The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-01-28

0ueQ empires. luOlSOI WOnuer1ui WOrk
standing on pedestals of precious stones.
Embroideries STOPPING about the win.
dows and wrapping pillars Of cedar,
and drifting on floor inlaid with
ivory and agate. Music, mingling
the thrum of harps. and the
clash Of cymbals, and the blast
of trumpets in one wave of transport
that went ripping along the wall, and
breathing among the garlands, and
pouring down the corridors, and thrill
ing the souls of thousand banqueters.
The signal is given, and the lords and
ladies, the mighty men and women OF
the land, come around the table. Pour
out the wine. Let foam ana bubble
kiss the rim! Hoist every one his cup,
and drink to the sentiment: 30, King
Belshazzar, live foreverl" Bestarred
headband and carcanet of royal beauty
CLEAN to the uplifted chalices, as again,
and again, and again they are emptied.
Away with care from the palace! Tear
royal dignity to tatters! Pour out more
wine! Give us more light, wilder music,
sweeter perfumel Lord shouts to lord,
captain ogles to captain, goblets clash,
decanters rattle. Then come in the vile
song, and the drunken hiccough, and
the slavering lip, and the guffaw of idi-
otic laughter, bursting from the lips of
princes, flushed, reeling, bloodshot;
while mingling with it all I hear;
"Huzza! Huzza! for great Belshazzar"
What is that on the plastering of the
wall? Is it spirit? Is it phantom? Is
II God2 Out of the black sleeve of the
darkness a finger of fiery terror trem-
bles thro gh the air and comes to the
wall, circling about as though 1t would
write, and then, with sharp tip of
fame, engraves on the plastering the
doom Of the King. The music stops.
The goblet falls from the nerveless
grasp There is thrill. There is a
start. There is thousand-voiced shrek
Of horror. Let Daniel be brought in to
read that writing. He comes in. He
reads it: weighed in the balance and
found wanting"
Meanwhile the Assyrians, who for
two years had been laying siege to that
city. took advantage Of that corousal
and came in. hear th feet of the con-
querors on the palace stairs. Massacre
rushes in with thsuslnd cleaning
knives. Death bursts upon the scene,
and shut the door of The banqueting.
hall, for do not vans 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 trmbled
carcass OF dead king. For lin that
night was Belshazzar, the King Of the
Chaldeans. slain.'
Igo on TO learn that when God writes
anything on the wall. n man had better
read il as IL is. Daniel did not misin'
terpret or modify the handwriting on
the wall. 1t is all foolishness 10 expect
minister of the GOSPEL to preach al
ways things that the people like, or the
people choose. Young men, what shall
] preach to you tonight? Shall I tel
you of the dignity OF human naturef
Shall tell you of the wonders that ON
race has accomplished 80, no. you
say, "tell me the message that came
from God" l will. II there is any
handwriting on the wall, it is this les
son: accept of Christ and be saved!'
/ might talk OF great many other
things; but that is the message, and sol
declare IL. Jesus never flattered those
TO whom He preached. He said 70 those
| ,,,Lo 1;d ,,,~oner ond ,,.bO tyn,.a ofpan civa
in His sight: "Ye generation OF vipers
ye whited sepulchresl how can ye es
cape the damnation Of hello" Paul the
apostle preached before a man who was
not ready TO hear him preach. What
subject did he take? Did he say, ooh
you are a good man, very fine man, d
very noble MANI" No; he preached Of
righteousness to man who was un
righteous; Of intemperance TO a man
who was the victim Of bad appetites: Of
the Judgment TO come TO man who was
unfit for IL. So we must always de
clare the message that happens u
come TO us. Daniel read it as IL Is
A minister preached before James |. OF
England, who was James VI. of Scot
land. What subject did he take? The
King was noted all over the world fol
being unsettled and wavcring in his
ideas. What did the minister preach
about 10 this man who was James I. Of
England and James VI. Of Scotland;
He took for his text (James !, o. "He
that wavereth Is like wave of the sea
lutuo,, ,.,ft1, Al,a ,,,;,,J aa1 Naaual - H,tnrh
Latimer offended the King by a sermon
he preached; and the King said: Hugh
Latimer, come and apologize" II will.
said Hugh Latimer SO the day was ap
pointed; and the Kings chapel was full
OF lords, and dukes, and the mighty mer
and women OF the country, for Hugh
Latimer was TO apologize. He began
his sermon by saying: "Hugh Latimer
bethink thee! Thou art in the presence
Of thine earthly King, who can destroy
thy body. But bethink thee, Hugh
Latimer, that thou art in the presence
Of the King of heaven and earth, who
can destroy both body and soul in he'll
fire. Then he preached with appalling
directness at the Kings crimes.
Another lesson that comes TO us; there
Is a great di ference between the open
ing Of the banquet Of sin and its close
Young man, II you had looked in upon
the banquet in the first few hours, you
would have wished you had been In
vited there, and could sit at the feast
10, the grandeur Of Belshazzar's feastr
you would have said; but you ok In al
the close Of the banquet and your blood