordinary occasions, and were evidently calcu- 
 lated to affect the mind with suitable emotions. 
 As the indulgence of the appetites and the 
 love of splendour are unbefitting a period of 
 personal or national distress, so abstinence, 
 seclusion, and mean attire, evince a corres- 
 pondence of mind with the occasions of grief. 
 The prayer of Daniel is a fine specimen of 
 some of its most essential elements, and 
 divides itself into three parts ; the first is the 
 address. 
 
 4. — And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my 
 confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful 
 God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love 
 him, and to them that keep his commandments. 
 
 Daniel first appeals to the Most High, as 
 44 the great and dreadful God." This was 
 adapted to the occasion. The majesty and 
 awful character of God were seen in his dis- 
 pensations, and were rightly, as they are 
 solemnly recognized. The emphatic letter of 
 
193 
 
 the Hebrew (n) is used before each of the 
 epithets, and throws immense force into the 
 expressions, — " O Lord, the God, the great, the 
 tremendous /" In the common practice of 
 Christians, the unnecessary multiplication of 
 epithets in addressing the Deity, must be detri- 
 mental to emotion and success, and is some- 
 times even repulsive. There can scarcely be 
 appropriate feeling where discrimination is 
 wanting ; because, instead of special pleas, 
 founded on conscious need, the intensity of 
 the mind is dissipated in loose generalities. 
 This is a fault which, especially in the social 
 exercises of devotion, should be carefully 
 avoided. 
 
 The other part of this address is equally 
 suited to the object of this special prayer. 
 The Jews were a people with whom God had 
 entered, in a peculiar sense, into covenant, 
 and to whom he had remarkably displayed his 
 mercy. He had been faithful to his declara- 
 tions, and the prophet sought to console his 
 mind and to encourage his faith with the pros- 
 pect of national deliverance, whicn was now 
 beginning to irradiate the horizon in that 
 season of darkness, depression, and apparent 
 abandonment. A God " keeping the covenant 
 and mercy to them that love him," is the sheet 
 anchor of faith in the tempests of life. — The 
 second part in the prayer of Daniel is the 
 confession. 
 
194 
 
 Verse 5. — We have sinned and have committed iniquity 
 and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by de« 
 parting from thy precepts, and from thy judgments: 
 
 ^6. — Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the pro* 
 phets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, 
 and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 
 
 7. — O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee ; but unto us 
 confusion of faces, as at this day : to the men of Judah. 
 and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, 
 that are near, and that are far off, through all the coun* 
 tries whither thou hast driven them, because of their tres- 
 pass that they have trespassed against theo. 
 
 8. — O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, 
 to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned 
 against thee. 
 
 9. — To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, 
 though we have rebelled against him : 
 
 10. — Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our 
 God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us, by his 
 servants the prophets. 
 
 II. — Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by do- 
 parting, that they m^ht not obey thy voice ; therefore 
 the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written 
 in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have 
 sinned against him. 
 
 12. — And he hath confirmed his words which he spako 
 against us, a«d against our judges that judged us, by 
 bringing upon us a great evil : for under the whole 
 heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jem- 
 salem. 
 
 13.— As it is written in the law of Moses all this evil is corno 
 n3pon us: yet made we not our praver before the Loup 
 our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and un. 
 derstand thy truth. 
 
 14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and 
 brought it upon us : for the Lord our God is righteous 
 in all his works which he doeth : for we obeyed not his 
 vojce» 
 
 17 
 
195 
 
 15. — And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy 
 people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, 
 and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day ; we have 
 sinned, we have done wickedly. 
 
 Among others, the following points may be 
 noticed, as hints for reflection. 
 
 1. The large proportion of this part of Dan- 
 iel's intercessions. It was not a hasty and 
 formal acknowledgment, but his sins and those 
 of his people occupied a principal share of his 
 thoughts. 
 
 2. The reiteration of phrases descriptive of 
 sin, exemplifying the depth of his penitential 
 sorrow. Though there may sometimes exist 
 a pharisaical expectation of being heard for 
 our " much speaking," yet there are other 
 occasions when repetitions are truly expres- 
 sive of a heart overwhelmed with a sense of 
 the divine glory, and of personal guilt and 
 unworthiness. When the mind is much af- 
 fected, it naturally dwells upon an idea and 
 repeats it. 
 
 3. The simplicity of the diction. There are 
 no ornamented or rhetorical descriptions ; 
 and in devotion there should be nothing either 
 self-flattering, studied, or to "please a fellow 
 creature's ear." 
 
 4. The minuteness of the detail (v. 5, 6, 10.) 
 Prayer should be specific as well as fervent. 
 A particular enumeration of our sins is provo- 
 
196 
 
 cadre of repentance, as the mention of mer- 
 cies excites and renews gratitude. 
 
 5. The profound humility which is indicated 
 in the language of the confession. 
 
 6. The vindication of God with regard to all 
 his proceedings, and the spirit of self -reproach 
 which pervades the whole. 
 
 7. The high estimation expressed of the mercy 
 and forgiveness of God (v. 9,) notwithstanding 
 the punishment inflicted, and during the con- 
 tinuance of the national calamities. With 
 this is connected a reference (v. 15,) to the 
 signal manifestations of the divine power and 
 goodness in their previous history. — The 
 third part of Daniel's prayer is the petition. 
 
 Verse 16. — O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I 
 beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away 
 from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain ; because for 
 our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem 
 and thy people are become a reproach to all that are 
 about us. 
 
 17. — Now, therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy 
 servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine 
 upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. 
 
 18, — O my God, incline thine ear, and hear ; open thine 
 eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which ia 
 called by thy name : for we do not present our suppli- 
 cations before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great 
 mercies. 
 
 19. — O Lord, hear ; OLord, forgive ; O Lord, hearken and 
 do ; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God : for thy 
 city and thy people are called by thy name. 
 
197 
 
 Although national blessings and deliverance 
 are here especially solicited, yet it is only as 
 subservient to religion. Daniel adverts indeed 
 to the reproaches of their neighbours, the 
 Edomites, Moabites, Philistines and others, 
 and to the desolations they have suffered ; still 
 he was chiefly concerned for the injury which 
 seemed to be inflicted on religion, and the 
 disparagement of the divine glory which re- 
 sulted from the suppression of its ordinances 
 by the overthrow of the holy city. This 
 prayer, therefore, was eminently spiritual in its 
 character and objects. The glory of God, 
 comprehensive indeed of their good, is never- 
 theless, the supreme desire — the all-absorbing 
 wish of the righteous. 
 
 The supplications of this distinguished ser- 
 vant of God were also offered with great fer- 
 vour and importunity. This is particularly 
 exemplified in the nineteenth verse. To this 
 important element of prayer our attention 
 particularly is pointed in the New Testament. 
 Compare Luke xviii. 
 
 'The genuine faith evinced, and the right foun- 
 dation upon which these earnest entreaties 
 were presented, are also observable. . There 
 is a most assiduous exclusion of all self- 
 righteous principles, and a distinct and pow- 
 erful reference to the infinite compassion and 
 grace of God. In the remarkable conclusion 
 of the seventeenth verse, " for the Lord's 
 
198 
 
 sake," reference appears to be made to the 
 Messiah, propitiation. Here alone is hope; 
 but it is all-sufficient for a fallen sinner, a 
 fallen nation, a fallen world ! Through the 
 blood of Christ all sins are pardoned ; to his 
 atoning sacrifice let all eyes, all hearts, be 
 confidingly turned. "He that spared not his 
 own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how 
 shall he not with him also freely give us all 
 things ?" 
 
 17* 
 
LECTURE XIV. 
 
 DANIEL IX. 20-27. 
 
 Verse 20. — And while I was speaking, and praying, and 
 confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and 
 presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for 
 the holy mountain of my God ; 
 
 21. — Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man 
 Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning , 
 beirg caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of 
 the evening oblation/ 
 
 22. — And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O 
 Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and under- 
 standing. 
 
 23. — At the beginning of thy supplications the command- 
 ment came forth, and I am come to show thee ; for thou 
 art greatly beloved : therefore understand the matter, and 
 consider the vision. 
 
 The first of these verses furnishes addition- 
 al evidence of Daniel's solicitude for the or- 
 dinances of religion, whose interruption con- 
 stituted, in his view, the dreariest feature in 
 the desolations of Jerusalem. He presented 
 the most fervent supplications for " the holy 
 
200 
 
 mountain of his God ;" alluding to the temple 
 erected on a rock. The thoughts of the pious 
 Jews were incessantly turned to that central 
 spot of spiritual illumination ; but in the 
 present enlarged economy of mercy, Jew and 
 Gentile are alike invited to contemplate God 
 as in every place, and to "worship him in spirit 
 and in truth." 
 
 "While he was speaking" Daniel enjoyed 
 this remarkable manifestation. This affords 
 great encouragement to prayer ; for, although 
 answers from above may not be either so 
 instantaneous or so visible, yet we may feel 
 assured of the divine complacency in the sup- 
 plications of his people,and the certainty of ob- 
 taining, in times and modes the most appropri- 
 ate, the blessings which are provided by the 
 wisdom and grace of our heavenly Father for 
 confiding faith and importunate prayer. 
 
 Gabriel had before been seen in vision (chap r 
 viii. 16), and now "flew swiftly" to this holy 
 supplicant, as one who had to announce a mes- 
 sage of the utmost importance, and felt a deep 
 interest in the communication. The Scrip- 
 tures furnish very striking proofs of the minis- 
 trations of angels ; and, whatever mysteries 
 may involve the subject, we may derive conso- 
 lation from the fact ; as it not only bespeaks 
 the care of providence over good men, but 
 seems to furnish a link of even present con- 
 
301 
 
 nexion with the higher order of beings belong- 
 ing to the associations of a holier world. 
 
