of God? Why do we not claim them through prayer?

"Standing on the promises of Christ, my King,

Through eternal ages let His praises ring. Glory in the highest I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God."

(c) PRESERVATION. 6:14-28.

14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

15 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.

16 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 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.

18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

20 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?

21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency 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 out of the den, and no manner of hurt was

found upon him, because he believed in his God.
24 And the king commanded, and they
brought those men 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.

25 Then king Darius wrote unto all peo-
ple, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the
earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

26 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 steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

27 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.

28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

In writing to the Hebrews the author of that book speaks of some "who through faith stopped the mouths of lions. As a result of his faithfulness Daniel was cast into the den of lions. The subsequent course of the king attests his genuine interest in Daniel and the severe condemnation he felt because of his folly. With the dawn he appears at the den. To his inquiry regarding Daniel's wellbeing the prophet gives answer that he has been preserved by a power higher than any of earth. A miracle had been wrought. How wonderful is the statement in the twenty-second verse, "My God hath sent his angel." That imperiled life guarded by a sentinel from heaven is no solitary spectacle. God's angels are indeed ministering spirits.

In a western city a child fell from a window of a third story to the pavement blow and immediately in front of a team, and they stopped as if by magic. The mother, almost frantic, rushed down the stairs, and at the door was met by the little one who called out: "Mamma, it didn't hurt me, I saw an angel stop the horses."

If we only had eyes to see and the spirit to know we would recognize all about us great hosts of heavenly ones who wait to render aid in every extremity of life. The Lord knoweth them that are his. If we live lives consistent in holiness, then the strength of heaven shall be our portion and we shall be borne victoriously along on angels' wings. Instead of being discredited, God was magnified. Darius removed the prejudiced ones out of his sight, committing them to the den of lions. Men cannot insult God nor do violence to his saints with impunity. Be well assured that God can defend his own. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. As a result of Daniel's preservation which had its origin in his life of "Consistent Holiness," Jehovah was proclaimed the True and Mighty throughout the Persian Empire.

II. The Prophetical Part. 7:1-12:13. (By Chapters.)

CHAPTER SEVEN

THEME "Unafraid Hearts in a world of Upheaval." 7:1-28.

Divisional Words-Prediction-Presumption-Preeminence.

(a) PREDICTION. 7:1-7.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between

the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise,
devour much flesh.

6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like
a leopard, which had upon the back of it four
wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads;
and dominion was given to it.

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

The last thought to enter the mind of modern man is that our majestic civilization will some day end. He believes that everything is growing better and brighter. Bismarck at the height of his career said "Europe lies over a volcano which may erupt at any time." A Paris correspondent of the London Times who held the confidence of every European Cabinet Minister, said that Bismarck's statement was substantiated by every one of them. Why do we not accept the word of God? Daniel is accorded here a panoramic view of the world's social order to the end of time. He sees in tableau four wild beasts coming up out of a restless sea. These beasts correspond to the four metal divisions of Nebuchadnezzar's image recorded in chapter two. The lion is identical with the head of gold, the bear with the breast of silver, the leopard with the belly of brass and the fourth terrible beast corresponds to the legs of iron. Thus in successive order, we have presented, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The wings on the lion denote swiftness, the heart as of a man suggests strength degenerated into weakness. The bear with one side higher than the other, is symbolical of Persia which was superior to Meda. The three ribs in the mouth of the bear suggest the conquest by Cyrus of Susiana, Lydia and Asia Minor. The four wings and four heads of the leopard represent celerity of movement as set forth by Alexander in the rapidity of his conquest. The four heads are predictive of the division of Greece at the death of Alexander,

into Syria, Egypt, Macedonia and Thrace. The ten horns of the fourth beast correspond to the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image and represent the ten kingdoms which shall be federated at the end of the "times of the Gentiles.' It is toward this period that we are moving today. If we be honest we will admit that in spite of our boastings, civilization as we know it has in it the inevitable seeds of death. The prediction made in this chapter ultimately came to realization. There are but heaps where Babylon and these ancient nations lived and what right have we to believe that our present civilization shall continue uninterrupted?

In Chili, where the ground is subject to frequent shocks of earthquake, the houses are built of lowly height and of unenduring structure; it is of little use to dig deep foundations, and pile up high walls, where the very earth is unstable; it would be foolish to build as for ages when the whole edifice may be in ruins in a week. Herein we read a lesson as to our worldly schemes and possessions: this poor fleeting world deserves not that we should build our hopes and joys upon it as though they could last us long. We must treat it as a treacherous soil, and build but lightly on it, and we shall be wise.

(b) PRESUMPTION. 7:8-25.

8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

11 I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld