how completely it depended on human
agency, too often on human passion and
intrigues; how completely wanting it
was of any mark of the divine construc-
THE WATCHMAN
tion and care,— the offspring of man,
not of God, and therefore bearing upon
it the lineaments of human passions, hu-
man virtues, and human sins.”
RECEPT must be upon pre-
line upon line, line upon
line; here a little and there
a little.” Isa. 28:10. Our
Saviour has given the les-
sons already studied with a
clearness that sends convic-
tion, but he does not leave us with sim-
ply one line of events that history re-
cords. He adds evidence to evidence,—
“line upon line.” He leaves nothing
undone that can move the hearts of men
to willingly and understandingly accept
his offered salvation. When his work
for fallen man is ended, the great heart
of our God, full of “ an everlasting love,”
will cry out, “What could have been
done more to my vineyard, that I have
not done in it? wherefore when I looked
that it should bring forth grapes, brought
it forth wild grapes?” Isa. 5:4.
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Please turn with me to a prophecy
found in the second chapter of Daniel.
While I will give you the briefest out-
line of this and other portions of the
book of Daniel, I would recommend to
any who may wish to have a verse by
verse study of this wonderful prophetic
book, the work ““ Thoughts on Daniel and
the Revelation,” written by Uriah Smith.
The conditions were these. God had
allowed Israel, because of her sins, to
be sold to a kingdom of this world.
Again and again God had offered to
ake his people a channel through which
o carry his truth to the world, but they
ad refused. When Israel would not
send their sons and daughters to other
ations with light, God sent embassies
rom those nations to .inquire of them
oncerning the true God, of whose mir-
icles they had been told. But instead of
A THRILLING PROPHECY
CLARENCE SANTEE
cept, precept upon precept;
THEMES
Lesson Eleven
teaching them of Israel’s God, they told
of their riches and worldly glory. An
instance of this is found in Isa. 39:1, 2.
The limit of God’s forbearance was
reached, and as captives, Israel’s sons
were brought to Babylon. Among these
were four young men who were espe-
cially chosen of God to bear responsibili-
ties and make known his name. They
were of the few who had believed that
Jeremiah was a true prophet of God.
He had foretold their captivity, and now
they cheerfully accepted the situation,
and faithfully began their work. Being
earnest, honest, and conscientious young
men, they were soon singled out as ca-
pable of filling positions near to the king.
In preparation for this, as you will read
in Daniel 1:3-5, they were to have
three years of special schooling.
Immediately after the close of this pe-
riod, King’ Nebuchadnezzar was given
a dream that so impressed itself upon
him that, though he could not recall it,
he was sure it had been given him by
some divine agency. This is the rec-
ord: “In the second year of the reign
of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar
dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit
was troubled, and his sleep brake from
him. Then the king commanded to call
the magicians, and the astrologers, and
the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to
show the king his dreams. So they
came and stood before the king. And
the king said unto them, I have dreamed
a dream, and my spirit was troubled to
know the dream. Then spake the Chal-
deans to the king in Syriac, O king, live
forever; tell thy servants the dream, and
we will show the interpretation. The
king answered and said to the Chal-
deans, The thing is gone from me. If
“he fell asleep and dreamed.
517
ye will not make known unto me the
dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye
shall be cut in pieces, and your houses
shall be made a dunghill ; but if ye show
the dream, and the interpretation thereof,
ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards
and great honor ; therefore show me the
dream and the interpretation thereof.”
Dan. 2: 1-6.
The wise men failed completely. An
edict was passed that they should
be slain. Daniel and his companions,
though they had not been called in before
the king, were included in the number.
Daniel sought the king, and obtained
a delay in the execution of the sentence.
He then, with his three brethren, sought
God for a revelation of the king’s dream.
“Then was the secret revealed unto
Daniel in a night vision.” Daniel knew
that God had given him the dream, and
with confidence he went in before the
king, and there began to make known to
him the true God of Israel.
In answer to the question, “Art thou
able to make known unto me the dream
which I have seen, and the interpreta-
tion thereof ”? he answered, “ The secret
which the king hath demanded cannot
the wise men, the astrologers, the magi-
cians, the soothsayers, show unto the
king; but there is a God in heaven that
revealeth secrets, and maketh known to
the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be
in the latter days. Thy dream, and the
visions of thy head upon thy bed, are
these: As for thee, O king, thy thoughts
came into thy mind upon thy bed, what
should come to pass hereafter: and he
that revealeth secrets maketh known to
thee what shall come to pass. But as
for me, this secret is not revealed tv me
for any wisdom that I have more than
any living, but for their sakes that shall
make known the interpretation to the
king, and that thou mightest know the
thoughts of thy heart.” Daniel first
speaks of the failure of the king’s magi-
cians, and through them, in an indirect
way, and yet forcibly, the entire impo-
tence of his gods. Then he directs his
mind to the God of heaven as the true
revealer of secrets, and the only one who
could make known the things witnessed
in his dream.
Instead of dwelling alone upon the
present, the king thought upon the fu-
ture,— “ what should come to pass here-
after.” Pondering this serious question,
Listen to