THE FALL OF King Nabuchad­nezzer.

Dan. 4. 28. 29. 30.

By Henrie Smith.

[printer's or publisher's device]

Printed by Thomas Scarlet, 1591.

Dan. 4. 28.

28 While the word was in his mouth, a voice came from heauen, saying. O King Nabuchadnezzer, to thee be it spoken, thy kingdome is depart­ed from thee.

29 And they shal driue thee from men and thy dwelling shall be with the beastes of the field, they shall make thee to eate grasse with the Oxen, and seuen times shall passe ouer thee, vntill thou knowest that the most highest God beareth rule ouer the kingdomes of men, and giueth to whomsoeuer he will.

30 The verie same houre was this thing fulfilled vpon Nabuchad­nezzer, and hee was driuen from men, and did eate grasse as the [Page] Oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heauen, till his haires were growne as Eagles fethers, and his nayles as birdes clawes.

FRom the 26. verse, to the end of this chapter, is layde downe the pride, fall, and restitution of Nabuchadnezzer. The two first verses are like a ban­ner of his pride, which shewe him in his ruffeling as it were in the aire, before he knewe God, or him selfe. The three next verses are the discouerie of his shame, which shew him in his miserie, as it were groueling on the groūd, after God had cooled his courage. The foure last verses are the celebration of his recouerie, which shew him in ho­lines [Page] as it were rapt into heauen, & singing with the saints for ioy, that God had brought him vnto his knowledge, thogh it were through shame and trouble, and losse of all that he had seuen yeeres togither. Of his pride we haue heard alrea­die: yet because we are friendes to vices, as we are to men, so long as they prosper and florish, but when they decay and fal, then we shrink away, and are ashamed of them: so it may be, if ye could see pride take a fall, though yee loue her well yet ye would forsake her, like a banquerout, when yee see that she can pleasure you no longer. There­fore ye shall see Nabuchadnezzer vpon his feete againe: before you beheld him vppon his knees, that when ye see what a king he was in his galleries, and after find his ser­uants [Page] in his palace, and his subiects in his throne, & himself like a beast in the wildernesse, God may giue you heartes to thinke a little of this sinne, what it is which cost so dere, and is as common now in euerie house, as it was then in the Kings court.

After twelue moneths (sayth Da­niel) that is, twelue moneths after GOD had warned this king by dreames and by Daniel, to repent his sins, he was strouting in his gal­leries, and thought what sin should bee next, as though hee had neuer heard of dreame or Prophet.

By this computation of sinne, wherein the moneths are obserued so exactly, howe long Nabuchad­nezzer rebelled after hee was war­ned, Daniel shewes what a recko­ning God keepes of our moneths, [Page] and weekes and daies, which hee giues vs to repent, as he did to Na­buchadnezzer, & what an account wee shall make of them, as Nabu­chadnezzer did, though we count no more of our age then the childe doth of his youth, & haue done no more of our taske at twentie then when we were but ten, nor at thir­tie then when we were but twenty, nor at fortie then when wee were thirtie, yet we shall giue account of mo hours in the day of iudgement, & it shall be heauier to the old than to the young, to you which haue the word, then to them which want it: and there is great ods betweene Nabuchadnezzer and vs, for hee which challenged Nabuchadnez­zer for twelue moneths since hee was warned, may challenge vs of twelue yeres since we wer warned, [Page] and yet wee looke not for so great punishment as fel vpō Nabuchad­nezzer for twelue moneths. Dani­el names three twelue moneths, as though he would speake of a great matter, and shewes how worthie Nabuchadnezzer was to be puni­shed, because he might haue refor­med his life since he was warned: for there were twelue moneths be­tweene his dreams and his banish­ment. But that yeare wherein hee had so manie warninges and teach­inges, was as vaine as the rest, and vainer then the yeares before: for now he should haue bin a mourner like the king of Niniuie, whē Ionas threatned destruction vnto them.

