This Mornings Meditation

Among this company were four bright-eyed, handsome youths who seemed to be more thoughtful than their friends. These boys were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and they had come from Jerusalem with the first captives whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Judah.

They have been princes in Judah during the rule of King Jehoiakim, and they served the God of Israel.

King Nebuchadnezzar had commanded his chief officer of the palace to choose this company of young boys and to teach them the learning of the Chaldeans. He wished to have them well trained, that when they should become grown men they might be able to help rule the great kingdom of Babylon.

And he had appointed his servants to carry choice food from his own table to set before them every day, that they might eat of it and grow into sturdy manhood.

Now, Daniel and his three friends wished to keep the law that God gave to the people of Israel; and that law forbade them to eat of certain kinds of food. But the heathen nations, like the Chaldeans, had no regard for that law, and they prepared food that the Jews called unclean.

They also cooked their food in certain ways that the law of Moses condemned. Daniel and his three friends knew about these differences between the Chaldeans and their own people. And they decided to refuse the King's food, lest it should be the kind of food that Moses in his book had forbidden the Israelites to eat.

God knew about the desire of Daniel and his friends. And God caused the chief officer of the King's palace to love these young boys. When the food was brought before them from the King's table, Daniel stood up and bravely told the officer about his desire not to eat of that food, lest he should be breaking the law of his God.

He also pleaded for his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, that they, too, might be allowed to refuse the King's food.

At first the officer was afraid that the King might be displeased if the boys refused to eat food from his table.

He said, "When you appear before Nebuchadnezzar and he sees, that you are not looking so well and strong as the other young boys, then he will think that I have not cared for you as I should have done. And he will kill me."

But Daniel said, "Try us for ten days with the kind of food we desire to eat, and then see if we do not look as well fed as the other young men."

Because the officer loved these boys he agreed to do as Daniel had asked. And for ten days he fed them vegetable food and bread instead of the meats and wine from the King's table.

At the end of the ten days the officer saw that Daniel and his friends were even healthier-looking than their companions. So he continued to give them the food that they desired. And God blessed these boys with much wisdom, so that they quickly learned the language and the wisdom of the Chaldeans.

When three years had passed the King requested that the young boys should be brought before him. He examined them with hard questions, and he saw that Daniel and his three friends were wiser by ten times than were any of the wisest men in all his kingdom.

When he awoke from the dream he could not go to sleep again. And the dream troubled him greatly. He believed that surely that dream must have a deep meaning, and he decided to call the wise men in his kingdom and have them explain the meaning to him.

Morning came at last, and Nebuchadnezzar arose from his bed. But now he could no longer recall his dream. This fact troubled him, too, for he knew the dream had been strange and he believed it had a deep meaning.

He sent at once for the wise men who had often stood before him, and when they came he told them about his troubled thoughts regarding the strange dream which he could no longer remember. He asked them to tell the dream and the meaning of it.

The wise men were puzzled at this request from their King. They thought he was being unreasonable, for they did not know what he had dreamed about. So they asked him to tell the dream first, and then they would tell the meaning.

"I have forgotten the dream," replied the King, impatiently, "and if you are as wise as you claim to be you can tell me what it was. Then you can tell its meaning."

When the wise men insisted that no human being could do such a thing as tell what some one else had dreamed and forgotten, the King became very angry with them.

He said, "Unless you tell this dream and its meaning you shall all be killed."

Even this cruel threat could not enable the wise men to know the dream, so they turned away from his presence in great fear.

Nebuchadnezzar then called the captain of his guard and commanded him to kill all the wise men in Babylon. So Arioch, the captain, took his sword and prepared himself to do the terrible deed.

When he came to Daniel's house he found that the brave young man and his three friends had heard nothing about the the King's command. They had not appeared with the other wise men before Nebuchadnezzar.

When Daniel heard what had happened he begged the captain to delay the cruel work until he might first speak with the King. Then he hurried to the palace and went boldly in to tell Nebuchadnezzar that he would find out the dream and its interpretation if only a little time were given him to prepare. And Nebuchadnezzar granted him a little time.

Daniel knew that no living person could be wise enough in himself to do what the King had required; but Daniel knew also that secret things are known by the great God of all the earth, whom he and his three friends were serving.

