"So fades a summer cloud away; So sinks the gale, when storms are o'er; So dies a wave along the shore." THE SEVEN SLEEPERS. FROM THE GERMAN OF F. W. KRUMMACHER. An objection may be made to the Evangelical Calendar, that one day. (June 27) of the year is consecrated to the memory of the Seven Sleepers, who belong, with their miraculously-prolonged lives, entirely to the sphere of poetry. But there lies hidden full oft in the dreams of the Church a deep meaning; and these seven, as significant allegorical personages, claim admission at the gates of the Church, over which is written the inscription— All is yours. For twelve centuries the legend of the seven Ephesian youths has been narrated over the world, either in religious history or spiritual song. The Christian Orient and Occident are both full of it; and not only the Christian, the heathen Arabians also were acquainted with it at an early period, and Mahomet-the false prophet-incorporated it in his Alcoran, having invested it with poetic form after his conception. Who were the Seven Sleepers? Let us listen to the legend, as we receive it particularly from the lips of the celebrated, old church historian, Gregory of Tours, whose rich life was spent in the latter half of the sixth century. It was about the year 250 of our era, when the Emperor Decius, the most inhuman persecutor of the Christians among the Roman Emperors, on a tour through his immense empire, arrived at Ephesus in Asia Minor, where the gospel had found a lodging many years before; the larger portion of the population, however, still adhered to Heathenism, in spite of better knowledge, and in opposition to their consciences. The Emperor had scarcely arrived, when he ordered a great sacrifice in honor of Zais, Apollo, and Artemis, or Diana-the recognised tutelar divinities of the city, and ordered that every one, without regard to station, age, or religious persuasion, should participate in the festival, under penalty of his imperial anger, and of fearful punishments for those who disobeyed the order. Among the Christians, who were resolved from the very first, rather to suffer the extremest penalties than to deny their Master, and to pollute themselves with the abominations of idolatry, were seven youths descended from noble families. The legend gives their names, in Latin, as follows:-Maximinian, Malchus, Martiminian, Dionysius, Joannes, Serapio, and Constantine. As soon as information reached Decius, concerning their conduct, he ordered them before him. They came, bright, peaceful, and self-composed. "Go," commanded the Emperor, "and bring frankincense to offer up to the supreme powers." "The highest power,' they answered, "sits enthroned above in heaven, and is the almighty and living God, who made heaven and earth. To Him, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we address our prayers, but never again to dumb idols, who are naught." With savage glance he surveyed these courageous young confessors, and pondered over their style of speaking and general bearing, with the view of attracting them by favors to do his will. It must be confessed that the aim of the tyrant; from the beginning, was not so much persecution of Christians, as the uprooting of Christianity; for which reason his weapons were not the axe and the stake, but flattering words and persuasive arguments were first employed, and then, with fiendish invention, he contrived tortures, through which it might certainly be anticipated that an absolute, public denial would be wrung from the martyrs. When the seven were not affected by the very gracious condescension of the Emperor, he commanded that they should be loaded with the heaviest chains. As soon, however, as he perceived that martyrdom was only as oil to the flames of the courageous souls, he had the irons taken off, and declared to them-after showing the fearful consequences which persevering stubbornness would insure that he would allow them time for reflection on their conduct until he returned to Ephesus. With stout hearts the seven departed from the presence of the Emperor, outlawed with the heathen on account of the Emperor's anger, and yet admired secretly by them. But whither now? There was no need of reflection; for their resolution, to be induced by no consideration to deny their faith, was as firm as a rock. So they agreed that, as long as God would give them power, they would avoid the tyrant. Their course was directed finally to a mountain, which arose not far from Ephesus. Here they discovered a cave extending some distance in the rocks, with its entrance concealed by a thicket of trees. They entered this with the view of remaining so long as it pleased the Lord. One of the youthful band, Malchus, probably least known in Ephesus, had the duty of securing their daily food; thus they lived together, happy in the consciousness that the hairs of their head were numbered, and that so long as God was for them no man could be against them. The day of the Emperor's return drew near. The hearts of many Christians were filled with fear and trembling; those of the seven were full of good courage. One of the first questions which was asked by the mighty ruler, on his return, referred to the "obstinate." "They have disappeared," was the answer. But their disappearance had not taken place unnoticed. Spies were bribed to track them out, who were not a little rejoiced, by a betrayal of their place of concealment, to commend themselves to the favor of the mighty despot. Decius, confirmed in his supposition that the obstinate youths