“Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven” (Daniel 2:19).

The second chapter opens with the statement that in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar he “dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” Subsequently in this chapter we read that Daniel was called into the king’s presence to interpret one of his dreams. We meet with a seeming difficulty in the statement that this incident occurred in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar, for the reason that in Daniel 1:5 we read that Daniel was to be at school for three years during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, before being brought before the king. The question is, How could Daniel have interpreted the king’s dream in the second year of his reign, when he was not permitted to come into the king’s presence till he had served three years at school?

This seeming conflict is seized upon by skeptics and “Higher Critics” in an endeavor to discredit the Divine authority of the Book of Daniel. The difficulty, however, is only a seeming one. All the Scriptures having a bearing on the matter are in perfect harmony with one another and in accord also with the recorded facts of secular history.

The third year of Jehoiakim, when Daniel was taken captive and began his schooling, was the year in which Nebuchadnezzar began his suzerainty over the Jewish nation. This occurred before the death of Nebuchadnezzar’s father. In other words, Nebuchadnezzar was reigning conjointly with his father at the time Daniel was carried away into Babylon. In the account in Daniel 1:1-3, Daniel calls Nebuchadnezzar “king,” but it is doubtless partly by anticipation; Nebuchadnezzar became sole king at the death of his father, two years afterwards. He was what may be termed coregent with his father, who, because of sickness and infirmity, was unable to minister the affairs of state. He had been placed in command of the armies which he victoriously led.

“Daniel had been two years in the school of the eunuchs when Nabopolassar died; and it was two years after his death, the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s sole regency, that the things narrated in this second chapter of Daniel occurred. The second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s sole regency would then be the fourth from the time he began to share the regal administration, thus leaving no room for the difficulties and cavils which have been raised respecting the chronology of these events.”

With this brief consideration of the chronological matter, we proceed to the consideration of this most wonderful dream of dreams.

“I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream” (Daniel 2:3).

Such were the words of Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon, to his heathen councilors, over twenty-five hundred years ago. Why should he be troubled? Was he not occupying the highest position possible for man on earth? He was at this time monarch of all the world. He had spared no expense in beautifying his capital, and its grandeur and magnificence were heralded far and near. Its streets were broad and spacious, its gardens and parks were beautiful beyond description, its temples were all that art could make them, and his magnificent palace was one of the wonders of ancient times.

And not only this — he had spent immense sums in strengthening the city’s fortifications, until its defenses were deemed impregnable. It was enclosed within a wall fifteen miles square, and according to Herodotus, 325 feet high and 86 feet thick. All the kings of the ancient world bowed in submission to him, and vied with each other to do him honor. Beyond this he had been told by God’s Prophet that his dominion had been delegated to him by the great Jehovah (Jeremiah 27:5-7).

Notwithstanding all this, Nebuchadnezzar, the great monarch, was pacing up and down in his palace with a perplexed and anxious countenance. It was affecting all far and near. All the inmates of his palace and the dwellers in the city were being moved and troubled. His wise men and astrologers and soothsayers, who were employed to assist him in the management of the empire, and who professed to have supernatural vision, never before had such a difficult task set before them by the king. They had, once at least, expressed their utter inability to do the king’s bidding; and in his anger he had decreed their death unless, by their incantations, they would help him in his sore distress.

The king had retired as usual, and in the early hours of the night had dreamed a dream. So startling and strange was it to him that he immediately awoke, and for the remainder of the night “his sleep brake from him.” The dream made a powerful impression upon his mind, but it was in vain the next morning that he tried to recall it. Because his magicians were unable to help him in the matter, they were all sentenced to death; and it was this that was causing so much fear and trembling in his palace. On other occasions his magicians and astrologers had seemingly helped him in his difficulties, and naturally he sought their aid at this time; but it was in vain, for no power which they professed to have was able to recall to the king’s mind the startling transaction of his dream.

Daniel’s Opportunity

“And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain” (verse 13).

When the king’s officer came to execute the decree of the king, Daniel requested a stay of the sentence until he had time to seek his God, and discover the secret which was so agitating the king and causing so much trouble in his palace. On communication with Nebuchadnezzar the request was granted. Daniel immediately sought his three companions in captivity — a prayer meeting was held, and in answer to their united petitions, the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. As the strange vision and the remarkable revelation from God of the future burst upon his mind, Daniel blessed the God of heaven, and said:

“Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His: and He changeth the times and the seasons; He removeth kings, and setteth up kings; He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding; He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him. I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of Thee; for Thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter” (Daniel 2:20-23).

Daniel then requested of Arioch, captain of the king’s guard, that he might be brought in before the king. With great haste was this young and humble servant of Jehovah ushered into the presence of the great monarch of Babylon, where doubtless were assembled his nobles and lords. This was one of the supreme moments of Daniel’s life. It was also an hour of testing and trial — a testing of his humility and of his loyalty to his God. But he stood the test, and before that vast assembly kept himself in the background, and bore a faithful testimony to the God of his fathers.

“Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?” asked the king. Then Daniel answered, “The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets.   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 to 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 2:26-30).

Then Daniel told the king the strange and remarkable dream, which had been the cause of so much anxiety and distress of mind to him. He told him that in his dream he beheld the colossal image of a man standing upon its feet, and towering high. It had a head of pure gold; its breast and its arms were of silver; its belly and thighs were of brass; its legs were of iron; and its feet were a mixture of potter’s clay and iron. In the dream the brightness of this image seemed “excellent” to the eyes of the king, and its form was terrible. After beholding this, the attention of the king was attracted by another scene, even more strange and startling. Not far from the image was a mountain, and as his eyes rested upon it, he beheld as though a stone was in process of being cut out without hands. Suddenly, as if impelled by an unseen power, he saw this stone descend, and with terrific force it struck the image at its base (its feet), and in an instant the entire structure fell and was crushed to powder, which was carried away by the wind. He then saw the stone assume gigantic proportions, becoming a great mountain and filling the whole earth (Daniel 2:31-35, 2:35).

It is no wonder that so startling a dream as this would trouble the mind of the king, and cause him to have no rest until it was recalled to his memory. The greatest wonder is that he should forget it. This was evidently according to a Divine intent also, and was designed to be more convincing to the king and his court, and all concerned, that it was a revelation from God, when afterwards it was supernaturally made known to the young servant of Jehovah. And now the fact that God had revealed the dream prepared the mind of the king to have confidence in the interpretation given by the same young prophet of God. Daniel had already told the king that by the dream the God of heaven desired to make known “what should come to pass hereafter,” and “what should be in the latter days”; hence, he was prepared to understand that in some mysterious way the dream was a symbol of future events.

Daniel next proceeded to unfold the significance of the dream (Daniel 2:35- 45). He told the king that the great colossal image represented the period of man’s dominion in the world from the time of the dream to the time when that dominion should be taken away and God Himself should set up a kingdom, which would be universal and eternal. The four different parts of the image — gold, silver, brass, and iron — were descriptive of the four universal kingdoms, each succeeding the other, and covering a larger part of this period. The feet and toes of iron and clay mixture indicated that the fourth empire, after bearing rule for a while, would be divided.

Daniel explained a particular feature of the closing period — a feature represented by this divided rule of the fourth kingdom — stating that strenuous efforts would be made from time to time to unite these lesser kingdoms into one again, but that these efforts would fail, because, like the potter’s clay and iron of the image, they would not weld together. This is contained in the words: “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” There are two interpretations of this statement. One is that “the clay element blended with the iron in the feet represents the mixture of church and state.” The other is that reference is had to the efforts put forth by the ruling families of these kingdoms to unite them by intermarriage. We believe the former view the more reasonable one.

The king was then informed that his empire was described by the head of gold; that it was destined to be overthrown and to he succeeded by a second — the breast and arms of silver; that this was to be followed by a third — the brass of the image; and that this latter was to be succeeded by a fourth — the iron legs; and finally, that the fourth was to be broken up into lesser, weaker kingdoms — the feet and toes of iron and clay.

Over twenty-five centuries have passed since Daniel stood before the great heathen king of Babylon and explained this inspired dream. What have historians recorded concerning this eventful period? We answer, With one united voice they inform us that the first twelve hundred years of this period witnessed the rise and fall of the four universal empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome; and that the last half of the twenty-five hundred years has witnessed the divided rule of Rome. To this there is not a single dissenting voice.

