him in order to rescue his life from the impending danger. But Anschar answered, "I would give nothing here to redeem my life; for if the Lord has so determined, I am ready to suffer tortures and even death, here, for his name's sake." He invited the king to an entertainment, gave him the presents, and won his heart, for he knew well how to become all things to all men; and afterwards the Lord helped him in the way which his infinite wisdom had opened for him.

Anschar experienced many wonderful answers to prayer in the course of his laborious and dangerous ministry. This was known, and many sick persons came to him, to obtain a cure by his prayers. But he himself disowned the reputation of a worker of miracles, and said: " If I were thought worthy before my God of that, I would beseech him to grant me this miracle, that by his grace he would make of me a holy man."

When, after four-and-thirty years labour, in his sixtyfourth year, he came to his end through the sufferings of a painful malady, he frequently said with Job, "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" After receiving the Holy Supper, he raised his hands to heaven and prayed that the grace of God might forgive every one who had ever in any way injured him. He then frequently repeated the words, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness. Be merciful to me a sin ner. Into thy hands I commend my spirit." And after he had commended his spirit to the grace of God, looking towards heaven, he left this world, in the year 865.

10. The Martyr Adalbert, of Prussia.

Adalbert was descended from a respectable family in Prague, where he was born in the year 956. He received his education in Magdeburgh, and then returned to his own country. In the year 983 he was chosen bishop of his native city. Among this people there prevailed at that time a great heathen rudeness, and Adalbert who could not endure a pagan life connected with an outward profession of Christianity, had, in consequence, to maintain a hard conflict. He had no deficiency of glowing zeal and steadfastness, but rather failed in moderation and all-enduring patience, which, among a rude

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people who would not submit to his control, were here put to a severe trial. Thus he frequently gave notice of his intention of leaving the congregation which would not follow him as their shepherd, nor give up their lawlessness. He wished to find a place of rest in monasticism, and sought out in Italy the venerable Nilus, who shone as a light in darkness, and whose life and labours we shall notice in the sequel But he was always under the necessity of returning to his forsaken untamed flock, and as often driven from it.

When for the third time he had taken his departure, his glowing zeal for the spread of Christianity prompted him to visit Hungary, where, not long before, the seeds of Christianity had begun to germinate. He was gladly received by Prince Geisa, who had consented to receive baptism through the influence of his wife; but he could make little impression on either by his exhortations. Yet probably it was owing to his society and conversation that a remarkable effect was produced on the mind of their son, young Stephanus, who afterwards contributed principally to the establishment of the Christian church in Hungary.

But his restless spirit soon turned away from Hungary. He resolved to go, where no missionary had ever been, to the Pagans in Prussia. The Polish duke, Boleslad I., to whom he applied for assistance, gave him a vessel and thirty soldiers for a guard.

Thus he went to Dantzig, which was at that time the border-town between Prussia and Poland. Here he first began his ministry and succeeded in baptizing many; he then left this district in order to visit the opposite shore. When landed there, he sent the vessel back with the crew. He wished to be altogether left to the protection of his God, and as a messenger of peace not to come forward under human protection; he also was anxious to avoid everything which might create suspicion in the minds of the Pagans; he only retained the priest Benedict and his pupil Gaudentius with him. It was the Frische Haff (Fresh Sea) where they landed, and they betook themselves in a little boat to an island formed by the Pregel at its mouth; but the inhabitants came with cudgels to drive them away, and one of them gave him such a severe blow with an oar that the psalter, out of which he had been singing, was knocked out

of his hand, and he himself fell to the ground. When he recovered himself, his first words were, "Lord, I thank thee that thou hast thought me worthy of at least one blow for my crucified Saviour!" On Saturday they passed over to the other side of the Pregel, on the coast of Samland. The lord of the manor, whom they met with, brought them to his village, where a great multitude of people assembled. When Adalbert was asked who he was, whence and with what design he was come, he explained to them in a gentle tone, after he had said who he was and whence he came: "On account of your salvation I am come hither, that you may forsake your deaf and dumb gods and acknowledge your Creator, beside whom there is no God, in order that believing in his name you may receive eternal life and be made partakers of an imperishable existence of heavenly joy." When the pagans heard these words they gnashed their teeth, struck him with their sticks, and threatened him with cudgels. He might think himself well off, they said, that he had come so far unhurt; he could save his life only by a quick departure. All persons in that kingdom had one law and one manner of life. They who served another unknown God, if they did not go away that night, would be beheaded the next day. They were put on board a vessel, but were obliged immediately to leave the coast, and remained five days in the place to which they came. When they woke on the last day, Gaudentius told his spiritual father a dream which he had had in the night. "I saw on the altar, in the middle, a golden cup half full of wine. No one was there watching. When I wished to drink of the wine the attendant at the altar would not permit it, for he said that it was not allowable for me or any other man; the wine was to be kept for the bishop for his spiritual refreshment another "My son," said Adalbert, who believed that he saw in this an intimation of his crown of martyrdom, "may God bless this vision; one dare not trust a dream which may deceive." At daybreak they began to set forward on their journey, and went on joyfully, singing psalms, and calling on the Lord Christ through the thick forests. Their singing shortened the distance. About noon they came to a district laid out in fields. Gaudentius here celebrated mass, and Adalbert partook of the Holy Supper; then they sat down on the

