THE PROCESSION OF THE HOLY GHOST. 173

the objectionable names, in case they should consent to a revision of their Liturgy and Ordinal, is not altogether hopeless.

2. With reference to the Procession of the Holy Spirit, the Malabar Syrians, in common with the Eastern Churches generally, acknowledge, it is said, no more than this, that He proceedeth from the Father. But may it not be urged once again, that, on a subject so full of mystery, we are bound to exercise mutual forbearance one towards another? Is it not conceivable that, while the Western Church, gathering the doctrine from the general sense of Holy Scripture, affirms her belief that the Holy Spirit "proceedeth from the Father and the Son;" the Eastern Churches prefer to adhere to the very letter of Scripture, and while fully acknowledging that the Holy Spirit was sent by the Son, and receiveth essentially of the Son, yet desire to express their belief in the exact words of the Lord Jesus, (without any addition thereto,) viz., that He "proceedeth from the Father ?"

The history of that deplorable controversy which was so long maintained on this subject, and which finally resulted in the disruption of the East and West, is thus concisely given by Bp. Beveridge. "The first General Council assembled at Nice, A.D. 325, having composed an excellent Creed or rule of faith, and having said no more in it concerning the Holy Ghost, than καὶ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, and we believe in the Holy Ghost; there being another General Council about fifty years after, held at Constantinople, they

e See the Anaphora of Barsalibi, p. 124, and of Xystus, p. 136.

thought good, for the better suppressing of the heresy of Macedonius, who denied the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, to confirm the same Creed, with this addition amongst others to it, καὶ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τὸ κύριον, τὸ ζωοποιόν, τὸ ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον. Which Creed, with this addition, the next General Council at Ephesus, A.D. 431, not only continued, but also denounced an anathema against all such as should make any more additions to it.

"Yet notwithstanding, the controversy being started in the Western Churches, whether the Spirit proceed from the Son or no, as well as from the Father, the eighth Council at Toledo in Spain, A.D. 653, debating the question, and carrying it in the affirmative, they, after those words in the Constantinopolitan Creed, ék τοῦ πατρὸς, put in καὶ υἱοῦ, and so made it run in Latin, .... ex Patre Filioque procedentem ;' and not only so, but they caused this Creed so enlarged and altered to be put into their public liturgies, and so sung continually in their churches, the French joining with them, and afterwards the English too, as we may see in our public liturgy.

"But in the Council held at Akens, in Germany, the matter was after debate referred to Pope Leo III., but he was so far from allowing of that addition, that he desired it might by degrees be quite left out of the Creed. . . . . And that a true copy of the said Creed, without any such addition to it, might be recorded and perpetuated, he caused it to be graven in Greek and Latin upon silver plates, and placed in the church for every one to read. ... . But afterwards these tables

THE FILIOQUE CONTROVERSY.

175

were neglected, and Pope Nicholas I. caused this clause Filioque to be added again to the Creed, and so to be read in all the churches under his power. But Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, condemned him for it; and in the Council of Constantinople, A.D. 879, it was declared that the addition should be quite taken away again: and after that, Cerularius, Theophylact, and the Grecians generally, inveighed against it. For which the Popes of Rome branded them, and so all the Greek Churches, with heresy. And so the quarrel betwixt the Greek and Latin, or Eastern and Western Churches, began and hath been continued; the Eastern Churches condemning the Western for inserting the clause Filioque into the Creed of a General Council without the consent of the like authority; the Western Churches, on the other hand, condemning the Eastern for keeping it out." (Treat. on the Articles, pp. 174, 175.)

"The principal errors of the Syrian Church" are thus enumerated by the Editor of the Madras Church Missionary Record for Nov. 1835:

"1. Transubstantiation.

"2. The Sacrifice of the Mass, in which it is said that the priest offers Christ for the quick and dead to have remission of pain or guilt.

"3. Prayers for the dead.

"4. Purgatory, or the possibility of transition from an unpardoned to a pardoned state, between the periods of death and judgment.

"5. Worship of the Virgin Mary, supplicating her intercessions, and observing a fast in her honour.

"6. Worship of saints.

"7. Prayers in an unknown tongue.

"8. Extreme unction.

"9. Attributing to the clergy the power to curse and destroy men's bodies and souls.

"10. The having pictures in their churches representing God the Father.

"11. Prayers to the altar and chancel.

"Connected with these," he adds, "are the elevation of the host, burning incense, ringing of bells at the time of elevation, the priest receiving the Mass alone, &c."

In reference to the foregoing charges, I would observe that a belief in the Real Presence does not necessarily involve a belief in transubstantiation; that the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th objections, and so much of the 5th as relates to worship, cannot, I believe, be substantiated by reference to any of their generally received Offices; and that while some of the remainder must be admitted, others are either frivolous, or probably capable of satisfactory explanation. The tenth very serious charge rests, I presume, on sufficient authority, (except, I would hope, in the use of the plural for the singular',) but, alas, we ourselves might not without cause be charged with this very offence, and yet it would be a gross libel on the Church of England to represent her as ordinarily chargeable with such things, because one or two instances of them are to be found.

The only specified instance of which I find mention is that of a picture in one of the churches at Cottayam, probably one of those introduced by the Goa party, and of Western origin. Madras Church Missionary Record, vol. i. pp. 182, 183.

ALLEGED ERRORS.-CEREMONIAL.

177

APPENDIX B.g

ON CEREMONIAL IN THE EAST.

IT would be as hopeless as it is unnecessary to attempt to force the Syrians into uniformity with ourselves in matters of ceremonial. What to many of us seems objectionable and superstitious "mummery," is with them oftentimes expressive of the most pregnant meaning. The lighting of tapers, censing the altar and people, mixing water with the wine, the careful ceremonial at "the breaking," &c., occur as instances in point. And as words are but the signs of ideas in LANGUAGE, so a proper and suitable ceremonial assists the expression and comprehension of them by the sight of an act performed. Ceremonial therefore may be, as it certainly is, a very useful handmaid in the service of religion, even the purest and most spiritual. It seems to have a special advantage in helping to teach those who are but little instructed, and exercises a marvellous influence in fixing the attention, and in "stirring up the dull mind of man" to a keener, heartier perception of spiritual things. Who that in humility and reverence has really attended to our services has not felt the power of those few but most significant ceremonies which still remain with us; the vesting of the minister, the imposition of hands, the cross at holy baptism, the standing of the priest, his kneeling at the prayer of humble access, the breaking of the bread, the act of consecration, and the final veiling of the elements?

g Referred to at p. 113.

N