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sings of the gospel a truth which one of our own bishops acknowledged in the Council of Trent.

"The law went out of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." This city was the mother of all churches ;-the original emporium of the Christian faith; the centre from which the healing rays of Christianity diverged and spread over the world.

In the history of the Greek Church, from the fatal separation in the ninth century, little occurs, that is interesting, excepting the Crusades, or holy wars, and the vast accession that was made to it by the conversion of the Russian dominions, in the 10th century, till about the middle of the fifteenth (1453,) when Mahomet the II. took Constantinople, and overthrew the Grecian Empire, under Constantine Palæologus, the last of the Byzantine Cæsars. With the empire of the Greeks, their religious establishment was overthrown; and though a partial toleration was at first permitted, the religious despotism of their conquerors soon contracted it within more confined limits, and reduced the Christian religion and its professors to the miserable state in which they now exist under the yoke of the Ottomans. The Greek church still subsists under the sceptre of Mahomet. But how does it subsist? Like the tree (says the venerable Bishop Horne) that had suffered excision, in the dream of the Chaldean monarch; its root indeed remains in the earth, with a band of iron and brass, and it is wet with the dew of heaven, until seven times shall have passed over it; at the expiration of which, it may come into remembrance before God, and again bud, and put forth its branches, and bear fruit, for the shadow and support of nations yet unknown. But at present its condition is not to be envied or coveted. The Mahometan power has been raised up to be the Pharaoh, the Nebuchadnezzar, and the Antiochus Epiphanes of these last days, to the Eastern churches. Let those therefore that now stand," be watchful, and strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die," lest they also fall. The promise of divine protection, and indefectible subsistence is not made to any particular church or churches, but to the church of Christ in general; and as the Seven Churches of Asia have, of a long time, almost wholly disappeared, and the glory of the Greek Church has for ages been wretchedly obscured, so may any church or churches, however flourishing now, be one day equally obscured: and, sooner or later, even wholly extinguished and forgotten.

DISTINGUISHING DOCTRINES.-The Greek church agrees in most things with either the church of Rome, or the Reformed church; wherein it differs from the one, it for the most part, agrees with the other. Many of the corruptions of the church of Rome arose before the final separation took place between it and the Greek church; and, as many of these had their origin in the East, they continued in both churches after the division, so that, in the Greek church,_may be found many of what we consider as eirors in the Latin

church but, though the former has departed widely from the faith which it once professed, and is now sunk into deplorable ignorance and superstition, it can scarcely be admitted that it is so corrupt as the latter.

It agrees with the reformed church, in disowning the pretended supremacy and infallibility of the Pope, and the church of Rome as the true Catholic church; and in rejecting purgatory by fire,-graven images,-the celibacy of the secular elergy, and in administering the sacrament in both kinds :-but it differs from it in the number of sacraments,-in using pictures, -in admitting the invocation of sainsts,-in transubstantiation, and, of course, the adoration of the host; and, though it rejects purgatory, it has something that may be said to resemble it and it admits masses and services for the dead.

;

But as this church has no public or established articles of faith, like those of the United church of England and Ireland, &c. we can only collect what are its doctrines, from the counails whose decrees it receives,-from the different offices in its liturgies, and from the catechisms which it authorizes to be taught.

The Holy Scriptures, and the decrees of the first seven general councils, are acknowledged by the Greeks as the rule of their faith; and the doctrine of the Trinity, together with the articles of the Nicene and Athanasian creeds, are received by them, in common with most other Christians. In one particular indeed, they differ from the other churches of Europe, whether Romish or reformed, viz. in believing that the Holy Spirit proeeeds from the Father only, and not from the Father and the Son; and, in defence of this opinion, they appeal to the Holy Scriptures-ecclesiastical history, the acts of councils,-the writings of the Fathers, ancient manuscripts, and especially to a copy of the Nicene or Constantinopolitan creed, engraven on two tables of silver, and hung up in the church of St. Peter, at Rome, by order of Leo III., in the beginning of the 9th century, where, we are told, it still appears without the interpolation in dispute. They assert, that the bishops of the church of Rome, without consulting those of the Eastern churches, and without any regard to the anathema of the council of Ephesus, have added the word Filioque (and the Son) in the Nicene creed: Yet, to remove all suspicion of their entertaining any heterodox opinion in regard to the third person of the ever blessed Trinity, they declare, that "they acknowledge the Holy Spirit to be of the same substance with the Father and the Son ;—to be God from eternity, proceeding from the essence and nature of the Father, and to be equally adored."

