Eusebius mentions that Constantine placed a magnificent
cross De Vit. Const. I. 3. In the fourth century in his palace S. John
Chrysostom in one of his eloquent homilies observes "Every where the
symbol of the cross is present to us. We inscribe it very diligently
on our houses, and walls, and doors, and brows, and thoughts". S.
Basil (De Spirit. S. ad Amphilochium c. 27.) derives the sign of the
cross from Apostolic tradition. That this custom universally prevailed
among Christians might be proved from S. Jerome, from the historian
Socrates and others, and from monuments of the early Christians still
preserved in Egypt: but why travel so far? we have only lo look around
us in the catacombs, or in the Vatican Museum and Library. The cross
is the chosen, the beloved sign of Christians; they repeated it a
thousand times on their lamps, on their rings, on their cups and
sacred vessels, that they might have the sign of their redemption ever
before their eyes, they kissed it at the hour of their death, and
had it marked on their tomb, as a sign of their hope of salvation. No
sooner had peace shone upon the church, than crosses were erected on
high roads, and in many places of public resort: and would to God that
those sacred ancient monuments, which once adorned our own country,
bore public testimony to the faith of its inhabitants, and recalled
to the minds of passers-by the sufferings of their Saviour, had not
been too rudely treated in the first heat of religious and political
frenzy! For some ancient representations of the cross see the learned
work of Dr.
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