Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-06-27

wrote.
! Ancient Babylon IL no more In the
night of riotous feasting, when the King
| and his princes and his wives and his
concublnes were Sinking. with sensual
| mockery, their defiance of God by
| drinking wine in the sacred vessels stolen
from the Jerusalem temple. their doom
and that Of their city was at hand. I'm
| the same hour came forth the fingers Of
| a mans hand, and wrote over against the
| cande-stick upon the plaster of the wall
of the Kings palace, and the King saw
the part of the hand that wrote. And this
Is the writing that was written, Meme.
\ Meme, Tekel, Upharsin
The astrologers and Chaideans and
soothsayers of the realm were powerless
to read the writing and give its interpreta-
| ton. but Daniel, the Hebrew captive. de-
clared it to be the sentence Of Babylon's
DOOM and read to the blasphemous King
and his licentous retlnue. Thou art
weighed In the balances. and art found
| wanting"
| The carnival of lust was at an end.
"The sound OF battle and destruction"
which jeremiah had heard moro than 80
years before with prophetic ears was
|
with their natural ears. The great Cyrus.
with his Persian cohorts. marched up the
dry bed of the Euphrates under the very
walls of the condemned city. and Bells
hazzar and his train were slain in the
house of their debauchery.
| Five centuries before the advent OF
Christ, the city of sin had crumbled I'M
der the weight " its own corruption. For
twentyfour hundred years or more.
Babylon has hidden itself under the dust
| and ruin of the ages.
THE BABYLONS OF TO-DAY.
Truly the old Babylon has fallen. but
there are Babylons In our day which are
types of the older day. jeremiah is no
more, but. unless our vision be clouded
and our hearing dull, we may see with
prophetic eye the possibilities of con.
quest that lie before us. and hear with
prophetic ear the sound of battle and
confusion that is to attend the downfall
of the citadels OF twentieth century sin.
Our hope is for future of peace, but
We cry peace. peace. and there IL nc
peace. Peace cannot come so long as evi
exists in any form. Right must be for
ever relentless in the conquest of wrong
The fact of sin In certain forms as rep
scented in human institutions. complicate.
the problem OF life and brings on auXil
larry conflicts that, OF themselves. are no
directly involved In the questions o
right and wrong.
Even though evil In the concrete SHOULD
be abolished, il Is bound to exist in tn,
abstract so Ions as man exists. When sill
has been eliminated from the externals o
, human affairs. If that glad day shall
ever come, 1t will remain in the breasts o
individual men and women and ther'
, will be sound oe battle and confusion
, until we shall have trlumphed owe
, death and shall have won from God tn,
crown of immortality.
With prophetic ken | would have Gael
of you read the future, and, knowing o
the conflicts that inevitably await you
would have you prepare for victory
II you win the battle H. your own hearts
! we need have no fears for your success
, on the great battlc-fields of the world.
You may snap your fingers at the wors
: threat the world may make against yol
after YOU have once conquered yourself
1t Is because | believe the battles of IN
world may be easily won when the uni
.versal man has triumphed over self
that l shall draw your attention. at thi
hour. to the battle Of the individual witt
himself, rather than to the battle OF tn
individual with forces outside OF himself
In every human soul. there IL SCUM
> of battle and OF great destruction"
, i could put my ear over each OF you
breasts just now and listen to tn
spiritual conflict that is going on within
should hear the advance OF the force
of good that ar, hattcring away agains
the walls Of the B:.bylons within you
y souls 1t is because I know there ma
jhc successful issue to this attack that
make bold to speak OF individual conflict
and the equipment that is necessary fc
Victory in the field of the soul.
!, II you would win this battle with youi
, self. you would do we'll ever to kee
. in mind that the command Of your CON
:, mission is Endure hardness as goo
. soldier Of Jesus Christ" This was III
commission handed by the Apostle Pa,
:, 70 young Timothy OF Lystra No soul hs
- ever won its battle that has not carrie
out the spirit of this commission
=. For an individual to be able TO endui
- hardness presupposes a personal prepare
"a ton. II Is not a one-sided preparation.
it Is a well-rounded. complete PR
~ lparedness. Does II mean physic,
=, preparation? Yes. for the man or woma
- weak of body or unsteady of limb
- easy prey for evil suggestion.
l.. Does it mean intellectual preparation
"a Yes, for he who Is unable to think clea
:, ~, to reason wisely and to judge quick
Is often taken captive unawares.
10 Does it mean spiritual preparation? Ye
"a because he who IL without an invulne
az able moral equipment cannot hope
stand long in the conflict.
=, Surely. then. to be ready TO endu
hardness as good soldiers OF Jesus Chris
=, your physical. intellectual and spiritu
-, preparation must be thorough and cor
.. plete
to THE ARMOR OF GOD.
ed Your spiritual preparation must be sue
IN as jeremiah urged for every Israelit
h, Put yourself In array against Babylo
round about" To endure the harine
On required for the victorious soldier. yo
Of sp' ritual equipment mus. needs be SUI
O. as ST Paul urged for every Ephesia
ly Wherefore. take unto you the who
st. armor Of God. that ye may be able
he Withstand in the evil day and having do
~ all to stand"
to GRIT about with truth and having on Z
In breast plate of righteousness; and 20
ok feet shod with the preparation Of I