Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-06-20
THE BITTER ATTILA.
A BRIEF VIEW OF THE STAR CALLED
WORMWOOD.

and Its notwithstanding and Growing
The Shortening Power of the Gospel
Safety N righteousness,
WASHINGTON, Juno 14.-It was ap-
propriate that this sermon on the des'
tiny of nations should be preached Ill
what has long been called the president
church because Presidents Jackson and
Pierce and Polk and Cleveland have at
tended it,. DR.. Talmage chose for his
text Revelation viii, 10. IL, '"There
fell great star from heaven, burning
rs it were 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 Norwood. y
Many commentators, like Patrick and
Lowth, Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry
and Albert Barnes agree i'll saying that
the star Wcrmwood, mentioned i'll Rev
citation, was Attila, king of the Huns.
He was SO called because he was bril-
liant us Il star, and, like NORWOOD, he
embittered everything he touched. We
have studied tho Star Of Bethlehem, and
the Morning Star of the Revelation, and
the Star of Peace, but my present sub
dcct calls US to gaze 1T the star Worm
wood, and my theme might be called
Brilliant Bitterness.
A moro extraordinary character his
tory does not furnish than this man thus
referred to, Attila, the king of the Huns.
One day Il wounded heller came imping
along through the fields and Il herds
man followed its bloody track ON the
grass to see where the hcifer was
wounded, and went on back further and
further, until he came to Il 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 hutl been cut The herdsman pull
ed up that sword and presented it to
Attila. Atilla 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
conquer and govern the whole earth.
Other mighty men have been delight
cd at being called liberators, or the
mcrciful, CT the good, but Attila called
himself, and demanded that others call
him, the iscourgc of God. AT the head
Of 700, 900 troops, mounted on CappaGo-
cian horses, he swept everything from
The .Adriatic to the Blacl; sea. He put
his iron heel on Macedonia and Greece
and Thracc Hc made Milan and Pavia
and Padua and Verona beg for mercy,
which he bestowed not. Tie Byzantine
castles, to meet his ruinous levy, put up
at auction massive silver tables and
vases of solid gold. \ city captured hJ'
him, the inhabitants were brought ont
and put into three cllsses-the first
class, those who could bear arms. who
must Immediately enlist under Attila
OF be butchcred; the second class, the
beautiful women, who were made cap
tivcs to the Huns; the third class, tho
aged men and women, who were robbed
of everything and let 90 back to the
city to pay heavy tax.
Rise of II Star.
1T was Il common 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 Mo2ellc, and the Rhine with car
mage and fought Oh the Catalonian plains
the fiercest battle since the world stood
300, 900 dead left on the field! On
and on until all those who could not
oppose him with arms lay PROSTATE on
their faces III prayer, and, Il cloud OF
dust seen in the distance, a bishop
cried, at is the aid of Godn' and all
the people took up the cry, 1T is tho
aid of Gcd!" AS the cloud of dust was
blown aside the banners Of reinforcing
armies marched III To help against At
tia, the ;5courgc OF Cod. The most lln-
important occurrences lie used as a SUI
pcInatural resource, and after three
months Of failure to capture the city of
Acuileia, aAl his army had given up
the siege the flight Of Il stor'k and her
young from the tower OF the city was
taken by lin as Il sign that he was to
capture tie city, and his army, inspired
by the SAM occurrence, resumed the
siege and took the walls at Il point
froln which the stork had emerged. So
brilliant was the ccnQueror i'll attire
that his enemies could not lock at him,
hut shaded their eyes Or turned their
heads
Slain OH tho evening of his marriage
nv his lrii!e, TlGico, who was hired for
the assassination, his followers bewailed
BIN, not with tears. but with blood,
cutting themselves with knives ard
lanccs. lie was put into three collins,
the first Of iron, the second Of silver
AID the third of gold He was buried
BIZ night, sid into lis grave were poured
the most valuable ccin and precious
stones, amounting TO The wealth Of Il
kingdom. Tile erayediggcrs and all
those who assisted at the burial were
massacred, So That it would never be
Known where so mach wealth was en-
tombcd. The Roman empire conquered
the world, bat At;;la conquered the Ro-
man empire. He was right i'll calling
himself Il scoGrgc, but instead of being
the Sccurgc OF God he was the scourge
of he'll Bocaasc of his brilliance and
bitterness Tie commentators were right
in believing him 10 be the star Worm
wood. y; the regions lie devastated
were paris NEST opu!c.t with fountains
and streams AID rivers, you sec how
graphic is this reference i'll Revelation
There fell Il great star from heaven
burning as it were Il lamp, and it fell
upon the third part Of the rivers and
upon the fountains Of waters, aid tho
name Of the star IS called WoImwcod "
Have yml ever thought how many
imbittcred lives there are all about US,
misanthropic, morbid. acrid, saturninc?
The European plant from which worm
wood is extractcd, Artemisia absinthium,
is perennial plant, ard all the year
round it is ready TO exudc its oil. And
in many human lives there is percn-
NAL distillation Of acrid experiences