The morning news., 1892-02-08
A KING EATING GRASS.
VALUE OF CHRISTIANITY AS AN
ENNOBLING INFLUENCE.


Talmags Chooses the Humiliation OF
the Babylonish Ruler AS His Text
Destitute OF RsliRion He Sank to the
Level OF the Brutes-His Former
Greatness Inscribed Everywhere.
Brooklyn, y. Y, Feb. With a
mighty acclaim the long meter doxology
rose at the beginning of the service. The
inestimable value of Christianity es an
elevating and ennobling influence on the
mature of man, formed the subject Of Dr.
Talmage's sermon this morning. The bril-
liant and original preacher chose as his
text the humiliation Of the Babylonish king
who being destitute of religion sank to the
level OF the brute. Daniel w., y, All
this came upon the King Nebuchadnezzsr."
Col. Rawlinson, the oriental traveller.
says that the exhumed bricks, not only OF
Babylon but Of a hundred towns
in area of one hundred
miles in length and thirty in breadth, are
inscribed with the name Of NebuchadneZ-
gar. He was a great warrior and at the
glance of his sword nations prOstrated
themselves. He was great king and built
a city reservoir ninety miles in circumfer
ence and one hundred and twenty feet
deep, and constructed a hanging garden.
four hundred feet square and seyenty-hve
wife, who had been born among the
hills. and others say to get a
pleasure ground free from the
q mosquitoes, which aiilict the
levels. think, from his character, the
latter reason may have impelled him as
much as the former. When be conquered
King Zedekiah, so as TO have no more
trouble with him, he put his eyes out-a
most barbarous way of lncspacitating an
enemy. But Babylon was a great place,
the houses surrounded by gardens and the
housetops we're connected With each other
by bridges, and one day NebuchadneZzar
walked out on those suspension bridges and
showed, perhaps TO a royal visitor the vast
ness of bis realm as the sun kindles the domes
with glisterings almost insufferable, and the
great streets thunder up their pomp into
the ear Of the monarch, and armed towers
stand around adorned with spoils Of con-
quered empires. NebuchadneZZar waves
his hand above the stupendous scene and
exclaims: "Is not this great Babylon that
j have built for the house Of the kingdom
by the might Of my power and for the
honor Of my majestyW In other words:
What great man / am. Babylon was not
anything until l adorned 1t. See those water
works; see those gardens; see those forts.
did all this. l shall never be forgotten. Why,
my name is on every brick in all those walls.
just look at me. am more than man. :"
But, in an instant, all that splendor is
gone from his vision for voice fails
from the heavens, saying. 20, King Ne
buchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; the
kingdom is departed from thee, and they
shall drive thee from men and thy dwell
ing shall be with the beasts of the field
they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen,
and seven times shall pass over thee, until
thou know that the Most High ruleth in the
kingdom of men and giveth it to whomso-
ever he will" One hour from the time he
made the boast be is on his way TO the fields
a maniac, ana rushing into the forests he
becomes as one Of the beasts, and is after
awhile covered with eagles feathers for
protection from the cold, and his nails look
like birds claws in order that he may dig
the earth for roots and climb the trees for
nuts.
The mental disaster that seized him was
what the Greeks called lycanthropy, by
which man imsgines himself beast and
prefers to go out and mingle with prutes.
He who had been eating pomegranates and
aprIcots oil OF plates of gold inlaid with
amethyst and diamond, and drinking tho
richest wines from the royal vats, now
browsing on grass. and struck by the horn
OF the OK as be contends for better tufU of
the pasturage, and instead of an orchestra
on benches of ivory playing the national
airs, now listening to the moan and below
and grunt of the beasts. This is
not hard for me TO believe.
for the forms of dementia are in
Vulnerable. few years ago, arriving in a
city on u summer afternoon. while waiting
for my engagement in the evening, | sauu-
tered forth into what seemed to be park
In front of large public building, the use
OF which know not. l met gentleman,
with whom | fell into delightful conversa-
tion, and he seemed intelligent on all sub
jects. After awhile l said "Let us sit
down on this bench and rest awhile and
enjoy the scene of verdure and fountains. "
mo" said he. "You sit down. but | can
not. l am made of glass, and if l should
sit down l would break TO pieces" i hen
saw that he was insane and belonged to the
large building just behind us. After such
an interview as that l can easily believe this
account of my text. Here is Nebuchad-
nezZar on all fours. He once prided him
self of being more than a man, and now he
turns out less than a man. The'countiers
look out of the windows upon him as he
moves among the royal herds aud cry, "a
beastW Seven years pass when suddenly
his reason returns, and he comes back to
Babylon an humble worshiper of the God OF
heaven. What must have been the excite
ment in the royal courts as this restored
maniac emperor walks into the palace.
What a time they had in cutting his nails
and his hair, which had grown for seven
years without being interfered with by any
shears. What a scrubbing down must have
taken place IN the imperial baths. What a
transformation necessary, in order that
he who had been berding with camels
and goats and swine may be made
ut to associate with princes What a
change from sty to throne rooml
While walking from this Babylonian
palace down to the pasture field, and from
the pasture field back TO the palace, the
first thing that impresses me is what an
fncongruous thing 1t is for king to be eat
IN hut Et
for man. And then for one TO prefer 1t to
a royal table. toward whose bounty the or
chards and paddocks and streams and vines
yards in all the earth might contribute
what an amazement! And yet the scene is
as common as the daylight.
When see q man of regal nature made
to rule in realms Of thought, capable of all
moral elevation, besOtting his faculties, at
tempting out of low sensualities to saJisfy
his immortal energies, coming down off his
throne of power into brutalities, sacrificing
his higher nature to his lower nature stoop-
Ing and stopping, coming down and coming
down until all his influence for good is
gone, | cry out, There is a king eating
grass like an oxF And there are tens OF
thousands Of such Nebuchadnezzars. So
there are queens who dedicate themselves
10 the same humiliation. What power for
good God gave that woman. Magnetism of
personal presence. Influence more
than imperial By her Intelligence.
by her tenderness. by her charm
of smile and manner. capable Of soothing SO
much sorrow, and reforming 80 much way