The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-03-29
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: "Brilliant Bitterness"-Atti'a the
Hun Used as a Horrible Example-Ts
He a Type of the wormwood Men
toned In Revelatione
TEXT: "There fell a great star from
| heaven, burning ns 1t we're n lamp, -
fell upon the third part Of the rive
upon the fountains OF waters. and the na1
OF the star is called Wormwood. ."-Reveln-
ton K, II.
Patrick and Lowth, Thomas Scott. Mat
thew Henry, Albert Barnes and some other
| OF my text was type OF Attia, king OF the
Huns. He was so called because he was
brilliant AS a star. and, like wormwood, he
imbittered everything he touched. We
have studied the Star OF Bethlehem. and
the Morning Star OF Revelation and the
Star o! Peace, but my subject calls US to
gaze at the star Wormwoed. and my theme
might be called brilliant Bitterness"
more extraordinary character history
king Of the Huns. The story goes that one
day wounded heller came limping along
| through the fields, and herdsman fol-
lowed 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 down
ward, as thought had dropped from the
sword the heller had been cut. The herds
man pulled up that sword and presented 1t
to Attila. AttlIa 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 delighted at being called
lberators or the Merciful or the Good, but
Attila called himself and demanded that
others call him "the scourge OF God"
At the head OF 700, 900 troops, mounted
thing, from the Adriatic to tue Black Sea.
He put his iron bee. on Macedonia and
Greece and Thrace. He made Milan and
Pavia and Padua and Verona beg for
mercy, which he bestowed not. The By
zantine castles, to meet his ruinous levy,
put up at auction massive silver tables
and vases OF solid gold. When a 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 enlist under A.tila or
be butohered; the second class, the beautl-
full women, were made captives to the
Huns; the third class, the aged men and
women, were robbed OF everything and
let 60 back to the city to pay heavy tax.
It was a common saying that the gA1ss
never grew 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 Catalonian
plains the fsrcest battle since the world
stoodI;300, 900 dead left on the field. On
and on until all those who could not op-
pose him with arms lay PROSTATE on their
faces in prayer, then cloud or dust was
seen in the distance, and bishop cried,
"It Is tho aid Of God" and all the people
took up the cry. "It 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 occurrences
be used as q supernatural resource. After
three months OF failure to capture the city
ofAquileis, when his army had given up
the siege, the flight OF stork and her
young from the tower OF the city was taken
by him as q sign that he was to capture the
city, and his army, inspired with the same
occurrence, resumed the siege and took
the walls at 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 bis marriage by
bis bride, Ildico, who was hired for the as
,asslnation, his followers bewailed him,
DOT with tears, but with blood. cutting
themselves with knives and lances. He
vas put into three cof3ns, the first OF iron,
.he second OF silver and the third Of gold.
He was buried by night, and into his
grave was poured the most valuable coins
aud precious stones, amounting TO the
wealth Of a kingdom. The gravediggers
and all those who assisted at the burial
we're massacred, 80 that 1t would never be
tombed.
The Roman empire conquered the world,
but 'Attila conquered the Roman empire.
He was right in calling himself n scourge,
but instead OF being "the scourge OF God"
be WAS the scourge OF hell.
Because Of his brilliancy and bitterness,
The commentators might we'll have sup
posed him to be the star Worn wood OF the
text. As the regions be devastated were
ports most opulent with fountains and
streams and rivers, you see how graphic
my text is: ''There fell great star from
heaven, burning as 1t were lamp, and 1t
Tell upon the third part OF the rivers, and
upon the fountains OF waters, and the name
Of the star Is called Wormwood."
Have you ever thought how many embit-
tered lives there are all about US, misan-
thropic, morbid, acrid. saturnine2 The
European plant from which wormwood Is
H.,
ennial plant, and all the year round 1t Is
ready to exude its oil. And in many hu-
man lives there is perennial dlstlllation
Of acrid experiences. Yea, there are some
whose whole work is to shed baleful In
luence over others. There are Attilas Of
the home, Attilas Of the social circle, At
tIlas OF the church, Attilus Of the State, and
one-third Of the waters OF all the world are
poisoned BY the falling OF the star Worm
wood. 1t is not complimentary to human
nature that most men, as soon rs they get
great power, become oyerbearing. The
more power men have tho better. II their
power be used for good. The less power
men have the better, II they use 1t for evil.
But are any OF you the star Wormwood2
Do you scold and growi from the thrones
paternul or maternal? Are your children
eyerlastingly pscked at? Are you always
crying "Hush' to the merry voices and
swift feet, and to the laughter, which
occasionally trickles through at wrong
times, and Is suppressed by them n, until at
they can hold 1t no longer, and all the
barriers burst into unlimited gufaw and
cachinnation, ms In high weather the
water hastrickled through slight open
Ing in the milldam, but alterward makes
wider and wider breach until 1t carries all
before it with Irresistible freshet? Do not
be too much offended at the noise your
children now make. 1t will be still enough
when one Of them Is dead. Then you would
give your right hand to hear one shout
from the silent voice, or one step from the
still foot. You will not any OF you have to
walt very long before your house Is stiller
than you want 1t. Alas that there are 30
many homes not known to the Society for
the Prevention OF Cruelty to Children,
where children are whacked and cuffed and
ear pulled. and senselessly called to order,
and answered sharply aud suppressed, un-
til 1t Is a wonder that under such processes