Daniel 5:28

Peres; thy kingdom is divided.

Upharsin, found in the 25th verse, is the plural of peres, which means "divided." The king had been tested in the balance and was wanting; his lords were also wanting; so was the kingdom; therefore it was numbered and divided. It would be taken away and given to the Medes and Persians. This leads to the reflection that the fate of Babylon was like that of all countries and kingdoms. When God weighed Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Judea, Greece, Rome, Poland, and found them wanting, he numbered their days and divided them to others. It is the corrupt nation that perishes.

That night, probably before Daniel had completed his interpretation, the Persians turned the current of the Euphrates into the great canals they had dug, marched under the walls through the arches where the river had run, found the gates of the walls along the river open, marched in and began the work of death. Before morning Belshazzar was slain.

PRACTICAL AND SUGGESTIVE.

1. To profane sacred things, to scoff and to take the name of God in vain, are marks of. frivolous and unscrupulous character.

2. In the depths of the wine cup is found every species of sin. "Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? They that tarry long at wine." Alcohol is not only "a thief that enters at the mouth to steal away the brains," but is. devil to lead to crime. Half of the inmates of the State prison Will testify that whisky brought them there.

3. Even the, scoffer will quake and tremble when eternity seems to stare him in the face. The impious Belshazzar shook; Voltaire is said to have called for the priests; Paine to have died full of remorse; Ingersoll will change his tone when the fingers of death clutch his heart.

4. The great and good may be consigned to obscurity in the days of prosperity, but when trouble comes they are sought out. So Saul sought Samuel, Zedekiah Jeremiah, and Belshazzar Daniel.

5. All are weighed in balances--kingdoms, institutions, systems and men. Whatever is found wanting, does not bless the race but degrades it; will be destroyed. Thus religions, philosophies and kingdoms have their day, are numbered, and pass away because they do not lift men higher and make them better. Whatsoever tree bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.

6. There are balances for every man, for you. In the one scale is what God demands of you to be; in the other what you are. Is there. balance, or does your end of the beam fly upward? If so you have no part in the kingdom. Weigh yourself in the scale of God's word and "add" weights, the Christian graces, until there is an equipoise.

7. Reader, when thy heart grows hard, when the gospel has no power to move thee, when thou dost love evil rather than good, when thou art an unbeliever, ready to "believe. lie," when thou art ready to scoff at holy things, then, look! Others can read if thou canst not, THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL.