Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Chapter III. Christ appears to St. Martin.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter III.
Christ appears to St. Martin.
Accordingly, at a certain
period, when he had nothing except his arms and his simple military
dress, in the middle of winter, a winter which had shown itself more
severe than ordinary, so that the extreme cold was proving fatal to
many, he happened to meet at the gate of the city of Amiens8
| 8 The place here called by
Sulpitius “Ambianensium civitas” was also known as
“Samarobriva,” and is supposed to be the modern
Amiens. | a poor man destitute of clothing. He was
entreating those that passed by to have compassion upon him, but all
passed the wretched man without notice, when Martin, that man full of
God, recognized that a being to whom others showed no pity, was, in
that respect, left to him. Yet, what should he do? He had nothing
except the cloak in which he was clad, for he had already parted with
the rest of his garments for similar purposes. Taking, therefore, his
sword with which he was girt, he divided his cloak into two equal
parts, and gave one part to the poor man, while he again clothed
himself with the remainder. Upon this, some of the by-standers laughed,
because he was now an unsightly object, and stood out as but partly
dressed. Many, however, who were of sounder understanding, groaned
deeply because they themselves had done nothing similar. They
especially felt this, because, being possessed of more than Martin,
they could have clothed the poor man without reducing themselves to
nakedness. In the following night, when Martin had resigned himself to
sleep, he had a vision of Christ arrayed in that part of his cloak with
which he had clothed the poor man. He contemplated the Lord with the
greatest attention, and was told to own as his the robe which he had
given. Ere long, he heard Jesus saying with a clear voice to the
multitude of angels standing round—“Martin, who is still
but a catechumen, clothed9
me with this
robe.” The Lord, truly mindful of his own words (who had said
when on earth—“Inasmuch10
| 10 There is a peculiar use of
quamdiu in the old Latin rendering of the passage here quoted.
It is used as an equivalent for the Greek ἐφ᾽
ὅσον, no doubt with the meaning
“inasmuch as.” | as ye have done
these things to one of the least of these, ye have done them unto me),
declared that he himself had been clothed in that poor man; and to
confirm the testimony he bore to so good a deed, he condescended to
show him himself in that very dress which the poor man had received.
After this vision the sainted man was not puffed up with human glory,
but, acknowledging the goodness of God in what had been done, and being
now of the age of twenty years, he hastened to receive baptism. He did
not, however, all at once, retire from military service, yielding to
the entreaties of his tribune, whom he admitted to be his familiar
tent-companion.11
| 11 Comp. Tacitus,
Agric. chap. 5, “electus, quem contubernio
æstimaret.” | For the tribune
promised that, after the period of his office had expired, he too would
retire from the world. Martin, kept back by the expectation of this
event, continued, although but in name, to act the part of a soldier,
for nearly two years after he had received baptism.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
