The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-06-07
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BYTHE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: ''You Can't Cheat God"-He Will
Weigh Our Acts With Perfect balances
opportunities Measured Against Sins
Personal Responsibility For Errors.

copyright. Louis Klopsch. 1881
WASHINGTON, D. C.-In these days OF
moral awakening this pointed sermon by
DR.. Talmage on personal responsibility be-
lore God will be read with deep and SOL
emn interest; text, Daniel ", 81, "Thou
art weighed in the balance and found
wanting"
Babylon was the paradise OF architecture,
and driven out from thence the grandest
evidence Of her full. The site having been
selected for the city, 1000 600 men were
employed In the rearing Of her walls and
the building OF her works. 1t was city
sixty miles in circumference. There was 8
trench all around the city, from which the
material for the building Of the city had
been digged. There were twenty-five
gates on each side OF the city; between
every two gates tower Of defense spring.
Ing into the skies; from each gate on
the one side, street running straight
through to the corresponding gate on the
other side, 80 that there were fifty streets
fifteen miles long. Through the city ran
branch Of the river Euphrates. This river
sometimes overfowed its banks, and, to
keep 1t from running the city, lake was
constructed into which the surplus water
OF the river would run during the time Of
freshets, and the water was kept In this
artificial lake until time OF drought, and
then this water would stream down over
the city, At either end OF the bridge span
ming this Euphrates there was palace
the one palace mile and a half around,
the other palace seven and halt miles
around.
Tho wife of Nebuchadnezzar had been
born and brought up In the country. and
In mountainous region, and che could
not bear this fat district OF Babylon, and
80, to please bis wife, Nebuchadnezzar
built in tho nIidst Of the city a mountain
400 feet high. This mountain was built out
into terraces supported on arches. On the
top OF these arches layer OF fat stones,
on the top Of that layer OF reeds and bl.
tumen, on the top of that two layers OF
bricks closely cemented, on the top
the top OF that the soil placed the soil
80 deep that Lebanon cedar had room
to anchor Its roots. There were pumps
worked by mighty machinery, fetching
up the water from the Euphrates to
this hanging garden, as 1t was called,
so that there were fountains spouting into
the sky Standing below and looking up,
it must have seemed as II the clouds were
in blossom, or as though the sky leaned on
the shoulder Of cedar. All this Nebuchad-
nezzar did to please his wife. Well, she
ouSut w nave oeeu ploaseu. isuPpoSo SIG
was pleased. II that would not please her,
nothing would. There was In that city
also the temple OF Belus, with towers-one
tower the eighth OF a mile high, in which
there was an observatory where astrono-
mers talked to the stars. There was In
that temple an image, just one image,
which would cost what would be our ESQ.,
600. 900.
oh, what city! The earth never saw
anything like 1t, never will see anything
like it, and yet I have to tell you that 1t is
going to be destroyed. The king and his
princes are at feast. They are al! .ntoxi-
Gated. Pour out the rich wine into the
ohalicesl Drink to the health OF the kingl
great future! Athousand lords reel intoxi-
Gated. The king seated upon chair; with
vacant look, as intoxicated men will-with
vacant look stared at the wall. But soon
that vacant look takes on intensity, and
1t is an afYrighted look, and all the
princes begin to look and wonder what is
the matter, and they look at the same point
on the wall, and then there drops darkness
into the room that puts out the blaze OF
the golden plate, and out Of the sleeve OF
the darkness there comes flnger-a finger
of the fiery terror clrcling around and cir
cling around as though 1t would write, and
fame 1t inscribes on the plastering on the
wall the doom OF the king: "Weighed In
the balances and found wanting" The
bang Of heavy fists against the gates Of the
palace Is followed by the breaking In OF
the doors. A thousand cleaning knives
strike into 1000 quiverlng hearts. Now
death Is king, and he is seated on throne
OF corpses. In that hall there Is balance
lifted. God swung 1t. On one side OF the
balance are put Belshazzar's opportunities,
on tho other side Of the balance are put
Belshazzar's sins. The sins come down.
His opportunities 60 up. Weighed In the
balances-found wanting.
There has been great deal OF cheating
In our country with false weights and
measures and balances, and the Govern
ment, to change that state OF things, ap-
pointed Commissioners, whose business 1t
was to stamp weights and measures and
balances, and great deal OF the wrong
has been corrected. But still, after all,
there Is no such thing as perfect balance
on earth. The chain may break or some
OF the metal may be clipped or in some way
the equipoise may be disturbed. You can
not always depend upon earthly balances.
n nav pay for one thing and get another,
but, in the balance which Is suspended 10
the throne OF God, pound Is pound and
right is right and wrong Is wrong and
soul Is soul and eternity Is eternity.
God has o perfect bushel md per-
feet peck and 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 out what pre-
tends to be gallon OF oil, and there Is less
than gallon, God knows 1t, and BE calls
tn W
much wanting in that measure OF OIL" The
farmer comes In from the country. he
has apples to sell. He has an imperfect
measure. Ho pours out the apples from
this imperfect measure. God recognizes
it. He says to the recording angel, MARX
down go many apples too few-an imper-
feet measure" We may cheat ourselves,
and We may cheat the world, but We can.
not cheat God. and in the great day OF
Judgment It will be found out that what
we learned in boYhood ut school Is correct;
that twenty hundrsdweight makes ton,
and 12O solid feet make cord OF wood. No
more. no less, and a religion which does
not take hold OF this life. as we'll as the life
ho come, Is no religion at oil.
But, my friends, that Is not the style OF
balances T am to speak OF to-day; that Is not
the kind of weights and measures. am
to speak OF that kind OF balances which
weigh principles, we:Sh churches, weigh
men, weigh nations and weigh worlds.
"What!" you say. "Is it possible that our
world is to be weighed?" Yes. Why, you
would think If God put on one side OF the
balances suspended from the throne the
Alps and the Pyrenees and the Hlmalayas
and Mount Washington and all the cities
OF the earth they would crush it. No, mol
The time will come when God viii sit down
on the white throne to see the world
weighed, and on one side will be the
worlds opportunities and on the other SIDE
the worlds sins. Down will 60 the sins
and away will 60 the opportunities and
God will say to the messengers with the
torch: "Burn that world! Weighed and
found wantingp