A Low Standard of Religious Life—Faith in Relics¹—The Cross an Ancient Pagan (Phallic) Symbol—A “Charm” Borrowed from Paganism—Constantine’s use of the Composite Symbol as a Military Standard—Prevalence of Faith in “Charms”—Sign of the Cross in Baptism—Baptism and Holy Water as “Charms”—Stupendous Miracles, like Pagan Prodigies³, through Baptism—Delayed Baptism—Orientation⁴ at Baptism, etc.

Those who have made a study of paganism as it appeared in Christianity during and after the third century know that many other forms of it were prominent besides those fundamental errors which have been discussed in the preceding pages. Some of these have attracted more attention than the fundamental ones, since they lie more plainly on the surface of history. We shall glance at several, that the reader may see the field yet more fully⁶.
A Low Standard of Christian⁵ Life.

That the standard of individual character in the Church was brought far below that of the New Testament⁷, and much below what would be accepted[232] at the present day, appears in the history of morals and social life, and in many ways in the Church.

The degenerate⁸ character of his time is thus set forth⁹ by Chrysostom:

“Plagues too, teeming¹⁰ with untold¹¹ mischiefs¹³, have lighted upon the Churches. The chief offices have become saleable. Hence numberless evils are springing, and there is no one to

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