toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. 14 Then the 14 Alas for a sovereign, when like king, when he heard these Darius, he is himself the wretched words, was sore displeased slave of evil counsellors! with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

17 The object of these precautionary measures was to render release, as far as human means were concerned, impossible *.

17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel and the king spake, and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency

:

The release was thus the more conspicuous, and proved the work to be not of man, but of God. So, the seal was fixed to the sepulchre of a greater than Daniel, but who shall bind the Lord of all power and might!

was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done

no hurt. 23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up

23 Art thou faithful?-thy conscience will tell thee-Then, thou also shalt be delivered in the day of thy trial.

out of the den, and no manner 24 Thus the miracle was confirmed. of hurt was found upon him The lions, who had spared Daniel, because he believed in his God. were yet so ravenous, that when his enemies were thrown to them, they "And the king commanded, were caught and mastered or ever and they brought those men they came to the bottom of the den. which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

This great God is thy God! in his presence thou now art! O rejoice in him, and be faithful to him. Let Daniel's noble constancy be thine; and who shall doubt that thou too shalt be saved! "Be thou" also, "faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life"-saith the Lord God of Daniel.

The twentieth Sunday after Trinity.

MORNING. JOEL ii.

BLOW ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD cometh, for 2 The prophet is foreshadowing the it is nigh at hand; a day of destruction of the land by armies of darkness and of gloominess, locusts-bringing in their train, faa day of clouds and of thick mine, disease, and death. darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth 3 If the temporal judgments of God

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be so terrible that none can withstand them, and so sure that none can escape, how will that terror be increased, how will that certainty be rendered more manifest in the final judgment.

6 This is a type of the last gathering of God's creatures, when dark shame shall for ever cover the despisers of his word, and the opposers of his

will.

before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the window like a thief. 10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 11 and the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? 12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, God: for he is gracious and great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who

10 Princes, and men of renown, whose splendour now is like the sun in its brightness, shall be darkened ; and the earth itself shall pass away. 11 No earthly trumpet shall then sound-but an angel voice, trumpettongued, shall summon all to judg

ment.

12 If it were folly in Israel not to be moved from a wicked course by the prospect of temporal calamities, how shall our folly be characterised, if we each turn not from our wickedness in the prospect of eternal judgment. 13 O the blessing of a contrite heart!

and turn unto the LORD your merciful, slow to anger, and of 14 Perhaps he may spare somewhat of the produce of the land.

knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him: even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 15 Blow 15 What a glorious scene !—a whole

the trumpet in Zion, sanctify people in supplication before their a fast, call a solemn assembly:

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God.

21 Fear not! Only take heed that the Lord be thy God.

gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, 26 Never! no, not even before angels and be satisfied, and praise shall they be ashamed. (Matt. x. 32.) the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your

25 The devastation caused by these scourges of the Lord, He will in mercy compensate.

28 This foretels the universal spreading of the Gospel, and the full outpouring of the gift of the Holy

Ghost.

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sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned

31 The laws and ordinances of the kingdom, together with their rulers, shall first experience great and awful changes: as was the case in Jerusalem, before its destruction.

into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

EVENING. MICAH Vi.

HEAR ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains,

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1 God, in his works of nature, well teaches us to honour Him as a God of grace.

and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and of servants; and I sent before O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know

3 And does not the Lord now plead with thee? Have his unbounded mercies in thy redemption through Christ, from a worse than Egyptian bondage, wearied thee?

redeemed thee out of the house thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

5 Did God turn the intended curses

of Balaam into blessings for his people? Remember-He is at hand to bless thee! to turn thy trials into blessings, and make even thine enemies to be at peace.

the righteousness of the LORD. Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with tens of thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed

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thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord re

The characteristics of a Holy life how nobly are they here set forth! A glorious spirit is his, who with all