But like a victor of a countrie returned from battell, to solemnize his triumph, first hee decked his pallace as braue as himselfe, and [Page] then hee walkes his stations in it, and when he hath set all things be­fore him, which might make him forget God, and hoist himselfe in pride, like a serpent that would burst vnlesse he discharged some of his poyson, hee breaketh out and saith, Is not this great Babel, which I haue built by the might of my power, for the honour of my maiestie? Wher­in obserue first what a glorious opinion this vaine king had of his vaine buildinges. Secondly, how that hee names himselfe the founder of them, as though he had done all without an helpe. Third­ly, that in all his workes hee sought nothing but vain-glorie, as he wit­nesseth against himselfe, saying: which I haue built for the honour of my maiestie, not for the honor of Gods maiestie, but for the honour of my [Page] maiestie. So first that which hee should haue contemned, as Christ did the beautie of the temple, hee admired it,Math. 24 2 and nothing seemed so glorious to him, as that which made him shamefull to God. Se­condly, that Citie which was built by Semiramis, he arrogateth to him selfe, and neuer ioyned the chiefe workemaister with him, but saith which I haue built by the might of my power, when hee should haue sayd, by the might of Gods power. [...]sal. 127. 1. For vnlesse God build the house, the builders (saith Dauid) buildeth but in vaine.Kin. 4 10.

Lastly, that which hee should haue builte for the honour of God, as the man built a chamber for the Prophet, he builded for his own honor, as our Nabuchadnez­zers do. Therfore when al his plea­sures [Page] were prepared like a feast, and he came to sit downe at the banket, it happened to him as to the churle in the Gospell, after hee had filled his barnes, when hee came to sing in his hart, be merrie my soule, that night his soule was taken from him and the deuills made merrie with it in hell: so hee had feathered his neast, and beganne to crowe vpon his roofe, Is not this great Babel, &c. As if hee should saie, Now Nabu­chadnezzer, make thee merrie, that houre his honour was taken from him, for a voice came downe from heauen like the terrible hand which wrote vpon the wall, when Baltazar sate at his banquet, and dasht his pride vppon such a rock, that within an houre all his pomp and pleasures and treasures, suffe­red such a shipwracke, that his [Page] that his fall was more admired of all, than his glorie and buildinges were admired of himselfe. Thus all the ioy, and pleasures, and glorie of pride are spoken with a breath, and stopt with another.

Yo [...] haue heard what the voice spake from earth, now you shall heare what the voice sounds from heauen. These three verses follow­ing declare this Kinges fall, when and how, and from whome it was. While the wordes were yet, &c. there is the time. A voice, &c. there is the iudge. O king, &c. there is the ar­raignment, Thy kingdome, &c. there is the iudgement, He was driuen from men, & liued with beasts in the wilder­nes, till his haires were growen like Ea­gles feathers. There is the execution and maner of his punishment. First of time, While, &c.

