Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-01-26

IF princes, flushed, Keeling, bloodshot;
while mingling with it all hear,
''Huzzal huzzal for the great Belshaz-
zarl'
Look LOOK! LOOK!
What is that on the plastering OF the
wall2 Is it a spirit? Is it a phantom?
Is it Code Out of the black sleeve OF
The darkness a finger of fiery terror
urembles through the air and comes to
the wall, circling about as though 1t
would write, and then, with sharp tip
of flame, engraves on the plastering the
doom of the king The music stops.
Goblet falls from the nerveless grasp.
There is a thrill. There is start.
There is a 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. Massa-
ere rushes in with a thousand cleaning
knives. Death bursts upon the scene,
and [ 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 upset
tankards, and the blood of murdered
women, and the kicked and tumbled
carcass of a dead king. For ''in that
night was Belshazzar, the king of the
Chaldeans, slain"
go on to learn that when God writes
anything on the wall, a man had better
read it as it is. Daniel did not misin-
terpret or modify the handwriting on
the wall. 1t is all foolishness to expect
a 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 L tell
YOU of the dignity of human nature?
Shall tell you Of the wonders that our
race has accomplished? "Ohl no,
YOU say; tell me the message that
came from God" [ will. If there is
any handwriting on the wall it is this
lesson, "Accept of Christ and be
saved" might talk of a great many
other things, but that is the message,
and SO L declare it.
Jesus never flattered those to whom
he preached. He said to those who
did wrong, and who were offensive In
his sight, Eye generation of vipersl ye
whited sepulchers! how can ye escape
the damnation Of hellr' Paul the
apostle preached before a man who
was not ready to hear him preach.
no l-n2 did hn
ssOh. YOU are a good man, q very fine
man, Il very noble man| No; he
preached Of righteousness to man
who was unrighteous; of temperance
to a man who was the victim of bad
appetites; of the judgment to come tc
a man who was unfit for it. So we
must always declare the message that
happens 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 subject did he
take? The king was noted all ove1
the world for being unsettled and wa
vering in his ideas. What did the min
ister preach about TO this man who
was James I of England and James v
of Scotland? He took for his tex
James i, 6: He that wavereth il
like a wave of the sea, driven with thu
wind and tossed" Hugh Latimer of
Tended the king by a sermon N
preached, and the king said, ''Hugi
Latimer, come and apologize. .
will, " said Hugh Latimer. So the da.
was appointed. and the kings chape
| was full of lords and dukes, and tn
mighty men and women of the coun
try, for Hugh Latimer was to apollo
gize. He began his sermon by saying
'sHugh Latimer, bethink thee! Tho
art in the presence of thine earthl
! king, who can destroy thy body. Blu
bethink thee Hugh Latimer, that tho
art in the presence of the King of heaN
en- and earth, who can destroy bot
;, body and soul in hell fire" Then b
preached with appalling directness
, the kings crimes
THE HORROR OF THE ENDING.
Another lesson that comes to u
There is a great difference between tt
= opening Of the banquet of sin and Il
: close Young man, if you had locke
: in upon the banquet in the first fe
hours you would have wished you ha
been invited there, and could sit at til
= feast. "Oh! the grandeur of Belsha
Ears FEAST" you would have said, bl
YOU look in at the close of the banque
: and YOUR blood curdles with hOrro
The king of terrors has there ghas
: Iier banquet, human blood is the VIII
and dying groans are the music.
: Sin has made itself a king in tt
earth 1t has crowned itself. 1t h
- spread a banquet. 1t invites all tt
world to come to it. 1t has hung in
= banuueting hall the spoils of all kin
- doms and the banners of all nation
It has gathered from all music. 1t
- strewn from its wealth the tables 81
y the floors and arches. And yet he
% often is that banquet broken up, al
how horrible is its end! Ever and an
n there is a handwriting on the wall.
- king falls. A great culprlt is arreste
~ The knees of wickedness knock
=, gether. Gods judgment, like an arm
- host, breaks in upon the banquet, al
= that night is Belshazzar, the king OF
a. Chaldeans, slain.
= Here Is q young man WHO says
~ cannot see why they make such IL
- about the Intoxicating cup. Why, II
exhilaratingl 1t makes me feel we
| can talk better, think better, 4
Il better. [ cannot see why people ha
= such a prejudice against it, A f
I'd years pass on, and he wakes up a
e. finds himself in the clutches of an e
eir habit which he tries to break, but CO
d. not, and he cries out, ooh, Lord GH
of help mer' 1t seems as though q
ed would not hear his prayer, and In
n agony of body and soul he cries o
* ct biteth like a serpent, and it stinge
at Ike an adder" How bright it was
is the startl How black it was at
he last
rs Here is a man who begins to re
of corrupt novels. ''They are so chan
cir ing" says he, Il will go out and
Or for myself whether all these things
eze So" He opens the gate of sinful
w, He goes in. A sinful sprite meets
ng | with her wand. She waves her wal
oS and II is all enchantment. Why.