The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-02-04

guffaw OF idiotic laughter. bursting from
the lips OF princes, flushed, Keeling, blood
shot while mingling with it all | hear,
"Huzza huzza for great Belshazzar!"
What is that on the plastering of the
wall? Is it spirit? Is it a phantom? Is
1t God? Out of the black sleeve of the
darkness finger OF fiery terror trembles
through the air and comes to the wall,
circling about as though it would write,
and then, with sharp tip of flame, en-
graves 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 thou
sand-voiced shrek of terror. 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. hear the feet of the conquer
ors on the palace stairs Massacre rushes
in with a thousand cleaning knives.
Death bursts upon the scene; and l shut
the door OF that banquetiug 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 kick
ed and tumbled carcass OF a dead king.
For in that night was Belshazzar, the
king Of the Chaldeans, claim"
i go on 10 learn that when God writes
anything on the wall, man had better
read it as il is. Daniel did not misinter-
pref or modify the handwriting on the
wall. 1t is all foolishness to expect min
lister of the gospel 10 preach always things
that the people Ike or the people choose.
Young men, what shall preach to you to-
night? Shall | tell you of the dignity of
human nature? Shall l tell YOU of the
wonders that our race has accomplished?
"Oh! no" you say; "tell me the message
that came from God" ] will. If there is
any handwriting on the wall, 10 Is this les
son: Accept OF Christ and be saved" l
might talk of q great many other things.
but that is the message, and so 1 declare
it. Jesus never tiattered those to whom He
preached. He said TO those who did
wrong, and who were offensive in His sight,
"Ye generation OF vipers! We whited sep
ulchers how can We escape the damDa-
ton OF hellW Paul the apostle preached
before a man who was not ready 10 hear
him preach. What subject did he take?
Did be say, "Ohl you are a good man, a
very fine man, very noble MANI" No; he
preached of righteousness to man
who was unrighteous; OF Temperance to a
man who was unfit for il. SO we must al
WAYS declare the message that happens to
come to us Daniel must read it as it is. A
minister preached before James | of En-
gland, who was James VI of Scotland.
What subject did he take? The king was
noted all over the world for being I'M
settled and wavering i'll 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, o., ''He that wavereth is like a
wave OF the sea, driven with the wind
and tossed" Hugh Latimer offended
the king by a sermon he preached, and
the king said, Hugh Latimer, come aud
apologize" Il will, said Hugh Latimer
20 the day was appointed, and the kings
chapel was full OF lords and dukes, and
tie mighty men and women of the coun-
try, for Hugh LatImer was TO apologize.
He began his sermon by saying, 'IIugh
Latimer, bethink thee! Thou art in the
presence of thy earthly king, who can de-
stroy thy body. But bethink thee, Hugh
Latimer, that thou at in the presence OF
the king OF heaven and earth, who can de-
strOy both body and soul in hell-tire'
Then nc preached with appalling direct
ness at the kings crimes.
Another lesson that comes to us there
Is a great difference between the opening
of the banquet of sin and its close. Young
man, il you had looked in upon the ban
quot in the first few hours YOU would
have wished YOU had been invited there,
! and could sit at the feast. "Ohl the
grandeur OF Beshazzar's feastw yen
would have said; but you look in 1T the
close OF the banquet and your blood cur
dies with horror. The king OF terrors has
there a ghastiier banquet; human blood
Is the wine and dying groans are themusic.
Sin has made itself king in the earth. 1t
has crowned itself 1t has spread bar
quet 1t invites all the world to come 10
it. 1t has hung in its banqueting hail the
spOils of al Kingdoms and the manners of
all nations. II has gathered from all
music. 1t has strewn, from ats wealth, the
tables and the floors and arches. And vet
how often is that banquet broken up; and
how horrible is its end Ever and anon
there is q handwriting on the wall i king
Z falls. y great culprlt is arrested. The
knees of Wickedness knock together.
Gods judgment, like an armed host.
breaks in upon the banquet; and that
knight is Belshazzar, the king of the Chal-
deans, slain.
Here is young man who says: II can
! not see why they make such fuss about
the Intoxicating cup. Why, it is exhilar-
allIlE- IL makes HE leel We'll. can talk
/ better, think better, feel better. i cannot
| see why people have such prejudice
against it." y few years pass on and he
wakes up and finds himselfin the clutches
OF an evil habit which be tries to break.
but cannot; and he cries out: "Oh, Lord
God, help me" 1t seems as though God
would not hear his prayer and in an agony
OF body and soul he cries out: at biteth
like a serpent and it stingeth like an
adder" How bright it was at the start
How black 1t was at the last
Here is man who begins to read corrupt
novels. ''They are so charming" says he;
Il will go out and see for myself whether
oil these things are So" He opens the gate
of a sinful life. He goes in. A sinful
sprite meets him with her wand. She
waves her wand, and it is all enchant-
ment. Why, it seems as il the angels of
God had poured out phials of perfume in
the atmosphere. As he walks on he finds
! the hill becoming radiant with foliage
and the ravines more resonant with the
/ falling of water. OH what charming
| landscape he seesl but that sinful sprite
with her wand, meets him again but now
she reverses the wand, and all the en-
I chantment is gone. The cup is full of
/ poison. The fruit turns to ashes. Ali the
leaves of the bower are forked tongues of
Il