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T. p. 407.

Rom. 1. 28.

Ifa. 66. 3, 4.

Ezek. 14. 9.

2 Thef. 2. 3, 7, 11.

Faith, it is acceptable to him; but that the Sign of the Cross without that is available and acceptable, I am still to learn. Yet he and his Partegians think it enough ftill to lay of the Cross, what they fay of Images and Pi ctures; the very Miracles which have been wrought by it and them fufficiently prove God's Approbation of them at leaft, which to them is Equivalent to his plain Inftitution. But God's Permiffion of a thing, and his Approbation of it, are very very different; much more his plain Inftitution and Command. He permits all Murders and Robberies; he permitted all the deluding Oracles and Idolatry of the Heathens; did he therefore Approve, Inftitute or Command them? God gave them up, is adoxer ver, to a Reprobate extravagant Mind, because they did not like to retain him in their Knowledge. Because his own Chofen People the Jews, had chofen their own ways and delighted in their Abominations, God chofe their Delufions, their Tricks or Devices; as he had threatned to deceive their Prophets; and he made their Sins their 1 Reg. 22. 23. Punishments. And it is as plain in St. Paul, that there fhould come amongst Hof. 8. 11. Chriftians a falling away; and that the Mystery of Iniquity should work; and that God fhould fend amongst them firong Delusions that they should Mat. 7.16. - believe a lie. Now we know no other way to judge of the Tree, but by its Fruits; If therefore he pretended Miraculous Effects, with which we find the Monkish Legends and Books fo plentifully ftored, did come to pals really upon the Worshipping of this or that Image or Picture, or upon making this or that bare Sign, or Mark only of the Crofs, (as thefe Iconoclators vainly boaft,) fhould we not rather fufpect (if not believe,) that they were wrought by that fubtle deceiver of Mankind, on purpose to withdraw thefe wretched Devoto's from their firm Affiance in the true God, and to confirm them in a blind trust to thefe dark and dangerous Ceremonies? I doubt not but all Impoflors, cheating Jugglers, and, fallaces Thaumaturgi, pretended MiracleT. p. 408. Monger's were chiefly forbidden by Mofes upon this very account, least the Hearts of that plain and wavering People, thould by their IViles and Tricks be perverted from their fole dependance upon their God. It is confeft, that 1.2. c.13.323.the Idols of the Heathen were moved, and did speak, and foretell future Events, or rather the Devil moved them and spake in them; or, most likely, the crafty Juggling Varlets who managed thefe matters contrived and 1. 12. c. 26.acted all themfelves; and Nicephorus Colliftus fhews us very admirably, how T. 2. p. 275 many of thefe Tricks were done, and we had a moft notorious difcovery made of fuch Cheats here in England, in the Images of St. Rumwald and the Rood Speed. p. 1026. of Grace, by the Bishop of Rochefter. The Scripture makes it plain that the D. M. Repl. Idols pake, or anfwer'd by Signs. I would allow it as probable, that a CruHab. 2.18,19. cifix spake at the Synod of Winchester, or that the Image of Chrift faluted Zech. 10. 2.Th. Aquinas, with benè fcripfifti de me Thoma, well haft thou written of Ezech. 21. 21. me, O Thomas, I fay I will allow this and much more amongst the new Romans, as that the Statues of Juno and Fortune Spake amongst the old ones; yet I am very apt to believe, if thele matters of Fact be true, that either the great Deceiver himself, or his Monkish Deputies had the only hand in them. It is too common a Tale amongst us, of the Virgin Mary's Image weeping drops of Blood, to be difown'd; and feveral notorious Impoftures of the like nature I could add of my own Knowledge; but when I have thoroughly examin'd them, and plainly feen the drift and end of them to be, not the promoting of the true Fear of God, or of Man's relying wholly upon him, but either to advance, perhaps, the Glory of fome new Canonized Saint; or Quantum lucri facit hæc Fabula, for the Intereft and Profit of fome place, or Body of Men; or to keep up the empty Vaunt, of fill hav ing frequent Miracles in their Church; and above all, to amufe the Cre dulous Ideots, and to create perhaps a favourable opinion of thefe Miracles even in fome Men of Senfe, but of too much blind Devotion, I muft confefs the whole Practice to me Savours very rankly of the ftrong delufions which I have mention'd above as foretold by St. Paul,

Bell. de Imag.

G.

b.

267.

Lab. T. 9. P.

722.

I shall

I shall in the next place a little confider the Sign or Mark of the Cross, as it T. p. 408. is this day made both by Greeks and Latins. As for the true Shape or Pattern of that upon which Chrift died, we have but little fatisfaction from the Celebrated Vifion of Conftantine, which Eufebius relates to us as taken from his own vit. Constantin. Mouth. He calls what appear'd, only, gauge Tgóαior Ex OwTos ouvigaueror, the l. 1. c. 28. Trophy of a Cross made of Light; Zonaras, Túr gauginos d'acégwr, A Figure made by Stars croffwife, or of a Crofs, Cedrenus, Tím augos, an ho In Conftantino. nourable Cross, and only the Infcription was made by Stars; and Chrift is

faid to have order'd Conftantine, in a Dream, to make that fign his, Labarum, Eufeb. c. 29. Enfign in the Wars, gauge huan Tomμévov, shaped after the fashion of a 30, 31. 1. 1. Crofs; as the, Labarum, or Ensign was in that Form before his time, and fo

335. F.

no new thing as Bellarmine acknowledges. But there were added, dúo goixa De Im. Sanet. To XSITY Tagadmara oroμa, two letters which as a Cypher intimated the. 2. c. 28. p. name of Chrift. They were a Greek P and a X cut by it perpendicularly, as is to be seen in many Medals of Valens, Decentius, Magnentius and others, which I have by me. But I must here Mark one thing; fuppofe the Ensign made cross-wife was appointed as a Phylactery to his Army; It is plain that this Eufeb. c. 31. Monogram or Cypher of the name of Chrift alone, was worn in the Emperors Helmet as a choice prefervative of himself. We are told that this Character Patin Imp. p. (made with X and P ftruck downwards through it) was before Conftantine's 478. time used by Heathens in their Coins; and particularly in those of fome of the Ptolomeys. For both the Egyptians and others as well as the Jews counted their Kings Xg85, Chrift, that is, Anointed. And thus the Egyptians and pf. 18. 50. other Heathen Rulers might use that Character on their Prince's Coins, and in 1 Sam. 24. 6. 2 Sam. 1. 14, 16. their Banners to fignify no more then that their Majefty was Sacred. And Christian Soldiers might pay a Reverence to this Character, as a Memorial to themselves, of the true Chrift; and not in respect to the Heathen Emperor's Sanctity under whom they ferved; and it is not unlikely that Conftantine, who without doubt might have feen this Character in other Coins or Banners before him, might afterwards by God's Providence apply it to a better purpose; that is, as a Memorial of the true Chrift, the real Anointed of God. As the word EwTnp, Saviour, was frequently used by the Heathen and given to every Bountifull Prince, or Hero, or Benefactor; but is moft properly and peculiarly now applied by Chriftians to the blessed Jejus only. And I find fome Skil- Evelyn. full Medallifts think that the Monogram in Conftantine's Banner, might have been used long before in Medals, as the Monetarius his Mark, for Creftus, Chryfogonus, Chremes, Chryfippus. Now the Devout Lipfius himself tells us, Viros graves & facrorum peritos, that very grave Men and well Skill'd in facred matters, have notwithstanding all this doubted of the real shape of the true Cross of Chrift. Some made it with two lines or ftroaks cutting one another at right Angles, which Opinion, he faith, he likes beft; others thought. 1. c. 8. it was like a plain T or like the Head of one of our Spades or Shovels, or our Stilts or Crutches; and he is fo Ingenuous as to fay, non damno etfi diffideo, I do not condemn this Opinion though I diffent from it. Now I would fain know in the first place, whether the Sign and Mark of every one of all these have the fame Power and Virtue to drive away the Devil; or T. p. 409. which of them is to be prefer'd, whether a Crofs of one long line and a short one, or of two equal lines, or as a plain T, and whether the Monogram or Cypher of Christ's name, which alone Conftantine is faid to have used in his Helmet, would not now be at least as effectual as any of the reft, if not of more Authority then any of them, it being warranted by his example. Concerning the Croffes of two lines cutting each other at right Angles, we fee a wonderfull Vanity and Variety which the Heralds have devifed of them. I would fain know whether all those forts are alike Effectual? And whether he that hath but one of them in his Shield or Coat of Armor might not think himself very fecure against the Devil, even by wearing his Seal fo cut in his Pocket? But if the Devil would flee from one, furely he that hath five or fix or more in his Ccc Coat,

De cruce, l. 1.

C. 10.

1. 1. c. 10.

Buxtorf. Synog.

jud. c. 49.

