But this is not accomplished without great peril and
anxiety to these martyrs in will, who kept before them an uncompromising
standard, worthy of their noble lineage (Dan. i. 3), as well as of their
true religion.
In some respects we are reminded of Jonah's prayer, which had a similar
object, viz., to secure a deliverance from hopeless danger, a
deliverance as marvellous as that of the Three. The words by which it is
introduced are similar (???±??¶ ???????‚?·?????±?„?? ????‰????¶?‚... ????? ?„??†?‚ ???????»???±?‚ ?„????¦
???®?„???…?‚ ???±??¶ ?µ??°???µ??, Jon. ii. 2; ???±??¶ ???…???„??°?‚ ????¶?±?????±?‚ ???????‚?·?????±?„?? ???±??¶... ?????
????‚??? ?„????¦ ???…??????‚ ?µ??°???µ??, Dan. iii. 25, ??); and the spirit of turning to God
in dire straits is the same. But Jonah's prayer differs from Azarias' in
containing much mention of his immediate danger. Yet the absence of this
from Azarias' prayer hardly amounts to a probable indication of
forgery; indeed the possibility of so long an utterance implies some
restraint of the consuming power of the furnace, such as is described in
v.
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