An Excellent Spirit

Daniel in his natural state was like other men. Aside from special grace, and the supernatural agency of the divine Spirit, he was, like other men, ^'faf fbom righte* ousness," a stranger to God, and totally destitute of mor- al goodness. But as God prepares men for the post he designs they shall occupy, so Daniel was eminently qual- ified for his dignified station. He was furnished with natural and acquired talents, w^ suited to4he elev»ted rank to which the providence of God raised him. Pos- sessing an excellent sprit, he was appointed to the highest office within the king's power to bestow upon him. It will not,it IS presumed, on thSs very interesting occa- sion, appear either improper or ttnttniely, to consider, anfl bring into view, some things nnplled in the exoeHient t/phltt of Daniel ; and then to offer a few reasons wli^ihis ren- dered his promntionto office highly suitaible. I. I tim to consider seme -thhigs in^tied in tke easotl- lent spirit that was in Daniel. It is cfbvions, in the Srst fiaiee, that he was a anan of great natural wisdom and understandn>g- From the history of Daniel it is exceeding e>adent that he had a strong, 'discerning mind, and a« «ne«ai- monly sound judgment. T^e God of nature fovmed him for public life, and designed he should £11 impovteHit'sta- tiims, in a civil capacity, as weM as dn the chur eb. He fiKBCTIOX SSKUOK. ^ 7 I^itiiedhim,,therefoFe> witlt suah a cast of mind, and fdl that aatural discerBment, and strength of judgw^B^ suited to the station to wMeh he was a^^pointed in the diTJnej^an. Men are soBfietime» put into ofiiee who. have not the requisite talents. Sncb men are an injury to the public mterest, and their adifflnistrafion brings a blot upon themselves. The hand aod providence of God, however, must be aeknowled^d in the exaltation of sueh men. The Lord has ^e same right to punish a people by a ba4 nder, as by a tempei^,^ an ewthqi^ke, or a pestilence. And this is often done in the course of his righteous gov- ernment over the naitioBs. He dealeth in this manner, *' that the living may know that the most High ruleth in tiie kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men."* But when God ■designs a mam shall act well in a high station he alway^ gives him the necessary quaJHSea/tions. Hence Daniel tras liberalfy furnished with talents well suited to the dig*- nified staition he was to fill, in the em^re under Darius. Vhe Lord gave hkn s^ong powers of mind, equal, or su- perior, to any in that age of the world. No man among the captive JiBWs, nor am<mg all the sul^eets of the Medo- Persian monarch, could be found, in the estimation of Darius, equal to Daniel.

We may further observe, that, with a strong mind, and sound judgment, Daniel possessed extensive information. He i^efoably enjoyed the means of cultivating and im- Iprevi&gya natural talents, in early Ufe^ to a degree su- * Dan. iv. 17. 8 ZilECTIONT SERMON. perior to his cotemporaries in general. "We may vatioaal- Ij conclude he went into Babylon with a greater stock of information than was common to the youth of that age and nation. Hence we find his name first on the list of those who were noticed by the officer of Nebuchadnez- zar, when seeking for the most able and promising young men to stand before the king. And he was designated, with three others, as the most suitable to learn the Chaldean language, and be instructed iq all the science of that country.* Devoted to study, and instructed by the most able teachers, at the end of three years they were presented to the king, and were found, in all matr ters of wisdom and understanding, ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in the realm.f God can, if he please, give men, in an extraordinary manner, as much knowledge as the human mind is capa- ble of receiving. But it is usual to obtain it by a regular course of study. Though Daniel had the extraordinary teachings of the holy Spirit, yet he gained a fund of knowledge by those means which he enjoyed, under the ablest instructors. In this way he was possessed of un- eommon, extensive, and most useful information. He had an excellent spirit of wisdom and knowledge. He possessed, moreover, in a true sense, the fear of God. Persons are said to fear God who are totally des- titute of religion. Even the fallen spirits of darkness, who are doomed to everlasting woe " believe and trem- ble.":!: Wicked men often tremble in view of that ceaseless torment which will be the portion of the ungodly. Be- lieving that such characters must " drink of the wine of * Dan. i. 3, 4, S, 6, f Dan. i. 20. ^ James ii. 19. EUBCTIOSr S£RMON. 9 the 'wi^tibi of God,"* tbey fear and tremble. They fear the justiee of God while they hate his character., But the excellent spirit of Daniel produced a fear different both IB its. nature and el&ets. As a friend of God, and having an h^Uft warmed widi divine love, he ifeared, to dishonor his n^me» wound his cause, or, in any sense, of-s fend huou. He feared God as a dutiful and afiectiouate chM fears a hind, mdulgent father. The honor of Jeho- ^ah lay near his heart,, and a sincere afiection far his amiable and most excellent character, influenced him^ ia the various actions of Me. The divine law was beautifui in his Tiew, and it was the desire of his whole soul to obey it in all its denoands. He had an excellent spirit of the loTe and. fear of God.

This excellent spirit consisted, also, in a sacred regar^ to the public institutions of religion. We may conclude, without any doubt, that a man so completely under the influence of Ipye, to God, will pay a sacred regard to those public religious institutions which are established by divine authority. …