"'The story that I am going to tell you now shall bear the heading, "The
Hearts of the Children turned to the Fathers." I read it with a deal of
trouble in an old, yellowed manuscript which the mice had gnawed at. But
it bears so entirely the impress of truth that it may speak for itself,
although the things happened more than a thousand years ago. I would
rather, if I could, give it again exactly as it stood written in that
manuscript; but I am unable to do so, because I only made extracts from
it. I found the MS. in the library of the Town House at Lueneburg, where
I was staying for a few days just then, and with the permission of both
the burgomasters of the city, I searched the Town House library through.
When later I came to live in Lueneburg for many years, these and other
old MSS. were no longer to be found; and I heard that a Jew, to whom the
burgomasters had sold a number of old suits of armour and weapons, had
probably demanded to have these manuscripts into the bargain, thinking
that he might in England dispose of them for a high price. The MS. was
entitled: "Res gestae Landolfi, Apostoli Salzonum, qui Horzae ripas ad
habitant;" _i.e._, "_Acts of Landolf, the apostle to the Saxons who
lived on the Oerze_." I have told you already many things about this
Landolf. It has been mentioned that he built the first wooden church in
this whole region of country, there where the heathen god Woden's place
of sacrifice had been; which place, under the name of the "cold church,"
still belongs to the Hermannsburg glebe, ever since the church was
burned down in a predatory inroad of the Wends, and Hermann Billing
built the stone parish church in Hermannsburg. I have told you too of
this Landolf, how he had gradually converted the whole region to
Christianity, like a skilful general, consecrating to the Christian
faith for the worship of the true God, precisely those places where the
heathen had been wont to adore their false idols, so that the triumph of
Christianity could in nothing have been more forcibly manifested than in
this founding of Christian altars and chapels on the very places where
previously the heathen abominations had been enacted.
"'One hour from Hermannsburg above on the Oerze, two little rivers, the
Oerze and Wieze, flow into one another. Such meetings of two rivers are
called in High German Muenden, in Low German Mueden; so accordingly the
village situated at the meeting of the two rivers above mentioned bears
the name of Mueden. Just a little above the place where the Wieze flows
into the Oerze, in the middle of the latter river, lay a wonderfully
beautiful little island, almost like an egg in circumference, which had
a circuit of perhaps from ninety to a hundred paces. How often when I
was a child have I visited that little island, and stayed there for
hours at a time! In the whole surrounding region I knew no lovelier
place, and it was always a particular delight to me when I could wander
that way. On both sides of the island the swift-flowing, clear waters of
the Oerze went rushing past, transparent to the very bottom, over the
glistening sands of which, and among the long, thick, green tufts of the
water ranunculus hosts of nimble trout played and darted about. A little
bridge on each side connected the island with the two shores. If you
crossed the bridge which spanned the left arm of the Oerze, you came
into green meadows and the parsonage garden, which extended along the
left bank of the river, enclosed with a hedge as high as the trees. If
you went from the island over the bridge of the right arm of the Oerze,
you were in the courtyard of the parsonage, where the pastor's dwelling
stood. This island was entirely framed in with high oaks and alders; and
a number of mighty old oaks, with large trunks, and lifting their heads
high in air, grew on the island and wholly overshadowed it with their
green roof of leaves. So still it was, so cool, and so secluded, upon
this island that even the fiercest summer had no power over it; it was
green and fresh when everything around it was withered and dried up by
the hot sunbeams. And now as I write this it stirs me with pain to be
forced to say that this island has disappeared! How can that have come
about? It has fallen a sacrifice to the idol of Utility. The fine oaks
have been felled, and used for building timber; the alders have been cut
down and turned to firewood; the island is no more, for the two arms of
the Oerze have been dammed up, and a straight river bed carries the
Oerze now through green meadows which stretch along both shores. Yes,
these are beautiful too, these green meadows, and they are very
profitable also at the same time; but the wonderful beauty of the island
is departed, vanished with no trace of it left; and in the entire valley
of the Oerze there is not a place that can be compared to it. See, my
dear readers, this is what is done by the much bepraised "Enclosings,"
which could have originated only in our earthly-minded age; and which
spare nothing, neither right nor usage; respect no old legend, no old
custom; have no eye at all for beauty, rate everything only according to
its utility, and cannot endure anything round, but favour only straight
lines and sharp corners. Even the very unreasoning beasts mourn over the
way in which the "Enclosings" are carried on. The valley of the Oerze,
once thickly peopled with nightingales on both shores of the river, now
has not a single one to show; the poor creatures love the thicket, the
dim light, the shade and solitude, where they sing their songs to God
and men; but the new-fangled clearings drive the whole away together.
That is no matter; to be sure their singing brings no money in.
"'Well, on this old island in heathen times was the sanctuary of the god
Thor, or Donner, as he was likewise called by our forefathers. Among
these oaks and alders stood his altar, a big round stone of granite.
Near this great stone lay a vast number of what are called
thunderbolts; for every thunderbolt that a Saxon found he laid down at
Thor's, or Donner's, altar. Now if you do not know what thunderbolts
are, go to your pastors or to some other learned folk, and they will
tell you, and perhaps show you one. The learned call them Belemnites.
They are longish, round, wedge-shaped stones, pointed below, growing
broader above; at the point they are quite solid, and have a so-called
_Peddig_, that is, a fine, round core, as in the middle of a tree-stem,
which, however, is entirely turned to stone; towards the other end this
core grows thicker and more crumbly, and at last the stone becomes quite
hollow. These are petrifactions of sea animals, which have remained
since the time of the flood. In my childhood the people still called
these stones "thunderbolts," and the belief was generally prevalent that
in heavy thunder-showers such thunderbolts fall from the clouds upon the
earth. That belief had its origin in the heathen time. It was the belief
of our heathen ancestors, that Thor, or Donner, the son of their
principal deity Woden, was the god of thunder; a man with a handsome,
serious face and yellow beard, whose blast caused the thunder, and who
in thunder-storms drove through the air in a chariot drawn by goats, and
then in the lightning cast his thunderbolts on the earth, so that men
might fear and honour him. And he was not only the god of thunder, in
the belief of our forefathers, but the god of justice also. Whoever
wished to confirm a contract with his neighbour, made it before the
altar of Thor; and whatever had been promised "by Thor," could not be
taken back. Also, as people believed, he watched over all laws and
rights in the land; in the taking of oaths he was the witness appealed
to. And woe to him who perverted law and justice, woe to him who swore a
false oath; Thor's thunderbolt was sure to fall upon the audacious
transgressor and dash him to pieces. And so, from this it came that
every thunderbolt found was laid down at Thor's altar, as witnesses for
the god who guarded laws and rights, and punished covenant-breakers and
false swearers with his strong hand. He dwelt among oaks, elders, and
alder-trees; for which reason these trees, which were sacred to him,
were always found about the places where sacrifices were offered in his
honour. Our forefathers were known for their inviolable truth. Even the
heathen historian Tacitus says of them, that the word of a Saxon was
worth more than the oath of a Roman, and that among them good customs
were regarded with more reverence than good statutes among the Romans.
From this you can easily imagine in what high honour the god Thor was
held by our forefathers, and how sacred was Thor's place of sacrifice.
But alas! the full ferocity of heathenism also came out in the worship
of Thor; for human victims were slain in his honour whenever, through
some failure of faith keeping or breaking of a covenant, a curse rested
upon the community. And how often may not yonder little island as well
have drunk the blood of slaughtered men!
"'Now in Landolf's time, when he and the Christian doctrine had already
been received at old Hermann Billing's, the priest of Thor's sacrificial
altar on the island I have described was a silver-haired old man, whom
the MS. calls Henricus, _i.e._, Heinrich, who also for long years had
been a faithful friend of Hermann. However, since Hermann had become a
Christian, Heinrich had proudly withdrawn from him; he held him to be a
covenant-breaker, and threatened him with the judgment of Thor, which
sooner or later would fall upon him because he had forsaken the faith of
his fathers. Hermann sought an interview with his old friend, but the
proud priest of Thor refused to give it. Now, when in the great assembly
of the people at the stone-houses, of which I have formerly spoken,
Landolf received permission to declare the Christian faith openly in the
whole country, he did not fail to visit among other places also the
sanctuary of Thor upon this island, and to preach the gospel to the
people who gathered there for the offering of sacrifices. Heinrich had
no liberty or power to hinder the preaching; but when it was done he
came out as its most decided opponent, and declared in unmeasured terms
that the Saxons who had turned or who should turn to Christianity were
covenant-breakers, on whom Thor's vengeance would speedily fall. In
flaming zeal, with these words he lifted one of the thunderbolt stones
which lay beside Thor's altar, showed it to the people, and threatened
that with such weapons Thor would punish the apostates. Then arose
Landolf's commanding figure, and looking at old Heinrich with a gentle,
happy, beaming smile, he spoke:--
"'"Brother, the Christian's God is better than your heathen god. See!
