illuminating; we ourselves can at best be but the earthen vessels that He

stoops to use in this most wondrous work.

When we come to usage, there are several avenues of approach.  (1) The

Pagan mysteries and (2) the references in the Apocrypha.  These two give an

idea what the word mystery stood for in the great outside world; and (3) the

usage of the word in the LXX book of Daniel, and (4) its usage in the New

Testament, these show how it was used in Holy Scripture.  We can say little

to profit of the Pagan mysteries.  The Greek mysteries which were prevalent

in the days of the apostles, were derived from Egypt, which in its turn

received them from Chaldea, and so in them we have the mystery of iniquity in

germ.  A search into the annals of the past would bring to light some of the

horrible doctrines and corresponding practices associated with the mysteries,

but the attitude of the apostle must be ours:

`It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in

secret' (Eph. 5:12),

and pass on to positive teaching.

In the Apocrypha the word `musterion' rarely rises above the idea of a

secret, either of a king or a friend.  Twice it refers to secret rites and

ceremonies, but nothing more.  The fact that the LXX did not use musterion

until translating the book of Daniel, may be accounted for by many natural

explanations, but when all is said, there must still be room left for the

exercise of Divine Providence.  Some lexicographers say that the Greek

musterion is derived from the Hebrew mister, which is translated `secret' a

number of times, yet the Greek translators never use musterion for that or

its cognate sether.  The only word translated musterion in the Greek Old

Testament is the Chaldee raz, which is used constantly throughout Daniel 2,

and as this word does not occur anywhere else in the Old Testament  we have

no means of comparison.

While the Chaldee word raz stands alone, we are not left entirely

without help, for on one occasion Daniel uses the Chaldee form of the Hebrew

word sether, a word translated `secret' and `secret place' in many passages.

This provides us with the link that we felt we needed, teaching us that in

the Chaldee raz we have the equivalent word.  The passage in Daniel 2:22, `He

revealeth the deep and secret things', the LXX render `bathea kai apokrupha',

reserving apparently the use of the musterion for the Gentile term.  Its

usage is confined to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and in two ways.

Nebuchadnezzar had either actually forgotten the substance of his dream, or

as a matter of policy withheld it in order to make sure that the

interpretation should be something more than a clever human invention (Dan.

2:8,9,10,11).  When Daniel went into the presence of the king, he did not

concentrate his attention on the substance of the dream, but its

interpretation (Dan. 2:16), but of course, as the substance of the dream had

to be known before the interpretation could be given, both dream and

interpretation were included in the `secret' concerning which Daniel and his

fellows prayed (Dan. 2:18,19).  When Daniel went in before the king,

Nebuchadnezzar asked him, `art thou able to make known unto me the dream

which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?' (Dan. 2:26).  One cannot

avoid the feeling that there is a Divine overruling in the choice of this

word musterion here, and for this reason.  We discover that when Israel began

to make it manifest that they were going to reject the Saviour (Matt. 11 to