Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-06-02
THE CLASS OF 30.
Gcontlnued from Fourth Page. I

watchful is His care" Daniel must have
felt this way He must have been thor
oughly convinced that the God of
his fathers would watch over him
and care for him in Babylon just
as He had done in his old Judean home.
He accepted the situation as dispensation
of Providence and determined by the grace
of God that he would be true TO himself,
his people, and Jehovah. How thoroughly
he did this thing is beautifully exemplified
in life of more than seventy years. Twice,
especially, did faith assert itself in this
mans life The first TO which | will draw
your attention was when his enemies tried,
TO overthrow him. Doubtless there was a
strong party arrayed against him. Being
unable TO ruin his political standing, they
thought at last of his religion. They held
caucus. They got the King to
sign decree or statute, which they had
formulated, that 'whosoever shall ask a
petition of any God or man for thirty days,
save of thee, Oh King, he shall be cast into
the den of lionsr After the decree was
signed they watched Daniel to see if he
would obey the King Of Babylon or the
King of Kings. Little did they know the
kind of spirit dwelling in the man they
were dealing with. Not even the terrors
of violent death could keep him from do
lllH HIS do - pAiiAll IA
the record "Now, when Daniel knew that
the writing was signed, he went into the
house and his windows being open in his
chamber, toward Jerusalem, he kneeled
upon his knees three times day, and
prayed, and gave thanks, as he did afore-
time.n He did exactly as he
had been accustomed to do. AS
Ianother has said, he did not
then, for the first time, throw open his
window. If he had done that, he would
have been a Pharisee He did not close
his window, because for the first time
there was danger in opening II. If he had
done that. he would have been coward.
He was neither the one nor the other, but
simply brave good man, who loved life
well, but who loved God better, and who,
when a thing was put before him, and
when Timidity whispered, ''Is it safe!" aud
Expediency hinted, rs it politic.' and
Vanity suggested, "Is it popular.r took
counsel Of his own true heart and enquired,
"Is il right!r And the course that Daniel
took stopped the lions mouths and con-
founded and overthrow the enemy that
had conspired against him.
We are not called on, in these days, 10
suffer for conscious sake and for God. We
live in land of perfect religious freedom.
We thank God that we can call upon Him
under our vine and fig tree, without fear of
intrusion from any quarter. All this is
true, and we accept il, | say, with heartfelt
gratitude 10 Him from whom cometh every
good and perfect gift. But we do not think,
nv young friends, that your religion needs
no trial, and that in these times you do not
need to have any. The time of great
danger is not the only time of trial.
II does not require lions den 10
test a mans religion. When Daniels reli-
gion was tested by the lions den, he was
seventy years old, and he was naturally
better able 10 meet danger than when
young But there was a time in his youth,
when his faith had been tried by what the
world would call small thing He pur-
posed in his heart that he would not defile
himself with the Kings meat, and with the
wine he drank. AS a true Hebrew, he
could not touch certain meats which were
lawful for other nations to eat, and the
probability was that tho wine had been
offered to idols, He refused both. He
took Il stand early in life, and opposed
every encroachment upon conscience, and
determined he would be true TO his God as
he had been true TO man and self.
Thus we see how faith won the victory
in youth as well as in age, and that il was
the chief feature of that most remarkable
character as it has ever been of all true OK
cellence, from that day to this No character,
indeed, is complete without it. However
laudablo may ha your effort, II you arc
without faith, you are living in a world
without sky: you are without hope and
without God. You cannot afford TO live
that way You certainly cannot afford TO
enter upon your lifes work without taking
God into account You will need His
help 10 triumph over the slavery
of circumstances, and TO make you
strong to meet the trials of life. You will
need His word TO make you wise unto saliva
ton. You will need the spirit Of Christ TO
lead you into a consecrated life. This after
all, is the life we should desire above all
others More consecration Is tbs need Of
the hour, and therefore we should love
holiness more than pleasure, and Christ
more than self
Go forth, then, my young friends, into
your life work from out this holy place to-
night, resolved TO be more consecrated TO
Christ, that every act of yours may bear
the wel-marked stamp, I'm His name"