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

TlME-The event described \bolongs TO
the last years OF the exile, B. g. b29.
when Babylon was taken by Cyrus and
his generals.
The decree Of return. and the grst re-
turn, occurred year or two lateg.
PLACE. Babylon the capital. enlarged.
beautified and fortified by Nebuchadnez-
Zar.
Under the great NebuchadnezsNr
Babylon rose In grandeur, power anp
extent, till It became the most magA
nihcent 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 a decisive victory
aver Nabonidus on his way to the
capital, and his army entered the city
without lighting, 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 Belshazzar
az n
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
Belshazzar was slain. It 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
carried from Jerusalem when they
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 a cool
politician, when amid the applause OF
4 thousand courtiers and army com
manders he ordered the sacred yes
sells OF the Temple of Jerusalem to be
brought into the hall OF feasting. Such
scene would fll the hearts of the
wine.inhamed warriors and mobiles to
overfowing 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 n part of the hand and
It's busy writing. No wonder If the
rlotous 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 1t out before the
king.
Then the queen mother, mother OF
Belshaz2ar, came in and spoke Of
Daniel as one who had shown great
gifts at Interpretation to his grandfa'
ther Nebuchadnezzar II took place
before this boy king was Torn, and he,
naturally, knew nothing about the
story. Daniel was sent for, and came
into the festival hall. He heard the
kings offer, and spurnlng 1t, spoke
brave and true words which might
easily cost him his life. He told the
story Of Nebuchadne22ar's 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. Belshazzar
would enrich the splcndor 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 delyirg, nor the reason
why he had permitted the Jews 70 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 trt
umph at last over intemperance and
all It's evils.
The social power of the wire cup
its connection with feasting comrade
Il. 4 -