The Life of Saint Vedast Bishop of Arras
Chapter 1. How the Man of God, St. Vedastus, Was Introduced to King Hluthwic (clovis the Great)
. When Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, had come down from heaven into this world, through the Virgin’s womb, to seek the sheep that were lost, and, having gloriously achieved the work of his providence and of our redemption, had returned back to the seat of his Father’s glory, he left behind him many lights in the persons of evangelic teachers, to dispel the darkness of this world; that as the stars adorn the face of heaven, and all draw their brilliancy from the sun, so also his holy teachers might shine upon this world, deriving their light from the Sun of immortality, and illustrating with the brightness and holy name of Christ, those also who were wandering in the blindness of ignorance, that their hunger which they had felt, even from the beginning of the world, might be satisfied with the feast of eternal life. Of the number of these was the holy priest Vedast, an excellent preacher, in the time of the brave king of the Franks, Clovis, who was led by God’s grace into these parts for the salvation of many, that, by Divine Grace assisting him, he might turn back into the way of salvation, and that true freedom which is in Christ, a people deceived by the snares of the Devil, and the captive that was bound in the chains of sin. But that this might be done at a favourable time, according to the Apostle, who says,— “Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation!” the Lord Jesus, who wishes for all men to be saved, provided a suitable reason for his servant, that so he might arrive here to preach the word of God. It happened that the above-named king, Clovis, was preparing to make war on the Alemanni, who at that time possessed a kingdom by themselves. He did not, however, find them unprepared, as he expected. For they had collected a strong body of men, and met the king on the banks of the Rhine, with a firm determination to protect their country, or perish in its defence. Both sides fought most valiantly, rushing on death; the one party for glory, the other for their freedom. The king, seeing the enemy fight thus bravely, and his own men almost cut off, began to despair of safety rather than to hope for victory. He had not been born again in Christ, but in this extremity had recourse to his assistance. His queen, Clotilda, had been baptized, and was a woman of great piety. He accordingly raised his eyes to heaven, and offered up this prayer:—” O God, of singular power and supreme majesty, whom Clotilda acknowledges and worships, grant to me this day victory over mine enemies. For from this day Thou shalt be my only God, the only POWer I worship. Grant me victory, and I owe to serve by Thee for ever.” Forthwith Divine aid was granted him, Alemanni were routed, and the Franks obtained the victory.
Chapter 2. “how the King, After his Victory, Was Eager to Be Bap-tized, and How He Took St. Vedast to Teach Him and Administer to Him the Sacrament of the Faith
On the wonderful mercy of Almighty God! oh how unspeakable is his goodness! who thus listens to, and never abandons, those who trust in Him. With what faith ought Christians to invoke his mercy, when a pagan king, by one single petition, obtained so great a victory! What ancient example is there of such Divine love, in that he recompensed the tears of one bitter moment by bestowing so great a triumph on his future servant? Unless it be the example of King Hezekiah, who in his tribulation, by one single prayer, not only saved his city by Divine aid from instant devastation, but also, that same night on which he had poured forth his prayers into the Divine ear, saw victory and freedom secured by the slaughter of one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the enemy. But this victory, which I have mentioned above, brought eternal salvation to the king and his people, and that St. Vedast, that shining light, might not be hidden under a bushel, but be placed upon a candlestick, and shine forth by precept and example in the house of God, to turn away as many as possible from the errors of idolatry and the darkness of ignorance, into the way of truth: when the enemy was subdued and peace re-established, by the addition of the Alemanni to his dominion, the king returned in triumph home; and that he might faithfully keep his promise to the giver of so great glory, he made haste to listen to the holy preaching of Christ’s servants, and to be washed by the holy sacrament of baptism. He came to the town of Tullum, where he knew that St. Vedast, with praiseworthy piety, served the only God, and enjoyed the sweet fruits of a life of holy meditation. He took this holy man as his companion on a journey which he was making to an illustrious priest and servant of Christ, Saint Remedius, at Rheims, in order that his salutary doctrine might refresh him at the different stages of his journey, and so a firm foundation of Christian faith might be laid, that when prepared by faith and a knowledge of virtue, he might be washed in the spiritual laver by so great a pontiff, who would thus confirm, by every spiritual gift, the work which St. Vedast, with the grace of God preventing him, had by his evangelic teaching begun. Thus the one guided the eager king to the fountain of everlasting life, the other washed him on his arrival in the stream. Both the holy fathers were almost equal in piety: the one by teaching, the other by baptizing, presented the temporal king an acceptable offering to the King of Heaven. These are the two olives; these the two shining lights, by which the aforesaid king was instructed in the way of the Lord, and snatched by God’s mercy from the snares of the Devil, entered the gate of eternal life together with his brave subjects the Franks, and adopted the faith of Christ. The nation was thus made holy, a peculiar people, that in them might be displayed the virtues of him, who called them out of darkness into marvellous light.