to Daniel; Shadrach, to Hananiah; Meshach, to Mishael; and to Azariah, Abed-nego. And the king commanded, likewise, that they should be fed with his food, and should drink of his wine. But that they might not break the law of their God, they desired to have given unto them pulse and water. And God blessed them with knowledge and wisdom. And they found favour in the sight of the king. And behold, Nebuchadnezzar, the king, dreamed a dream, which passed away, so that he remembered it not. And when his wise men, the magi, could not find out the dream, neither recall it to his remembrance, full of wicked wrath, he ordered them to be put to death; and with them, the young men of the royal house of Judah. But Daniel and his three friends prayed unto the Lord, and God revealed unto him the dream, and its signification; and he told them unto the king. And Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the greatness of Jehovah, and advanced Daniel to be governor over all the province of Babylon. But Nebuchadnezzar remembered not this his acknowledgment, for he set up, in the plain of Dura, a golden image, of amazing size; and assembled the princes, and governors, and nobles, to its consecration. And behold, the king's command went forth, that, at the sound of the military music, all men should fall prostrate, and worship the golden image. And certain of the princes drew nigh unto the king, and said, "O king, live for ever! Certain of the children of Judah, whom thou didst set over the province of Babylon, pay no regard unto thee, O king! nor revere thy gods; nor worship the image which thou hast set up."

And when they were brought before him, the king said unto them, "O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, is it true that ye refuse to bow down before the image that I have set up? Now, if, when ye hear the sound of the military instruments of music, ye fall not down and worship, in the same hour, ye shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hand?" And they answered, "O king, the God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the fire of the furnace; and he will deliver us. But, if otherwise, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not revere thy gods, nor prostrate ourselves before the image of gold which thou hast set up." Then was Nebuchadnezzar filled with fury, and commanded the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual; and these men were cast into it, bound up in their garments. And God sent

his angel to deliver them; for their bonds were loosed, and they walked unhurt in the midst of the fiercest flames. And the king called aloud unto them, to come forth. And they came forth from the furnace. The fire had not prevailed upon their bodies; neither was the hair of their heads singed; nor had the smell of fire settled upon them. Then Nebuchadnezzar confessed Jehovah to be God; and published a decree, that all should reverence him. But the king of Babylon hearkened not unto Daniel, but waxed arrogant and oppressive. And the Lord executed upon him the punishment denounced by Daniel, the prophet; for his reason departed from him, and for seven years he was

separated from men, and lived as the beasts of the field. At the end of seven years, his reason returned to Nebuchadnezzar; and he publicly rendered worship unto Jehovah, the king of kings; all whose ways are just, and true, and gracious. And Nebuchadnezzar died; but Belshazzar, one of his successors, an impious and wicked prince, at a riotous festival, defied the God of Israel, by sending for the sacred vessels of his temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had spared to violate. But while the king and the princes were drinking, and making merry, lo, there appeared on the wall, a hand-writing. And the king's countenance changed; and his knees, trembling, smote against each other. And when no man could explain unto him the meaning of the writing, Daniel, who was now well stricken in years, interpreted the vision unto the king, which predicted the speedy destruction of himself, and his kingdom. And the same night was Babylon taken by the Medes and Persians, under Cyrus; as the prophets of the Lord, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, had predicted. Darius, the Mede, received the kingdom, and took possession of the power. And Darius, or Cyaxares, the Mede, made Daniel chief of his council. But the princes envied Daniel, and conspired to put him to death. And they caused the king to pass a decree, that whosoever, for the space of thirty days, should prefer any request, or prayer, to any man, or god, but to him, the sovereign, should be thrown into the den of lions. Yet, Daniel, although he knew that this decree was signed, offered up his prayers unto Jehovah, ac

cording to the law of Moses. And these, his enemies, accused him thereof unto the king. And the king was sorely grieved, and set his heart upon Daniel, to deliver him; and, until the going down of the sun, he laboured to deliver him. But as the decree had been signed, the laws of the Medes and Persians forbade it to be broken. And Daniel was thrown into the den of lions; and the stone which closed its mouth was sealed with the king's own signet. Then the king departed to his palace, and fasted all night, and did not sleep. In the morning, early, the king arose, and went to the den in haste, and cried, with the voice of sorrow, "O Daniel, has the God whom thou servest, been able to preserve thee from the fury of the lions?" And Daniel replied, "O king, live for ever! My God has shut the mouths of the lions, so that they have not hurt me." And the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded to bring out Daniel from the den of lions. But Daniel came forth unhurt, while his enemies, being thrown into the den, the lions devoured them. And Darius made a decree, that all should honour the God of Daniel; who delivereth, and rescueth; who worketh signs and wonders in heaven, and on earth. Thus terminates the eighth epocha of sacred history.

QUESTIONS.

In what books of the Bible are recorded some of the events which befell the children of Israel in their captivity in Babylon? Who was Daniel? Who were his chief friends in captivity? What treatment did Daniel, Hananiah,

Mishael, and Azariah experience, and what names were given to them? What wonderful discovery did God enable Daniel to make to king Nebuchadnezzar? What noble instance of fortitude did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego exhibit ; and what was its result? What prediction of punishment, given by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, came to pass? What extraordinary circumstance forewarned Belshazzar of approaching punishment for his impiety? Who explained to the king the hand-writing on the wall? Was the explanation given by Daniel verified? What treatment did Daniel meet with from Darius? What rash decree did Darius permit himself to be betrayed into making? What was

Daniel's conduct upon that occasion; and what was the consequence of his conduct? How did Darius conduct himself in this trial? Was Daniel devoured in the lions' den? In what manner did Darius show his joy upon Daniel's deliverance? Where terminates the eighth epocha of the sacred history?

CHAP. XVI.

Now Daniel, who was yet living, seeing that the seventy years of captivity, predicted by the prophets of Jehovah, were nearly accomplished, offered up his prayer unto the Lord God, confessing the former iniquities of the people, acknowledging the righteousness of the Eternal, in their punishment, and supplicating his mercy towards them. And God shewed unto him, in a vision, the approaching redemption of Israel from captivity, and the yet greater and more extensive redemption, by the long predicted Messiah.