So the four young men prayed very earnestly that God would cause Daniel to know his dream, and that night God showed Daniel in a vision what the dream had been and what it meant.

Now Daniel was very thankful to God. He knelt down and prayed a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving.

Then he went quickly to Arioch, the captain of the King's guard, and said, "Do not destroy the wise men, but bring me in to speak with the King; for I can tell the interpretation of his dream."

Arioch was glad, and he took Daniel and brought him to the palace. Then he told the King that he had found a man among the captives from Judah who could make known the strange dream and its meaning.

Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the power to make know his dream was given by the great God in heaven, for no wise man of earth could know such secret and reveal them.

Then he said: "O King, when you lay down to sleep on your bed you wondered what should come to pass in future years. Then you fell asleep, and in your dream God showed you what would happen hereafter. And this was your dream: You saw a great image, exceedingly bright, standing before you. The head of this image was of gold, the breast and arms were of silver, and the waist and hips were of brass, the legs were of iron, and the feet were part of iron and part of clay.

Then you saw a stone that was cut without hands roll toward this great image and strike the feet of it. And the stone broke the feet, and the whole image fell to the ground in broken pieces, and it became like dust, which the wind can blow away. Then while you looked in wonder, the stone grew until it became a great mountain, which filled the whole earth."

Nebuchadnezzar listened eagerly to the young man's words. Then Daniel continued:

"Now I will tell you what this dream means, for God intends to teach you something by it. This great image represents four great kingdoms of earth. Your kingdom is the first, and the head of gold represents this kingdom.

After you there will come another king not so great, and he is like the breast and arms of silver. The third kingdom is shown in the dream by the parts of brass, and the fourth by the iron legs and the feet. This fourth kingdom will be very strong at first, but afterwards it will become weaker; for the iron in the feet was mixed with clay.

"In the days of these kings," said Daniel, "God will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom is represented in your dream by that stone cut out without hands, which smote the great image till it fell.

God's kingdom will increase until it fills the whole earth, and it will break in pieces every other kingdom. This, O King, was your dream, and this is the meaning of it."

Nebuchadnezzar was astonished at the wisdom of this young Jew. He believed that Daniel was a wonderful person, like a god, and he fell on the floor before Daniel to worship him.

But Daniel had told him that the God in heaven had made known the dream and the meaning to him, so Nebuchadnezzar said, "Of a truth, your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets."

Then Nebuchadnezzar gave many great gifts to Daniel, and made him the ruler of all the province of Babylon, and the chief of all the wise men in his kingdom. He did not allow his captain to destroy the wise men, after Daniel had revealed the meaning of his dream.

Then Nebuchadnezzar decided to make a god and compel the people of every country to worship that god. So he built a great image, ninety feet high, and covered it with gold. This image he set up on the plain of Dura, which was near Babylon. There it could be seen at a great distance.

After the image had been set up, the King sent a command to the princes and rulers and officers in every nation, that they should come to the great gathering on the plain of Dura. And they dared not disobey. When they came together, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel's three friends, were among them. For some reason Daniel himself was not there.

King Nebuchadnezzar was pleased to see such a vast company of men assembled on the plain before the image.

He wished to have every one of them bow down and worship the god that he had made, so he caused one of his servants to cry out in a loud voice and say: "O people, nations, and languages, to you it is commanded that when the sound of music is heard you must fall down upon your knees before this great image of gold, which the King has set up. But if you refuse to fall down and worship the image, then you shall be thrown into a furnace of fire."

Soon afterwards the music began to play, and the people feel down on their knees, trembling in fear of the great King who had given such a stern command. All the people except three men bowed with their faces to the ground. These three stood up boldly, and would not kneel at all. They were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Because Nebuchadnezzar had given these young men positions of honor in the kingdom, some of the Chaldeans were jealous of them.

And now these jealous Chaldeans watched to see if Daniel's friends would kneel before the image. When they saw the young men standing bravely alone among all the kneeling princes and nobles, they hurried to tell Nebuchadnezzar.

And Nebuchadnezzar was surprised to hear that these men had dared to disobey his command. He knew they were good rulers, and he did not wish to destroy them in the furnace of fire. He thought perhaps they might have misunderstood, so he sent for them at once, and told them that he would give them another chance to obey.

