ledge of our Bible. In the book of Daniel it is related how Nebuchadnezzar, after having been brought by the miraculous interpretation of his dream to acknowledge the "God of Gods and Lord of Kings," subsequently relapsed into idolatry through the corrupting influence of worldly prosperity. In the full swell of his pride he set up a golden image, and commanded that all his subjects should fall down and worship it. The Babylonian nobles, jealous of the favour shown to the captives, encouraged this wicked fancy of the king, because they foresaw that the three Hebrew Governors would neither forsake the God of their Fathers, nor worship the image which the king had set up. And we know that when the hour of trial did come, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remained true to their faith; and were forthwith bound and cast into the burning, fiery furnace, as a punishment for their disobedience to the tyrant's will. From the torments and dangers of this ordeal the Three Hebrews were miraculously preserved. Daniel tells us that Nebuchadnezzar himself saw them "loose and walking in the midst of the fire." "Not a hair of their heads was singed, neither were their coats changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them." Elsewhere, in the Song of the Three Children, we are told that "they walked in the midst of the fire, praising God, and blessing the Lord." After so signal a deliverance, who does not conceive the exulting fervour with which their Hymn of gratitude was poured forth? The deepest consciousness of the almighty Power of God welled up in their hearts and burst from their lips, and the whole universe was ransacked for illustrations to typify and express it. In whatever direction they turned, they beheld nature crowded with emblems of His Greatness and Beneficence, and they eagerly welcomed them as aids to lift up their thoughts to the fervour of their adoration. Shall not we also do wisely to profit by their example? Our daily obligations to God may not be so miraculous, in the ordinary meaning of the term, but they are, nevertheless, great and countless beyond our power to express. Let us then, in humble consciousness of the poverty and imperfection of our thanksgivings, gladly make this suggestive hymn our own, and let us on all occasions accept with joy every aid that helps us to "bless, praise, and magnify the Lord." Benedicite, omnia Opera. O ALL ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Heavens, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Waters that be above the Firmament, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Sun, and Moon, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Stars of Heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Showers, and Dew, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Winds of God, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Fire and Heat, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Winter and Summer, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Dews, and Frosts, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Frost and Cold, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Ice and Snow, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Nights, and Days, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Light and Darkness, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Lightnings, and Clouds, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O let the Earth bless the Lord: yea, let it praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Mountains, and Hills, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Green Things upon the Earth, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Wells, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Seas, and Floods, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Whales, and all that move in the Waters, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Fowls of the Air, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Beasts, and Cattle, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O let Israel bless the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Spirits and Souls of the Righteous, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye holy and humble Men of heart, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever. O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen. The "Benedicite" forms a part of The Song of The Three Children, with whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are believed to be identical. But, whether this be really so or not, the Canticle has an intrinsic interest of its own, both because it has been incorporated with the Service of the Church, and because when rightly felt it is one of the most suggestive and soul-stirring hymns in existence. In accordance with an injunction in King Edward the Sixth's First Book, it is customary to sing the "Benedicite" during Lent. Its special appropriateness to the first Morning Lesson on Septuagesima, on Trinity Sunday, and on the Nineteenth Sunday thereafter, not unfrequently leads to its introduction on those occasions also. In some churches, we regret to think, it is never heard at any other time, while in a few it seems to be banished from the Service altogether. It is even true that Books of Common Prayer have been published in which this hymn finds no place. It is impossible, indeed, not to perceive that there is with some an indifference in regard to it, which causes it to be occasionally sung rather in obedience to custom or ecclesiastical authority than from And yet, as any feeling of its fitness for devotional use. it cannot be denied that many find in it a valuable help to adoration, the conviction arises that it is equally fitted to become an aid to all. Whence comes, let us ask, this difference in the effect produced by the same thing— whence this absence of appreciation which spoils and renders distasteful to some a hymn from which others derive such heart-felt benefit? May not the cause lie either in a too literal acceptance of the words themselves, or in the want of those few grains of knowledge which alone are needed to bring home the force of the hymn to all as an exposition of the power and goodness of God? When sculptors and painters represent animals bellowing forth praise from gaping mouths, they embody the literal meaning of the words, and thus help to give currency to that erroneous conception of their import which, with more or less distinctness, floats through the minds of many. But such a gross realisation of the hymn misses its purpose altogether. The "beasts that perish" have no knowledge of their Creator, and are not susceptible of those emotions which constitute adoration; while it is man's highest privilege to enjoy the perception of God and to sing His praise. A literal interpretation given to the "Benedicite" clothes it with inconsistency, suggests an Æsopian fable rather than a Christian hymn, and tends to check rather than promote devotion. Let every shade of such a meaning be banished from the mind, and exchanged for another more true and elevating. It is only by the thoughts suggested to us in pondering on the wonderful perfections of animals that they can serve as aids to adoration; and it is in the same sense only that dead things-such as stars, the sea, or the wind-can be associated with living things as promoting with equal fitness the same end. If this interpretation be not realised, the words of the Benedicite degenerate |