Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-02-23

comes in with the Interpretation just
Jewish captives.
My friends. do you not see that pride
and ruin ride in the same saddle ?
See Ncbuchadnezzar on the proudest
throne OF all the earth, and then see
him Craze with the sheep and the cat
tie! Pride is commander. well plumed
and caparisoned, but it leads forth a
dark and frowning host The arrows
from the Almighty's culver are apt. to
strike a man when on the wing. Co
hath shakes his great spear in def
ance, but the smooth stones from the
an OK under the butchers bludgeon. He
who is down cannot fall Vessels
scudding under the bare poles do not
feel the force Of the storm. while those
with all sails set capsZe at the sudden
descent Of the tempest.
Remember that We can be as proud
of our humility as of anything else
Antisthenes walked the streets of
Athens with ragged cloak to demon
strate his humility, but Socrates de-
clared he could see the hypocrisy
through the holes in his cloak. We
would all see ourselves smaller than
We are If we were as philosophic as
Severus, the emperor OF Rome, who
said at the close of his life: II have
been everything. and everything is
nothing" And when the urn that was
to contain his ashes was, at his COM
mand, brought to him, he said Lit
tie urn, thou shalt contain one for
whom the world was too little"
Do you not also learn from the mis-
fortune Of the king of Babylon what
terrible thing is the loss of reason.
There is no calamity that can possibly
befall us in this world SO great as de-
rangement OF intellect; TO have the
body of man. and yet TO fall even below
the instinct OF brute. In this world
OF horrible sights. the most horrible is
the idiots stare. In this world of hor-
ribe sounds, the most horrible is the
maniac's laugh. A vessel driven on
the rocks. when hundreds 60 down
never to rise. and other hundreds drag
their mangied and shivering bodies
upon the Writer'S beach, is nothing
compared to the laundering of intel
lects full OF vast hopes and attain
ments and capacities. Christ's heart
went out toward those who were cpl
leptic, falling into the fire. or maniacs
cutting themselves among the tombs.
We are accustomed to be more CRATE
ful for physical health than for the
proper working of our mind. We are
apt TO take it for granted that the in
telect which has served us so we'll
will always be faithful. We forget
that an engine of such tremendous
power, where the wheels have such
vastness of circle and such swiftness
OF motion, and the least impeachment
might put IL out of gear, can only be
kept in proper balance by a Divine
hand. No human hand could engineer
the train OF immortal faculties. How
strange 1t is that our memory, on
whose shoulders all the misfortunes
and successes and occurrences of life
time are placed should not oftener
break down, and that the scales of
judgment. which have been weighing
so much and so long, should not lose
their adjustment. and that fancy.
for the attainment of its objects, should
not sometimes maliciously wave it,
bringing into the heart forebodings and
Authorizations the most appalling. Is
it not strange that this mind, which
hopes so much in its mighty leaps
for the attainment of its objects, should
not be dashed to pieces on its disap-
pointments? Though so delicately
tuned this instrument of untold har-
mony plays on though fear shakes it
and veXations rack il and sorrow and
JOY and loss and gain in quick sue
cession beat out Of it their dirge or
toss from 1t their anthem. At morning
and at night. when in your prayer you
rehearse the causes of your thanksgiv-
ing. next to the salvation by Jesus
Christ, praise the Lord for the preser-
walton of your reason.
See also IN this story Of Nebuchad-
neZZar the use God makes of bad men.
The actions of the wicked are used as
instruments for the punishment OF
wickedness in others or as the illus
tration of some principle in the Divine
government. Nebuchadnezzar sub
served both purposes. Even so I will
go back with You to the history of
every reprobate that the world has ever
seen, and | will show you how to a
great extent his wickedness was limited
i'm its destructive power, and how God
gloritied himself in the overflow and
disgrace of his enemy. Babylon is full
OF abomination, and wicked Cyrus de-
stroys it. Persia fills the cup OF its
iniquity, and vile Alexander puts an
end to it. Macedon must be chastised,
and bloody Emilius does it, The Bas-
tile is to be destroyed and corrupt
Napoleon accomDlishes it. Even so
selfish and wicked men are often made
to accomplish great and glorious pur-
poses. Joseph's brethren were guilty
OF superlaHve perfidy and meanness
when they sold him into slavery for
about sever dollars. yet how they must
have been overwhelmed with the truth
that God never forsakes the righteous
when they saw that he had become the
prime minister of Egypt! Pharaoh OPP