The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 284

11. Hm ACTION. 1. He practucd decdt. (Ver. 25.) "And though .. , by peace ~1~ 01) destroy m1mr". He wonld destroy II people resting in au unrMl eocurlty. 2. /Jd d1s 11f.-ed i.he eccles,.asttcal 1-al.ers in lsl'ael. (Ver. 10.) Read, The horn "waxed great ngainst the host," etr.. 3. He acted so that the whole Hebrew commonwealth was at his mercy. (Yer. 12.) Road," A host was given [him) with the daily s11c1ificc, by re:i~on of transgression." 4. He abolished the daily sacrifice. (Ver, 11.) Read, "And h~· him was taken away the perpetual, and was cast down the place of his sanctuary." No ,loubt the da.ily sacrifice is principally intended, but there is given to it <Yrl\lldcur hy de11igna.ting it "the perpetual," ie. the everlasting chansreless 0 element in th: Hebrow ritual. The undying testimony to the atonement of the Lord (Exod. xxix, 38-H; Lr,. Yi. 13). Against the Redeemer's own memorial did Antioclius lift up his hand. 'J"l,nt. struck down, the sanctua.ry wa.s desolate. (Seo terrible description 1 Mace. i. J\·<11c the her?ic fidelity_ of some, vcrs. 63, 64.)_ 5. R_e struck a_t the truth.' (Ver. 12.) G. He sets Jnmself against God. "lie magmfiod himself agMnst the Prince of the hosts:" " He stood up against the Prince of princes" (vers.11, 25), 7. He attained to a certa£n s01·t and measure of prosperity. (Ver 9.) The refereuco is to Eaypt to what remained of Persia, a.nd to J ud-. " ' III. TrrE DOOM. How sublime the prophecy I "He shall be broken without hand." How terrible the fulfilment! He fell by an invisible blow from the King of kin<Ye, 0 He died of griefa.nd remorse a.t Babylon (1 Mace. i. 1G; 2 Me.cc. i.x.).-R. Vers. 13, 14, 26.-Prophecy's sure fulfilments. "Unto evenings and mornings, two thousand and three hundred ; " "The vision of the evening a.nd the morning which was told is true" (vers. 14, 26). Two thousand three hundred days, that is, six years and a hundred and ten days. Whence reckoned? To wha.t time? The cleansing of the sanctuary took place under Judas Macca.bieus, December 25, B.o. 165. Reckoning back two thousand three hundred days, we come to August 1,.JI.O. 171. Up to this latter date the relations between Antiochus and the Jewish people ha.d been peaceful; then began a series of aggressions, which ended only with his death. (For account of the new dedication of the temple, see 1 Mace. iv. 36-61.) We suggest a homily on The certainty of the fulfilment of the Divine Word. I. THE DEFINITENESS oF THE END. Here " the cleansing of the sanctuary." II. TnE EXACT MEASUREMENT OF ALL lNTEn!IEDliTE SECOND CAUSES, The number, force, combination, duration of their action. I IL CONSEQUENT LIMIT OF TlllE. In the Divine mind. Not necessa.rily revealed tu 'II,.~ ; though the exact number of the days wa.s so in this case. IV. Oua :r.1O11AL ATTITUDE. Belief in the word. Confidence in the Word-giver. Obedience, active and passive. The entertain'ITlfflt of a great lwpe. Let the sunshine of the assured future light the present.-R. Yer. 27.-Tlie effects of visions DiviM, "And I Daniel fainted," etc. We have Lcrc the effects of visions Divine- I. ON TnE DODY. Even the prophets were but men like ourselves, Daniel was utterly prostrated by this overpowe1ing vision. Baca.me ill for a long time, In our present state we can only bear so much. II. ON TllE JUND. "I wa.s astonished at the vision. , .. And there was none who understood it." 1. Fulfilled prophecy is an open book, 2, Unfulfilled, a book only partly open. There should, then, be : (1) Devout inquiry. (2) The glad acquisition of some knowledge. But : (3) No dogmatum. Even a prophet, who had with his own eyes seen the glory, bad to gropt, along the path of daily duty, with only the common dim and partial light. IIL ON THE LIFE. "I rose up, and did the king's businas." These grand disclosures of things heavenly, _of things _future, of things ~ivine, ~o hie so~; the high enj?y~ents of religion • only d1&posed him to be more faithful 1n meeting present obligations. There is no' proper separation between deepest spirituality and the faithful plodding on the pa.th of duty, which so much becomes us. "He who has been favoured. with _the dee.rest views of Divine things will be none the less prepared to discharge wi~h faith• fulness the duties of this life. He who is permitted and enabled to look rnto the future will be none the less likely to be diligent, faithful, laborious in meeting the en. vm. 1-27.J 'l'IIE DOOK OF DANIEL. 255