But they bravely answered: "O King, we will not accept another chance. We will not bow before your image, for we will not worship any god except the one true God. And our God is so great that he can deliver us from the fiery furnace that you have prepared. But even if he will not deliver us from any such a death, we will not worship any other god."

Nebuchadnezzar could not understand why these Jews should refuse to worship the image, and he was very angry indeed. He believed these young men were too stubborn to obey him, and he no longer wished to spare their lives from the cruel furnace.

He commanded his servants to throw more fuel into the fire and make it seven times hotter than it had been before. Then he called the mightiest men of his army and gave them orders to bind stout cords around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and throw them like pieces of wood into the fire.

But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not afraid. They stood quietly while the mighty men wound the cords tightly around their bodies, and they did not cry out when the men picked them up and threw them into the furnace. But the flames leaped out of the furnace door and killed the mighty soldiers who carried them to the place of burning.

Nebuchadnezzar sat in his royal chair near by, watching. He saw the flames leap out and burn the soldiers to death. He saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fall, bound hand and foot, into the fire.

Then his eyes grew wide in surprise; for he saw the three men who had dared to disobey his command rise up and walk about in the fire with no cords to hinder them. And another Person, one who looked to the astonished King like a god, was walking about with them in the furnace.

At first Nebuchadnezzar refused to believe his own eyes. He called to the nobles who stood near his chair and asked, "Did we not cast only three men into the fire?"

They replied, "True, O King."

"But now I see four men, unbound and walking freely about in the midst of the awful flame!" he cried out. "They seem to have no hurt and the fourth one is like a god."

Now Nebuchadnezzar rose from his royal chair in haste and ran to the door of the furnace. He called loudly to the three men and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth! and come to me at once!"

The princes and nobles and rulers of the kingdom gathered around in amazement to see these three men walk out of the fire and come before Nebuchadnezzar. And they saw that the fire had not harmed these Jews at all.

Not even had their hair been singed by the flames, and the smell of fire was not noticed on their garments. But the stout cords that the soldiers had wrapped tightly around them before throwing them into the furnace had been burned to ashes.

Nebuchadnezzar was no longer angry with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Now he believed they were great men, and he wished to honor them. He knew they served a great God, one who could do miracles, and he blessed the God of the Jews.

He said to all the people, "Now I shall make another commandment, that no man in all my kingdom shall speak one word against the God of these brave men."

The Chaldeans were glad because Nebuchadnezzar had remembered his dream; but when they listened to it they could not tell its meaning. So the King sent them away and called for Daniel. He believed that the spirit of Daniel's God dwelt in Daniel and caused him to understand the deepest mysteries. And he called Daniel the master of all his wise men.

Daniel listened while Nebuchadnezzar told the dream that was troubling him. And God caused Daniel to understand what the dream meant. But at first he was afraid to tell the King. For a whole hour he sat quietly, wondering that he should do.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Do not be afraid, nor let the dream or its meaning trouble you." So Daniel took courage and spoke to the great ruler.

Now, the dream had been this: Nebuchadnezzar had seen a tree grow up in the earth and become so great that the top of it reached to the sky. Underneath its branches all the beasts of the field found shelter, and in its leafy boughs all the bird of the air made their nests.

And the people of the earth from the near and far came to eat of its fruit. Then Nebuchadnezzar had seen the Lord come down from heaven and cry out: "Cut down the great tree; cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get away from under the shadow of it, and let the dew come upon it for seven years.

But let the stump of the great tree remain with its roots in the ground until the seven years be passed. Let this be, that all who live may know there is a God in heaven who rules over all the kingdoms of earth."

Daniel knew the dream was sent as a warning from God to the proud King. He knew Nebuchadnezzar was not willing to believe in the great God, who is over all.

But he spoke bravely and said, "This great tree which you have seen means you, for you have become a great king and you are known in every part of the land. And the meaning of that voice which you heard crying out that the great tree should be cut down is that you shall lose your kingdom for seven years and go out from men to live among the beasts of the field.

You shall eat grass like an ox, and the dew of heaven shall be upon you. But when you humble yourself and believe that the Most High God rules in the kingdoms of earth, giving them to whomever he pleases, then you shall return again to live among men and be restored to your kingdom."

Daniel knew that God is very merciful, and he believed that God would save the King from such severe punishment if only the King would quit his sins and do right. So he urged Nebuchadnezzar to turn away from his wicked doings and begin to live differently. Then he went back to his own house.