They have seven sacraments, or, as they term them, mysteries; which are defined to be, "ceremonies or acts appointed by God, in which God giveth, or signifieth, to us his grace." This number they have probably received from the Latin

* See St. John xv. 26.

church, several of them having no foundation in scripture or antiquity as sacraments. They are, 1. Baptism; 2. The Chrism, or baptismal unction; 3. The Eucharist, or sacrament of the Lord's Supper; 4. Confession; 5. Ordination; 6. Marriage; and, 7. The Euchelaion, or Mystery of the Holy Oil, with prayer.

Of these, Baptism and the Eucharist are deemed the chief; both which, together with the Baptismal Unction and Confession, are to be received by all Christians; but of the other three, none, not even the Euchelaion, is considered as obligatory upon all.

With respect to baptism, I am not aware that they hold any peculiar opinions as to its nature; but they lay so great stress on its necessity to salvation, that, with the church of Rome, they admit of lay baptism when a priest or deacon cannot be had to administer it; and they never repeat it on any occasion whatever. They baptise by immersion, and they use the trine immersion, or form of dipping the child thrice in water; but, previous to baptism, the child, though not two months old, must be solemnly initiated into the church, as a catechumen, through the medium of its sponsors, when exorcism is used; and the other rites and ceremonies connected with the administration of this sacrament are equally singular. Formerly only one sponsor was required, and there have been regulations to prevent more; but they are not now observed; nor is the number limited in the Greek church. It is however not unworthy of notice, that a godfather is not permitted to marry his goddaughter.

When the child is baptised, the priest proceeds immediately to anoint it with the holy chrism; for this, though reckoned a distinct mystery, is inseparable from baptism. Previous to baptism, the child was anointed with oil, which was likewise used in the consecration of the baptismal water; but this chrism is a very different thing from it, and consists of various oils, and other precious ingredients, which, in different proportion, are all boiled together, and afterwards solemnly consecrated by a bishop. It can be prepared only by a bishop, and only on Maunday Thursday, i. e. Thursday in Passsion Week; and, as the anointing with it is substituted in place of the apostolical rite of laying on of hands, called confirmation in the churches of Rome and England, and is occasionally used for some other purposes, great quantities of it are of course prepared at once, and distributed among the different churches of each diocese. This anointing the Greeks call "the seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost;" which words the priest repeats while he applies

* It likewise differs from, and is much more costly than, the chrism or ointment, which was used for confirmation in the ancient church, and which was made simply of oil olive, and the balm of Gilead.

In round vials, or alabaster boxes, in allusion to that which Mary Magdalen broke and poured on our Saviour's head.-THOMPSON'S Travels, vol. i. p. 394.

the chrism, or holy oil, to the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, breast, hands, and feet, of the child.'

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Immediately after, or some days after, as ordered, the child is again brought to the church; when the priest, after praying for it, unties its girdle, and linen clothes; and then taking a new sponge, moistened with clean water, he washes its face, breast, &c. saying, Thou hast been baptised, enlightened, anointed, sanctified, and washed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, now, and for ever, even unto ages of ages. Amen. Archbishop Platon observes that the invisible effects of Baptism are only obtained by faith, and adds, "for the words of the gospel remain unalterable, Except a man be born of water, and of the spirit, he cannot enber into the kingdom of God. In the baptism of infants, in place of their own faith, that of their parents and sureties serves, and is sufficient."

