"Wherefore He hath sent the part of the hand which hath written this that is set down. And this is the writing that is written: MANE, THECEL, PHARES. And this is the interpretation of the word MANE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it. THECEL: Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting. PHARES: Thy kingdom is divided, and is given to the Medes and Persians."

Then the king commanded Daniel to be proclaimed the third person in power in the kingdom, and to be clothed in purple accordingly. But that very night the Medes and Persians, headed by Cyrus, the nephew of king Darius, were marching down upon Babylon; and entering the city by a way the Babylonians did not suspect, they rushed into the palace, but now the scene of impious revelry, killed King Baltassar, and took possession of his kingdom, where King Darius reigned in his stead. Little did Baltassar think, while indulging in his feasting, and with insolent pride insulting God, how close stood ruin and death to his very palace-gates: an awful warning to all Christians who dare to add sin to sin, thinking there is time enough for repentance, whereas God alone knows which sin that may be which fills up the measure of their iniquity, and draws down His vengeance to cut them off with death in the very midst of their mad career.

DANIEL AND THE DEN OF LIONS.

DARIUS, king of Persia, now reigned supreme over the kingdom of Babylon, and one of his first acts seems to have been to appoint a hundred and twenty governors over his kingdom, and over these go

vernors three princes, who were to give an account to him of all things which passed under their rule.

And Darius, informed, no doubt, of Daniel's wonderful powers, and how his own very succession to the throne had been foretold by him, made him one of these princes, and soon found that he excelled all the others in skill and wisdom and powers of mind, because a greater Spirit of God was in him.

The king therefore soon reverenced him as he deserved; and the Persian princes and nobles seeing this young Jew possessing such influence over the mind of their monarch, soon grew as jealous of him as ever the Babylonian nobility had been, or more so, and sought occasion to accuse him to the king with regard to his royal duties. But they found Daniel's conduct so perfect, he was so punctual in discharging all the duties committed to his trust, so loyal to the king, and so simple and straightforward towards every one, that they could not find any circumstance to fasten even so much as a suspicion upon him. But while these Persian nobles thus closely watched Daniel, they observed his deep devotion and constant prayers to his God; and they said to each other, "We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, unless perhaps concerning the law of his God." So these crafty Persian nobles went to the king, and addressed him as follows: "King Darius, live for ever; all the princes of the kingdom, the magistrates and governors, the senators and judges, have consulted together that an imperial decree and an edict be published that whosoever shall ask any petition of any god or man for thirty days but of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now therefore, O king, confirm the sentence and sign the decree, that what is decreed by the Medes and Persians may not be altered, nor any man be allowed to transgress it." For it was the most

sacred rule amongst the Medes and Persians, that when a law was once passed amongst them, it could never be altered or reversed. So King Darius set forth this decree as they had requested, and established it.

Now Daniel knew and heard that this decree had been made; he knew, too, at what risk to his life he must worship God if he persevered in his prayers. Nevertheless he altered not one jot of his devotion, nor did he even endeavour to use more secrecy in his prayers than heretofore. His love for God, and his resolution in serving Him, were not to be moved by the craft or threats of men. He went into his house, and opening the windows in his upper chamber towards Jerusalem, he knelt down three times a day, and adored and gave thanks before his God, as he had been accustomed to do.

Whereupon his enemies, who were carefully watching him, found Daniel praying and making supplication to his God just as ever. So they went off at once to the king, and spoke concerning the edict as follows: "O king, hast thou not decreed that every man who shall make a request to any of the gods or men for thirty days but to thyself, O king, should be cast into the den of lions?" And the king answering said, "The word is true, according to the decree of the Medes and Persians, which it is not lawful to violate." Then they answered and said before the king, "Daniel, who is of the captivity of the children of Juda, hath not regarded thy law, nor the decree that thou hast made, but three times a day he maketh his prayer."

Then, when the king had heard these words, he was greatly grieved; for he valued Daniel very highly, and it had never occurred to him that, by making a law which had flattered his own vanity, he would put the life of his favourite in danger. Šo

he laboured all that day with all his power to deliver Daniel; but in vain, for these crafty men, his accusers, perceiving the king's design, said to him, "Know thou, O king,-dost thou not remember,that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree which the king hath made may be altered."

Then the king, seeing the thing to be inevitable, gave the order for Daniel's execution; for so they hoped it was and would be, without fail. But the king, seeing the wonderful fervour of Daniel in the service of his God, and having heard, no doubt, of the power of that God to preserve His servant, said to Daniel, "Thy God whom thou always servest, He will deliver thee."

Then was Daniel again cast into the lions' den. And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, which the king sealed with his own ring, and with the ring of his nobles; so that if he were left to the mercy of the lions, he might at least be safe from any personal violence from the wicked men who had thus sought to take away his life.

Then the king went away to his house; but so deeply did he grieve over Daniel, that he retired to his chamber, refusing all refreshment; and when he lay down, he could not sleep or rest. Then the next morning he arose very early, and hastened to the lions' den; and going to the entrance, he cried out in a lamentable voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, hath thy God, whom thou servest always, been able to deliver thee from the lions?"

And Daniel answering the king from out of the den said, "O king, live for ever. My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut up the mouths of the lions, and they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before Him justice hath been found in me, yea, and before thee, O king, I have done no offence." Then the king, in great joy at finding Daniel alive and

unhurt, commanded that he should be taken out of the den. And when that was done, Darius ordered that the wicked men who had thus desired Daniel's death, and their wives and children, should be thrown into the den instead of him whom God had thus delivered; and before even they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions caught them and broke all their bones in pieces.

And King Darius, moved by this wonderful miracle in Daniel's favour, wrote to all the peoples and tribes and languages dwelling in the whole earth (for the empire of Babylon extended over the greater part of the world then known), and said, "It is decreed by me that in all my empire and my kingdom all men dread and fear the God of Daniel; for He is the living and eternal God for ever, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed, and His power shall be for ever. He is the Deliverer and Saviour, doing signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel out of the lions' den."

Even so hath God ordained in this world that the proud shall be abased, and the humble shall be exalted. The proud kings of Babylon, who trusted in their greatness and their riches, despising God in their hearts, were cast down; so, too, the Persian and Babylonian nobles, who desired to be above all others, and could not bear the exaltation of an unknown Hebrew, were overthrown and destroyed. They desired their own greatness and the power of this world, and they met with confusion and destruction; whilst Daniel, who desired not his own greatness, but the exaltation and worship of his God, was raised to the highest dignities, and his name was published to the very ends of the earth. A wonderful picture to be held up before all men in all ages, and especially before us Christians, of whom how many, alas, are daily to be found striving with