The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-05-10
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Weekly Discourse Of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher
Subject, 'sThe Star Worm.
wood, OF Brilliant Dit.
torness.S

heaven, burntng as IL toere lamp and IL
fell upon third part Of The rirers and
upon the fountains of ,ruters: and TIE name
of the star is called Wormwood." Revela.
tions viii, l0-ll.
Patrick and Lowth, Thomas Scott, Mat
thew Henry, Albert Barnes and all the other
commentators agree in saying that the Star
Wormwood Of my text was Attila, King OF
the Huns. He was so called because he was
brilliant as a star, and, like wormwood, he
embittered everything he touched. We have
studied the Star of Bethlehem, and the Morn
ing Star Of the Revelation and the Star OF
Peace, but my subject this hour calls us to
gaze at the Star WormNood, and my theme
might be called Brilliant Bitterness.
A more extraordinary character history
does not furnish than this man referred to
In my text, Attila, the king Of the Huns.
One day wounded heifer came limping
along through the fields, and herdsinan
followed its bloody track on the grass to see
where the heifer was wounded, and went on
back, further and further, until he came to
asword fast in the earth the point downward
as though it had dropped from the heavens,
and against the edges OF this sword the
heifer had been cut The herdsman pulled
up that sword and presented it to Attila.
Attila said that sword must have dropped
from the heavens from the grasp of the god
Mars, and its being given to him meant
cnat Aetiia shouiu conquer ana govern
the whole earth. Other mighty men
have been delighted at be called
iberators or the merciful or the good,
but Attia called himself and de-
manded that others call him the SOURCE Of
God. At the head of zoo, 600 troops, mounted
on Cappadocian horses, he swept everything
from the Adriatic to the Black sea. He put
his iron heel on Macedonia and Greece and
Thrace. He made Milan and Pavia and
Padua and Verona beg for mercy, which he
bestowed not. The Byzantine castles, to
meet his ruinous levy, put up at auction
massive silver 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 Immediately enlist under Attla or
be butchered; the second class, the beautiful
women, who were made captives to the
Huns; the third class, the aged men and
women, who were robbed of everything and
let go back to the city to pay heavy tax.
1t was a common saying that the grass
never grew again where the hoof of Attilas
horse had trod. His armies Redeemed the
waters OF the Seine and the Mosele and the
Rhine with carnage, and fought on the Cat
alonian plains the fiercest battle since the
world stood, 100000 dead left on the field.
On and on until all those who could not op-
pose him with arms lay PROSTATE on their
faces in prayer: and, cloud of dust seen in
the distance, bishop cried: sit is the aid
of Cod" and all the people took up the cry:
'lt is the aid of God" AS the cloud of dust
was blown aside the banners of reinforcing
armies marched in to help against Attla,
the scourge of God. The most unimportant
occurrences he used as q supernatural re-
source, and after three months of failure 70
capture the city of Aqulea and his army
had given up the siege, the flight of stork
and her young from the tower of the city
faEnn i'm nc clio, hat hnx 10
capture the city, and his army inspired with
the same occurrence resumed the siege and
took the walls at point from which the
stork had emerged. So brilliant was the
conqueror in attire that his enemies could
not look at him, but shaded their eyes or
turned their heads.
Slain on the evening Of his marriage by
his bride lldioo, who was hired for the as
sassination his followers bewaIled him not
with tears but with blood, cutting themselves
with knives and lances. He was put into
three cofiins-the first of iron the second of
silver, and the third of gold. He was buried
at night, an into his grave were poured the
most valuable coin and precious stones,
amounting to the wealth of q kingdom, The
grave diggers and all those who assisted at
the burial were massacred so that it would
never be known where so much wealth was
entombed The Roman Empire conquered
the world, but Attlla conquered the Roman
Empire. He was right in calling himself a
scourge, but instead of being the scourge Of
God he was the scourge of he'll Because Of
his brillancy and bitterness the commenta-
tors were right in believing him to be the
star Wormwood OF the text As the regions
he devastated were parts most opulent with
fountains and streams and rivers, you see
how graphic my text is: "There fell a great
star from heaven, burning as it were lamp,
and it fell upon the third part of the rivers,
and upon the fountains of waters: and the
name of the star is called Wormwood"
Have you ever thought how many embit-
tered lives there are about us, misanthropic,
morbid acrid, saturnine! The European
plant from which wormwood is extracted,
artemisia absinthium, is perennial plant
and all the year round it is ready to exude
Its oil. And in many human lives there is a
perennial distilation of acrid experiences.
Yes there are some whose whole work is to
shed baleful influence on others. There are
Attilas of the home, or Attilas of the social
circle, or Attilas of the church, or Attilas of
the state, and one-third of the waters of all
the world, if not two thirds the waters, are
poisoned by the falling of the star Worm
wood. 1t is not complimentary to human
great power, become overbearing. The more
power men have the better. if their power be
used for good. The less power men have the
better, If they use it for evil,
Birds circle round and round and round
before they swoop upon that which they are
aiming for And if my discourse so far has
been swinging round and round. this moment
1t drops straight on your heart and asks the
question: Is your life to others a benedic
ton or an embitterment, blessing or a
curse balsam or q wormwood!
Some OF you, know, are morning stars
and you are making the dawning life of your
children bright with gracious influences, and
you are beaming upon all the opening enter
prises OF philanthropic and Christian en-.
deavor, and you are heralds of that day OF
gospellzatlon which will yet flood the noun
tains and valleys of our sin cursed earth.
Hail, morning start Keep on shining with
encouragement and Christian hope.
Some OF you are evening stars, and you
are cheering the last days of old people, and
though cloud sometimes comes over you
through the querulousness or unreasonable.
ness OF your old father and mother, it is only
for moment and the star soon comes out
clear again and is seen from all the balconies
of the neighborhood The old people will
forgive your occasional shortcomings, for
they themselves several times lost their
patience with you when you were young and
slapped you when you did not deserve it.
Hail. evening star! Hang on .he darkenipp
sky your diamond coronet.
But are any of you the star Wormwood
Do you scold and growl from the thrones
paternal or maternal, Are your children
everlastingly lecked att Are you always
crying, ''Hush!' to the merry voices and
swift feet and their laughter, which occa
! sionally trickles through at wrong times and
is suppressed by them until they can hold it
no longer and all barriers burst into un
limited guffaw and cachinnation, as in high
weather the water has trckied through a
| slight opening in the mill dam, but afterward
makes wider and wider breach until it car
ries all before it with irresistible freshet. Do
not be too much offended at the noise your
children now make. 1t will be still enough
when one of them is dead Then you would
give your right hand to hear one shout
from their silent voices or one step from
the still foot. You will not any of yo,
have to wait very long before your house i.
/ stiller than you want it. Alas, that ther,
are so many homes not known to the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
where children are put on the limits ant
whacked and cuifed and ear pulled and sense
| .essly called to order and answered sharp ana
suppressed until it is wonder that under
such processes they do not all turn out Mo
| docs and Mana Sahibs.
What is your influence upon the neighbor
hood, the town or the city of your residence
will suppose that your are star OF wit
What kind Of rays do you shoot forthl Dt
| you use that splendid faculty to irradiate tn,
| world or to rankle it, | bless all the apos
A.. Ill - ~e~k. L.