count of Daniel, who for like firmness-like resistance to impiety-was exposed to the fury of the lions.

I propose, brethren, that we should look at the conduct of these faithful men and to their example-recorded as it is for our learning.

I. Let us take the history of the three men that were cast into the furnace-Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or to give them their original Hebrew names-Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were Jews, who when their city fell, were taken captive together, with many of their countrymen to Babylon.

At Babylon they found favour in the sight of their conqueror, and were promoted by him to honour. At the request of Daniel-who had interpreted the king's dreams, after the native astrologer and soothsayer had tried their arts in vain-and who was himself raised to a very high place-at his request the king set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon.

And now came to them a great trial-the king himself a heathen and an idolater, set up a great image of gold, in the plains of Dura, in the province of Babylon, and he made a decree that at a certain signal to be given by divers instruments of music, all the whole multitude should fall down and worship it-and that any one failing to do this should be cast alive into a burning fiery furnace.

The proclamation went forth, the governor, princes, the captains, and chief men were gathered to the spot where the idol sixty cubits high was reared-among these chief men were the newly-appointed rulers of the

province of Babylon. On them, and on their conduct, was fastened the attention of the jealous Chaldees-would they comply with the profane decree? Would they do homage to the idol? Would they make a compromise with their conscience, and bow the knee before the false god, while in their heart they recognised Jehovah?

No, brethren, they would not. It was proposed to them to sin, or die, and they chose death. Life to them was less than to defile their soul. They heard the signal but they worshipped not—they knew it was the king's commandment—they knew that the penalty, the horrible penalty of death by fire would be enforced upon them, if they refused to obey it but they knew also another commandment and acknowledged another King. They knew it was written in His law-Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image-Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve-That law they had always kept and they were not now for threat or favour to he induced to break it.

Vain was the accusation of the envious Chaldeansvain the remonstrance of the king-vain his display of rage. They stand before him resolved, and strong.They do not seek by tears or cringing, to turn aside his decree they ask no respite for preparation—no mitigation of the awful sentence.-All their thought in that trying hour is, to approve themselves unto God,—to quit themselves like men-to prove their faith to be of the right temper-to endure as seeing Him who is invisible. If it be so,-our God Whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us

out of thine hand, O king. But if not, they go on to say-If it shall please God not to interfere, if He wills that we should be given over to your fury-and so glorify Him by our deaths, we are prepared for it-we are in His Hands, to do with us as seemeth Him best-Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image that thou hast set up.-Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!

We might have thought that if anything could have changed the cruel purpose of the king, and struck feelings of compunction into his heart-it would have been the hearing of such courageous words, and the seeing so calm and noble a demeanour in those who uttered them.

But no-neither meekness, nor patience, nor heroic resignation, nor the abstaining from ignoble petitions, had any effect upon a mind debased by idolatry. So far from relenting, Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more that it was wont to be heated! And when this was done-and the doing it cost the king's servants their lives-the three Israelites were bound and cast alive into the flames.

You know what followed.-You know how the violence of that fire was quenched, so that no harm came to these Israelites, so that not a hair of their head was singed, nor even the smell of fire passed on their clothes!

Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king! He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose walking in the

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midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!

And who, brethren, was that fourth person whom the king saw walking in company with the objects of his fury in the midst of the furnace-and whose form was like the Son of God?

There can be little doubt I think, that it was the Son of God. No mere angel of the many thousands who do God's service, but the Great Angel of the Covenant as He is called. The same Who at Jericho appeared to Joshua calling Himself the Captain of the host of the Lord.

Yes, it was even He-Jesus Christ Himself, Who assuming the likeness of that human body in which at a later day He was to be actually clothed, came down from heaven, and walked with His servants in the fire.

There is in this gracious act much to cheer and support our spirits. We know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. We know that He is still the One great helper-great deliverer-great Redeemer of suffering human creatures. There are no bonds too hard for Him to unloose.-There is no fiery trial however fierce, from which He cannot bring us out unscathed. Yea, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we need fear no evil, His rod and His staff shall comfort us. But then, brethren, there is one condition on which such consolation is to be taken, and that is faith-we must in the time of our trial walk by faith, and not by sight. We must have a firm belief and trust in our Lord's readiness to help. We must not

be down-hearted, because that help does not always come in the way we expect it, or at the moment we expect it. The promise is-He that endureth to the end, he that conquers doubt and mistrust, and never lets go his hold on God, no, not in the dreariest hour, and when the waves rage horribly, he shall be saved-Though he slay me yet will I trust in Him!

But I must take you on for a few moments to that other example of faith and trust, which we have in the First afternoon Lesson-the example of Daniel.He like his three companions was exposed to a most terrible trial. An attempt was made to draw him away from God-a decree went forth forbidding any man to ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save only of the king; on pain of being cast into the den of lions. But not for one day, nor for one part of a day, would Daniel be beguiled into compliance. When he heard that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being opened in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled down upon his knees three times a day, and gave thanks before God as He did aforetime.

By so doing he incurred the penalty that was threatened—and that penalty was strictly carried out. Daniel notwithstanding the king's efforts for his deliverance, was cast alive into the lions' den, but only that he might come out thence to teach us lessons of God's faithfulness. The God in Whom he trusted, and Whom he served continually, did not leave him to perish, He sent His angel and shut the lions' mouth, so that they hurt him not. On the morrow, when the prophet was taken up out