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Miscellanies.

DANIEL, THE FAVOURED nezzar, as that army returned to

CAPTIVE.

Babylon. No doubt the captives I AM desirous by the permission endured great hardships and sufof the editor of your excellent fering on the road, but by the magazine, to bring before my mercy of God, Daniel and his young friends some of the inci- three friends were safely brought dents in the life of holy Daniel, to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar and so to fix your eyes upon the determined that there should glorious traits in his character, be chosen out from among the as may, under the Spirit's bless- captives those who were the ing elicit strong desires on your most beautiful in bodily appearpart to follow him closely in the ance, who possessed the highest path of virtue and true piety. intellectual ability, and who had “For whatsoever things were the greatest aptitude for state written aforetime were written for business; that they might, after our learning." Daniel was carried proper training, stand before captive to Babylon when very him, give counsel when asked, young, probably he was only about and engage in the duties of eighteen years of age. He was of government. In thus acting very illustrious, if not of royal descent. He appears by some means to have been well instructed in spiritual things, and to have feared and loved God from his earliest childhood. It would be a trial to him to be torn away from his native country and taken amongst strangers, who were the enemies and conquerors of his people. What a sad sight it must have been to see the poor captives huddled together, and forced from the land of Israel. To see the children, the young men and women, in some cases with their fathers and mothers, driven along in a rough and savage manner by the victorious army of Nebuchad-king's command, above stated,

Nebuchadnezzar discovered great practical wisdom, and it is worthy of note, that the same course is pursued in eastern courts to the present day. It is quite common now in Turkey or Persia to find in the highest officers of state some who in their youth had been captives or were born slaves. My young friends may be reminded of the preferment Joseph experienced in the house of Potiphar, when he was a poor friendless slave, sold by his wicked brothers for thirty pieces of silver; yet though a slave he was raised to honour and dignity, for God was with him. Among those selected in obedience to the

Daniel's piety: his decision of character, and his determination to honour God at all hazards, place him at once on so elevated a pedestal of excellence and true dignity as leads us to look upon him with reverence and holy affection.

Daniel and his three friends were | the king." It is at this point found; they were goodly to look we see the first development of upon and showed such force of mind and loveliness of character, as led to their being placed in the list of candidates for the royal favour. Here the hand of God was apparent. Daniel was to occupy a conspicuous place in the church of God, to be one of the chief personages in Bible To partake of what was so history. He was not only to ap- generously provided by order of pear on the theatre of time as the king would have been dean able statesman in connec-filing to Daniel's conscience. tion with two of the greatest This would have happened monarchies the world has ever by either receiving meat or seen, but he was to come before the pious of all time, as a man of God, a prophet-one who should point in a plain and undisguised manner to Messiah, the Prince, who was to be cut off, but not for himself."

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determination

The express of King Nebuchadnezzar was that the captives so selected should be treated in the most noble manner; that they should not only have every facility for the prosecution of their studies by the aid of masters, and abundance of leisure time for learning the "knowledge of the Chaldeans," but their physical wants were to be amply and abundantly provided for. They were to have "a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank, so nourish ing them that at the end of three years they might stand before

drink which was unclean according to the Jewish law, or things offered in sacrifice to idols, or provisions which had been blest in the name of an idol. But this holy youth purposed "not to defile himself." This may teach us that we ought never to do what we know to be wrong, because we see others running in an evil course. "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil." Possibly many of the captive youths gladly availed themselves of the royal bounty, and regaled themselves on delicacies from the king's table, but they did not find these conducive to health and strength and bodily appearance, for when Daniel and his friends were compared with them, the comparison was in Daniel's favour, for. he "was fairer and fatter in flesh than all the chil

dren which did eat the king's meat." But it was a noble outspoken attachment to the God of Israel, when he exhibited before these idolaters a determination to live on the homeliest fare, rather than break the law of his God. He had requested of the head officer that he might not be compelled "to defile himself; " but much as Daniel had found favour and "tender love" with that high functionary the "prince of the eunuchs," he was afraid to gratify him, lest he should "endanger his own head to the king."

offered to an idol, and also, we believe, from motives of temperance, and in the latter particular, he is a high example both to the young and to those more advanced in life.

