SIMILARITY IN PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN EMBLEMS. 167

"remembrance; 3rd, as a confession of faith; 4th, as an "expression of love; 5th, for imitation; 6th, for invocation "of the saints; 7th, for the honour of God; (what God?) "8th, to confute and repress heresy; (how ?) 9th, to excite (exasperate ?) devotion in the faithful; 10th, to bring before "us the glories of the heavenly kingdom."

66

From a long list of emblems, I select the following samples.

A remarkable coincidence, but according to the Mr. Pugin theory, quite accidental.

Pelican. Emblem of Jesus Christ shedding his blood.

Another extraordinary coincidence, that Boodh has this identical emblem of his trinity in unity in his temples, with flowers, candles, fallals, and other trumpery upon the altar in the temples.

Mr. Pugin remarks:

Next to the cross, this is the most important form in Christian design. In the manuscript of Saint Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, A.D. 908, the three persons are figured under the human form, and in the 12th century the equality of persons is signified by the perfect identity of form observed in the three. In opposition to this anthropomorphism (as it were) of art, others symbolized the trinity under geometrical figures, on the principle of the triangle, which was as abstract as the others were materialized and concrete in the idea. In the third period, or from the 12th to the 15th century, some of these approached in doctrinal significance to the Athanasian symbol, such as a figure composed of three circles, with inscriptions.

Cardinal Bellarmine says, "It is not so certain that images of God, or of the Trinity, are to be made in the church, as it is that those of Christ, and the saints, are to be made; for the latter all Catholics confess, and it is of faith, the former is a matter of opinion only."

Thomas Waldensis and Nicholas Sandars, advocate the use of such images as consonant to the description of the Holy Scriptures themselves.

It is not easy to understand how Messrs. Waldensis, Sandars, & Co., can reconcile their advocacy of image worship with biblical commands to the very contrary of what they say is recommended therein. From the 27th of Deuteronomy, we learn that Moses, speaking by command of the angel of God, expressly curses all image makers, thus:

66

:

"Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord."

And again, in the 4th chapter, we learn that the Israelites were expressly commanded not to make any graven image, or any similitude, or likeness of man, woman, beast, bird, fish, or creeping thing, nor even of sun, moon, and stars. Yet we find every one of these abominations in Christian architecture, and Mr. Pugin wishes his readers to understand, that they are products of divine inspiration, and not copies from Oriental and pagan institutions. He shows among other emblems, the wheel, as symbolizing life, and confesses, that the idea of representing the vicissitudes of life under the form of a wheel, is common to heathen mythology and Christianity. He has also confessed that monstrous and ludicrous representations found in the great churches of christendom, are derived from pagan and objectionable sources. In truth, the picture drawn by Mr. Pugin himself of ancient Christianity, while endeavouring to extenuate the scandalous scenes of the Festa Fatuorum, and other obscene tomfooleries, is past all criticism. It would be as reasonable to expect a man to perform a post mortem examination by dissecting the bloated and festering carcase of a dead dog. The thing speaks, or rather stinks for itself,

MR. PUGIN'S DEFENCE OF IMAGE WORSHIP. 169

and so it must be left for the enjoyment of the beetles, ants, and maggots that thrive upon such choice morsels.

If the brute creation are proper emblems of mental attributes, why cannot men perceive, by this very witness of their own subpoenaing, that they themselves are only a superior mode of existence after all.

Mr. Pugin's remark, that the triangle as an emblem of the Holy Trinity, is next of importance to the cross in Christian design, deserves some notice. Bellarmine's opinion is quoted in favour of erecting images of Christ and the saints, but he is made to say, that the doctrine of the trinity is only a matter of opinion, and not of faith. This sounds somewhat strange from the mouth of one usually accounted a redoubtable champion of orthodox theology.

With respect to this geometrical formula of three persons in one, and all other triangular or trigonometrical emblems, approaching the significance of the Athanasian symbol, alluded to by Mr. Pugin as fashionable from the 12th to the 15th centuries, it is only necessary to say, that one similitude is as bad as another, and all are equally well calculated to lead men's minds astray.

