Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-08
CONVICTION A SWORD WOUND.
Conversion is the Medicine that Cures Con-
yiction's Pains.
Halt where You Are or All Goes for Moth
Ing-Why Do You Not With an
Your Mind Complete the Work
of Conviction and lie
Converted?
.Snecin1 70 the Gazetta.

value of Christianity as an elevating and
eunObling influence on the nature OF man,
formed the subject of DR.. Talmage'S SER
mon this morning, The brilliant and orig
inal preacher chose as his text the humil-
iatiOn of the Babylonish king, who being
destitute of religion sank to the level of the
brute. Daniel w., IS, 'All this came upon
the king, Nebuchadnezzar
Col Rawlinson, the Oriental traveller,
says that the eXhumed bricks, not only of
Babylon, but Of 4 hundred towns in an area
of one hundred miles in length and thirty in
breadth, are inscribed with the name of
Nebuchadnezzar. He was a great warrior
ana at the glance of his sword nations pros
trated themselves. He was a great king
and built a city reservoir ninety miles in
circumference and 100 feet deep, and con-
structed hanging garden 200 feet square
and seventy feet high, some say to
please Anuhia, his wife, who had been
born among the hills, and others say to get
pleasure ground free from the mosquitoes,
which affiict the levels. ! think, from his
character, the latter reason may have i'm
PEELED him as much as the former. When
he conquered King Zedellah, 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 a great place, the
houses surrounded by gardens and the
hOusetops were connected with each other
by bridges, and one day Nebuchadnezzar
walked out on those suspension bridges
and showed, perhaps to 4 royal visitor, the
yastnesS Of his realm as the sun kindles the
domes with glistenings almost insuferable.
and the great streets thunder up their
pomp into the ear of the monarch, and
armed towers stand around adorned with
spells of conquered empires. Nebuchad-
nezzar waves his hand above the stupen-
dous scene and exclaims: lis not this great
how
the kingdom by the might of my power
and for the honor of my majesty" In
other words: What great man 1 am.
Babylon was net anything until 1 adorned
it. See those waterworKs; see those gar
dens; see those forts. l did all this. 1
shall never be forgotten. Why, my
name is on every brick in all those walls
Just look at me. l am more than d man."
But, in an instant, all that splendor is gone
from his vision for voice falls from the
heavens, saying, 30, King NebuchadneZzar,
TO thee it IS spoken; the kingdom is de-
parted from thee and they shall drive thee
from men and thy dwelling shall be with
the beasts Of the field; they shall make thee
10 eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall
pass over thee, until thou know that theMost
High ruleLh in the kingdom of men and
giyeth it TO whomsoever he will One
hour from the time he made the boast, he is
on his way to the fields a maniac, and rush
ing lQlO DQG lOTeStS ne becomes DIS one Oh
the beasts, and is after awhile covered 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 call lycanthropy, by
which a man imsgines himself q beast and
prefers to go out and mingle with brutes.
lie who had been eating pomegranates and
apricots off of plates of gold inlaid with
amethyst and diamond, and drinking the
richest wines from the royal watts, now
browsing on grass, and struck by the horn
Of the OK as he contends for better tuft of
the pasturage, and instead of an orchestra
on benches Of ivory playing the national
airs. now listens to the moan and below
and grunt of the beasts. This Is not hard
for me to believe, for the forms Of dementia
are lnnumerable. A few years ago, arriv-
lug in a city on summer afternoon, while
waiting for my engagement in the evening,
I sauntered forth into what seemed to be
park in front of large public building, the
use of which l knew not. met gentle
man with whom l fell into delightful con-
versation, and he seemed intelligent on all
subjects.
After awhile said: ''Let US sit down on
this bench and rest awhile and enjoy the
scene of verdure and fountains. " No"
said he: ''you sit down. but / cannot. am
made of glass, and if l should sit down l
would break to pieces" Then I saw that
he was insane and belonged to the large
building Just behind US. After such an in
teryiew as that, can easily believe this ac-
count of my text. Here is NebuchadneZzar
on all fours. He once prided himself of be-
ing more than a man, and now he turns out
less than man. The courtiers look out of
the windows upon him as he moves among
the royal herds and cry. "a be2St!'' Seven
wears pass, when suddenly his reason re-
turns. and he comes back to Babylon
humble worshipper of the God OF heaven.
What must have been the excitement in the
roval court as this restored manlac emperor
walks into the palace. What time they
had II cutting his nails and his hair, which
had grown for seven years without being
interfered with by any shears. What
scrubbing down must have taken place IN
the imperial baths. What transforma-
ton necessary in order that he who had
been herding with camels and goats and
swine may be made lit to associate with
princes. What a change from sty to throne
room
While walking from this Babylonian pal
ace down to the paSture-held, and from the
pasture-field back TO the palace, the hrSt
thing that impresses me is what an lncon-
gruous thing It is for a king TO be eating
grass. 1t is good for cattle, but not fit for
man. Aud then for one to prefer 1t to
royal table toward whose bounty the or
chards. and paddocks, and streams, and
vineyards in all the earth might contribute
what an amaZement! And yet the scene
IS as common as the daylight.
When see a man of regal nature, made
to rule in realms of thought, capable OF all
moral elevation, besotting his faculties. at
TEMPTING out Of low sensuahtieS to satisfy
his immortal energies, coming down on OF
his throne of power into brutalties, sacrl-
ticing his higher nature to his lower nature,
stopping and STOPPING, coming down ana
coming down, until all his influences for
good is gone. 1 cry out, There Is a KING
eating grass like an ok" And there are
tens Of thousands of such Nebuchadnezzars.
So there are queens who dedicate them
selves to 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 so
much waywardueSs, and welding so much
elevated power; yet at the call of worldll-
ness, coming out of the throne room of good
influence, where God would have her reign,
coming down over the ivory stairs of moral
power coming down and coming down
until she mas no more soul than the dead
bird transfNed in her millinery or the chin
chilla that was slain TO afford her warmth,
Or the kid that furnished her the glove and
finding her only delight in batteries of
brainless men, ana midnight schottische
and debauched novelties. l say There is
one who might have been queen unto God