The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-15
THE FEAST OF BELSHAZZAR.
The Strange and 0minous Handwriting
Transforming Reyelry into Death.
But There Is Grander Festival Awaiting the
People of God, with the Lord as Banquet
er and the Redeemed as Guests.

Wis. The subject of the sermon was The Mid
night Revel, and the text was Daniel v, 80: 'In
that night was Belshazzar the King of the
Chaldeans. slain" Dr. Talmage said:
Feasting has been known in all ages. It was
one OF the most exciting times in the English
history when Queen Elizabeth visited Lord
Leicester at Kenilworth Castle. The moment
of her arrival was considered so important that
all the clocks of the castle were stopped, so that
the hands might point to that one moment as
being the most significant OF all. She was
greeted to the gate with floating islands, and
torches, and the thunder of cannon, and fire.
works, that set the night ablaza and q great
perfect enchantment Then she was introduced
IN q diningh the Injuries of which aston
ished the world. Four hundred servants waited
upon the guests; the entertainment cost $4,000
each day. Lord Leicester made that great sup
per in Kenilworth Castle.
But my text takes US to a more exciting ban
Quet. Night was about to come down upon
Babylon. The shadows of her $50 towers began
to lengthen. The Euphrates rolled on, touched
by the fiery splendors of the setting sun; and
gates of brass, FURNISHED and glitterlng, opened
and shut like doors of flame. The hanging gar
dens of Babylon, wet with heavy dew. began to
pour from starlit flowers and dripping leaf
fragrance for many miles around. The streets
and squares were lighted for dance and frolic,
and promenade. The theaters and CALLER
les of art invited the wealth. and pomp, and
grandeur of the city to rare entertain
ments. Scenes of riot and wassail were
mingled in every street; and goddess mirth, and
outrageous excess, and splendid wickedness
came TO the Kings palace to do their mightest
deeds of darkness Away with care from the
palace! Tear royal dignity to tattersl Pour out
more winel Give us more light, wilder music,
sweeter perfume! Lord shouts to lord captain
ogles to captain. Gobets clash, decanters rattle
There come in the obscene song and the drunken
hiccough, and the slavering lip and the guffaw
of idiotc laughter bursting from the lips OF
princes. flushed, Keeling, bloodshot; while ming
ling with it all hear: 'Huzza! huzza! for great
Belshazzar"
What is that on the plastering of the wall9 Is
it a SPIRIT Is it phantom2 Is it Coos The
music stops. The goblsts fall frcm the nerveless
grasp There is a thrill. There is a start.
There is thousandvoiced shrek of horror.
Let Daniel be brought In to read that writing.
He comes in. He reads it, weighed in the
balance, and art found wanting" Meanwhile
the Assyrians, who for two years had been lay
ing siege to that city, took advantage of that
carousal. ahj came in. near the feet of the
conquerors on the palace stairs. Massacre
rushes in with thousand cleaning knives
Death bursts upon the scene and / shut the
door of that banquet hall, for do not want to
look. There is nothing there but torn banners,
and broken wreaths, and the slush of upset
tankards. and the blood of murdered women,
and the kicked and tumbed carcass of dead
king. For lin that night was Belshazzar slain"
l. learn from this that when God writes
anything on the wall a man had better read it as
it is. Daniel did not misnterpret or modify the
Handwriting on the wall 1t is all foolishness to
expect minister of the Gospel to preach always
things that the people like or the people choose.
What shall preach to you today Shall tell
you of the dignity of human naturea Shall
tell you of the wonders that our race has accom-
plished? "Oh, nor you say; tell me the mes
sage that came from God" I will If there is
any handwriting on the wall it is this lesson:
Repent, accept of Christ and be saved" ]
might talk of a great many other things, but
that is the message, and / declare it,
Jesus never 1attered those to whom He
preached. He said to those who did
wrong and who were offensive in His sight: aye
generation of vipersl We whited sepulchresl how
can We escape the damnation IF help Paul tho
Apostle preached before a man who was not
ready to hear him preach. What snhiect did he
take2 Did he say, 20 you are good man,
very fine man, g very noble manF No; he
preached of Righteousness to man who was I'M
righteous, of temperance to a man who was the
victim of bad appetites. of the judgment to come
to a man who was unfit for it. So we must al
ways declare the message that happens to come
to u.s. Daniel must read it as it is
2 Another lesson that comes to us; There
is great difference between the opening of the
banquet Of sin and its close. Young man, if you
had looked in upon the banquet in thu first few
hours you would have wished you had been in
vited there and could sit at the feast
feast" you would have said. But you look
in at the close of the banquet. and your blood
curdles with horror. The King of Terrors has
there ghastlier banquet; human blood is the
wine and dying groans are the music Sin has
made itself king in the earth. 1t has crowned
itself: it has spread.a banquet; it invites all the
world to come to it; it has hung in its banquet
ing-hall the spoils of all kingdoms and the ban
of all nations; it has gathered from all mu-
sic; it has strewn from its wealth the tables and
off 10 thaf
banquet broken up,' and how horrible is its end!
Ever and anon there is a handwriting on the
WALL A king falls. great culprit is arrested
The knees of wickedness knock together Gods
judgment like an armed host, breaks in upon
the banquet, and that night is Belshazzar the
King of the Chadeans slain.
Here is young man who says: 81 cannot see
why they make such fuss about the intoxicat-
ing cup. Why, it is exhilarating. 1t makes me
feel we'll l can talk better, think better, feel
better 1 cannot see why people have such
prejudice against it." A few years pass on and
he wakes up and finds himself in the clutches of
an evil habit which he tries to break, but can
not; and he cries out: 30 Lord God, help mel"
prayer and in an agony of body and soul he
cries out: ut biteth like serpent and it sting
eth like an adder" How bright it was at the
start How dark it was at the last!
Here is man who begins to read French
novels. They are SO charming" he says; II
will go out and see for myself whether all these
things are So" He opens the gate of sinful
life. He goes in. A sinful spirit meets him with
her wand. She waves her hard and it is all
enchantment. Why it seems as if the angels of
God had poured out phials of perfume in the
atmosphere As he walks on he finds the hills
becoming more radiant with foliage, and the
ravnes more resonant with the falling water
Oh, what a charming landscape he sees! But
that sinful sprite with her wand meets him
again; but now she reverses the wand and all
the enchantment is gone. The cup is full of
poison. The fruit turns to ashes. All the leaves
of the bower are forked tongues of kissing SER
penis. The flowing fountains fail back in a dead
pool, stenchful with corrHption The Turing
songs become curses and screams of demoniac
laughter. Lost spirits gather about him, and
feel for his heart, and beckon him on with,
Hail. brother! Hail, blasted spirit, hall" He
tries to get out. He comes to the front door
where he entered and tries to push it back. but
the door turns against him. and in the jar of that
shutting door he hears these words: '.This night