THE

Churchman's Companion.

PART XVIII., VOL. III.]

[JUNE, 1848.

THE STORIES OF AFRA AND THEODATA, OR THE MARTYR PENITENTS.

"

'O, raised from sin to brightness! there doth lie
The tenderest secret of His ministry,

Whose undespairing love still owned the spirit's worth."

PERHAPS few persons have not at one time or other been struck with the beauty of those sunny gleams, which breaking through the clouds at the close of a dark and lowering, or fitful and stormy day, light up the landscape with somewhat of the dewy brilliancy of morn.

Often has the old armorial motto, "Clarior e tenebris,"* come to my mind when gazing on such a sudden transformation by the banks of that lovely river which flows by the home of my childhood. The rapidly enlarging blue expanse over head, while the yet lingering clouds in the east are spanned by the rainbow promise of a cloudless morrow; the vivid clearness with which the objects stand out in the horizon; the purple of the distant hills which but now were enveloped in a grey mist; the glittering brightness of each thickly beaded spray; while ever and anon a shower of dewy pearls, brushed off by some passer by, or by the rustle of a bird, chimes in with its sudden splash like an undertone of liquid sweetness in the vesper choir of the joyous little minstrels who have cowered all day for shelter where they might; the freshness and fragrancy of the flowers, and the exhilaration caused in one's own spirit by the joyous contrast; all seem to carry the mind forward to the longed for "light of the morning when the sun ariseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain." It is true that the languid close of a day of uninterrupted sunshine has its own peculiar beauty, but so also has such a scene as I have attempted to describe; and does not the eye of faith delight to contemplate a brightness akin to this in the closing scene of the earthly pilgrimage of those blessed penitents, over whom there is joy in heaven,-joy in the presence of the angels of GOD,-joy in our FATHER's heart,-music and dancing and making merry in our FATHER's house? for were they not dead, and are alive again? lost, and they are found? And was it to be wondered at that the publicans and sinners should draw near unto * Brighter out of darkness.

Y

Him Who came into the wilderness to seek and to save that which was lost, when He thus told of the love of God to the wanderer and the outcast? Yes, there is joy over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance; but it is the joy of the broken-hearted that remains for such an one, and it is in the lowly self-abasing fervour of their penitence that it is seen to be true of such, as of the woman in the Gospel— "Her sius, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.”

There is much of sin, most hateful in the sight of GOD, which yet in this world is so covered up and hidden in the heart, that it escapes condemnation from men; but there is a sin so manifest both in the sight of God and man, that such as are guilty of it are called in the simple but emphatic language of Scripture, “sinners," and to eat with such was by the Pharisees accounted a defilement; and one of their charges against the Sinless One was, that He ate and drank with publicans and sinners. And if such a sin in a heathen or a Jew was thought so hateful, what must be its enormity in those whose bodies have been made the temple of the HOLY GHOST? And how lowly! how self-abasing should be the penitence of such! We dwell upon the story of a Magdalen as an example of saintly penitence, and we do well; but should we not bear in mind that the sin of the baptized is a yet greater sin than hers? There have been those in other days, who in their consciousness of this have sought to do penance, as they called it, for their fault, by self-inflicted, life long hardships, forgetting how in the words of a saint of old, "it is more seemly for the penitent to kiss the rod of correction in his FATHER's hand, than to take it into his own; and of all the chastenings we think to inflict upon ourselves, and of all the crosses which we go about to make for ourselves, there is no chastening like the chastening of a FATHER, and no cross like the cross laid on us by the Crucified One."

We have two beautiful examples of martyrdom accepted and endured in such a spirit of penitence, in the stories of Afra of Augsburg, and Theodata of Philippi, who were put to death during the persecution of the Christians by Dioclesian and his colleagues.

Afra was a woman well known while yet a heathen, in the city of Augsburg, for the irregularity of her life. Possessed of beauty and of wealth, (as from the number of her maids and the spacious mausoleum built by her mother Hilaria, seems to have been the case,) she abandoned herself to pleasure, and the house where with her mother she resided, was the resort of those, whose maxim was, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die;" and the rich presents which they made to Afra, greatly increased her wealth. Hilaria seems to have engaged her daughter in her evil course of life in connection with the idolatrous rites of their religion, as we are given to understand in some accounts of her life; and this may

have increased the horror with which after her conversion to Christianity, Afra seems to have looked back upon her former life. It was by the preaching of a Christian Bishop of the name of Narcissus, who is said to have fled from the persecution in Spain to Augsburg, and there for a time to have laboured in the Gospel, that the hearts of Afra and her mother were opened to receive the word. Probably their only motive in going to hear him was curiosity to know what one of the new sect that was everywhere spoken against, had to say; but the mercy of the LORD met with them, and Afra, convinced of sin, and deeply repenting of all the past, sought and obtained along with her mother and three of her maids, the grace of Baptism from S. Narcissus. Some writers tell us that the brother of Hilaria, S. Denys, was with others of their friends and kindred baptized at this time. They add, that S. Denys was ordained Priest by S. Narcissus, and became afterwards the first Bishop of Augsburg, finishing his course at last by martyrdom. Great indeed seems to have been the blessing poured out upon this family, and now that Afra's eyes were opened to the evil of sin in the light of the knowledge of a crucified SAVIOUR, there sprang up in her heart a fountain of penitence which never ceased to flow. She could not, it is true, wash with her tears and wipe with the hair of her head the feet of our REDEEMER, anointing them with the very costly ointment like Mary Magdalene; but she did what she could. With many tears she besought the poor Christians to receive at the hands of a penitent the mammon of unrighteousness, and of their charity to pray for her a miserable sinner. It would appear that notwithstanding their poverty, it was only by her penitence and earnest supplications that she could overcome their reluctance to accept of money which they looked upon as the wages of sin. The tidings soon spread abroad in Augsburg that Afra, the courtezan, had become a Christian; but at first people thought it could be at most only a sudden whim which would not last many days; for what could the gay and pleasure-loving Afra have in common with the self-denying, despised, and persecuted followers of the crucified One? She, a member of the strictest of all sects, who, on their own showing, but for a hope beyond this life, were of all men most miserable! Nay, it was a supposition too absurd either on her part, or on the part of the Christians, for it was well known even to their enemies, that the strictest purity of life was required from all who embraced the new religion: the wonder increased, however, when, notwithstanding the persecution of the Christians had already commenced in Augsburg, Afra persevered in absenting herself with her mother and household from the Pagan rites, at which they had formerly assisted. The heathen priests stood by the altar in the capitol of Augsburg, and incense and garlands were at hand for those unhappy ones whom the fear of death and torments had induced to sacrifice to the idols they had

