1 ,:(ory. Nutwitbstandin,:, the hour or reckoning was about ~o strike. Walking upon lus elernted palace-roof, and eurvcyin11: the grandeur of the city, Nebuchadnezzar gave the reins to natural pride-thought and spoke as if there wore none greater than he. 'l'bi~ is the end pride ever aims at, viz. to make man a god unto himself. Yot was there a s0litary stone in that vaist pile that hao. been created by Nebuchadnezzar? Was the mind that designed the whole self-originated? Were the ten thousand artis11.ns who bad daily wrought upon those buildings the workmanship of man or of God? Pride is idolatry. Pride becomes mad atheism. There is no sin that is RO frequently and freely condemned in Scripture as pride. Dy it the angels lost their high estate. Into this pit Adam foll. "Ye shall bo as gods," the tempter e11id. "God resisteth the proud." They are a smoke in hie nostrils. "Pride goeth before destruction." One step only between haughtiness and hell. Insolent arrogance verges on mnnness. Jl. ,,E SEE HUMAN PRIDE MOVING TO ACTIVITY THE COUNSELS 011' HEAVEN, If the st.atesruen or the artisans in Babylon overheard the utterance of the king they mi,Jit have regarded it as a harmless outburst of v11nity. Yet God doth not so ;egard it. It disturbs the tranquillity of heaven. It is re~arded there as the language of hostile defiance. The limit of God's forbearance was reached. There is a time to be q_uiet and a time ~ act. The cup _of Nebuchadnezzar's sin was full. He had despised tile mes~ages of kindly expostulat10n from Jehovah, nnd now no delay was permitted. The king bad barely ceased to speak when Jehovah responded. But the words of N tbuchadnezzar were not intended for the ears of God. Ah I still he beard them. lie regarded them as an indirect menace to him, and he at once replies. The verdict has passed the Judge's lips. The kingdom is alienated. In a moment empire is lost. lla1,k, honour, power, are lost. M:auhood is lost. Intelligence, memory, reason, love, -all lust. Bare existence only remains. Like the prodigal boy, he descends step by step into a deeper degradation, and at length herds with the beasts of the field. Yet this is but an outward and visible portraiture of the inward degradation. Ill. WE SEE HUMAN PRIDE MEETING WITH PITTING RETRIBUTION. We have here in concrete form-in the history of a living person-the abstract truth, "He that e:x:alteth himself shall be abased." This is its natural and fitting outcome-its proper fruit. We cannot doubt that every form and degree of sin has, in the Divine code, a suitable and adequate punishment. There is not simply one rigid penalty for every morle and measure of transgression. The justice that presides on the eternal throne has eyes of subtlest discrimination and balances of exquisite nicety. Every step in the judicial procedure of God is accordant wiLh natural principles. Even the forces of material nature will possibly be employed in vindicating the Divine MajeHty. The indolence and isensual inclul;:ence of the Babylonian palace served to emasculate Ntobucbadnezz::.r. The rousing energy which war had demanded in earlier years had braced the monarch's mind. But now the years of public peace had been so misused tl,at inertia bred softness and lu.xury produced efleminacy. Step by step character cieteriorattd, though, perhaps, not detected by mortal eye. At length, by the Divine fiat, Reason abdicated her seat; the animal got the better of the man, In his imbecile condition the king imagined himself an ox, and preferred to browse in the fields. He was Leld tast by this hallucination. His relatives and at,tendants, very possibly, feared to r, si.st him. The_v humoured his infatuation until, in tbe royal paddock, his l1air grew raa!!:ed and coarse, bis nails became long and bent like eaglts' ciai:vs. This i.s the monarch who di..dained to recognize God-the monarch who plumed himself on his self-sufficiency I Draw near, all proud defiers of God, and see this portrait of yourselves 1-D.
V e111. 34-31.-Light at eventide. It is a perilous thing to abuse any of God's gifts. Thereby we interfere with the order of his government, and justly provoke his anger. The darkening of intellect with prejudice ill no mean offence. Bribing reason witn beDsual tleligbts not to recognize God-this is a serious injury to one's self, and daring rebellion a).!ainst God. Such was the aggravated sin ol Nebuchadnezzar_; ~-et the judgmrnt of God was tempered with mercy. '!'he abuse of rea~on resulted Ill its loss, yet the lose was temporary. 'l'he deplorable darkQeBB was dee1g11e<l a11 a prelude io clearer light, C7H, V, 1-81,] THE BOOK OF DANIEL. 161