The Yale expositor., 1899-03-17

Matthew Henry, Albert Barnes and
some other commentators say that the
star Norwood OF my text was type
of Attila, king of the Huns. He was
so called because he was brilliant as
star, and, like NORWOOD, he embit-
tered everything he touched. We have
studied the Star OF Bethlehem, and the
Morning Star of Revelation, and the
Star of Peace, but my subject calls us
10 gaze at the star Norwood. and my
theme might be called Brilliant Bitter
ness.
A more extraordinary character his
tory does not furnish than this man.
! Attila, the king Of the Huns. The
story goes that one day a wounded
heifer came limping along through the
fields, and a herdsman followed its
bloody track on the grass to see where
the heifer was wounded, and went on
| back, further and further, until he
came to a 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
that sword and presented it TO Attila.
Attila said that sword must have drop
ped from the heavens from the grasp
Of the god Mars, and its being given to
MIN meant that Attila should conquer
and govern the whole earth. Other
mighty men have been delighted at be-
ing called lberators, or the Merciful,
or the Good, but Attila called himself,
and demanded that others call him,
1.-THE Scourge of God"
At the head OF seven hundred thou
sand troops, mounted on Cappadocian
horses, he swept everything, from the
Adriatlc 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 ByZan-
tine castles, to meet his ruinous levy,
put up at auction massive silver tables,
and vases of solid gold. When city
was captured by him the inhabitants
were brought out and put into three
classes: The first class, those who
could bear arms, must Immediately en-
list under Attila or be butchered; the
second class. the beautiful women, were
made captlves to the Huns; the third
class, the aged men and women, were
robbed of everything and let go back
to the city to pay a heavy tax.
II was a common saying that the
grass never grew 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 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 in prayer; then
a cloud OF dust was seen in the dis
lance, and n bishop cried. 1T is the
aid of Cod" 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 oc-
currences he used as supernatural
resource. After three months of fail
ure to capture the city OF Aquileia,
when his army had given up the siege,
the fight of stork and her young
from the tower of the city was taken
by him as a sign that he was to cap
ture the city; and his army, inspired
with the same occurrence, resumed the
siege and took the walls at q point
from which the stork had emerged. So
brilliant was the conqueror 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, Ildico, who was hired for
the assassination, his followers bewail-
ed him, not with tears, but with blood,
cutting themselves with knives and
lances. He was put into three collins,
the first Of iron, the second OF silver,
and the third of gold. He was buried
by night, and into his grave was
poured the most valuable coins and
precious stones, amounting to the
wealth of kingdom. The grave dig
gers anu lUOSe WIZ dSSlSleQ at the
burial were massacred, so that 1t would
never be known where so much wealth
was entombed.
The Roman empire conquered the
world, but Attila conquered the Ro-
man empire. He was right in calling
himself scourge, but instead Of being
1.-The Scourge of God" he was the
scourge of hell.
Because of his brilliancy and bitter
ness. the commentators might well
have supposed him to be the star
NORWOOD of the text. AS the re-
gions he devastated were parts most
opulent with fountains and streams
and rivers, you see how graphic my
text is: There fell a great star from
heaven, burning as 1t were lamp, and
81 fell upon the third part OF the riv-
ers, and upon the fountains of waters,
and the name of the star Is called
NORWOOD"
Have you ever thought how many
embittered lives there are all about us.