Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-11-01

the mighty ruler OF the wealtnlest cap
ital of the east. God placed in that
one scale all Belshazzars opportunities
for knowing and learning about the
true God and his divine love. Bel
shazZar was not, as some suppose, the
heather ruler of heather nation. lie
was the grandson of the Nebuchadnez-
Ear whose famous prime minister was
Daniel the mighty man of God. In
all probability he had heard from Dan
iel's own lips the commandments OF
the God of the Jews, and how that
God had protected the prophet ana
closed the mouths of the hungry wild
beasts when his servant was thrown
into the lions den. Daniel, at the time
of which | speak. was about eighty
years of age. He could have testified
and in all probability did TESTIFY to
Relshazzar how the love of the true
God had cared for his believing child,
now for nearly fourscOre years so
the word written on the wall or that
banquet hall was the record or rest
Belshazzar's opportunities OF leading
godly life had been placed In one scale,
and when the evil effects or the HE
he did lead were put in the other scale
It had gone down like a flash. mat
was the inevitable result. He had been
weighed In the balances and found
wanting.
NV brother and sister, are you ready
TO let God hold aloft the same balances
with which he weighed Belshazzar 5
life In the royal banquet hall Of Baby
lon? Are you ready to let him welgn
the results Of your life? ION, no,
Won answer: my life is nothing tc
what It ought to be, when | think OF
nv past religious bringing up. NO one
had n better and more consecrated
Christian mother than | have had. NO
one today has more consecrated pray
ing Wife than have. Every night
even my little children pray for me
and vet am unwilling to pray for
mvself or do what ought to do" II
ali this be true then, my brother, how
are YOU to escape the doom or MIN
who sat I'm BabylOn's banquet hall'
You are being weighed in the balances
| and found wanting.
The Infuence of Prayer.
II is an awful and heartrending sight
TO see a man stand up and confess that
he has crushed out Of his heart the re-
ligious Influences which surrounded his
earlv life. | once heard Of an old man
who arose in a great religious meeting
and. facing the audience, said SUD-
stantialfy this: "Oh, my friends. l beg
of you not to fight against the innu-
ences of the prayers that have been
uttered in your behalf. If you do, you
will live to regret It, as l have DONE
I was brought up In Christian home
After came to the city my business
grew so rapidly that | drifted away
from church and from the Bible ana
the family altar. had little dough
ter who was the idol Of my life. she
was at that time accustomed almost
every evening to go to neighDor's
house. | reproved her two or three
times and at last whipped her for go
ing. That night she was tlken sick
and when she was flushed with the re-
ver she called me to her side and SAID
Papa, don't think l did wrong be-
cause | wished to go over to Mr.. 80
and-sos house. | went there for you
You used to have family prayers, but
somehow you are too busy now to have
them. and my little schoolmates papa
always has family prayers" said the
old man, with tears streaming down
his cheeks. MY little daughter hao
to tell that TO me. who had once peer
rocked I'm Christian cradle and reared
IN Christian home. She had to tel
that to me. a sinful man. when she
herself was about to take the Ions
tourney over the river Of death, IRON
which no traveller ever returns Ii
YOU. o sinful man, fight against the
religious influences Of your past life
you like the aged. broken hearted par
ent, will live to regret it. When GoC
holds high his balances. he Is going L
weigh us in reference to our religious
opportunities. us he did when he welgn
ed the sinful life Of BelshaZzar, th'
king of the Chaldeans.
Gods balances weigh every indiVld
ual life irrespective Of the conduct o
other people. 1t was no availing ex
cuse for BelshaZZar to say that n
ought not to be weighed in Gods bal
ances and found wanting while ther'
were a thousand other drunken lord
of the Babylonish capital intoxicated
in the royal banquet hall. 1t was NJ
legitimate excuse for the eastern rule
to raise. that his immoral, infamou
WAYS did not call for more severe con
demnation than those Of hundreds o
eastern royal aristocrats who wer
loathsome with the same cancerou
, sins. And yet there are thousands o
fragrant sinners today who foollshl.
think that God will overlook and par
don their evil practices merely becaus
they are no worse than their next doc
neichbors. no worse than the peopl
with whom they come e daily con
, tact They act as II they expected
universal pardon for unrepentant slr
I'm spite OF the fact that the Bible di
rectly and emphatically declares. "EV
cry man shall die for his own SIN.
Human justice makes example OF con
Bpicuous criminals like John Wilke
Z Booth, Gulteau. Czolgosz and the as
) sassin Of President Carnot. eacf o
! them perlshlng for his own crime no
, for the crimes of others, Just as yo
, must perish. II YOU die impenitent TO
, the sins you have individually CON
. mitted, regardless Of what Others hay
I done.
You Must BE Weighed.
Gods balances weigh every individ
, nal at the times when he feels indt
q pendent Of God as we'll as when b
? feels dependent upon the divine mercy