A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

470 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[429]which stood close to the temple, the chief priest of that placeand a crowd of other heathen began to oppose him. And thoughthese people, under the influence of the Lord, had been quietwhile the temple was being overthrown, they could not patientlyallow the tree to be cut down. Martin carefully instructed themthat there was nothing sacred in the trunk of a tree; let themrather follow God, whom he himself served. He added that itwas necessary that that tree be cut down, because it had beendedicated to a demon [i.e., to a heathen deity]. Then one ofthem, who was bolder than the others, said: “If you have anytrust in the God whom you say you worship, we ourselves willcut down this tree, you shall receive it when it falls; for if, asyou declare, your Lord is with you, you will escape all injury.”Then Martin, courageously trusting in the Lord, promised thathe would do this. Thereupon all that crowd of heathen agreed tothe condition; for they held the loss of their tree a small matter,if only they got the enemy of their religion buried beneath itsfall. Accordingly when that pine-tree was hanging over in onedirection, so that there was no doubt as to what side it wouldfall on being cut, Martin, having been bound, was, in accordancewith the decision of these pagans, placed in that spot where, asno one doubted, the tree was about to fall. They began, therefore,to cut down their own tree with great joy and mirth. At somedistance there was a great multitude of wondering spectators.And now the pine-tree began to totter and to threaten its own ruinby falling. The monks at a distance grew pale and, terrified bythe danger ever coming nearer, had lost all hope and confidence,expecting only the death of Martin. But he, trusting in the Lord,and waiting courageously, when now the falling pine had utteredits expiring crash, while it was now falling, while it was justrushing upon him, with raised hand put in its way the sign ofsalvation [i.e., the sign of the cross]. Then, indeed, after themanner of a spinning top (one might have thought it driven back)it fell on the opposite side, so that it almost crushed the rustics,