Alexander f316 , when he took this city, found a vast quantity of riches in it.

It is called here a palace; and so it is spoken of by Herodotus f317 , Diodorus Siculus f318 , Pausanius f319 , Pliny f320 , and others, as a royal city, where were the residence and palace of the kings of Persia; but the royal palace was not in it at this time; the kings of Babylon had their palace and kept their court at Babylon, where Daniel was; but in vision it seemed to him that he was in Shushan, and which was represented to him as a palace, as it would be, and as the metropolis of the kingdom of Persia, which he had a view of in its future flourishing condition, and as destroyed by Alexander; for, as before observed, it was Cyrus that first made it a royal city; whereas this vision was in the third year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon. Some versions render it, a “tower” or “castle”; and so several writers, as Strabo Plutarch f322 and Pliny f323 , speak of the tower or castle in it. Diodorus Siculus says, when Antigonus took the tower of Susa, he found in it a golden vine, and a great quantity of other works, to the value of fifteen thousand talents; and out of crowns, and other gifts and spoils, he made up five thousand more.

And Polybius relates, that though Molon took the city, yet could not take the fortress, and was obliged to raise the siege, so strong it was. It must be a mistake of Pliny that this city was built by Darius Hystaspes; he could only mean it was rebuilt, or rather enlarged, by him, since it was in being long before his time, and even a royal city in the times of Cyrus.

Strabo says it was built by Tithon the father of Merenon, was in compass a fifteen miles, of an oblong figure, and the tower was called after his father’s name Mernnonia; and Shushan itself is called, by Herodotus f328 , Susa Memnonia. At this day, with the common people, it goes by the name of Tuster f329 . The east gate of the mountain of the house, which led to the temple at Jerusalem, was called Shushan. Some say there was a building over this gate, on which the palace of Shushan was portrayed, from whence it had its name. The reason of this portrait is differently given; the Jewish commentators on the Misnah commonly say that this was ordered by the kings of Persia, that the people of Israel might stand in awe of them, and not rebel against them. Their famous lexicographer says, that this was done, that the Israelites, when they saw it, might remember their captivity in it. But a chronologer of theirs gives this as the reason, that the children of the captivity made this figure, that they might remember the miracle of Purim, which was made in Shushan; and this, he says, is a good interpretation of it. This city was in the province of Elam; that is, Persia, as it is also called, ( Isaiah 21:6) for Josephus says the Persians had their original from the Elamites, or Elameans; and Pliny f335 observes, that Elymais joined to Persia; and the country of Susiane, so called from Susa its chief city, was, according to Strabo and Ptolemy f337 , a part of Persia: and here Daniel in vision thought himself to be; and a very suitable place for him to have this vision in, which so much concerned the affairs of Persia. And I saw in a vision, and I was by the river Ulai ; that is, in vision; it seemed to the prophet that he was upon the banks of the river Ulai; the same with the Eulaeus of Strabo f338 , Pliny f339 , Ptolemy f340 , and others, which ran by, and surrounded, the city of Shushan, or Susa; the water of which was so light, as Strabo observes, that it was had in great request, and the kings of Persia would drink of no other, and carried it with them wherever they went. Herodotus and Curtius make mention of the river Choaspes, as running by Susa, and say the same things of its water; from whence it might be concluded it was one and the same river, called by different names; though Strabo takes notice of them together, as if they were distinct; yet he, from Polycletus f344 , makes them, with Tigris, to disembogue into the same lake, and from thence into the sea. The river which runs by Shushan, now called Souster, according to Monsieur Thevenot f345 , is Caron, and comes from the hills about it, and is thought to be the Choaspes of the ancients; near to which, as he was told, is a hill that now goes by the name of Choasp; so that, upon the whole, they seem to be one and the same river f346 . Josephus says f347 , that Daniel had this vision in the plain of Susa, the metropolis of Persia, as he went out with his friends, that is, out of the city: and the Vulgate Latin version renders it, “by the gate Ulai”; a gate of the city of Shushan so called: and so Saadiah Gaon interprets it a gate; but the former sense is best.

Dan. 8:1-14 God gives Daniel a foresight of the destruction of othe kingdoms, which in their day were as powerful as that of Babylon. Coul we foresee the changes that shall be when we are gone, we should be less affected with changes in our own day. The ram with two horns wa the second empire, that of Media and Persia. He saw this ram overcom by a he-goat. This was Alexander the Great. Alexander, when abou thirty-three years of age, and in his full strength, died, and showe the vanity of worldly pomp and power, and that they cannot make a ma happy. While men dispute, as in the case of Alexander, respecting the death of some prosperous warrior, it is plain that the great Firs Cause of all had no more of his plan for him to execute, and therefor cut him off. Instead of that one great horn, there came up four notabl ones, Alexander's four chief captains. A little horn became a grea persecutor of the church and people of God. It seems that the Mohammedan delusion is here pointed out. It prospered, and at one tim nearly destroyed the holy religion God's right hand had planted. It is just with God to deprive those of the privileges of his house wh despise and profane them; and to make those know the worth of ordinances by the want of them, who would not know it by the enjoymen of them. Daniel heard the time of this calamity limited and determined but not the time when it should come. If we would know the mind of God we must apply to Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdo and knowledge; not hid from us, but hid for us. There is muc difficulty as to the precise time here stated, but the end of it cannot be very distant. God will, for his own glory, see to the cleansing of the church in due time. Christ died to cleanse his church; and he wil so cleanse it as to present it blameless to himself.

Dan. 8:15-27 The eternal Son of God stood before the prophet in the appearance of a man, and directed the angel Gabriel to explain the vision. Daniel's fainting and astonishment at the prospect of evils he saw coming on his people and the church, confirm the opinion tha long-continued calamities were foretold. The vision being ended, charge was given to Daniel to keep it private for the present. He kep it to himself, and went on to do the duty of his place. As long as we live in this world we must have something to do in it; and even thos whom God has most honoured, must not think themselves above their business. Nor must the pleasure of communion with God take us from the duties of our callings, but we must in them abide with God. All who ar intrusted with public business must discharge their trust uprightly and, amidst all doubts and discouragements, they may, if tru believers, look forward to a happy issue. Thus should we endeavour to compose our minds for attending to the duties to which each is appointed, in the church and in the world __________________________________________________________________

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