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4 THE PRESBYTERI
DANIEL AND THE LION'S DEN
And the Rebuilding of the Temple.
One of these events is recorded in the sixth chapter
of the prophecy of Daniel; the other is in the first
chapter of the book of Ezra. They are far apart in the
sacred volume. Is there any special connection between
them?
Apparently they both happened in the first year of
King Cyrus. Let us not forget that Darius was not
king of the Medo-Persian empire, but only viceroy
under Cyrus. When therefore we read in the sixth
of Daniel that Darius appointed three presidents of the
emDire. wp imilpretan/i :* -? *
. _ ... ?wvu.,u i..?l 11 was uone Dy autnority
of Cyrus, and of course subject to his review.
Let us note one other fact. About two hundred years
before the birth of Cyrus there lived a prophet in
Judah by the name of Isaiah. We may well suppose
that Cyrus, away off in the realms of Persia, had never
heard of this old prophet and his writings. And yet in
his writings there was a very distinct description of
fvriu Tt Jo J., r ' -- - -
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"Thus saith Jehovah, to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose
right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before
him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before
him the two leaved gates; I will break in pieces the
gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron. And
I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden
riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that
I, Jehovah, which called thee by thy name am the God
of Israel. I have raised him up in righteousness, and
I will direct all his ways. He shall build my city, and
he shall let go my captives."
"I am Jehovah that makest all things. . . That saith
to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers, that
saith of Cyprus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform
sll #r* vr rvloo ? * * *
... ...j F.^aauic, even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt
be built, and to the temple. Thy foundations shall be
laid."
In the (apparent) absence of Cyrus his viceroy.
Darius, (who was also his uncle) appointed over the
Medo-Persian empire three presidents, of whom
Daniel was chief. His coadjutors, envious that a Jew
should have the preference over them, had him cast
into the den of lions. Darius punished them in kind,
casting them, prime ministers as they were, into the
same den. Cyrus returns. What has transpired in my
absence? And the story is related to him. Bring this
Daniel. Tell me about your God. And Daniel tells
him and reads to him the forty-fourth of Isaiah writ
ten two centuries before. Well may Darius gaze in
astonishment. Here is the prophecy of his wonderful
victories over Babylon. Here is the record of his
triumph. He is amazed.
But this prophecy goes further. It says that Cyrus
shall release the Jewish captives and let them return
to their own land. It tells him that Jehovah, the God
of Israel has appointed him to rebuild the temnle at
. ?--- ?
Jerusalem. We can almost hear him reply to Daniel,
Yes, I will fulfill the command of this wonderful God,
Jehovah.
And in the decree of Cyrus, quoted in the first
chapter of Ezra, we firid Cyrus, the heathen, calling
the God of Israel by his name Jehovah, and writing,
AN OF THE SOUTH. October 20, 1909.
"Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, Jehovah, God of
heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth."
Yes, in view of Isaiah's prophecy, he well says, "hath
given me." "And he hath charged me to build him an
house at Jerusalem.'' Therefore to the Jews, he writes,
"Let him (that will) go up to Jerusalem and buiia tne
house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem. . . He is the
God."
Both events happened in the first year of Cyrus.
Can we dissociate them?
jjaniel was risking his life when he persisted in
praying. God made his firmness the instrument of the
rebuilding of the temple.
In this, is therefore any lesson for us?
IF ONE ROSE FROM THE DEAD.
Sone one at our elbow remarked just now, "San
Francisco had a fearful warning in the earthquake
three years ago. Is religion on the decline there?"
It was a warning. It made every heart to quake. It
brought to mind the fact that God is taking cognizance
of \Vhat transpires on earth And for a few hours the
terrified people out in the open squares did pray. Yes,
they prayed earnestly for deliverance from sudden
death. And then they went back to their old neglect
of God and of his sanctuary.
The same has been the experience of other cities.
Fifty years ago, Norfolk, Va., was the scene of terrible
ravages from yellow fever. But in the winter that followed,
Norfolk was by no means a city of special piety.
Rather that winter was marked by unusual gayety and
dissipation. %
It was even so in the days of Israel. The subjects of
Arab had suffered from three years of drought. Elijah
had presented before them the fact that their idolatry
had been the cause of it. Yet on the next day Elijah
had to flee because no man would stand up for God and
defend the prophet.
In the appeal of the rich man in hell to "Father Abraham",
recorded in Luke 16: 30, we find this expres.
"Tf ^ -? - - -
o.w.i. a uiic weui unto tnem tnem from the dead, they
will repent." Such is the fancy of many an unconverted
man. And many a sinner is continuing in impenitent
life hoping for some sudden warning to make
him change.
Kay it is not thus. Sufferings or calamities dn not
soften the heart. Only by prayer and the sweet influences
of the Holy Spirit can the sinner be led to
Christ.
A C_;
? v iivw v^ui isildll ocience i^nurcn is about to be set
up in New Yojk City in opposition to the Eddy organization.
Its motto is to be "Christian Science Purged
of Eddyism." Its chief organizer and supporter de
Clares that "Christian Science, as now organized and
directed, stands for graft, idolatry, and superstition.
The New Christian Science Church* to be launched
next Sunday will be honest and sane. I have learned
positively that Mary Baker Eddy is still alive. But
the story of her leadership is a wicked fiction. She
is an old woman, close to death, helpless and in total
ignorance of the things done in her name by her relentless
captors." ..