The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

Paul the apostle preached before man VINO
was not ready to hear him preach. What
subject did he take2 Did he say, "Oh! you
are good man, very fine man, very no
BILE manr' No; he preached of righteous
ness Co man VINO was unrlgnreous; OF TEN
perance to man who was the victim Of bad
appetites; Of the judgment to come to 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 I. Of England, who
was James VI. OF Scotland. What subject
did he take? The king was noted all over the
world for his being unsettled and wavering
IN his ideas what did the minister preach
about to this man who was James !. Of Eng
land and James vi. Of Scotland2 He took
for his text James j., O.: HE that wavereth
is like a wave Of the sea, driven with the
wind and tossed"
Hugh Latimer offened the king by SER
mon he preached and the king said, "Hugh
Latimer, come and apologize" II will"
said Hugh Latimer. 50 the day was ap-
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.
CQluk IHe6, auSu LdGliueI, GuOu ulU IL
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 to US. Ihere Is
q great difference between the opening Of the
banquet Of sin and its close. Young man, If
YOU had looked in upon the banquet in the
first few hours you would have wished you
had been invited there, and could sit at the
feast. s'Oh! the grandeur Of Belshazzar's
feastln you would have said; but you look in
at the close Of ths 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.
has crowned itself. It has spread banquet
It invites all the world to come to it. 1t has
hung in its banqueting hall the spoils of all
kingdoms and the banners OF all nations. IL
has gathered from all music. 1t has strewn
from its wealth, the tables and the floors ant
arches. And yet how often is that banquet
broken up, and how horrible Is its end
Ever and anon there Is a handwriting on the
wall. A king falls. A great culprit is ar
rested. The knees Of wickedness knocked to
gether. Gods judgment, like an armed host
breaks in upon the banquet, and that night
is Belshazzar, the king Of the Chaldeans,
slain.
Here Is young man who says: II cannon
see why they make such fuss about the IN.
toxicating cup. Why, it is exhilarating! II
makes me feel we'll. can talk oetter, tn'nK
better, feel better. cannot see why people
have such q prejudice against it" A few
wears pass on, and be wakes up and tnds
himself in the clutches Of an evil habit
which be tries to break, but cannot; and ne
cries out: "Oh, Lord God, help mel! IL
seems as thoug ID God would not hear his
PRAYER, and in an agony Of body and soul ne
cries out: 1T biteth like serpent, ana IL
stingeth like an adder" How bright 1t was
OF the start! How black it was al the last!
Here is man who begins to read corlupt
81 will 60 out and see for myself whether all
these things are so" He opens the gate OF
a sinful life. He goes in, 4 sinful sprite
meets him with her wand. She waves her
wand. and it is all enchantment. Why, it
seems as If the angels Of God hsd poured out
phials Of perfume in the atmosphere. AS ne
walks on he finds the hills becoming more
radiant with foliage and the ravlnes more
resonant with the falling water. Oh: Wnae
a charming landscape ne sees! bu5 tna1
sinful sprite with her wand meets him again;
but now she reyerse5 the wand, and all tho
enchantment is gone. The cup IS full or
poison. The fruit turns to ashes.
ElI the leaves Of the bower are forked
tongues of Kissing serpents. The tow1ng
fountains fall back in dead pool, stenchful
with corruption. The Turing songs become
laughter. Lost spirits gather about hlm ana
feel for his heart, and becSon him on Win
Hail, brother Hail, blasted spirit, hallF he
tries to get out. He comes to the front door
where he entered, and tries to push it back,
hut the door turns against him, and IN the
lar of that shutting door he hears the words,
This night Is Belshazzar, the king or Chal-
deans slain" Sin may open bright as ths
morning. It ends dark as the night!
Ilearn further from this subject that DeGth
sometimes breaks in upon banquet. Why
aid he not 90 down to the prisons In Babylon?
There were people there that would like 10
have died. I suppose there were men and
women in torture in that city who would
have welcomed Death. But he comes to tho
palace; and just at the time when the mlrth
Is dashing to the tip-top pitch Death breaks
in at the banquet. We have often seen the
same thing Illustrated. Here is q young man
lust come from college. He is kind: He Is
loving, he is enthusiastic. he Is eloquent.
By one spring he may bouni to heights
toward which many men have been strug-
cling for wears. A profession opens before
him. He is established in the law. His
friends cheer him. Eminent men encourage
him.
After a while you may see him standing
In the United States senate, or moving
popular assemblage by his ,eloquenca, as
trees are moved in whirlwsnd. Some night
heretires early. A fever Is onhlm. Dellrlum,
like reckless charioteer, seizes the relns OF
his intellect. Father and mother stand by
and see the riles Of his life going out to tina
great ocean. The banquet is coming to an
end. The lights Of thought and mirth and
eloquancs are being extinguished. The gar
lands are snatched from the prov; ine
vision Is gone. Death at the banquet!
We saw the same thing on a larger scale
illustrated at the last war in this country.
Our whole nation had 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 and rattle
the strange shuttle. What warm furs but
our traders must bring them from the Arc
tic. What fish but our nets must sweep
| them for the markets. What music but 1t
must sing in our halls. What eloquence but
| il must speak in our senates. Ho! to the na-
tional banquet. reaching from mountain to
mountain, and from sea to sea! To prepare
that banquet the sheepfolds and the aviarles
of the ctMntry sent their best treasures. The
orchards niled I'D on the table their sweetest
| fruits The presses burst out with new wines.
| To sit at that table came the yeomanry of
New Hampshire and the lunberman of
Maine and the Caroliuian from the rice
fields, and the western emigrant from the
pines Of Oregon, and we We're all brothers
brothers at banquet. Suddenly the feast
ended.
Whatmeant those mounds thrown up at
Chickamauga, Shiloh, Atlanta, Gettysburg,
| South Mountains What meant those golden
grain fields turned into 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 blood? God was angry! Ju.
| -. -,,,& oop,o A ban5xyrtipo on tha wall