all this while He, the only true God, has borne patiently with your
heathen ways, has seen how you slew human sacrifices and became
murderers of your fellow-men; and instead of punishing you for your sins
and transgressions, He has borne with you in great love and patience;
and now still He is not lifting His arm of vengeance against you, but is
saying: 'Children, I have overlooked the times of ignorance; but now the
time of salvation has come, I open to you my arms of grace and pray you,
be ye reconciled to your God.' But _your_ god knows no love. Hermann has
not transgressed in anywise; he has only become a Christian; he simply
abhors the transgressions which he used to commit. He proves his love
towards you; he has kept his friendship for you; he has besought you;
'Brother, come let us talk together about our beliefs, and see whose
faith is the right one.' The God of the Christians has taught him to
love like this. But you, you hate the brother whom once you held dear,
who has done nothing to harm you; you refuse him so much as a friendly
interview; your heathen God has taught you to hate like this. Men," he
went on, turning to the people who stood around them,--"which is the
right God? the God who loves and teaches to love, or the god that hates
and teaches to hate?"
"'The people maintained an agitated silence; it had become as still as
death, so that one could hear the very breaths that were drawn.
Thereupon Landolf raised his voice again, and told the people of the
love of our God, who parted His only-begotten Son from His fatherly
breast and sent Him down to poor sinners to take pity on them; and then
he went on to tell of the love of the Son of God, who forsook the throne
of His Father, came to men, took part with their flesh and blood, in the
heroism of love went about among men, followed by His faithful apostles;
everywhere as the Mighty One, God's champion, overcoming Satan, setting
men free who were fast in his toils, opening the eyes of the blind and
the ears of the deaf, making the lame to go and the sick to be well;
even laying hold of mighty Death with His divine hand and forcing him to
let go his prey; and how at last this true Hero of God, in order to save
the whole captive world from its common oppression under the evil one,
and that He might with justice and righteousness set them free, offered
Himself up for sinners, for them suffered death, went down into the
grave and Hades to overcome death, hell, and the grave; thence to rise
victorious, and to go back to His Father, and to sit down again upon the
throne of God, from which He had gone forth. And even there His love and
pity never rest; from thence He is constantly sending out His apostles
and prophets; and has sent me to you. Not to punish, not to condemn; no,
but to pray you, Be ye reconciled to God; to show you His arms of grace
spread to receive you; and to tell you, Come, for all things are ready;
the courts of heaven where Jesus reigns stand open to you. His blood has
redeemed also you; He will forgive your sins, and has prepared mansions
for you to dwell in. Repent and be baptized, that your sins may be
forgiven, and that you may be the children of God.
"'After giving such testimony, Landolf kneeled down, as it was always
his wont to do after preaching to the heathen, and prayed to the Lord
Jesus that He would enlighten the minds of the heathen by His Holy
Spirit to receive the word of divine teaching, and that He would open
their hearts as once He opened Lydia's; he even had the boldness to ask
the Lord to witness for Himself, as the living God, among the people
there assembled.'"
"What did he mean? a miracle?" Flora asked.
"I suppose, something like the signs that used to be asked for among the
Jews in old time. Not a miracle exactly; and yet they were miracles
too."
"What, Ditto? I don't remember," said Maggie.
"Don't you remember how Samuel asked for a sign from heaven once, and
the Lord sent thunder, though it was a time of year when storms never
come. Then Elijah asked for a sign of fire, and the fire fell and burnt
up his sacrifice with the wet pile of wood on which it lay, and licked
up the water in the trench. Don't you recollect? It was that sort of
sign the Jews used to ask Jesus to give them, and He never would."
"I wonder why," said Flora.
"We must ask Mr. Murray. I do not know. Any more remarks? or shall I go
on?"
"Oh, go on, dear Ditto."
"'Landolf rose up, quiet and joyous. It seemed as if every man were
pondering in his heart the preaching and the prayer; all were yet
hanging upon his words, when up rose Heinrich's three sons, priests of
Thor like himself, along with his only daughter, a priestess of Freija,
whoso sanctuary was situated about three hours further up the Oerze.
They cried in an open outburst of rage,--"Our general assembly at the
stone-houses has led the people astray, in suffering the Christian
preacher to proclaim his Christian faith. Come over to us here, whoever
is true to the gods of his fathers! Death to apostates, and the
vengeance of the gods!"
"'The people went over to the side of Heinrich's children. Landolf stood
alone.
"'Landolf folded his hands in prayer, and looked up to heaven with
sparkling eyes; his heart accepted joyfully the martyr's crown, with
which he thought God would adorn him. Once more he fell upon his knees
to pray, and cried out in a clear voice, "O Lord, my God, I see heaven
opened. Lord, I come gladly, but bless this people. Bless these my
countrymen; do not charge their sins upon them; bring them to the true,
saving faith of the Christians; make them children of thy Church." Then
he stepped up to the people and said, "Put me to death. I go gladly to
my Jesus in heaven."
