Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-10-27
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

Chicago, Oct. 26-From one of the
most thrilling incidents of Bible his
tory Rev. Frank De Witt Talmage
text. Daniel v. q. 'Thou art weighed
In the balances and found wanting"
These words were spoken in the royal
banquet hall of the most famous capt.
tai In the east. This is Babylon-beau-
tiful, licentious, corrupt, luxurious,
shameless Babylon; Babylon the pride
OF the Chaldeans; Babylon the wonder
OF the world!
Ctesias tells us that Babylon was
sixty miles square. That means its
area was more than one-third the size
OF the modern city of London, the Eng
fish beehive, with its 100000 inhabit-
ants. 1t was of such vast wealth that
within it's central temple was an idol
made OF solid gold. which alone was
worth over $20O,O00,O00. Its surround
Ing walls were $50 feet high and wide
enough to allow four charioteers to
drive their sixteen chargers abreast
upon the top of them, while the moon
shimmered upon $50 watch towers and
dipped with light the spears of hundreds
Of sentinels and shone upon hundred
gates Of solid brass. which swung open
to let friends in and changed shut to
keep enemies out.
Standing upon the heights of the ia
nous hanging gardens, which Nebu-
chadnezzar. the king who had courted
Amytis among the hills of Ecbatana.
had thrown up to humor whim Of
his queen. we can see off in the dis
lance the mighty river Euphrates flow
ing through the midst of the metropolis
and cutting the city in twain. Along
the whnrfs Of the river were daily
heard the cries of the sailors unloading
from the ships cargoes of merchandise
and foodstuffs, as well as the gold and
silver and myrrh and precious stones
Imported from other lands. In the cen.
ter OF the capital we can also see where
the engineers had gathered the wa
tiers OF this mighty river into a large
artificial lake forty miles square. This
lake was wide enough and deep enough
TO harbor all the modern navies of the
world. In it all these ships of war
could drop their anchors. fold their
white sails and float side by side in
peace.
The boulevards of this ancient city
were plllared with statuary. The
streets encircled the busy marts wher'
merchants wrangled for barter ant
gain or led down to the magnifcen
bridges which spanned the river. Thes
bridges were hanked with palaces
where beauty and wealth lOitered ava.
the lazy hours or sang themselves t
sleep, Graded in the graceful gondolas
which gently pressed the waters int
fipples or CONTEMPORARY tumbled tn
foam from off their crested breasts
Everywhere artesian wells tossed VI
the waters into fountains. SHINING
through which the sun arched tn
nowcrs with rainbows. while birds o
brilliant hue, whose ancestors had bee
brought from tropical climes, stoppe
their singing long enough to quenc
their thirst or to cleanse their gorgeou
plumage. There in the evening hou
these fountains lifted up their lip
while their cheeks blushed into dee
red for the good night kiss of the Sc
ting sun.
The Feast Of BeIshazzar.
But we must hurry on tonight an
not linger over the scenic delights
this famous capital. for l am going
lead you into the royal banquet hal
where Belshazzar. the king of the Cha
deans, is giving great feast to tho
snnd lords of his kingdom. He is gi
ing this feast tonight in hall dec
rated with the trophies of conquest al
the triumph of art, with the q
Rhythmic with song and redolent Wi
incense, with the faces of his dead a
cestors pictured upon the walls
schiseled by the sculptors in marble
purest white. He is giving this fea
In banquet hall where the sandals
foot strikes mosaic floor or sinks in
goftest rug; where. under the light. t
precious stones sparkle and CLEAN
the jeweled hand of an aristocr
pushes back the tapestry or lifts t
golden chalice to the lip. The king
giving this drunken feast to show
contempt for the besieging army
Cyrus the Great. which for nearly T.
Dong years had fruitlessly laid siege
his capital. that seemed impregnable
But at last. in this banquet hall,
this famous feast. when the intoxic
cd eye became more brilliant than
diamonds glittering upon the max
Threats of the assembled guests a
the flushed cheek redder than tue vi
cup, there appears a marvellous sig
Out Of space there stretches han'
an armless. bodiless hand-and W
the finger of this strange hand for
pen hidden power writes there aw
verbs OF doom upon the wall of Il
banquet hall. 1t is to interpret one
those words. ''tekel." which me:
thou art weighed In the balances g
art found wanting" that ! am too
preaching this sermon. | preach III
this one word because these fatal