Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-07-05

mira quarter: lesson IL.
Golden Text: The stone that
smote the image became n great
mountain and filled the whole
earth.-Daniel ii. IS.
NebuchndnezInr's Dream.
In his palace, aptly called the nd
miration of mankind" the King sat.
wearing pensive expression which
neither the banquet room nor the
harem could dispei. II was not
mere matter OF curiosity. the rccov-
cry of the FORGOTTEN dream. In that
mystic vision his personal destiny,
and OF his nation, all We're wrapped.
God rs certainly willed the for.
getting of the dream ae its original
dreaming. 1t made an expose of ne,
Interpret a dream. The time or al
legged fulfllrncn, might be put far
and conveniently In the future. or
n double entente might be given like
tho response OF the oraclcs. But to
tell dream forSotten-that was n
test confessedly severe, yet Just. II
power that could disclose the dream
might be trusted to interpret 1t. The
failure OF the Chaldean magicians
was as egreEious as that OF the Egyp
tan 500 years before. and OF spirit
unlism twenty -four centuries later.
;. All wac terror in the palace, the
King enraged, and the soothsayera
stepped into the troubled company.
His character temperate, pious,
studious. fitted him for an emergency.
He was like "sheat hed sabcr. ready
TO flash out at Gods command"
Ills motives we're complex. Self
preservation was not the least. The
Kings alternative would have made
n clean sweep OF the maRi. and Daniel
was ono OF them. He was not bla.c.
Ills life wac dear and worth living:
fain save the lives Of others. lie was
patriotic. His Interpretation OF the
dream would conserve the interests
of his fellow-countrymcn In exile. He
by Divine power. in which heather
divination had made a conspicuous
failure. God would he honored. :.
meeting Of history was held on this
| occasion with great results: for
prayer prevailed. This story OF
Interpretation gives a skiilful pano-
ramic description OF the rise, rela-
tive proportions and strength and the
final decline OF several ancient mon
archies. 1t does not diminish the
| worth Of the book that II was written
after some OF the events and not be-
prophecy. Neither does 1t discount II
| because the chronology is not ac
| curate. For II was not written AZ
history In short; the, Book OF
| tract written for the evil days Of An
tiochus Epiphanes. when the de!ib
| crate effort was made 20 crush for
ever the Hebrew racial spirit and
faith and substitute the Greek Ian
guaGe and religion. To offset this
some skillful writer of that period
ost hero of the exile. II is the glori-
| ncation of patriotism and piety as in
carnated in Daniel. This vivid and
| forccful book accomplished its pur-
pose. 1t fred the Hebrew heart for
the splendid deeds of the Maccabean
| rebellion. The book was purposely
and skillfully written in form which
adapted it for public reading. which
served az the pr hitting. press OF that
day. The form of mystic allusion and
symbol was Intentionally adopted TO
| throw the prosecutors OF the track.
Under the Study Lamp.
Although not prophetic In Intent
ana neT Uss CEASED win the pr1phee co
The most advanced criticism does
| not affirm date OF composition later
ecy concerning the Roman. empire and
the heavenly kingdom founded by
Jesus stun intact The two-lan-
pears in the original Is explained by
| the supposition that the whole book
was originally written in Hebrew,
but for the convenience of readers
whose vernacular was Aramaic, a
translation was later made in that
idiom perhaps by the same hand that
wrote the Hebrew. Certain parts Of
/
lost, their places were filled from the
Aramaic version. The vision OF
the little stone cut out supernatural
iy and overthrowing the Kingdoms
| and finally filling the whole earth was
Intended to M the Hebrews with
OF the four empires composing the
| image was a universal empire tho
| Inference may be drawn that the fifth,
the spiritual dominion of Jesus. is to
ity OF the latter is apparent in the
over the universal human heart. con-
science and will by the love and sac,
1ifes Of Jesus ms a,;n The ;ncd nnlyer wiI
usher in the millennium. the thousand
years, the definitely long period put
for the indefinite of essentially uni
| versal righteousness and peace
To become a citizen in such q king
| every means which Ia in harmony
with Ito character is at once tho high
est privilege and the most sacred OBJ
legation of every rational soul OF man.
| Analysis and Key.
Vain effort to recall q forgotten
Providence in the forgetting.
| An expose OF necromancy.
Daniel equal TO the emergency.
Preparatory prayer-meetinK.
The dream: the Interpretation.
Book Of Daniel: patriotic tract.
Stories of the hero OF the exile.
An offset to tyranny OF Antiochus
Incited revolt of the Maccabees.
Present-Dsy Applications. ...,
breathes and inspires patriotism has
. rendered an incnlculable service Il
his country That ia what Rouge'
de Lisle did for France when HI
wrote the "Marseillaise" and. wha I