There is no warrant from the Bible for any of these expositionary emblems. If any trinity is implied in the revelation of God to man, it can only be in relation of humanity to God that such three-fold relationship applies. For instance, in the case of Jesus Christ, the revelation of the eternal and invisible by him, was constituted a three-fold relationship only during the period that he was subject to the conditions of humanity, or mortality, but after his emancipation by death and resurrection, the trinity was merged into a duality, which is a higher existence. there is no revelation of the Eternal save in the personality of the Son, there must be a duality of relationship in all cases of such divine revelation, but it can only bear the lower relation of a trinity when a third relation to God is temporarily constituted, in the case of the man elevated into knowledge of God. A trinity of relation has been partly traced throughout the entire order of nature, but this cannot

As

be said to apply to the omnipresent and absolute power of one true God. Of course looking upwards from man's position, towards this inscrutable and absolute author of all, there is a three-fold relationship, but it merges into a higher and closer relationship or duality, Father and Son, at last, and in respect to the Father himself, how can he possibly be double or treble, as mere talkers and singers about him hypothesize.

The Rev. J. White, in his work entitled " Eighteen "Christian Centuries," speaks of the policy of the great Emperor Constantine and his Church, whence emanated the geometrical problem of the Nicene Creed, as follows:

66

"Constantine had determined that Constantinople should "from its very foundation be the residence of a Christian people, churches were built, and a priesthood appointed; yet with the policy which characterized the church at that "time, he made as little change as possible in the external "forms. There is still extant, a transfer of certain properties "from the old establishment to the new; there are contri"butions of wax for candles, of frankincense and myrrh for censors, and vestures for the officiating priests as before. Only the object of worship is changed, and the images of "the heathen gods and heroes are replaced with statues of "the apostles and martyrs. Chapels and altars were raised "upon all the places famous in Christian story, relics were "collected from all quarters, and we are early led to fear "that the simplicity of the gospel is endangered by its "approach to the throne, and that Constantine's object was " rather to raise and strengthen a hierarchy of ecclesiastical "supporters than to give full scope to the doctrine of "truth."

In another place the author says,

"The dissensions of the Christian Churches only added a "fresh element of weakness to the empire of Rome; there

were heretics everywhere supporting their opinions with bigotry and violence, Arians, Sabellians, Montanists, and "fifty names besides. Torn by these parties, dishonoured by "pretended conversions, the result of flattery and ambition,

REV. J. WHITE'S EIGHTEEN CHRISTIAN CENTURIES.

171

"the Christian church was further weakened by the effect "of wealth and luxury upon its chiefs. While contending "with rival sects upon some point of discipline or doctrine, "they made themselves so notorious for their desire of riches, "and the infamous arts they practised to get themselves appointed heirs of the rich members of their congregations, "that a law was passed making a conveyance in favour of a priest invalid. And it is not from pagan enemies or "heretical rivals we learn this, it is from letters still extant "of the most honoured fathers of the church."

It would appear that matters had not improved many centuries later, if we may credit Mr. Simon Fish's pamphlet, from Gray's Inn, about 1527, entitled the "Supplication of "Beggars scattered about at the Procession in Westminster "on Candlemas Day before His Majesty King Henry the Eighth," about which period it was that Cuthbert Tonstal, then Bishop of London, waxed exceeding wroth, and prohibited the printing and circulation of several books, including Tindal's translation of the New Testament.

66

Of Fish's pamphlet I give a few extracts, the whole is worth attentive study in Fox's Acts and Monumants: vol. ii, p. 228 and onwards. This well drawn picture of the times is said to have given King Henry a conscientious excuse for his suppression of the thousand monasteries, and other vampire-like bats, that preyed upon the poor. Unfortunately the poor became as badly off as ever soon afterwards, for the plunder was shared amongst the rich courtiers, and not by the poor subjects of this most valiant Defender of the Faith. "To the King, our Sovereign Lord, most lamentably "complaineth their woful misery unto your highness, your poor daily beadmen, the wretched hideous monsters, on "whom scarcely for horror any eye dare look, the foul "unhappy sort of lepers and other sore people, needy, impotent, blind, lame, and sick, that live only by alms, "how that their number is daily and sore increased, that all "the alms of all the well disposed people of this your realm "is not half enough to sustain them, but that for very con"straint they die for hunger. And this most pestilent mis

66

66