Daniel 6

Daniel 6:15-28

It is a very observable and irreproable story that we have in this chapter, how Daniel, by faith, stopped the mouths of lions, and so obtained a good report, Heb. xi. 33. The three children were cast into the fiery furnace for not committing a human sin, Daniel was cast into the lions den for not omitting a known duty, and God’s miraculous delivering both them and him is left upon record for the encouragement of his servants in all ages, to be restless and constant both in their abhorrence of that which is evil, and in their abhorrence to that which is good, whatever it cast them. In this chapter we have, 1. Daniel’s preferment in the court of Darius, ver. 1—3. 2. The envy and malice of his enemies, ver. 4; 5. 3. The decree they obtained against prayer for thirty days, ver. 6—9. 4. Daniel’s confancy in prayer notwithstanding, ver. 10. 5. Information given against him for it, and the costing of him into the den of lions, ver. 11—17. 6. His miraculous preservation and deliverance not of it, ver. 18—23. 7. The costing of his accusers into the den, and their destruction there, ver. 24. 8. The decree which Darius made upon this occasion in honour of the God of Daniel, and the prosperity of Daniel afterwards, ver. 25—28.

1. IT pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over

the faints possessed the kingdom. 63. Thus he said, The fourth beaft shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be divers from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall arise after them, and he shall be divers from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 55. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the faints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand, until a time and times, and the dividing of time. 26. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume, and to destroy it unto the end. 27. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the faints of the most High, which kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 28. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitation much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

The vishes so affected the prophet that his mind was much troubled; and, earnestly deftrous to be informed of the meaning of what he saw, he enquired of one of the celestial attendants on the throne concerning them; who readily relieved him from his fufence, and explained the particulars of his prophetic dream. Note, (1.) When we are ignorant, we should never be ashamed to enquire of those who can touch us. (2.) The truths of God should engage our diligent attention; and what we read or hear we should, by prayer and meditation, endeavour fully to understand.

The interpretation given is,

1. That the four beafts are four kings, or kingdoms, which should arise out of the earth, and, bringing from the draft, should return thither again: but a fifth should succeed them, of heavenly original, and endure for ever and ever; as he more fully afterwards explains.

2. As Daniel was most follicitous to have a fuller explication of the meaning of the fourth beaft, which seemed the forced of them all, and of the ten horns, and the little horn that sprung up afterwards, that had eyes, and a mouth that foke great things, and his last mere fleet than his fellows; which made war against the faints of the most High, and prevailed, till the Ancient of days came, vindicated their cause, and flew their adversary, v. 21. The angel informs him, that this terrible beaft is the fourth kingdom; concerning the meaning of which interpreters are divided, some fuppofing it the kingdom of the Seleucate, others the Turkfih empire; but I most incline to those who think it the Roman monarchy, pagan and papal, to which the characters given seem most exactly to agree. It was diverse from all the other kingdoms in its form of government; it trod down and devoured the whole earth, by long and bloody wars fudusing the nations which refufed to fubmit. The ten horns are ten kings, or kingdoms, which are on the decline of the empire, when the Huns, Goths, Alans, and other northern nations, forcefully dismembered the empire, and profited those ten separate kingdoms: which though learned interpreters reckon differently, in the grand points they agree, that those ten kingdoms were erected by them, and here represented by the ten horns. The little horn they fuppof the papal power, arising to its height after this division of the empire, pushing great things, pretending to be Christ’s vicar upon earth, and assuming the incommunicable prerogations of the most High; and in last may that also his fellows, the head of that power assuming authority, not only over all his fellow bishops, but over all kings and princes. He is diverse from the other monarchs, having the recitefallect as well as civil dominion, and ruling over the concitedness as well as perfons of his fubpets. He shall fuduse three kings; which Mr. Mide reckons were the kingdoms of the Greeks, Lombards, and Franks. Sir Isaac Newton fuppof them to be the kingdom of the Lombards, the exarchate of Ravenna, and the dukedom of Rome. The bishop of Clogher interprets them of the Campagnia of Rome, the exarchate of Ravenna, and the region of Pentapolis, which are called St. Peter’s patrimony, and under the civil jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome. And he shall fend great words against the most High, the words of hisfphency, affecting such authority and (piritual powers as if he was God upon earth, and the rival of the eternal Ministry). By wars and persecutions, and inquisitorial dungeons, he shall wear out the faints of the most High, endeavouring to wear out their patriots and bring them under his wake; and he shall think to change the times and laws, affecting to depose and set up kings at his plethory, to alter the confination of kingdom, conferring particular times and fuduses, dispensing with the laws of God and them, and binding his own upon the confidences of men: and they shall be given into his hand; he shall for a while fur-

ceed in his usurpations; until a time and times, and the dividing of time; three years and a half; the fame with the 1260 days, and the forty-two months, Rev. xi. 2, 3, xii. 14. xiii. 5. during which the tyranny of Antichrif shall prevail. But God will at last judge this persecuting power, and utterly destroy it, setting up on its ruins the kingdom of his Christ, whose people shall then for ever reign with him, enjoying freely all privileges and ordinances, without disturbance, and seeing all their enemies made their foothold. And this fame refer to a temporal reign of the faints upon earth, under Christ their head; others to the reign of grace in the fools of the redeemed of the Lord, and the universal spread of the gospel in the world at the latter day; others to the kingdom of the Redeemer in heaven, when, after the last judgment, his faints shall reign with him in glory everlasting. In whichever fente it be taken, the prophets in truly glorious, and fuited to fuppof the faith, the patience, and confancy of his people, who may be assured, in the darkest times, that the enemy shall not be able finally to prevail.

3. Daniel appears much impressed and affected with what had been told him: his very look was altered by it; but he kept the matter in his heart, pondering thereupon, and feeling thoroughly to understand the meaning, that he might transmit the vision, with the interpretation, to succeeding generations. Note, It is good thus to flore up in our hearts the blessed words of truth we hear, ready to produce them, on every proper occasion, for the edification and comfort of our brethren.