The Bossier banner., 1891-04-02
BELSHAZZAR'S BANQUET.
Discourse by Rev. r. Dewitt Tall
mage on Gods Messages.
They Should be Rightly Interpreted and
Faithfully Heeded-The Feast of Sin,
the Wages of Which, Surely
Paid, is Death.

The following sermon on ''The Hand
writing on the Wall'' was delivered by
Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage in Brooklyn
and New York City from the text:
In that night was Belshazzar, the King of
the Chaldeans, slain.-Daniel v, 80.
After the site of Babylon had been
selected, two millions of men were en-
ployed for the construction of the wall
and principal works. The walls of the
city were sixty miles in circumference.
They We're surrounded by trench. out
OF which had been dug the material for
the construction of the city. There
were twenty-five gates of solid brass on
each side of the square city. Between
every two gates a great watch-tower
sprang up into the heavens. From each
OF the twenty-five gates, on either side,
a street ran straight through to the gate
on the other side, so that there were
fifty streets, each fifteen miles long,
which gave the city an appearance of
wonderful regularity. The houses did
not join each other on the ground, and
between them were gardens and shrub
berry. From house-top to house-top
bridges swung, over which the inhab-
ltants were accustomed to pass. A
branch of the Euphrates went through
the city, over which bridge of marvel
GUS structure was thrown, and un-
der which tunnel ran. To
keep the river from overflow
ing the city in times of freshet a
great Jake was arranged TO catch the
surplus, in which the water was kept as
in reservoir until times of drought,
when it was sent streaming down over
the thirsty land. A palace stood ateach
end of the Euphrates bridge; one palace
a mile and three-quarters in compass,
and the other palace seven and half
miles in circumference, The wife of
Nebuchadnezzar, having been brought
up among the mountains of Media,
could not stand it in this fat country of
Babylon, and so, to please her, Nebu-
chadnezzar had a mountain, four hun
dred feet high, built in the midst of the
city. This mountain was surrounded
by terraces, for the support of which
great arches were lifted. On the top of
these arches fat stones were laid; then
rows of bricks closely cemented; then
thick sheets of lead, upon which the
soil was placed. The earth here de-
posted was SO deep that the largest
trees had room to anchor their roots.
All the glory of the fiowery tropics was
spread out at that tremendous height.
until it must have seemed to one below
as though the clouds were all in bios
som, and the very sky leaned on the
shoulder of the cedar. At the top an
engine was constructed, which drew the
water from the Euphrates, far below,
and made it spout up amid this garden
of the skies. All this to please his
wifel / think she must have been
pleased.
In the midst of this city stood also the
Temple of Belus. One of its towers was
oneyighth of mile high, and on the
top OF it an observatory, which gave the
astronomers great advantage, as, being
at so great height, one could easily
talk with the stars. This temple was
full of cups and statues and censers, all
OF gold. One image weighed one thou
sand Babylonish talents, which would
be equal to fifty-two million dollars.
All this by day, but now night was
about to come down on Babylon. The
shadows of her two hundred and fifty
towers began to lengthen. The Eu-
pirates rolled on, touched by the fiery
splendors of the setting sun; and gates
of brass, FURNISHED and glittering.
opened and shut like doors of flame.
The hanging gardens of Babylon, wet
with the heavy dew, began to pour.
from starlit flowers and dripping leaf, a
fragrance for many miles around. The
streets and squares were lighted for
dance and frolic and promenade. The
theaters and galleries of art invited the
wealth and pomp and grandeur of the
city to rare entertainments Scenes of
riot and wassail were mingled in every
street; goddess mirth and outrageous ex-
cess and splendid wiclzedness came to
the Kings palace to do their mightiest
deeds of darkness.
A royal feast tonight at the Kings
palace! Rushing up to the gates are
chariots, upholstered with precious
cloths from Dedan and drawn by fire.
eyed horses from Togarmah, that rear
and neigh in the grasp of the charioteers,
while thousand lords dismount. and
women, dressed in all the splendors of
Syrian emerald, and the color blending
of agate and the chasteness of coral,
and the somber glory of Tyrian purple
and princely embroideries, brought from
afar by camels across the desert, and by
ships of Tarshish across the sea.
Open wide the gates, and let the
guests come in. The chamberlains and
cupbearers are all ready. Hark to the
rustic of the robes and to the carol of
the musicl See the blaze of the iewelsi
Lift the banners. Fill the cups. Clap
the cymbals. Blow the trumpets. Let
the night go by with song, and dances.
and ovation, and let that Babylonish
tongue be palsied that will not saw;
''0h, King Belshazzar, live forever!''
All! my friends, it was not any COM
mon banquet to which these great peo-
pie came. All parts of the earth had
sent the r chest viands to that table.
Brack is and chandeliers flashed their
light upon tankards of FURNISHED gold.
Fruits ripe and luscious. in baskets of