One year passed by, and nothing unusual happened. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar almost forgot the strange dream, at least he did not try to do as Daniel had urged him to do.

He saw about him all the splendors of his kingdom and all the beauties of his palace grounds. He saw the famous city of Babylon, which he had helped to beautify, and his heart grew more proud and haughty.

Then one day as he walked about in his kingly palace, admiring the grandeur of his surroundings, he said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for my own royal house by my own power and for my glory?"

And while he spoke the words a voice called him from heaven, saying, "O King Nebuchadnezzar to you it is spoken: The Kingdom is taken from you.!"

In that very hour the great king lost his mind and became like a wild beast. And the people were afraid of him, and they drove him out of the city. There he lived in the fields and ate grass like the oxen.

And his hair grew like eagle's feathers and his nails grew like claws. For seven years he roamed about in the fields, with a heart like a beast's instead of a man's. Then God allowed his mind to return again, and his heart to become like a man's heart, and Nebuchadnezzar rose up like a man and thanked God for his mercies, and praised him for his greatness.

When the people of Babylon saw that their King had returned again to their city with the mind of a well man, they welcomed him back.

Presently, while they were drinking wine together, the King remembered the beautiful vessels of gold that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the temple of the Lord, in Jerusalem

He commanded his servants to bring the vessels into the palace, that he and his company might drink wine from them. And the vessels were brought, and the King commanded that they be filled with wine and passed among the guests, Then, as they drank from the golden vessels they praised the gods of gold, and of silver, and of wood, and of stone.

Belshazzar's heart was merry, and he felt very secure and happy in his palace-home among his guests. He joined with them in praising the gods of gold, silver, wood, and stone.

Then suddenly he turned pale, and the gladness died out of his heart. A great fear swept over him, and caused his knees to tremble. For there on the wall of the palace, over near the candlestick, he saw the fingers of a man's hand writing strange words, which he could not read.

All at once everything grew quiet in the banquet-hall.. And everybody became afraid, for no one could understand the strange words that the hand had written.

Then the King commanded that the wise Chaldeans be brought in at once; for he thought they might be able to read the words and tell their meaning. He promised to give a rich reward to the one who could do this; but none of the Chaldeans were able to earn that reward. They could not read the writing on the wall.

News of the strange handwriting spread rapidly through the palace, and soon the old Queen Mother heard about it. She heard, to, that the wise men could not read the writing nor tell its meaning.

So she came into the banquet-hall, where the King sat trembling among his frightened guests.

And she said, "O King, there is in this city a very wise man whom you have quite forgotten. In the days of Nebuchadnezzar, the king, this man was the master of all the king's wise men, for the spirit of the gods dwells in him. Now send for him, and he will tell you the meaning of this strange handwriting on the wall."

Daniel was now an old man. For a long time he had lived quietly in Babylon, for the kings who followed Nebuchadnezzar had not set him up to places of honor in the kingdom. And he was almost forgotten.

The Queen Mother, however, remembered how he had interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar, and she knew that his wisdom was greater than any of the wisdom of the Chaldeans.

Belshazzar sent in haste for Daniel, and when the old man came before him he asked, excitedly, "Are you that Daniel whom my fathers brought out of the land of the Jews?"

Daniel replied that he was, and the King said, "I have heard of you, that the spirit of the gods dwells with you and enables you to understand deep mysteries. Now, if you can read the writing upon the wall and tell its meaning, I will cause you to be dressed in royal garments, and will make you the third ruler in this kingdom."

Daniel did not care for the honors of the Babylonian kingdom. He did not care for the beautiful, kingly robes, and he told the King to give those gifts to someone else. But he said, "I will read the writing, and will cause you to understand its meaning."

First Daniel reminded Belshazzar of great punishment that God had sent upon Nebuchadnezzar because of his wickedness and pride. Belshazzar had known about this, yet he had dared to be proud and to despise the God of heaven and earth.

He had dared to use the vessels that belonged in the Lord's house, in Jerusalem, for drinking wine, and he and his guests had praised the gods of gold and of silver and of wood and of stone, which can not see nor hear.

