the tree, or the grass of the earth! The commentator reminded him of what he might read again in history, and when it was called to his recollection, it struck him as a fact exceedingly interesting. It was a rule of those armies, wide as were their ravages, cruel as were their devastations, to destroy no grain field, to cut down no fruit tree, and to waste nothing which constituted the sustenance of man. That this should have been the general order of the ferocious devastators was very singular. Reader, you could not count the number of interesting facts, and incidents of this nature, connected with almost every verse of the prophetic or historic part of that beautiful and wonderful book. Men grow up in ignorance, and special ignorance of these things, not only because they love any amusement, or any worldly pursuit in the morning of life, more than they do pious meditations; but also because their fathers and mothers see to it, that they are taught more at school, that more toil and painful industry is expended in making plain any science, or part of a science, art, or literary pursuit whatever, than any thing connected with the book which tells us of our eternal interests.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

VALUE OF HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE.

There was a merchant of Kentucky who had been a settled infidel for more than fifteen years. He was unusually skilful in the management of sceptical argu

ments. His ability to cover or to pervert the truth seemed to have led him into a feeling of entire security. Nevertheless, after reaching middle life, a train of kind providences from heaven led him to a few deliberate meditations. These eventuated in his becoming willing to read a few more pages on the subject of Christianity, by way of inquiry. Whilst looking through Scott's Family Bible, (some notes on the prophecy of Daniel,) his notice was arrested and his attention fixed, causing him to desire still farther research into other parts of the Book of Heaven.

We feel inclined to notice one of the passages which seemed interesting to him, and which has benefited others greatly. Every chapter in the book resembles it, and has fed thousands; nor do we, by quoting this chapter, present it as more striking than any other in the prophecy, but a selection must be made, and we offer these verses, hoping that the reader will peruse all, frequently and prayerfully, together with the notes and comments of those who are capable of instructing.

Daniel chap. ii. verse 31. "Thou, O king, sawest, and behold, a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form there. of was terrible.

32. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass. 33. His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet, that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.

35. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like

the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

36. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

37. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

38. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven, hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

39. And after thee shall arise another kingdom, inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron : forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

42. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay; so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken.

43. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

44. And in the days of these kings shall the God of

heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroy. ed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

45. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."

An intelligent man had read these verses frequently and heard them read, but he scarcely inquired for any meaning. He left them, as millions do the greater part of God's letter from heaven, not asking after any signification. He had read ancient history, but never thought of comparing the two together, until he observed the remarks of a commentator. He was then startled at the small volume of facts, which he had perhaps heard before, but never had applied. He remembered the extremity to which Porphyry was driven whilst writing against the book of Daniel. (Porphyry, just after the apostolic age, could only shun the force of truth by hoping or asserting that the events were accomplished before they were written.) "But," said he, " I am not allowed this refuge, for a greater part of these verses have been fulfilling down through the fifteen centuries that followed the death of Porphyry; even were we to forget that almost all which is written of the Macedonians and Romans came to pass after the Greek translation against which he wrote was made."

Reader, let us notice this history of the world which the Lord gave the prophet so long since, and then we

shall be ready to make some inferences which concern the cure of infidelity.

It was Megasthenes, we believe, who states that one of the Assyrian kings told on his death-bed, that his empire was to be overturned by the Medes and Persians. That which astonished the heathen author, does not surprise us, for we know how the dying king came by the information. He had it from the prophet of Jehovah. Daniel said to him "Thou art this head of gold." The arms (two in number) represented a double kingdom. Babylon was taken by the Medo-Persian forces. Silver is not so rich as gold, but is more precious then other metals. The Medes and Persians were not so wealthy, splendid, or gaudy as their predecessors, but they surpassed greatly the nations that followed. The body of the image was of brass. The Macedonians, who vanquished and succeeded the Persians, were inferior to them in wealth. Brass falls below silver in value. The Macedonians used that metal on their armour to such an extent that they were called in Europe brazen soldiers. Let us not forget that this third kingdom, this kingdom of brass, was to bear rule over all the earth. not said of the silver (Medo-Persian) empire. If this had been the prediction, the prophecy would have failed. It was Alexander who, at the head of the brazen soldiers, in the language of history and prophecy, conquered the world. The fourth kingdom was to do the same, and do more. It was to break in pieces and bruise. Former victors had conquered nations and subdued them, but the Romans went farther-they divided and subdivided, destroying lines and boundaries, forming gov. ernments, sections, and hierarchies, which no language will so well fit as that of bruising into pieces. All who

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