Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-05-27
CANNOT CHEAT GOD.
HE WILL WEIGH OUR ACTS WITH PER-
Feet BALANCES.

opportunlties Shall De Measured
Against Sinn-Dr. rnImnge Says we
Shall BE Held Personally NespOhsi-
bic For Our Shortcomings.
copyright. Louis klopsch. 1897
WASHINGTON. May 21.-ln these days
of moral awakening this pointed SER
mon by Dr. Talmage on personal re-
sponsibility before God will be read
with deep and solemn INTEREST," text
Daniel V. 81. Thou art weighed in
the balance and urt found wanting. >
Bubylon was the paradise of archi-
lecture. and driven out from thence
the grandcst buildings of modern times
are only the evidence Of her fall. The
site having been selected for the city,
y. 600. 900 men were employed in the
rearing of her walls and Ike building
of her works. 1t was Il city 60 miles IN
circumference. There was trench all
around the city. from which the ma.
terial for the building of the city had
been digged. There were 30 gates on
each side of the city; between every
two gates tower Of defense springinS
into the skies from each gate on the
one side. Il street running strni9ht
through to the corresponding gate ON
the other side. so that there were oo
streets 10 miles long. Through the city
ran branch of the river Euphrates.
This river sometimes overiiowed its
banks. and. to keep il from running the
city. Il lake WAS constructed into which
the surplus water of the river wonld
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 Euphratcs there WIS ralare
the one palace a nile and half
around. the other palace seven AMI Il
half miles around
The wifeof Neh!.chadmrz2lr had been
born and bronght ~ in Tie country.
and in mountainous region. and she
could not bear this i.;:i district OF
Babylon. and 81. to ricasc Eis wife.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Li:ilt in Inc midst of
the city mountain id0fcet high His
mountain WAS built cut into terraces
supported ON arches Tn the top OF
these arches a layer Of ilat stones. ON
the top of that layer of reeds and
bitumen. ON the top If that TWO layers
Of bricks closely cemented. on the top
of that heavy sheet of lead. and on
the top of that the soil placed-the soil
so deep that II Lebanon cedar had room
to anchor its roots Thee were pumps
worked by mighty machinery. fetching
M the water from the Euphrates to
this hanging garden. as it was called.
so that there were fountains spouting
into the sky Standing below and look
ing up. it must have seemed as If the
clouds were in blossom. or rs though
the sky leaned on the shoulder of a
cedar All this Nehuchadnezzar did to
please his wife Well. she ought to
have been Pleased suppose she was
pleased If 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
astronomers talked to the stars There
was in that temple an image, just one
image, which would cost what would
be our $50. 600, 600.
Found Wanting.
Oh what city The earth never
saw anything like it. never will see
anything like it. and yet ] have to tell
you that it is going to lie destroyed.
The king and his princes are at feast
They are all intoxicated. Pour ont the
rich wine into the chalices Drink to
the health Of the king Drink to the
glory of Babylon Drink to great flu
turel A thousand lords reel intoxicated.
The king seated upon chair, with va
cant look, as intoxicated men will
with vacant look stared at the wall.
But soon that vacant look takes on in
tensity, and it Is an affrighted 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 ont OF the sleeve CT
the darkness there comes fnger-a
finger of fiery terror circling around
and circling aronnd MS though it wonld
write. and then it comes MP and with
sharp tip of fame it inscrihes on the
plastering of the wall the doom of the
king: "Weighed in the balances and
found wanting The bang of heavy
fists against the gates CT the palace is
followed ny the breaking in of the doors.
A thousand cleaning knives strike into
I, 900 quivering hearts Now death is
king and he is seated on a throne OF
corpsea In that hall there is a balance
lifted Gcd swung it. On one side OF
the balance are put Belshazzar's oppor-
tunities. on the other side of the bal
ance are put Belshazzar S sins The sins
come down. His opportunities go up.
Weighed in the balances-found want
ing
No Perfect Balance.
There has been a great deal of cheat.
ing in our country with false weights
and measures and balances, and the
government. to change that state OF
things, appointed commissioners whose
business it 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 a:
perfect balance on earth The chair
may break or some of the metal may
be clipped or in some way the equipolst
may be disturbed You cannot always
depend upon earthly balances. a ponnt
is not always a pound. and you may
pay for one thing and get another, bu'
in the balance which is suspended t.
the throne Of God. a pound is a pound
and right is right and wrong is wrong
and soul is soul and eternity is eter
nifty. God has a perfect bushel and
perfect peck and perfect gallon. Wher
merchants weigh their goods in th'
wrong way, then the Lord weighs the
goods again If from the Imperfect