Dodge City times., 1888-05-03
BRILLIANT BITTERNESS.
A Characteristic Sermon by T. De-
Witt Talmage.
Wit aud Power Often Used for EVIL and
Not for Good-Malian Influences
Too Often vixibie-IIac
Only Hope.

In q recent sermon at the Brooklyn Tab
ernac.e DIR. Talmage preached on the sub
jcct: ''The Star WOrmwood. or Brilliant
Bitterness" His text was from Revel:s-
tioEs Wi. 10 and Ii: There fell great
star from Heaven. burning as j: were a
lamp. and 1T fell uron u third part Of the
rivers, and upon the fountains Of waters,
and the name OF the star Is called Wornl-
wood" DIR. Talmage said:
Patrick and Lowth, Thomas Scott, Mat
thew Henry. Albert Barnes and all other
commentai ors agree in saying that the star
Wormwood OF my text was Attila, King OF
the Huns He was so called because he
was bril!iant star, and, like w0rmwOod,
he emblttered every thiNy he touched. We
have studied the star OF Bethlehem, and the
morning ar Of the Revelations, and the
star OF peace, but my subjec: this hour
calls us TO gaze ut he star WOrmwood, and
my theme might be called Brilliant Bitter
ness"
A more extraordinary character history
Gees not furnish than this man referred TO
IN my text, At,ila, the King OF the Huns.
One day wounded heifer came limping
along through the fields and herdsman
foil wed lis bloody track in the grass to see
whore The heller was wounded, and went
Hn d OK flrthe and further, until he came
TO sword fast in the earth, the point
downward, as though it had dropped from
The Heavens, and against the edge tfthe
sword the he fer had been cut. The herds
man pulled up that sword and presented
il to st lila. Attla said that
sword must have dropped from the
hervrns from the grasp OF the god, Mars,
and its being given to him Eeaat that At
tia should conquer and govern the whole
earth. Other mighty men have been de-
lighted AT being called !ibera,ors OF the
me. .ciful or the good, but Attila called
himself and demanded that others call him
the sc, urge of God. At the head of 7oO,-
OW irnops, mounted on Cappad docian horses,
he swept every thing from the Adriatic to
the Black sea. He pat his iron heel on
Macedonia and Greece and Thrace. He
Elil,i,. II ian and Pavia and Padua and We
roma beg f'.r mercy which he bestowed not
The B,'z rntine castles to meet his rulnous
lev, pat rp at auction massive sliver tables
and vases OF solid gold. A city captured
by HIM, the inhabitants were brought out
and put into three classes: The first class,
those who could bear arms, who must i'm
meaiately enlist under Attila or be butch
II u luS StCchu CldSS, tuC UCAu1lAul
women, who were made captivcs to the
Huns; the third class, the Hged men and
women, who were robbed OF every thing
nnd let go back 10 the city to pay heavy
tax.
L. was common saying that tho grass
n yer grew again where the hoo! of
AT las horse tad trod. HIS armies red
Ci"nei the waters Of the Seine and tie
M,sni1n and TIM Rhipo ,,.ifI
Fought on the Catalonian plains the tiercest
battle since the world stood-3OO, 600 dead
an!t OH the field. On aud on until all those
who could not oppose him with arms lay
pr"stra,e on their faces in prayer and, a
coud of dust seen in the distance,
Bishop cried, 1T is the aid Of God" and all
the people took up the cry, ut Is the aid of
God" AS the cloud of dust was oown
.siic the banners Of reinforcing armies
marched in to helm against Astila, tho
sc"urge OF God. The most un;mportant
occurrences he used as supernatural re-
source, and after three months Of failure
10 capture the city of Aquileia and his
arny had given up the siege, the flight Of a
storl and her young from the tower of the
CITY WAS taken by HIM as sign that -
was 10 capture the city, and his army in
spl; ed with the same occurrence resumed
the siege and took the wall at a
IOimt from which the stork had emerged.
So brilliant was the cong ,eror in
att re that his enemies could not look at
HIM. but shaded their eyes or turned their
heads. Slain on tho evening of his mar
riage by his bride IldicO, who was hired
for the assassination, his followers be-
vailed hiE not with tears but with blood,
kri.!n.s ihemselv with knives and lances.
4, was pat into three coffins, the first of
u, the second of silver, and the third OF
Il. He was buried by night and into his
Ee were poured the most valuable coin
Irecious stones, amounting to the
f.h of a kingdom. The gravediggers
IL those who assisted at the burial
k,aSsacred so that 1t would never be
where 30 much wealth was eu-
conan Empire conquered the world.
Ailr conq iered the Roman Empire.
right in calling himself a scourge,
en of being the scourgs OF God he
scourge of he'll. Because OF his
cv aud bitterness the commentators
right in believing him the star
n,od cf the text. AS the raglens he
atci We're parts most opulent with
aims and streams and rivers, you see
graphic my text is: There fell
AT star from heaven, burning as it were
.;.:up, and it fell upon the third part of
lie r.vers, and upon the fountains Of
waters; and the name of the star is called
WcraWood."
Fave YOU ever thou ght how N any embit-
tti.d lives there are all about u.s. mlsar-
ihroplc. laorb d, acrd, saturnine! The Euro
pc N plant from which wo:m yood is ex-
tn, ed, Artsmisia absinthium, is peren-
n IA pant and all the year rcIni il is ready
l., .xudc Its oil. And in many human lives
th-rs il n perennial distilla:ion of acrid
experiences. Yea. there are some whose
whole work is 10 shed a baleful Influence
on others. There are Attllas of the home
@" 4 ;:iaS of the social circle. or Abtllas ot
tae C.urcti, or AttIlaS of the State. aud one
ihi;i pf tue waters OF all the world. il net
twn-iilrts of the waters. are poisoned by
the falling Of The star Wormwood It is
NOT complimentary to human nature that
mos. men. as soon as they get great power,
becomc uverbearny. The more power niea
have iha urtter, 4 their power be used fo.
good The 'ess power men have the better,
i: they use it for evil Birds circle rpunc.
:nd rount and round before they swoop
upon that which they are aiming for Aud
)f Eiv discourse 50 far has been swinging
r,una aad round. this moment i, drops
straigh, on your heart and asks the gaes-
,ioa: /, your life to others lened!c:ion
or an emDttermcnt. blessing or a curse.
q oal,au Or a wormwooi!
Ssila cf you, know. are morning stars
snd w: are making the dawning life of
your chiltren bright with gracious int.u-
cuces, and YOU are beaming upon all the
opening enterprises Of philaU,hropic and
Christina endeavor, and YOU are heraldS OF
that day ,f cospelization which viii yet
food all the mountains and valleys OF our
sn-Curse.! earth. Hail. morniny star. Keep