Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-01-30

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Latimer, como and apologize" Il wilLn
said Hugh Latimer. SO the day was an
pointed. and the kings chapel was full of
lords and dukes, and the mighty men 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 be.
think thee, Hugh Latimer, that thou art in
presence OF the King of heaven and earth,
who can destroy both body and soul in hell
fire." Then he preached with appalling
directnesS at the kings crimes.
Another lesson that comes 20 us There is
a great difference between the opening of the
banquet Of sin and its close. Young m m. If
YOU had looked in upon the banquet in the
hrst few hours, you would have wished you
had been invited there ana could sit at the
feast "0hl the grandeur of Belshazzlrs
feastl" 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 male itself king in the earth. IL
has crowned itself 1t has spread a banquet
Ii invites all the world to come to it. II has
hung in its blnqueting hall the spois Of all
kingdoms and the banners Of all nations. It
has gathered from all music. 1t has strewn,
from its wealth, the tables and the floors and
arches. Aud yet how often is that banquet
broken up, and how horrible is its end
Ever and anon there is handwriting on the
wall A king falls. A great culprit is ar
rested The knees Of wicke1ness knocked to-
geiher. Gods judgment, like an armed host,
breaks in upon the banquet, and that night
is Beishazzar, the king of the Chaldeans
slain.
Here is a young man who says; 81 cannot
see why they make such a fuss about the in
toxicating cup. Why, it is exhilarating! 1t
makes me feel well. can talk better, think
better, feel better. ] cannot see why people
have such a 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 cannot; and he
cries out: "Oh, Lord God. help mem 1t
seems as though God would not hear his
prayer and in an agony of bo1y and soul he
cries out: 1t biteth like q serpent, and 1t
stineeth like an adder How bright it was
at the start! How black it was al the last
Here is a man who begins to read corr upt
novels. They are so charming" says he
III will 90 out and see for myself whether all
these things are So He opens the gate OF
a sinful life. He goes in. A sinful sprlte
meets him with her wand She waves her
WHDU. anu IL II All tAfll1nAlhthb. W ~
seems as if the angels of God had poured out
phials of perfume in tho atmosphere As he
walks on he finds the hills becoming more
radiant with foliage and the rayines more
resonant with the railing water. Oh. what
a charming landscape he seesl 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 forket
tongues of kissing serpents The flowing
fountains fall back in dead pool. stenchtul
with corruption. The Turing songs become
laughter. Lost spirits gather about him and
feel for his heart. and beckon him on with
s'Hail brother Hail. blasted Spirit, hail" 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
lar of that shutting door he hears the words
This night Is Belshazzar, the king OF Chal-
deans slain Sin may open bright as the
morning. It ends dark as the night.
/ learn further from this subject that Death
sometimes breaks in upon a banquet. why
did he not 20 down to the prisons IN Babylon?
There were people there that would Ike to
have died. | suppose there were men ana
women in torture in that city who would
have welcomed Death. But he comes to the
palace: and Just at the time when the mlrth
Is dashing to the tip-top pitch Death breaks
in ot the BANQUET. We have often seen the
same thing illustrated Here is a young man
lust come from college. He is kind He Is
loving. He is enthusiastic. He is eloquent
BY one spring he may bounl TO heights
toward which many men have been strug-
Cling for years. A profession opens before
him He is established in the law. His
friends cheer him. Eminent men encourage
him.
After while you may see him standing
in the United States senate, or moving
popuar assembage by his eloquence, as
trees arc moved in a whrwin1. Some night
he retires early. A fever is on hun. Delirlun,
like a reckless chari0scer saizes the reins OF
his intellect. Father and mother stand by
and see the u les of his life going out to ths
great ocean. The banquet IS coming to an
end. The lights Of thought aud mlrth and
eloquence are being extinguisbet The gar
lands are snatched from the brow Tae
vision is gone De1th at the banquet!
We saw the same thing on & lars'r scale
illustrated at the last war in this country.
Our whole nation bad been sitting at ma
tional banquet--north, south, east and west
What grain was there but we grew 1t on our
hills What invention was there but our
rivers must turn the new wheel aud rattle
the strange shuttle What warm furs but
our traders must bring them from the Are
tic. What iish but our nets must sweep
them for the markets What music but Il
must sing in our halls. What elOquence put
il must speak in our senates. Ho 10 the ma
tional banquet reaching from mountain 70
mountain, and from sea 10 sea- 10 prepare
that banquet the sheepfolds aud the avarie'
of the country sent their best treasures. The
l. NJ. ho fol la taair
fruits The presses burst ont with new wines
To sit at that table came the yeomanry Of
New Hampshire, and the lumbernan OF
Maine. and the CarOlinian from the rice
fields. and the western emigrant from the
pines of Oregon. aud we were all brothers
brothers at banquet. Suddenly tine feast
ended
What meant those mounds thrown up at
Chickamauga. Shiloh. Atlanta. Gettyshurs
South Mountains What meant those golden
grain fields turned into a pasturing ground
for cavalry horses What meant the corn
fields quilted with the wheels of the heavy
supply train, Why those rivers OF tears -
those lakes of bloodt God was angry Jus
tice must come. a handwriting on the wall
The nation had been weighed md founc
wanting Darkness. Darkness Woe to
the north Woe to the south Woe to the
tdsl- w W ~ liic NIoSs A~'N'A ~
quet,
| have also to learn from the subject that
the destruction of the vicious, and OF those
who despise God, will be very sudden. Inc
wave of mirth had dashed to the highest
point when that Assyrian army broke
through. il was unexpected. Suddenly,
almost always, comes the doom OF those
who despse 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 1t was
comingy No; | suppose the morning was
bright, that cllmness broode1 on the waters;
that beauty sat enthrone1 on the nils, when
suddenly the heavens burst. and the mount
ans sank like anchors into the sea that
dashed clear over the Andes and the
Himaayas.
The Red Sea was divided Tho Egyptians
tried to cross it. There could be no danger
The Israelites had just gone through. here
they had gone, why not the Egyptians On!
it was such beautiful walking place,
pavement OF tinged shells and pearls; and on
either side two great walls OF water--solid.
There can be no danger. Forward, great
hosts of the Egyptians Clap the cymbals.
and blow the trumpets of victory After
theml We will catch them yet, and they
saall be DESTROYED. But the walls begin TO
tremble. They rock They fall The rush
ing watersi The shrek of drowning mem
The swimming of the war horses in vain for
the shore The strewing of the great host