$ © But at the laſt Daniel came in before me o, (* whoſe name was Belteſhazzar , according to the name of my god, and in whom # the ſpirit || of the holy gods p) and before him I told the dream , /ay-
in
l Whether ſent for by the King, or brought in by another, appears not, but.he was laſt, that it might appear he had the true underſtan- dino of theſe Secrets : for if he had come firſt before the reſt had done their beſt in trying all their Skill in vain, they would have ſaid , They knew as well as he, and ſo God would not have hadthe Glory ; but now it's plain the Spirit of God in the Prophet did all, p He ſpeaks in the plural like an Idolater ; and becauſe he calls him Belte- ſhazzar according to the Name of his God, 7. e. Belor Baal, by the Spi- rit of Gid he means the Spirit of Divination, or Prophecy of future con- tingent things which God only knows, and reveals by his Spirit as he
| pleaſeth, which none of the Magicians were indued with,
9 O Belteſhazzar , * maſter of the magicians, be-
cauſe I know that the ſpirit of the holy || gods # in 3 thee 9, and no ſecret troubleth thee, - tell me the viſi-
ons of my dream that I have ſeen , and the interpretation thereo
7 This argued he was convinced of Danie!'s great Abilities, and that he truly deſerved the Title and Dignity the King had honoured him with, and that Daniel would ſhew he anſwered both the Opinion and ExpcRation the King had of him.
10 Thus were the viſions of mine head r in my bed ; +l faw, and behold, * a trees in the midſt of the earth , andthe height thereof was great.
7 Becauſe the Fancy and Imagination is in the Head ; and he calls them Yiſjons or Seeings, becauſe Eyes and Sight are attributed ro the Underſtanding, and the thing ſeemed viſible to him, as if he beheld it with his Eyes. 5 Thoſe that write of the Language of theZff tel] us that a Tree denotes ſome excellent Man. Thus the Propher Ezekzel, 22). 31. throrgi1out, deſcribes the King of 4ſris, and Pharaoh King or Eg1pt in their Flouriſh, Height and grear Fall, comparing them to huge Cedars. .
11 The tree grew, and was ſtrong, and the height hereof reached unto heaven, and the fight thereof to the end of all the earth. | :
12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit there- of much 7, and in it was meat for all: * the beaſts
ol the field had ſhadow under it, and the fowls of the 3 dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all fleſh was fed 01 1t, | * This notes the publick Good and. Benefit of Magiſtracy : ſo that 1:15 better living under Tyranny than Anarchy, as Ca/vin ſaith.
12? I ſaw in the vitions of my head upon my bed,
DANIEL,
from heaven. 13
# By Watcher 1s mean2 an Ange, a holy or good Angel , they are the Inſttuments of God and his Meſſengers to execute God's Judgments which they watch conſtantly to perform, Pal. 103. 20,21
14 He cried - aloud , and faid thus x, Hew dowr the + Cha!g
tree, and cut off his branches, thake off his leaves , (cater his fruit ; letthe beaſts get away from under it, the fowls from his branches.
x Whereby isſhewn the Conſent of the Angels , when one ſtirs up another to cut down, 7. e. to caſt out and take away.
I5 Nevertheleſs, leave the ſtump of his roots in the earth y , even with a band of iron and braſs, in the ten- der grafs of the field z, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beaſts in the grals of the earth.
Y Here he mitigates and correQs the former rigour of his Sen. tence, that the Kingdom ſhould remain with hope of return and re-ad- mifſien : God cuts off many flouriſhing Kindoms to the Stumps , by ſpoiling their Riches, Beauty and Majeſty. z Let the Body of N:- buchadnezzar be preſerved, and the Kingdom remain firm, though he be turned out to Graſs for a while among the Beaſts.
I6 Let his heart be changed from mans, and let a beaſts heart be given unto him , and let ſeven times paſs over him 4.
# Let him live ſeven Years as a Beaſt in Man's ſhape atnong Beaſts of the Field, let him become brutiſh without humane Senſe and Un. derſtanding , and this appeared much alſo in his ourward Shape ; Nails like Claws, and Hair like Feathers. Some think that he was truly changed into a Beaſt, but this cannot be, for then the Chald- aus would never have more owned or reſtored him. Others judge thar he was not changed at all, butin appearance only to the beholders, andin their Fancies; but this is a falſe Conſtru&ion of God's Works, when the Scripture faid it was truly done. Ir is probable he was mute, and bellowed only, that he went naked and bowed, and eat Graſs among che Beaſts with whom his Converſe was. A dreadful Example upon che greateſt Man on Earth, for his brutiſh and raging Tyranny,and in- humane Carriage, abafing himſelf, a1d abuſing his Honours and great Prerogativesto Wickedneſs and ſavage Cruelty, io be thus forſaken of God and Men, and to be made a Prodigy and SpeQacle to the World, and that upon Record toall Generations.
and
and the || demand by the word ofthe holy ones 5: to che intenc that the King may know that the moſt High ruleth in the kingdom of men c , and giveth ic to whom- _—_ he will, and ſetteth up over it the baſeſt of men #4.