The Penn's Grove record., 1895-11-15
REI. DR.. TaLuaGE.
The Eminent Diyine's Sunday
Sermon.


.TEyr: 'Iu that night was B~slsbazzar.
he King Of the Chaldeans, slain. "-Daniei
", 80.
Night was about to come down on Babv.
ION. The shadows of her $50 towers began
10 lengthen. The Euphrates rolled on,
touched by the fiery s~plendors of the setting
sun, and gates of brass, FURNISHED aud plit.
Ierlng, opened and shut like doors of flame,
Inc banging gardens of Babylon, wet with
me heavy dew, began to pour from starlii
W and dripping leaf a fragrance for
many miles around. The streets and souarel
were lighted for dance and froIic and prom
enade, The theaters and galleries Of ar,
invited the wealth and pomp and prandeui
OF the city to rare entertainments, Scene,
OF riot and wassatl were mingled in ever
street, and goddess mirth and ~outrageou.
excess and splendid wickedness came to tbe
Kings palace to do their mightiest deeds Of
darkness. :
royal eastto-night at the kings palace
flushing up TO the gates are chariots. uphol
stored with precious cloths from Dedan, and
Drawn by fire eyed horses from Togarmah.
that rear and neigh in the grasp OF the char,
%loteers, while a thousand lords dismount,
and women, dressed in the splendors Of
syrian emerald, and the color blending oil
agate. and the cbasteness of coral. and thu
somber glory Of Tyrlan purple and princelI
embrolderies, brought from afar by camel
across the desert and by ships Of Tarshisl
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 silks
and to the carol ofthe musicl ses the blaze
OF the lswelsl Lift the banners. Fill the
cups. Clap the cymbals. Blow the trum-
pets. LIST the night 20 by with song and
dance and ovation, and let that Babylonish
tongue be palsled that will not say, 80 King
BelshaZzar, live foreverl''
All, my friends. 1t was not any common
banquet to which these great people camel
All parts OF the earth had sent their richest
ylands to that table. Brackets and chande.
Hers flashed their light upon tankards Of
furnished gold. Fruits, ripe and luscious.l
In baskets Q: silver, entwined with leaves,
p'ucked from royal Conservatives. Vases,
inlaid with emerald and ridged with ex.
quisite traceries, filed with nuts that were
threshed from forests of distant lands.
Wine brought from the royal watts, foam.
ing In the decanter5 and bubbling In the
chalices. Tufts OF cassia and f~rankincense
waiting their sweetness from wall and table.
Gorgeous banners unfolding in the breeze
that came through the open window. be.
wltched with tho perfumes OF hanging gar.
dens. Fountains rising up from Enclosures
OF Ivory, In Jets OF crystal. to fail in clatter-
ing rain OF diamonds and pearls. Statues OF
mighty men looking Town from inches in the
wall upon rowns and shields brought from
subdued empires. Idols OF wonderful work
standing on ~pedestals OF precious stones
Embroideries stopping about the win.
dows and wrapping pillars of cedar and
drifting on floor inlald with ivory and ag.
ate. Music, mingling with the thrum o.
harps. and the clash Of eymbals, and the
blast Of trumpets in ons wave OF TRANSPORT
that went rippling along the wall and
breathing among the garlands and pouring
down the corridors, and thrilling the souls
Of a thousand b~anqueters.
This signal is given. and the lords and la
dies, tho mighty men AMI women of the
land, some around the table. Pour out the
wine. Let foam and bubble kiss the rim
Hoist every one his cup and drink to the
sentiment, 30 King ~Bslsehazzar, live for.
evsr!' Bestarred mead band and carcanet
OF royal beauty CLEAN to the up.
lifted challces. as again, and again,
and again they are emptied, Away
with care from the palace! Tear royal
dignity to tatters! Pour out more
winel Give US more light, wilder music.
sweetsr perfumel Lord shouts to lord, cap.
tain ogles to captain. Goblets clash; de.
eanters rattle, There come in the obscene
song, and the drunken hiceough, and th.
slavsrlng lip. and the guffaw ofidiotio laugh,
ter, bursting from the lips OF princes, flushed,
rseling, bioodshot, while mtngiing with ii
all l hear, "Huzza, huzza, for great Bel.