T. p. 409. Coat, would be able to chafe away a whole Legion. There is a very odd difference obferved by Prelates in giving their Bleffing crofs-wife in the Air; the Greek Patriarch or Bishop lays the Thumb of his right Hand crofs-wife upon his third Finger and fomething bends his little Finger; the fore-finger ftands upright, the fecond Finger bends a little; fo that to one who looks towards the back of his hand the first and second Finger may make a blind kind of Mark of thefe two Letters, IC. and the Thumb crofs the third Finger, and the little Finger bending, may be as nice a mark of thefe two Letters, XC. both Cyphering, IHCOYCXPICTOC, Jefus Chrift; the Pope or Latin Bishop hold up his Thumb and first and second Finger ftraight, and doubles in the two other Fingers into his Hand; if the Crofs hath fuch Power the Greeks may plead for their way, but Latins tell you, that their way represents the whole Trinity; I do not queftion but fome of either fide may perhaps be fo bardy as to fay (as of other Ceremonics) that even this is an Apoftolical Tradition. Pardon me if I think it as meer a whimsical Mystery as that of the Jews, who makes the name of God, w. Shaddai, on the Hand of every dead Perfon; by crumpling the Thumb and two first Fingers a little together they make a filly fhadow of the first letter, w. and by buckling down the upper joint of the third Finger, and bending a little that of the little Finger, they make the other two, . Some of the Greeks manual Croffes are made of Silver or Gold, and are often very richly and very varioufly adorn'd with Jewels, which to my Knowledge begets ten Thousand times more Wonder and Amazement then Devotion, in the common or curious Spectators; the little wooden Croffes, made at Mount Athos and in other Monafteries, have ufually these four Letters upon them, T. K.I. T. but are fometimes miftaken by the Ignorant Graver of Carver; they were frft made to fignify, τόσο κρανίες παραδείσει γίνεται, the place of a Scull is made the place of Paradife; I fuppofe thefe words are alfo thought to add much Power to every Croffe, efpecially if there be a musty reputed Relick or two put into fome hollow place in them; but the Latins far exceed them in fuch Trinkets publickly fold at Loretto, is xs xã, Jefus Chrift over-cometh, a Relick of Conftantine's Vifion is over the door, and in other places of the Greeks Chambers, as IHS. XPS. taken and deform'd from thence is amongst the Latins; the Jefuits make the firft of thefe their common Badge of their Society, and expound it (by making every Letter to note a whole word) Jefus hominum Salvator, Jefus the Saviour of Men; and at laft it came not to be abbreviated in Greek Letters IHC. but IHS. and in old Monkifh Prints or Infcriptions we find it jbs. I have many times feen the Armenians Prayer to St. George ftuffed into their Bales of Silk, and interfperfed with numbers of Croffes; one would think that, according to this Doctrine, one Crofs (as at the beginning of Greeks common Letters) had been enough to guard them; and I muft fay the fame of the Latins Mafs, where, in the very Canon alone there are above twenty Croffes made; and the Greeks are not behind them in faying their T. p. 410. Liturgies. 1 have elsewhere noted their numerous repeatings of, xúpie èxénσov, Lord have Mercy; fometimes it is hurried over forty times together; this certainly may justly be called BaTToλoyia, the running over the very fame words again and again, what must we call these vain repetitions of the Cross, many times it is done in one fingle Sentence? I must here remark that different way of making the Sign of the Cross upon the Breaft in the Eaft and Weft; all begin it, at thofe words, in the name of the Father, from the top of the Forehead downwards; then the Grecks, at thofe, and of the Son, go on to the right fide first, and then at thofe, and of the Holy Ghoft, they Cross over to the left; the Latins touch the left fide firft, and end it on the right. I have heard them many times ridicule and blame one anothers way; I cannot but fimile at thefe conceits, and I am apt to think that the Devil, instead of flying away, doth fo too.

