The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-09-04
FOUND WANTING.
Rev. T. De Witt Talnage Preaches
a Sermon at Omaha, Neb.
How the People OF This Word Are
Weighed in the Christian Ralauces
Too Light to Make Their Side
Como Down without
chrlst's Help.


congregation at Omaha, Neb., recently from
the text "Thou art weighed in the bal
ances, and art found wanting''-Daniel ",
"a. The eloquent divine spoke as follows:
Babylon was the paradise of architecture,
and driven out from thence the grandest
buildings Of modern times are only the evi-
dence of her fall The site having been Sc
lected for the city, 2,000,0 900 men were en-
ployed in the rearing Of her walls and the
building Of her works. It was city Of
sixty miles In circumference. There was
trench all around the city, from which the
material for the building Of the city had
been digged.
There were twenty-five gates on each side
Of the city; between every two gates q
tower Of defense springing into the skies; {;
from each gate on the one side, q street
running straight through to the cor
responding street on the other side, 80
that there were fifty street, fifteen miles
long. Through the city ran a branch Of the
river Euphrates. This river sometimes
overhowed its banks, and TO keepit from
the ruin Of the city lake was constructed
into which tho surplus waterof the river
would run during the time Of freshets, and
the water was kept in this artificial lake
until the time Of drought, and then this
water would stream down over the city. At
either end Of the bridge spanning this Eu-
pirates there was palace-the one palace
mile and half around, the other palace
seven and half miles around.
The wifeo OF Neduchadnezzarh had been born
and brought up Ia the country, and In a
mountainous region, and she could not bear
this fiat districtof Babylon; and so, 10 please
his wife, Nebuchadnezzar built In the midst
Of the city a mountain four hundred feet
high. This mountain was built out into ter
races supported on arches. On the top Of
these arches layer Of fiat stones, on the top
Of that layer Of reeds and bitumen, on the
top Of that two layers Of brick closely ce-
mented, on the top Of that heavy sheet of
lead, and on the top Of that the soil placed
the soil so deop that Lebanon cedar had
room to anchor It's roots. There were pumps
worked by mighty machinery fetching up
thewater from the Euphrates tothis hanging
garden as 1t was called, SO that there were
fountains spouting into the sky.
Standing below and looking up II must
have seemed as II the clouds were In blossom,
or as though the sky leaned on the shoulder
OF cedar. All this Nebuchadnezzar did TO
please his wife. Well, she ought to have
been pleased. suppose she was pleased. II
that would not please her nothing would.
There was in that city also the temple Of
Belus, with towers-one tower the eighth Of
q mile high, In which there was an obserB-
tory where astronomers talked TO the stars
There was in that temple an image, just one
Image, which would cost what would be
$4,000, 900.
o what cityl The earth never saw any
thing like II, never will see any thing like
II. And yet have 10 tell you that IL is
going TO be destroyed. The King and bis
princes are at feast. They are all intoxi-
Gated. Pour out the rich wine into the
chalices. Drink to the health Of the King.
Drink to the health Of Babylon. Drink TO a
great future.
A thousand lords reel intoxicated. The
King, seated upon chair, with vacant look,
Is intoxicated men will-with vacant look
stared at the wall But soon that vacant
look takes on intensity, and IL is an af-
frighted look and all the princes begin TO
look and wonder what is the matter, and
they look at the same point on the wall.
And then there drops darkness into the
room and puts out tho blaze Of the golden
plate, and out OF the sleeve Of the darkness
there comes a finger-a finger Of fiery terror.
circling around and circling around as
though It would write; and then II comes
up and with sharp tip Of fame 1t inscribes
ON tho plastering Of hhe wall the doom Of
the King: "Weighed In the balances, and
found wanting" The bang Of heavy fists
against the gates Of the palace are followed
by the breaking In Of the doors. A thousand
cleaning knives strike into a thousand
quivering hearts Now death Is king, and
he Is seated on throne Of corpses. In that
hall there Is q balance lifted. God swung
f. On one side Of the balance are put Bel
shazzar's opportunities, ON the other side Of
the balance are put Beishazzar's sins The
sins como down. His opporb aities 20 up.
Weighed in the balances found wanting.
There has been great deal Of cheating In
our country with false weights and meas
ures and balances, and the Government, 70
change that state Of things, appointed COM
missIoners, whose business Il was 70 stamp
weights and measures and balances, and a
great deal OF wrong has been corrected.
But still, after all, there Is no such thing as
q perfect balance on earth. The chain may
break, or some OF the metal may be clipped,
or in some way the equipose may DO little
disturbed.
You can not always depend upon earthly
balances. A pound Is not always q pound,
and you may pay for one thing and get an
other; but In TIE balance which is sus-
pended TO the throne Of God, pound is q
pound, and right Is right, and wrong Is
wrong. and soul Is soul, and eternity Is
eternity. God has perfect bushel and a
perfect peck aud perfect gallon. When
merchants weigh their goods in the wrong
way, then the Lord weighs the goods again