The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-06-29
n GODS BALANCES.
|n....n Lives and Actions Weighed
IN the Divine Scales.
=, raInage breaches ON personal
a.sponsibiMty, Taking His Text
sron the Handwriting ON
the wall at Babylon.

a~sponsibiMty, Taking HIS Text
s,on the Handwriting ON
the Wall at Babylon.
ac.nyrisht. 1889, by Louis Klopsch.)
81 = Washington.
!. tbese days of moral awakening
4 q. 4; nointed sermon by DR.. Talmage on
4 8. .-.anar responsibility before God win
Z q. ,,sd with deep and solemn inter-
Text. Daniel 5:27: "Thou art
r,;shed in the balances and art found
.rting." .Fs3 .5tg.4 ~. n
nabylon was the paradise of archi-
..rture. and driven ont from thence the the
.,,ndest buildings of modern times are
~ the cyideace of her fall. The site
ae,iug been selected for the city, 2,0O0,-
b 81 men were employed in the rearing
! 8 her walls and the building of her
slvorka Itwas a city 60 miles in circum-
Sss.rence. There was a trench all around
! - city, from which material for the
! suiMing of the city had been digged.
! fhere we're IS gates on each side OF the
t;ty. between every two gates a tower
4 defense springing into the skies,
Iitom each gate on the one side street
running straight through to the corre-
ponding gate on the other side, SO that
/ fhere were so streets IS miles long.
Through the city ran. a branch q the
Ssiger Euphrates. This river sometimes
eyerhowed its banks and to keep it
siium running the city a lake was con-
sstructed into which the surplus water
II the river would run during the time
II freshets, and the water was kept in
this artificial lake until time OF drought,
snd then this water would stream down
.orer the city. At either end of the
bridge spanning this Euphrates there
swas palace-the one palace mile and
. half around, the other palace 7H
niles around.
The wife of Nebuchadnezzer had been
bornand brought up in the country and
II ! mountainous region, and she could
not bear this fat district of Babylon,
and 80, to please his wife, Nebuchadnez-
ar built in the midst of the city a
mountain 400 feet high. This mountain
vas built out into. terraces supported on
arches. On the top of these arches a
hyer Of fiat stones, on the top Of that
slayer Of reeds and bitumen, on the top
d that two layers of bricks closely ce-
mented, on the top of that a heavy sheet
of lead and ol, the top of that the soil
placed-the soil SO deep that a Lebanon
sedar had room to anchor its roots.
There were pumps worked by mighty
nachinery fetching up the water from
the Euphrates to this hanging garden,
ssitwas called, SO that there were foun-
tains spouting into the sky. Standing
below and looking up, it must have
seepied q il the clouds were in bios
som or as though the sky leaned on
ihe shoulder of a cedar. All this Neb-
aehAdnezzar did to please his wife.
Well she onght to, have been pleased.
suppose She was pleased. If that
you'd not please her. nothing would.
There was in that city also the temple
q Bleus, with towers-one tower the
sghth OF mile high, in which there
zee an observatory where astronomers
salked to the stars. There wssain that
temple an image, just one image, which
would cost what would be our $751;
8 300. nt .sss.sf-
Oh. what a city! The earth never saw
anything like it, never will see any
salag like it. And yet have to tell you
!lat |: It is going to be destroyed. The
klng and his princes are at feast.
IAey are all Intoxicated. Pour out the
sea wine into the chalices! Drink to
!ae health of the King! Drink to the
slory OF Babylon! Drink to great fu-
Iafel A thousand lords reel intoxi-
Aled. The king seated upon chair,
1sa vacant look. as intoxicated men
Niii--with vacant look stared at the
.sM But soon that yacantslo look takes
. intensity, and it is an affrighted
y. and all the princes begin to look
I. ~ wonder what is the matter, and
'aey look at the same point on the wall.
]. en0 then there drops a darkness into
- i. room that puts out the blaze of
ne eciden plate. and out Of the sleeve
3 ne darkness there comes finger,
niger Of fiery terror, circling around
e. clrcling around as though it would
.slte, and then it comes up, and with
up OF fame il. inscribes on the
.aaerng ofs the wall fhe doom of the
nag Weighed in the balances and
eond wanting" y ss>s
me bang of heavy fists against the
Ieses OF the palace is followed .by. the
|. ..saking in q the doors. "a thousand
A. 4lpg knives strike into thousand
Iuve11ng hearts. Now death is king.
els Asiks seated upon a.throne d Of
i. psess In that hall there, is a balance
aeeo- God swung it. On one side Of
IS nssance are put Belshazzar's oppor-
anues; on the other side Of the hal
'aee are put Belshazzar's sins. The sins
ss Gown. His opportunities go up.
Inefc has Been q great deal Of cheat
e our country with false weights
easures; and balances, and the
y ~ nment, to change that state of
IT, appointed commissioners whose
aness It was to stamp weights and
= s .ss ures and balances, and a greatdeal
!. s.. sne wrong has been corrected. But