whom it was said, Those mine enemies that would not have me to reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me. There is to be no rival kingdom where you can find an asylum, if you remain an enemy to this; for this is to occupy all the territory ever possessed by earthly kingdoms. It is to fill the whole earth. Happy they to whom the rightful Sovereign, the all-conquering King, at last can say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

VERSE 46. Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshiped 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 couldest reveal this secret. 48. 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 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

We have dwelt quite at length on the interpretation of the dream, which Daniel made known to the Chaldean monarch. From this, we must now return to the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, and to Daniel as he stands in the presence of the king, having made known to him the dream and the interpretation thereof, while the courtiers, and the baffled soothsayers, and astrologers, wait around in silent awe and wonder.

It might be expected that a youthful monarch, raised to the highest earthly throne, and in the full flush of uninterrupted success, would scarcely brook to be told that his kingdom, which he designed to last forever, and doubtless fondly hoped would so last, was to be overthrown by another people. Yet Daniel plainly and boldly made known this fact to the king; and the king, so far from being offended, fell upon his face before the prophet of God, and offered him worship. Daniel doubtless immediately countermanded the orders which the king issued to pay him divine honors. That Daniel had some communication with the king which is not here recorded is evident from verse 47: "The king answered unto Daniel," etc. And it may be still further inferred that Daniel labored to turn the king's feelings of reverence from himself to the God of Heaven, inasmuch as the king replies, "Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings."

Then the king made Daniel a great man, There are two things which in this life are specially considered to make a man great, and both these Daniel received from the king. 1. Riches. A man is considered great if he is a man of wealth; and we read that the king gave him many and great gifts. 2. Power. If in conjunction with riches, a man has power, certainly in popular estimation he is considered a great man; and this was bestowed upon Daniel in abundant measure. He was made ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

Thus speedily and abundantly did Daniel begin to be rewarded for his fidelity to his own conscience, and the requirements of God. So great was Balaam's desire for the presents of a certain heathen king, that he endeavored to obtain them in spite of the Lord's expressed will to the contrary, and thus signally failed. Daniel did not act with a view to obtaining these presents; yet by maintaining his integrity with the Lord, they were given abundantly into his hands. His advancement, both with respect to wealth and power, was a matter of no small moment with him, as it enabled him to be of benefit to his fellow-countrymen less favored than himself in their long captivity.

Daniel did not become bewildered nor intoxicated by his signal victory and his wonderful advancement. He first remembers the three who were companions with him in anxiety respecting the king's matter; and as they had helped him with their prayers, he determines that they shall share with him in his honors. At his request they were placed over the affairs of Babylon; while Daniel himself sat in the gate of the king. The gate was the place where councils were held, and matters of chief moment were deliberated upon. The record is a simple declaration that Daniel became chief counselor to the king.

7

Chapter III.

VERSE 1.

THE FIERY ORDEAL.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the Province of Babylon.

There is a conjecture extant, that this image had some reference to the dream of the king as described in the previous chapter, it having been erected only twenty-three years subsequently, according to the marginal chronology. In that dream the head was of gold, representing Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. That was succeeded by metals of inferior quality, denoting a succession of kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar was doubtless quite gratified that his kingdom should be represented by the gold; but that it should ever be succeeded by another kingdom was not so pleasing. Hence, instead of having simply the head of his image of gold, he made it all of gold, to denote that the gold of the head should extend through the entire image; or, in other words, that his kingdom should not give way to another kingdom, but be perpetual.

It is probable that the height here mentioned, 90 feet at the lowest estimate, was not the height of

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the image proper, but included the pedestal also. Nor is it probable that any more than the image proper, if even that, was of solid gold. It could have been overlaid with thin plates, nicely joined, at a much less expense, without detracting at all from its external appearance.

VERSE 2. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, 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 counselors, 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 Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4. Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up; 6; And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 7. Therefore, at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

The dedication of this image was made a great occasion. The chief men of all the kingdom were gathered together. So much pains and expense will men undergo in sustaining idolatrous and heathen systems of worship. So it is, and ever has been. Alas! that those who have the true religion should