How eventful were those ten days of trial to Daniel and his friends; that time would not surely pass without much prayer: they would emphatically "ask a blessing" upon their food; they knew that without God's blessing they could not be delivered, that as captives they were completely at the mercy of others; but God never forsakes those who trust in him. If a dear youth who reads this is placed in difficulty through adherence to religious principle, having purposed "not to defile himself" with sin in any of its polluting forms, let that youth wait on God, and God will deliver him, "he will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able;" "he will deliver the godly out of temptation." How did God deliver another pious youth, Joseph ? He was put in prison; "they hurt his feet with fetters." Long and weary was the time he spent in confinement; the butler, whose restoration to royal favour he had predicted, and of whom he asked remembrance, forgot him, but the holy and loving God had not forgotten him; the hour

The stern and cruel despotism of the king was such that all around him seemed to move in an atmosphere of terror, but the soul of Daniel was not paralyzed by it; he would not cower before the power of evil, but with stately and majestic mien he strode forward in the path of full hearted obedience to his God. He now applies to a subordinate, and God opens out his way. Hear Daniel's entreaty to the officer, "Prove thy servants, I beseech thee ten days and let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink," By pulse we understand all kinds of fruits or vegetables, and in eating them he would avoid coming into contact with idolatry in any of its phases. He chose water that he might avoid anything from which a libation had been of his deliverance arrived, and

Pharaoh, whose mind had been improved; their strength has inprepared by a dream from God creased; their minds are more relating to an awful famine, (but vigorous; the wine drinkers and which none of his wise men could delicacy eaters are at a discount; interpret,) was in a fever of expec- they suffer by comparison with tation to see the poor Hebrew those who have totally abstained captive, and to hear him unfold from wine, and lived on simple, the meaning of his mystic homely fare. These temperate dream. Joseph had wisdom youths are unrivalled in their given him by God for the occa-personal beauty, their mental sion. Joseph was crowned with ability, and their aptitude for riches and honour. How tri- any duty that may be assigned umphant was the result of the them. ten days' trial in Daniel's case. See the honour God put upon See the youths are marshalled Daniel for his unflinching adfor inspection by "Melzar."herence to religious principle. His keen eye closely scrutinizes Take encouragement-let every Daniel and his three friends; youth remember the words of he compares them rigidly with God, "Them that honour me I the other youths; they can bear will honour." the test; their complexion has

Poetry.

"SWEET REST IN HEAVEN."

THO' often here we're weary,

There is sweet rest above;

A rest that is eternal,

Where all is peace and love. Oh, let us then press forward,

That glorious rest to gain, We'll soon be free from sorrow. From toil, and care, and pain.

CHORUS.

There is sweet rest in heaven,
There is sweet rest in heaven,
There is sweet rest,
There is sweet rest,
There is sweet rest in heaven.

Lov'd ones have gone before us,

They beckon us away,
O'er aerial plains they're soaring,
Blest in eternal day;
But we are in the army,

And dare not leave our post;

JOSEPH LONG.

We'll fight until we conquer
The foe's most mighty host.
There is sweet rest, &c.
Our Saviour will be with us,
E'en to our journey's end,
In every sore affliction,

His present help to lend :
He never will grow weary,
Tho' often we request,
He'll give us grace to conquer,
And take us home to rest.

There is sweet rest, &c.
All glory to the Father,
Who gives us ev'ry good;
All glory be to Jesus,

Who bought us with his blood;
And glory to the Spirit,

Who'll keep us to the end;
To the triung God be glory,
The sinner's only friend.

There is sweet rest, &c.

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