 "He touched me," says Daniel, "about the 
 time of the evening oblation" or three in the 
 afternoon. The sacrifice and time being both 
 so distinctly marked, can scarcely fail of lead- 
 ing our thoughts to Christ, the one offering for 
 sin, and the concentration of prophetic events 
 in his personal work and predicted empire. 
 
 Daniel is assured by the heavenly messen- 
 ger "thou art greatly beloved," for which rea- 
 son be was selected as the depository of these 
 prophetic revelations. The estimation in 
 which he was held by successive potentates, 
 the public honors he received, the eminent 
 rank he held, all fade into nothingness before 
 this testimony from heaven — a testimony 
 founded on no external glory, but on a char- 
 acter invulnerable to reproaches, and formed 
 of all the elements of pure religion. — The ex- 
 planation of future events is now given. 
 
 Verse 24. — Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people 
 and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to 
 make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for ini- 
 quity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to 
 "seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most 
 Holy. 
 
 25. — Know, therefore, and understand, that from the going 
 forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jeru- 
 salem, uuto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, 
 and threescore and two weeks : the street shall be built 
 again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 
 
202 
 
 &6. — And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be 
 cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the princa 
 that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary ; 
 and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the 
 end of the war desolations are determined. 
 
 27. — And he shall confirm the covenant with many for 
 one week ; and in the midst of the week he shall cause 
 the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the over- 
 spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even 
 until the consummation, and that determined shall be 
 poured upon the desolate. 
 
 When we recollect that, in the former part 
 of the chapter, Daniel expressly refers to the 
 prophecy of Jeremiah, respecting the termina- 
 tion of the captivity of the seventy years, and 
 directs his solemn prayer peculiarly to this 
 event, it seems to justify the conclusion, that 
 there was some reference to this period of 
 the return of the Jews and the restoration of 
 the temple worship, which the prophet was 
 rightly anticipating ; but it is as if the spirit of 
 prophecy had said, "while this period of the 
 Babylonish captivity is expiring, learn that 
 there is another number of seventy which this 
 adumbrates, and which marks the time of a 
 more glorious deliverance and a more sublime 
 manifestation. It is the coming of the 'Mes- 
 siah the prince ;' the chronology of which 
 event is, in especial favour, granted to thee, 
 that by an antedate the most clear and plain, 
 the faith of future, ages maybe confirmed." 
 
 An intimation is here given that after the 
 lapse of a certain period of prophetic years, 
 
203 
 
 a sacrifice should be offered which would su- 
 persede the legal offerings, and, by atoning 
 for human guilt, finish transgression or remove 
 the curse, "make an end o*f sins, " and accom- 
 plish the long promised objects of divine mer- 
 cy. Then would the "most Holy be anoint- 
 ed" or the Messiah dedicated to his work, and 
 made the priest of his people. To "seal up 
 the vision and prophecy," signifies to fulfil the 
 predictions of former ages, and confirm them, 
 by making the events correspond with the 
 prophecies respecting the Messiah. 
 
 The time from "the going forth of the com- 
 mandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem 
 to the Messiah," was to be "seven weeks and 
 sixty-two weeks ;" after which he was to be 
 "cut ol^. ,, The question, therefore, respects 
 the commencement and termination of this 
 period. Four edicts for the restoration of 
 the city are mentioned in Scripture ; namely, 
 that in the first year of Cyrus (Ezra i. 1), that 
 in the secondyear of Darius (Ezra vi. 1 ; Hag. 
 j. 1), that in the seventh of Artaxerxes Ezra 
 vii. 7), and that in the twentieth year of the 
 same monarch (Neh. i. 2.) As the two for- 
 mer edicts refer only to the rebuilding of the 
 temple, it has been thought by many interpre- 
 ters that the period is to be dated from the 
 third, that is, the edict in the seventh year of 
 Artaxerxes, when the dispersed Jews became 
 a body politic under Ezra, who was appoint- 
 
H 
 
 f 
 
 204 
 
 ed to govern according to the law of God 
 and of the king. But as no allusion is made 
 to the building of the "walls and streets" till 
 the decree issued in the twentieth year of Ar- 
 taxerxes, it is to the latter it seems most pro- 
 per to refer the commencement of the pro- 
 phecy. 
 
 The first division of the time is " seven 
 weeks" or forty-nine years, in which the street 
 and wall were to be built " in troublous times," 
 which corresponds with the fact of the viru- 
 lent opposition of the enemies of the Jews. 
 " But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and 
 Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, 
 and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of 
 Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches 
 began to be stopped, then they were very 
 wroth, and conspired all of them together to 
 come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to 
 hinder it." 
 
 The second division is that of " sixty-two 
 weeks," to be added to the former, which 
 make 483 years. As the twentieth year of 
 Artaxerxes was B. C, 445, the period of 483 
 years would terminate in the thirty-third year 
 of our Saviour. 
 
 We are then informed that " the people of 
 the Prince shall come and destroy the sanc- 
 tuary," and that this should be as with a flood 
 and desolations " unto the end of the war." 
 The destruction of Jerusalem, which was 
 
 (vr^oJU 
 
 
205 
 
 afterwards accomplished by the Romans, was 
 attended with awful devastations ; when their 
 idolatrous banners waved triumphantly over 
 the hallowed scenes of religion, and more 
 than a million and a half of people, during the 
 war and at its close, were taken captive, slain, 
 or scattered to perish miserably in the dens 
 and caves of the earth. 
 
 To advance their object of bringing the 
 war with the Jews to a successful issue, the 
 Romans entered into a covenant of peace and 
 alliance with the Medes, Parthians, Arme- 
 nians, and other nations ; which appears to 
 be signified by the prediction, " He the 
 (prince,) shall confirm the covenant with 
 many for one week," in the midst of which (or 
 in the half part, that is the latter half,) the 
 sacrifice and oblation were to cease, When 
 Jerusalem was closely besieged by Titus, it is 
 related by Josephus, that, through the divi- 
 sions among the people, together with the 
 want of time, men, and animals, the daily 
 sacrifice ceased, to the great grief of the peo- 
 ple. By the " overspreading of abomina- 
 tions," is probably to be understood the idola- 
 trous ensigns of the Roman army, which Titus 
 brought into the ruins of the temple over 
 against the eastern gate, and sacrificed to 
 them there ; they being accounted, according 
 to Tacitus, the divinities of the army. It is 
 also [declared that the desolation should con* 
 
206 
 
 %irme * even until the consummation" or the 
 full accomplishment of that which is -deter- 
 mined, which " shall be poured upon the 
 desolate." This may express the utter de- 
 struction of the city and Jewish polity, and 
 the dispersion of the people ; but, more pro- 
 bably, it ought to be understood of the fulfil- 
 ment of the time allotted to the Gentiles to 
 tread down the holy city, which connects 
 this prophecy with those of preceding chapters 
 respecting the fourth monarchy. The word 
 rendered " shall be poured," is a metaphorical 
 term borrowed from the fusion of metals, and 
 represents the melancholy state of this once 
 distinguished people, who are melted down 
 and poured out among all nations, until the 
 consummation of those events which will in- 
 troduce the great crisis of the world. The 
 Jews are so fully aware of the character of 
 this prophecy, that, to deter persons from 
 studying it, they denounce the following curse, 
 14 Let their bones rot that compute the times." 
 The accuracy of all these statements is de- 
 monstrative of the inspiration under which 
 thev were written, while the immediate hand 
 of God in the punishment of the Jews* for 
 their rejection of the Messiah, is signally dis- 
 played. It is a remarkable passage of Phi* 
 lostratus, wherein he says, that when the 
 neighbouring nations wished to crown Titus 
 on account of his victory, he declared that he 
 
 18 
 
207 
 
 was unworthy of the honour, as he had not 
 himself been the author of these works, but 
 had only lent his hands to the Deity, who 
 was demonstrating his resentment against the 
 Jews. (De Vit. Apollon., lib. 6.) 
 
 Let the manifestation of the Son of God in 
 our nature, to die for sin, engage our frequent 
 meditation, and inspire grateful joy. How 
 wonderfully were all previous events guided 
 to this issue ! The earlier communications 
 of divine mercy were like rills that watered a 
 perishing land ; but on Calvary they met in 
 confluent abundance, and became a " fountain 
 for sin and uncleanness." Thither all may 
 repair, that, like the Syrian who cleansed his 
 leprosy in Jordon, we may, invited to this 
 better remedy for a viler disease, " wash and 
 be clean." 
 
UBR 
 
 HIV} 
 
 LECTURE XV. 
 
 DANIEL X. 
 
 Verso 1. — In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing 
 was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belte- 
 shazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed 
 was long ; and ho understood the thing, and had under- 
 standing of the vision. 
 
 2. — In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. 
 
 3. — I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in 
 my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three 
 whole weeks were fulfilled. 
 
 The revelation made at this time to Daniel 
 is emphatically marked as " true," that the 
 faith of the church might not be shaken by 
 those apparently contravening events or mys- 
 terious occurrences which might arise to 
 confound human calculation during the long 
 succession of ages contemplated in the pre- 
 diction. " The time" was " appointed" by him 
 who sits supreme upon the universe, an<J 
 whose determinations could not be frustrated 
 
20S 
 
 by the confusion of human affairs or the com- 
 bination of evil spirits ; and, though the period 
 in question would be " long" or distant r 
 nothing could prevent its accomplishment. 
 Those doubts and fears therefore which we 
 are apt to indulge, in relation to personal 
 changes or public vicissitudes, are unreasona- 
 ble, and ought to be dismissed. 
 