[Page] As Daniel obserued the time when Nabuchadnezzer sinned, so he obserueth the time when Na­buchadnezzer is punished, as if God had lien in wait to catch him in his words, & take him at the trip: euen as hee watched Lots wife, when she looked backe,Ge. 14 and trans­formed her into a piller of Salte, so soone as shee looked behinde. So now the Lord laie as it were in the scout, to watch when Nabuchad­nezzer spake treason, and to appre­hend him vpon it. O Nabuchadnez­zer, thou hast vaunted these twelue moneths, since I warned thee, and I made as though I heard not, but suffered thee to doe and speake thy pleasure, and vauntest thou still? Surely, thou shalt scape me no lon­ger, I will not heare a worde more against mine honour: so hee cut [Page] cut him off while the wordes were in his mouth, and propundeth the wordes of iudgement against him. If you marke the time when the voice spake from heauen, you may see three wisedomes of God, first God takes him in his fault, that hee might see his falt, [...]. Kin. 13 4. as Ieroboam was stroken when hee stroke the Pro­phet, that he might knowe why he was stroken. Then he takes him so­denly, because hee contemneth his warning, as the fire came vpon So­dome while they contemned Lots warning.Gen. 19 24 Thirdly, God takes him where he is pleasantest, & lustiest, & safest, in his pallace, which was lyke a castle, as hee tooke Herod, when his gard stod by him,Acts. 12. 23. that he might see that nothing can garde him from God, but God must garde him from danger, or else Princes [Page] be not safer than subiects: so thogh a man sin often, and steale his sins as it were without punishment, yet at the last he is took napping while the wickednes is in his hand: as the Iewes were,Num while the quailes were in their mouthes, and his day is set when he shall pay for al, whether it be after twelue moneths, or twelue yeares, whensoeuer it commeth, it will seeme to soone. Vengeance doth stay till sinne be ripe, & watch the time when they are most occu­pied: then iudgement steps foorth, like the Angell to stoppe Balaam in his way.Num Because the punish­ment is more terrible and greeuous when they looke not for it (for the worst that is, wish like Balaam to die the death of the righteous) therefore God will crosse them in that: though they prosper alwaies [Page] before, yet their endes shall bee a kinde of iudgement vpon all theyr lyfe, and a prophesie of torment, for all men to see what becomes of the wicked after death, that they may feare to bee lyke vnto them. As when we see some striken dead while they forsweare themselues at the barre: some fall downe vnder the table, while they sit swilling at the wine: some striken dumbe in the pulpit, while they preache vn­truths: euen as the Philistines were slaine while they feasted: and as Herod was shamed while he vaun­ted:Act. 12 23 and as Ieroboam was striken while he stroke.1. Kin 13. 4 What doeth this teach vs, but that our sinnes depart from vs, so soone as they are done, vnto the iudge, and there they ac­cuse vs, as Cains murther cried out against him, so soone as hee slewe [Page] his brother,Gen. 4 I know thy words, saith God:Reu. 3 15 hee may saie, I knowe thy wordes and thy thoughts too. For Iudas coulde not goe so closely a­bout his trecherie,Mat. 26 14 15, 16 but that Christ did knowe when his thought en­tered into his heart, and hearde when hee conferred also with the Scribes, and sawe likewise when he tooke the bribe, though he kept a time to punish him, as hee sayth in the seuen and thirtie Psalme the second verse: When I see a con­uenient time, then will I execute iudgement.

Now the time was come, when this king should be made an exam­ple vnto all other kinges after him, to amend their liues and reforme their realme. When the Prophet commeth from God vnto them, to tell them what they should doo, [Page] when dreame & Daniel had done what they could: nowe God calles foorth his iudgementes and bids them see what they can do, & com­mands them to chase Nabuchadnez­zer, vntil he haue lost his kingdom, vntill hee be driuen out of his pal­lace, vntill hee be fled into the wil­dernes, vntil he be degenerat like a beast, vntill his subiects & seruants, and pages, make their sport, & gaze and wonder at him, like a foole which goeth vnto the stockes, or a trespasser, which is gazed at vppon the pillorie: So this king was de­based, when God heard him but vaunt of his buildings.

Therefore let vs take heede, and be carefull, after what sorte wee speake, and what wordes slip from vs, least God take vs in our lies, or othes, or slanders, or ribauldrie, as [Page] he took Nabuchadnezzer, when his toong walked without a bitt: for if he had supposed that God had bin so neare, and that hee would haue aunswered him as hee did, hee would haue held his peace, and laid his hand vppon his mouth, rather then pay so deare fo [...] a vaine word, which did him no good when it was spoken.

