Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-06-18
DESTINY OF NATIONS.
REV. Or. TALMAGE DISCUSSES THE
STAR OF woRMWoop.

heaven, burning as 1t were a lamp, and IL
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, mentioned In Revelation,
was Attila, king of the Huns. He was so
called because he was brilliant as 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 Wormwood, and my theme
might be called Brilliant Bitterness.
The King Of the Huns.
A more extraordinary character history
does not furnish than this man thus ro-
ferred to-Attila, the king of the Huns.
One day wounded heifer came limping
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 1t had dropped
from tho heavens, and against the edges of
this sword the heifer had been cut. The
herdsman 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
af hoioc, collod lihorotoro m. tho Toarcifu1
or the good but Attila called himself and
demanded that others call him the Scourge
of God At the head of 100000 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 ia.
bles and vases Of solid gold. A city cap
tured 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 Attila Oh
be butchered; the second class, the beauti
full women, who were made captives tc
the Huns; the third class, the aged mel
and women, who were robbed Of every
thing and let go back to the city to pay
heavy tax.
1t was common saying that the gras:
never grew again where the hoof of At
tila's horse had trod. His armies reddened
the waters Of the Seine and the Mosellt
and the Rhine with carnage and fought
on the Catalonian plains the fercest battle
since the world stood-300, 900 dead left OF
the field! On and on until all those who
could not oppose him with arms lay pros
trate on their faces in prayer, and, CLOUD
of dust seen in the distance, a bishop cried
ut is the aid of Godr' and all the people
took up the cry, "It is the aid of God" Al
the cloud of dust was blown aside the ban
ners of reinforcing armies marched in tx
help against Attila, the Scourge of God
The most unimportant occurrences HI
used as a supernatural resource, and aftel
three months of failure to capture the city
of Aquileia and his army had given vi
the siege the flight Of stork and hel
young from the tower of the city was taker
by him as o sign that he was to capture
the city, and his army, inspired by tht
same occurrence, resumed the siege ant
took the walls at point from which tht
stork had emerged. So brilliant was tht
conqueror in attire that his enemies coult
not look at him, but shaded their eyes ol
turned their heads
A Peculiar Star.
Slain on the evening Of his marriage b!
| his bride, Ildico, who was hired for th'
assassination, his followers bewailed hin
not with tears, but with blood, cutting
themselves with knives and lanoes. II,
was put into three coff1ns-the first O
iron, the second of silver and the third O
gold. He was buried by night, and int
| his grave were poured the most valuabl,
coin and precious stones, amounting II
the wealth Of q kingdom. The gravedig
| gers and all those who assisted at the buria
were massacred, so that it would never b.
known where so much wealth was entomb
ed. The Roman empire conquered tn
world, but Attila conquered the Roman
scourge, but instead of being the Scourg
of God he ewas the scourge of hell Becaus
| Of his brilliance and bitterness the com
mentators were right In believing him t.
be the star Wormwood AS the regions h
| devastated were parts most opulent witt
| fountains and streams and rivers, you se
how graphic is this reference in Revela
tion, There fell great star from heaven
burning as 1t were lamp, and 1t fell up
on the third part Of the rivers and upol
the fountains Of waters, and the name G
| the star Is called Wormwood.
Have you ever thought how many i'm
bittered lives there are all about us-misan
thropic, morbid, acrid, saturnine9 TIL,
extracted, Artemisia absinthium, is q per
ennial plant, and all the year round 1t i
ready to exude its oil And in many hu
man lives there is a perennial distillatiol
Of acrid experiences Yea, there are SOM
whose whole work Is to shed a baleful in
| fluence on others. There are Attilas Of thu
home, or Attilas Of the social cirde, or At
tilas 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 poisonet
by the falling Of the star Wormwood. /
Is not complimentary to human natur
that most men, as soon as they get grea
| power, become overbearing The NOR
power men have the better, If their powe
w d6Su AOA SOOO- 4hO ACoS pONCI AuOn law
the better, If they use 1t for evil.
Birds circle round and round and rount
before they swoop upon that which they
are aiming for. And If my discourse so fal
has been swinging round and round, thi
moment 1t drops straight on your heart
and asks the question, Is your life bene
diction to others or an imbitterment, ,
blessing or curse, q balsam or wormwood
Some Of you, know, are morning stars
and you are making the dawning life O.
your children bright with gracious inf1u
ences, and you ore beaming upon all thu
opening enterprises Of philanthropio and
Christian endeavor, and you are herald
Of that day Of gospelization which will ye
food all the mountains and valleys of ou
sin cursed earth. Hail. morning star
Now is the time to provide your
self and family with a bottle of Cham
berlain's Collie, Cholera and Diarrhoes
Remedy as safeguard against ar
L - IL