The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-11-09

a
.TlME-The event described \belongs TO
the last years OF the exile. B. c. b29.
when Babylon was taken by Cyrus and
his generals
The decree OF return. and the Nrst re-
turn, occurred a year or two atey.
PLACE-Babylon the capital. enlarged.
beautiiled and fortified by Nebuchadnez-
zar.
Under the great NebuchadnezsNr
Babylon rose In grandeur, power anyi
extent, till 1t became the most magA
nificent and beautiful city Of anti
guilty. In those days Babylon was the
metropolis Of the world, the center OF
commerce, art and wisdom The
wealth OF the world poured into It's
Golfers Babylon was the strongest
fortress In all the world Belshazzar
was the acting king Of Babylon at the
time Of this lesson, while his father
Nabonidus was the nominal and Legal
king VINO lived and warred outside oil
the city.
Cyrus had been advancing toward
Babylon. He gained decisive victory
aver Nabonidus. on his way to the
capital, and his army entered the city
without fighting, and peace was pro
claimed. A portion of the city. prob.
ably the citadel including the royal
palace, held out for some time being
occupied by the army of Beshazzar
as rallying place. Two or three
weeks later Cyrus made his triumphal
entry into the city. Seven days later
the general of Cyrus stormed that
part OF Babylon which had held out
against his army, and on that night
Belsha2zar was slain. II was during
this week that Belshazzer made a
magnificent banquet to encourage his
generals and princes In their struggle
with the Medo.Persian foe.
At his feast, therefore. Belshazzar
sought TO remind his warriors Of the
Did campaigns their forefathers had
fought. He had in his possession the
treasures which these forefathers had
conquered Israel and, as it seemed to
them. lsrael's Jehovah. His conduct
thus was not merely that of drunk
en- debauchee, but partly OF cool
politician. when amid the applause Of
4 thousand courtlers and army com
manders he ordered the sacred yes
sells OF the Temple of Jerusalem to be
brought into the hall Of feastlng. Such
scene would hll the hearts of the
wineinhamed warriors and mobiles to
overtlowing with daring, and also
bring n worthy occasion for the d.
vine interference to encourage his
people on the eve OF their deliver
ance.
In the midst Of the carousal, the
king saw the fingers OF mans hand
writing strange words, letters OF fate
and characters OF fear" on the wall
In the full blaze of the candlestick.
perhaps the great golden candlestick
taken from the temple. There is
something blood.curdling In the visi-
billty of but part Of the hand and
It's busy writing No wonder II the
riotous mirth was frozen into awe,
and the wine lost flavor
Belshazzar. in his terror and horror.
summoned his wise men to declare
what the strange apparition AMI the
blazing letters meant, and promised
great rewards to the one who should
interpret them; but all failed. Either
they could not make sense Of the let
ters, or could not perceive what mean
Ing they had. Even If they had under
stood, II is not likely that one Of them
would dare to speak II out before the
king.
Then the queen mother, mother OF
Belshazzar, came In and spoke OF
Daniel as one who had shown great
gifts at Interpretation to his grandfa'
ther Nebuchadnezzar H. took place
before this boy king was ilorn, and he
naturally, knew nothing about the
story. Daniel was sent for and came
into the festival hall He heard the
kings oifer. and spurning II, spoke
brave ana true words which might
easily cost him his life. He told the
story Of Nebuchadnezzar' fall from
the Height of pride and accused him
of dishonoring the true God. Then he
interpreted the message written on
the palace walls; Thou art weighed
IN the balances and found wanting
The want OF religious restraints and
motives, exposes one undefended to
the powers of temptation. Belshaz2ar
would enrich the splondor of his feast
by the sacred goblets and dishes OF
gold that Nebuchadnezzar had taken
from the temple at Jerusalem. They
were brought, and made to be instru
ments for drunken revelry and lust
and worship of idols, thus declaring
that the idols had given them the vic
tory over the God of the Jews. He
little realized the power of the God
whom he was defylrg, nor the reason
why he had permitted the Jews to be
disciplined by exile, and the victory OF
Cyrus over Babylon was one of the
means by which the exiles should be
able to return home, and carry those
very golden vessels back to Jerusa
lem. The church In the wilderness
was like the burning bush that Moses
saw; and like the three heroic men In
Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace, un'
consumed because God was with
them. The true religion, the princi
pies OF the kingdom or heaven, and
the laws of God, are certain to tri'
umph at last over intemperance and
all It's evils.
The social power Of the wine cup,
its connection with feasting, comrade