| Show the seven slee sleepers P era blage brAGE ltd ird EXPLAINED wiro WIIO wwiley t mor mon more than olae thousand years the legend athe of uhe the seven sleepers has been told in pious hong hodg and story who were these seven beven sleepers Is it only a monash legend or an invention of daggi thada daw daf fi ages or is the story true or has bas luat hat least mast an historical basss baj it was in the year of our lord that decius deelus the most inhuman oh all the roman emperors i n lisper 1 ions lons of tha the christians jn making in g a tour through Ins brov provinces incest hr arrived rived nt at ephesus JA id asia nil nii minor blihor nor por christianity had already obtained ad a foothold here aith alth although oetigh the great mi majority dority of the people still adhered to the heathen religion upon his arrival the Emperor emperors 1 ordered a sacrificial rifi cial festival to foke toKe heid held in honor of jupiter apollo arnd anid diana in this thip festival every ons ipg ong ayas commanded to tb take taka pal under pennie t ty y af pf f incurring the imperial dis displeasure disy gle yle asure in case of refusal among the christians of the city were seyen seven youths descendants of nobie noble families the kix of them were maximilian lal ial laychus laj chus chub pony dimpy sius joannes Yo annes serapio cony cons blus bius the these so det determined to 41 dlo rather than obey the AS soon oon as decius heard ot their determination mi nation he commanded them to b bo ao brought nought before him bim h lna ina go sald said ji he baand cadd incense ilse ilso that thit you mayhoffer may mayo fler offer to ohp highest dowers powers oars tho abo thol thoi highest rower they re pled pied bj his th ione fone ap tle tie b e d i is s tf the tho io I 1 living 1 ving and almi aimi almighty 1 1 who hath created heaven and earth him wp worship father rys son and holy spirit SP irit and we can caw never noyer akai ahal ngow dow down don to dumb idols that are nothing 9 with vitha a terrible glance geror mea measures bunes Bures pile tue fue f be youthful 1 confessors confes fes sors then sud sudden budden denya densa jy bl ahls manner he lioy en endeavors jo win wip them by his nis li pioma promises pes ses 9 ind and his arguments for he be knew know well that thai pour our pita oi an flames ae was t to quench lauing vai xai 1119 illg to in 1 0 b je ets evs by y threats anti amir promises pr ho he tells telis ithem them that lie he will time t hel bel I 1 lob iob until he should again return to ephesus and A informs them of the th e terrible couse av n if they still continue t their stubborn icsis resistance with a calm burago courage tia tho q young men departed from the presence presencia of the Z emperor by the citizens of ephesus jephesus they were proscribed by many however vil vii kIl mired determined not to renounce len ien ounce their faith falth i i they however decided to avoid avold the monster a much as possible with this lct they be took themselves to I a rane raue of t moun mountains talus in the oi of Eph ephesus esus egus there they discovered a cavey the entrance to which wa was s i goy POY cohered with thick forage fo lage jage in tins cave cavo they hid bid them themselves selvAs and one of their number malchus Male maie huis hiis qs the 0 one oae ne least known in the city elty was vas appointed to supply them with food the day of the emperors return arrived one oue of the fim fin t questions was concerning the stubborn youths couf hs m they ky have escaped 11 wa athe reply bu nut but their concealment ipei had been discovered spies spied had followed based the tha emperors favor by reve auf auh 09 the place of De adeius Ius knowing well weli that ho he could copla not hepe hope to change tho the purpose of the youths gave command to cipo cipe alpo the mouth of the cave witha with a yi walli and thus close them in a iving living tomb no sooner said than done there was vas one ninn nian however who though still a 6 heathen had bad heard the gospel and was wag not far from the Kingdo mop god desiring thau that futures kone kene generations rations might know whose bones rested there he took a roll roil ot parchment and writing on it tho the names dames of the youths and an jac rac coutt of their courageous bearing ih closed irin aut nut iron casket and by the workmen slipped it into the tile cave eave and und then quietly wit I 1 id yeav many a scoffing goad gog coq night ni was called after thelby the br brutal uta 1 if populace that thai evening anthe bie bhe streets dof of ephesus 11 many an y a dot night did the christins fiand en dalte dalle ff them in their prayers andee who iwho preserved david in jhb cave of hu and aud d rescued lari Iari daniel lb fron from the den of lions heard beard h eard card their