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ar /ilang/> ECT 172,
5 The kit; anſwered and faid to the Chaldeans, The thing is gvone tiom me 0 : it ye will not make known un- to me the dream, with the interpretation thereof p, ye
made a dunghi! 9.
o This was of God thzt theſe Impoſtors ſhould be made infamous by dereQtingrth: ir Ignorance and their Arrogance, ahd that this ſhould be a ſtep to D::icl's Honour for knowing the King's Dream, and inter- ptering of ir, neither of which the Chaldeans could do. p If they do not bu.th, faith the King. q This was a uſual Puniſhment in thole Parts of the World, thus S-uel! cut Agag in pieces, 1 Sams. 15. 33- I Chron. 20. 3. Thus David dealt with the Ammanites, And the like was in making Feuſ's a dunghil, The likewe have, ch. 3. 29. and thus they did to the Houle of Baa!, made ic a Draught-houſe to this day, by 4's Command, 2 Kings 10. 27. The like did Darins threaten to thcm thar would alter his Decree tor building the Houſe of God, Ezra 'G. 11. This Commination argued the King's Wrath to be exceſſive and ſmious in Puniſhing, for not doing what was above their human Strength, and which the Chaldeans never ariogated to themſelves, yet wasthis a juſt Reward to theſe: Men that were fo preſumptuous.
6 Buc it ye Jhew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye ſhall receive of me gifts, and || rewards and great honour » : therefore ſhew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. ;
r As I threatned you with Death for not doing, I promiſe you Re. warGs and Honour if ye perform it. 'This1s in the Power of Princes,
they were. They anſwered the King again. \ 7 They anſwered again and ſaid, Let the king tell his ſervants the dream, and we will ſhew the interpretation of It 5.
« Bur this the King could not do. They could not tell the Dream, nor th: King could not, ſe that both require Impoſlibilities.
$8 The King anſwered and ſaid, I know of certainty that ye would -| gain the time 7, becauſe ye ſee the thing 1s gone from me. |
: This ye do in Policy, to eſcape Puniſhment, that being taken up with other Affairs, I may forget to make farther Enquiry after this ting, butir ſhall nor ſerve your turn.
9g Bur if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there x but one decree for you « : for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to ſpeak before me, till the time be changed : therefore tell me the dream, and I ſhall know that ye can ſhew me the interpreta- tion thereof.
That is, I will not retra& my Sentence, Ye ſhall ſurely die; you are upon tricks, ye have prepared corrupt and lying Words, for he that can interpret a Drezm can tell the Dream, both come from a di. vine Inſpiration, which ye pretend to, bur I ſee ye have it nor.
10 < The Chaldeans anſwered before the king, and ſaid, There is not a man upon the earth that can ſhew the kings matter : therefore there x no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked ſuch things at any magician, or aſtrolo. ger, or 'Chaldean. |
1: And #: # a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can ſhew it before the King ex. cept the gods, whoſe dwelling is not with fleſh x.
EZ ERIE LF.
thing. For, 1. Their Lives were at fake, thing he was ſure that God was about, wherewith he had troubled the King's Mind in ſuch a manner. 4 Therefore he reinforceth his $ crengr}; calling his Friends ro help him. As Prayer in times of Danger j, :(; moſt ſeaſonable and ſovereign Help, ſo in a common Danger wemnup call in all the Help we can to it.
ven concerning this ſecret e; | that Daniel and hj;/n tellows ſhould not of Babylon f. |
ſineſs, and the Honour of ir whelly to himſelf, but would have hi; 1, Fellows ſhare in it with him. Again, they would deſire Mercy, #:. the Bowels of tendcy Mercy : the choiceſt Saints deſired to be ſaved by Mercy, Pſal. 51. 1. f The Lord hath a diſtinguiſhing Car: n| Love for his Peop!e, 2 Thefſ. 1. 6. 2 Pet, 2. 9. eſpecially in common Calamities, Exod. 14. 19, &C. pvc. 18. 4.
night-viſion g : then Daniel bleſſed the God of hex ven 4,
Watching and Prayer, for Night-Vifion is diſtinguiſhed from Dream, Numb. 12.6 Whether ſleeping or waking Daniel had the ſame thing revealed unto him which King Nebuchaanezzar had, with this Differenc: the King remembred not his Dream, nor knew whar it meant; bu Daniel was able to tell his Dream, and give the Meaning of it all. þ He gave Thanks and Praiſe to the Father of Lights, from whom all Wiſdom comes, who heard his Prayer, and revealed this Secret to him. Note, this was revealed to Daniel, and not to his Companions, for he was Chief; and b
the Degree of a famous p God of Heaven, becauſe he: made Heaven, his Throne is there, and the Magicians and Heathen Gods come not there, but were caſt out thence, being Devils of Hell, but the God of 1ſrae! is the Ged of Heaven.
the King had Dreatned a firange Dream that ticubled him, ang 4 . he had forgotten it, thar he called all his Wiſe-men ro ſhew bot, th Dream and 'interpretation, but they could not. Thereforethe kink decreed the Death of all the Wiſe-men in Bablov, and Daniel with 62 Fellows among them, withour ſaving the Life of oneof them. ny he, wiz, Arioch, had received Command to execute it preſently, Tha there was bur a Step betiveen himand Death.
16 Then Danie] went in, and deſired of the king th; he would give him time 6, and that he would ſhew the king the interpretation.
6 There are four things here very ſtrange and wonderful. x1, Th, Ariech, inſtead of executing the King's Decree ſpeedily, ſhould make this ſtop. 2. That he ſhouJd dare toſee the King's Face when he wx; ſo wroth, thitead of doing what his Commiſſion tied himto. 3. Thir Danie! ſti&uld have the Boldneſsto go in to the King when he wasin his Fury. , 4. That he ſhould deſire Time,and obrain ic of the King, w/,, had denied the ſame thing to the Wiſe-men, To which we anſize, 1. The ſignal Hand of God was in all this. 2. In particular, n,;,,j was in great eſteem with the King, above all the Wiſe-mea, chap, 1 19, 20. 3. He gave both Arioh and the King Hopes he would thew and interpret the King's Dream.
17 Then Daniel went to his houſe c, and made t|\+ thing known eo Hananiah, Miſhael, and 'Azariah, lis companions #4.