The Forrest City times., 1892-05-13
EVIL OF JEALOUSY
DR. TALMAGE RETELLS THf
 STORY OF DANIEL
whose sudden Rise to Fame Created sach Jesioasy Among DemsgoEnes The Crime of Rising Above f0Gi Fellows an Excassbie One

BRooxITx N Y. Mays lsge-Dr. T2l-s-. took for his sahseet today the ces-zeter ci Daniel sra dreu from ir lessons of so1nc practical value fer She yoang nsea- of whom So ! large a nnrs@r are sIwzys 70 be seen a-.0Ez tAe uosi eager and sttenfiVs listeners iz tze Tzoe-uaele eougrsgsiio1s Ills iexs N@s Daaie. s-- -Dazisl w&s first"
 Where in romance can you find any ! thing equal to what Daniel was ID reality? \ young man. far away from { home, introduced into the most magn f ieent and most absolute palace oi all the earth. The King, wishing 10 make this young man prodigy in per sonal appearance. orders his attendants to see that he had plenty of meat and wine. and Daniel refuses these delIea- | eies and insists on a vegetable 0iet- re- fusing everything but pulse and water, waving back all the rich Tiands with determined. No: I thank you" He surpasses all the Princes in brillianey As this sun rises higher and higher m the Armament, 1t puts out all the stars, and if there is anything the stars hate if is the sun. Daniel becomes { 90 much of favorite with King Darius | that our young hero is promoted 10 ee | prime minister or sec arv of s,ate-'the | Freiinghuysen or the Bismarck of the | ancientS But no man ever attained such high position without exciting the envy of others The meanest and wrathiest passion of the soul is jealousy. | You see it among all professions and occupations l am sorry tosay you see it as much among elergymen as among other classes of men IL is a passion bitter as hell and it is immediately recognized. and yet, thoagh Ii blzckens the man who indulges in it, men will kindle this fire which consumes only themselves. There ! were demagogues in Babylon, who, ! highly appreciative of their own ea- paeity, doubted the policy of elevating such a young man as Daniel. They said: Why, we know more than he does. We could manage the public af- fairs better than he can manage them The idea of putting Dan in such place as that" old Babylon was afraid of young Babylon. Iney began to plot his ruin He was an illustrious target The taller the cedar the more apt to be struck with the lightning. These dem agogues asked Darius to make an un- alterable decree that any man who, within thirty days, shall ask a petition of anyone except the King, shall be put to death. Darius, not mistrusting any foul play, makes such a decree. The dema- gogues have accomplished their pur- pose, for they knew that Daniel would not stop sending up petitions to his God, and Daniel, instead of being af- frighted by the decree, went three times day to his house-top for prayer. He is caught in the act. He is con demned to be devoured by the lions. Such healthy young man will be for the leonine monarchs the best banquet they ever had. By the rough execu- tioners of the law he is hurried away toward the den I hear the growl of the monsters. and their paving of the dust, and as their mouth is placed to the ground, the solid earth qnakes with their below. The door is re- moved and Daniel showed into the den, which was all agleam with fiery eyeballs that seem to roll and snap in the caverns. They ap- proach the defenceless man. Their ap- petite was sharp with hunger. One stroke of their paw, one crunch of their teeth and he would have been lifeless. How strange a welcome Daniel re- ceives from the monsters They lawn about him. They cover his feet with their long maue They are struck with the lock-jaw. That night Daniel's $ sleep is calm and undisturbed. with his head pillowed on the warm neck of the tanned lions But King Darius was not so happy. He loved Daniel and he hated the stratagem by which his favorite had been condemned He paces his floor all night He cannot sleep. At the least sound he starts and his flesh creeps with horror. A bad conscience will make the bravest man coward. He 'atches eagerly for the dawn, which set ms so long in tarrying. At the first streak of light, he starts out to find the fate of Daniel. The palace gate opens and jars heavily sehind him while yet the city is asleep. He comes to the den He looks through the ereviees but sees nothing. He dare not speak. Expecting the worst, his heart stops Gathering strength he puts his mouth to the rifts in the rock and cries: ''0h, Daniel, is thy God whom thou servest continually able t. deliver thee from the lions?" An answer comes rolling up out of the deep darkness: ''Oh. King, live forever. My God hath sent his angel and hath shut the lions mouths, that they have not hurt me. !" The young man is brought out and the demagogues who made the plot are thrown in. But they hardly struck the bottom of the den when their flesh rent, and their bones cracked. and the blood spurted through the rifts, while the fierce monsters shook the rocks with their terrible roar, announcing to all ages the truth that while God defends his people the way of the wicked shall perish.
 Now, you see from this subject that in the eyes of many the greatest offense you can commit is success Of what crime had this young man been guilty, that he should come under the bitter hatred of the demagogues? Why, he had got to he prime minister of Baby lon That they could not forgive. Be hold in this sketch touch of human