The Faith of Our Fathers

macy Of

hat the same spiritual supremacy has always resided in the Popes, or Bishops of Rome, as being the successors of St. Peter. Consequently, to be true follower

rs of religious controversy were referred to this tribunal and in the last resort to the High Priest, whose decision was enforced under pain of death. "If there be a hard matter in judgment between blood and blood, cause and cause, leprosy and leprosy, ... thou shalt come to the Priests of the Levitical race and to the judge, ... and they shall show thee true judgment.

riest had the highest jurisdiction in religious matters. By this mea

must, therefore, find in the Church of Christ a spiritual judge, exercising the same supreme authority as the High Priest wielded in the Old Law. For if a supreme P

ler of Great Britain. The Sultan sways the Turkish Empire. If these nations had no authorized leader to govern them they would be reduced to the co

family, domestic peace re

en, she must have a government as well as every other organized society. This government, at least in its essential elements, our Lord must have established for His Church.

e Ruler of all governments? "By Me," He says, "kings reign, and lawgivers decree just things."155 He is the recognized Head of our Republic, and

mbers of the Church are visible; why not also the Head? The Church without a supreme Ruler would be like an army w

rch deny that Peter received any authority over the other

ness and dissension. It is an insuperable barrier against any hope of a [pg 098] permanent reunion among themselves,

e Catholic Church is the secret of her admirable unity. This is the key

ct, especially, that a visible Head is essential to the maintenance of unity in the Church, while the absence of a Head necessarily leads to anarchy, we are forced to conclude, even though posi

this fact is furnished. To my mind the New Testament establishes no doctrine, unless it satisfies every candid reader that our Lord gave plenipotentiary powers to Peter to govern the whole Church. I

sman. "Simon Peter answering, said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prev

f His followers (John i. 42); and He now reveals the reason for the change of name, which was to insinuate the honor He was to confer on him, by appointing

rock I will build My Church." Indeed, all respectable Protestant commentators have now abandoned, and even ridicule, the absurdity [pg 100] of applying th

not recognize Peter as its foundation stone is not the Church of Christ, and therefore cannot stand, for it is

over death and hell. In fact, even to this day does not the presentation of keys convey among ourselves the idea of authority? If the proprietor of a house, on leaving it for the summer, says to any friend: "Here are the keys of my house," would not this simple declaration, without a word of explanation, convey the idea, "I give you full control of my house; you may admit or exclude whom you please; you represent me in my absence?"

Him: Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith to him: Feed My lambs. He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me? He saith to Him: Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith to him: Feed My lambs. He saith to him

n of the flock-by which are understood the faithful; but also over the sheep, i.e., the Pastors themselves, who hold the same relations to their congregations that the sheep hold to the lambs, because they bring forth unto Jesus Chri

er and his successor, and do you hear the voice of Peter, or have you wandered into the fold of strangers who spurn Peter's voice? Pon

exists of the Apostles subsequent to our Lord's ascension, St. Peter appears before us, like Saul among the t

remaining chapters being chiefly occupied with the labors of the Apostles of the Gentiles. In that

by St. Matthew the first Apostle. Now Peter was first neither in age nor in priority of election, his elder brother Andrew having been ch

address the Jews in Jerusalem while his Apostolic brethren stand respect

nverts from the Gentile world in the p

ints out to the Apostles and disciples the duty of choosing another to succeed th

ents are recorded. Before his discourse "there was much disputing." B

concur in the sentiments of Peter

favored Apostles. He was the cousin of our Lord and brother of St. John. He was most dear to

used. Prayers for his deliverance ascend to heaven, not only fro

olve the dispersion of the whole flock; therefore they redoubled their fury against the Prince of the Apostles, just as her modern enemies concentrate their shafts against [pg 104] the Pope, his successor. Does n

eter. Second-That St. Paul criticised his conduct on a point not affecting doctrine, but discipline. The Apostle of the Gentiles blames St. Peter because he withdrew for a time

aims of Peter. Was not Jesus Peter's superior? May not a superior r

onish even the Pope. St. Bernard, though only a monk, wrote a work in which, with Apostolic freedom, he administers counsel to Pope Eugenius III., and cautions him against the dangers to which his eminent pos

d James or John or Barnabas? By no means. If one brother rebukes another, the matter excites no special attention. But if a son rebukes his father, or if a Priest rebukes his Bishop to his face, we understand why he would consider it a fact worth

s that this was not an idle visit of ceremony, but that the object of St. Paul in making the journey was to testify his respect and honor for the chief of the Apostles. St. Jerome observes in a humorous vein that "Paul we

st, and that, by acknowledging Peter as the rock on which the Church is built, we set our Savior aside. So far from this bein

o say that my obedience to the Governor's appointee is a mark of disrespect to the Governor himself? I think our State Executive would have litt

ecause he transferred his see from Antioch to

Divinity of Christ and denies even the existence of God, should

bors and martyrdom in Rome. For the same reason we might deny that St. Paul was beheaded in Rome; that St. John died in Ephesus,

s immediate successors in the ministry, as well as the avowal of eminent

arned annotators, Protestant and Catholic, to refer to Rome-the word Babylon

of Antioch, who died in 105; Iren?us, Origen, St. Jerome, Eusebius, the great historian, and other eminent writers

ritic; Grotius and other distinguished Protestant writers, do no

s of incredulity, if St. Peter's residence and g

g