Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-11-15

ing on the wall, it is this lesson: "Re
pent Accept Of Christ and be saved =
| might talk Of a great many othel
things, but that is the message, and *
declare it. Jesus never fattered thoet
to whom he preached He said to thos'
who did wrong and who were offensive
in his sight: aye generation Of yipers
Ye whited sepulchersl How can ye es
cape the damnation Of HE'LL" Paul the
apostle preached before a man who wal
not ready to hear him preach. What sub
ject did he take? Did he say, ooh, yor
are good man. a very fine man, a very
noble man?" No. He preached Of right
eousness to a man who was unright
eous, Of temperance to q man whC
was q victim Of bad appetites, Of the
Judgment to come to a man who wa'
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 1 Of England
who was James VI Of Scotland. What
subject did he takei The king was noted
all over the world for being unsettled
and wavering in his ideas. What did the
minister preach about to this man who
was James l Of England and James VI
Of Scotlandi He took for his text Jane:
i, G.: "He that wayereth Is like q
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
and apologize. 4" Il will" said Hugh
Latimer. So the day was appointed, 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
bethink thee, Hugh Latimer, that thou
art in the 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.
A Ghastly Banquet.
Another lesson that comes to us TO-
night-there is a great difference be-
ween 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 "Oh, the grandeur Of Bel
shazzar's feast" you would have said,
but you look in at the close Of the ban
quet and your blood curdles with hor-
ror. The king Of terrors has there
ghastlier banquet. Human blood is the
wine and dying groans are the music.
Sin has made itself king in the earth.
It has crowned itself. It has spread a
banquet. Il invites all the world to
come to it. It has hung in It's banquet
Ing hall the spoils Of all Kingdoms and
the banners Of all nations. II has gath
cred from all music. 1t has strewn from
its wealth the tables and floors and
arches. And yet how often IS that ban
quet broken up and how horrible is its
end II Ever and anon there is handwrit-
ing on the wall. A king falls. A great
culprit is arrested. The knees Of wicked
ness knock together. Gods Judgment,
like an armed host, brakes in upon the
banquet, and that night is Belshazzar,
tho king Of the Chaldeans, slain.
Here is a young man who says: 81
cannot see why they make such a fuss
about the intoxicating cup. Why, it is
exhilarating 1t makes me feel we'll. l
can talk better, think better, feel better.
l cannot see why people have such a
prejudice against it. " A few years pass
on, and he wakes up and finds himself
in the clutches Of an evil habit which
he tries TO break, but cannot, and he
cries out, 80 Lord God, help mel" 1t
seems as though God would not hear his
prayer, and in an agony Of body and
soul he cries out, 1T biteth like a ser
pent, and 1t stingeth like an adder. "
How bright 1t was at the start How
black it was at the last
Here is a man who begins to read
loose novels. "They are so charming, 3"
he says Il will 60 out and see for my
self whether all these things are 90. :"
He opens the gate Of sinful life. he
goes in. A sinful sprite meets him with
her wand. She waves her wand, and it
is all enchaniment. Why, it seems as if
the angels Of God had poured out vials
Of perfume in the atmosphere. AS be
walk. on he finds the hills becoming
more radiant with foliage and the
ravines more resonant with the falling
water. Oh, what a charming landscape
he sees But that sinful sprite, with her
wand, meets him again, but now she re-
verses the wand, and all the enchant-
ment is gone The cup is full Of poison.
The fruit turns to ashes. All the leaves
Of the bower are forked Tongues OF hias-
ing serpents. The flowing fountains fall
back in dead pool stenchful with cor
ruption. The Turing songs become curses
and screams Of demoniao laughter. Lost
spirits gather about him and feelfor his
heart and beckon him on with Hail
brother! Hail, blasted spirit, hailP'
He tries to get out. He comes to the
front door where he entered and tries to
push it back, but the door turns against
him, and in the Jar Of that shutting door
he hears these words, "This night is
Belshazzar, the king Of the Chaldeans,
slain" Sin may open bright as the
morning. II ends dark as the night
An Unexpected Visitor.
Learn further from this subject that
death sometimes breaks in upon ban
quet. Why did he not 60 down to the
prisons in Babylonl There were people
there that would like to have died. l
suppose there were men and women in
torture in that city who would have
welcomed death, but he comes to the
palace, and just at the time when the
mirth is dashing to the tiptop pitch,
death breaks in at the banquet. We have
often seen the same thing illustrated.
Here is a young man just come from
college He is kind. he Is loving. He
is enthusiastic. He is eloquent. By one
spring he may bound TO heights toward
which many men have been struggling
for years. A profession opens before
L.. IL Ia