Now let the Fathers who contend for the Form of Chrift's Cross being like a plain T. and the others who are for the common Form, end their Controversy as well as they can; what would they fay if Chrift really fuffer'd neither upon one fort of these, nor upon the other? Then give me leave in this point, which

is no Article of Faith, to produce fome things which may (to me at leaft) feem T. p. 410. to make this a probable Opinion; But, (that I may all along ufe Lipfius his own 1.3.c. 7.p.63. words) fit cum lege refipiendi & refiliendi fi quis meliora, it shall be with de Cruce. this Condition, to change my Mind and recant if any one fhews better. It is very well known that gaupes, which we render a Cross, in its original fignification is no more then oxoxo a plain Stake or Poft, and hath been taken at laft for any thing elfe on which one is publickly put to Death; fo Mount Caucafus was called, to which Prometheus is faid to be nailed, exTales Tw xege, Lucian in Prom. with his Hands fretcht out, one this way the other that way; and auguay, p. 56. b. and avaçauguay, which we tranflate to be Crucified, are commonly the fame with ανασκολοπίζεθαι, προσοπαταλεύεσθαι, to be nailed or fafened to a Stake, or Tree, or the like; nay, fometimes it is taken for Impailing or Spitting upon a Stake; as Malefectors (upon very Heinous Offences,) are yet Executed in Turkey, they call it Kazyk, or as our Merchants pronounce it, Gazook. I will add, to what the learned and accurate Lipfius hath obferved, but one pregnant example more out of the Epitome of Dion; where it is faid that Severus fent the Heads of Niger and Albinus to Byzantium, and aveçáupwoɛ, p. 315. a. Crucified them there, that is fet them on Poles, as we ferve Traitors Heads P. 324. C. in England. At last these words Crux, Furca, Patibulum, a Cross, a Fork, a Crotched Tree, or Rafter, (on which Men were put to Death,) were promifcuously used for one another. My learned Author observes several forts of these 1. 1. c. 6. &c. Croffes; fome are Carpenters or Joiners work, wherein two or more pieces of Wood are tacked or Joined together; But he owns also a plain Crotch or Fork- 1. 1. c. 6. ed Pale to have been used in Fashion of the Capital letter, Y. Now he puts the Lib. 1. c. 10. question, upon which fort of the joined Croffes did Chrift die? Give me leave to put it thus, was it an Artificial, Compacted, Joined Crofs; or a plain Crotched piece of a Tree or Timber? First he truly takes notice that Crucifying was 1.1.c. 12, 13. counted, Vile, Infame Supplicium, a very Vile and Infamous Punishment; only Thieves and Robbers and fuch like wretched Offenders suffer'd it, Whether Luk. 23. 2. Chrift fuffer'd for Sedition (as forbidding to give Tribute to Cæfar, and faying that he himself was a King; and the Title over his Head feems to point at that, the King of the Jews; and Barabbas was under the fame Accufation; and verf. 38. this Offence by the Roman Law was to be punish'd with Death upon the verf. 19. Crofs;) or whether he fuffer'd as being accounted a Blafphemer, (and as such was guilty of Death, though the Jewish Law commanded Stoning in that case ;) Lipf. 1. 1. c. 14 or rather whether Pilate, when he faw he could not prevail any thing with Levit. 24. 16. the clamorous People, who still cryed out Crucify him, Crucify him, and being Mat willing to content the People, he caused him to be Executed after the Roman Mat. 27. 24. way; as Governors in fuch cases did often make their Will the Law; I fay Luk. 13: 21. whatever the Accufation or pretended Crime was, Chrift was plainly numbred verf. 28. with the vileft Tranfgreffors; He was chastised, not with Rods, but yemías, with Thongs or Scourges, (which my Author truly makes another mark of more difgrace, and of a more base and abject Offender ;) and at last he was Crucified between two Thieves. Now to those who are for an Arti- Mat. 27. 38. ficial or Elaborate Crofs, fome one perhaps may be ready to say, what Lipfius 1. 1. c.6.p.21. faith of the Crucified Lions, mention'd in Pliny, quis credat tam operofam & Compofitain fuiffe (Chrifti) Crucifixionem, who can think that a well wrought and nicely contrived Cross was made for one, who was counted fo mean, fo despicable, so much hated a Perfon? My Author rationally owns that Croffes Lipf.1.3.c. 13. were commonly made, ex obvio & prompto ligno, of any ordinary Wood that was ready at hand, and he himself thought Chrift's Cross was made of Oak. Yet there hath been fome fo weak, though well meaning Chriftians, who though they were not ashamed to own a Crucified Saviour, yet thought it too mean a thing to think that he died upon an ordinary Crofs, and therefore have devised nobler Forms and Compofed it of more precious Materials; Cedar, and T. p. 411. Palm, and Cypress, and Olive; more out of Curiofity, faith Lipfius, then 3. c. 13. Truth. Bede faid it was made of Cedar, and Pine, and Cypress, and Box, which the Cardinal counts altogether Improbable, yet confeffeth that the An. De Imag. 1. 20

Ccc 2

Mat. 26. 65.

23.