renounced; but Afra was not of the number. Search being made for her by the order of the judge, she was apprehended and brought before him; and desirous as he was to triumph over the faith of some at least of the new and hated sect, he probably expected from the circumstances of her past life and the freshness of her conversion, to have little difficulty in prevailing with Afra. One glance at the executioners with their various instruments of torture, might reveal to Afra as she stood before the tribunal of the pitiless heathen, that the conflict to which she was called, was indeed a sharp and fiery trial. Fixing upon her a searching glance, the judge, whose name was Gaius, thus addressed the newly baptized penitent. "It is better to live than to die in torments, therefore be persuaded to sacrifice." "I have indeed sinned deeply before I knew GOD, but I will not add to my sin by doing this," was the meek but resolute reply. Not imagining to meet with more than a temporary opposition, Gaius said to her with the off-hand brevity of one who counts upon obedience, "Go to the capitol, and sacrifice." The word capitol recalled to Afra's heart and mind Him under Whose Headship she was safe. It was now the day of battle, but He had covered her head, and while she said within herself, "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength in Whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower;" she answered the judge boldly, "JESUS CHRIST is my capitol, and my all; Him only have I set before mine eyes continually, confessing my sins unto Him day by day; and because I am unworthy to offer unto Him any sacrifice, I desire to sacrifice myself for His Name, that this body in which I have sinned, may be purified and sacrificed to Him by torments." But," said Gaius, "I learn that you are an abandoned woman, and as such as you can have nothing to expect from the GoD of the Christians, you will do well to consult your safety by sacrificing." No doubt the cruel speech was instigated by the great enemy of souls, who thus endeavoured to cast down the confidence of the penitent by the remembrance of her sins; but Afra's heart was strong in the faith of His mercy Who will in no wise cast out any who turn to Him with true repentance, and she answered, "JESUS CHRIST, my LORD, has said, that He came down from heaven to save sinners, and His Gospel assures us that a sinful woman washed His feet with her tears, and obtained from Him the forgiveness of her sins, and that He never rejected such any more than the publicans, but suffered them to eat and drink with Him."

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It was in vain that the judge shamelessly counselled her to return to her former evil way of life, an evil which in his eyes was as nothing compared with the new and hated religion. Afra heard such counsels with horror, and, repulsed in this matter, the judge returned to his former argument, that for a woman like Afra there

could be no hope amongst Christians. "CHRIST," said he, "will not think such a one worthy of Him, and therefore it is wholly vain for you to call Him your God. He will not acknowledge you, and one of your character can never pass for a Christian." "It is true," said Afra meekly, “that I am not worthy to be thought a Christian, or to bear the name of one; but yet GOD Who does not judge us according to our works, has granted me this grace." "And how do you know this?" asked Gaius. Afra spoke not of her Baptism, for probably she would not speak of that high and holy mystery of the regeneration to such a one; but she spoke home to his conscience when she said, "The mercy of GoD in thus enabling me to confess His Name, is an assurance that He has not cast me away from His presence.' "Fables! mere fables!" exclaimed the judge. "Sacrifice to the gods, and they will save your life." "My salvation," answered Afra, "is in JESUS CHRIST, Who, hanging upon the Cross, promised the blessing of paradise to the thief who acknowledged Him for his GOD." "Without further trifling, sacrifice at once," said Gaius, "lest I order you to be put to shame, and scourged in the presence of those who have heretofore been your associates." "My sins and my sins only are my confusion," was the answer. "I am weary

of disputing with you," said the judge; "if you will not sacrifice you must prepare for death." "I desire it," was the prompt reply, " if only I may be found worthy to enter into the rest of my GOD." "Once more listen to me and sacrifice," said Gaius; "for if not, I am about to condemn you to the torture first, and then to be burned alive." "And I," said Afra, "do willingly yield up this sinful body to all kinds of torments, but for my soul, I will never pollute it by sacrificing to devils." Upon this the judge dictated the sentence, which was as follows: "We condemn Afra, a harlot, who has declared herself a Christian, to be burned alive, because she has refused to sacrifice to the gods." (To be continued.)

THE SPECIAL CONSTABLE AND THE CHARTIST.

A DIALOGUE.

[Enter WILLIAM-He takes off his armlet or constable's badge —and hangs up his staff. Presently ROBERT comes in and throws himself into a chair.]

William. Well, Robert, I am glad to see you safe home again.

Robert. Safe! yes, safe enough, but properly tired. I have been twelve hours, at least, on my legs, pushing about in the