through debauchery and there succeeded him four great generals who had served under him, Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucius and Ptolemy. They divided the kingdom of Greece into Syria, Egypt, Macedonia and Asia Minor. Jesus once said, "Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not what hour the son of man cometh." No doubt the men of Daniel's time thought it an incredible thing that Babylon, the impregnable, should ever be overthrown, but overthrown it was. History is lost on most of us. If we were wise possessing perspective, the study of prophecy and its interpretation would save us from the error of trying to find heaven in earthly things.

A lady sat at her window one bright, balmy spring morning. The sun was out without a cloud, the blooming flowers were sending forth their fragrance to perfume and bless the earth, and the birds sang their songs of gladness as they went forth to their daily toil. Soon the lady saw that a little worker had chosen a rose-bush for its home and was very busy bringing in sticks and hair and feathers and other material to make its house.

"Ah, you pretty little creature," said the lady, "you are building too low. Soon the destroyer will come and break up your sweet home."

And so it was. The days passed by; the nest was finished, and then there were eggs in the nest, and then four great big mouths were open whenever the low chirp of the mother announced that she had something for them to eat.

One day the lady sat by the window sewing. Suddenly she heard the cry of the birds, in the deepest distress, and she looked out to see what was the matter. There was a great snake that had crawled up and was devouring the helpless little ones, while just above them the poor heart-broken mother fluttered about in the wildest distraction. But it was too late; her children were gone, and her home was left desolate, a sad reminder of her folly in building so near the ground.

Let us see to it that we do not build too low. If our plans are to outlive the stress of time they will have to be built about the throne of God and in the light of the perspective of eternity.

(b) PERSISTENCE. 8:9-14.

9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.

10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

12 And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.

13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Out of one of the four divisions of Alexander's empire, Daniel beheld a little horn coming. It came down upon the pleasant land and set up idol worship destroying the services held in the Temple at Jerusalem. How incredible it must have seemed to the rulers of the Jews that such a thing could occur in Jerusalem and to the chosen people of God. Yet this is exactly what happened. Antiochus Epiphanes, the madman, reigned over Syria, B C. 168164. He was the eighth in order of the twenty-six kings that ruled that territory. He it is whom this little horn represents. He came against the Holy Land and the Book of Maccabees gives us the record of his terrible persecutions. He honored nothing. Taking a sow he offered it on the altar of Burnt Offerings, sprinkling the broth thereof everywhere

over the Temple. He introduced the feast of Baccus which was celebrated in place of the feast of Tabernacles. He murdered the high priest and sold the office to the highest bidder. The vessels of the Temple were sold at Tyre by the successful bidder as a reimbursement for the price he had paid for the high-priesthood. The worship of Jupiter Olympus was instituted throughout the Holy Land. The Jew is the miracle of history. Two things stand out in his life as well as in ours. First there is the persistence of sin. Repeatedly God has been compelled to chastise and banish him. In the second place there is the persistence of divine love. In spite of his sin God still loves the Jew and though he has been banished to the four corners of the earth by such rulers as Antiochus Epiphanes, Titus and others, yet one day God will bring him home. O the riches of divine grace! How longingly the heart of God beats in love for the sinner and to what length will not God go to seek and to save the lost.

all.

"What dirty, dreadful, disgusting stuff," exclaims a man regarding that peculiarly unpleasant compound, the mud of London streets. "Hold, my friend," says Ruskin. "Not so dreadful after What are the elements of this mud? First there is sand, but when its particles are crystalized according to the law of its nature, what is nicer than clean white sand? And with that which enters into it according to a still higher law, we have the matchless opal. What else have we in this mud? Clay. And the materials of clay, when the particles are arranged according to their higher laws, make the brilliant sapphire. What other ingredients enter into the London mud? Soot. And soot in its crystallized perfection forms the diamond. There is but one other-water. And water when distilled according to the higher law of its nature, forms the dewdrop resting in exquisite perfection in the heart of the rose." So in the muddy, lost soul of man is hidden the image of his Creator, and God will do His best to find His opals, His sapphires, His diamonds and dewdrops.

(c) PERPLEXITY. 8:15-27.

15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.

16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.

17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me. Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.

19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.

20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

23 And in the latter time of their king. dom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. 27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.

There is a double meaning to the vision contained in this chapter. Daniel is in perplexity. It is not

quite clear to him what is meant by the phrase, "The last end of Indignation.' In the form of a man the angel Gabriel comes in order to clear up the mystery. The prophet learns that one is coming in the last days who will war even with greater bitterness than did Antiochus Epiphanes. In the time of the great tribulation, persecution will fall upon the Jews, beside which the persecutions of other days will pale into insignificance. We must not confuse this horn of the eighth chapter with that of the seventh. This is another presumer more fierce and more terrible still than the one who will become the head of the revived Roman Confederacy. It is interesting to note that we read that none understood the vision. This does not mean that Daniel was without knowledge of its meaning. The declaration refers to those without. What Daniel had seen and what had been made plain by the angel was utterly incredible to the men and women of the prophet's day. We read, "And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.' This is to be our attitude.

It was during the famous Indian mutiny, that General Havelock was sent to the relief of Cawnpore. He made forced marches, and his troops were tired and hungry and footsore. One night they halted near Cawnpore, and, in their extreme weariness, they threw themselves down on the wet ground, in the rain, without food, to sleep. Soon the scouts, that had been sent out, brought back the word that, in Cawnpore, the women and children were being massacred, and the men were starving. Then, it is said, the old general aroused his men and said to them, "Men, we have had a hard struggle in these forced marches; you are tired and hungry and footsore and sick; but men, in it all have I borne my part?" And they answered, "Yes, general; more than your part.' Then he said, "Men, yonder in Cawnpore the women and children are being murdered, and the men are starving; all