Who but God could have seen and made this wonderful forecast of the future? Who but God could have pictured its main outlines in so simple and clear a manner — so simple that a child can take it in, and yet so comprehensive in its unfolding that it fills the reverent mind with wonder and awe! It is indeed the very backbone of twenty-five hundred years of history; and it is the magic key that unlocks all prophecy covering this period. The details concerning the manner of the rise, the progress, and the overthrow of these vast empires, together with the divided fourth, are filled in by other prophecies, and form the subject matter of volumes in their exposition.

The Kingdom of the Stone

One of the most important features of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and doubtless that which more than anything else startled the king, was the mysterious stone, which, in its sudden and quick descent, crushed the image to powder. In explaining the meaning of this to the king, Daniel said:

“In the days of those kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44, Revised Version).

As the kingdoms symbolized by the feet and toes of the image are still ruling, the smiting by the stone has not yet taken place. This part of the vision is yet future. And as there are different views held by expositors concerning what is to follow this present order of things, it is not to be wondered at that there would be different interpretations given in respect to the smiting of the image. One class of expositors has explained this transaction as referring to a final Judgment Day, when the earth will be destroyed and utterly depopulated. These same expositors have explained the stone’s becoming a mountain and filling the whole earth as representing the return of the resurrected saints of all ages to the earth after its destruction and renewal. This view cannot be the right one, as it discards altogether the one thousand year reign of Christ and his glorified saints over the nations, and puts the final executive judgment at the close of this Age, instead of as is indicated in Revelation 20, at the close of the next Age.

It should be kept in mind that verses 44 and 45 furnish all the explanation of the purpose of the stone that is given by the inspired Daniel. And it is certain that there is not a thing in this inspired explanation which would cause us (unless biased by such a view as referred to above) to get the impression that the setting up of this kingdom would result in the destruction and utter depopulation of the earth. To illustrate: if the statement were made that a war between France and Germany would result in the utter destruction or consumption of Germany as a republic, and the establishment of French authority over the German territory, we would not understand that statement to mean that all the inhabitants of Germany and her colonies would be annihilated or killed. This is precisely the language used by the Prophet when picturing the result of the smiting by this “stone”; “It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

The obvious meaning then of these words is that after the judgment of the nations is over, what is left of human affairs will be under the rulership of God, in the person of Jesus Christ and his glorified saints (Daniel 7:18,27, 1 Corinthians 6:2, Revelation 3:21, Revelation 20:4,6).

But what constitutes this supernatural “stone”? We answer, As there are two aspects of this Millennial phase of the Kingdom of God, namely an earthly and a heavenly, this “stone” must apply to both these aspects. Its heavenly aspect must refer to the glorified Christ — Head and Body. Christ is spoken of as “a stone of stumbling” to his own nation, and also to the world that rejects him (Isaiah 8:14, 1 Peter 2:8). In Ephesians 2:20, He is called the “chief corner stone” to his Church. Again in Matthew 21:42,44, He is likened to a descending stone, crushing all his enemies who stand opposed to his rule when he shall come the second time:

“Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? … Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

In these Scriptures we have brought to view the “stone” in three positions:

(1) On the ground — representing Christ in his humiliation, rejected by his own nation and by the world.

(2) In the air — representing Christ ascended to heaven. That portion of the vision referring to Christ, the chief corner stone, being “cut out of the mountain,” has had its fulfillment. But Christ’s people also form a part of the heavenly aspect of this supernatural “stone.” They are called by Peter “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5). This part of the “stone” structure has been in process of being cut out during the entire Gospel Age. Like that of their Lord, their birth will be a supernatural one (born again) “cut out without hands,” and at Christ’s Advent all of these “living stones” will be caught up to meet him in the air, and then the heavenly aspect of the “stone cut out of the mountain” will be completed.

(3) Descending — representing Christ coming from heaven with the mighty army of his glorified saints, to put down all rule and authority and power, to overthrow his enemies, to save his people Israel from their foes, and to assume the scepter of universal dominion and establish the Kingdom of God over earth’s peoples.

Thus far we have touched upon “the cutting out of the stone” and its “becoming a great mountain” from the heavenly phase. We have seen that this has had to do altogether with the spiritual rulers of the Millennial Kingdom. But there is an earthly phase, which has to do with the nations of earth, who, while some of their peoples will assist in administering the government, will nevertheless, constitute the subjects of this heavenly Kingdom.

