Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-08-28

be said: "MENE, God has numbered
thy kingdom and finished il; TEKEL,
Thou art weighed in the balance and
art found wanting; PEREZ, Thy king
dom is divided, and given to the
Medes and Persians. "Then com
manded Belshazzar and they clothed
Daniel with scarlet, and put chain
of gold about his neck, and made a
proclamation concerning him that he
should be the third ruler in the king
dom Ai''" .'n'' -,ii1aaa = .tfsi
On thevcry nighton which Daniel
read the eiwriting, Cyrus entered the
city by the bed of the Euphrates, took
the city and the kingdom, and Bel
shazzar was slain, Xenophon says,
by two Of his lords, Gadatas and Co
bias. iso.. .t..,. .,... ~
a. Cyrus made a present Of the Chal-
dean empire to his uncle Darius, the
Wcde, called in profane history Cyax-
ares. and Daniel became Prime MINI
ister Of State, and the second person
In the realm. Darius was pleased to
set a hundred and twenty princes
over the same number of provinces,
and over. the princes three presidents,
Of whom Daniel was first. Not con-
tent with making Daniel president of
the presidents and princes, the king
fully intended to make him grand Vi
zier of the realm. Fired with ieal-
ousy, the two inferior presidents, and
all the princes, entered into conspir-
acy to destroy Daniel. ~isaI. fe
They matured there schemes in an
Internal caucus, like unto the one
held in the city of indianapolis in
which the purest man of his party
was swindled and crushed, and a man
by fraud, was elevated to power, one
whose iniquities make hell blush, as
.tound heaven, and afllict the land.
The Chaldean caucus, after much de-
liberation, finally reached this point;
eve shall not find any occasion
against this Daniel unless we find it
against him concerning the law of his
God" Knowing him to be a 'higher.
law" man. and that he would die for
thelaw of his God, they determined
to establish a royal statute, firm
decree, that none should ask petit
ton of any god or man for thirty,
days, save of Darius, and that the
violators Of the law soould be cast in
the den Of lions. Darius, not know
ing the horrid plot against Daniel,
signed the decree. Daniel UNDER
stood it, and true to the Higher law,
he went into his house, and his win
windows being opened in his cham
Der, toward Jerusalem, he kneeled
upon his knees three times day,
and prayed and gave thanks before
his God, as he did aforetime. DAN
icls enemies reported him to the king.
Darius saw the scheme; was sorely
with himself, and set his
heart on Daniel to deliver him; he
laboring till the going down of the
sun to save him, but failed. Daniel
was cast into the den of lions, but
that Eternal power whom he had
served and honored, sentan angel to
shut the lions mouth. Daniel had a
happy night-joy came in the morn
ing, g,sand heicame forth in spotless in
nocency, unhurt by the dreadful an
imals, and unhurt by the wicked NAL
ice of his enemies.
. Darius dying at the end of two
years, Cyrus returned to Babylon, I
and took upon him the government
of the empire. Daniel was Prime
Minister to the Court of Cyrus, and
was still the second person in the
State. i1q est - ssrEl3 -laifiig aa's..r..HTs
Itwas at this time that the illustri-
ous statesman exerted his vast pow
ers in behalf of his captive nation
''There is noquestion, (says Rollin.) !
but the famous edict, published by
Cyrus, whereby the Jews were permit
ted TO return to Jerusalem, was OBJ
tanned by the care and solicitation of
Daniel, who posses ed greet influence
at the Court" This was among the
last of the noble deeds of the great
Hebrew Minister of State For sew.
enty years he had been statesman,
at the courts of five ,monnrchs; bad
been elevated to the highest eminen-
ces of power and. grandeur; had seen
the rise and fallof nations, and when
old, resplendent as the setting sun,
onoa, ,elondless day, he sank into the
grave, and the spot where he rests is
unknown to man. ........ ......-.
Ds5- While one Of the Supreme
Judges was recently staying at Paris,
he went TO visit a French professor.