The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-07-10
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE NOTED DIvINE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subject. "Tho bitter Attua."


LoWth, Thomas seou. Matthew Henry and
Albert Barnes agree in saying that the atai
NORWOOD mentioned IA Revelation. wa
Attla. King Of the Huns. Ee was So called
because DO was brilliant as STAR, and. liki
NORWOOD, ne emhttored everything ht
touched. We have studied the star %
Bethlehem, aud the Morning Star OF The
revelation, and the Star Of Peace, but ms
present subject calls MS 10 gazo NJ the stat
NORWOOD, and my theme might be called
Brilliant Bitterness.
A more extraordinary character hlst0r,
does not furnish than this man thus referred
20, Attila, the king OF the Huns. One DAY
wounded heller came limplng along through
tne nelds, and herdsman followed "a
bloody track on the grass 10 see where the
heiler was wounded. and went on back fur
ther ana further, until he came 10 q SWORD
Iast IN the earth, the point downward. az
though Is had dropped from the heavens and
against ;he edges OF this sword the heller
had been cut The herdsman pulled up that
sword and presented Il to Alfalfa. Attila sale
the sword must have dropped from the
heavens from the grasp Of the god Mars and
us being given to him meant that Ahllt
should conquer and govern the whole earth
Other mighty men have been delighted al
being called llberators, or the merciful or the
5000, but Attila called himself, and demand.
cd that Others call him the scourge Of God.
AZ the head Ct 700 600 troops, mounted on
Cappadocian horses, he swept everything
from the Adriatie 10 the Black Sea. he pul
his iron heel on Macedonia aud Greece and
ThrGce He made Milan and Pavla aud
Padua and Verona beg for mercy, which he
bestowed not The Byzantine castles, &C
meet his ruinous levy. put up at auction
massive silver tables and vases Of solid gold.
city captured by him, the inhabitants
were brought out and divided into three
eiasses-the first class, those who could bear
arms, who must Immediately enlist under
Attila or be butchered; the second class, the
beautiful women, who were made captiyes &c
the Huns; the third class, tbs aged men and
women, who were robbed Of everything and
let 50 back to the city to pay heavy tax.
II was a 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 AIoselle. and the
Rhine With carnage and fought on the Cata-
lonian plains the fercest battle since the
world stood-900. 900 dad left on the field
On and on until those who could not oppose
him with arms lay PROSTATE on their faces IN
prayer, and, a cloud OF dust seen in the dis
lance, bishop cried, at is the aid of Godw
and all the people took up the cry, 1T is the
aid Of God ~ As Che cloud Of dust was blown
aside tho banners Of reinforcing armies
marched in 10 help against Attila, the
ScOurge Of God. The most unimportant oc-
cuTences he used as a supernatural re-
source, and after three months Of failure 10
capture the city of Acuileia. and his army
had given up tho siege the fight of a 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, inspired by
nod
took the walls at a point from which the
stork had emerged. SO brilliant was the
conquerer in attire that his enemies could
nos look at him, but shaded their eyes or
turned their heads.
Slain on the evening Of his marriage by his
bride, Ildico, who was hired for the assas-
sination, his followers bewailed him, not
with tears, but with blood, cutting them
selves with knives and lances. He was put
into three collins, the FIRST ofiron, the second
OF silver and the third gold. He was buried
by night, and into his grave were poured the
most valuable coin and precious stones.
amounting to the wealth of kingdom. The
grayediggers and all those who assisted at
the burial were massacred, 50 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 tie Scourge OF
God no was the scOurge of hell. Because of
his brilliance and bitterness the commenta-
tors were right in believing him to be- the
star Wornwood. AS the regions he devas-
tated We're parts most opulent with foun-
tains and streams and rivers, you see how
graphic is this reference In Revelation
"There fell great star from heaven, burn
ing as it were a lamp, and 1t fell upon the
third part OF the rivers and upon the foun
tains OF waters, and the name of the star il
called Norwood"
Have you ever thought how many imbit
tered lives there are all about us, misanthro
pic, morbid, acrid, saturnint? The Euro
pean plant from which NORWOOD is ex
tracted. Artemisia absinthium, Is a perennial
plant, and all the year round 1t is ready L
exude its oil. And in many human live
there is perennial distilation OF acrid ex
periences. Yea, there are some whose who'll
work Is to shed a baleful influence on others
There are Attllas of the home, or Attilas 0
the social circle, or Attilas of the church, o
Attilas of the state, and one-third Of III
waters OF all the world, If not two-tnirds tn
waters. are poisoned bv the falling of tn
star WOEmWOOu. II IS NOT com pliueuldry u
human nature that most men. as soon a
they get greater power, become overbearinp
| The more power men have Lhe better il thei
| power be used for good. The less powe
men have the better If they use 1t for evil.
Birds circle round and round and roun
before they swoop upon that which they ar
aiming for And ii my discourse so far hs
been swinging round aud round this me
ment it drops straight on your heart an
asks the question, Is your life benedictio
TO others or an imbitterment, a blessing or
curse, basam or wormwood?
Some Of you l know are morning star
and you are making the dawning life
YOUR children bright with gracious il
fluences, and YOU are beaming upon all Il
opening enterprises Of philanthropie an
Christian endeavor, and you are heralds
that day Of gospehzation which viii yet foo
all the mountains and valleys of our S
cursed earth. Hail, morning star! Keep
shining with encouragement aud Christli
hope!
Some OF you are evening stars, and "
are cheering the last days OF old people, NJ
though a cloud sometimes comes over "
through the querulousn as or unreasonabl
ness OF your old father and mother 1t Is on
fora moment, and the star soon comes o
clear aLain and is seen from all the bale
MES of the naighborhood. The old peoI
will forgive your occasional shorteomin!
for they themselves several times lost tn