Heaven fet up a KINGDOM, which fhall never be DESTROYED: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other People, but it fhall BREAK in PIECES, and confume all these Kingdoms, and it fhall STAND for EVER. *See Dan. vii. Revel. xiii. 45 Forafmuch, as thou faweft that the STONE was cut out of the Mountain without HANDS, and that it brake in Pieces the IRON, the BRASS, the CLAY, the SILVER, and the GOLD; the Great GOD hath made known to the King, what fhall come to PASS hereafter and the Dream is certain, and the Interpretation thereof fure. 46 Then the King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his Face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an Oblation and sweet Odours unto him. 47 The King answered unto Daniel, and faid, Of a Truth it is, that your GoD is a GOD of Gods, and a LORD of Kings, and a Revealer of Secrets, feeing thou couldst reveal this Secret. 48 Then the King made Daniel a great Man, and gave him many great Gifts, and made him Ruler over the whole Province of Babylon, and chief of the Governours over all the wife Men of Babylon. 49 Then Daniel requested of the King, and he fet Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the Affairs of the Province of Babylon: but Daniel fate in the Gate of the King. It is generally agreed, that the Image feen by Nebuchadnezzar in his Dream, was the Representation of the four great Monarchies; the golden Head representing the Chaldean Empire; the Breaft and Arms of Silver, the Medo-perfian; the Thighs of Brass, the Greek or Macedonian; the Legs of Iron, the Roman Empire. And that the Toes of this Image, being a Mixture of Iron and Clay, is the Representation of the ten Kingdoms that arofe upon the Ruins of the Roman Empire, who all fubjected their Authority to the Controul of the Papal Supremacy; and that the Stone cut out of the Mountain without Hands, which fmote the Image upon his Feet, is the Representation of the Meffiahs Kingdom, which fhould break in Pieces and confume all these Kingdoms, and which fhould ftand for ever. The fame Thing is revealed to Daniel under the Emblem of four savage Beafts. See Dan, vii, and Rev. xiii. and xvii, CHA P. III. ■ Nebuchadnezzar dedicateth a golden Image in Dura. 8 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego are accufed for not worshipping the Image. 13 They being threatned make a good Con fefion. feffion. 19 God delivereth them out of the Furnace. 26 Ne- Ver. 1NEBUCHADNEZZAR the King made an 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar fent to gather together the Princes, and all the Rulers of the Provinces, to come to the Dedication of the IMAGE he had fet up. 3 And they stood before the Image. 4 Then an Herauld cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O People, Nations, and Languages. 5 That at what Time ye hear all kinds of Mufick, ye fall down and worship the golden Image that Nebuchadnezzar the King hath fet up. e Revel, xiii. 1 And I ftood upon the Sand of the Sea, and faw a Beaft rife up out of the Sea, having SEVEN HEADS, and TEN HORNS, and upon his Horns ten CROWNS, and upon his Heads the Name of BLASPHEMY. 12 And he exerciferh all the Pow er of the FIRST BEAST before him, and caufeth the Earth, and them that BEAST, whofe deadly Wound was the Earth, that they should make an 14 Saying to them that dwell on IMAGE to the Beaft which had the live. 15 And he had Power to give Life unto the Image of the Beaft, that the IMAGE of the Beast fhould both fpeak, and cause that as many as would not WORSHIP the IMAGE of the Beaft, fhould be killed. 6 And whofo falleth not down and worshippeth, fhall the fame Hour be caft into the midst of a burning FIERY FURNACE. 7 Therefore all the People, the Nations and the Languages fell down and WORSHIPPED the GOLDEN IMAGE. 8 Wherefore at that Time certain Chaldeans came near and accufed the Jews, faying to the Kiug, 12 There are certain Jews whom thou haft fet over the Affairs of the Province of Babylon: these Men, O King, have not regarded thee, they SERVE not thy Gods, nor WORSHIP the golden IMAGE which thou haft fet up. 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his Rage and Fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: then they brought these Men before the King. 14 Nebuchadnezzar fpake and faid unto them, Is it true, do not ye ferve my Gods, nor worship the golden Image which I have fet up? 15 Now if ye fall down and worship the Image which I 1 have made, well: but if ye woRSHIP NOT, ye fhall be caft the fame Hour into the midst of a burning fiery Furnace; and who is that GOD, that fhall deliver you out of my Hands: 16 They answered and faid to the King, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not CAREFUL to answer thee in this Mat ter. 17 If it be fo, our GOD whom we SERVE, is ABLE to DELIVER us from the burning fiery Furnace, and he will DELIVER us out of thine Hand, O King. 18 But IF NOT, be it known unto thee, O King, that we WILL NOT SERVE thy Gods, nor WORSHIP the golden IMAGE which thou haft fet up. 19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of Fury, and the Form of his Vifage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abeg-nego: therefore, he fpake and commanded, that they fhould heat the Furnace one SEVEN TIMES more than it was wont to be heat. 20 And he commanded the moft mighty Men that were in his Army, to bind, and cast them into the burning fiery Furnace. 21 Then thefe Men were bound in their Coats, their Hofen, and their Hats, and their other Garments, and were caft into the midst of the burning fiery Furnace. 