The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1878-05-16
The Sunday School.
ssra.r. Mr. 10 1878.
DanmH @-45

Place Babyloa. palace o. Nsbn.
cha8aezzar
T.ae b. c. CO.., tie second yeAl
q Aebachadnrzaars sole sovereignty
AFTER the death q hs father y l
tie Feigaed one year With bic father
Sabopo'AssaF. tse aliimA.e foualer 81
ihe Babyloaiaa empire ard as tAAi
wAa she scar d lAs captivity and a
Daniel's eHile der XIV ~ aad ibe
afss year ofbis .rainisg the dream &C.
CURED Al tic esd d Daniels tbree
years mentioned 10 CD J 5.
Rulers. JeholAchin. tributary hing
q Jsd4h !. SebuehadrezzAr, king Of
BABYLON PhArAoh.Secho. king oi
Egypt; aud CyaxAres. kiog Of Media.
who died 10 the fsurth year Of bis
reign.
Prophets. - Daniel, jeremiah, and
Ezekiel
e3NNKcTIos AND INTRODUCTION.
SebaehAdnsEzar dreamed, and was
greatly troubled by the mysterious and
impressive Significance Of bis drssu.
Therefore be called bis wise men. the
Astrologen and pretended prophets of
Babylon. and demanded OF them that
they should both recall to him the
dream which, in the great confusion Of
bis mind. had passed from him, and
give tue Interpretation Of II. The Ba.
bylonians were devoted to science, aud
their wise men made great pretensions
70 a knowledge Of even secret things I;
and therefore the demand Of the king
may not have been wholly unreason.
able. But they insisted upon the
dream, and could promise only its in
depreciation which stirred the wrath
Of The king and led him to repeat bis
demand and on pain Of their immediate
destruction A further remonstrance
induced passionate repetition Of bis
threat, aud the issuing, IN tho capri
cious fury Of despot, Of the fatal de-
cree. Then Arioch, the chief martial,
or chief Of the kings oxecutioners, or
slaughter-men, proceeded to execute
IL; but Daniel who has Just sustained
his examination aud passed into the
order Of learned men, and was there
fore reached by the decree, asked for
some delay; aud after special prayer
Tvs. IL, lS), in night vision, as God
had promised Mum. xii O.. the secret
was revealed to him, which excited his
fervent praise and Thanksgiving. His
presence with the king, aud his rela-
lion and Interpretation OF the prophetic
dream, were truly sublime. The sym
bolism Of the lesson contains
The head Of gold. 81, 3s.
The breast nd aarms Of silver. 80.
The belly and thighs Of brass. SO.
The legs and feet Of iron and clay.
40 40.
The stone filling the earth. Al, As.
Daniel wholly disclaimed his own
wisdom as being adequate to the dis
covery of the secret, and ascribed the
revelation and Interpretation Of it TO
God in heaven The dream is related
in VS., 1885. which represented the
rise Of five great powers that should
successfully obtain the mastery Of the
world. The first four were Kingdoms
Of men, the 9Th is the kingdom Of God.
The former kingdoms have persisted :;
the latter shall stand for ever. R+A1
The Chaldean, or Babylonian king.
dom; This was represented by the
head OF gold. The parts of the image
siguifed not individual kings. but diff
ferent Kingdoms. The kingdom ex-I
tended from 2,5o0-5ST B. O.; and the
magnificence Of the city at this time
but represented the greatness OF the
empire. Its walls we're sixty miles in
circuit, eighty seven feet ia thickness,
thirty.iive feet in height, had q hun
dred brazen gates, and inclosed hun
bred and thirty square miles. 1t was
a country within city, containing
forests, parks, and gardens; and vas
rightly called The golden city -abun-
daut in treasures-the praise Of the
Whole earth A profaue writer speaks
Of Babylon as abounding 10 gold.
Nebuchsdnezzar was associated with
bis father b. G. COT, and was sole king
from Goa 56I b. g.
The title, King Of Kings, was assum.
ed by the great Oriental monarch
Ezra vii; l2), aud was applied 70
them Ezek XVI u. 1t denoted
ihe dominion OF one who had other
kings. tributary and yassal. under bis
reign, universal monarch, as Nebu.
was. 1t is supremacy APP
piled 10 Christ Rev. xvii: Ii xix: g..
The subsection d the beasts and the
fowls TO Nebuchadnczzar denoted his
dominion as ruler over the world and
all there was IN H. iie was tnow sole
and independent monarch 81 thp EN-
pirc. ard In the dawn and increasing
bulliancy Of bis power. Already dis.
a. coDqaeror. Necho of
r A 4