The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 330

of !Rn1el'e e?cmies. (3) Spec~lities. (a) This campaign was carried on by th, _ Angel-God himself. (b) But aided by Michail. IIere should be noted the doctrine th~t angel_s 1a11d men may he co-workers together toith God, (c) Was eynchro11011, with Daniels prayer. All the WI\Y through tho twenty-one dl\ye the prl\yer WM being 11ns~ered t,hro':'-gh I\ mighty conflict carried on in I\ higher world. (4) Tl1e 11ictory. Spcmallr mentioned: "And I gained the superiority there by tbo side of the kings of PcrBia." 3. J?ie third campaign. (Vers. 20, 21.) (1) The antagonists. The " prmces" of Persia 11n~ Ja van. (2) The casu., belli. All that, in their worldliness, was attempted by Persia afterwards, by Greece, by Alexander and his successors especially Anti?Chns! to the sore de_triment of the Jew!sh people. (3) .A speciality'. (lnly Michael m this great contention was on the Chnst-side. Note: (a) There is ~he11, libC1'l!f in h~ven as on earth to do or not to do-to go forth to wiir or to rest rn peace. (b) Michael made a noble use of liberty. (c) JJy endowment ha towei·ed aJ:o~~ ~thers. "One of the chief princes." (~) Therefore to liim were great respon- wiilities entrusted.. He was made the gu&rd1an spirit of the Hebrew natiou and Chu_rch. "To whom much is given," etc., seems to be a law of all moral worlds. " Michael your prince." " To a subordinate spirit God will not eutrust a work d_emanding special power and greatness." (4) The victory. Again not expressly men- tioned, but sure. 'l'h~ following ded_uctions from the whole subject should, perhaps, have special mention and emphasis: L The (J/1urch has many and p o ~ enemies. 2. It abides under most powerfiil protection. What Michael was to Israel of old, that, and more than that, is the Lord Jesus to Israel now; and he has many helpers. 3. Its destiny ia in conftid in the worlds aboue, as well as here below. 4. In the holy war here, the humblest may ~ a share. The Son of God stooped to avail himself of the help of Michael; 10 he ever stoops to accept the humblest contribution, the lowliest service. "The Son of God goes forth to war, A kingly crown to gain ; Hie blood-red banner streams afar; Who follows in hill train?" R. Vers. 1-10.-Man's foolillh terror in the presence of a heavenly visitor. In accept- ing the testimony of others, with respect to matters beyond the reach of our own senses &nd experience, we must be satisfied on three points. (1) Is the snbject-matter of the testimony opposed to reason? (2) Was the witness himself deceived? (3) Is the witness truthful? Now, on all these points the record of Daniel is thoroughly reliable. The matter of this vision is most reasonable in itself. We have an accu- mulation of proof that Daniel was not deceived. It WIiii not a subjective hallucination, but an objective reality. As evidence of Daniel'& thorough truthfulness, he places on record the minutest circumstances of time and place. If thero had been any inaccuracy here it would have been detected in the age while Daniel's contemporaries were yet alive. In many parts of the narrative we have the confirmations of secular historians; and best evidence of all have we that this was a real visit of an angel, viz. that his predictions of events have been verified in history. J. THEBE WAB P.EBSON.A.L PREPARATION TO RECEIVE THIB HEAVENLY VIBION, The l,abit which Daniel formed in youth was of inestimable service to him In old age. Incidentally we may observe how self-consistent are the several parts of this pro- phetical book. 'l'he flesh bas always been, more or less, hostile to the spiiit. Daniel had wisely repressed and held in control his bodily appetites in the days of his youth; and by reason of this the finer feelings and loftier faculties of his soul had beer. irradually developed. The practice of abstinence and self-denial had become easy. Yet he did not abstain from food because the act possessed in itself any meritorious excellence. He abstained because his soul was so absorbed in nobler occupatiou that appetite had lost ite edge and food its charm. We are not told the particular reason of this long mourning, yet we can easily infer that his grief was excited by the depressed condition of his people Israel. Self had long ~incc been sacrificed on the altar uf Lis Gud. He rejoiced iu lsrael'l! joy ; he mourned in Israel's sorrow, Such tear6 clear the tye of tLe noul for the perception of hcayenly things. Oll, X, 1-21.) TIJE IlOOK OF DANU:L. 303