22 Therefore because the King's Commandment was urgent, and the Furnace exceeding hot, the Flame of the Fire SLEW thofe Men that took THEм up. 2 And these three Men, Shadrach, Mefhach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery Furnace. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the King was ASTONIED, and rose up in hafte, and fpake, and faid unto his Counsellors, Did not we caft three Men BOUND into the midft of the Fire? They answered and faid unto the King, True, O King. 25d He answered and said, Lo, I SEE FOUR MEN LOOSE, WALKING in the midst of the FIRE, and they have no HURT; and the FORM of the FOURTH is like the Son of God. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar d Ifa. xliii. 1 But now thus faith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Hrael, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy Name, thou art mine. 2 When thou paffeft through the Waters, I will be with thee, and through the Rivers they fhalt not overflow thee: when thou WALKEST through the FIRE, thou shalt not be came BURNT; neither shall the FLAME kin dle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy one of Ifrael thy SAVIOUR. In the miraculous Deliverance of led the Prophecy in Ifaiah. Hebrew Captives was literally fulfil came near to the Mouth of the burning fiery Furnace, and fpake and faid, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye Servants of the most High GOD, come forth and come hither, Then THEY came forth of the midst of the Fire. 27 And the Princes, and the King's Counsellors, being gathered together SAW thefe Men, upon whofe BODIES the FIRE had no POWER, nor was an Hair of their Head finged, neither were their Coats changed, nor the SMELL of FIRE had paffed on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar faid, Bleffed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his ANGEL, and DELIVERED his Servants that TRUSTED in him, and have changed the King's Word, and YIELDED their Bodies, that they might not serve nor WORSHIP any GOD, except their own GOD. 29 Therefore, I make a DECREE, That every People, Nation, and Language, which speak any thing amiss against THE GOD of Shadrach, Mefhach, and Abed-nego, fhall be cut in Pieces, and their Houses fhall be made a Dunghill, because there is no OTHER GOD that can DELIVER after this Sort. 30 Then the King promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the Province of Babylon. It may be conje&ured that this Haughty Prince was fo illated with the Vifion of his being the Head of all thofe great Empires that were to fucceed him, that he directs an Image to be formed after the Model of what he had feen in his Dream, and commands all his Subjects to fall down and worship it. What the Head of this golden Image attempted, was, by the fucceeding Empires often practifed, a glorious Army of Martyrs being facrificed both under the Pagan and Papal Empires; who by a Divine Fortitude triumph' even in the Flames, over all the Rage of their cruel Perfecutors. CHA P. IV. 1 Nebuchadnezzar confeffeth God's Kingdom. 4 Maketb Relation of his Dream, which the Magicians could not interpret. 8 Daniel heareth the Dream. 19 He interprets it. 28 The Story of the Event. Ver. 1. N TEBUCHADNEZZAR the King, unto all all all the Earth, Peace be multiplied unto you. 2 I thought it good to fhew the SIGNS and WONDERS that the HIGH GOD hath wrought toward me. 3 How GREAT are his Signs! and how MIGHTY are his WONDERS! his KINGDOM is an everlasting Kingdom, and his DOMINION is from Generation to Generation. с Pfal. cxlv. 11 They fhall fpeak of the Glory of thy Kingdom, "and talk of thy Power. 12 To make known to the Sons of Men, his mighty A&ts, and the glorious Majefty of his Kingdom. 13 Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and thy Dominion endu reth throughout all Generations. 4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at REST in mine Houfe, and flourishing in my Palace. 5 I faw a Dream which made me AFRAID, and the Thoughts upon my Bed, and the Vifions of my Head troubled me. 6 Therefore made I a Decree to bring in all the wife Men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the Interpretation of the Dream. 7 Then came in the Magicians, the Aftrologers, the Chaldeans, and the Soothfayers: and I told the Dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the Interpretation thereof. 8 But at the laft Daniel came in before me, in whom is the Spirit of the holy Gods, and before him I told the Dream, faying, 9 O Beltefhazzar, Mafter of the Magicians, because I know that the SPIRIT of the HOLY GODS is in thee, and no Secret troubleth thee, tell me the Vifions of my Dream that I have feen, and the Interpretation thereof. 10 Thus were the Vifions of mine Head in my Bed; I faw, and behold a Tree in the midst of the Earth, and the Height thereof was great. 11 The Tree grew, and was ftrong, and the Height thereof reached unto Heaven, and the Sight thereof to the End of all the Earth. 12 The Leaves thereof were fair, and the Fruit thereof much, and in it was Meat for all: the Beasts of the Field had Shadow under it, and the Fowls of the Heaven dwelt in the Boughs thereof, and all Flesh was fed of it. 13 I faw in the Vifions of my Head upon my Bed, and behold a Watcher, and an holy one came down from Heaven. 14 He cried aloud, and faid thus, Hew down the Tree, and cut off his Branches, fhake off his Leaves, and fcatter Kkkk his |