ACCESSION OF DARIUS.

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TEKEL, UPHARSIN," warned him that the hour of mercy was departing, and that of judgment at hand. The king heard his doom, but we do not hear of any call for mercy in that awful crisis, though he acknowledged the truth of Daniel's words, by causing him to receive the promised reward. And "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain."

This is all that we read in the Bible respecting the death of Belshazzar, and we know it must be true; but Xenophon has added, what is not in Scripture, that Babylon was in that night taken by Cyrus, and most writers have followed his statements. But the connecting that circumstance with the death of Belshazzar or not, is a question which rests only on the conflicting authorities of some general historians; it is no where stated in Scripture. Hales has fully shown the ground upon which the account of other historians is to be preferred to that of Xenophon. It appears this event took place when no hostile army besieged Babylon, but when the thousand lords might freely resort thither from their governments to the feast given by their monarch. In the conclusion of

the scene of impious revelry, after the solemn warning just described, the king fell by the hand of conspirators; perhaps headed by the injured nobles Gobryas and Gadates, said by Xenophon to have avenged themselves upon Belshazzar. "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain."

The history of Xenophon, though containing several historical facts, is in many respects a personal and romantic account of Cyrus; written also as a developement of the philosophical views of the author, rather than as the history of a kingdom for a period of time, and it is in several respects contradicted by the earlier historians. From their accounts, it appears that Belshazzar was succeeded by his son Laborosarchod, a child, who died or was slain nine months afterwards. The family of Nebuchadnezzar being thus extinct, the Chaldean or Babylonian dynasty was at an

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ACCESSION OF DARIUS.

end and then, to use the words of Scripture," Darius the Mede took" (or as the word may be rendered, accepted) "the kingdom," to which he was called by the nobles, with the general consent of the people.*

Darius or Cyaxeres, the uncle of Cyrus, was brother to the queen mother, Nicotris, whose wisdom and influence have already been noticed; the support of Daniel, and of the most powerful princes of the empire, who alone could intermeddle with the succession, would be secured in his favour.

The following brief summary gives the accounts usually adopted, relative to the death of Belshazzar and the taking of Babylon, in contrast with that preferred by Hales, from Berosus, Ptolemy, and others.

DARIUS-DANIEL PERSECUTED-HIS PRAYER AND THE ANSWER-ACCESSION OF CYRUS.

THE accession of Darius the Mede to the throne of Babylon, took place в.c. 553; the common history respecting this event is fully confirmed by Scripture. He immediately placed Daniel at the head of his government, which excited the envy of the princes. They wickedly conspired, but could find no error or fault in him. Of what other earthly ruler could this be said with

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truth? The reason is stated, "he was faithful : firmly relied upon his God, and acted uprightly according to the Divine word, and in the strength of the Lord. They could find no occasion against Daniel, except concerning the law of his God. To compass their design, they flattered the king, inducing him to assume to himself the place or office of the Most High, and to allow no prayer to be offered for thirty days, excepting to himself. Infatuated must the monarch have been, when he was induced to listen to such an application!

Daniel shrunk not from his duty; he was found guilty of praying to the Most High: the absurd rule, that no decree of a Median or Persian monarch, however wrong or unfounded, could be departed from, was urged. The king sought to escape from the snare, but found no way to do so. Daniel was cast into the den of lions, but the king believed he would be Divinely protected from them, and therefore took the precaution of sealing the stone which covered the den with his own signet, that no other attempts on the life of Daniel should be made by the unprincipled, cruel enemies of the prophet.

The letter of the law being complied with, the king, after a sleepless night, hastened to the den. No manner of hurt was found upon Daniel, because he believed in his God. Darius now resolved to deliver himself from the pernicious counsellors who had misled him; they were cast into the den of lions; when it was clearly seen that no human means had been used to shut the mouths of the furious beasts. The lions had instant mastery over these vile presidents and princes; the furious beasts broke all their bones in pieces before they reached the bottom of the den. The anxiety of Darius for his faithful counsellor is shown by the narrative. The conviction forced upon his mind by the event, and the miraculous deliverance of the prophet, were placed upon public record by king Darius in the remarkable decree, which we read in

INTO THE DEN OF LIONS.

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Daniel vi. 25-27, and which was circulated throughout this vast empire.

Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

This narrative conveys much instruction to later ages. How clearly the folly and wickedness of all persecuting enactments concerning matters of religion are shown; and let all who seek to keep others from prayer, or who disbelieve its efficacy, see with whom they must be ranked, and learn to fear and to repent. No human laws can take away the duty, or deprive us of the privilege, of communing with our God in prayer. Let us also learn, that we must not shrink from that outward avowal of our faith, which our stations and situations in life may call us to make. Again, observe, that the most exalted are bound publicly to serve the Lord, and to cast themselves before the throne of grace as humble suppliants. Daniel knew better than to risk his soul for the sake of preserving his life, at most for a few short years, and for the still greater uncertainty of earthly honours. There may, indeed, sometimes be seen needless scrupulosity, and obstinate contending for what are trifles; but there is a wide difference between this, and the neglect or disavowal of our Lord and Master, with the proneness we so often see, to conform to evil practices through the fear of man. May we be kept from indifference, as well as from error on these all important subjects.

Let each in stedfast humbleness

Kneel on to Him, who loves to bless

The prayer that waits for Him; and trembling strive To keep the lingering flame in their own breasts alive.