This festival of the Romish church is also in the church of England
calendar; Mr. Audley says, “the word _invention_ sometimes signifies the
finding a thing that was hidden;” thence the name of this festival,
which celebrates the alleged finding of the cross of Christ by St.
Helena, who is said to have found three crosses on Mount Calvary, but
the true one could not be distinguished, till a sick woman being placed
on each, was healed by one, which was therefore pronounced the veritable
cross. Mr. Audley quotes, that “the custody of the cross was committed
to the bishop of Jerusalem. Every Easter Sunday it was exposed to view,
and pilgrims from all countries were indulged with little pieces of it
enchased in gold or gems. What was most astonishing, the sacred wood was
never lessened, although it was perpetually diminished, for it possessed
a secret power of vegetation.” It appears from Ribadeneira, that St.
Paulinus says, “the cross being a piece of wood without sense or
feeling, yet seemeth to have in it a living and everlasting virtue; and
from that time to this it permitteth itself to be parted and divided to
comply with innumerable persons, and yet suffereth no loss or detriment,
but remains as entire as if it had never been cut, so that it can be
severed, parted, and divided, for those among whom it is to be
distributed, and still remains whole and entire for all that come to
reverence and adore it.” There is no other way left to the Romish church
to account for the superabundance of the wood of the cross.
* * * * *
Robert Parker wrote a remarkably learned book, in folio, entitled--“A
Scholasticall Discourse against symbolizing with Antichrist in
ceremonies: especially in the signe of the Crosse, 1607.” This erudite
work subjected Parker to a persecution under James I., from which he
fled to Doesburg, where he died in 1630.