possession of BABYLON the GREAT.* So that same night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, slain.t

* Prid. i. 159, 160. "The Euphrates, in the middle of the summer, from the melting of the snows on the mountains of Armenia, like the Nile, overflows the country. In order to diminish the inundation, and to carry off the waters, two canals were made by Nebuchadnezzar, a hundred miles above the city; the first on the eastern side, called Naharmalca, or the royal river, by which the Euphrates was let into the Tigris; the other on the western side, called Pallacopas, or Naharaga, (nahar agam, the river of the pool) by which the redundant waters were carried into a vast lake, forty miles square, contrived not only to lessen the inundation, but for a reservoir, with sluices, to water the barren country on the Arabian side.

Cyrus, by turning the whole river into the lake by the Pallacopas, laid the channel, where it ran through the city, almost dry; so that his army entered it, both above and below, by the bed of the river, the water not reaching above the middle of the thigh. By the great quantity of the water let into the lake, the sluices and dams were destroyed; and being never repaired afterwards, the waters spread over the whole country below, and reduced it to a morass, in which the river is lost. And thus a navigable river has been totally lost, it having no exit from this morass. No wonder then that the geographical face of this country is completely changed.' Mela, iii. 8. Herodot. i. 185. 190. Cyrop. vii. Arrian, vii." A. Clarke on Is. xliv. 27.

The ruins of Babylon, which still exist in the vicinity of the Turkish village of HILLAH, have excited additional interest from the minute investigation of modern travellers. An interesting memoir of the Birs Nimrod, and other remains of Chaldean grandeur, with plans and plates, has been published by Mr. Rich, the late British Consul at Bagdad. London, 1816. Buckingham also gives some valuable information. Travels in Mesopotamia, vol. ii. pp. 258–396. Mignan's Travels in Chaldæa, pp. 117. et seq. But the most interesting account is to be found in Keith, who collects together the result of } the whole, and exhibits in one view the complete and accurate fulfilment of all the Old Testament prophecies relating to this ancient city. Evidence from Prophecy, p. 255–338.

+ Dan. v. 30. Zech. ii. 9.

Cyrus having thus made himself master of Babylon, took possession of the government in the name of his uncle, Darius, and having visited both Persia and Media, and married a daughter of Darius, that monarch returned with him to Babylon.+

Darius having divided the kingdom into provinces, and set over them 120 princes, appointed three presidents to superintend them, of whom the prophet Daniel, on account of his great wisdom and experience, was named the first. Roused by jealousy at this appointment, his colleagues sought occasion for accusing him to Darius, Cyrus being then absent on an expedition into Syria and Ethiopia ;‡ but such was his fidelity and purity of conduct, that no opportunity for doing so was afforded them. All other stratagems failing, they had recourse to entrap him, as to his religious worship. That worship had perhaps become more conspicuous from Daniel, having understood by books, the number of the years, whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet,§ that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer, and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: ||

* Dan. v. 31.

+ Prid. i. 167.

§ Jer. xxv. 12. xxix. 10.

Prid. i. 169.

"The prophet was much above eighty years of age at this time, and chief president (or lord lieutenant) of the whole kingdom. Yet he diligently set himself to seek from God, by prayer and fasting, with every token of sorrow, humiliation, and self-denial, the performance of his promised mercy to his afflicted people, and his future blessings upon them. He had his regular hours of prayer, three times a day, and we may be sure that he did not forget his people upon these occasions; yet he regarded it as a duty incumbent upon him, to set apart stated seasons for mortification and devotion, in the distressed state of his people and of the church of God."

and I prayed unto Jehovah, my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts, and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants, the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries, whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord, our God, belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah, our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants, the prophets. Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore, the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As

exhibited such evidence of real piety; and what has been said in the only instance almost in which it occurred! And what taunts and reproaches would be cast upon such a one, by those, who in Parliament make such professions of regard and anxiety for THE CHURCH!

it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before Jehovah, our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. Therefore, hath Jehovah watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for Jehovah, our God, is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

And now, O Lord, our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt, with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain : because, for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

Now, therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.*

Whilst he was yet speaking, and praying, and confessing his sin, and the sin of his people Israel, and presenting his supplication before Jehovah, his God, for the holy mountain of his God; yea, whilst he was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom he had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched him about the time of the evening oblation: and he informed him, and

talked with him, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications, the commandment came forth, and I am now come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore, understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

Know, therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah, the Prince,* shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the Prince that shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.t

A gracious God, however, who always knows how to bring good out of evil, overruled the machinations of the princes of Babylon, so as to exhibit the faith and integrity of the prophet, and by delivering him from the jaws of the hungry lions,

*That is, seventy weeks of years, or four hundred and ninety years; at which time Christ came. Prid. i. 168. See this prophecy explained and commented upon by A. Clarke. Dr. Wall, S. Clark, and Scott, and all the commentators and writers on prophecy.

+ Dan, ix. 20—27.