 The prophets did not always comprehend 
 their own predictions, but, in the present in- 
 stance, Daniel was permitted to have u under- 
 standing of the vision." Futurity, so far as 
 regards our individual interests, is wisely 
 concealed from us, lest by producing despon- 
 dency or undue elation we should be unfitted 
 for present duty ; but the broad outline and 
 sometimes the characteristic events of history 
 are given by anticipation, at once to signalize 
 individuals by special favour, to afford a 
 ground of consolation or a subject of inquiry 
 to the suffering church, and to supply incon- 
 testable evidence of the truth of inspiration. 
 
 Daniel states that he mourned and lived 
 abstemiously during three full weeks. This 
 appears to have been a season of voluntary 
 humiliation, for which his sensitive piety 
 would perceive various reasons ; as his per- 
 sonal transgressions, the opposition expe- 
 rienced in the rebuilding of the city and temple, 
 the reluctance of many of the Jews to return 
 to Jerusalem and co-operate in the work, and 
 
210 
 
 the predicted conduct of his nation when 
 Messiah should be " cut off." A mind under 
 the prevalent influence of spiritual sentiments, 
 will always find ample occasions of secret and 
 solemn-self abasement. Although the present 
 economy of mercy might seem to exempt 
 Christians from the necessity of special fast- 
 ing and prayer, which less joyous circumstan- 
 ces might generally require, yet these were evi- 
 dently resorted to in primitive times as they 
 are recognized in the New Testament, and 
 have ever since been the approved practice of 
 the most devoted servants of Christ. 
 
 Among the Jews there appear to have been 
 two kinds of fasting, namely, a total and a par- 
 tial abstinence from food, or food of a supe- 
 rior quality. They never anointed themselves, 
 according to the eastern custom, in seasons of 
 mourning ; and in the Mischna (Cod. Joma, c. 
 7) there is a precopt to this purpose, where 
 on the day of expiation they are interdicted 
 meat and drink, washing and anointing. 
 
 4. — And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, 
 as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel ; 
 
 5. — Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a 
 certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with 
 fine gold of Uphaz : 
 
 6. — His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the 
 appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and 
 his arms nnd his feet like in color to polished brass, and 
 the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 
 
 7. — And I Daniel alo:;e saw the vision ; for the men that 
 
 18* 
 
211 
 
 were with me saw not the vision, but a great quaking feii 
 
 upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 
 3. — Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision r 
 
 and there remained no strength in me ; for my comeliness 
 
 was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no 
 
 strength. 
 9. — Yet heard I the voice of his words : and when I heard 
 
 the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my 
 
 face, and my face toward the ground. 
 
 The river Hiddekel is the same which the 
 Persians call the Tigris, and for a similar rea- 
 son ; the signification of both words in their 
 respective languages referring to the swiftness 
 of its flow. The Euphrates and Tigris both 
 passed through Media into Mesopotamia, and 
 probably the prophet was placed near their 
 junction, which was about Seleucia and Ctesi- 
 phon. A man is seen "clothed in linen," 
 which is the official habit of a priest, and his 
 "loins were girded with fine gold," for the 
 priests wore the girdle of the ephod made of 
 gold, blue, purple, and fine twined linen (Exod, 
 xxviii. 8). His body, or the uncovered part 
 of it, resembled the colour of the precious 
 stone called beryl, which was azure. His face 
 had "the appearance of lightning," bright and 
 awful, with "eyes as lamps of fire," expressive 
 of omnicient penetration ; his arms and feet 
 "like polished brass" denote strength and glo- 
 rious firmness of purpose ; and "the voice of 
 his words like the voice of a multitude," sig- 
 nifying the rich and copious variety, as 
 
212 
 
 well as impressive force of his communica- 
 tions. The similarity of this description to 
 that which is contained in the Apocalyptic 
 vision of John, must at once strike the mind of 
 every reader of Scripture, and lead him to 
 think of him whose glory and whose grace were 
 displayed to his banished servant in Patmos 
 in attractive combination. Rev. i. 14, 15. 
 
 The men that were with Daniel did not see 
 the vision, but fled at the first sight of the 
 splendor and the sound of the mighty voice , 
 — These were probably the servants of the 
 prophet, as he lived with distinction at the Per- 
 sian court. Thus the young man who attend- 
 ed on Elisha saw not the chariots and horses 
 of fire (2 Kings vi. 17), and those who accom- 
 panied Paul were equally appalled and over- 
 whelmed ( Acts ix. 7). How awful is religion 
 to an unholy mind, and how slow are men to 
 be reconciled not only to the more stupendous 
 displays of divine majesty and authority, but 
 even to his most gracious manifestations in 
 Christ. Hence his ministerial ambassadors 
 have continual occasion to urge the important 
 plea — "be ye reconciled to God." 
 
 Thus was he "left alone," and the appear- 
 ance of this "great vision," as he terms it, over- 
 powered for a time his senses and exhausted 
 his strength. The voice, however, was heard 
 while he lay as in a sleep or swoon upon the 
 ground, into which it should seem he sunk un- 
 
213 
 
 der the powerful and commingled emotions 
 of awe, love, and joy. The patriarch's lan- 
 guage appears adapted to this occasion, 
 and might be supposed to express his feelings. 
 " How dreadful is this place ! Surely it is 
 none other than the house of God, and the 
 very gate of heaven !" There is a vision, how- 
 ever, of the Son of God, which will be exhib- 
 ited beyond these regions of sin and mortality, 
 and which redeemed souls in a more purified 
 and prepared condition of existence, will not 
 only be able to sustain in all its intensity, but 
 realize as constituting the perfection of their 
 immortal blessedness. 
 
 10. — And, behold) an hand touched me, which set me upon 
 my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 
 
 1 1. — And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, 
 understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stun i 
 upright : l>>r unto thee am I now sent. And when he had 
 spoken this word uuto me, I stood trembling. 
 
 12. — Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel : for from tho 
 first day (hat thou didst set thine heart to understand, and 
 to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, 
 and I am come for thy words. 
 
 Daniel, it appears, was first raised from his 
 prostrate position to his knees by the touch 
 of a celestial messenger, and then empower- 
 ed as directed to stand upright, though trem- 
 bling with astonishment and reverence not un- 
 mingled with apprehension. From the cir- 
 cumstances we should conclude that it was 
 the glory of the Shekinah which was here 
 
214 
 
 displayed, and that attendant angels by divine 
 command engaged in the ministrations requi- 
 red. As Gabriel touched the prophet on a 
 former occasion (ch. ix. 21), and with a sim- 
 ilar assurance (v. 23) of his being "greatly 
 beloved," it has been supposed that the same 
 angel appeared to him in this manner. It was 
 a cheering intimation that he was heard from 
 the first day when he devoted himself to sa- 
 cred study and humiliation ; and his conduct 
 furnishes an example worthy of imitation, of 
 diligent inquiry into the oracles of God and 
 the mind of the Spirit. There is no part of 
 Scripture which does not deserve and demand 
 investigation, and he who dictated these pa- 
 ges will, if we seek his illuminations, guide 
 us into the knowledge of their contents. 
 
 When the angel says, "understand the words 
 that I speak unto thee," it implies that they 
 would not at first be obvious, but, like all im- 
 portant, and especially all figurative, commu- 
 nications respecting futurity and the govern- 
 ment of God, would demand patient, serious, 
 and persevering research. VVe ought not as- 
 suredly to rest contented with a general or 
 superficial acquaintance with Scripture, but 
 feel it an incumbent duty to dig deep into the 
 mines of revelation, and we shall certainly be 
 repaid with the rich and abundant ores of 
 heavenly wisdom. Let us remember that the 
 profoundest humility accompanied, in the case 
 
215 
 
 of Daniel, the most anxious investigation, for 
 he "set his heart to understand," and at the 
 same time "chastened himself before God ;" 
 and let us also remember that it is in immedi- 
 ate connexion with this devout and inquiring 
 spirit that he is called "greatly beloved." 
 
 Having stated his commission to visit Dan- 
 iel, the angel thus proceeds — 
 
 13. — But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 
 one and twenty days : but lo, Michael, one of the chief 
 princes, came to help me ; and I remained there with the 
 kings of Persia. 
 
 Satan, the prince or "God of this world," by 
 himself or one of his chief agents employed 
 his machinations to instigate Cambyses and 
 the court of Persia to hostilities against the 
 Jews, while the angelic spirit, to whom this 
 ministration was entrusted, employed his 
 efforts to influence the king and his nobles in 
 their favour. Contests of this nature are men- 
 tioned in other places. Compare Zech. iii. 1 
 — 3, Jude ix. Rev. xii. 7, 8. The opposition 
 in question lasted twenty-one days, during 
 which time Daniel was engaged in fasting and 
 prayer. The angel who addressed the pro- 
 phet, intimates that he was assisted by one, na- 
 med Michael, of a superior order. He is call- 
 ed one, or, as has been rendered, the first of 
 the "chief princes." 
 
 14. — Now I am come to make thee understand what shall 
 befal thy people in the latter days ; for yet the vision it 
 for many days. 
 
216 
 
 By the "latter days" and the reference or 
 the vision to "days," or time to come, our 
 views are naturally conducted through the per- 
 spective of revolving ages, all the events of 
 which till the great consummation must be 
 contemplated with reference to the Jewish na- 
 tion, or "Daniel's people," whose affairs form 
 the centre of the chief transactions of this low- 
 er world. 
 
