364 He presented himself next day before the king, and offered to interpret the dream which all the wise men of Babylon had been unable even to relate. Nabuchodonosor seemed to express some doubt as to whether Daniel would be able to satisfy his demand, but as he desired to hear what the young man had to say, Daniel then began: "Thinking, while in thy bed, O king, on what changes might happen in the affairs of nations in after times, thou wert shown by Him from whom no secret is hidden, the things that are to come. Thou didst see a mighty statue standing before thee. The head of the statue was of gold, the breast and the arms were of silver, the belly and the thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly iron, partly clay. Thus thou didst see it standing until a stone, which, without the help of human hands, was cut from a mountain, struck it on the feet, when all the statue crumbled into dust; but the stone itself became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. Such, O king, was thy dream, and this is the interpretation of it: the golden head of this huge statue denotes thee and thy empire; to this shall succeed a second, but a less mighty empire, of silver, which shall be followed by one of brass, and this again, by one of iron; but as the feet of the statue were partly iron and partly clay, so shall this kingdom be divided within itself, when a fifth kingdom shall be established by God Himself, which shall extend itself over the whole earth, and which no power shall ever overturn, and no length of ages shall ever bring to nought." Nabuchodonosor listened with attention to the wonderful narration, and being filled with astonishment at the wisdom of the prophet, bowed down respectfully to do him homage, confessing that the God of Daniel was the Lord of kings, and the God of gods. Daniel was immediately loaded with *The four empires, typified by the various metals thus enumerated, are usually understood by commentators, as follows:-(1), the Chaldean, whether under Babylonian or Assyrian rule; (2), the Medo-Persian (see Note, p. 376); (3), the Macedonian; (4), the Roman. The kingdom which was to be raised up by God Himself, in the days of the last of these, is, of course, the Christian Church-a kingdom which, in the words of the prophet, "shall never be destroyed," whose sceptre "shall not be transferred to any other people," and which, after filling the whole earth, and triumphing over the feeble efforts of all who aim at its destruction, "shall stand for ever."—(Dan. ii. 35-44.) THE HEBREWS IN THE FIERY FURNACE. 365 honours and with royal favours; he was created prince over all the provinces of Babylon; and at his request, his three Hebrew companions, whose names were now changed into Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, were appointed to preside over the public works in the province of Babylon. Daniel himself, now called Baltassar, was constantly retained in the palace of the king. A.M. 3417.] The Hebrews in the Fiery Furnace. Dan. iii. [A.C. 587. The three Hebrew youths soon found, that in their elevated station, they had to contend with much envy and malevolence. The Babylonian nobles thinking themselves slighted by those honours which were bestowed on strangers, watched every opportunity of revenge. Nabuchodonosor had set up a golden statue of enormous size, and by a public edict had commanded the nobles and the chief men of his kingdom to come to the dedication of it, and to adore it, under pain of death. When the day appointed for the ceremony arrived, the Chaldean princes, and the captains and governors of the provinces, repaired to the plain where the statue stood; the royal musicians began to play, and at the sound, all who had assembled fell prostrate, as they were ordered, to adore the statue. Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, did not attend; their absence was taken notice of by their enemies, who eagerly seized that occasion of venting their spleen against them, and of accusing them of disobedience to the king. The king sent for them; in his anger he threatened to cast them into a fiery furnace, unless they complied with his edict, like the rest of his subjects. The three youths were not to be moved by such threats; full of faith and of holy confidence, they calmly replied, that the God whom they adored, was able to deliver them from every evil that the king could inflict upon them; but that if it was His Divine will that they should suffer, they were ready for the worst, and the king might know that they would not adore his statue, nor any of his gods. Irritated by an answer which his pride could not brook, Nabuchodonosor ordered them to be bound, and cast into the burning furnace, which on that occasion was made seven times more hot than usual. The order was immediately executed; the three Hebrews were bound by the feet, and cast into the flaming furnace, clad as they were with their robes and garments. They fell down amidst the flames unscathed, whilst the men who cast them in, were burned to death. Theu Azarias standing up, raised his voice in the name of all the three, and called upon the God of their forefathers for protection. Almighty God sent His Angel to the relief of His faithful servants; the Angel struck off their bonds, and fanned them with a most refreshing breeze, as he walked to and fro with them amidst the flames. Full of admiration and of gratitude for this miraculous interposition of the Divine power, they all three, as with one voice, began to sing a sublime hymn of thanksgiving, in which they invited the whole creation to join them in proclaiming the praises of the Most High. Meanwhile, the king's servants continued, without ceasing, to throw in brimstone, pitch, and tow, to feed the furnace, but with no other result than that the flames burst out, and