In regard to this aspect of the Kingdom, all the Prophets are united in their testimony, that among the earthly nations, twelve-tribed Israel as one nation will be the head. One prophecy that is a sample of many that declare this, is found in Ezekiel 37:22: “I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.” From very many prophecies we learn that the Jewish peoples in quite large numbers will be found in Palestine enduring great trouble and affliction at the time the governments in general over the earth are falling. However, the same prophe- cies inform us that they will be the first to take notice or understand what really has occurred (Jeremiah 30:1-11, Zechariah 12:6-14).

One of the stupendous occurrences that will open the blinded eyes of the Israelites in Palestine will be the resurrection of the Old Testament Worthies. The resurrection of this class is called a “better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35).

“The ‘better resurrection’ which these Ancient Worthies will receive, superior to that of their fellow-creatures, will consist in its being an instantaneous resurrection to human perfection, at the beginning of the Millennial Age, instead of a gradual resurrection ‘by judgments’ during that Age. This will permit them to be the honored servants of the Christ, the servants of the Kingdom, during the Millennium, and, as perfect men, to be made ‘princes [chiefs] in all the earth’ (Psalms 45:16). It will be the privilege of these Worthies to administer the laws of the Kingdom, as the agents and representatives of the spiritual Christ, unseen of men. Their blessing, therefore, above their fellows, will be twofold: first, in that their trial is in the past, and that their reward of perfection will be instantaneous, giving them, by reason of this, nearly a thousand years of advantage over others; and second, because, under the Lord’s providence, this will permit them to participate in the great work of restitution and blessing as the earthly phase of the Kingdom, the human agents, or channels, through whom the Christ will largely operate “The anastasis of the world in general will be dependent, in the case of each individual, upon his own progress on the ‘highway’ of holiness. [“And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness, the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those; the wayfaring men though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there; nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, nor be found there; but they that walk there shall be delivered” (Isaiah 35:8,9).] As the Master explained, ‘All that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and shall come forth.’ But the coming forth is merely the awakening in the case of those whose judgment or trial, shall not have been previously passed successfully; and as only the overcomers of this Gospel Age will come forth to the First Resurrection, and the overcomers of the past ages to a better resurrection on the human plane, the remainder of the world will come forth, as the Lord has declared, to a resurrection by judgment (John 5:29).

From Out of the Tomb

“In John 5:25, our Lord indicates how the passing from death to life is to be accomplished, saying, ‘The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.’ Bearing in mind that the whole world is dead from the Divine standpoint, we see that the Apostles and the early Church were called out of this dead world, and as members of it were granted the opportunity of hearing the Message of life from the Son of God. In proportion as they gave heed they came into closer and closer vital relationship with the Life-Giver: and so all who have become one with him from that day to the present have heard (obeyed) his voice, his message, and proportionally have come into his favor and will share his rewards. Similar will be the procedure of the coming Age: ‘The knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth,’ and ‘There shall be no need to say to one’s neighbor, Know thou the Lord, for all shall know Him, from the least unto the greatest.’ ‘All that are in the graves shall come forth,’ shall be awakened that they may ‘hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear [obey] shall live.’

“As with the Gospel Church of the present time, the hearing of the voice of the Son of God is a gradual matter, line upon line, precept upon precept, so it will be with the world during the Millennial Age. The obedient will gradually come to clearer and clearer appreciation of the lengths and breadths and heights and depths of Divine love and justice and provision. But those who will obey that great Teacher’s commands will not then receive persecutions and oppositions, as do those who seek to follow his word now, for then Satan will be bound, and the laws of the Kingdom will be in force, and those who are in accord with righteousness will be blessed and uplifted, and those who would fight against the Kingdom and oppose its rule in any particular will, after reasonable trial, be esteemed despisers of the grace of God, and will be cut off from amongst the people (Acts 3:23, Isaiah 65:20). “We see, then, that the declaration of our Lord of a general awakening of the dead signifies a great blessing, the fruit of his redemptive work.”