would not be moved to a denial of their faith, either by mild or strong measures, quickly discarded the moderation that could no longer be thought of. "Wall up these rebellious boys in their rocky grave," he cried, in a burning rage, "and let them perish of hunger, in darkness, as they deserve." The command given was executed! His officers, with a troop of horse, set out without delay to perform the work. A man, still a heathen, but then under the influence of the gospel, and not far from the kingdom of God, hears what is about to be done, and conceives great sympathy for the young martyrs. He will cheerfully do any thing for them; but what can he do? It seems an impossibility to supply them with food; and, besides, it would be attended with the greatest peril to him. He will at least take care that, if the cave is ever opened in later times, posterity shall know whose bones are contained therein, and shall bestow that crown of honor posthumously, which blind and cruel contemporaries deny. He takes a roll of parchment, inscribes on it the names of the youthful martyrs, with a brief account of the bold confession, with which they glorified their God in the presence of the Emperor and his followers, and then places it within a small iron box, and, whilst the masons were occupied in rolling up blocks of stone and mixing mortar for the terrible imprisonment, he shoves the same unnoticed into the mouth of the cave, and then leaves quietly with a deeply agitated heart. Soon the desired intelligence is brought to the king that the terrible work has been finished; and many a sneering "Good night" is shouted, as though a salutation from hell itself, around the awful rocky prison. Not a few, however, cry out to them their "good night" in the spirit of fraternal prayer; and the God of David, when in the cave of Adullum, and the God of Daniel in the lion's den, will take to heart the warm, loving wishes of these brethren. Not a ray of daylight shines now for the seven; but with courage they say with Micah: When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. Of bread and water, they had none; and whence should either come to them? They bethink them of Solomon's words in the psalm: He giveth His beloved sleep, and are comforted. They praise God that He has considered them worthy to endure this affliction for His sake. Thus they lay themselves down in peace, and-fall asleep. They sleep as sweetly as though on silken cushions. They sleep securely, as though angels kept watch by their hard bed, and drove away all painful dreams. Let us leave them to their slumbers-writing over their heads, on the dark rock, these words of David: How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. Picks Ages have passed away, and generations have disappeared as a shadow. Let us imagine ourselves one hundred and eighty-seven years from the time of the incident just mentioned. Decius, the tyrant, has long since rotted in his grave. The world has assumed another aspect. We find ourselves again in Ephesus. What has happened?-A wealthy farmer contemplates building a strong enclosure for his cattle; and as he looks. over his large estate, for the purpose of procuring the necessary material, he discovers a wall, closing a grotto in the rocks, which is made of broad, well-hewn stones. The mortar, holding the blocks of stone together, is weather-beaten, and has become brittle, and he conceives the idea of taking the stones away, and using them for his newly-planned work. and crow-bars are soon put to work, and in a short time the shrewd landlord accomplishes his design. His supposition, that the stone-wall closed up a grotto, is confirmed; of course, he has no idea, what grotto? It was the cave of the Seven Sleepers, so long concealed, so long forgotten by the world. It now lies open, and, with the entrance of the first rays of day-light-(here the legend begins to clothe itself in pictorial form, and to become an allegory)-there is heard the watch-cry of the Almighty. The slumberers awake, rejoice with sweet surprise that the precious light of the sun shines in their faces, and with peaceful hearts praise the Lord God, in that he had considered them worthy of so speedy a release from captivity; for it seems to them as though but one ordinary night had intervened between the period of their incarceration and the present. After they had offered up their prayers together, Malchus recollects his duty, and proceeds to Ephesus to secure bread for his brothers and himself. On his way to the city, every thing seemed as strange as though he were in a foreign land. This is no longer the same path that he had so often trod. The neighborhood is not the same through which he had so often passed. He imagines that, while immersed in thought, he has erred, and taken a wrong direction. But the path certainly leads towards the city. There it lies before him. But how great is his astonishment when he sees, at a distance, rays reflected from a cross, raised high over the gates of the same, the cross which heretofore he had been accustomed only to gaze upon in the silent solitude of the woods, or in hidden grottoes and caves. He reaches the gates; but dare he, now trust his eyes? Every thing looks different to him. The houses have a brighter and more friendly appearance; the images of the gods have disappeared from the public places; instead of heathen temples, he sees here and there proud cupolas adorned with glittering crosses projecting heavenwards; and when he enters the Forum, he hears the people appealing in their