g Chald. Rabbi magnified him. + An Eſtate ſutable to his Hononr. i Gzal col Medina over the chief Province of Babylon, which was head becauſe of the Metropolis : The word Medina is alſo A4rabick, and therefore uſed in Spain at this day. k Chap. 4. 9g. Daniel was chief of them in Wiſdom, for he could unfold what none of the wiſe Me could. Again, he was chief in Place and Power ; he had the Rule and Inſpection of them which were Students and Profeſſors of Wit. dom and Learning, into their Studies and Manners, like a perpeual Lord-Chanceilor ; not that this holy Prophet gave any Encourage. ment to them in their unlawful Arts and Divinations, but rather diſcouraged and correQed them, teaching them the Knowledge of the true God: Thus dorh the true Religion rop all the World, and make the Grandeur thereof ſtoop to ir, for it is the Wiſdom of God, and the Power of God. :
49 Then Daniel requeſted of the king, and he Shadrach, Meſhach, and Abed-nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon : but Daniel fat in the gate of the king /. X
l Pd ſubſtituted them as Lieutenants for the King's Service, under Danic! ; which as the Curious obſerve, was chiefly about Agriculture, and gathering Revenues and Proviſions for the Court : but Daxicl hc was as Privy-Counſellor and Lord-Chamberlain, about arduous Afairs of the King and Kingdom ; ſitting ſometimes in Judgment, aad al admitting and conduCting Perſons and Cauſesrothe King as there waz need, to whom there was difficult acceſs, according to the Magnih. cence and Majeſty of the Kings of the Eaft. Thus Daxie! fate in the King's Gate, to be near and ready for the Kiog's chiefcſt Buſineſs. And ir notes Honour, alſo high Favour : but eſpecially we muſt loct upon Daniel's Promotion to be fer the Service and ProteQtion of his Brethren in their preſent State of Captivity, as Mordecai was : which ſhews that God doth remember his People in their low Eſtate, and doth nor leave himſelf without witneſs tothem, in raiſing up nurſg Fathers for them.
CHAP. III
Nebuchadnezzar ſetteth up # golden image ; comman4eth all to warſhip it I—7. Shadrach, Meſhach, and Abednego, refaſe to do it ; are accuſed, 8—12. fear not the kings threatnings, 13—18. are caft into the fry furnace, and ſafely delivered by the power of God, 19—27. The king
ſeeing the miracle, calleth shem forth ; bleſſeth God for his faithfulneſe au power, 28, and maketh a decree to ſerve the God of Shadrach, Meſbach, and Abed-nego only, 29. 30.
I A the king made an image m of gold,
whoſe height was threeſcore cubits, and the breadth thereof ſix cubits »: he ſet it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
» This daring Sin of Nebuchadnezzar was aggravated. many way, by the Greatneſs of the Kingdom and Majeſty God had given hin, by the late Diſcovery made to him when Daniel interpreted his Dream, by his ConviRtion and Confeſſion upon it of that great God, and his Sovereign Power. This is the height of Ingratitude, arguing his Carriage before to be only a Fit of Aſtoniſhment, without the leaſt Change upon his Heart. x The vaſt Proportion of the Srazue or 7di!, was to ſhew his Greatneſs by the Height and Bulk of ir, and his Pride and Magnificence in the Richneſs of it, ſeeing it was of Gold, and to be a Monument to Poſterity of his famous Exploits. Some give this Reaſon, that he might ſcem hereby to avert the Fare of his Em- pire, foretold by Danie/, and declare himſelf ſole Monarch of che World, or Head of Gold, becauſe he made ir of Gold ; whether maſly, or plated, or gilded, matters not. Likewiſe that he might ſeem no ways to be inclined to the Jews, or their Religion, where- of che Chaldeazs might be jealous, ſeeing he had owned their God © be. greateſt, and had preferred Dame! and his Friends to great Ho, nours. Nebuchadnezzar aſſured his wiſe Men and Nobles, that he would ſtill maintain the old Eſtabliſh:d Religion, without Innovation or Mixture: So Mald, Menochins, Geierus, That they had a Spigh* 3 gainſt the Jews is clear, wer. 8, 12.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king ſent to gather !9- gether the princes, « the governours, and the captall®
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1: creat Statue, whether Nebuchadn:zz.ar's own, or of Bel, or any Pa, * br Gods, ( ſee ver, 14. ) muſt be ſolemnly dedicated, and ceforeall che Peers of the Realm are called toic. But whether theſe Ranks of Men and Officers are truly rendred from the Chaldee words,1s hard to derermine, and not worth diſputing ; E:ymologiſts differ in it : this only is material, that the Heads of all chat vaſt Empire were ſum- moned, of ſeveral Nations and Languages, to teſtify rheir Conformity ro the Emperor's Will, and thereby give aſſurance of obliging the Peo- le under them to the ſame Obedience, 7 e. to the ſame idolatrous Worſhip. p It was the manner. of the Heathen to conſecrate their 1dol before they worſhipped it ; and herein, as in many other, Saran imitated the Jews and their Temple-dedication,7ohn 10.22. They held a Feaſt : The Popiſh Church do the like, when they dedicate material Temples to particular Saints, with Solemnty and Jolliry : from whence come the Feaſts of Wakes and Revels to this day.
2 Then the princes, the governours, and captains, the the judges, the. treaſurers, the counſellours , the ſheriffs , and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together unto the dedication of the image hat Nebuchadnezzar the king had ſet up ; and they
ſtood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had ſet np 4s