The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-06-24
DESTINY OF NATIONS.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE DISCUSSES THE
STAR FWoaMWooO.

Az Or WCNM " w.
Another Uniaue Text Taken to Enforee =
Saeaed resson-The Free Nation of the
Esr:h and its Salvation.
WASHINGTON, June lit was ap-
propriate that this sermon on the des
tiny of nations should be preached IN
what long mas been called the presl-
dents church. because Presidents
Jackson and Pierce and Polk and
Cleveland have attended it. Dr.. Tai
mage chose for his text Revelation
viii, 10, IL, There fell great star
from heaven, burning as 1t We're a
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."
Many commentators, like Patrick
and Lowth, Thomas Scott, Matthew
Henry and Albert Barnes, agree in
saying that the star Wormwood, men
toned in Revelation, was Attila, king
of the Huns. He was so called b.
cause he was brilliant as 3 star, and,
like wormwood, he imbittered every,
thing he touched. We have studied
the star of Bethlehem, and the morn
ing star of the Revelation, ana the star
of peace, but my present subject calls
us to gaze at the star OF Wormwood, /,
and my theme might be called
Brilliant Bitterness.
more extraordinary character his
tory does not furnish than this man
thus referred to--Attila, the king OF
the Huns. One day urde3 heifer
came Hmping along through the
fields, and herdSman followed its
bloody track on the grass to see where
the heifer was wounded and went on
back farther and farther until he came
to sword fast in the earth. the point
downward, as though it had dropped
from the heavens, and against the
edges of this sword the helfer had been
cut. The herdsman pulled up that
sword and presented it to Attila. AT.
tia said that sword must have dropped
from the heavens from the grasp OF
the god Mars, an its being given to him
meant that Attila should conquer and
govern the whole earth.
Other mighty men have been de-
lighted at being called EberatorS, OF
the merciful, or the good, but Attila
called himself and demanded that 9th,
ers call him the Scourge of God. Al
the head OF 100000 troops mounted
on Cappadocian horses, he swept ev'
erything 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
ald Verona beg for mercy, which he
bestowed not. The Byzantine castles,
to meet his ruinous levy, put up al
auction massive silver tables and vases
of solid gold. a city captured by him,
the inhabitants were brought out and
put into three ciasseS-the first class,
those who could bear arms who must
immediately enlist under Attila or be
butchered; the second class, the beau
tiful women, who were made captives
to the Huns; the third class, the aged
mea and women, who were robbed OF
everything and let 60 back TO the city
to pay heavy tax
It was q common saying that the
grass never grew again where the hoof
Of ATLAS horse had trod. His armies
redeemed the waters of the Seine and
the Moselle and the Rhine with car,
mage and fought on the Catalonian
plains the fercest battle since the
world stood-300, 900 dead left on the
fiel6i On and on until all those who
could not oppose him with arms lay
PROSTATE on their faces in prayer, and,
8 cloud of dust seen in the distance, a
bishop cried, ''It is the aid of Godn
and all the people took up the cry.
1T is the aid Of God," As the cloud
OF dust was blown aside the banners OF
reinforcing armies marched in to
help against Attila, the Scourge OF
God. The most unimportant occur
rences he used as supernatural re-
source, and after three months OF fail
ure to capture the city of Aquilela,
and his army had given up the seige,
the fight of q stork and her young
from the tower of the city was
taken by him as sign that he was to
capture the city, and his army, inspir-
ed by the same occurrence, resumed
the seige and took the walls at point
from which the stork had emerged
SO brilliant was the conqueror in at<
tire that his enemies could not looklat
him, but shaded their eyes or tySned
their heads.
Slain on the evening ofIhis mar
riage by his bride. IldieS, who was
hired dSsaathe assassinatien, his follow.
ers bewailed him not with tears, but
with blood, cutting themselves with
knives and lances. He was put into
three cofins, the first of iron, the sec
ond of silver and the third of gold.
He was buried by night, and into his
grave were poured the most valuable
coin and precious stones, amounting
to the wealth of a kingdom. The
grave6iggers and all those who assist
ed at the burial were massacred, so
it would never be known where so
much wealth was entombed. The 10
man empire conquerd the world, but
Attila conquered the Roman empire.
He was right in calling himself a
scourge, but insteal OF being the
Scourge of God he was scourge of hell +.
Because of his brilliance and bitter
ness the commentators were right IN
believing him to be the star Worm
wood. As the regions he devastated
were parts most opulent with foun-
tains and streams and rivers, you see
how graphic is this reference in Reve-
Iation, There fell a great star from
heaven. burning as it were lamp,
and it fell upon the third part of the
rivers and upon thefouatains of waters
and the name of the star is called
Wormwood.
Have you over thought how many
imbittered lives there are all about US
-misanthropic, morbid, saturnine?
The European plant from which warm
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