prayer the plight of day had for them faded away but they remembered he his beloved sleep they lay themselves down and aud sleep soft is anva anja lid iid h 0 danger is all nigh asas ra though 11 holy angels had encamped enca enea myed round roud about them we will leavo leave thouy thony to their sleep and write over them on the dark rock the words of david how ing kindness 0 god goal therefore the chadron children of men put their trust under the lelu leiu shadow 1 time p passes a on swift wings generations erat r ions lons come and golike go like ilke phantom spirits about we are again in in ephesus E but how hew ho changed is the scene seene 0 duclus the t tyrant yra yta is in his grave the world is completely changed A wealthy landowner land owner desire 0 o mal mai make esome some improvements lra laa his erate euate 1 in a searching for sul sui suitable tabie table building maternal material ho he old wall wail sith with large square stones the blacks ale ate easily re enyedy Enyedi 1 and abid the mouth of the tho cave l Is s revealed it if i is s the fayle faive cave of the sven aven iee lee peri history had passed ln I 1 TIA 6 epter fog lug far forthe the first time idine after so many years awakened they 1 thic they god that deliverance Ve raude rande had dome come so sen ben for fol thoy aboy suppose supposed 4 but a dil single jdith lit b had dp passed assed aswed since the they im mada anda maich Malch alenius A L was again sent bent to the city ciby or bread but tai the e w way ay s seemed ed nied v very strange fDge to bim mm and A nd what was his hib astonishment ti find over the spry verj very glides Z p C the tho city a glittering lb g cross iu in 1116 pity itse itself ing ird ho can hardly ajust trust ht hib his benses senses the tha images or of th the 0 gods eds were re id tri zae ine the pla pia place ao 60 of oid olg ho heathen jewelp ii he e notices buildings with proud domes and glittering cros crosses sec seg and hid in iff forum he hears tho tha bitne witnesses asea wear foy by the 0 omnipotent god yea yda even the name of christ instead of di ana and apollo he thinks itis it is a deam lra irn tra Accost accosting linga a man on the sireen ho lie asks him the me chine of t the city ty tho itlie the name of bf the city Is was wasl the re reply ply itcan can it be that this 1 is ophes us where laut taut a tow how lew days ago agg we were proscribed c d by the imperial imper Impei ial lal edict was the thought of malchus maichus nuta buta drui arh errand he en alered afka akka lamake kwil rs ship shop and auers offers in pay men fc for bread a silver sliver coin eoin the bake bahe toor tooK the coln coin andrare juicy examined ilg this tha ThIA ThU Advery avery ancient clin said he t why it beai raela the I 1 image i a of f nee dee neelus w chere ilia yu 0 obtain b t a n it where is is the tile reply of malchus has he left the city and it if so when The baker and the crow crowd d that had g gathered achere d in ill the meantime looked ht at malchus maichus and seemed td t d regard him a as one who had lost liis ills one of them demanded to know where ie had discovered the hidden treasure treasured finally ma achus was taken before the bishop of the city the bishop was wa a reverend end and dignified man in a kind manner he asked malchuk who he yas yaa and aud whence he became came mal mai malchus maichus thus rel rei replied led that he wa waa one of the thi e seven i youn youl youths who had recently been im immured m anted in the grotto at the command of the emperor decius deelus but that the rord lurd thele their god had bad again given them light and fredom the emperor empe E W p bof decius deelus it Is nearly years jears since decius sat upon the throne many diany emperors have reign reigned ed since sinco then now reigns by the baco bace of god heathendom kias klas has long iong since ce fallen the cross is is everywhere fan ere victorious c buetell nut but tell teli me where are your yu six fix six compani companions onke onse show us the ja C cave ive thus thui spoke the bishop and mid malchus maichus dinic bilus ilius led him to the cave J followed by an imme immense crne erne concourse oUrse of christians in the cave they found the iran casket with the parchment roll contain containing hig a full account of their history for two centuries the youths had tand now they awoke to see a generated regenerated Te world rhe the rho bisho bisbo bishop hastened to send tend an account adf of the matter to at constantinople the emperor himself hastened hasten edt to 0 ephesus to behold the tile wonder but the youths obedient to un an inner voice in the samo hour that malchus maichus returned lidid again lad iad wid pid down and tio tho lord flok took took their souls kouis to heaven beaven ta lutheran monthly |
