Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1896-06-19
DESTINY OF NATIONS.
REV. DR.. TALMAeE DISCUSSES THE
STAR OF NORWOOD.

Another Unique Text Taken to Enforce q
Needed I.esson-Conduct. Influence and
Opportunity Free Nation Of the
Earth and Its Salvation.
WASHINGTON, June lit was appro-
pirate that this sermon on the destiny Of
nations should be preached in what has
long been called the presidents church,
because Presidents jackson and Pierce
and Polk and Cleveland have attended it.
Dr. Talmage chose for his text Revelation
viii, 10, II, There fell great star from
heaven, burning as it were lamp, and it
fell upon tho third part Of the rivers and
upon the fountains Of waters, and the
nome Of the star is called Norwood.
Many commentators, like Patrick and
Lowth, Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry
and Albert Barnes, agree in saying that the
star Norwood, mentioned in Revelation,
was Attila, king of the Huns. He was so
called because he was brilliant as a star,
and, like wormwood he imbittered every
thing he touched We have studied the
star of Bethlehem, and the morning star
of the Revelation, and the star of peace,
but my present subject calls us to gaze at
the star Of Norwood, and my theme
The King of the Huns.
A moro extraordinary character history
does not furnish than this man thus TO
ferred tO-Attila, the king of the Huns,
One day a wounded heifer came innping
along through the fields. and a herdsnan
followed its bloody track on the grass to
see where tho heifer was wounded and
went on back farther and farther until he
came to a sword 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
herlsman pulled up that sword and pre-
sented 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 that Attila should con-
quer and govern the whole earth.
Other mighty men have been delighted
at being called liberators, or the merciful
or the good, but Attila called himself and
demanded that others call him tho Scourge
of God At the head of zoo, 900 troops |
mounted on Cappadocian horses, he swept |
everything from the Adriatic to the Black 4
sea He put his iron heel on Macedonia |
and Greece and Thrace He made Milan 4
and Pavia and Padua and Verona beg |
for mercy, which he bestowed not. The 1
Byzantine castles, to meet his ruinous |
levy, put up at auction massive silver ia
bles and vases CO solid gold A city cap |
tured by him, the inhabitants were brought
ont and put into three classes-the first
class, those who could bear arms, who
must Immediately enlist under Attila or
be butchercd; the second class, the bcauti
full women, who were made captives to
the Huns; the third class, tho aged men
md women, who were robbed of every
Thing and let go back to tine city to pay
heavy tax
1t was Il common saying that the grass
never grew again where the hoof of At
,ila's horse had trod. His armies reddened
ihe waters of the Seine and the Moselle
md the Rhine with carnage and fought
IN the Catal0nian plains the flerccst battle
ince the world stood-3OJ, coo dead left on
he field On and on until all those who
'Ould not oppose him with arms lay pros
rate on their faces in prayer, and, a cloud
# dust seen in tie distance, Il bishop cried
1t is the aid of GodW and all the people ,
Ook mp the cry, 1T is the aid Of Godp' AS
he cloud of dust was blown aside the ban ,
lers of reinforcing armies marched in to |
elp against Attila, the Scourge of God.
The most unimportant occurrences he
sed as n supernatural resource, and after ,
hree months Of failure to capture the city ,
f Aquileia and his army had given up ,
he siege, the flight of a stOrk and her (
Dung from the tower of the city was taken
y him as a sign that he was to capture | !
he city, and his army, inspired by the {
anne occurrence, resumed the siege and [
Dok the walls at a point from which the [
tork had emerged. So brilliant was the c
onquerOr in attire that his enemies could I
ct look at him, but shaded their eyes or /
lrned their heads