Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Chapter XVII. With what virtuous feelings the fathers of old hid the sacred fires when on the point of going into captivity.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter XVII.
With what virtuous feelings the fathers of old hid the
sacred fires when on the point of going into captivity.
98. Let us
consider, again, that deed done at the time of the captivity, which has
attained the highest degree of virtue and glory. Virtue is
checked by no adversities, for it rises up among them, and prevails
here rather than in prosperity. ’Mid chains or arms,
’mid flames or slavery (which is harder for freemen to bear than
any punishment), ’midst the pains of the dying, the destruction
of their country, the fears of the living, or the blood of the
slain,—amidst all this our forefathers failed not in their care
and thought for what is virtuous. Amidst the ashes and dust of
their fallen country it glowed and shone forth brightly in pious
efforts.
99. For when our fathers were carried away
into Persia,711
certain priests,
who then were in the service of Almighty God, secretly buried in the
valley the fire taken from the altar of the Lord. There was there
an open pit, with no water in it, and not accessible for the wants of
the people, in a spot unknown and free from intruders. There they
sealed the hidden fire with the sacred mark and in secret. They
were not anxious to bury gold or to hide up silver to preserve it for
their children, but in their own great peril, thinking of all that was
virtuous, they thought the sacred fire ought to be preserved so that
impure men might not defile it, nor the blood of the slain extinguish
it, nor the heaps of miserable ruins cover it.
100. So they went to Persia, free only in
their religion; for that alone could not be torn from them by their
captivity. After a length of time,712
indeed, according to God’s good pleasure, He put it into the
Persian king’s heart to order the temple in Judea to be restored,
and the regular customs to be again rebuilt at Jerusalem. To
carry out this work of his the Persian king appointed
the priest Nehemiah. He took
with him the grandchildren of those priests who on leaving their native
soil had hidden the sacred fire to save it from perishing. But on
arriving, as we are told in the history of the fathers, they found not
fire but water. And when fire was wanting to burn upon the
altars, the priest Nehemiah bade them draw the water, to bring it to
him, and to sprinkle it upon the wood. Then, O wondrous sight!
though the sky had been overcast with clouds, suddenly the sun shone
forth, a great fire flamed forth, so that all, wonder-stricken at such
a clear sign of the favour of the Lord, were filled with joy. Nehemiah
prayed; the priests sang a hymn of praise to God, when the sacrifice
was completed. Nehemiah again bade the remainder of the water to
be poured upon the larger stones. And when this was done a flame
burst forth whilst the light shining from off the altar shone more
brightly yet.
101. When this sign became known, the king
of Persia ordered a temple to be built on that spot where the fire had
been hidden and the water afterwards found, to which many gifts were
made. They who were with holy Nehemiah called it
Naphthar,713
—which means
cleansing—by many it is called Nephi. It is to be found
also in the history of the prophet Jeremiah,714
that he bade those who should come after him to take of the fire.
That is the fire which fell on Moses’ sacrifice and consumed it,
as it is written: “There came a fire out from the Lord and
consumed upon the altar all the whole burnt-offering.”715
The sacrifice must be hallowed with
this fire only. Therefore, also, fire went out from the Lord upon
the sons of Aaron who wished to offer strange fire, and consumed them,
so that their dead bodies were cast forth without the camp.716
101. Jeremiah coming to a spot found there a
house like a cave, and brought into it the tabernacle, the ark, and the
altar of incense, and closed up the entrance. And when those who
had come with him examined it rather closely to mark the spot, they
could not discover nor find it. When Jeremiah understood what
they wanted he said: “The spot will remain unknown until
God shall gather His people together and be gracious to them.
Then God shall reveal these things and the majesty of the Lord shall
appear.”717
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
