nation at that time were to be
eclipsed by this young slave--probably no one would have believed it.
Yet for five hundred years no man whose life is recorded in history
shone as did this man. He outshone Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Cyrus,
Darius, and all the princes and mighty monarchs of his day.

We are not told when he was converted to a knowledge of the true God,
but I think we have good reason to believe that he had been brought
under the influence of Jeremiah the prophet. Evidently some earnest,
godly man, and no worldly professor, had made a deep impression upon
him. Someone had at any rate taught him how he was to serve God.

We hear people nowadays talking about the hardness of the field where
they labor; they say their position is a very peculiar one. Think of
the field in which Daniel had to work. He was not only a slave, but he
was held captive by a nation that detested the Hebrews. The language
was unknown to him. There he was among idolaters; yet he commenced at
once to shine. He took his stand for God from the very first, and so
he went on through his whole life. He gave the dew of his youth to
God, and he continued faithful right on till his pilgrimage was ended.

Notice that all those who have made a deep impression on the world,
and have shone most brightly have been men who lived in a dark day.
Look at Joseph; he was sold as a slave into Egypt by the Ishmaelites;
yet he took his God with him into captivity, as Daniel afterwards did.
And he remained true to the last; he did not give up his faith because
he had been taken away from home and placed among idolaters. He stood
firm, and God stood by him.

Look at Moses who turned his back upon the gilded palaces of Egypt,
and identified himself with his despised and down-trodden nation. If a
man ever had a hard field it was Moses; yet he shone brightly, and
never proved unfaithful to his God.

Elijah lived in a far darker day than we do. The whole nation was
going over to idolatry. Ahab and his queen, and all the royal court
were throwing their influence against the worship of the true God. Yet
Elijah stood firm, and shone brightly in that dark and evil day. How
his name stands out on the page of history!

Look at John the Baptist. I used to think I would like to live in the
days of the prophets; but I have given up that idea. You may be sure
that when a prophet appears on the scene, everything is dark, and the
professing Church of God has gone over t