"'Upon this, old Heinrich stepped out in front of this faithful witness
of the Lord, and with emotion he had hard work to keep down, he spoke:
"Thou hast a brave heart. Thou shalt not die a coward's death. I love
thee; thou art a hero, and thy Christ is a hero too. He died for
sinners, thou sayest, and has vanquished death and the grave and hell. I
will see if I can love Him. I cannot yet."
"'Scarcely had he finished speaking, when Hermann hastily came up. He
had followed after his beloved Landolf, that he might see what turn
things would take; for he knew that he was gone to the island. He
stretched out his hand to Heinrich, and Heinrich did not turn away, but
grasped it. And then the old man brought them both into his house. In
the meanwhile the sky became overcast with dark clouds; before anybody
was aware, the heavens had grown black, the thunder rolled and the
lightnings darted. "Thor is driving in the clouds!" cried the young
priests; "he is angry at the Christians!" "The God of glory thundereth;
the Lord is upon many waters; the voice of the Lord divideth the flames
of fire," cried Landolf; and with Heinrich and Hermann he went over to
the island. The crowd stood there hushed; every eye was fixed intently
upon the black clouds and the flashing lightning. Then there came a
crash through the air, a blinding blaze darted out of the clouds, passed
through the crowd, and shattered to pieces the sacrifice stone. Not a
man was hurt. Then Landolf called out aloud: "'O Lord God, gracious and
merciful, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, that
forgiveth iniquity and will by no means clear the guilty!' Brothers, the
Lord has spoken from heaven. It is not Thor that is God; surely else he
would not have destroyed his own altar and borne witness against
himself. The Lord, He is the God; He has shattered the altar and left
you alive; give the glory to God."
"'The people dispersed. But Heinrich repaired to Hermannsburg with
Hermann and Landolf, to the dwelling of the former, and remained there
eight days; during which time he was instructed by Landolf in the
Christian faith. This teaching took deep hold of him; yet more did the
utter revolution in Hermann's domestic life. After the eight days, he
went back with the two to the little island, and was baptized in the
Oerze. And on the spot where the round stone had been, there was a
little chapel built, with an altar, and on the altar stood the image of
the crucified Christ. This was the second great victory that Landolf
fought for and gained. From that time forward Heinrich was his faithful
helper. All the great influence which until then he had enjoyed as the
much reverenced priest of Thor, he used now only for the glory of
Christ. It seemed as if the old, grey-haired man had become young again.
With all the zeal of a first love, with all a young convert's ardour, he
witnessed for the Lord Jesus Christ, the mighty Hero, the Conqueror of
Satan and of Thor, who had offered Himself a sacrifice for men and died
a hero's death; and in crowds the Saxons came over to him, and by crowds
they received baptism from Landolf. His own sons alone remained hard,
and his daughter was unmoved. This last, Ikia the chronicle calls her,
never entered her father's house again; and the three sons, Tyr, Freyr,
and Schwerting, who had so tenderly loved their father and so deeply
revered him, declared to him now that they were no longer sons of his,
since he was no longer priest of Thor. So then the venerable old man,
sometimes alone, sometimes with Landolf or Hermann for a companion,
every week set out to pay a visit to his sons and his daughter and
preach the Lord Jesus to them. In the winter he was not to be daunted by
the snow, nor in summer by the burning sands; leaning on his staff he
pressed on through it all. The love of Christ fired him, and love to his
children urged him forward; he would so fain take them with him to
heaven. He had brought them up in the idolatrous worship of Thor; if
they were lost, it seemed to him it would be by his own fault. Therefore
he made his weekly pilgrimages to them, since they avoided his house as
though it were spotted with the plague. And then, when he had preached
Christ to them, he went back to pray for them. Yes, he even made it a
persistent petition that the Lord Christ would not let him die until he
had seen his children walk in the Lord's way.
"'A year and a half went by in this manner, and still the hearts of his
children seemed unimpressible and hard as stone. But Heinrich walked,
preached, and prayed indefatigably, until at last he gave way before the
strain and the burden of years. Eight days he lay on his bed, and yet
wrestled with God that he would not let him die before he had seen the
conversion of his children. He sent messages to them, telling them that
he was sick; they never came near him. He sent to entreat them to come
and receive his fatherly blessing; they answered, they did not want it.
And so all hope seemed to melt away. But the Scripture says with truth,
that Love is stronger than Death. And if human love upon earth is so
strong, how great and strong must not the love of Jesus be!
