The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-11-13
WRITING ON THE WALL.
Belshazzar Saw It and Trembled
at the Sight.
Lessons that Should be Studied by the
Young Especially-A Note of Warm
ing Gods Judgments Pursue
Those Who Refuse to
Hear His Voice.

DIR. Talmage in his latest sermon
calls attention to the fate of Belshazzar
and urges his hearers to profit by the
experience of that ancient monarch.
He chose for his text, Daniel v. 30: I'm
that night was Belshazzar the king of
the Chaldeans slain.
Night was about to come down on
Babylon. The shadows of her two hun
dred and fifty towers began to length
en-. The Euphrates 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 due, be-
gan to pour, from starlit flowers and
dripping leaf, 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 enter
tainments. Scenes of riot and wassail
were mingled in every street; and
goddess mirth and outrageous excess
and splendid wickedness 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 chariot
eers, while thousand lords dismount,
and women, dressed in all the splen-
doris of Syrian emerald, and the color
blending of agate, and the chasteness
of coral, and the somber glory of
Tyrian purple, and princely embroi-
deries, brought from afar by camels
across the desert, and by ships of Tar
shish across the sea.
Open wide the gates and let the
guests come in. The chamberlains and
cup-bearers are all ready. Hark to the
rastle of the silks, and to the carol of
the music! See the blaze of jewels!
Lift the banners. Fill the cups Clap
the cymbals. Blow the trumpets. Let
the night go by with song, and dance,
and ovation; and let that Babylonish
tongue be palsied that will not say:
80, King Belshazzar, live forever"
All, my friends it was not any COM
mon banquet to which these great
people came. All parts of the earth
had sent their richest viands to that
table. Brackets and chandeliers flashed
their light upon tanl1ards of FURNISHED
gold. Fruits, ripe andluscious, in baskets
of silver, entwined with leaves, plucled
from royal conscrvatories. Vases in.
laid with emerald and ridged with eX
quisite traceries, filed with nuts that
were threshed from forests of distant
lands. Wine brought from the roya
vats, foaming in the decanters ant
bubbling in the chalices. Tufts o
cassia and frankincense waiting theil
sweetness from wall and table Gorge
Gus banners unfolding in the breeze
that came through the open window
bewitched with the perfumes of hang
ing gardens. Fountains rising up from
Enclosures of ivory, in jets of crystal, t.
fall in gathering rain of diamonds
and pearls. Statues of mighty mel
looking down from inches in the wal
upon crowns and shields brought from
subdued empires. Idols of wonderful
work standing on pedestals of precious
stones. Embroideries STOPPING abou
the windows and wrapping pillars o
cedar, and drifting on floor inlaid will
ivory and agate Music, mingling tn
thrum of harps, and the clash of Gym
balls, and the blast of trumpets, il
one wave of transport that went rip
ping along the wall and breathing
among the garlands, and pouring Gowl
the corridors, and thrilling the soul
of thousand banqueters. The sigma
is given, and the lords and ladies, tn
mighty men and women of the land
come around the table. Pour out tn
wine. Let foam and bubble kiss tn
rim. Hoist every one his cup and drinl
to the sentiment: so King BelshazzaI
carcanet of royal beauty CLEAN to tn
uplifted chalices, as again, and again
and again they are empted. Ava
with care from the palace. Tear roya
dignity to tatters! Pour out more wine
Give us more light, wilder music
sweeter perfume! Lord shouts to lore
captain ogles to captain. Goblets clasf
decanters rattle There come in tn
obscene song, and the drunken hit
cough, and the slavering lip, and tn
guffaw of idiotic laughter, burstin
from the lips of princes, flushed, rec
ing bloodshot; while mingling with
all hear: ''Huzza huzza! for grea
Belshazzarw
What is that on the plastering of tn
wallP Is it spirit? Is it phantom
Is it God? The music stops. The gol
let's fall from the nerveless grasl
There is a thousand-voiced shrek {
horror. Let Daniel be brought in torea
that writing. He comes in. He read
it: weighed in the balance and foun
wanting"
Meanwhile the Medes, who for tw
years had been laying siege to that city
took advantage of that carousal an
came in. | hear the feet of the col
querors on the palace stairs. Massacl
rushes in with thousand gleamin
knives. Death bursts upon the seen,
and 1 shut the door of that banquetin
hall, for do not want to look. Their
is nothing there but torn banners, an
broken wreaths, and the slush of upsc
: tankards, and the blood of murdere
women, and the kicked and tumble
= carcass of dead king. For "in tht
night was Belshazzar, the king of til