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ven, and published this Hiftory of himfelf, and thefe Signs and Wonders of the great God, throughout all his Dominions, ver, I—3.

19 Q. What Notice was taken of Daniel in the Time of Belshazzar, the Grandfon of Nebuchadnezzar ?

A. He was fent for to Court to read and in- . terpret three or four Words which were written upon the Wall by the Apparition of a Hand while Belshazzar was feafting, Dan. v. 5—16.

20 Q. What was there in Belshazzar's Feast that eminently provoked God against him?

A. He and his Nobles drank in the holy Veffels that were taken out of the Temple of God, at Jerufalem, and at the fame Time they praised their Gods of Gold and Silver, of Wood and Stone, Dan v. 1-4.

21Q What was the Meaning of this Writing against the Wall?

A. That God had finished Belshazzar's King-dom, and given it to the Medes and Perfians, ver. 25-28.

22 Q. What Honour was done to Daniel?

A. He was immediately clothed in Scarlet, with a Chain of Gold, and made the third Ruler in the Kingdom, ver. 29.

23 Q. When was this Sentence executed on. Belshazzar?

A. He was flain that very Night, by the Army, under the Command of Cyrus the General, who after a long Siege took the City of Babylon,and the Kingdom was tranflated to Darius the Mede, the Emperor of the Medes and Perfians, ver. 30, 31.

24 Q. Did Daniel lofe his Preferment by the Change of the Kingdom?

A. No; for Darius fet Daniel over all the hundred

dred and twenty Princes, and made him firft of the three Prefidents, Dan. vi. 1-3.

25 Q. How did the Envy of the Prefidents and the Princes perfecute him on this Occafion?

A. They knew that Daniel would pray to his God, and they perfuaded King Darius to fign a Decree, that if any Man fhould ask a Petition of any God or Man for thirty Days, befides of the King himself, he fhould be caft into the Lions Den, ver. 4-9.

26 Q. What did Daniel do when he heard of this Decree ?

A. He went to his Houfe, and the Windows being open toward Jerufalem, he prayed to his God three Times a Day, according to his Custom,

ver. 10.

27 Q. What was the Confequence of this?

A. Though the King himself was forry for his Decree, and tried all Means to fave Daniel, yet his Enemies prevailed to have him caft into the Den of Lions, because the Laws of the Medes and Perfians were not to be altered, ver. 11-17.

28 Q. Wherein did the King further fhew his Concern for Daniel?

A. He paffed the Night without Mufic or Sleep, he went early to the Lions Den in the Morning, and found Daniel fafe, to his great Joy; for God had shut the Mouths of the Lions, that they did him no Hurt, ver. 18-23.

29 Q. Wherein did King Darius manifeft his Refentment againft the Enemies of Daniel?

A. He caft them, with their Wives and Chil. dren, into the Den of Lions, who broke all their Bones immediately, ver. 24.

30 Q. What fpecial Regard did Darius fhew to the true God on this Occafion?

A. He

A. He fent a Decree through all Nations, that Men fhould fear the God of Daniel, ver. 25.

31Q. What are the other moft remarkableThings in the History of Daniel ?

A. The Vifions which he faw, the excellent Prayer which he made for the Restoration of the Jews from Captivity, and the other Prophecies which were given him by Angels.

32 Q. What were fome of his Visions and Prophecies ?

A. Emblems and Representations of the four Monarchies of the World, and of the Kingdom of Chrift; and Predictions concerning future Events among the Jews, and other Nations of the Earth; fome of which are expreffed fo plainly, that the Enemies of the Bible fuppofe them to be written after thofe Events came to pafs, Dan. chapters vii, viii, and xi.

33 Q. What remarkable Anfwer did Daniel receive to this excellent Prayer of his for the Reftoration of the Jews?

A. The AngelGabriel was ordered to fly fwiftly, and to inform him of his own Acceptance with God, of the Commandment of the Kings of Perfia to rebuild the holy City; of the Time of the Coming, and the Death of the Meffiah, to take away the Sins of Men; and of the fecond Destruction of Jerufalem, Dan, ix. 20—27.

34 Q. What other eminent Prophecies did Da niel receive by his Converfe with Angels?

A. Befides the various Events relating to this World, he had fome Predictions concerning the Chriftian Church and its Troubles, and the Period of them; concerning the Refurrection of the Dead, Everlafting Life, and Everlafting Punishment, chap. xii.

CHAP.

CHA P. XVIII.

The HISTORY of ESTHER.

ᏬᎳ HO was Efther?

A. A beautiful young Jewish Virgin, whose Ancestors were carried Captive by the King of Babylon, in the Days of Jeconiah King of Judah, Efther ii. 5, 6.

2 Q. Where was the educated?

A. She was brought up in Shufhan, the Palace of the King of Perfia, by Mordecai her Firft-coufin, for her Father and Mother were dead, ver. 7.

3Q. To what Honour was fhe advanced? A.King Ahasuerus took her into hisRoyal House, and made her Queen in the Room of his former Queen Vashti, ver. 16, 17.

Note, This Ahafuerus is fuppofed by Dr Prideaux, and that with great Probability, to be that second Artaxerxes, King of Perfia, who was called Longimanus; and who, perhaps, being influenced by Efther and Mordecai, gave a Decree for Ezra to promote the Building of the Temple at Jerufalem, after the Captivity in Babylon. See Chap. XIII. Qu. 9, and 13.

4Q. What was theOccafion of Vashti's Difgrace? A. When the King had made a most magnificent Feaft for all his Nobles and Princes, he sent for Vashti, to fhew the Princes her Beauty, and to grace the Festival, but the refused to come, Efther i. 10-12.

5 Q. WhatService did Mordecai do for theKing, which laid a Foundation forhis future Advancement? A. He gave Information against two of the Chamberlains who had confpired against the King, upon which they were tried and hanged, Esther ii. 21-23.

6 Q. Who was made the King's chief Favourite a little after this Time?

A. Haman, of the Seed of Agag the Amalekite, Efther iii. 1, 2.

7 Q. Wherein did Mordecai offend Haman?

A. He refused to bow before him, and do Reverence to him, as the King's Servants did at Court, ver. 2.

8Q. How did Haman attempt to revenge himself? A. By perfuading the King to fend Orders to deftroy all the Jews that were in all his Dominions, ver. 6, &c.

9Q. What did Mordecai do on this Occafion? A. He defired Efther the Queen to venture into the King's Prefence, though the were not called, in order to petition the King for the Lives of her People the Jews, Esther iv.

10 Q Did Efther comply with his Request?

A. Though the knew it was Death by the Law to venture into the King's Prefence, unless he held out his golden Sceptre to her; yet having first fafted, and prayed to God three Days, and appointed the Jews in Shufhan to faft and pray, fhe ventured to approach the King, Efther v. 1.

IIQ. What Succefs did Queen Efther find? A. The King held out his golden Sceptre to her, and promised to grant her Requeft, even to the half of his Kingdom, ver. v. I-3.

12Q. What was Esther's firft Request to the King? 4. That the King and Haman would come to a Banquet which the Queen had prepared for them; which Request also she repeated the next Day, Efther v. 3—8.

13Q. How was Haman employed on that Day?" A He rejoiced at the Invitation that Efther gave him, and fet up a Gallows for Mordecai fifty Cubits

high,

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