oaths to Almighty God, even using the name of Christ, instead of Artemis and Apollo. "Is it a sweet dream that thus enwraps my soul?" he asks himself, and looks about forsome one who can clearly satisfy him whether he is awake or dreaming. He addresses a man on the streets: Friend, tell me the name of this city." "It is called Ephesus," is the answer. "Ephesus?" says Malchus to himself. "Is this indeed the same Ephesus, from which, a few days ago, the imperial anger banished us?" He reels. Every thing, even his own existence, is to him a riddle. He recollects the object that brings him to the city, goes to a baker's, and asks for bread. After he gets it, he gives in payment a silver coin. The baker takes it, turns it with his fingers, looks at it on all sides, and then, in surprise, says: "This is quite an antique coin. It bears the image and the inscription of the Emperor Decius. Whence did you get it?" "What has become of the Emperor Decius?" replies Malchus. "Has he left the city again? and when did he leave?" The baker and the bystanders, who had collected in the mean while around him, gaze at the mysterious inquirer with doubtful countenances, being uncertain whether he is sane. Then one remarks that the stranger has, perhaps, found somewhere a concealed treasure; and when the others also chime in with this opinion, they demand from Malchus that he should show them the place where he had concealed the treasure. But Malchus rejects this curious conjecture as unfounded, and continues to repeat the question, "Where is the Emperor Decius? What is the reason that the sign of the cross is raised over every building? Has the city been just converted to Christianity?" The people then determine to carry the mysterious oddity to the Bishop, and to leave the farther investigation of the strange business to him. The Bishop of the city, an honest, earnest man, asks the youth in a kindly manner, who he is, and whence he comes? And Malchus reveals to him that he is one of those seven youths, who, a short time since, had been walled in a rocky cavern in the neighboring mountain, on account of their faith, by the Emperor Decius, and to whom the Lord their God had right soon again given their liberty. "The Emperor Decius!" replied the ecclesiastic, greatly surprised. "Nearly two hundred years have passed away since Decius governed the Roman empire. Many Emperors have followed him on that throne. Theodosius, by the grace of God, Emperor, reigns now. Heathenism has been overthrown long since, and the cross has gained the victory over the globe. But say on, where are thy six companions? Show me the cave in which you were incarcerated." The Bishop having said this, Malchus conducted him, and in his train a large crowd of Christians, to the rocky cavern, and to his brothers. When they arrived there, the iron box was found and opened, and the information which it contained being read, gave the most complete confirmation to the wonderful mystery. The seven, by a miracle, had slumbered through nearly two centuries, and been awakened at the watch-cry of the Lord in a world that had been in the mean while made anew. The Bishop did not delay to communicate this unheard-of occurrence immediately to the Emperor Theodosius at Constantinople. Theodosius hastened in person to Ephesus, in order to bless the youths, and being strengthened in his faith by their history, that he might praise God with them. The latter was only allowed him. The seven, immediately after Malchus had returned with the crowd of Christians bearing joyous greetings to them, in obedience to an inner revelation, had laid down in the grotto, and in that same hour the Lord took their souls to Himself in heaven. The Emperor designed erecting a golden monument over the bodies of the noble martyrs; but this was forbidden in a vision which he had at night, wherein the seven appeared before him, and requested that he would lay the foundation stone of a church over their rocky sepulchre. This is the legend. Does it need interpretation? Methinks the interpretation is within the reach of every one. Those who separate themselves from the world, and keep themselves unspotted, God holds in honor as a secret, precious treasure, and guards and protects them as "the apple of His eye." Our life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. The The faithful belong to a kingdom, which is engaged in an uninterrupted path of victory. It struggles through, notwithstanding all opposition, contradictions, and hinderances. The children of this kingdom should only suffer these, and bide their time, like the sweetly-slumbering_seven. age of gloom, with its shadows and annoyances, is soon passed away; and one more joyous will appear as a phoenix from its ashes, that shall solve the riddles of the past. With God, there is no such thing as time. A thousand years in His sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. As far as this can be apprehended by the human consciousness, it was manifested to the consciousness of the seven, and is manifested to us in their history. A sweet rest of nearly two centuries, seemed to them like the rest of a single night. During this in the time that passed away, a new world grew up around them. He that keepeth Israel indeed neither slumbers nor sleeps; but He surveys in one glance the past, present and future, and before Him, with whom there are no periods of alarm, all discords are solved, and all germs arrive at the fulness of their development. We fancy that the promised coming of the Lord and His kingdom is |