Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-02-12
REV. DIR. TALMAGB.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divines Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject. "sinEIns to the Level of Brutes."

trated themselves. He was great king
and built a city reservoir ninety miles in cir
cumference and one hundred aud twenty
feet deem and constructed hanging garden
four hundred feet square AMI seventy-hve
feet high, some say TO please Amuhia, his
wife, who had been born among the hills,
and Others say to get pleasure ground free
from the mosquitoes, which afiiict the levels
| think from his character the latter
reason may have impelled him as much as
the former. When he conquered King Zed
ekiah, so as to have no more trouble with
him, he put his eyes out-a most barbarOus
way of incapacitating an enemy. But Babylon
was great place, the houses surrounded by
gardens and the housetops were connected
with each other by bridges, and one day
NebuchadneZzar walked ont on those sus-
pension bridges and showed, perhaps to q
royal visitor, the vastness of his realm as
the sun kindieS the domes with glistenings
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 conquered empires.
Netuchadnezzar waves his hand above the
stupendous scene an exclaims, as not this
great Babylon that | have built for the
house of the kingdom by the might of my
power and for the honor of my majestyf'
Babylon was not anything until l adorned
it See those water works; see those gar
dens; see those forts. did all this. / shall
never be forgotten. Why. my name is on
every brick in all those walls just look at
me. | am more than a man."
Butin an instant all that splendor is gone
from his vision, for a voice falls from
heaven, saying, 20 King Nebuchadnezzar
TO thee it is spoken: the kingdom is departed
from thee, and they shall drive thee from
men and t " dwelling shall be with the beasts
of the fields 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 whomsoever He wil.n
One hour from the time he had made the
boast he is on his way to the fields maniac,
and rushing into the forests he becomes as
one of the beasts, and is after awhile COW
cred with eagles feathers for protection
from the cold, and his nails grow to 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 a man imagines himself a beast and
prefers TO 20 out and mingc with brutes He
who had been eating pomegranates and april
cots off OF plates of gold inlaid with
amethyst and diamond, and drinking the
richest wines from the royal watts now brow
sing on grass, and struck by the horn Of the
OK as be contends for a better tuft of the
pasturage, and instead of an orchestra on
benches of ivory playing the national airs,
now listening TO the moan and below and
erunt of the beasts. This is not hard for me
t. believe, for the forms Of dementia are in
tn nerabie.
A few years ago, arriving in city on a
summer afternoon, while waiting for my
engagement in the evening saunterei forth
into what seemed to be park in front Of
large public building, the use Of which | knew
not. met gentleman, with whom fell into
delightful conversation, and he seemed intel
iigent on ali subjects. After awhile l said,
"Let us sit down on this bench and rest
awhile and enjoy the scene OF verdure and
fountains" NO, said be. you sit down.
but ! cannot. l am made of glass, and if
should sit down | would break 70 pieces"
Then l saw that be was insane and belonged
to the large building just behind US
Alter such an Interview as that can easily
believe this account Of my text. Here ia
Nebuciadn zzar on all Tours He once
pr;ded himself on being moro than
man, and now he turns out less than man.
The courtiers look out OF the windows u9oa
Lin as no moves among the royal herds an
cry, "A beast" Seven years pass when SUI
denly his reason returns and he comes back
10 Babylon humble worship3r of tde Col
of heaven.
What must have been the excitement in
in the royal court as this restored maniac
emperor walks into the palace. What time
they had in cutting his nails and his hair.
which had grown for seven years without
being interfered with by any shears. What
q Il t.l 80,
the imperial baths. Whata Transformation
necessary in order that he who had been
herding with camels AMI goats and swine
may be made fit to associate with princes.
What change from sly To throne rooml
While walking from his BabyiOnian palace
down to the pasture field, and from the pas
ture field back to the palace, the first thing
that impresses me is what an incongruous
thing it is for king to be eating grass. 1t
is good for cattle, but not At for man. And
then for one 10 prefer il to a royal table to-
ward whose bounty the orchards and pad
docks and streams and vineyards In all the
earth might cOntrlbute-what an amaze
ment! And yet the scene is as common as
the daylight.
When ! see a man of regal nature, male
TO rule in realms OF thought, caDabls OF all
moral elevation, bestowing his faculties, at
btllDt4lll OIJ VI INV btASElltllt5 ~ s1Jl~l1
his immortal energies, coming down or OF
his throne of power into brutalities, sacri6c-
ing his higher nature to bis lower nature
STOPPING and stopping, coming down and
coming down until all his influence for COOL
is gone, cry out, "lhere is king eating
grass Ike an OK"
And there are tens of thousands OF such
Nebuchadnl Zzlrs. So there are queens who
dedicate themselves to the same humil alton.
" hat power for gooi God gave that woman.
Magnetism Of personal presence. Influence
more than imperial. By her intelligence, by
her tenderness, by her charm of smile an
manner. cap .ble OF soothing 50 much Sor-
row. aud reforming so much waywar iness,
and welding so much elevated power; Yet
at the call of worldliness comm; out OF the
throne room OF good influences where God
would have her reign, coming down over
the ivory stairs OF mortal power, coming
down and coming down until Sue has 10
more soul than the dead bird transiNeI in
her millinery or the chinchilla that was
slain to afford her warmth, or the xiii that
furnished her the glove and finding her only
delight in 1atteries Of braillsss men and
midnight schottische and debauche
novelties / say, There is one wAo might
have been a queen unto Col forever, yet
eating straw like an OK
lool; over TIC pasture fields OF folly and
stu an1 find many groveang who ought to
be erect. Oh, men and women, 60 tack u
your thrones A young man ran away from
home and broke his widowed mothers heart.
Fourteen years passed., and he returned and
came to the win ow at which his old mother
was sitting. She lo)kel up ana immedi-
atoly recognized him aud said: "Oh, Robert,
Robert, Come in?' Mop said he. Moth
er [ shall never come in till he YOU say
you forgive me-" Her answer was: robert,
/ have forgiven you long ago. There is
nothing to forgive now except that you
stayed away so long"
Ny hearers, forgiveness has been ready
for you good while. With more than
mothers tenderness God will take you back
They are waiting for you up in the palace.
Nebuchadnezzar was the son Of Nabopoles-
sur, who ruled before him, and you are the
child of a King
The next thought that passes into my
mind from the contemplation OF this incl
dent is that conviction is not conversion
VINO is this monarch that makes tbs bOas
ABOUT Habylong The very man who, undo
the revelation of dreams that Daniel maj
from heaven deeply humbled himself, Will
he comics sed that God is a God Of Gods ant
a Lord OF Lords, yet behold that that hum
bling and arouSing which he before felt die
not result in a radical change.
There is no mistake more frequent than ol
supposing conviction a synonym for COD