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| Chapter II. Military Service of St. Martin.
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Chapter II.
Military Service of St. Martin.
Martin, then, was born at
Sabaria3
in Pannonia, but was brought up at
Ticinum,4
which is situated in Italy. His parents were,
according to the judgment of the world, of no mean rank, but were
heathens. His father was at first simply a soldier, but afterwards a
military tribune. He himself in his youth following military pursuits
was enrolled in the imperial guard, first under king Constantine, and
then under Julian Cæsar. This, however, was not done of his own
free will, for, almost from his earliest years, the holy infancy of the
illustrious boy aspired rather to the service of God.5
| 5 The text is here corrupt and
uncertain, but the general meaning is plain to the above effect. Hahn
has adopted “divinam servitutem,” instead of the common
“divina servitute.” | For,
when he was of the age of ten years, he betook himself, against the
wish of his parents, to the Church, and begged that he might become a
catechumen. Soon afterwards, becoming in a wonderful manner completely
devoted to the service of God, when he was twelve years old, he desired
to enter on the life of a hermit; and he would have followed up that
desire with the necessary vows, had not his as yet too youthful age
prevented. His mind, however, being always engaged on matters
pertaining to the monasteries or the Church, already meditated in his
boyish years what he afterwards, as a professed servant of
Christ, fulfilled. But when
an edict was issued by the ruling powers6
| 6 Sulpitius uses reges
instead of the more common expression imperatores. | in the
state, that the sons of veterans should be enrolled for military
service, and he, on the information furnished by his father, (who
looked with an evil eye on his blessed actions) having been seized and
put in chains, when he was fifteen years old, was compelled to take the
military oath, then showed himself content with only one servant as his
attendant. And even to him, changing places as it were, he often acted
as though, while really master, he had been inferior; to such a degree
that, for the most part, he drew off his [servant’s] boots and
cleaned them with his own hand; while they took their meals together,
the real master, however, generally acting the part of servant. During
nearly three years before his baptism, he was engaged in the profession
of arms, but he kept completely free from those vices in which that
class of men become too frequently involved. He showed exceeding
kindness towards his fellow-soldiers, and held them in wonderful
affection; while his patience and humility surpassed what seemed
possible to human nature. There is no need to praise the self-denial
which he displayed: it was so great that, even at that date, he was
regarded not so much as being a soldier as a monk. By all these
qualities he had so endeared himself to the whole body of his comrades,
that they esteemed him while they marvelously loved him. Although not
yet made a new creature7
| 7 Sulpitius manifestly
refers to baptism in these words. However mistakenly, several others of
the early Fathers held that regeneration does not take place before
baptism, and that baptism is, in fact, absolutely necessary to
regeneration. St. Ambrose has the following strong statement on the
subject: “Credit catechumenus; sed nisi baptizetur, remissionem
peccatorum non potest obtinere.”—Libri de his, qui
initiantur mysteriis, chap. 4. | in Christ, he, by his
good works, acted the part of a candidate for baptism. This he did, for
instance, by aiding those who were in trouble, by furnishing assistance
to the wretched, by supporting the needy, by clothing the naked, while
he reserved nothing for himself from his military pay except what was
necessary for his daily sustenance. Even then, far from being a
senseless hearer of the Gospel, he so far complied with its precepts as
to take no thought about the morrow.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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