nation. Whatever his subject be, he keeps it always in his eye, without the least deviation, and is so much taken up with it that he has scarcely any regard to order or connec tion. In other things he may be perhaps exceeded by the other prophets, but in that species for which he was particularly turned, that is, force, impetuosity, weight and grandeur, no writer ever equaled him. That he is an obscure writer, all have allowed who have attempted to explain his prophesies; yet his obscurity arises more from his subjects, than his diction. The Jews considered him inexplicable. There is a tradition that the rabbins held a consultation whether they should admit Ezekiel into the sacred canon. It was likely to be carried in the negative, when Rabbi Ananias rose up and said he would undertake to remove every difficulty from the account of Jehovah's chariot, (chap. 1st,) which is confessedly the most difficult part in the whole book. His proposal was received;. and to assist him in his work, and that he might complete it to his credit, they furnished him with three hundred barrels of oil to light his lamp during the time he might be employed in the study of this part of his subject! This extravagant grant proved at once the conviction the rabbins had of the difficulty of the work; and it is not even intimated that the Rabbi succeeded in any tolerable degree, if, indeed, he undertook the task; and they believe to this hour the chariot mentioned in chapter 1st, and the account of the temple described at the conclusion of the book have not been explained. A generally acknowledged character of Ezekiel is, that he minutely distinguishes every thing in its smallest parts. What the more ancient prophets simply alluded to, and briefly explained, he unfolds and explains formally, representing it from all possible sides. Another character, and a principal one, which distinguishes his oracle is, that no other prophet has given so free a course to his imagination. Almost every thing is dressed in symbolical actions, in fables, narrations, allegories, or in the still higher poetry of visions. If the dress of vision fitted any prophet, it was certainly Ezekiel: he was even naturally led to it by his situation, and by the subjects he was to represent. He uses all sorts of prophetical poetry to appear always great and magnificent; and it can not be denied that he has given all kinds, excellent pieces, both in design and execution. Particularly, he is so used to ecstacies and visions that he adopts the language proper to these, where he has no visions to describe. A judicious critic, who but indirectly admits the prophet's inspiration, says of him, Ezekiel is a great poet, full of originality; and whoever censures him as if he were only an imitator of the old prophets, can never have felt his power. Those are great, Ezekiel is also great; those in their manner, Ezekiel in his. How different soever the species of composition are which he hazards, they are all worked out in the same general form. What he represents in one image, picture, or vision; in allegory, parable, or narration, is explained in a short speech, which God, who is at his right hand, enables him to pronounce. CHAPTER XV. Daniel. CARRIED CAPTIVE TO BABYLON; EARLY EDUCATION FOR THE KING'S COURT; N THE fourth year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, A. M. 3397, B. C. 607, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, made its king tributary, and carried away a number of captives. Among these was Daniel, then in his youth, destined to become by his wisdom and knowledge of future events, an eminent man in Babylon. This was one of those events in the history of God's providential dealings with his people, that seem mysterious for the time, but are eventually made to subserve, in a glorious manner, the ends of Divine Providence, and in such a manner as fully to demonstrate the superior wisdom and power of the Infinite. Daniel seems to have been early chosen to be in attendance at the king's court, and consequently an education suitable to his employment was appointed to him. He appears to have been instructed in all the wisdom of the Chaldeans, which was at that time greatly superior to the learning of the ancient Egyptians; and he was soon distinguished in the Babylonish court, as well for his wisdom and strong understanding as for his deep and steady piety. A commendable spirit of firmness and true nobleness of character, is manifest on our first introduction to him. Having been carefully reared amid Mosaic institutions, he regulated his conduct by them, even in the court of a heathen king, where, too, for the time, he stood in the capacity of slave. Though ordered to be fed from the royal table, he refused the food, because the Chaldeans ate of meat forbidden by the Mosaic law; and probably even that which might be denominated clean, became defiled by having been sacrificed to idols before it was prepared for common use. At his earnest request, his attending officer permitted him a vegetable. diet, which proved so favorable, as to lead to a withdrawal of the king's portion entirely. While he was enjoying special and increasing favor with the king, a circumstance occurred, which at first threatened his destruction, but finally issued in the increase of his repu tation and celebrity. The combined wisdom of the wisest being insufficient to procure the interpretation of a dream, the king in his wrath sought to sweep them from the land. Daniel, though numbered with them, interposed and entreated him to stay yet a little, and the thing should be made known. Enlisting his three companions in his behalf, they besought the God of Heaven, with strong confidence, till they obtained the wished-for revelation. - With devout gratitude to Him "who revealeth secrets," and the prime grace of the christian in active exercise,-humility, he entered into the presence of the troubled monarch, and unfolded the things that were to be. This obtained for him royal promotion, and made him confidant and counselor of the king. Subsequent interpretations procured for him additional. emblems of magisterial authority. Called to trace the mys terious writing on the walls of the kingly palace, he fearlessly proclaimed its fearful meaning. Envy was stirred, and wicked men finding no blemish in his administration, sought to make his faithfulness to God a crime, and to insure his speedy and certain destruction, cast him at once into a den of raging lions. The mighty power of faith was his, and He who ever watches over his faithful ones, procured deliverance for him in such a manner as strikingly demonstrated the power of the Supreme God, and drew from idolatrous man an acknowledgment of his right to eternal dominion. The reputation of Daniel, even in his life-time, was so great that it became a proverb. "Thou art wiser than Daniel," said Ezekiel ironically to the king of Tyre, and by the same prophet God ranks him among the most holy and exemplary of men, when he declares, speaking relative to Jerusalem, which had been condemned to destruction: "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own lives by their righteousness." It is very probable that Daniel did not return at the general restoration from the Babylonish captivity. At that time, if alive, he must have been an old man; and it is most likely that he finished his days in Babylon, though some Asiatic authors hold that he returned to Judea with Ezra, came back afterward to Persia, and died in the city of Susa. The writings of Daniel are simple, yet correct and pure; and he is so conscientious, that he relates the very words of those persons whom he introduces as speaking. The rabbins have endeavored to degrade him, and have placed his proph ecies among the hagiographa, books which they consider to possess a minor degree of inspiration; and it is probable that he meets with this treatment from them because his proph ecies are proofs too evident that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, and that he came at the very time that Daniel said the Prince Messiah should come. But the testimony and sayings of such men are infinitely overpowered by the testimony of Ezekiel, which has been produced above; and the testimony of our Lord, who gives him the title of prophet, without the slightest intimation that he was to wear this title with abatement. As prophesy is one of the strongest proofs of the authenticity of what professes to be a Divine revelation, God endued this man with a large portion of His Spirit, so that he clearly predicted some of the most astonishing political occurrences and changes which have ever taken place on the earth; no less than the rise, distinguishing characteristics, and termination of the four great monarchies, or empires, which have been so celebrated in all the histories of the world. Nor did the prophetic spirit in this eminent man limit his predictions to these; but showed at the same time the origin and nature of that fifth monarchy, which, under the great King of kings, should be administered and prevail to the end of time. Josephus says of Daniel, "that God bestowed many favors upon him that he was advanced to the rank of the most considerable of the prophets; that he enjoyed the favor of princes, and the affection of the people during his life; and that after his death, his memory became immortal." He observes also that, in the complexion of his predic tions, he differs widely from all other prophets; they foretold scarcely any thing but disastrous events; on the contrary, he predicts the most joyous events, and fixes the times of accomplishment with more circumstantial precision than they did. And this is so true, that we can not help thinking that God had given this eminent man a greater degree of light to fix |