 In the Syriac it is "even to the end of the 
 days" or the end of time. In the Greek and 
 Vulgate "for days." The word "many" is im- 
 properly introduced into the English trans- 
 lation. 
 
 15. — And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my 
 face toward the ground, and I became dumb. 
 
 The prophet was so impressed by the com- 
 munication that he represents himself as fix- 
 ing his eyes upon the ground, like a person 
 thunder-struck, and found himself for a time 
 unable to utter a word. Profound awe and 
 "godly fear"become us while receiving through 
 the medium of Scripture the revelations ^of 
 heaven ; and yet with what surprising and 
 criminal indifference are these glorious reve- 
 lations frequently treated ! Persons may in- 
 deed imagine that greater effects would be 
 produced upon their minds were some angelic 
 messenger to be sent to them, or some visi- 
 ble symbols of the present Deity exhibited ; 
 but whatever temporary impression might be 
 
21? 
 
 made on those who are habitually disregardfui 
 of divine instructions andappeals, there can 
 be no reason to presume that it would either 
 be permanent or beneficial ; — "Nay, if one 
 went unto them from the dead they would not 
 repent." 
 
 16. — And, behold, one iiko the similitude of the sons of men 
 touched my lips : then I opened my mouth, and spake, 
 and said u;;to him that stood before me, O my lord, by the 
 vision my sorrows are turned apon me, and I have retained 
 no strength. * 
 
 17. — For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this 
 my lord ? for as for me, straightway there remained no 
 strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. 
 
 By the touch of the celestial visitant he was 
 again roused to the use of speech, when hav* 
 ing first referred to his deep and exhausting 
 emotions, he inquires, " how can the servant 
 of this my lord talk with this my lord ?" Dan- 
 iel speaks of himself as the servant of the an- 
 gel who had touched him, according to the 
 usual expression of respect, and intimates hi*? 
 conscious incapacity of holding converse with 
 that uncreated spirit, the form of the Son of 
 God, who appeared in the official vestment of 
 the priesthood. Self-abasement is a con- 
 spicuous feature in the character of Daniel, 
 and in fact eminently prepares the saint for 
 an intercourse with the Divine Lord, from 
 which, nevertheless, he almost feels himself 
 ready to shrink under an overwhelming sense 
 of his greatness and glory. 
 
218 
 
 18. — Then there came again and touched me one like the 
 appearance of a man, and he strengthened me. 
 
 19. — And said, man greatly beloved, fear not ; peace be 
 unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had 
 spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my 
 lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me. 
 
 20. — Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto 
 thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of 
 Persia ; and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Gre- 
 cia shall come. 
 
 21. — But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scrip- 
 ture of truth ; and there is none that holdeth with me in 
 these things, but Michael your prince. 
 
 The former angel having again addressed 
 him, intimates that he should return to the con- 
 test with the prince of Persia, whom Satan was 
 instigating against the church ; after which pe- 
 riod it is predicted that "the prince of Grecia 
 shall come," or the Macedonian empire in 
 Alexander, under whose successors, especially 
 Antiochus, great opposition would be excited 
 against the church of God. The angel pro- 
 mised to communicate more fully the pur- 
 poses of heaven as "noted in the Scripture of 
 truth." Upon this Lowth justly remarks, 
 "God's decrees are spoken of as if they were 
 committed to writing and registered in a 
 book." Michael is said to "hold with" or co- 
 operate with the other angel, in the conduct 
 of these affairs which would be ultimately 
 more advantageous to the Jews. 
 
 That Daniel should have been addressed a 
 third time as a person "greatly beloved" was 
 
 19 
 
219 
 
 an extraordinary honour which this eminent 
 and aged saint well knew how to appreciate. 
 The infirmities of decaying nature evidently 
 blended their influence with the emotions of a 
 self-abasing piety, and these were tenderly 
 compassionated by the ministering angel who 
 was directed to employ the words of kindness 
 and encouragement. How often is our ex- 
 tremity of mental feeling or corporeal suffer- 
 ing God's opportunity of gracious manifesta- 
 tion ! He will not permit us to be tried be- 
 yond what we are able to bear, and he knows 
 the precise moment when it is most appropri- 
 ate and most beneficial to impart consolation. 
 "Fear not" — is language which breathes from 
 the heart of affection, bespeaking an ever- 
 watchful care and an ever-present aid. The 
 ear of faith recognizes the cheering accents 
 as proceeding from her beloved Lord, "the 
 angel of the covenant," amidst the prostrations 
 of penitence, the contumelious reproaches and 
 fierce oppositions of a hostile world, the per- 
 plexing movements of a mysterious provi- 
 dence, the painful conflicts of severe and mani- 
 fold temptations, the accumulating imbecilities 
 of advancing age, and the deathful sinkings 
 .of dissolving humanity. 
 
LECTURE XVI. 
 
 DANIEL XI. 1—30. 
 
 Verse 1. — Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even 
 I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. 
 
 This appears to be a continuation of the an- 
 gel's address to Daniel, in which he intimates 
 the further proceedings of the celestial mes- 
 sengers in encouraging the favourable disposi- 
 tions of Darius towards the Jews. Some, from 
 a slight variation in the manuscripts, and con- 
 siderable differences in the versions, think it 
 might refer to the prophet, and the words be 
 rendered "I stood to strengthen thee ;" but 
 the former exhibits an adequate sense, and is 
 confirmed by the mark of transition now, at 
 the commencement of the following verse. 
 
 Verse 2. — And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, 
 there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia ; and the 
 fourth shall be far richer than they all : and by his strength 
 through his riehes he shall stir up all against the realm of 
 Grecia. 
 
221 
 
 3. — And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with 
 great dominion, and do according to his will. 
 
 4. — And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be bro- 
 ken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven ; 
 and not to his posterity, nor according 10 his dominion which 
 he ruled : for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for 
 others beside those. 
 
 This prophecy may be regarded as a histor- 
 ical explanation of the former, respecting the 
 ram and the he-goat, and reveals the succes- 
 sion of the Persian and Grecian empires. The 
 repetition of the same events indifferent modes 
 of representation materially assists us in their 
 verification, and furnishes an opportunity of 
 introducing other collateral and confirmatory 
 circumstances. Canbyses, Smerdisthe Magian, 
 and Darius Hystaspis, appear to be the 
 three successive occupants of the Persian 
 throne intended. The fourth was Xerxes, the 
 son of this Darius, who collected immense 
 treasures, and excited his subjects and allies 
 to invade Greece ; against which he proceeded 
 with an army of 1,700,000 men, collected from 
 forty nations distinctly named by Herodotus, 
 and constituting with their attendants at least 
 five millions of people. The fleet from Asia 
 amounted to 1200 ships. This prodigious ar- 
 mament suffered a signal defeat and disper- 
 sion ; and its infatuated leader, who had vain- 
 ly boasted that he would cast mount Athos 
 into the sea, and who absurdly lashed the 
 Hellespont, as if he were ruler of the earth 
 
222 
 
 and ocean, was murdered by Artabanus, the 
 captain of his guards. 
 
 Passing over the history of the intermediate 
 kings, and distinguishing only the change of 
 dynasty and empire, the spirit of prophecy 
 represents the result of the wars between Per- 
 sia and Greece, in Alexander's conquest of 
 Persia. He was the mighty king who ruled 
 with extensive dominion and despotic influ- 
 ence. His kingdom, however, was "plucked 
 up" for the advantage of others, and not of his 
 own family. Treachery and murder consign- 
 ed them to premature oblivion, and the king- 
 doms of Syria, Egypt, Thrace, and Macedon, 
 became four distinct sovereignties under Se- 
 leucus, Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Cassander. 
 
 Verso 5. — And the king of the south shall be strong, and one 
 of his princes ; and he shall be strong above him, and 
 have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. 
 
 As it was the purpose of the angel to show 
 to Daniel what should happen to his people, 
 the Jews, in the latter days, the history of the 
 kingdoms of Macedon and Thrace is omitted, 
 and that of the kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, 
 pointed out as north and south, from their rel- 
 ative localities to Judea, is given, because of 
 the affairs of those nations being connected 
 with the interests of that distinguished people. 
 "Causes which are apparently the slightest, are 
 sometimes productive of the most momentous 
 
 19* 
 
223 
 
 events ; and the fate of empires is often de- 
 pendent on the private history of kings. And 
 the circumstantiality with which the anticipa- 
 ted history of the successive kings of the 
 south and of the north, or of Egypt and Syria, 
 is narrated by the prophet, and every promi- 
 nent event traced to its source, gives palpable 
 illustration that, in the sight of the Eternal, 
 there is no darkness in the most distant ages, 
 and no secret in all the hearts of the children 
 of men." — (Keith.) 
 
 Egypt was south of Syria, and its King, 
 that is, the rounder of tiie dynasty, Ptolemy 
 Lagus, appears to be in the eye of prophecy. 
 Ii as the first to reduce Judea, and extend- 
 ed his conquests over the coast of Phoenicia 
 and the greater part of Syria : thus he was 
 "strong." But one of his (Alexander's) princes 
 was "strong above him"; lor Seleucus Nicator, 
 after various conquests, seated himself on the 
 throne of Syria, and, with the exception of 
 Egypt, stretched his dominion, "a great do- 
 minion," over all the countries which were 
 subjugated by Alexander. Tims in him and 
 his successors "the king of the north" may 
 be recognized. 
 