Mark 13.15.

pay-nr. 1. 2. c. 9.

Mat. 26.
Lipf. 2. c. 3.

c. 27. p. 332. tients H.

Labb. notes on OUS.

1. 2. c. 9.

1. 1. c. 9.

T. p. 411. tients did add fome things, Myfterij Gratia, to make the matter more MyfteriSee a grofs Tale of thefe Trees growing out of Fire-brands planted Glycal. p. 358. by Abraham. Some made the Crofs fifteen foot long and eight Broad; A Lapide. in Mat. 27. 32. Which might well be counted too great a Burden for a Feeble, Weaken'd Tor1. 2. c. 10. mented Perfon to bear. Some added Ropes to bear up the Body, others added Luk. 23. 26. a prop to bear up the Feet; which my Author calls, nimis accurata fabrica, imo delicata; too nice, nay, too delicate a contrivance; As Scaliger learnedNot. in Eufeb. ly adds, to exor anyμa, a feat in the middle for the Body to fet on, as his Chron.p.118. own peculiar obfervation. Some will have Chrift faftened with three Nails only, others with four; which Lipfius faith, arbitrarium fuit & fruftrà litigemus, was determin'd by the choice of the Judge or fancy of the Work man, and affords but a vain Dispute. Indeed of the whole Hiftory or Narrative of the Form of the Crofs, and manner of the Crucifixion, you may allow that, which Lipfius faith of the Fathers different Opinions, to be true; non fine lafcivia quadam Ingeniorum & ftili eam defcribuunt; they have fomething too wantonly employ'd both their Wits and Pens in defcribing it. From all this it must seem to fome very unlikely that Chrift died upon an Artificial Cross, efpecially fuch a one as fome of the Antients, out of a too much overacted Devotion, have devised. Therefore the Cardinal freely acknowledges that Chrift, as a and c. 27. p. 333. common Malefactor, as well as the Thieves, were all faftened with Nails, carried their Cross, and all were Scourged alike. And therefore this by fome Socrat. I. 1. c. may well be added, that when Helena found the three Croffes at Jerufalem, 17. Sozom.. 1. they were all fo exactly like one another, as they could not be diftinguished, till by a Miracle, or two, the true Cross was difcovered. Now fince they Bellar. ut fupr. all died the upon very fame fashion'd Croffes, one would hardly believe that the Ruffin. 1. 10 vile Thieves had Artificially and Elaborately compacted ones made for them; Lipf. 1. 2. c. and therefore it is very fufpicious that all three of them were but common, plain, Crotched Poles or Rafters; and if the Antient devout Fathers had but pra p. 442. B. thought on, and well confidered Pythagoras his Symbol, they might have found as folid a Myftery in the plain Crotch, as in the Egyptian T. which Socrat. 5.c. 17. was found at the Deftruction of Serapis's Temple. It is faid that the Agyptians declared that the fecret meaning of that Hieroglyphick was, vita ventura, the Life to come; which the Chriftians fnatching at, as being thought more fuitable to their Religion, ἀλαζονικώτερον διετέθησαν, vaunted or gloried the more. But the Y was a Symbol of the prefent ways of human Life; the left Horn of it, being broad, reprefented an eafy Voluptuous one; the right Horn, being very narrow, fignified a Virtuous one. A meer Heathen Poet understood this very well;

De Imag. 1. 2.

C.

2. C. I.

1. 2. c. 27.

c. 8.

8. Sozomen. ut fu

Perf. Sat. 3.

Virgil de litera.

Mat. 7. 13, 14.

Mat. 25. 34,

41.

Et tibi quæ Samios diduxit litera ramos,
Surgentem dextro monftravit limite callem.

In Pythagore's Crotch't Letters we may view
The falfe way, to the Left, to th' Right the true.
Another Prince of Poets, largely defcribes the very fame Mystery of the let-
ter Y but fuccinctly thus firft fets it down.

Humanæ vita fpeciem præferre videtur.

Or feems to fhew the Courfe of Human Life.

And this most wonderfully agrees with the very words of our Saviour himself; Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to Deftruction, and many there be which go in thereat; But ftrait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it. And conformable to this will his Sentence be at the laft day, as Judge he will fay to the Good and Righteous on his right hand, come ye Bleffed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World; then will be fay to the Wicked on his left hand, depart from me ye Curfed into Everlafting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels. The account which we have in Scripture of the Title and the placing of it, feems much to favour a Crotched Pole rather then an Artificial Crofs. Pilate, faith St.

John

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