day."

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turf and enjoyed some of the provisions they had brought with them. After Adalbert had repeated a verse out of the Bible and sung a psalm, he stood up, and after he had gone a little further he sat down again. Being exhausted, he fell into a deep sleep, and so did his companions; but they were awoke out of sleep in a terrible way: they were startled by the shouts of a band of furious pagans, and were all put in chains. Adalbert maintained his tranquillity undisturbed, and said to his two companions, "My brethren, do not be troubled; you know that we suffer this for the name of the Lord, whose might is above all might, whose beauty is above all beauty, whose grace is inexpressible; what is there more beautiful than to surrender sweet life for the sweetest Jesus!" Then a priest came forth from the infuriated multitude and struck, with his lance, the man of God on his breast, with all his might; the rest also vented their rage upon him. He died raising his eyes and hands to heaven, praying to the Lord for his own salvation and that of his persecutors. This took place on April 23, in the year 997.

The age in which Adalbert lived was not rich in heralds of the Christian faith. Only when the church is rich internally in the gifts of the Spirit, will the divine fulness flow over outwardly, and the water of life while it fructifies the heathen world will flow back with a blessing to the districts from which it issued; but where the spiritual life is wanting, no salutary influence can go forth on those who are without the pale of the church. When the salt is become insipid, nothing can be salted with it. This is true of the tenth century, in which the seeds of Christianity that had previously been sown threatened to be altogether suppressed by the thorns and thistles of sensual barbarism. Men were here needed who might go forth as missionaries, home-missionaries, among the intractable people who had assumed the name of Christians, but among whom little of the spirit and life of Christ was to be found. Such an one was that man of God, Nilus, in a country where lawlessness, superstition, and ignorance had spread very widely, and on this account we place next to the foreign missionaries—

11. The Monk Nilus.

Nilus was of Greek descent, but born at Rossano, in Calabria, in the year 910. His pious parents, who had only one child, a daughter, prayed to the Lord that he would grant them a son. Their prayer was heard, and this son was Nilus. They carried the child to church and dedicated him to the service of God. They named him Nilus, after a distinguished and venerated monk of the fifth century, to whose character this youth who bore his name did actually correspond. The seed which his pious parents scattered in his mind in childhood, operated to preserve him from the corruptions of the age; but as he lost his parents early, he was brought up under the care of his married sister, who was also a pious woman. From childhood he read the biographies of the ancient venerated monks, such as Anthony and Hilarion, and thus a spirit of earnest and deep piety was awakened in him, which in early life taught him to shun the moral corruption in the houses of the great, and to abhor the amulets and magical charms as well as other arts of superstition which were then so much in vogue.

When at a later period his repugnance to the general corruption of morals around him impelled him to a stricter asceticism, he had to sustain manifold conflicts with himself, and by means of them he had abundant opportunity given him of exploring the depths of his own heart. Thoughts tending to evil mingled themselves with his holiest emotions -temptations to spiritual pride which most readily connect themselves with ascetic striving after holiness by self-conquest, and temptations to sensuality. Often when he was praying and singing in the church such thoughts rose within him-"Look at the altar; perhaps thou wilt see an angel, or a flame of fire, or the Holy Ghost, as many have beheld such things." And had he resigned himself to such thoughts he would easily have fallen into the most dangerous self-deceptions of enthusiasm, and the divine life in him, as in many who could not overcome such temptations, would have been destroyed by pride and vanity. The angels of darkness. who know how to clothe themselves as angels of light, would have overpowered his soul and involved it in their snares. Such was the temptation in which his Saviour preceded him