Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-05-20
THE DIVINE SCALES.
HUMAN LIVES AND ACTIONS WEIGHED
IN THE BALANCES.


IN THE BALANCES.
mr.. rnlmRE~ breaches on Personal
Responsibility. Taking His Text
FROM the IIandwriiIng ON the Wall
mt Babylon.
TCopyriEht. Louis Kiop7ch. 1881
WASHINGTON. May Elm these days Of
moral awakening this pointed sermon Ivy
DR. Tnlmngc on personal responsibility
before God will I've read with dsep and
solemn interest; text, Daniel V, %, Thou
art weighed In the balances and art found
wanting"
Babylon was the paradise Of nrchitec
turc, and driven out from thence the
grandcst buildings Of modern times arr
only the evidence Of her fall The site
having been selected for the city 2.O00.-
00O men were employed in the rearing Of
her walls and the building Of her WORKS.
II was a city 80 miles In circumference.
There was trench all around rhc city.
from which thc material for the building
VI the city had been digged There were
s5 gates on each side Of the city, between
every two gates n tower Of dcfense spring
ing into the skies. from each gate on the
20 the corresponding gate on the other
side, so that there were 30 streets 10 miles
long. Through the city ran branch Of
the river Euphratcs This river some
times overfiowed it's banks. and o. keep IL
from running the city lake was construct
cd into which the surplus water OF the
river would run during the time II fresh
cts, and the water was kept In this artifi-
cial lake until time of drought. and then
this water would stream down over the
city At either end Of the bridge span
ming this Eurhratcs there was n palace
the one palace n mile and half around.
the other palace az miles around.
The wife Of Nebuchadnczzar had been
born and brought up In the country and
In n mountainous region. and she could
not hear this fat district OF Babylon, and
so. 10 please his wife, Nebuchadnezzar
built in the midst ~ the city mountain
400 feet high. This mountain was built
out into terraces supported on arches. On
the top of these arches layer Of fiat
stones on the top Of that n layer Of reeds
and bitumcn, ON the top Of that two layers
Of bricks closely cemcnted. on he top Of
that heavy sheet Of lead and OH the top
OF that tho soil placcd-thc soil so deep
that Lebanon cedar had room 10 anchor
It's roots There were pumps worked by
mighty machinery fetching up the water
from the Euphraies To this hanging gar
den. rs IL was called. 50 that there were
fountains spouting into the sky. standing
below and looking mp IL must have seemed
rs II the clouds were in blossom or as
though the sky leaned ON the shoulder Of
n cedar All this Nebnchadnczsar did 20
please his wife. Well, she ought Ca have
been pleased. suppose she wa. pleased.
II that would not please her. nothing
would. There was I'm that city also the
temple 81 Blcus with towcrs-one tower
the eighth of n mile high. in which there
was an observatory where astronomers
temple an image just one image. which
would cost what would he our t52, 900.
600
Handwriting On the WALL.
Oh. what n city, The earth rover saw
anything like IL, never will see anything
like ~ And yet have 90 tell you that II
Is going 20 be destroyed. The king and
his princes ARE nc feast. They mrc all in
toxicatcd. Pour out the rich wins. into the
chalicesl Drink to the health of she king,
Drink Ca tho glory Of Babylon Drink
to n great futurcl a thousand lords reel
Intoxicated The king seated upun n chair.
with vacant look. n Intoxicated men will
with vacant look stared AT the wall But
soon TINT yacant look takes ON intensity,
and IL Is an affrightcd look. and all the
princes begin TO look and wonder what is
the matter, and they look at she same
point on the wall And then there drops
a darkness into the room that pu Is out the
blaze Of the golden plate, and out Of the
sleeve ~ the darkness there comes a finger
"A finger of fiery terror, circling around
and circling around as though IL would
write. and then IL comes up. and with
sharp tip 81 fame IL inscribcs on the plas-
terinR ~ the wall the doom Of the king
Weighed In tho balances ard found
wanting"
The hang 81 heavy fists against the
gates Of the palace Is followed by the
breaking in of the doors A thousand
cleaning knives strike into thousand
quivcring hearts Now death Is king
and he Is seated on throne al corpses
In that hall there Is halancc lifted. God
swung IL. on one side Of the balance are
put Belshazzar's opportunities: on the
other side 81 the balance are PUT Bclshaz-
zar's sins. The sins come down His
opportunities go up. Weighed in the bal
ances-found wanting
There has been great deaf Of cheating
in our country with false weights and
measures ard balances, and the govern
ment. Ia change that state Of things, ap-
pointed commissioners whose business 10
was TO stamp weights and measures and
balances. and great deal 81 the wrong
has been corrected. But still. after all,
there Is no such thing n n perfect balance
on earth. The chain may break. or some
Of the metal may he clipped. or In some
way the equipoisc may be disturbed You
cannot always depend upon earthly bal
ances A pound Is not always "a pound,
and you may pay for one thing and get
another. but ia the balance which Is sus-
pended "a the throne Of God a pound Is
pound. and right is right. and wrong Is
wrong, and n soul Is soul, and eternity
Is eternity. God has perfect hushel and
a perfect peck and n perfect gallon. When
merchants weigh their goods in the wrong
way. then the Lord weighs the goods
again II from the imperfect measure the
merchant pours ont what pretends 20 be u
gallon II oil and there Is less than gal
lon. God knows IL, and he calls upon his
recording angel To mark IL. so much
wanting in that measure Of oil The
farmer comes i'm from the country. He
has apples 60 sell He has mn imperfect
measure He pours out the apples from
this imperfect measure. God recognizes II
He says 90 the recording angel. Mark
down 50 many apples too fcw--an impcr-
feet measure. Z" We may cheat ourselves,
and we may cheat the world. hut we can
not cheat God, and In the great day Ot
Judgment is will be- found out thnt what
we learned In boyhood Mt school Is correct
that 90 hundredweight makes ton
and 100 solid feet make core Of wood
M more. M less. And n religion which
does not take hold # this life rs well as
the life 10 come Is no religion nj all
weighing Principles.
But. my friends. that Is not the style OF
balances ! am 20 speak Of today; That Is
NOT the kind ~ weights and measures i
am "a sneak ~ that kind Of balances which
weigh principles weigh churches, weigh
men weigh nations and weigh worlds.