The last ceremony appended to baptism, is that of the tonsure, or cutting the hair of the child's head in the form of the cross; when the priest offers up for it several prayers, all alluding to the rite to be performed; and then cuts its hair crosswise, saying, "N. the servant of God, is shorn, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," &c. as above.

For the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the Greeks have three liturgies that are occasionally used, viz. that of St. Chrysostom, which is in ordinary daily use; that of St. Basil, used upon all the Sundays of the great fast, or lent, except Palm Sunday; upon Holy Thursday and Saturday, or Easter Eve; upon the vigils of Christmas and the Epiphany; and upon St. Basil's day;-and that of the Pre-sanctified, which is used on all the week days during the great fast, except Satur days, Sundays and the Lady Day. The liturgies of St. Chrysostom and St. Basil are supposed to have been considerably corrupted, particularly the former; in their present state there is no essential difference between them; and the office of the Pre-sanctified is merely a form of dispensing the communion with elements which had been consecrated on the preceding Sunday, whence it has its name.

In the offertory there is a strange ceremony, called "the slaying of the Holy Lamb;" which may be seen in Dr. King's Rites and Ceremonies of the Greek Church in Russia, p. 137, &c.

The Greek church, strictly so called and considered by itself, had no notion of the Romish scholastic doctrine of transubstantiation. That monstrous tenet, as it has no true foundation in Scripture, so was it utterly unknown to the primitive church.

This, among other arguments, has been evinced from the frame of the ancient liturgies; in which, after those words of our Lord, This is my body,―This is my blood, whereby, as the church of Rome maintains, the substance of the bread and wine.

is changed into the substance of his body and blood,-there is an express and most solemn invocation; praying God the Father to send down his Holy Spirit to sanctify the elements, and make them the body and blood of Christ, for pardon, grace, and salvation, to those who should duly receive them. Which prayer is quite incompatible with the belief of transubstantiation, but quite consentaneous to the doctrine of our Saviour"It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life."* Now, the Greek Church at the present day uses this invocation, and, in opposition to the Roman, lays the great stress of the conse cration upon it. Whence it may be as clearly argued, that the Greek church, according to the voice of its liturgies, even as published by Goar in his Euchologion, owns not transubstantiation, as defined by the Romanists. It is, however, a humiliating consideration, that the Greeks, in their low depression, scarcely understood their own offices, and used many terms without any precise meaning. And therefore, when the Latins gained influence over them, they found them fit scholars for their own school; and by every undue means, but very captivating to poverty, tutored many of them into their own opinions; thus gaining suffrages to make it be believed, that their opinion had been all along that of the Greek church also. But others, and among them the famous but lamented Patriarch Cyril Lucar, have borne plain testimony against them.

It is true, in their Orthodox Confession (so called,) transubstantiation, in the Romish sense, is roundly asserted; but this has been transfused from their Latin teachers, whose scholastic sophistry the modern Greeks were not able to unriddle.

In this church, it is deemed essential to the validity of this holy sacrament, that a little warm water be mixed with the wine; that the napkin, which is spread over the holy table, and answers to the corporale of the church of Rome, be consecrated by a bishop, and that it may have some small particles of the reliques of a martyr mixed in the web, otherwise the eucharist cannot be administered. It may also be observed, that leavened bread is used in this sacrament; that children may receive the communion immediately after baptism; that the clergy receive the elements separately; and that the lay communicants, of whatever age, receive both the elements together, the bread being sopped in the cup, and that they receive them standing, provided their age, &c. will admit of that posture.

Previous to receiving the communion, the mystery of Confes sion is always necessary; the church, indeed, prescribes it to all her members four times a year, and it is so often performed in monasteries, and much oftener by those who have made great advances in holiness, but the laity, for the most part, confess only once in the year, to which, in Russia, they are obliged by the laws of the land; and it is usual to do it in the great fast

St. John, vi. 63, &c.

**