> Luke xxii. 41. k Phil. iv. 6. » 1 Thess. v. 16—18.
1132.] daniel's undaunted piety. 525
or man, except of the king only. This writing was signed by the king ; and the law was thereby rendered (according to the absurd custom of the Medes and Persians) unchangeable. But this could not deter Daniel from serving God, or induce him for one moment to chagne his mode of serving him. He was willing to die for the Lord's sake ; and was determined to suffer all the penalties of the law rather than violate his duty to his God.]
But as there are various other modes in which Daniel might have proceeded, we shall consider his conduct more minutely, and,
II. State the reasons of it —
Daniel persisted in this open acknowledgment of Jehovah,
1. From a sense of duty —
[He knew that it was his duty to pray unto his God, and to confess him before men. Had the laws of the realm en- joined nothing contrary to the laws of God, he would have felt it his duty to comply with them : " he would have obeyed every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake." But when man took upon him to supersede the laws of God, he felt that he had a paramount obligation to serve the Lord. In this respect he resembled the holy Apostles, when they were forbidden to preach in the name of Christ : they answered the magistrates who laid a similar injunction on them, " Whether it be right to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye : for we cannot but speak the things which we have heard and seen"1:" " we must obey God rather than men"."]
2. From a regard for God's honour —
[We will suppose that Daniel had withdrawn from his place of abode, or shut his window and contented himself with worshipping God in secret ; he might still have per- formed his duty as far as respected the mere act of prayer: but what would have been the consequence with respect to God's honour ? Would not the framers of the Law have boasted, that they had triumphed over Jehovah ; that they had set up a god superior to him ; and that his most devoted servant dared not to confess him ? Would they not have said, that the wor- shippers of Jehovah were as devoid of principle as any other people in the world ; for that, with all their professed regard for him, they did not believe him able to rescue or support
m Acts iv. 19, 20. " Acts v. 2S, 29.