The Penn's Grove record., 1896-06-19
GEi. lR. TRLuaGE.
The Eminent Diyine's Sunday
Sermon.
suhjcct; "rhc Bitter Attlla."

SuAJcct' 'ihe fhtter Attiia-S
TExr: "There ZEN a great star from heaven,
turning as il were u lamb, md 1t Sell upon
the third part of tho rivera, and upon the
fountains of wutpr, anil the narne OF the
star Is called Wnrmwood. Revelation viii,
10, Il.
Many comrr snfassa, like Patrick and
Lowth, Thomas colt. Matthew Henry and
Albert Barnes agree in saying that the star
NORWOOD, mentioned In Revelation, was
Attiia. King OF the Huns. He was go called
because ho was brilliant as n star, and, like
Wormwood, ne embittered everything he
tonche'i. We have studied the star of
Beihiehem, aud the Morning Star of tho
Revelation, and the Star OF Peace, but my
present subject calls us to gaze at the star
NORWOOD, and my theme might be called
brilliant Bitterness.
A more extraordinary character history
uoes not furnish than this man thus referred
10. Attila, the king of the Huns. ORR day o
wounded heifer cuhe llmping along through
The hehjs, aud a herdsman followed its
nioody track on the grass to see whore the
neiier was wounded, and went on back fur
ther and further, until he came to a sword
last IN the earth, tho point downward. as
though is had dropped from the heavens and
against tke edges Of this sword the heifer
had been cut. The herdsman pulled up that
sword and presented II to Attila. Attila snid
the sword must nave dropped from the
heavens from the grasp Of the god Mars and
It's being given to him meant that Atilla
should conquer and govern the whole earth.
Other mighty men lave been delighted at
being called liberators, or the merctful or the
good, but Attila called himself, and demand
cd that others call him the Scourge Of God.
At the head CT 700, 900 troops, mounted on
C~appadocian horses. he swept everything
rom the Adriatic to the Black Sea. He put
his iron heel OF Macedonia and Greece and
Ihrace. He made Milan and Pavia and
Padua and Verona beg for mercy, which he
bestowed not. The Byzantine castles. to
massive silver tables and vases Of solid gold.
A city captured by him, the inhabitants
We're brought out and divided into three
classes-the first class, those who could bear
arms, who must Immediately enlist under
Attila or be hutchered; the second class, the
beautiful women, who wore decaptives to
the Huns; the third clnss, the aged men and
women, who were robbed OF everything and
let go back to the city to pay heavy tax. ,
1t WIS a ommon saying that the grass
never grew again where the hoof OF Attila's
horse had tROd. His armies Redeemed the
waters OF the Seine, and the Moselle, and the
Rhine with carnage and fought on the Cata-
lonian plains the fercest battle since the
world ~siood-900. 900 dead left on the field!
On and on until those who could not oppose
him with arms lay PROSTATE on their facesin.
prayer, and, a cloud of dust seen In the dis
tance, n bishop cried, at Is the aid OF Godl',
and oil the people took up the cry, ut Is the
aid of God ~ As the cloud OF dust was blown
aside the banners of r~e-enforcing armies
marched in TO help against Attila, tho
Scourge OF God. The most unimportant oc-
cnrrences he used as n supernatural re-
source, and after three months of failups to
capture the city Of Aquileia. and his army
had given up the siege the flight Of a storkl
and her young from the tower OF the city
was taken by him as Il sign that he was to
capture the city, and his army, inspired by
the same occurrence, resumed the siege and
took the walls at n point from which the
stork had emerged. So brilliant was the
conqrsrer 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, Hdico. who was hired for the assas-
sination, his followers bewaiied him, not
with tears. but with blood, cutting them
selves with knives and lances. He was put
into three collins, the lrst o fiTon, the second
of silver and the third Of gotd. He was buried
by night. and into his grave were poured the
most valuable coin and precious stones,
amounting to the wealth OFF kingdom. The
gravediggers and all those who assisted at
the burial were massacred, 80 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 Seourge OF
God no was the scourge of he'll. Because OF
his brilliance and bitterness the commenta-
tors were riaht in believing him to be the
Star Norwood. As the regions he devas-
tated were parts most opulent with foun-
tains asl streams and rivers. you see how
graphic Is this reference In Revelations:
ssThere fell a great star from heaven, burn
ing rs II were a lamp, n 1t fell upon the
third part of the rivers and upon the foun-
tains OF waters, and the name OF the star Is
called Norwood" &
Have you ever thought how many imblt-
tered lives there are all about us, misanthro,
pie, morbid, acrid, saturnine? The Euro-
pean plant from which wormwood Is ex.
traeted, Artemisia absinthium, is a perennial
pl nj, md all the year round it is ready to
exude its ell. And In many human lives
there Is a perennial distiliation OF acrid ex-
periencas. Yea, there are some whose whole
work is to shed a baleful influence on others,
There are Attilas OF the home, or Attilas OF
tho social circle, or Attilas Of the church, or
Attilas OF tho state, and one-thtrd Of the
WHItTS OF I'LL lilb WOIlut II hui lWp-tttEuS Il6
waters, are poisoned by the falling OF the
star Norwood. 1t Is not complimentary
human nature that most men. as soon as
they get greater power, become overbearlng.
The more power men nave the better II their
power be used for good. The less power
men have the better II they use 1t for evil.
Birds circle round and round and round
before they swoop upon that which they are
aiminS for. And il my discourse so far has
lu.n ..i.rfn. rnunI mud rnmnH thio --
ment 1t drops straight on your heart and
asks the question, IL your life a benediction
to others or an imbitterment, a blessing or a
curse, a balsam or wormwoou2
Some of you | know are morning stars,
and you are making the dawning life Of
your children bright with gracious In
luences, and YOU are beaming upon all the
opening enterprises OF p~hilanihropic and
Christian endeavor, and you are heralds OF
that day OF gospelIzatlon which will yet food
all the mountains 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 a cloud sometimes comes over you
through the q~uerulousness or unreasonable
ness Of your old father and mother 1t Is only
for a moment, and the star soon comes out
clear again and IL seen from all the balco-
nies Of the neighborhood. Tho old people
will forgive your occasional shortcomings,
for they themselves several times lost their
patience when you were young and slapped
YOU when YOU did not deserve II. Hall,
evening start Hang on the darkening sky
your diamond coronef!
But are any of you the star Wormwood2 Do
YOU scoid aud growl from the thrones pa
ternal or maternai1 Are your children ever
Iastingly peeked at2 Are you always crying
s.Hushl" to the merry voices and swift feet,
and their laughter. which occasionally
trickles through at the wrong times and is
suppressed by them until they can hold 1t
no longer, and all the barriers burst Into uh-
limited guffaw and cachinngtion, as in high
weather the water has triekled through a
slight opening In the miildam, but after
ward makes wider and wider breach
until it carries MI before 1t with
Irresistible freshet2 Do not be too much
offended at the noise your children now
make. 1t wilt b. still enough when one OF
them is dead. Then you would give your
right hand to hear one shout from their ST.
lent voices or one step from tho still foot.
You will not any of you have to wait very