Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

117

DISCOURSE X.

DAN. vi. 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 HIS GOD, AS HE DID AFORETIME.

WE have here recorded, an action of great piety and religious courage; which I shall endeavour to illustrate in the following discourse. But, first, it may be convenient to give some short account of him, who performed the action here recorded; his fortunes, advancement, and situation, when he was thus called upon to show what manner of person he was.

Daniel was of the royal race of the kings of Judah. He was carried captive to Babylon in his childhood, about nineteen years before Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; and

appointed to be bred in the palace of this king, together with some others of like family and fortune. These persons were educated in the manner that might best qualify them to be attendants upon the king, and his service; and accordingly were chosen, as their appearance and parts were most promising. Of this number, were the three, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were appointed first to bear witness to the cause of the Lord, before the nations of the East. With these confessors, Daniel was allied in blood, and agreed in sentiment; for during the whole time of his youth, he carefully abstained from all the costly food and delicacies that were set before him; contenting himself to eat of such things, as were allowed by the law of his fathers; and of those, only the plainest and simplest and this his temperance was rewarded with comeliness of person, strength of body, and more remarkable vigour of mind; so that he soon equalled, and in a short time after exceeded, the most famous of the wise men of Babylon, in the deepest parts of their learning. Which secular studies he did not neglect to temper and sanctify, with that better wisdom, from which the Psalmist found such advantage, when he declared, "I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation;

I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. And it pleased God to en lighten his mind, thus fitted and prepared, with an uncommon degree of divine truth; and to reveal to him the knowledge of things to come.

The first public instance of this, appeared in the case of Nebuchadnezzar's vision. This monarch having dreamed a dream, and remembering no more of it than that it was of an unusual kind, Daniel was enabled by Heaven, to recall the dream, and interpret it to the king; and thus became the instrument of saving the Chaldean sages, his instructors in learning: for the king had ordered them to be put to death, because they could not give this proof of their skill in divining. By this interpretation, Daniel obtained a large share of the confidence and esteem of the great potentate and conqueror of the East. And in the day of his prosperity, he did not forget his countrymen before mentioned, the friends of his youth, and companions of his religious hours; who, by his means, were advanced to high offices in the state, while he himself was "made ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon."

This province he obtained, when he was not more than twenty years old; and administered

it so well, and with such a character of justice and prudence, that he probably held it on, under the succeeding kings, till he was of a great age. For he seems to have been possessed of it, at the time that Babylon was taken, when he was fourscore years old or more. The conquerors then were the Medes; whose king, Darius, having appointed governors over the several parts of his kingdom, set three to preside over all the rest; and named Daniel, so great and well known was his merit, to be the first of these three presidents: and he was designed for still greater honours, when the princes and nobles conspired, with a general consent, to work his ruin. It is easy to imagine, that a variety of motives might spur them en, and unite them, in this design: envy of his high advancement, and ambition in those Po mër dege to obtain what he lost; aversion to dia religion and nation; and, we may add, no good will to his temperance and equal justice, dež probably reproached the lives of the great *****ditary and luxurious state. The

[ocr errors]

of Daniel, therefore, was a point in wolch at their views centered; but this it was not easy to compass. Darius, whose interest and that of his people Daniel studied to promoto, had a just sense and esteem of his merit; and his conduct was too upright to furnish them

with any matter of complaint against him. His religion was the only thing that gave them hopes of success, if they could make a crime of it against the state: for they knew he would adhere to it inviolably, under all circumstances. And, therefore, they agreed upon a law, which was so contrived, as to seem to intend only the honour of the king, whom it placed, as it were, in the seat and throne of the divinity; while it was certain to involve his faithful and most valued servant in its penalties. This law, the nobles and great men presented to Darius, in a body, and with one voice desired his ratification. of it. Let us hear the Scripture account of the matter. 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 faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him, concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors and princes, the counsellors and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that

« PoprzedniaDalej »