The Jackson herald., 1905-09-28

tTOIleu tDe aHdIrS Oh the world. Je
hoyah OF Israel was the just God, who
cared for his people and the honor Of
his name as power for good In the
world. Then Daniel repeats the story
told In Dan. 4, as warning that the
king ought TO have taken to heart. He
had refused to learn the lesson taught
by observation of the enCgt OF sin
upon others, and therefore II was nec-
essary that the lesson should be
taught In an even more impressive
way.
22. And thou hast not
humbled thine heart" etc. You have
not sinned through ignorance, but
have gone on in a wicked course in
spite OF, In defiance of, Gods lessons
OF warning.
23. But hast lifted up thyself."
Exalted thyself as II thou couldst defy
and disobey with impunity "the Lord
OF heaven" the God above all, over all,
as heaven enyelops the earth--the God
Of all that greatness and purity and
goodness and power which heaven
symboNzes.
V. The Interpretation and It's Full.
flment.-Vs. 1880. This is the writ.
ing
2G. Meme" (repeated for the sake
OF emphasis); God has numbered thy
Kingdom, and finished it." God had
put a definite limit to the number OF
years the kingdom should last, ard
that number was now complete.
27. "Tekel; Thou art weighed IL
the balances" as to his moral charac.
ter and actions, and been found want
Ing" of light weight like a counter.
felt coin. or one that did not come up
to the standard required. God had
tested him, and he had failed.
2S. "Peres (the singular Of the
word "Upharsin" in V. 20, the prefix
"U" meaning and. It is the same as
If "Peres" was written twice, like
Meme" for emphasis. Thy kingdom
is Divided" broken to pieces. or sepa.
rated from the present rulers and
given TO the Medes and Persians," :"
under Cyrus, whom Belshazzar knew
were marching against him.
The royal purple. Third ruler in the
kingdom Either, one OF three; or
more probably, next under Belshazzar,
who was the second, being under his
father, Nabonidus. the king over all.
Thus the Persian conquerors found
Daniel, the Jew, not in obscure retire.
ment, but occupying the position of
an active statesman, and in a position
to help his exiled countrymen.
30. In that night was BelshazZar
slain" Swift and sudden came
the foretold doom.
The Heart Of the Lesson,
The crimes for which Belshazzar
was condemned were neglect of God.
and the warnings God had given his
fathers, and profaning holy things to
base uses. All irreverence in the
house of God. all punning and testing
with sacred things, as the Bible and
hymns, all irreligion by which the soul
is absorbed in selfish or criminal
pleasures, all living in Gods world "ull
OF voices of warnings aud invitation
TO better things, and yet living in de.
fiance OF his laws, of his love. of his
warnings-are akin to the deadly sin
of Belshazzar. They are the ruin of
individuals and of nations.
There is n handwriting of warning
and OF doom on the wall for every sin.
ner. 1t may be invisible for a time.
like that kind Of writing which is In.
visible till brought to the fire. or
touched with chemicals, but It is writ.
ten where his eye shall some time see
II. II Is there as another warning TO
repent. The eternal laws of God. and
his providence, are a gigantic hand
writing the doom Of every nation that
refuses to be righteous. 1t is well for
them II they see the writing before II
is completed.
Our Days are Numbered. There is a
time given for change and repentance
and n new life, but there comes a time
when 1t Is too late, when the soul will
not change, when the habits are fixed.
We know not when it is, but the very
nature of the mind and soul shows
that we are going towards it. Disease
can be cured, but there comes a time
when It is incurable.
Weighed in the Balances. Rev. DR..
Schaufiler in the Sunday School Times
points out that as Belshazzar was
weighed on invisible weighed
by himself, and weighed by God-so
we are all being weighed on invisible
scales. 0 We weigh ourselves, and
possibly are not aware OF how untrue
our records of moral weight may be
CD Our friends are weighing us in
their invisible scales, and possibly
their verdict is still farther away than
our own. (3) God weighs us in the in.
visible scales of his law his word, and
our conscience.
But God wants us to come to him
and escape from the worst conse
quences Of our sins. He wants us to
enter and abide IN the kingdom of
heaven. He is ready to forgive. His
love sent his only Son to save MS. But
he saves us not In our sins but from