Daniel told Belshazzar about these things, and then he said, "Because you did these things, God sent his hand to write upon the wall of your banquet-room, that you might see it and become afraid. The words that this hand has written are Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, and they mean this:

Belshazzar commanded his servants to bring a royal garment and put it on Daniel, then he fastened a gold chain about Daniel's neck and proclaimed before all the guests that Daniel was the third ruler in the kingdom.

Daniel had read the letters that Jeremiah the prophet had written to the captive Jews in Babylon, and he knew Jeremiah had prophesied that the Jews might return again to their own land after seventy years.

And now, when he was an old man, Daniel knew the seventy years would soon be passed, and he longed to see his people return again and rebuild the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.

Instead of praying three times everyday for himself and for his people, now Daniel sometimes prayed all day long. Sometimes he refused to eat his food because he wished to have more time to spend alone, talking with God.

And he even dressed himself in sackcloth and sat in ashes when he prayed, to show God that he was very sorry for his sins and for the sins of his people.

And Daniel's earnest prayers were heard. One evening while he was praying an angel came to talk with him. This angel had come one time before, when God had caused Daniel to see a wonderful vision; but this time the angel came to comfort Daniel to see a wonderful vision; but this time the angel came to comfort Daniel.

He said, "O Daniel, you are a man greatly loved by the Lord, and you shall know what shall come to pass in after years."

And the angel told Daniel about the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ, who should suffer and die for the sins of the people.

Daniel, after he became a very old man, continued to do business for the King. And when Darius died, the new King, Cyrus, took Daniel to his capital city in Persia and kept him there for a helper. And Daniel continued to pray earnestly even while he did business for the new King.

One day during the rule of king Cyrus, Daniel and several companions were by the riverside when all at once Daniel saw a heavenly visitor stand before him. The face of this heavenly visitor shone like lightning and his eyes like fire.

Even his arms and his feet shone like polished brass. Daniel could not look upon him, and fell to the ground. The men who were with Daniel did not see the heavenly visitor, but they felt the earth trembling beneath their feet and they ran away in fear.

As Daniel lay on the ground like one dead, the angel came and touched him. Then Daniel rose up on his knees, and the angel spoke. And his voice sounded like a multitude of voices. At first Daniel could not answer, for he had no power of speech left in him. But the angel touched his lips and caused strength to return into his body. And Daniel talked long with his heavenly visitor. And all these things he afterwards wrote in a book.

These people were the Jews, and they were arranging soon to start back to the land of their fathers--Judah. For Cyrus, the new king, had sent this message to the Jews scattered everywhere throughout his kingdom:

"The Lord God of heaven was given me all the kingdoms of earth; and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Now who is there among his people--the Jews--who will go up to Jerusalem and build this house for God?"

Daniel was too old to return on this long journey to Jerusalem. And perhaps the King would have been unwilling to spare this great man from his work. But there were others, many others, who were just as eager as Daniel to see the temple of the Lord rebuilt.

And one of these persons was Zerubbabel, a brave young man who belonged to the family of David. He became the leader of the people who returned to Jerusalem, but he ruled as a prince under the command of King Cyrus; for the throne of David was not restored in Jerusalem again.

When the long journey began, the people moved slowly up the highway that led northward from Babylon, the same highway over which some of them had traveled seventy years before.

Many of them walked, but some rode on horses, others on camels or donkeys. Now they were singing songs of joy, and they were carrying their beautiful harps back to their own land. There they would be glad and there they would play sweet music in the new house of the Lord which Cyrus had commanded them to build.

Cyrus had given them the vessels of gold and of silver which Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from the temple before he set it on fire, and they were taking those vessels back to be used in the new temple.

And Cyrus had commanded their neighbors and friends to give them rich gifts of gold and of silver. So they were well laden for their journey.

Not all the Jews returned to Jerusalem; for many were becoming rich in their new homes, and they did not care to go back to Judah. But they sent precious gifts to help in the building of the new temple. And they were glad because some of their own people were returning to build up the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.

When at last the long journey was nearing its end, the people came in sight of the crumbled walls of Jerusalem. Some of them remembered how the city looked before it had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and their hearts where filled with sadness.

But many of them had never seen Jerusalem, for they had been born in the land of captivity. They had heard their parents tell about the land which God had given to them long ago, and which he had allowed King Nebuchadnezzar to take away from them because they had worshiped idols. And they were glad to come back and build homes in that land which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from them.