 Verse 6. — And in the end of years they shall join them- 
 selves together ; for the king's daughter of the south shall 
 come to the king of the north to make an agreement : 
 but she shall not retain ihe power of the arm; neither 
 shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, 
 and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he 
 that strengthened her in these times. 
 
224 
 
 Antiochus Soter was the son and successor 
 of Seleucus, and was succeeded by Antiochus 
 Theos. Ptolemy Philadelphus, or the second 
 of the Ptolemies, (whose reign was signalized 
 by the production of the Greek or Septuagint 
 version of the Old Testament, B. C. 273), 
 occupied the rival throne of Egypt, and for a 
 long period war was carried on between them, 
 till "in the end of the years" they united. — 
 The Syriac monarch, having divorced his wife, 
 married Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy — 
 an event celebrated with great pomp, and pre- 
 sumed to lay the basis of a permanent con- 
 nexion of interests. The remaining statement 
 in this verse, however, was verified in the fact 
 that the king of Egypt's daughter was divor- 
 ced in her turn, and the former queen of Anti- 
 ochus recalled. She, however, from distrust 
 and ambition, caused her husband to be poi- 
 soned, her son to be elevated to the throne, 
 and Berenice and her son, with all her parti- 
 zans, to be slain. "They that brought her," 
 her Egyptian attendants and her son, were 
 also killed, and Ptolemy Philadelphus, who 
 was greatly attached to her, and had "strength- 
 ened her in those times," died. 
 
 Verse 7. — But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand 
 up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall 
 ( nter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall 
 deal against them, and shall prevail : 
 
 $. — And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, 
 with their princ s, and with their precious vessels of sil- 
 
225 
 
 ver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than 
 the king of the north. 
 9. — So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, 
 and shall return into his own land. 
 
 The ancestry of Berenice is called "her 
 roots," Ptolemy Philadelphia, her father, was 
 a "branch," and Ptolemy Euergetes, her bro- 
 ther, who succeeded her father in the kingdom, 
 was "out of" this branch. He came with 
 an army to avenge his sister's death, and en- 
 tering easily into the strongest fortresses of 
 the kingdom, prevailed against Seleucus Cal- 
 linicus. Pie took many captives and immense 
 spoil, as it is predicted. Their "goda" are 
 particularly specified ; and history records 
 that he took away 2500 of these idols, many 
 of which Cambyses had formerly transported 
 into Egypt ; for which exploit his title of 
 Euergetes (the well-doer) was conferred. He 
 survived Callinicus several years, and retained 
 an unmolested dominion. Josephus relates 
 that, after Ptolemy had obtained all Syria, he 
 came to Jerusalem, and there offered sacrifices 
 to God, and dedicated presents suitable to his 
 victory. For this reason probably he is no- 
 ticed in this prophetic history, the history of 
 the Jews being interwoven with the narrative. 
 
 Verse 10. — But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assem- 
 ble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly 
 come, and overflow, and pass through : then shall he re- 
 / turn, and be stirred up, even to his fortress. 
 
226 
 
 The sons of Seleucus Callinicus, the king 
 of the north, were Ceraunus and Antiochus 
 the Great, both of whom waged war to reco- 
 ver their paternal territories from Ptolemy. — 
 The former was poisoned and accomplished 
 nothing ; but Antiochus overran Coelo-Syria 
 and the dominions of the Egyptian monarch, 
 the son of Euergetes, and meditated the inva- 
 sion of that kingdom. He, however, accept- 
 ed a truce for four months and "returned" ; 
 but was "stirred up" to prepare for war during 
 the negotiations, which gave little promise of 
 peace, and again advanced towards Egypt, re- 
 covering the dominions that had been lost. 
 
 Verse 11. — And the king of the south shall be moved with 
 choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with 
 the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great mul- 
 titude ; but the multitude shall be given into his hand. 
 
 12. — And when lie hath taken away the multitude, his heart 
 shall be lifted up ; and he shall cast down many ten thou- 
 sands; but he shall not> be strengthened by it. 
 
 Ptolemy became now exceedingly exasper- 
 ated, and opposed him with an army of 75,000 
 horse and foot, with seventy elephants, not far 
 from Gaza. Ptolemy was successful and re- 
 obtained Palestine, while Antiodhus, with his 
 shattered forces, was compelled to sue for 
 peace. His heart was "lifted up," or .elated 
 with his triumph. He received thte submission 
 of Syria, entered Jerusalem, and was so en- 
 venomed against the Jews, that he destroyed 
 
 \ ' 
 
227 
 
 forty, or as some affirm 50,000, and could 
 scarcely be restrained from entering the holy 
 of holies. 
 
 Verse 13. — For the king of the north shall return, and shall 
 set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall 
 certainly come after certain years with a great army and 
 with much riches. 
 
 14. — And in those times there shall many stand up against 
 the king of the south : also the robbers of thy people shall 
 exalt themselves to establish the vision ; but they shall 
 fall. 
 
 15. — So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a 
 mount, and take the most fenced cities : and the arms of 
 the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, 
 neither shall there be any strength to withstand. 
 
 16. — But he that cometh against him shall do according to 
 his own will, and none shall stand before him : and he 
 shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall 
 be consumed. 
 
 After the lapse of fourteen years, Antiochus 
 raised a larger army than before, and having 
 gained over the king of Macedon, attacked 
 Egypt. The juncture was favorable to his 
 efforts, as Ptolemy Philopater being dead, was 
 succeeded by his infant son. Several of the 
 tributary provinces revolted, and the Jews, the 
 revolters (called robbers) who had been sub- 
 ject to the Ptolemies during two reigns, "ex- 
 alted themselves to establish the vision," or 
 contribute to its accomplishment : but they 
 fell j being subdued by the forces of Ptolemy 
 in the absence of Antiochus, who had with- 
 drawn his army to Asia Minor, after the sub- 
 
228 
 
 mission of Syria. He however returned, as 
 the prophecy intimates, defeated the Egyp- 
 tians, and took Sidon, a strongly fortified 
 place, and another of "the most fenced cities," 
 till all Syria was reduced. Resistance proved 
 ineffectual — nothing could "stand before him," 
 and he established himself in Jiidea, "the glo- 
 rious land," the land of the chosen people of 
 God, the scene of special divine manifesta- 
 tions. One might be tempted to suppose that 
 providence would have defended such a coun- 
 try from these incursions and desolations ; 
 " the thoughts of God, however, are not our 
 thoughts ;" but while he inflicts temporal af- 
 flictions and punishments, he does not with- 
 hold his pardoning mercy. 
 
 Verse 17. — He shall also set his face to enter with the 
 strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with 
 him: thus shall he do : and he shall give him the daugh- 
 ter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on 
 his side, neither be for him. 
 
 The Jews received Antiochus willingly, and 
 Josephus informs us that he made a decree by 
 which they were permitted to live according 
 to their own ntes and laws, and to enjoy ma- 
 ny immunities. They assisted him to obtain 
 possession of Egypt when he " set his face to 
 enter with the strength of his kingdom ;" and 
 he attempted to circumvent Ptolemy by pro- 
 posing to give him Cleopatra, his daughter, in 
 marriage ; but the object failed in consequence 
 
229 
 
 of this celebrated " daughter of women" ad- 
 hering to the interests of her husband against 
 her father, and she even congratulated the Ro- 
 man senate upon his defeat, soliciting their 
 protection against him. 
 
 Verse 18. — After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, 
 and shall take many : but a prince for his own behalf 
 snail cause the reproach offered by him to cease ; with- 
 out his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. 
 
 19. — Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own 
 land : but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. 
 
 Having triumphed in Asia, and passed the 
 Hellespont, Antiochus attacked and van- 
 quished many of the islands of the Egean sea, 
 particularly Eubcea or Negropont, which sub- 
 mitted with all its cities. But the Romans 
 never suffered any one to enter hostilely any 
 country in alliance with them, with impunity ; 
 and accordingly proclaimed war against the 
 intruder. Antiochus was completely conquer- 
 ed and driven back in disgrace "toward the 
 foot of his own land" or Antioch. Soon after 
 he "stumbled and fell ;" for he was killed by 
 the inhabitants of Elymais, who were enra- 
 ged at his plundering their rich temple of 
 Jupiter Belus, to pay the tribute which had been 
 exacted from him by the Romans. 
 
 Verse 20. — Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of 
 taxes in the glory of the kingdom : but wit!. in few days 
 he shall be destroyed, neither in auger, nor in Latlle. 
 
230 
 
 Seleucus Philopater "stood up in his estate" 
 or succeeded to his throne, who was all his life 
 a raiser of taxes," or rigidly taxed his people 
 to satisfy the Roman demands ; or, as in the 
 margin, he "caused an exactor to pass over 
 the glory of his kingdom," by sending his 
 treasurer, Heliodorus, to rifle the temple of 
 Jerusalem, by whose treachery he was at 
 length slain. 
 
 Verse 21. — And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, 
 to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom : 
 but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom 
 by flatteries. 
 
 22. — And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown 
 from before him, and shali be broken ; yea, also the 
 prince of the covenant. 
 
 23. — And after the league made with him he shall work de- 
 ceitfully : for he snail come up, and shall become strong 
 with a small people. 
 
 24. — He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places 
 of the province : and he shall do that which his fathers* 
 have not dono, nor his fathers' fathers ; he shall scatter 
 among them the prey, and spoil, and riches ; yea, and he 
 shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for 
 a time. 
 
 25. — And he shall stir up his power and his courage 
 against the king cf the south with a great army ; and the 
 king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very 
 great and mighty army ; but he shall not stand ; for 
 they shall forecast devices against him. 
 