consumed such of the Chaldeans as were near. The spectators were astonished; Nabuchodonosor himself rose in haste to behold the holy youths in the furnace, and as he approached, seeing with them a fourth personage, whose form was like that of an Angel, he was struck with astonishment, and going forward to the door of the furnace, he said, "Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, servants of the Most High God, come forth." Immediately they came forth as directed by the king; the Babylonian chiefs flocked round to examine them, and found that the fire had neither touched their garments, nor so much as singed a single hair of their heads. Then Nabuchodonosor broke forth in praise of the great God, who had so wonderfully delivered his three faithful servants; he published an edict, by which he made it death for any one who should dare to blaspheme the God of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago; as for these favoured servants of God, they were forthwith promoted to new dignities in the province of Babylon. The three Hebrew youths, thus tried and thus protected in the fiery furnace, exhibit, as the holy Fathers remark, a CHASTISEMENT OF NABUCHODONOSOR. 367 lively image of the saints, in their various trials of affliction. An Angel of the Lord descended with them into the furnace, and the fire consumed nothing that belonged to them, except their bonds; they felt a cool and refreshing comfort from the flames, which burst out with vehemence upon their tormentors. So it happens in the persecutions of the saints. Whenever persecutors vent their spite, whether by tortures, or by penal laws, the sharpest pain recoils upon themselves, while the objects of their malice are repaid with consolation in their sufferings for a good cause. Afflictions only hurt the body, they purify and bring to perfection the souls of God's chosen servants; the unction of the Holy Ghost allays their outward pains, and fills their hearts with inward joy. A.M. 3434.] Chastisement of Nabuchodonosor. [A.C. 570. The good fortune that attended Nabuchodonosor in his warlike expeditions, his immense riches, and the vast extent of his empire, inspired him with such notions of his own excellence, that he fancied himself to be something more than mortal.* But as a proof to all succeeding ages, that the greatest potentates, in the midst of their prosperity and splendour, are still but poor and feeble men, God was pleased to chastise the haughty monarch in a manner the most humiliating. Nabuchodonosor in a dream was warned of the chastisement that was prepared for his humiliation, though he could not comprehend it. Perplexed and terrified at the mysterious vision, he consulted Daniel, of whose enlightened knowledge and superior wisdom he had already had such convincing * Modern research has shown that Nabuchodonosor was one of the greatest monarchs that Babylon, or, perhaps, the East generally, ever produced. He must have possessed an enormous command of human labour. Nine-tenths of Babylon itself, and nineteen-twentieths of all the other ruins that in almost countless profusion cover the land, are composed of bricks stamped with his name. appears to have built or restored almost every city and temple in the whole country. He His inscriptions give an elaborate account of the immense works which be constructed in and about Babylon itself, abundantly illustrating the boast(Dan. iv. 27)-" Is not this, great Babylon, which I have built?"-RAWLINSON, Historical Illustrations, Chapter 6th. proof, and begged the prophet to interpret the dream, which he thus related: "In my sleep," said he, "I saw a flourishing tree, which seemed to lift its head above the clouds, and to spread its branches from one extremity of the earth to the other. It was luxuriantly clothed with fair leaves, and laden with delicious fruit. The beasts of the field found shelter beneath its spreading branches, and the birds of the air made their nests in its boughs. Suddenly the form of some heavenly watchman descended from above, who, with a loud voice, cried out: 'Cut down the tree, lop off the boughs, and scatter the fruit thereof; but leave the stump of its roots, and let it be tied with a band of iron and brass; for seven revolving seasons let it be wet with the dew of Heaven; let his heart be changed from man's, and let his portion be with beasts upon the grass of the earth.'” Daniel listened attentively until the king had concluded his narration; he remained silent for a whole hour, in deep thought, and much troubled in mind, until at the king's command, he thus began to explain the dream. "The tree, O king, which thou didst see, is thyself; for, thy greatness reaches to the heavens, and thy power extends to the boundaries of the earth. The words of the heavenly watchman express the sentence which the Most High hath pronounced against thee. For thou shalt be driven from the society of men; thy dwelling shall be with beasts. Thou shalt eat grass like an ox, and thus shalt thou be exposed to the dew of Heaven, until thou art convinced, that the Most High ruleth over all kingdoms here below, and disposeth of them as He pleaseth. But as the root of the tree was suffered to remain, so shall thy kingdom still remain, and it shall be restored to thee when thou hast come to know that all power is from Heaven. Wherefore, be not displeased at my counsel; before it is yet too late, redeem thy sins by alms-deeds, and thy iniquities by being merciful to the poor; and God perhaps may forgive thy offences." Nabuchodonosor did not profit by the advice. At the end of twelve months, as he was walking in his palace, and priding himself upon the great achievements by which he had raised Babylon to its present pitch of grandeur, he heard a voice from Heaven repeating to him the sentence of his chastisement, as |