The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-02-05


stops. The goblet falls from the nerve
less grasp. There is a 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
'carousal and came in. I hear the feet
OF the conquerors on the palace
stairs. Massacre rushes in with
A THOUSAND CLEANING KNIVES.
Death bursts upon the scene, and I
shut the door of that banqueting hall
for [ do not want to look. There is
nothing there but torn banners, and
broken wreaths, and the slush of up
set tankards, and the blood OF MUIR
dered women, and the kicked and
tumbled carcass of a dead king For
Sin that night was Belshazzar, the
king of the Chaldeans, slain"
| go on to learn that when God
writes anything on the wall, man
had better read it as it is. Daniel did
not misinterpret or modify the hand
writing on the wall. It is all foolish
ness to expect minister of the gospel
to preach always things that the people
like or the people choose Young men,
what shall l preach to you tonight?
Shall | tell you of the wonders that
our race has accomplished? "Oh,n no."
you say; ''tell me the message that
came from God" will. If there is
any handwriting on the wall, it is this
~ ,Ic% L
saved!' might talk of great many
other things; but that is the message,
and SO declare it. Jesus never flat
tered those to whom he preached.
He said to those who did wrong, and
who were offensive in his sight, eye
generation OF vipers! We whited sepul-
chres! how can we escape the Gamna-
ton of hell.' Paul the apostle
preached before a man who was not
ready to hear him preach. What sub
ject did he take? Did he say, 'Oh.
you are a good man, very fine man,
a very noble MANI" No; he preached
OF Righteousness to man who was
the victim of bad appetites; of the
Judgment to come to man who
was unfit for it. So we must al
ways declare the message that hap
pens to come to us. Daniel must
read it as it is. A minister preached
before James ]. of England, who was
James vi. Of Scotland What sub
ject did he take? The king was noted
all over the world for being unsettled
and wavering in his ideas What did
the minister preach about to this
man who was James l. of England
and James vi. of Scotland? He took
for his text (James i: g. ''He that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea.
driven with the wind and tossed.''
Hugh Latimer offended the king bv a.
sermon he preached: and the king
said, s'Hugh Latimer, come and apol-
ogize." II WILL" said Hugh Latimer.
So the day was appointed and the
kings chapel was full of lords, and
dukes, and the mighty men and wom-
en- OF the country, for Hugh Lati-
mer was to apologize. He began his
sermon by saying, Hugh Latinler,
bethink thee! Thou art in the pres
ence of thine earthly king, who can de-
stroy 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 hell-tire" Then he preach
ed with appalling directness at the
kings crimes
I learned further from this subject
that
DEATH SOMETIMES BREAKS IN
upon a banquet. Why did he not 90
down to the prisons in Babylon?
There were people there that would
like to have died. I suppose there
were men and women in torture in
that city who would have welcomed
death. But he comes to the palace.
and just at the time when mirth is
dashing to the tip-top pitch, Death
breaks in at the banquet. We have
often seen the same thing illustrated.
Here is a young man just come from
college. He is kind. Heis loving. He
is enthusiastic. He is eloquent. BY
one spring he may bound to the
heights of toward which many men
have been struggling foryears. A pro-
fession opens before him. He is es-
tablished in the law. His friends
cheer him. Eminent men encourage
him. After awhile you see him stand
ing in the United States senate. or
moving a popular assemblage by his
eloquence, as trees are moved in a
whirlwind. Some night he retires
early. A fever is on him. Delirium,
like a reckless charioteer, seizes the
reins of his intellect. Father and
mother stand by and see the tides of
life going out to the great ocean. The
banquet is coming to an end. The
lights of thought, and mirth, and elo-
quence are being extinguished The
garlands are snatched from the brow
The vision is gone. Death at the
banquet!
I have also to learn from the sub
ject that the destruction of the vicious
and of those who despise GOD, will be
very sudden. The wave of mirth had
dashed to the highest point when that
Assyrian army broke through. 1t was
unexpected. Suddenly, almost always,
comes the doom Of those who despise
God, and defy the laws of men. How
was it at the deluge? Do you suppose
it came through long northeast
storm, so that people for days before
were sure it was coming? No; Isuppose
the morning was bright: that calmness