The work of reconstruction, preparing the way for humanity’s blessing, will begin in Israel’s land. The resurrected Old Testament Worthies, as perfect men, will be the ones to fully understand the situation and to superintend the work of organizing the government in Palestine. Those few of the peoples of the other nations left (Isaiah 24:6), who will be scattered over the earth, will begin to recognize the Divine authority of this government as the instructors, the teachers of mankind, and in the language of the Prophet will say:

“Come, and let us go up to the mountain [Kingdom] of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:1-4).

“When Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the Ancient Worthies have been resurrected, and shall appear amongst the regathered Israelites, about the close of the time of Jacob’s final trouble (Isaiah 29:22-24) with Gog and Magog, their superior mental powers will speedily distinguish them from others. Moreover, their perfect minds will quickly grasp present-day knowledge and inventions; and they will be peculiar in many ways, as was the man Christ Jesus, of whom the people said, How knoweth this man literary matters, having never learned (John 7:15). And as Jesus taught the people positively, definitely, clearly, and not doubtfully and in a confused way, as did the scribes, so it will be with the perfected Ancient Worthies, when they appear amongst men. Besides, these Worthies, ‘princes,’ will have direct communion with the spiritual Kingdom (Christ and the Church) as our Lord had with the angels, and as Adam enjoyed similar personal communion before he came under Divine sentence as a transgressor. These ‘princes’ of the new earth (the new order of society) will be fully qualified for the honorable position assigned to them.

“Thus we see that when God’s time for the inauguration of His Kingdom among men shall arrive, His agents will all be amply ready for the service; and their master-strokes of wise policy, their moderation and dignified self-control, and their personal exemplification of every grace and virtue will attract men and quickly enlist them — chastened under the great tribulation — in active cooperation. Even before the disclosure of their identity, doubtless the people of Israel will have remarked their preeminence over other men.

“Furthermore, let us remember that the very design of the great time of trouble, now nearing a culmination, is to break the stony hearts of the whole world, to bow down into the dust the proud, and break up the fallow ground with deep furrows of pain, trouble, sorrow, thus to make the world ready for the great blessings of the Millennial Kingdom. And it will serve its intended purpose: as the Prophet declares, ‘When Thy judgments [Lord] are [abroad] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness’ (Isaiah 26:9). By that time all will have learned that selfish schemes and all schemes that can be devised and carried out by fallen men are defective, and lead only to various degrees of trouble and confusion. And all will by that time be longing for, but despairing of, a reign of righteousness — little realizing how near at hand it is” (C. T. Russell).

We are told that at the conclusion of Daniel’s explanation of this most remark- able dream “the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him.” While we are not directly told that Daniel refused such idolatrous homage, yet the words of Nebuchadnezzar that follow seem to show that he did do so. He had in fact already expressed his views on this very point, before the great monarch (verse 28). The king’s words at the close of Daniel’s explanation are: “Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret” (verse 47).

Concerning Nebuchadnezzar’s attitude as recorded in verses 46 and 47, and the extent of his conversion to the God of heaven, the following from the pen of Albert Barnes is most worthy of the consideration of every true Christian:

“We have in this chapter an instructive instance of the extent to which an irreligious man may go in showing respect for God. It cannot be supposed that Nebuchadnezzar was a truly pious man. His characteristics and actions, both before and after this, were those of a heathen, and there is no evidence that he was truly converted to God. Yet he evinced the highest respect for one who was a servant and prophet of the Most High (verse. 46), and even for God Himself (verse 47). This was evinced in a still more remarkable manner at a subsequent period, Chapter Four. In this he showed how far it is possible for one to go who has no real piety, and as such cases are not uncommon, it may not be improper to consider them for a moment. This respect for God extends to the following things: (1) An admiration of Him, as great, and wise, and powerful. The evidences of His power and wisdom are traced in His works. The mind may be impressed with that which is wise, or overpowered with that which is vast, without there being any real religion, and all this admiration may terminate on God, and be expressed in language of respect for Him, or for His ministers. (2) This admiration of God may be extended to whatever is beautiful in religion. The beauty of the works of nature, of the sky, of a landscape, of the ocean, of the setting sun, of the changing clouds, of the flowers of the field, may lead the thoughts up to God, and produce a certain admiration of a Being who has clothed the world with so much loveliness. There is a religion of sentiment as well as of principle; a religion that terminates on the beautiful, as well as a religion that terminates on the holy. The Greeks, natural admirers of beauty, carried this kind of religion to the highest possible degree; for their religion was, in all its forms, characterized by the love of the beautiful. So also there is much that is beautiful in Christianity, as well as in the works of God and it is possible to be charmed with that without ever having felt any compunction for sin, or any love for pure religion itself. It is possible for one who has a natural admiration for that which is lovely in character, to see a high degree of moral beauty in the character of the Redeemer; for one whose heart is easily moved by sympathy to be affected in view of the sufferings of the injured Savior. The same eyes that would weep over a well- told tale, or over a tragic representation on the stage, or over a scene of real distress, might weep over the wrongs and woes of him who was crucified, and yet there might be nothing more than the religion of sentiment — the religion springing from mere natural feeling. (3) There is much poetic religion in the world. It is possible for the imagination to form such a view of the Divine character that it shall seem to be lovely, while perhaps there may be scarcely a feature of that character that shall be correct. Not a little of the religion of the world is of this description — where such a God is conceived of as the mind chooses, and the affections are fixed on that imaginary being, while there is not a particle of love to the true God in the soul. So there is a poetic view of man, of his character, of his destiny, while the real character of the heart has never been seen. So there is a poetic view of heaven — strongly resembling the views which the ancients had of the Elysian fields. But heaven as a place of holiness, has never been thought of, and would not be loved. Men look forward to a place where the refined and the intelligent; the amiable and the lovely; the accomplished and the upright; where poets, orators, warriors, and philosophers will be assembled together. This is the kind of religion which is often manifested in eulogies, and epitaphs, and in conversation, where those who never had any better religion, and never pretended to any serious piety, are represented as having gone to heaven when they die. There are few who under the influence of such a religion are not looking forward to some kind of a heaven; and few persons die, whatever may be their character, unless they are openly and grossly abandoned, for whom the hope is not expressed that they have gone safe to a better world. If we may credit epitaphs and obituary notices, and funeral eulogiums, and biographies, there are few poets, warriors, statesmen, or philosophers, about whose happiness in the future world we should have any apprehension.

“But in all this there may be no real religion. There is no evidence that there was any in the case of Nebuchadnezzar, and as little is there in the instances now referred to. Such persons may have a kind of reverence for God as great, and powerful, and wise; they may have even a kind of pleasure in looking on the evidence of His existence and perfections in His works; they may have a glow of pleasurable emotion in the mere poetry of religion; they may be restrained from doing many things by their consciences; they may erect temples, and build altars, and contribute to the support of religion, and even be zealous for religion, as they understand it, and still have no just views of God, and no true piety whatever.

“The mind that is truly religious is not insensible to all this, and may have as exalted notions of God as a great and glorious being, and be as much impressed with the beauty evinced in His works as in the cases supposed. True religion does not destroy the sense of the sublime and beautiful, but rather cultivates this in a higher degree. But there is much besides this that enters into true religion, and without which all these things are vain. True religion always arises from just views of God as He is; not from Him as an imaginary being. True religion must regard God as having moral attributes; as benevolent, and just, and true, and holy, and not merely as powerful and great. In all these things referred to, there is necessarily no moral excellence on the part of those who thus admire God and His works. The mere admiration of power implies in us no moral excellence. The admiration of the wisdom which made the worlds and keeps them in their place; of the beauties of poetry, or of a flower, or landscape, though made by God, implies no moral excellence in us, and therefore, no true religion. There is no more religion in admiring God as an architect or painter than there is in admiring Sir Christopher Wren, or Michael Angelo; and the mere admiration of the works of God as such, implies no more moral excellency in us than it does to admire St. Paul’s or St. Peter’s [Cathedral]. In religion, the heart does not merely admire the beautiful and the grand; it loves that which is pure, and just, and good, and holy. It delights in God as a holy being rather than as a powerful being; it finds pleasure in His moral character, and not merely in His greatness.”

The Majesty and Mercy of God

Oh, worship the King all glorious above;
Oh, gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

Oh, tell of His might, oh, sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space;
His chariots of wrath deep thunder-clouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light,
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail:
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

O measureless Might, ineffable Love,
While angels delight to hymn Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall lisp to Thy praise.