The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-08-18
IN GODS BALANCES.
Human Lives and Actions WEIGHED
IN the Divine Scales.
DIR. Toimn0e breaches on Personol
Responsibility, Taking His Text
from the handwriting on
the wall ut Babylon.
(Copyrieht, is99 BY Louis Klo7gchl


be read with deep and solemn inter
est. Text Daniel 5:27: Thou .r
weighed in the balances and art fount
wanting"
Babylon was the paradise of archi
lecture. and driven ont from thence th
grandest buildings of modern times art
only the evidence of her fau The sit,
having been selected for thc city. 2.000.
600 men were employed in the rearinr
OF her walls and the buildmc of lc.
works. 1t was city 6omilcs in circum
ference. There was O trench AN around
the city. from which material for tb,
building OF the city had been dipred
There were 25 gates ON each side of The
city, between every two ratcs "a foytel
OF defense sprincing into the skies
from each gate ON the one side street
running straight through 10 the corro-
spending gate on the other side. SO that
there were so streets IS miles long.
Through the city ran a branch Of the
river Euphrates This river sometimes
overilowcd fits banks. and % keep f.
from running the city q lake was con-
structed into which the surplus water
OF the river would run during the time
Of frcshets. and the water was kent in
this artificial lake until time Of drought
and then this water would stream down
over the city. At either end of the
bridge spanning this Euphrates there
was q polace-the one palace mileard
half around, the other palace w.
miles around.
The wifo of Nebuchadnezzer had been
born and brought mp in the country and
in a mountainous region. and She could
not bear this fat district of Babylon.
and so. 70 oplease his wife. Nebuchadnez-
zar built in the midst of the city
mountain 400 feet high. This mountain
was built out into terraces supported on
arches. On the top of these arches a
layer Of fat stones. on the top of that
q layer OF reeds and bitumen. on the top
of chat two layers of bricks closely Gee
mented, ON the topo that heavy sheet
Of lend and on the top Of thot the soil
p'aced-the soil SO deep that % Lebanon
cedar had room % anchor its roots.
There were pumps worked by mighty
machinery fetching up the water from
the Euphratcs 90 this hanging garden.
as il was called. so that there were foun-
tains spoutlng into the sky. Standing
below and looking up, it must have
seemed as II the clouds were in bios.
som or as though the sky leaned on .
.he shoulder Of cedar Al this Neb- .
did TO please his wife
Well, she ought 10 have been pleased.
suppose she was pleased. If that
would not please her. nothing would.
There was in that city also The temple
,f Hleus, with towers-one tower the
ighth Of a mile high. I'm which there
vas an observatory where astronomers
alked 70 the stars. There was in that
enple on image, just one image, which
would cost what would be our SJ2,-
oO,0OO.
Oh, what o cityl The earth never saw
nything Ike II, never viii see any
hing like IT, And yet have 10 tell you
hat II is going 20 be destroyed. The
ing and his princes are az O feast.
hey are all intoxicated. Pour out the
lch wine ITO the challcesl Drink 20
he health the king Drink 20 the
lory of Bohvlonl Drink 20 a great fu-
lrel A thousand lords reel intoxi-
ited. The king seated upon a chair
18th vacant look, as intoxicated men
ill-with vacant look stared al the
all But soon that vacant look takes @
D intensity, and II Is an afrighted
ok, and all the princes begin 10 look
I'd wonder what is the matter, and q
ley look az the same point on the wall. {
nd then there drops e darkness into J
he room that puts out the blaze Of Z
Ie golden plate, and out of the sleeve !
the darkness there comes @ finger n
finger Of fiery terror. circling around I
ID circling around 0s though II would .
rite, and then IL comes Up, and with u
arp tip of fame II inscribes ON the u
astering Of the wall the doom of the u
ngi Weighed in the balances and a
und wanting" .
Tie bang of heavy fists against the q
tes oi the palace is followed by the ,
eah-T IN of The doors. A thousand u
'amir ~ lnives strike into thousand "
iverinr hearts. Now death is king, h'
d he is seated upon throne Of q.
rpses. In that hall there is balance on
ted. God swung IT, On one side Of OIL
e balance are put Delshazzar's oppor- Oh
mites; ON the other side of The bal ir
ce are put Belshozzar's sins. The sins W.
mo down. His opportunities go up. I"
.ighed In the balances-found want IN
There has been great deal Of cheat 'h
/ in our country with false weights Sc
measures and balances and the pe
vernment, 10 change that state OF Id
ngs. appointed commissioners whose Wl
,incss IL was 70 stamp weights and ar
asures and balances. and a great deal nc
the wrong has b corrected. But 10
!. after en- there go TO such thing as we
.erfect balance on earth. The chain we
- break. or some of the metal may ini
clipped. OF .A some way the cqui- Ing
Sc may be DIS lrbed. You cannotal tie
ys depend upon earthly balances. sci
'ound is not always pound. and YOU th'
y pay for one thing and get another. yo
in the balance which is suspended al
he throne ofGod apound is pound. ho
right is right, and wrong is wrong. an'
n soul is n SOUL and eternity Is eter- the
=. God las a perfect bushe and a val
feet peck and perfect gallon. sid
en- merchants weigh their goods in at