 26. — Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall des- 
 troy him, and his army shall overflow ; and many shall 
 fall down slain. 
 
 27. — And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, 
 and they shall speak lies at one table ; but it shall not 
 prosper : for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. 
 
 20 
 
231 
 
 The brother and successor of Philopater 
 was Antiochus Epiphanes, who acquired his 
 station by artifice, and especially by flattering 
 the Romans ; and was so "w'/e" a person, that 
 his debaucheries and follies induced a con- 
 temporary historian to affix the name of Epi- 
 manes or madman upon him, instead of Epi- 
 phanes the illustrious. He was, at first, very suc- 
 cessful, bearing down all oppositions and ri- 
 valries as with a "flood ;" and dispossessing 
 Onias, the high priest, of his office, the prince 
 of God's covenanted people, he sold to his 
 younger brother Jason ; but he "worked de- 
 ceitfully," transferring it to Menelaus for 
 another sum of money. Though he had, at 
 first, only a few followers from Home, yet his 
 authority was soon confirmed, and he "became 
 strong." By extreme profusion and liberality 
 in the distribution of wealth, he gained great 
 popularity ; and, meditating an attack upon 
 Egypt, he traversed the plain of Palestine and 
 fortified the frontiers of Syria. His successes 
 against Egypt and the provinces surpassed 
 those of his predecessors. He entered the 
 kingdom of his sister's son, Ptolemy Philom- 
 eter, in defiance alike of justice and natural 
 affection, and after defeating him in many bat- 
 tles, possessed himself of nearly the entire 
 country. The young king was then dethron- 
 ed by his subjects, who substituted his brother 
 Psychon ; but Antiochus professed to espouse 
 
232 
 
 the cause of Philometer. There could, how- 
 ever,be no confidence between them, that they 
 "spake lies at one table ;" but it did not "pros- 
 per," for, no sooner was Antiochus withdrawn, 
 than Philometer united with his brother and 
 was again proclaimed king at Alexandria ; ap- 
 pealing to Rome for aid, which power at the 
 "time appointed" put an end to the usurpations 
 of Antiochus. 
 
 Verse 28. — Then shall he return into his land with great 
 riches ; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant ; 
 and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. 
 
 After he had returned with the plundered 
 treasures of Egypt, a false report was circula- 
 ted of his death, which the Jews almost cele- 
 brated as a victory. This exasperated Anti- 
 ochus, who hastened to Judea, took Jerusa- 
 lem, despoiled the temple of its golden vessels 
 and treasures, slew 40,000, and sent twice that 
 number into slavery. He then returned to 
 the land. 
 
 Verse 29. — At the time appointed he shall return, and come 
 toward the south ; but it shall not be as the former, or as 
 the latter. 
 
 30. — For the ships of Chittim shall come against him : 
 therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indig- 
 nation against the holy covenant : so shall he do ; he shall 
 even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake 
 the holy covenant. 
 
 At the expiration of two years he returned 
 to renew his attempts against Egypt, but "it 
 was not as the former or the latter." At first 
 
233 
 
 h« had come with a small army and prevailed 
 by craft ; next, with a large army and routed 
 the Egyptians, and endeavoured to retain his 
 power by making Ptolemy a vassal king : now, 
 neither fraud nor force availed. The Roman 
 senate despatched ambassadors requiring him 
 to lay down his arms. They came by sea, 
 probably in Grecian ships : hence, "the ships of 
 Chittim" are said to come against him. The 
 countries peopled by the descendants of Chit- 
 tim, the son of Javan, the son of Japhet, were 
 probably so called, and the reference may be 
 to the islands of the Mediterranean and the 
 coasts extending to Greece. Not daring to 
 encounter the Romans, who intimated by their 
 ambassadors a determination to declare war if 
 he did not depart from Egypt, he was compell- 
 ed, however reluctant or "grieved," to retrace 
 his steps. But he gave vent to his indignation 
 on the Jews, who were in "holy covenant" 
 with God ; and, in league with Mcnelaus and 
 other apostate Jews, abrogated the worship of 
 God in the temple of Jerusalem, and even con- 
 secrated the temple itself to Jupiter Olympius. 
 "There is not," says bishop Newton, "so com- 
 plete and regular a series of these kings, there 
 is not so concise and comprehensive an account 
 of their affairs, to be found in any author of 
 those times. The prophecy is really more 
 perfect than any history : no one historian hath 
 related so many circumstances and in such ex- 
 act order, as the prophet hath foretold them." 
 
LECTURE XVII. 
 
 DANIEL XL 31—45 ; CHAPTER XII. 1—4. 
 
 Verse 31. — And arms shall stand on his part, and they 
 shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take 
 away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomi- 
 nation that maketh desolate. 
 
 32. — And such as do wickedly against the covenant a 11 
 he corrupt by flatteries ; but the people that do know 
 their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 
 
 33. — And they that understand among the people shall 
 instruct many : yet they shall fall by the sword, and by 
 flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 
 
 34. — Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a 
 little help : but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 
 
 35. — And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try 
 them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the 
 time of the end : because it is yet for a time appointed. 
 
 At this point of the prophecy there appears 
 to be a sudden transition to another power 
 and to other scenes than those which have 
 been previously introduced. The question 
 therefore arises, in what occurrences shall we 
 find the accomplishment of this record ? The 
 term "arms" may be rendered mighty forces 
 
 20* 
 
235 
 
 or powers. "Standing up," is the phrase be- 
 fore employed to denote the rise of the Mace- 
 donian and other empires or potentates. These 
 arms or powers are considered to refer to the 
 military dominion which spread on the side of 
 Greece, for Paulus iEmilius subdued Mace- 
 donia, and the remaining states came under 
 the yoke of Rome in the reign of Epiphanes. 
 The narration having specified the proceed- 
 ings of those kingdoms which alternately pos- 
 sessed themselves of Judca, the angel, it is be- 
 lieved, now informs Daniel of what should be* 
 fall the Jews on the dissolution of their state 
 by the Romans. They "polluted the sanctu- 
 ary, took away the daily sacrifice, and placed 
 the abomination that makcth desolate," when 
 their idolatrous eagles were planted in Jeru- 
 salem, and Pompey entered the holy of holies. 
 Many Jews and Christians apostatised to pa- 
 gan idolatry, being "corrupted by flatteries" ; 
 while others who maintained the faith pure 
 and inviolate "did exploits" in the exhibition 
 of the martyr's heroism, and "instructed many," 
 by an indefatigable and persevering effort in 
 the propagation of the doctrines of Christian- 
 ity. During the successive reigns of the per- 
 secuting emperors they suffered incredible tor- 
 tures, and "fell by the sword, and by flame, 
 and by captivity, and by spoil." They were, 
 however, "holpen with a little help." The 
 edicts of Diocletian seemed to be nearly fatal 
 
236 
 
 to the Christian cause ; but in the year of 
 Christ, 306, Constantine the Great was eleva- 
 ted to the Roman throne, which produced a 
 period of external prosperity and peace to the 
 church. But the spirit of persecution soon 
 revived, Christians themselves became miser- 
 ably disunited, and the character of the church 
 of Christ awfully corrupted. An unholy hier- 
 archy gradually rose to distinction and domin- 
 ion, and "men of understanding," or those 
 who obeyed the dictates of conscience com- 
 bining with sober inquiry into the truth, — in 
 fact, multitudes of the faithful followers of the 
 Saviour, became the victims of papal intoler- 
 ance : — a trying, indeed, but still a whitening 
 or purifying process. The "time of the end" 
 and the "time appointed" may signify gener- 
 ally the period of the termination of the trou- 
 bles of God's people, or more precisely the 
 close of the prophetic vision at the downfall 
 of all anti-christian powers. 
 
 Verse 36. — And the king shall do according to his will; 
 and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above 
 every go J, and shall speak marvellous things against the 
 God <»f gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be ac- 
 complished : for that that is determined shall be done. 
 
 By the name "king," Mede, and others after 
 him, under^fnnd tl:e Roman state or power, 
 under whatever kind of government : but it is 
 more especially referred to Rome papal, of 
 which power the description is deemed pecu- 
 
237 
 
 liarly graphic. His despotism, blasphemy, 
 and self-exaltation, are clearly marked : and 
 he was to "prosper till the indignation be ac- 
 complished," or the time, times, and a half, 
 the 1260 years, when the "wonders," as after- 
 wards named, shall end. Compare 2 Thess. 
 ii. 4; Rev. xiii. 11, 12; Rev. xviii. 3, 15, 18. 
 Hence the prediction proceeds : — 
 
 Verse 37. — Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, 
 nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he 
 shall magnify himself above all. 
 
 38. — But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces : and 
 a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with 
 
 | gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant 
 things. 
 
 39. — Thus shall he do in ihe most strong holds with astrange 
 god, whom he shall nckno.vledge and increase with glory : 
 and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall di- 
 vide the land for gain. 
 
