embrace the Christian faith, and to enjoy all the blessings of the Gospel salvation ! But we greatly mistake, if we imagine that the influence of any amongst us is small : for if we unite our efforts together, and act in concert with each other, we may do far more than Darius could with all his power. Let any one contemplate the Bible Society, in which the poor, strange as it may seem, do far more than the rich ; and see what won- ders are doing by means of it throughout the world
Let any one contemplate Mission Societies, which are in fact forwarding, as it were, the very decree of Darius, and calling on " all people, nations, and languages to fear and tremble
before the God of Israel11" Let us then rise to the
occasion : let us unite as one man : let us not merely issue the decree, but do the thing ; providing all the means for it, and carrying into effect the objects we profess to aim at. Thus shall we indeed approve ourselves good and faithful servants to our God, and be rewarded by him according to our improve- ment of our respective talents ]
" ver. 25, 26.
Dan. vii. 9, 10. 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. 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.
WHILE God exercises his sovereignty, he dis- plays also his wisdom, in revealing his mind to man. As we may trace on many occasions a peculiar pro- priety in the time and manner of making known his will, so we may observe a kind of suitableness in the revelations themselves to those to whom they were made. The succession of four great empires had been made known to Nebuchadnezzar under the figure of a colossal image composed of various metals a ; and the same is revealed to Daniel by a
a Dan. ii. 31 — 45.