The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-11-23

20 expect . minister Of the Gospel u
preach always things that the people
like or the people choose Young mer
of Washington. what shall preach te
you tonight? Shall tell you of the
dignity of human nature? Shall tell
You of the wonders that our race has
accomplished? "Oh! no." you say,
"tell me the message that came from
God" will.
II there Is any handwriting on the
wall, 1t is this lesson: Repent Ac-
cept of Christ and be savedr' might
talk of great many other things; but
this is the message, and SO declare it.
Jesus never fattcred those to whom
He preached. He said to those who
did wrong, and who were offensive in
His sight: Eye generation of vipers!
We whitened sepulchers! how can We
escape the damnation of hell" Paul,
the apostle, preached before man
who was not ready to hear him
preach. What subject did he take?
Did he say: ''Oh! you are a good
man, very fine man, very noble
man2" No. he preached of righteous
ness to man who was unrighteous;
of temperance to man who was a
victim of bad appetites; of the judg-
ment to come to man who was unfit
for it. So we must always declare the
message that happens to comes to us.
Daniel must read 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 being unsettled and wavering
in his ideas. What did the minister
preach about to this man who was
james l. of Engla nd and James vi. of
| Scotland? He took for his text James
| first and sixth: 'He that wavereth is
hike n wave of the sea driven with the
| wind and tossed" Hugh Latimer Of
Tended the king by sermon he
preached; and the king said: Hugh
Latimer, come and apologize" II
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 Lati-
mer was to apologize. He began his
sermon by saying: Hugh Latimer,
bethinls thee! Thou art in the pres
cnce of thine earthly king, who can de-
stroy thy body. But bethinls 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.
Another lesson that comes to us to-
night: There is great difference be-
tween 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 ut the feast. "Oh! the
grandeur of Belshazzar's feastw
you would have said; but you
look in at the close of the 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.
Sin has made itself king in the earth.
1t has crowned itself. 1t has spread n
banquet 1t 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. 1t has gathered from all ma
tions music. 1t has strewn. from its
arches. And yet how often is that
banquet broken up; and how horrible
is it's end! Ever and anon there is
handwriting on the wall. A king
falls. A great culprit is arrested.
The knees of wickedness knock to-
gether. Gods judgment, like an
armed host breaks in upon the ban
quet; and that night is Belshazzar, the
king of the Chaldeans, slain.
Here is young man who says: 81
can not see why they make such n fuss
about the Intoxicating cup Why, it
is exhilarating! 1t makes me feel we'll
/ can talk better, think better, feel
better. can not see why people have
such 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 can
not; and he cries out: sob, Lord God!
help me!' 1t seems as though God would
not hear his prayer, and in an agony
of body and soul he cries out: 'It
biteth Ikea serpent, and it stingcth
like an adder" How bright it was at
the start. How black it was at the
last!
/ learn further from this subject
that death sometimes breaks in upon
banquet. Why did he not go down to
the prisons in Babylon? 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 chen the mirth is dashing to the
tiptop pitch, death breaks in at the
banquet. We have often seen the
same thing illustrated. Here is n
young man just come from col
lege. lie is kind. lie is loving. lie
is enthusiastic. lie is eloquent. by
one spring he may bound to height to-
ward which many men have been
struggling for years. lie is established
in the law. His friends cheer him.
Eminent men encourage him. After
awhile you may see him stand
ing in the American senate. or