The second note is of the iudge. A voyce came downe from heauen: the controuling voice came downe from heauē ▪ God is most offended with our sinne: for Nabuchadnezzer might haue spoken more than this, before any other man: and no man could controll him, because he was a king: and kings delight in greater vanities than buildings, yet no man saith, why doest thou so: because Salomon sayth:Pro He which repeateth [Page] a matter, separateth the Prince, that is, he which tells Princes their faulte, maketh them his enemies: there­fore since Iohn Baptist died, onelie God is lefte to reproue almost all that sinne by authoritie, yet one is in heauen hath an eare & a tongue, and cheeketh the king as boldly as euer the king checketh his subiects. When the voice from earth spake vainely, the voice from heauen spake iudgement. Heere is the king of heauen against the king of earth, the voice of God against the voice of man: a diuine wrath, warring with a humane pride: the fire is kindled, woe to the stubble. The Lord of hosts is in arms against the Lord of Babel, and begins to laie hands on him, and to thrust him out of his throane. First hee rattles him like a thunder, O king Nubu­chadnezzer, [Page] as if he shuld saie▪ for all thou art a king, thou shalt see whe­ther another be aboue thee. Now garde thy person, now defend thy honor: for he whom thou hast de­spised, threatneth to take thy king­dome from thee: go now & walke in thy gallery, fetch one turne more before thou be turned out of dore, and walke with the beastes in the forrest. Now hee comes to the ar­raignment, & cals him to the bar, O king Nab. to thee be it spoken: he was neuer called king with lesse reue­rence, nor had such pay for sinne in all his raigne. God giues him his ti­tle, but he tells him his lot, he calles him king, but without a kingdom, as if he said, late king of Babel, hold vp thy hand, here a king is araigned in his own kingdom, & no euidēce giuen against him, but as though [Page] he had witnessed against himselfe, as all sinners do, God condemneth him out of his own mouth, and to open his eares, hee calleth him by his owne name, O king Nabuchad­nezzer, as the prisoner is called whē he holdes vp his hand at the barre. Then hee pronounceth the iudge­ment, To thee be it spoken, to thee which aduancest thy self like God, to thee which wouldest not take heed by the dreame, to thee which wouldst not be warned by the pro­phet, to thee which didst all for thine own honor. Now hearken to thy iudgement, Thy kingdome is de­parted from thee, thou shalt be driuē out of thy pallace, they which shoulde honour thee shall expulse thee, thou shalt raigne with the beasts in the desart, there shalbe thy dwelling seuen yeares, go now and [Page] stalke in the woods, as thou didst in thy pallaces, and when thou art among the lions and wolues, and Beares, looke vnto Babell which thou hast built. Howe doth this speech differ from Nabuchadnez­zers speeche? his wordes were but words, but Gods wordes were, He spake, and it was done.Genes [...] For in the same houre that which was spoken was done (saith Daniel) and what­soeuer the same voyce threatneth vnto our sinnes or vnto the sinner, shall be done at first or at last. To Nabuchadnezzer it was sayd, Thy kingdome shalbe taken from thee: to vs it is said, Thy life shalbe taken from thee: to him it was said, Thou shalt be thrust forth into the desart: to vs it is said, Thou shalt be thrown forth into darkenesse: to him it was said, Thou shalt be like beastes: to vs it is [Page] saide, Thou shalt be like the dam­ned. Shall not the voice spoken to vs be remembred with God, aswell as the threatning menaced to him?

This voyce came from heauen, and therefore it spake home, not like them which glide by the faults of Princes, and whisper behinde their backs, as though they would reproue them if they durst, but for feare least the Prince, or Coun­cellour, or Iudge, or Magistrate, should take it as hee meanes it, and think that he aimes at them, which makes them speake in parables, as though they woulde cast a vaile o­uer their reproofe, and eate their message before they haue spoken it. The holy ghost teacheth vs here to reproue, so that whosoeuer sin­neth, may know, that thou speakest to him. Hee which speaketh from [Page] heauen (as this voyce did) must speake like Iohn Baptist among the Publicanes and harlottes, and sol­diers, as though he went from one to another, and saide, this is spo­ken to thee, this is spoken to thee, this is spoken to thee. For vnlesse wee come neere this mortall Gods and proude Nabuchadnezzers, as neere as Elias came to Achab, when hee said, It is thou that trou­blest Israel, 1. Kin. [...] they will post it ouer, and thinke that thou speakest not to them, vntill thou speakest plain­ly, as the voyce spake from hea­uen, To thee be it spoken. And then they will reforme the matter, or else God shewe some iudgement vppon them, as hee did heere vp­on this great King Nabuchad­nezzer. Nowe the decree go­eth foorth, that Nabuchadnezzer [Page] shall be king no more. Thy kingdom is departed from thee. This is such a saying, as if Nabuchadnezzer had thought of it before, hee woulde haue wept when hee vaunted, to thinke that his honour was going from him, when he thought it was comming to him: yet his kingdom was not departed from him, & yet God sayth, Thy kingdome is departed from thee, because thy decree was past, which shoulde as surely come to passe, as if it were past alreadie, Therefore because we care not so long as the Prophet saith, we shall die, we shall suffer, we shal answer, he leaueth Shall, and sayth Now, as God sayd to Abimelec: Thou art a dead man, [...]ene. 20 3 not thou shalt die, but thou art dead, which roused him more, then if hee had threatned him an hūdred deaths, because he thought [Page] that he should die presently: so the holy Ghost is forced as it were to exceede, and speake more than we thinke hee shoulde speake, for the hardnes of our hearts, which heare like stones, and go like snails. If we haue but a weeke to repent, we will defer it to the last day, that we may sinne all the rest.