"'One morning, Landolf was sitting beside his friend's couch, trying to
comfort him, and, as he thought, to prepare him for death, when in came
Schwerting, the youngest of Heinrich's sons, and spoke: "Father, Ikia
wants you. She is sick unto death, and wishes to ask you to forgive her;
she sent me to you. But you cannot come," he went on; "you are sick unto
death yourself, and it may be will die now before Ikia, your child; and
oh, she is so troubled, for she has never seen you again since that day
on the island, and that is her fault!" At this, something like the glow
of the sunlight swept over Heinrich's pale face, and leaning over to
Landolf's ear, he whispered to him: "Pray to Christ with me, that I may
go to Ikia, my daughter, and you will go along, that I may see her
baptized." And Landolf kneels down by his friend's couch and prays, and
Heinrich on his bed joins in the prayer, and they hold up to the Lord
the word that He had given--"If two of you shall agree on earth as
touching anything that ye shall ask, it shall be done for them of my
Father which is in heaven;" and they doubt not that He is the Almighty
and living God; therefore they ask that He will give strength and grace,
that Heinrich may come to his daughter Ikia and see her baptism. And
when they had finished praying, Heinrich rose up from his couch, bade
them bring his horse, begged his friend and his son to help him to
mount, and when he was seated on the beast's back he went forward, up
the Oerze, towards the sanctuary of Freija, where Ikia was priestess.
Landolf on one side, Schwerting on the other side, led the horse, and
supported the tottering old man. Whoever met the procession joined it,
for God's hand was plainly there, and after three hours of travelling
Heinrich reached Ikia. He found her dying, but still in full possession
of her senses. A happy smile flowed over her death-white features.
"Father," said she, "the Christian's God is the true God. His hand has
been too strong for me. I have been a godless child towards you; will
you forgive me?" "My child," said her father, "I have forgiven you, and
I have prayed to my God that He would not let me die till I have seen
your conversion and that of your brothers--till I have seen you turn
from false gods to the living God who has made heaven and earth, who has
died for sinners and made intercession for the transgressors. I forgive
thee, my daughter, and Christ also forgives thee, if thou wilt be
baptized for the remission of sins. See here," pointing to Landolf,
"here is the priest of the Lord. Let Landolf baptize my child before she
dies. Ikia, wilt thou be baptized?" She said, "Father, will Christ take
me?" "My child, I have received you and not been angry with you, and I
am a sinful man. And Christ, my Lord, is the Son of God; He died for
sinners, and now He lives, and has the keys of hell and of death. He
will receive thee, only believe." She turned her eyes inquiringly upon
Landolf, and he spoke; "Ikia, it is written in the Word of my God, 'This
is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.' So says the
holy apostle Paul. And Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross, who had
just been reviling him, but now had bethought himself, turned, and
said, 'Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom'--He said to
him, 'Verily, I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with me in
paradise!'" "Then baptize me, father, before I die. I believe that
Christ is the Son of God." And Schwerting went out and fetched water in
a bowl, and handed the bowl to Landolf. But when Landolf had spoken the
prayer over the water, and was about to baptize Ikia in the name of the
Triune God, then down kneeled Schwerting at the side of his sister's
couch, and from the crowd of people collected before the open door
hurriedly broke forth two tall men and kneeled down by Schwerting's
side; and all three cried out, "Father, baptize us with our sister!" The
baptism was performed. And when it was done, and over the four newly
baptized had been spoken the Word--"The God of all grace, by whom you
have been born again in the washing of regeneration and renewing of the
Holy Ghost, strengthen you and uphold you firm in the faith unto the
end. Peace be with you,"--then the voice of old Heinrich, who had sunk
on his knees, came out in a shout of joy. "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy
servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen the salvation which I
prayed the Lord for, that He would not suffer me to die before I had
seen the conversion of my children." And when he had said that, he bowed
his head and departed, and Landolf caught the dying man in his faithful
arms. Ikia however did not die; the Lord, who had quickened her
spiritually, gave her also her bodily life again. She recovered, and her
recovery was a new salvation. For soon after, Freija's altar was broken
to pieces, and an altar was dedicated to Christ on the same spot by the
staunch Landolf, who founded a cloister there, _monasterium_, as it was
called, from which the place took the name of Munster. Heinrich's body
was laid to rest in the churchyard at Hermannsburg. So were the hearts
of the children turned to their fathers; and it was not long before
heathenism had disappeared from the valley of the Oerze, and the Lord
Jesus was become the King to whom every knee in the country was
bowed.'"