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the best records of ancient Church History. Why do you call the Romish church the mother and mistress of all churches? Because her Bishop is St. Peter's successor, and Christ's vicar on earth, and consequently, the Father and Pastor of all the faithful; and therefore the church is the mother and mistress of all churches."

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"Nothing can be more evident from Scripture," says Bishop Chaloner, "than that our Lord did make St. Peter the chief pastor of the church, giving him a name that implied no less than being a rock or foundation stone, John i. 42; declaring that upon this rock he would build his church, Matt. xvi. 18, promising him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, with the chief power of binding and loosing, praying for him that his faith might not fail, and giving him the commission to confirm his disciples; namely, the rest of the apostles, Luke xxii. 31, 32. In fine, three times solemnly committing to his care all his lambs, and also all his sheep without exception, that is his whole flock, John xxi. 15; after having asked him, Dost thou love me more than these?" We have thus stated the claims of supremacy in the literal words of respectable Catholic authorities, and have given from the same source the arguments by which they are supported. We shall now proceed.

*The grounds of the Catholic Faith. p. 51, 52.
The grounds of the Old Religion. Sec. 2, p. 88, 89.

2. To examine the Scriptures that are advanced in its favour. The first, and that which is chiefly relied on is the memorable passage in Matt. xvi. 13-19. When Jesus came into the coast of Cesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, but whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven, and I say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, "and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Our Lord's address to Peter in these words, which have been considered as strongly favoring the papal supremacy, arose from an inquiry he had made respecting the public opinion of his miracles and ministry. The question was addressed to his disciples generally, "he asked his Disciples," &c. The answer corresponded with it, whether orally delivered by one only or by more, it is recorded as the answer of all. "THEY said, some

say thou art John," &c. This requires special notice, because we find in the sequel an entirely different mode of expression. Our Lord then inquired of the disciples, their own impressions concerning himself. But one seemed prepared with a reply. Peter alone answered, "Thou art the Christ," &c. The Saviour regarded his answer not as the general confession of the disciples, but as the personal, individual confession of Peter. The commendation our Lord expressed could only apply to Peter, and therefore to him alone belonged the promised honour. Had the confession of Peter been regarded, as made on the behalf of all the disciples, or had Jesus designed his commendation and blessing to be understood as addressed to them all, why so pointedly separate Peter from the others? "Blessed art THOU Simon Barjona," or "I say also unto THEE.” In no way could a discourse be more strongly limited to one, in exclusion to the rest. Peter was evidently in advance of some of his brethren, in his views of the personal dignity of his divine Master, and a peculiar honour is conferred upon him, on the ground of his noble confession. On another and later occasion-he did make the same confession in the name of all the disciples-(John vi. 69.)-but no peculiar blessing follows it. The first part of our Lord's commendatory address contains a promise to the church-the second a promise to Peter. In the promise of stability and

security to the church, the name of Peter is introduced in a most remarkable way. It should be remembered that the original name of Peter was Simon, and that when Simon, the son of Jonas first became a disciple of our Lord, not upon his making this confession, but as soon as Andrew brought him to Jesus; when Jesus beheld him he said "Thou art Simon the son of Jonas: thou shalt be called Cephas;" which, adds the Evange list, (for Cephas was a Syrio-Chaldaic term, and as he was writing in Greek, it was necessary to give the meaning of it,) "is by interpretation a stone." Our Lord whose custom it was to rise to heavenly things through the medium of earthly, takes occasion in this instance from the name to point out the solidity of the confession, and the stability of that cause which should be founded on the "Christ the Son of the living God." Upon this very rock, this true confession of thine that I am the Messiah, I will build my church. The metaphor is often used by the sacred writers to represent the unchangeableness and perfection of Jehovah. "He is the rock and his work

is perfect." In the New Testament it is applied to the Saviour. "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ." That the allusion is not to Peter is evident, for he was but one of the builders in the sacred edifice, who himself acknowledges to be built with all believers on this living foundation. Ephes. ii. 20;

1 Peter ii. 4, 5. Jesus does not say on thee Peter, (Petros) I will build my church, but on this very rock, (Petra) that faith confessed by thee in a truth more firm, solid, and immutable than adamant. Before proceeding to the concluding part of the text, it may be well to note the view that has been taken of the meaning of the phrase, "on this rock," by some of the most revered of the Fathers.

"There is one immovable foundation of the faith," says St. Hilary, "this one blessed rock, confirmed by the mouth of Peter, Thou art the Son of the living God."

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'Upon this rock" says Chrysostom, "that is on the faith of his confession; and in another placeOn this rock, not upon Peter, for he did not build his church upon the man, but upon his faith." "Our Lord," it is observed by Theodoret, "did suffer the first of the apostles to be shaken, whose confession he had established as a proof and foundation of the church. Theophylact remarks, "This confession which thou hast confessed shall be the foundation of the faithful." St. Augustin

The Greek word Petros rendered Peter, signifies a stone, a small portion of a rock. The word generally used for rock, and so used in this instance, is Petra. Petros is never used in Scripture to imply more than a piece of a rock. "The Evangelist seems," says Beza, "by this difference of termination between Petros and Petra to distinguish Peter himself from the Petra, i.e, Christ himself, on which the church is built, or which is the same from his profession of faith in Christ, common to the whole church.

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