Therefore it was meete to say, Thy kingdome is departed from thee. That seeing his iudgement should not stay, hee should not stay his re­pentance. If this voice had saide, Thy Babell shall sinck, as Nemrods Babel did, it seemeth hee woulde haue thought his honour buried, but when he was stript, not only of his pallace, but also of his king­dome, what heauy newes was this vnto him, which thought himselfe equal with God, and now may not [Page] be a king. But when hee was thrust among beasts to eat grasse with ox­en, what a downfull was this to be brought vnder all his subiectes, which spake euen nowe as though there none but he: and now his ser­uauntes seruant would not be like vnto him? So the king of kings wil be honoured of kinges, as they are of their subiects, or els he wil tread vpon their crownes, and they shall heare the same at last, Thy kingdome shall depart from thee. Now follow­eth the execution of this iudge­ment, for Daniel saith, The same houre all this was fulfilled. So he shew­eth the order of it: as a prisoner is brought to the barre, and lead to gybbet, so this king was drawne from his throne, and turned into the wildernesse, where hee abode among wilde beastes so long, Till [Page] his haires were growne like Eagles feathers, and his nayles like Birdes clawes.

When God began, hee made haste, it was long before hee spoke, but when he spoke, hee did it, and effected in an houre all that the dreame, and the Prophet had fore­told. Then was fulfilled, The pride of man shall bring him low: Euen in that houre that Nabuchadnezzer aduanced himselfe more then be­fore, in the same houre hee was brought vnder al his subiects, al his seruantes and pages: so hee which setteth vp can pull down, he which gaue can take, he which made can destroy.