In the ruins of Jerusalem the people found the place where the temple of the Lord used to stand. They found the rock where the altar of the Lord had been built. And here the priests and the Levites cleared away the rubbish and gathered stones to build a new altar.

Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the high priest, hired carpenters and masons for the new building, and put to work every man among their number who was twenty years old or more. Again they sent to the Lebanon Mountains for wood to use in the building, for Cyrus the king had given them permission to do this.

When everything was ready, the workers laid the foundation of the new temple. And the priests and Levites and singers stood ready with their trumpets and musical instruments to worship the Lord. They sang together, giving praise to God. And all the people stood near by, rejoicing because the great work was so well begun. They shouted with a loud noise.

But some among them had seen the temple which Solomon had built, and when they saw the foundation of this new building they remembered how beautiful the first temple had been. Instead of shouting with joy they wept for sorrow.

There were strangers living in the country places near Jerusalem who were not Jews. When they saw the work that the Jews had commenced at Jerusalem, they asked permission to help in the building of the temple; they said, "We seek your God, as you do."

But Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the high priest, knew these men did not worship God in the right way, and they would not accept help form them.

These strangers were Samaritans, the people who came to live in Israel after the northern tribes were carried away into captivity. These were the people who had mixed religion--a mixture of the true religion and idol-worship. When Zerubbabel and Jeshua refused to let them help build the temple they grew angry and tried to hinder the work.

They sent letters back to the king of Persia, accusing the Jews of falsehoods, and they continued to do this for a long time. Finally they caused the building of the temple to come to a standstill.

Several years passed by, and the Jews were not allowed to finish the temple. So they build comfortable homes for themselves and began to work in the fields near Jerusalem.

Finally God caused the new king of Persia, another king named Darius, to be friendly toward the Jews. But the Jews did not ask him to help them. They did not try to finish the work which they had begun on the temple. So God sent a prophet, named Haggai, to urge them to get at work again on the temple. This prophet said that Zerubbabel had begun the new temple, and he should finish the building of it.

So Zerubbabel and Jeshua took courage and began once more on the temple-building. When they commenced work the Samaritans came down to see what they were doing.

They asked, "Who had given you orders to do this?"

And they answered, "Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us to build this house of God."

The Samaritans did not believe their words, and they wrote a letter to King Darius, telling what the Jews had said. But when Darius looked in the records that had been kept during the rule of Cyrus he found that Cyrus had indeed commanded the Jews to rebuild the temple. So he sent word back to the Samaritans, telling them not to hinder the Jews, but rather to give them money to help hurry on the great work which Cyrus had commanded them to do.

And he said that if they refused to obey his words their own houses should be torn down and they should be killed. This message caused the Samaritans to become afraid, and they ceased to hinder the Jews.

The bible stories have now changed to:

C.H. Spurgeon's Evening Devotional

Wednesday May 28, 2008

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope."-Lamentations 3:21 Memory is frequently the bondslave of despondency. Despairing minds call to remembrance every dark foreboding in the past, and dilate upon every gloomy feature in the present; thus memory, clothed in sackcloth, presents to the mind a cup of mingled gall and wormwood. There is, however, no necessity for this. Wisdom can readily transform memory into an angel of comfort. That same recollection which in its left hand brings so many gloomy omens, may be trained to bear in its right a wealth of hopeful signs. She need not wear a crown of iron, she may encircle her brow with a fillet of gold, all spangled with stars. Thus it was in Jeremiah's experience: in the previous verse memory had brought him to deep humiliation of soul: "My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me"; and now this same memory restored him to life and comfort. "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." Like a two-edged sword, his memory first killed his pride with one edge, and then slew his despair with the other. As a general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might, in our very darkest distress, strike a match which would instantaneously kindle the lamp of comfort. There is no need for God to create a new thing upon the earth in order to restore believers to joy; if they would prayerfully rake the ashes of the past, they would find light for the present; and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of grace, their candle would soon shine as aforetime. Be it ours to remember the lovingkindness of the Lord, and to rehearse His deeds of grace. Let us open the volume of recollection which is so richly illuminated with memorials of mercy, and we shall soon be happy. Thus memory may be, as Coleridge calls it, "the bosom-spring of joy," and when the Divine Comforter bends it to His service, it may be chief among earthly comforters.