 His disregarding the God of his fathers 
 may apply to the contempt of the true religion 
 of the apostles, from whom the papacy pre- 
 tended its origin, and to the general corruption 
 of Christian worship. The "desire of women" 
 points out the interdiction of marriage, for 
 which the Roman See is so notorious, and 
 which has been productive of innumerable 
 evils. The term rendered "god of forces" is 
 Malmzzim, literally protectors or defenders, 
 meaning the rbjects of worship, or tutelary 
 saints and angel? adored in catholic churches. 
 These have been honoured with costly shrines 
 
238 
 
 and images. In the year 787, image worship 
 was fully ratified by the seventh general 
 council, or the second at Nice. "It is a thing 
 not to be passed by without admiration, that 
 the fathers and others, even at the beginning 
 of saint-worship, by I know not what fatal in- 
 stinct, used to call saints and their relics tow- 
 ers, walls, bulwarks, fortresses, i. e. Mahuzzim, 
 in the prime and original signification." — 
 Mede. In the dark times of a dominant pope- 
 ry, every country had its tutelar saint, and in 
 the name of these saints the popes and the 
 priesthood "ruled over many" with a power 
 the most extensive and despotic. The popish 
 priesthood "divided the land for gain." New- 
 ton remarks "that the principal teachers and 
 propagators of the worship of Mahuzzim, the 
 bishops, and priests, and monks, and religious 
 orders, have been honoured and reverenced, 
 and almost adored in former ages ; that their 
 authority and jurisdiction have extended over 
 the purses and consciences of men ; that they 
 have been enriched with noble buildings and 
 large endowments, and have had the choice 
 of the lands appropriated for church lands, 
 are points of such notoriety that they require 
 no proof, as they will admit of no denial." 
 
 Verse 40. — And at the time of the end shall the king of the 
 south push at him : and the king of the north shall come 
 against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horse- 
 men, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the 
 countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 
 
239 
 
 41. — He shall enter also into the glorious land, and ma- 
 ny countries shall be overthrown : but these shall es- 
 cape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chie. 
 of the children of Ammon. 
 
 42. — He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries : 
 and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 
 
 43. — But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and 
 silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt : and 
 the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. 
 
 It has been remarked that it is not the end 
 of the time, but the time of the end which is 
 here mentioned, that is, it is at the end of this 
 vision when the events in question were to 
 occur. The time of the end denotes the du- 
 ration of the time from the rise to the extinc- 
 tion of the power. The sovereignties of 
 Egypt and Syria, before called the king of the 
 south and the king of the north, disappeared 
 when they were absorbed in the Roman em- 
 pire ; and the new powers, or the Saracen 
 and Turkish empires that succeeded, are now 
 brought into view, iiut let it be observed, 
 that the Saracens became masters of Egypt, 
 the original territory of the king of the south, 
 and the Turks possessed Syria or the kingdom 
 of the north, and still retain it. 
 
 " The king of the south shall push at him" : 
 the power of Rome was overthrown in the east 
 by the Saracens. This was the first woe of 
 the Revelation, which was to pass away after 
 300 years. The Turks then came, a whirl- 
 wind of northern barbarians, and achieved a 
 
240 
 
 lasting conquest in a day, of the Asiatic pro- 
 vinces of the Roman empire. The line of 
 march was along the north of Palestine, and 
 the Turkish monarch entered only to pass 
 through and overflow. " He entered into the 
 glorious land," for as Gibbon has stated it, 
 " the most interesting conquests of the Selju- 
 kian Turks, was that of Jerusalem, which soon 
 became the theatre of nations." But" Edom, 
 and Moab, and the chief of the children of 
 Ammon escaped out of his hand." Even 
 when all the regions round owned the Turkish 
 sway, these retained their detached and sepa- 
 rate character, and even received tribute from 
 the pilgrims as they passed to the shrines of 
 Mecca and Medina. Thus have they escaped 
 and maintained their independence of the 
 Porte. A race of monarchs arose "to stretch 
 out their hand upon the countries ; Othman, 
 Amurath, Bajazet, Mohammed, conquered na- 
 tion after nation, and finally fixed the seat of 
 their empire in Constantinople. The land of 
 Egypt "did not escape." It was indeed the 
 last to yield ; but though its forces had van- 
 quished both Christians and Turks, it was at 
 length subdued by Selim 1., in 1517, and came 
 into possession of the Ottomans. The tribu- 
 taries or confederates of the Egyptian sultans, 
 the inhabitants of the more southern and wes- 
 tern parts of Africa, sent their ambassadors 
 with presents to Selim ; and thus the "Libyans 
 and Ethiopians were at his steps." 
 
241 
 
 Verse 44. — But tidings out of the east and out of the north 
 shall trouble him : therefore he shall go forth with great 
 fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. 
 
 45. — And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palaces be- 
 tween the seas in the glorious holy mountain ; yet he 
 shall come to his end, and none shall help him. 
 
 These predictions, it is generally agreed, 
 relate to events still future. If the interpre- 
 tation of the preceding verses be correct, they 
 must belong to the Turkish empire, and to the 
 ultimate condition of the Jews. It seems to 
 be intimated that the Turk will plant his tab- 
 ernacles, or fix his encampments in the Holy 
 Land, " between the seas," that is, the seas 
 near Jerusalem, or the Dead Sea and the Medi- 
 terranean ; and that there, having enjoyed a 
 temporary triumph, he will experience a signal 
 and fatal overthrow. Whether the Russian 
 and Persian powers are destined to inflict this 
 providential visitation, as many have supposed, 
 must be left to the disclosures of futurity ; 
 certain it is, every other anti-christian power 
 must ultimately fall ; and, if we may judge 
 from the signs of the times, at no distant pe- 
 riod. 
 
jii si 
 
 242 ^ 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 1—4. * 
 
 Verse 1. — And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great 
 prince which standeth for the children of thy people : and 
 there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since 
 there was a nation even to (hat same time : and at that 
 time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall 
 be found written in the book. 
 
 2. — Aud many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth 
 shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame 
 and everlasting contempt. 
 
 3. — And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of 
 the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness 
 as the stars for ever and ever. 
 
 4. — But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the 
 book, even to the time of the end : many shall run to and 
 fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 
 
 When the great event, immediately before 
 referred to, shall have occurred, Michael the 
 prince, who has already been introduced in so 
 important a relation to the Jewish affairs, will 
 vindicate the cause of that people ; and while 
 their enemies and the enemies of true religion 
 shall suffer a final destruction, so disastrous 
 in its character and circumstances as to sur- 
 pass all other recorded instances of national 
 calamity, the Jews who are mercifully " writ- 
 ten in the book of divine remembrance will 
 be " delivered," or emancipated from their 
 long thraldom and oppression. After this 
 "many" or the multitudes of mankind that are 
 dead shall awake to receive their respective 
 sentences in judgement as righteous or wick- 
 ed, and to be assigned their respective inherit- 
 
 21 
 
243 
 
 ances of joy or sorrow for ever. Glorious 
 will be the destiny of " the wise," or all real 
 believers ; and they especially will be distin- 
 guished, who by their faithful ministrations 
 have been instrumental in diffusing the gospel, 
 and saving souls from death. Amidst the 
 "brightness" and the glory that all the redeem- 
 ed universe will participate, it shall be theirs 
 to shine "as the stars," with a distinct and re- 
 splendent glory, "high in salvation and the 
 climes of bliss." Upon this intimation, Daniel 
 was directed to shut up and seal the book to 
 the time of the end ; implying that these last 
 events will only be unravelled, in their full 
 glory and meaning, as the time for their ac- 
 complishment approaches, when great inquiry 
 should be excited and increasing knowledge 
 acquired, as they will break one after another 
 in rapid and splendid succession upon the view 
 of the church. 
 
 These opening verses of the twelfth chap- 
 ter appear to have a very clear and pointed 
 reference, though more briefly narrated, to the 
 series of events recorded in the nineteenth and 
 twentieth chapters of the Revelations. The 
 standing up of Michael for Daniel's people, 
 corresponds with the going forth of him who 
 is called "faithful and true," upon the white 
 horse. The trouble here predicted, agrees 
 with the mighty overthrow of anti-christian 
 powers, who are to be cast into the "lake 
 
244 
 
 burning with brimstone," as there represented. 
 The deliverance of the people written in the 
 book, relates to the first resurrection or pre- 
 valence of emancipated religion, when the 
 dragon is bound and cast into the bottomless 
 pit ; and the awaking of those who are in the 
 dust to life, or shame and contempt, is more 
 elaborately and solemnly represented in the 
 awful description at the conclusion of the 
 apocalyptic vision of the last judgment. — 
 "And I saw a great white throne, and him that 
 sat on it, from whose face the earth and the 
 heaven fled away ; and there was found no 
 place for them. And I saw the dead, small 
 and great, stand before God ; and the books 
 were opened : and another book was opened, 
 which is the book of life ; and the dead were 
 judged out of those things which were written 
 in the books, according to their works. And 
 the sea gave up the dead which were in it ; and 
 death and hell delivered up the dead which 
 were in them : and they were judged every 
 man according to their works. And death 
 and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This 
 is the second death. And whosoever was not 
 found written in the book of life was cast into 
 the lake of fire." 
 
LECTURE XVIIL 
 
 DANIEL XII. 5—13. 
 
 Verse 5. — Then I Daniel looked, and behold, there stood 
 other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, 
 and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 
 
 6. — And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was 
 upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the 
 end of these wonders? 
 
