West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-05-03
BRILLIANT BITTERNESS.
SERMON BY REV DIR. rALMAoE.
Good Gifts That arc Sometimes Put
TO Bad Purposes.


Text; There Jeu a great star from
ncduen, burning as Il tCcrG n idDaD and A
Jeu upon a third part Of the rirers and
upon The fountains Of irdters, and Inc ndns
or the star IS called Worm lcood.n Reyela
tions viii, 10-1l
Patrick and Lowth Thomas Scott. Mat
thew Henry, Albert Barnes and all tho other
commentators agree I'm saying that the Star
NORWOOD OF my text was Attila, King OF
gho hunS He was so called because he was
brilliant as n star, and, like wormwool. he
embitterod everything ne 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 NORWOOD, aud my theme
might be called Brilliant Bitterness.
n more extraordinary character history
does not furnish than this man referred 10
IN my text, Attila, the king OF the Huns
One day wounded heller came limnin0
along through the fields, and herdsna1
followed its bloody track on the grass to see
where the heifer was wounded and went ON
back, further and further, until he came 10
sword fast i'm the earth the uointdownvvar1
as though il had dropped from the heavens
and against the edges of this sword the
helter had been cut Tho herdsman pulled
up that sword and presented it to Attila
Attila said that sword must have dropped
Nom me heavens from the grasp Of the god
Mars, and its being given 10 him meant
tnat Attlla should conquer and govern
the whole earth. Other mighty men
have been delighted at be called
hoer stors or the merciful or the good,
but Nttia called himself and da
manoh that others call him the SOURCE ~
God. At the head of 200, 600 troops. mounted
on Cappadocian horses he swept everything
from the Adriatic 10 the Black sea He nut
ms ms IRON heel ON Macedonia and Greece and
Ihrace. lie 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
Inc ffst class, those who could bear arms.
who must Immediately enlist under Attila on.
be butchered; the second class, the beautiful
women. who were made captiyes 20 tho
Huns; the third class the AGED man and
women, who were robbed of everything and
let go back TO the city 10 pay heavy tax
III was a common saying that the grass
never grew again where the hoof of Attila,s
morse had trod. His armies Redeemed the
waters OF the Seine and the Moselle and the
Rhine with carnage, and fought on the Cat
alonian plains tho fiercest battle since the
world Stood 100000 dead left on the field
On and on until all those who could not CD
pose nm with arms lay PROSTATE on their
faces IN prayer; and, a cloud OF dust seen i'm
the distance, bishop cried: sit is the aid
OF Godi and all the people took up the cry:
ut Is the aid of God.n AS the cloud OF dust
was blown aside the banners of reinforcing
armies marched in TO helD a0ainst Attila
the scourge of God. The most uninnortant
occurrences he used as a supernatural re-
source, and after three months of failure To
capture the city of Aquileia and his army
mad given up the siege, the flight Of a stork
ana her young from the tower of the CITY
was taken by him as a sign that he was To
capture the city, and his army inspired with
the same occurrence resumed the siege and
took tho walls at a point from which the
etork had emerged. So brilliant was the
conqueror in attire that his enemies couId
not look at him. but shaded their ewes or
turned their heads
Slain on the evening of his marriage by
his bride lldico, who was hired for the as
sassnation, his followers bewailed him NOT
with tears but with blood cutting themselves
with knives and lances. He was put into
three coihns-the first OF iron, the second of
silver, and the third Of gold He was buried
at night, and into his grave were poured the
most valuable coin and precious stones
amounting 10 the wealth OF a Kingdom. The
grave dlggers and all those who assisted ut
the burial were massacred so that it would
never be known where SO much wealth was
entombed. The Roman Empire conquered
the world, but Attila 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 brilliancy and bitterness the commenta-
tcrs We're right in believing him to be the
he devastated were parts most opulent with
fountains and streams and rivers YOU see
how graphic my text is: There fell great
star from heaven, burning as 1t were a lamp,
anu ~ I'll upon the third part Of the rivers,
and Spon the fountains of waters: and the
name OF the star is called Wormwood.p
have you ever thought how many embit-
tered lives there are about US misaStbronic
morbid, acrid, saturninel The European
plant from which wormvvood is ertracted
HNln f-r IN xf.T
and all the year round 10 is ready TO exude
ITS oil And in many human lives there Is a
perennial distillatiOn 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, ii not twO-thirds the waters. ara
poisoned by the falling OF the star Worm
wood. It Is not complimentary to human
nature that most men, as soon as they get
great power. become overbearing The more
power men have the better. if their power be
used for good. Tho less power men have the
better, II they use Il for evil.
BIRDS circle round and round and round
before they swoop upon that which they are
aiming for. And IL my discourse so far has
been swinging round and round. this moment
II drops straight on your heart and asks the
question: Is your life 20 others n benedic
1on or an embitterment n blessing or a
curse, balaam or n wOrmwoodI
some OF you, know, are morning stars.
and you arc making The dawning life Of your
children bright with gracious influences, and
you are beaming upOE all the opening enter
pFises OF philanthropic and Christian en-
deavor, and you are heralds or that day of
90 peliza,tion which viii yet food the noun
tains and valleys Of our sin cursed earth.
HAL, morning start Keep on shining with
encouragement and Christian hope.
some OF you arc evening stars, and you
are cheering the last days Of old people, and
tnOugh cloud sometimes comes over Won
through The queruOusness or unreasonable.
ness Of your old father and mother. Il Is only
Tor moment, and the star soon comes out
clear again and IS seen from all the balconies
OF the neighbOrhood. Tho old people will
forgive your occasional shortcomings for
they themselves several times lost their
Rtuenee with you when you were young and
slapped you when you did not deserve IL
Hail, evening start Hang on the darkeuiuo
SKY your diamond coronet
But are any Of you the star Wormwoodi
DO you scoid and growl from tho thrones
paternal or maternal Are your children
eYeriastingly Peaked att Arc you alwaye
crying "hushW 20 the merry voices and
eWift feet aud their laughter. which occ,,-
eiouahy trlcke8 through 40 wronr times and
a. suppfesseu ~ them until they ruu hold 10
20 longer and al barriers burst into un.
um0ed guHaw and cachiuuotion g. i'm hivh
weather. Tho water has tricked through a
suRnb opening Ord che mill dam. but affergeard
makes wider and wider breach until n car
Ites 4ii leioro 10 with lrros.st i1'a frea1rt d.
ny ~ TOO much blended 10 the noise your
cnlloren now make lt will be- rfIU ou0ugb
Wnen one 0f them is dead Then Won ,youd