Approx 620 A.D.: The Prayers of Mellitus, Former Arch Bishop of London, Extinguish A Roaring Fire In the City of Canterbury!
In the early 7th Century A.D. a man named Mellitus had been the Arch Bishop of London, England, but was elevated to the See of Canterbury, England and so he relocated to that town. He was said to have been a devout man, of heavenly mind. He lived as a Bishop should, apparently. (Not all did!) The famous historian named the Venerable Bede, when writing "The Ecclesistical History of England", spoke of Mellitus and some of the events of his life. Mellitus was known to have his prayers answered by Heaven in very impressive ways at times.
It could be a lesson to us to keep our minds on heavenly things! Heaven can easily discern which of us are actually and truly sincere in our commitment to the One that even they themselves bow their knee to (along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, of course). And heaven seems to aid and attend the work of the ones among mankind who really try, work, and care about the agenda of the Lord. Here is part of what Bede wrote about Mellitus, as found in "The Ecclesiastical History of England" as found in the translation by A.M. Seller, posted on the website "Christian Classics Ethereal Library", which is a very informative and useful Christian site:
CHAP. VII.
IN this king's reign, the blessed Archbishop Laurentius was taken up to the heavenly kingdom: he was buried in the church and monastery of the holy Apostle Peter, close by his predecessor Augustine, on the 2nd day of the month of February. Mellitus, who was bishop of London, succeeded to the see of Canterbury, being the third archbishop from Augustine; Justus, who was still living, governed the church of Rochester. These ruled the Church of the English with much care and industry, and received letters of exhortation from Boniface, bishop of the Roman Apostolic see, who presided over the Church after Deusdedit, in the year of our Lord 619. Mellitus laboured under the bodily infirmity of gout, but his mind was sound and active, cheerfully passing over all earthly things, and always aspiring to love, seek, and attain to those which are celestial. He was noble by birth, but still nobler by the elevation of his mind.
In short, that I may give one instance of his power, from which the rest may be inferred, it happened once that the city of Canterbury, being set on fire through carelessness, was in danger of being consumed by the spreading conflagration; water was thrown on the fire in vain; a considerable part of the city was already destroyed, and the fierce flames were advancing towards the bishop's abode, when he, trusting in God, where human help failed, ordered himself to be carried towards the raging masses of fire which were spreading on every side. The church of the four crowned Martyrs was in the place where the fire raged most fiercely. The bishop, being carried thither by his servants, weak as he was, set about averting by prayer the danger which the strong hands of active men had not been able to overcome with all their exertions. Immediately the wind, which blowing from the south had spread the conflagration throughout the city, veered to the north, and thus prevented the destruction of those places that had been exposed to its full violence, then it ceased entirely and there was a calm, while the flames likewise sank and were extinguished. And because the man of God burned with the fire of divine love, and was wont to drive away the storms of the powers of the air, by his frequent prayers and at his bidding, from doing harm to himself, or his people, it was meet that he should be allowed to prevail over the winds and flames of this world, and to obtain that they should not injure him or his.
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Now that is a fireman! The only ladder he needed was Jacob's Ladder....a path to Heaven (his faith in Jesus, the Son of God who was made into flesh to teach and then atone for the sins of mankind) whereby his prayers could be heard. Once Heaven decides to help you, such things as physical infirmities, armies, storms, or even fires present no appreciable threat, danger, or obstacle. After all, matter, in whatever form, obeys Yahweh's commands.