~sbaZzar!"
What is that on the plastering of the wall.
Is IL Il spirit? Is it a phantom? Is 1t God
The music stops. The goblets fail from thu
nerveless grasp. There is a thrill. There &
a start. There is q thousand voiced shriei
OF horror. Let Daniel be brought in to reat
that writing. He comes in. He reads 1t
"Weighed In the balance and found want.
tng."
Meanwhile the Modes, who for two year
had been laying siege to that city, took adj
vantage OF that carousal and came in. /
hear the feet of the conquerors on the palace
stairs. Massacre PUSHES In with a thousand
cleaning knives. Death bursts upon The
scene, end l shut the door OF that banquet
ing hall, for / do not want to look. There IA
nothing there but torn banners, and broken
wreaths, and the slush Of upset tankards,
and the blood of murdered women. and the
kicked saa tumbled carcass of a dead king.
For Sin that night was Belshazzar, the king
OF the Ohaldeans. slain"
90 on to learn some lessons from all this.
{ learn that when God writes anything on
the wall q man had better read It as 1t isl
Daniel did not misinterpret or modify thu
handwriting on the wall. 1t is all foolish.
ness to expect a minister Of the gospel &c
preach always things that the people ike OF
the people choose. Young men o..
you to-nighl? Shall I tell you o
The dignity of human nature? shal
I tell you OF the wonders that our race has
accomplished "Oh, no." you say. .'Tel
me the message that came from God" ]
will, II there Is any handwriting on tht
wall. 1t is this lesson: NRepentl Accept OF
Christ and be savedp' might ask of 4
great many other things, but hat is the mes,
sage, and SO l declare it. Jesus never Sat.
tered those to whom He preached. He sale
TO those who did wrong and who were offen
siye in His sight: Y generation Of vipers
Ye whited sepulchersl How can We es
cape the damnation OF hell" Paul the
apostle preached before a mar who was MOI
10 hear him preach. What subject
did he take? Did he say; "0h, you are q
good man, q very line man, a very noble
mann No. He preached Of Righteousness
to a man who was unrighteous, OF temper
ance to q man who was q victim of bad ap-
petites, OF the Judgment to come 20 a man
who was unfit forit. 30 we must always de
clare the message that happens to come to
US. Daniel must read it as 1t Is. A minister
preached before James l. OF England, who
was james vi. OF Scotland. What subject
did he take? The king was noted all Over
the world for being unsettled and waverine
in his Ideas. hndt uIu Tue MINISTER pFfhcL
about to this man who was James I. of Eng
land and James vi. OF Scotland2 He took
for his text James l., 6: "He that wAverett
Is like a wave OF the sea driven with the
wind and tossed" Hugh I.atimer offended
the king BY a sermon he preached, and tn,
king said, Hugh Latimer, come and
apologize" 81 WILL" said Hugh Latt
mer. so the day was appointed, and
the kings chapel was full OF lords and duke
and the mighty men n women Of thu
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 de-
stroy thy body. But bethink thee, Hugh
Latimer, that thou art in the presence Of th'
King Of heaven and earth. who can destro!
both body and soul In hell fire." Their hi
preached with appalling directness ct tn
Kings crimes.
Another lesson that comes to us tonight
there Is a greatdifference between the open
ing OF the banquet OF sin and its close
Young man, II you had looked in upon th'
banquet IN the first few hours, you woult
lave wished you had been invited there and
i1uld sit at the FEAST. "oh, the grandeur
u Belshazzar's FEAST" you would have
aid, but you look in at the close OF tins
BANQUET and your blood curdles with hor'
or. The king OF terrors has there q shast'
Ter banquet. Human blood Is the wine anC
lying groans are the music. STA has mad
iself 4 king In the earth. II has crowned