Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-10-31

our sins may be, IL we once place the
cross OF Jesus Christ into the scale OPP
posite to that which Is piled high. with
cur sins, we shall then be weighed In
the balances and not found wanting.
What blessed and transporting
thought this should be. that we can
have all our sins outweighedl We
would not dare for one instant TO
preach a sermon upon Gods balances
a. Belsbazzar's feast unless we could
place the greatest emphasis upon this
idea. II would be appalling TO depict
the horror of a sinners eternity, unless
ut the same time we could offer par
don for all sins to all people if they
would only all be willing to be cleansed
of their sins in the blood of the Lamb.
1 once read of a dramatic scene where
there was not enough physical saliva
ton TO go around. Ii was on the deck
OF the United States man-of-war Tren-
ton during the famous cyclone I'm the
Samoan harbor few years ago Every
officer and sailor had Invested himself
OF all his outer garments because every
moment they expected the huge ship
to 20 down. as many of the other YES
sells had already been engulfed be
fore their eyes. But though every man
was making all the necessary prepara-
tons he could for what seemed the inev-
liable plunge there was one life pre-
server for which no one seemed to have
any particular use. IL was the only
life preServcr on board and nobody
wanted to take it and live and let his
companions die. A sailor handed it up
to the executive officer. The executive
officer would not put it on, but handed
1t TO the captain. The captain I'm turn
handed II to the admiral The admiral
refusing to put ii on this life preserver
was carelessly thrown across the rail
of the bridge. There Il hung" said
an eyewitness. "a glowing tribute to
the courage of men who were unwill-
ing to be saved IL they knew thereby
that their companions had to die" But
though there may not be physical sal
walton enough to 60 around the whole
crew of doomed ship. yet, thank God,
there is spiritual salvation enough fo-
all the world if we only will accept that
salvation through the blood Of Jesus
Christ. There Is no need of any Bel
shazsar of sin today being found want
Ing when he is weighed In Gods bal
ances IL he will only let the cross of
Jesus Christ be placed in the scale OPP
posite TO that which Is piled high with
his past sins.
The entrance into Belshazzar's BAN
quet hall of sin is not one of unalloyed
joy. The poet tried to describe the
wild exultation of that feast when he
imaginatively wrote these words:
oh. ne'er in Babylon did blaze a sight
More richly grand. magnifcently bright;
Bearing his crown and dressed in robe of
state.
High on his throne of gold Belshazzar
safe:
In shining robes and stretching far away.
Like pillows quivering meath the sunset
ray.
Chiefs. mobiles. stood. the red lamps float
Ing DER
The golden chains and purple robes they
wore.
The Lesson of the Feast.
But In all that vast throng there was
many sad heart, many hopeless
despair. To me Belshazzar's feast is
better described by the artist by whom
/ saw it pictured Mt Buffalo, n. ", in
the worlds fair OF 1901. Ushered into
total darkness. Then. by the MAGICAL
effects OF lights, it slowly became
brighter and brighter. until, upon the
side of the wall, we could see dim fig
ures begin TO form themselves. They
looked at first like hideous phantoms
Then, as 1t became lighter and lighter
until the whole room glowed with
light, we saw the inside OF huge
palace. There were the broad stairs
leading upward. There were the
bodies of men and women lying pros
trate upon the floor, amid overturned
tables and spilled decanters and
broken furniture. 1t was n scene OF
grandeur. but also scene of filthy
bestialities. In the center OF the stair
case stood the Mortified king, with
strained eyes looking ut tho letters OF
fire burning themselves into the wall,
while Off In the distance could be seen
the Persian soldiers with drawn
swords, ready 10 dilute the spilled wine
with human gore and To change the
floor into n reservoir of blood. Then
the lights OF the room began TO dim,
and ii grew darker and darker and
blacker and blacker until at last ii
seemed as though we were incarcer-
ated in the dungeons of the eternally
lost and the destroyed.
So when the would be sinner would
enter the banquet hall OF sin he al
ways goes there at first like one CROP
ing about In the darkness, us fearing
that he may be walking upon the edge
OF preciplce. he enters with horror
and trembling. I'm terror and with tears.
Then In the midnight hour of the car
nival the bnnqueter I'm the hall OF sin
sees that fatal handwriting upon the
wall. You, . sinner, today see It,
You see 1t with Mortified eyes, as Bel
shaZzar saw IL; you see IL written by
the dead fingers OF those who have |
lifted the same cup Of death TO their |
lips that you are lifting at the present |
time. Then, as In the room where i |
saw the picture at the worlds fair,
you feel that ii begins to grow darker |
and darker. The light In the reveler's |
eyes can no longer keep your courage |
up. Already In that darkness you can |
see the advancing messengers OF Gods |
vengeance. 1t is horror at the opening |
or the banquet; 1t Is horror In the mid |
Ole or the banquet; 1t will be unutter- |
able horror at its close when God shall |
finally say to you, o sinner, Thou art |
weighed in the balances and art found ]
wanting"
So. In closing, as plead with you to |
fee from the banquet hall of sin. |
again invite you into the other ban
quet hall where Christ the Divine |
Bridegroom is to be married to the |
church. his bride. / would invite you
into that banquet hall, which Is filed |
with the great multitudes OF the re-
deemed. l would earnestly invite you
to come, because there is vacant |
place at that gospel banquet table
which. l am sure, has been reserved |
for you. 1t is In the center of group
OF your loved ones. 1t Is right next to
your sainted mother and father and |
wife and sister and child, and by the
looks Of your loved ones l think they |