Therefore let no man vaunt though he were a king of his house or land, or farme or children, but knowe that he shoulde haue no­thing, [Page] if God did not regarde him more than other: and thinke when thou doest reade this storie, whe­ther thou be not as proude of thy welth, as Nabuchad. was of his pal­lace: whether thou be not as proud of thy children, as Nabuchadnez­zer was of his kingdome: whe­ther thou bee not as proude of thy parentage, as Nabuchadnezzer was of his honour: whether thou be not so proud of thy learning, as Nabuchadnezzer was of his traine. If thou be not so proud, then God doth say no more, O king, to thee be it spokē, O subiect to thee be it spo­ken, these blessings shall be taken from thee, For, hath God taken no mans kingdome from him but Nabu­chadnezzers? Hath hee taken no mans office from him but Iudas? hath he taken no mans riches from [Page] him but Iobs? how did Antiochus and Iulian, and Herod, and Saul, and Athalia, and Iezabel, and Ri­chard the third goe from theyr thrones, as if God had pulled them out by the eares: he had no respect vnto their persons, but vsed them like beasts, as hee did Nabuchad­nezzer, & fulfilled his threatning. The candle of the wicked shall be put out. Therefore as Christ saith vnto them which turne backe, Re­member Lots wife: so I say to them which beare high minds, & proud lookes, and stout wordes, remem­ber king Nabuchadnezzer, howe God resisteth the proud. Now if anie man long to be resolued, how this king was changed to a beast, he must not imagine anie strange metamorphosis, or popish tran­substantiation, as though his shape [Page] were altered, or his manhoode re­moued, or that he put on hornes & hoofe, as the Poets faine of Acte­on, for the voice doth not saie that he should become a beast, but that he should dwell with the beastes. Daniel doth not saie that his head or arms, or legs were transformed, but that the haire of his head & the nailes of his fingers did grow lyke Eagles feathers, & like birds claws, as euerie mans haire and nayls wil if he do not pare them. Lastly, Na­buchadnezzer sayth not, that his shape was restored vnto him, but that his vnderstanding was resto­red vnto him: all which declare that he was not changed in bodie, but in minde: not in shape, but in qualitie. A sauage minde came on him,Genes. 4 12 like that which droue Caine from the companie of men, and he [Page] became like a Satire or wild man, which differeth not from a beast but in shape: though hee was not tourned to a beast, yet this was a strange alteration, to bee so chan­ged in an houre, that his nobles abhorred him, his subiects despi­sed him, his seruants forsooke him, none woulde companie with him but the beasts. Consider this all that aduaunce themselues agaynst God and despise his word, as Na­buchadnezzer did. Take warning by a king, which euen now walk­ed in his galleries, and his nobles serued him in his pallace, with all dishes that the aire, or sea, or lande could affoord: now he is turned to grase and feede like an oxe with the beasts in the wildernesse. This was to shew that God maketh no more account of the wicked then [Page] of beastes, and therefore the holie Ghost calleth them often by the name of beasts: shewing how that sinne and pleasure make men lyke beasts, whē they haue abused their wits often, and peruerted their rea­son, at last God taketh their vnder­standing from them, and they be­come like beastes, loathsome to themselues and others: many such beasts we haue stil like Nabuchad­nezzer, who were fitter to liue in the desart among lions, wher they might not annoy others, then in townes amongst men, where they infect more then the plague. Thus if you haue not considered the beastlines of sin, looke vppon Na­buchadnezzer,Genes. 4 12 like a beast. If you would see the guilt of it, looke vp­pon wandering Cain,1. Sa. 16. 14 If thou wol­dest see the frensie of it, looke vpon [Page] frantike Saul. If thou wouldest see the feare of it, loke vpon trembling Baltazar.Dan. 3. [...] If thou wilt see the shame of it,Hester. [...]1 looke vpon Haman hanging vpon his owne gallowes. If thou wilt see the end of it, looke vppon the glutton frying in hell.Luke. 1 [...]2 These are the pictures of sin, which God hath set for a terror before vs: like the piller of salte,Gene. 1 [...]2 or Achans sepul­chre to speake to vs. Take heed by those,Iosua. [...]2 when I haue warned you, as I warned them, I will punish you, as I punished them.

This is the Epitaph, as it were, which God ingraueth vppon Na­buchadnezzers sepulchre.

Be thou an example to kings and ru­lers, for all the children of pride to be­ware how they sette themselues against him who aduanced them.

Thus he which sets vp, can pull [Page] down. Did not I send thee dreams to warne thee? Did not I sende a Prophet to warne thee? If either of them would haue serued, thou mightest haue ruled still, and wal­ked in thy galleries, and feasted in thy pallace, and iudged vppon thy throne, and died a king: but now thy kingdome is departed from thee, who woulde bee like Nabu­chadnezzer, now the king is like a beast? If this heathen was thus challenged for his warning, which had heard but one Prophet, wee may tremble to thinke what wee shall aunswere for our warninges, which haue bin threatned as often as the Israelites, & yet prouoke the Lord whil he serueth vs, like those which curse the sunne while it shi­neth vpon them.

Thus haue you seene the fall of [Page] pride. Euen now he said, Is not this great Babel? Now he may saie: Is not this vnhappie Babel? euē now he sayde, Which I haue built by the might of my power: and now he may saie, which I haue built by the va­nitie of my pride: euen now hee said, for the honor of my maiestie: now he may saie,, for the ruine of my kingdome: yet after this he rose a­gaine, and came to himselfe, and receiued his kingdome, and hono­red him which punished him so: but the time will preuent mee to speake of his restitution, ther­fore here I end.

FINIS.

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