The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-03-03
REV. DIR, TALMAGE.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "A King Eating Grass"


filed upon Nebuchadnczzar. and he wRs
driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen,
and bis body was wet with the dew OF
heaven, till bis hairs were grown like eagles
feathers, and his nails like birds claws. -
Daniel w., SO.
Better shade your eyes lest they be Put out
with the splendor OF Babylon, as some morn
ing you walk out with Nebuchadnezzar on
the suspension bridges which hang from the
housetops and he shows you the vastness OF
his realm. As the sun kindles the domes
with glist nings almos: insufferable aud the
great streets thunder up their pomp into the
ear Of the monarch, AMI armed towers stand
around, adorned with the spoils OF con-
quered empires, Nebuchadnezzar waves his
hand above the stupendous scene and ex-
claims, "Is not this great Babylon, that I
have built for the house Of the kingdom by
the might OF my power and tor the honor OF
my majestY2" But it, an instant all that
spiendor is gone from MS vision, for voice
falls from the heaven, saylns: 20 King
NebuohadneZzar, to thee 1t is spoken. The
kingdom Is departed from thee, and they
shall drive thee from raep, and thy dwelling
shall be with the beasts of the field. They
shall make thee to eat grass as oxen andseven
years shall pass over thee, until thou know
that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom Of
men and giveth 1t to vhomsoever he will. y
One hour from the time that he made the
boast he is on the way to the fields, a maniac,
and rushing into the forests. he becomes one
of the beasts, covered with eagles feathers
for protection from the cold. and his nails
growing to birds claws in order that he
might dig the earth for roots and climb the
trees Tor nuts.
You see there is Gront variety in the Scrip
tural landscape. In several discourses we
have looked at mountains OF excellence, but
now we look down into great, dark chasm
nf wickedness as we come to speak OF Nebu-
chadnezzar. God in His Word sets before US
the beauty of self denial, of sobriety, Of de.
votion, OF courage, an6 then, lest We should
not thoroughly understand Him, he intro
duced Daniel and Paul and Deborah as illus
tra.ions of those virtues. God also speaks
to US in His Word as 70 the hatefllness Of
pride, of FOLLY. of impietY and lest we should
not thoroughly understand Him, Introduces
NebuchadneZzar as the impcrsonation OF
these forms Of depraviry. The former style
Of character is a lighthouse, showing US q
way into safe harbor and the latter style
of character Is black buoy. swinging on
the rocks, to show where vessels wreck them
selves Thanks unto God for both The buoy
and the lighthouse! Tle host of Nebuchad-
nezzar is laundering at the gates OF Jerusa-
lem. The crown Of that sacred city is struck
into tha dust by the hand Of Babylonish in
science. The vessels OF the temple, which
had never been desecra.ed by profane touch
were ruthlesslY seized for sacrileye and
transportation. Oh. what sad hour when
those Jews, ar the command OF the invading
army, are obliged to leave the home OF their
nativity? How their hearts must have been
wrung with anguish when, on the day they
departed. they heard the trumpets from the
top of the temple announcing the hour for
morning sacrifice and saw the smoke OF the
affairs ascending around the holy hill OF Zion:
for we'll they knew that in a far distant land
they would never hear that trumpet call nor
behold the majestic ascent OF the sacrifice!
Behold those captiveg on the road from
Jerusalem to Babylon! Worn and weary
they dare not halt, for roundabout are armed
men urging them on with hoot and shout
and blasphemY.
Aged men tortered along on their slaves,
weeping that they could not lay their bones
In the sleeping place Of their fathers and
children, wondered at the length of the way
and sobbed themselves to sleep when the
night had fallen. 1t seemed as II at every
step heart broke. But at turn OF the road
Babylon suddenly springs upon the view OF
the captives, with Its gardens and palaces.
A shout goes up from the army as they be-
hold their native city, but not one huzza is
heard from the cap.ives. These exiles saw
no splendor there, for t. was not home. The
Euphrates did not have the water CLEAN OF
tho brook Kedron or tho pool Of Sloan The
willows of Babylon, on which they hung
their untuned harps, were not as graceful as
the trees which ut the foot Of Mount Moriah
seemed TO weep at tine departed glory OF
Judah. and all the frag rance that descended
from the hanging gardens upon that great
city was not 30 sweet Gs one breath OF the
acacia aud frankincensa that the high priest
kindled in the sanctuary at Jerusalem.
On a certain night, a little while after
these captives had been brought to his city,
Nebuchadnezzar Is scared with night vision.
A bad mans pillow is apt to be stuffed with
deeds and fol- ebotings which keep talking in
the night. He will find that the eagles down
in his pillow will stick him like porcupine
quills. The ghosts Of old transgressions are
sure to wander about in the darkness and
beckon and hiss. Yet when the morning
came he found that the vision had entirely
fed from him. Dreams drop no anchors,
and therefore arc apt TO sail away before We
can fasten them. Eebuchadnezzar calls all
the wise men of the land into his presence,
demanding that by their necromancy they
explain his dream. They Of course fail.
Then their faithful king issues an ediot with
as little sense as mercy, ordering the Staying
of all the learned men OF the country. But
probation just in time 10 save the wise men
and the Jewish captives.
Ny friends, do you not see that pride and
ruin ride in the same saddleY See Nebuchad-
nezzar on the prcudest throne of ali the
earth, and then see him Craze with the sheep
and the cattle! Pride is commander. we'll
plumed and comparisoned, but it leads forth
dark and frownlnS host. The arrows from
the Almighly's culver are apt to strike q
man when on the wing. Goliath shakes his
great spear in defiance, but the smooth
stones from the brook make him staggcr and
fall like an OK under butchers bludgeon.
He who is down cannot fall. Vessels scud-
ding under bare poles do not feel the force
of the storm, while those with all sails set
eapsize at the sudden descent OF the tempest
Remember that We can be rs proud OF our
humility as anything else. Antisthenes
walked the streets OF Athens with ragged
cloak TO demonstrate his humility. but SO"
crates declared he could see his hypocrisy
through the holes in his cloak. We would
all see ourselves smaller than we are II We
were as philosophic as Severus, the Emperor
OF Rome, who said at the close OF his life,
! II have seen everything, and everything Is
nothing" And when the urn that was to
contain his ashes was at his command
brought TO him, he said, "Little urn, thou
shalt contain ore for whom the world was
too little'
Do you not also learn from the misfortune
OF this 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 deranSement of intellect; 10 have
the body Of man and yet to fall even below
the instinct Of brute. In this world of hor-
rible sights, the most horrible is the idiots
stare. In this world OF horrible sounds, the
most horrible is the mariac's laugh. Avss-
sci driven on the rocks, when hundreds 90
down never to rise and other hundreds drag
their mangled and shivering bodies upon the
winters beach, IS nothing compared to the
laundering OF intellects full OF vast hopes
and NTH in1nanis nd na na acities