Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 9 · Doctrines 2
4. Places of doctrine.
1. Doctr. Of ordinarie and extraordinarie prayer.
v. 3. I sought by prayer and supplication with fasting, sackecloath, and ashes, &c. This was an extraordinarie praier, which Daniel here maketh, beside that ordinarie praier which be made thrice eueryevery day, c. 6. 10. in the morning, euening, and at noone. So there are two kind of prayers; ordinarie, which we ought twice eueryevery day at the least, or oftner, to powre forth vntounto God: of the which the Apostle speaketh, 1. Thess. 5. 17. Pray continually: there is also extraordinarie praier, when either some iudgement is feared, which we would auert and turne aside by prayer, or when we want any speciall grace or assistance from God: and this the Apostle meaneth, 1. Cor. 7. 5. Defraud not one an other, except it be with corsent for a time, that ye may giuegive your selues to fasting and prayer. Calvin.
2. Doctr. When fasting is to be ioyned with prayer.
Fasting is not to accompanie ordinarie but extraordinarie prayer: where must be considered, 1. the occasion of such fasting, which is either in the time of some great iudgement and calamitie, either to be preuented or els to be remooued: or when any speciall assistance or grace is sued for. 2. the ende must be considered, which is not to please God by our fasting, as though it were a part of his seruice directly, or that we hoped to merit thereby, but onelyonly it is vsed as a meanes to tame the bodie and keep it vnderunder, to make the inward man more seruent. Thus the Israelites fasted and prayed, when they had beene twice ouercome of Beniamin, entreating the Lords assistance, Iudg. 21. 1. and Esther c. 4. when she was to make suite for her people: and the Church of Antioch, when they sent forth Paul and Barnabas to preach, Act. 13. Polan.
3. Doctr. Confession of sinnes necessarie in prayer.
v. 4. I prayed and made my confession. Confession of sinnes is either publike, either by the whole congregation, or of one and more before the Congregation; or priuate, either of ones sinnes by himselfe, or in the name of many: and each of these confessions is either ordinary, or extraordinarie: This confession of Daniel was of the latter sort, wherein he confesseth not his owne sinnes onelyonly, but the sinnes of his people. And if Daniel so holy a man, yet confessed his sinnes in his prayer, how much more ought we sinnefull men alwaies in our prayers to make our confessions, as the Prophet Dauid saith, Psal. 32. 5. Then I acknowledged my sinne vntounto thee, &c. and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne.
4. Doctr. Of the diuerse degrees of sinne.
v. 5. We hauehave sinned, and committed iniquitie, and hauehave done wickedly, yea we hauehave rebelled. There are fowre degrees of sinne, which may be compared to a diuerse going out of the way. 1. as one may a little erre out of the way. 2. but after declineth more. 3. and beeing out of the way walketh on still. 4. vntill he be so obstinate in his course, that he cannot be brought againe into the way: so some there are, which at the first, 1. sinne of error, and these are they which are said to sinne. 2. then they erre yet more, such commit iniquitie. 3. and walke and continue in their errour, which are said to doe wickedly, as Dauid when he fell into those two great sinnes of murther and adulterie. 4. And at the last they growe intractable, and not to be wonne, and these rebell against God: such an one was Saul, that would by no meanes be reclaymed. We learne hereby, that howsoeuer we may fayle in the first and second kind, yet we should take heede of the great downefall in the 3. and 4.
5. Doctr. How the true ministers of God must be discerned.
v. 6. We would not obey thy seruants the Prophets. 1. They are called Gods seruants: they must be sure and inwardly warranted, that they are sent and called by the Lord. 2. they must be Prophets, that is, indued with propheticall and spirituall gifts, for God sendeth no dumbe or lame messenger with his errant and message. 3. they must speake in the name of the Lord, they must preach nothing but Gods word, and warrant their doctrine thereby. 4. they must be faithfull, not respecting persons in the deliuerie of their message, but indifferently speake to all, as here it followeth, which spake in thy name to our kings, to our princes, to our fathers.
6. Doctr. That Angels are of a finite and circumscriptible nature.
v. 24. The Angel Gabriel came flying, &c. Hence it appeareth that the Angels passe from place to place, and are circumscriptible and defined by their proper place: when they are in heauen, they are not at the same time in earth, as Damascene saith, lib. 2. de fide orthod. c. 3. Their errour then is manifest, who thinke the Angels to be in heauen and in earth at once: they are euidently conuinced by this place, which speaketh of the comming of the Angel to Daniel, which sheweth that he was not present before, Bulling. so Daniel saith, c. 6. 22. that the Lord had sent his Angel, and stopped the mouths of the Lions: the Angel then was not there before, vntill the Lord sent him to that ende.
7. Doctr. That Christ is perfect God and perfect man.
v. 24. To reconcile iniquitie, and bring in euerlasting righteousnesse, &c. Hence it is prooued, that Christ was both perfect God, for otherwise he could not take away sinne: which is the worke onelyonly of God: and he was man, in as much as he liued and was conuersant among men: the Prophet Dauid therefore vnderstanding this mysterie of the beeing or dwelling of God in the flesh, saith, Psal 46. 7. the Lord of hostes is with vsus, the God of Iacob is our refuge: Therefore he is called by the Prophet Immanuel, Isay. 7. 14. and 8. 8. Pintus.