The Yale expositor., 1895-11-15

that night was BelshaZZar, the king or
the Chaldeans, slain"
l go on to learn some lessons from
all this. learn that when God writes
anything on the wall, man had bet
ter read 1t as it is. Daniel did not mis-
interpret or modify the handwriting on
the wall. 1t is all foolishness TO ex-
pect minister of the Gospel to preach
always things that the people like, or
the people choose Young men OF
Washington, what shall preach to you
tonight? Shall l tell you of the dig
nifty OF human nature? Shall I tell you
OF the wonders that our race has ac-
complished? "Oh, no." you say, "tell
me the message that came from Cod"
l will. II there is any handwriting on
the wall, it is this lesson: Repent!
Accept OF Christ and be savedw /
might talk Of a great many other
things; but that is the message. and
80 l declare it. Jesus never flattered
those to whom he preached. He said
to those who did wrong, and who were
offensive in his sight, ''Ye generation of
vi2ers! ye whited sepulchres! how can
va escape the damnation of hell?" Paul
the apostle preached before q 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, a very noble man? No; he
preached of righteousness to man who
was unrighteous; of temperance to a
man who was a victim of bad appe-
tites; of the judgment to come to man
who was unfit for it. So we must al
ways declare the message that hap
pens to come to us. Daniel must read
1t as it is. A minister preached be-
fore James I. of England, who was
James VI. OF Scotland. What subject
did he take? The king was noted al!
over the world for being unsettled and
wavering in his ideas. What did the
minister preach about to this man who
was James !. of England and James vi.
Of Scotland? He took for his text
James first and sixth; He that way-
ereth ia like a wave OF the sea driven
with the wind and tossed" Hugh Lat
inner offended the king by a 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 coun-
try. for Hugh Latimer was to apollo
gize. 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 betnink
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 preach
ed 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 it's close. Young man, II you
had looked in upon the banquet In the
FIRST few hours, you would have wisneo
YOU had been invited there, and could
sit at the feast. "Oh! the grandeur OF
Beshazzar's feastr' 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
a ghastlier banquet, and human D.ood
is the wine, and dying groans are the
music. Sin has made itself King In
the earth. II has crowned itself. 1t has
spread a banquet. 1t invites all the
world 10 come to it. 1t has hung IN
its banoueting hall the spells of all
kingdoms, and the banners OF all ma
lions. 1t has gathered from all music.
II has strewn, from its wealth, the
tables. and floors, and arches. Ana yet
how often is that banquet broken up;
and how horrible is its end! Ever ana
anon there is a handwriting on the
wall. A king falls. A great culprit Is
arrested. The knees OF wlcKedness
knock together. Gods judgment, IKE an
armed host, breaks in upon the pan
ouet; and that night is Belshazzar' INC
king of the Chaldeans, slain.
Here is a young man who says, Il
cannot see why they make such russ
about the intoxicating cup. why, IL
Is exhilarating! 1t makes me feel
we'll. | can talk better, think better,
feel better. / 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: "Oh,
Lord God! help mel" vt seems as
though God would not hear his prayer,
and in an agony of body and soul he
cries out: 1T biteth like serpent and
II stingeth like an adder" How bright
it was at start! How black it was at
last!
Here is q man who begins to read
loose novels. They are so charming"
he says; II will go out and see for
myself whether all these things are
So" 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 enchantment. Why,
it seems as IL the angels of God had
poured out phials of perfume In the
atmosphere. AS he walks ON he finds
the hills becoming more radiant with
foliage. and the ravines more reso-
nant with the falling water. oh. what