SERMON XIII.

DANIEL.

DANIEL X. 19.

O man, greatly beloved, fear not; peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong.

These words were applied to the prophet Daniel by a divine messenger, whom he saw in a vision, " clothed in linen, his loins girded with fine gold, his body like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." "O Daniel, a man greatly beloved," was his salutation. And when the prophet was ready to faint with astonishment at the glory of his appearance, he reassured him with the same gentle and comforting language. "O man, greatly beloved, fear not; peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong."

It is not particularly denoted whether he was beloved by God or men; the text may, however, intend both. Certain it is, that the character of Daniel is one of the most perfect in the holy scriptures. His fame for wisdom and rectitude was such, that for these exalted qualities his name became a proverb, even in his lifetime. Ezekiel, speaking of a land visited with divine judgments for its sins, affirms that if Noah, Daniel and Job were there, they should deliver but their own. souls by their righteousness. And the same prophet, speaking to a proud and vain prince, and reproaching him for thinking too highly of himself, says, "Thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret they can hide from thee. Thus, even in his lifetime, for Daniel was cotemporary with Ezekiel, he was regarded the highest example of righteousness and wisdom. This eminence for wisdom and righteousness is the more extraordinary, as no man was ever placed in situations, of severer trial. While very young, he was carried a captive to Babylon. For his beauty and talents he was selected as an object of royal favour, and eduHe was not cated in a luxurious and licentious court. only permitted, but required to partake of the provision of the king's table, and of the wine which he drank; but through religious scruple he refrained, resisting the promptings of youthful appetite, and hazarding the displeasure of an absolute monarch. He was a foreigner, and even a captive, yet was exalted to the highest trust and dignity short of the throne.

This station, which he seems to have held under five successive sovereigns, and for nearly half a century, exposed him to the envy and plotting malice of disappointed courtiers, who would have destroyed him, if they could, without any compunctions of conscience respecting the means. Nothing but the power of God could have saved him, or did save him. For he was negligent of his life, steadily pursuing the path of duty, without calculating its tendency with regard to himself. He never flattered the king, nor soothed his enemies. He acted on a simple principle, and had but one inquiry-What is duty?—and the answer decided his conduct. To Nebuchadnezzar he denounced the approaching judgment of God, and boldly counselled him to "break off his sins by repentance, and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, that it might be a lengthening of his tranquillity." Still more direct and awful, yet full of tender pathos, was his rebuke to the impious Belshazzar. It is to be remarked, however, that while he was faithful, he was also gentle and courteous in his manners, manifesting that he acted a part which was painful to him, and, as a friend, admonished them of dangers, that by repentance they might escape them. It is not often that monarchs, placed above human control, will consent to hear of their faults, from men beneath them. Daniel was a wonderful exception to this remark. He was greatly beloved by his sovereigns; and the more painfully faithful he was, the more he was caressed and honored by them. They perceived in him integrity, which could

not be tempted in a venal court; a courage, which no earthly power could intimidate; wisdom, which the cunning of courtiers could not circumvent, and a gentle and confiding spirit, with which a monarch could have friendship. No wonder, then, that he was greatly beloved by the five powerful sovereigns, under whose patronage he lived. And no wonder, that the Persian subjects loved him, since his wisdom in the conduct of public affairs, and his influence with the king, lightened their burdens; nor that the Jewish captives loved him, since his counsels and ceaseless prayers were preparing the way for the return to Jerusalem; nor that all the truly pious greatly loved him, as an avowed professor of the true religion in a pagan court, and an open confessor and worshipper of the true God, even against the decree of his sovereign, and in the face of death. For these reasons of personal piety and virtue, we perceive how deservedly Daniel was beloved. have not mentioned his prophetical character, as having an influence on the public estimation, for we know not how far or generally that was understood. In this respect he was highly favored cf God, being permitted to utter a stupendous prophecy, comprehending events of the highest interest to the world, from five hundred and thirty years before Christ to the general

resurrection.

From this brief account of Daniel, it is sufficiently evident, that he was greatly beloved of God and men. We perceive, also, that it was a love, excited by great purity and excellence of character. Happy are they, who

are thus beloved of God and men, and happy must they be forever. It behoves us, then, to examine the foundation and elements of this character, and to become what Daniel was, that we may attain a similar happiness: I mean not, that we should become what he was by station; this is to us inaccessible. It is his personal character, I would hold up to your admiration and imitation; and this is for us a pattern in every station of life.

If we would be loved of God and men,

I. Our character must be founded in true piety-the fear and love of God.

There is no other stable basis of character, and this was the foundation of rock on which that of Daniel rested. And in him it was early piety. By some, he is supposed to have been but twelve; by others, eighteen years old, when his piety was subjected to the trials of a corrupt court; yet it endured the assay, and came out of that fiery crucible, as gold from the furnace. The fear and love of his Maker were the sentiments always alive and awake in his breast. Thus he would not eat at that table, at which false gods were acknowledged, nor drink of wine which was poured in libations to their honor, preferring pulse and water, with a conscience void of offence towards the true God.— And when his enemies had obtained a decree, which made it death to pray, except to the king, it had no influence upon him. In such jeopardy, we might suppose, that he would have contented himself with worshipping in secret. But he thought it a fit occasion to