 The vision being still further prolonged, the 
 prophet saw two other angels, one on each 
 bank of the Tigris, and heard them conversing 
 upon the great events which were the subject 
 of the preceding revelations. Although this 
 may be regarded, as we have intimated, as a 
 vision, yet it suggests that there is at least, no 
 incongruity in the supposition that the inhab- 
 itants of the invisible world are not only enga- 
 ged in acta of praise and worship, but devote 
 much of their happy existence to research and 
 mutual intercourse. We have New Testament 
 authority for asserting that " the angels desire 
 
246 
 
 to look into" the mysteries of redeeming love ; 
 and this book, as well as many other parts of 
 the volume of inspiration, represents them as 
 being considerably interested, and, in some re- 
 spects, associated with those providential dis- 
 pensations which concern the church on earth. 
 Can we imagine, indeed, that intelligent and 
 immortal beings, possessed both of capacity 
 and opportunity to explore the operations of 
 an infinite wisdom, should be otherwise than 
 possessed of a spirit of inquiry ; and can we 
 question that the exercise of similar, how- 
 ever inferior, powers of mind, in investigations 
 prompted by an intelligent curiosity, in the 
 interchanges of sentiment and the recipro- 
 cations of a hallowed friendship, will consti- 
 tute a portion of our future felicity, as well as 
 theirs, in the celestial state ? 
 
 The question proposed to the man who was 
 seen clothed in linen was one of the greatest 
 interest. — "How long shall it be to the end 
 of these wonders?" Perhaps, however, it was 
 put chiefly for the sake of Daniel, who natur- 
 ally felt extreme solicitude on the subject, and 
 was the destined medium of prophetic commu- 
 nication to future times. Every thing, indeed, 
 was wonderful in these revelations ; the events 
 themselves and the manner of their accom- 
 plishment : nor is it, perhaps improbable that 
 new scenes of wonder, even to the highest or- 
 der of beings, will continue, when time shall 
 
 21* 
 
247 
 
 be no more, to unfold themselves in an ever- 
 lasting series in the world to come. 
 
 Verse 7. — And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was 
 upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right 
 hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swear by him that 
 liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, limes, and an half ; 
 and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power 
 of the holy people, all these thijigs shall be finished. 
 
 The lifting up of the hand towards heaven 
 was the ancient mode of indicating the greater 
 truth and solemnity of an affirmation "Abram 
 said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine 
 hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the 
 possessor of heaven and earth," Gen. xiv. 22. 
 From the similarity oTthe description contain- 
 ed in the tenth chapter of the Revelations, 
 many expositors have adopted the conclusion 
 that the man clothed in the priestly garment 
 and uttering these words was the Son of God 
 himself. "And the angel which I saw stand 
 upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his 
 hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth 
 for ever and ever, who created heaven, and 
 the things that therein are, and the earth and 
 the things that therein are, and the sea, and the 
 things which are therein, that there should be 
 time no longer." 
 
 The date given in this passage has been 
 already explained (chap. vii. 25,) as expressing 
 1260 years. These great transactions are to 
 be finished after this period, when "he shall 
 have accomplished to scatter the power of the 
 
248 
 
 holy people," or rather, "when he shall have 
 accomplished the scattering," that is, when the 
 dispersion of the Jews shall terminate. This 
 period is evidently the same with that which 
 in the Revelations (x. 7.) is denominated "the 
 finishing of the mystery of God." 
 
 Verse 8. — And I heard, but I understood not : then said I, 
 O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things ? 
 
 9. — And he said, Go thy way, Daniel : for the words are 
 closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 
 
 10.— Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried ; 
 but the wicked shall do wickedly ; and none of the wicked 
 shall understand ; but the wise shall understand. 
 
 The prophet is anxious for further informa- 
 tion respecting the closing period of time. — 
 " What shall be the end of these things ?" 
 What is to occur after the expiration of the 
 J 260 years and the restoration of the Jews ? 
 An intimation had been given respecting the 
 resurrection, and Daniel became solicitous of 
 more minute information. The angel checks 
 this curiosity before giving even a very gen- 
 eral answer, assuring him that future events 
 would not be fully understood till the period 
 of their actual occurrence. There is a point, 
 then, to which we may legitimately pursue our 
 inquiries, but where it becomes us to pause. — 
 Prophecy is intended to guide us along the 
 bright outline of the future, but not to make us 
 historians by anticipation ; to impart so much 
 as may serve for the needful instruction and 
 
249 
 
 encouragement of the people of God amidst 
 the tribulations of those latter days which will 
 precede the ultimate triumphs and glory of the 
 church* but not to acquaint them with the 
 secret intentions of God with regard to the 
 minuter character of those events which are 
 written in the book of his decrees. To steer 
 between the Scylla and Charybdis of a des- 
 ponding and neglectful indifference to pro- 
 phecy and a dogmatic interpretation, is an 
 important attainment, and is precisely that 
 course which tends to tranquillize the spirit 
 amidst surprising changes, and sustain it by 
 pleasing hopes. 
 
 The angel in the tenth verse represents, in 
 general, that the people of God will be bene- 
 fitted by the tribulations of those last times 
 in which they will be called to participate ; 
 but as in previous periods, so then, this dis- 
 cipline will fail of any great purpose in the 
 case of the wicked. Their foolish hearts will 
 be darkened ; they will not study and will not 
 understand the wonderful movements of pro- 
 vidence ; while the wise, the inquiring, hum- 
 ble, and expectant servants of Christ, will per- 
 ceive that the truth of inspiration, the glory of 
 the Saviour, and their personal salvation, were 
 all involved in the development and termina- 
 tion of these splendid mysteries of providence 
 and grace. 
 
 There are three remarkable points of con- 
 trast exhibited in this passage. 
 
250 
 
 1 . A contrast of character. The term "wise" 
 describes the righteous, who possess that reli- 
 gion which is emphatically "wisdom from 
 above" ; the epithet "wicked" expresses both 
 blindness of mind and depravity of heart. 
 
 2. A contrast of moral progress. The wise 
 are "purified and made white" by their trials ; 
 the wicked continue to " do wickedly." The 
 same discipline, the very same dispensations, 
 produce opposite effects ; and the determina- 
 tion of their career respectively will exhibit a 
 remarkable and eternal contrast. 
 
 3. A contrast of mental and spiritual percep- 
 tion. It is affirmed that "none of the wicked 
 shall understand, but the wise shall under- 
 stand." Wickedness contracts the mind, de- 
 bases the understanding, and renders man so 
 selfish and carnal, that he becomes incapaci- 
 tated for taking any comprehensive view of the 
 divine administration, and indisposed to these 
 sacred inquiries. One important point, espe- 
 cially, which the one, through the teachings 
 of that Spirit, who is humbly but incessantly 
 sought by Christians, does understand, and 
 which the other, through wilful blindness and 
 perverseness of heart, does not understand, is 
 the connexion of the operations of providence in 
 the general affairs of the world, with the estab- 
 lishment, extension, and ultimate triumph of the 
 cause of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
251 
 
 Verse 11. —And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall 
 be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate 
 set up, there shall he a thousand two hundred and 
 ninety days. 
 
 Verse 12.— Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the 
 thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 
 
 The expressions respecting the removal of 
 the daily sacrifice and the setting up of the 
 abomination that maketh desolate, appear, by 
 a comparison of passages in Daniel and in the 
 New Testament, to be applied to different 
 events ; at one time referring to the period of 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, at another to the 
 establishment of Mohammedanism, and at an- 
 other to the rise of Popery. To one or other 
 of the two latter, which is nearly the same 
 period, we have seen reason, already to apply 
 them. A further period of thirty days or years 
 is here added, marking, perhaps, the season 
 during which the predicted overthrow of the 
 anii-christian powers shall be accomplished, 
 or as some suppose, the restoration of the 
 Jews. We presume not to decipher the par- 
 ticular events of the third era of forty-five ad- 
 ditional years, producing a period of 1335, 
 the close of the prophetic revelations. As he 
 is pronounced "blessed" who attains that age, 
 we must conclude that it will be the last and 
 most glorious manifestations of God to man- 
 kind. 
 
 Verse 13. — But go thou thy way till the end le : for thou 
 shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. 
 
252 
 
 In the preceding chapter we have "the time 
 of the end," and "the time appointed," and 
 here "the end," and "the end of the days." — 
 The former phrases, as it has been stated, 
 refer to the period of the destruction of the 
 anti-christian powers : "the end" seems des- 
 criptive of the close of time, to which "the 
 end of the days" is also equivalent, signify- 
 ing the period, whatever it may be, after the 
 1335 years or volume of prophetic revelation 
 shall have terminated in one of glory. The 
 promise here recorded, unquestionably gives 
 this aged and honoured servant of God, an 
 assurance of his personal salvation, when the 
 affairs of this world shall be consummated and 
 merged in a blissful eternity. " Thy lot," 
 therefore, is to be considered as descriptive of 
 his future and heavenly inheritance of bless- 
 edness ; for, though it be a term evidently bor- 
 rowed from the ancient division of Canaan 
 among the tribes of Israel, it would appear to 
 be too restricted an interpretation of the pro- 
 mise to limit it to the possession of a portion 
 of land on earth ; it seems rather to be a 
 typical view of the incorruptible and immortal 
 inheritance of heaven. In this sentiment I 
 feel the more fully confirmed by the language 
 of Job (xiv. 12.) "Man lieth down, and riseth 
 not ; till the heavens be no more, they shall not 
 awake"; which remarkably agrees with the 
 representation of the last judgment as intro- 
 
253 
 
 ductory to the final state in the Revelations 
 (xx. 11). "And I saw a great white throne 
 and him that sat on it, from whose face the 
 earth and the heavenjledaway" Surely, if we 
 consider, what the lot of every faithful servant 
 of Christ must ultimately be, emancipated for- 
 ever from the bondage of corruption, exempt- 
 ed from the tribulations of time, and elevated 
 to the glorious intensity of the divine presence, 
 each believer must feel prompted to exclaim, 
 "Let me die the death of the righteous, and 
 let my last end be like his !" 
 
 H. R. Piercy, Printer, 7 Theatre Alley. 
 
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