ravages of a certain army were described so many hundred years beforehand; and then reads the 7th, 8th, and 9th verses, what army do you imagine he would think was pictured?

Verse 7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle, and on their heads were as it were, crowns like gold: and their faces were as the faces of men.

8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

9. And they had breast-plates as it were, breast-plates of iron, and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

The individual we have said had read some history, but had never noted its application to this passage, until he was reminded of several items by the commentary. Was there any reason why he should not be struck with these facts, because they were brought to his recollection by the pen of another? He felt his curiosity so much awakened, that he determined to read other verses of the same chapter. Verse 4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

He did not know how to understand this verse well. Indeed it seemed to him that its interpretation must be difficult. If locusts are not allowed to eat any thing green, what shall they eat? When we remember that it is their natural food, it strikes us as a strange sound to hear the oriental locust forbidden to eat the leaves of 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, items, 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.

LET all read industriously who are willing to part with their ignorance.

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 arguHis 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

ments.

providences from heaven led him to have 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 in other parts of the Book of Heaven.

We feel inclined to notice one of the passages which seemed interesting to him, and which has benefitted 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 thereof 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 brake 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 destroyed: 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.

There was a man who had read these verses frequently and heard them read, but he scarcely inquired after 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 impetus 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 åfter the Greek translation against which he wrote."

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