The first and most obvious of Christian emblems is the Cross, that blessed form which must and should always remind us of the inestimable price of our redemption. As such a remembrance it has been received from the earliest ages of Christianity;[16] and most dear may it always prove to those who love their Saviour's Name!
The almost infinitely varying forms of this sacred symbol are divided into two classes, the Latin and the Greek; which distinction originated in the separation of the Eastern and Western Churches. The Latin forms most nearly resemble the true cross, i.e. having the lower limb elongated—this, of course, is received as the emblem of the Atonement: the Greek, having each of the four limbs equal in length, is considered symbolical of the Christian religion, extending its blessed influence through all the four quarters of the world. On this distinction of the two forms, it has been well observed that "the Latins, who were more material in sentiment than the Greeks, preferred the actual form; the Greeks, more spiritual than the Latins, idealised the reality."
The Western Church has generally retained the Latin form, while the Greek is more peculiar to the Eastern branch. In all the earlier examples we read that this distinction seems to have been very scrupulously observed.[17]
Of Latin crosses, the principal are these:—
The plain form (called in heraldry the Passion Cross) resembling, as is generally believed, that on which our Blessed Lord died for us. Sometimes, when intended especially to symbolise sorrow and suffering, the three upper arms are sharp-pointed. The simple cross, raised on three steps, is called the Cross Calvary, the steps being said to typify the three Christian graces, Faith, Hope, and Charity.
The Tau Cross, resembling in shape the Greek letter Τ (tau); it is also called the Egyptian Cross, and, in heraldry, the Cross Potent, which is the old English word for crutch.
The Cross Crosslet, of this form, on our title-page, is taken from the seal of the Latin Convent of St. Salvador, at Jerusalem, but the riband and motto are adopted for the present occasion.
St. Philip is sometimes represented with this cross,—on which, indeed, he is believed to have suffered martyrdom,—and St. Anthony so generally, that it is often called after his name.