VII. Sixthly, The power and authority convey'd by this Commission to the Apostles, was equally conferr'd upon all of them. They were all chosen at the same time, all equally impowred to Preach and Baptize, all equally intrusted with the power of binding and loosing, all invested with the same mission, and all equally furnished with the same gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost. Indeed the Advocates of the Church of Rome do with a mighty zeal and fierceness contend for S. Peter's being Head and Prince of the Apostles, advanced by Christ to a supremacy and prerogative not only above, but over the rest of the Apostles; and not without reason, the fortunes of that Church being concerned in the supremacy of S. Peter. No wonder therefore they ransack all corners, press and force in whatever may but seem to give countenance to it. Witness those thin and miserable shifts, which Bellarmine calls arguments, to prove and make it good; so utterly devoid of all rational conviction, so unable to justifie themselves to sober and considering men, that a Man would think they had been contrived for no other purpose, than to cheat fools, and make wise men laugh. And the truth is, nothing with me more shakes the reputation of the wisdom of that learned man, than his making use of such weak and trifling arguments in so important and concerning an Article, so vital and essential to the constitution of that Church. As when he argues Peter's De Rom. Pontif. lib. 1. c. 17, 18. & seq. superiority from the meer changing of his name, (for what's this to supremacy? besides that it was not done to him alone, [Page viii] the same being done to James and John) from his being first reckoned up in the Catalogue of Apostles, his walking with Christ upon the water, his paying tribute for his Master and himself, his being commanded to let down the Net, and Christ's teaching in Peter's ship, (and this ship must denote the Church, and Peter's being owner of it, entitle him to be supreme Ruler and Governour of the Church, so Bellarmine in terms as plain as he could well express it) from Christ's first washing Peter's feet (though the story recorded by the Evangelist says no such thing) and his foretelling only his death: all which, and many more prerogatives of S. Peter, to the number of no less than XXVIII. are summoned in to give in evidence in this cause; and many of these two drawn out of Apocryphal and supposititious Authors, and not only uncertain, but absurd and fabulous: and yet upon such arguments as these do they found his paramount authority. A plain evidence of a desperate and sinking cause, when such twigs must be laid hold on to support and keep it above water. Had they suffered Peter to be content with a primacy of Order (which his age and gravity seemed to challenge for him) no wise and peaceable man would have denied it, as being a thing ordinarily practised among equals, and necessary to the well governing a society: but when nothing but a primacy of Power will serve the turn, as if the rest of the Apostles had been inferiour to him, this may by no means be granted, as being expresly contrary to the positive determination of our Saviour, when the Apostles were contending about this very thing, which of them should be accounted the greatest, Matth. 20.25, 26, 27. Luke 22.24, 25, 26. he thus quickly decides the case, The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them, and they that are great, exercise authority upon them. But ye shall not be so: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your Minister, and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your Servant. Than which nothing could have been more peremptorily spoken, to rebuke this naughty spirit of preheminence. Nor do we ever find S. Peter himself laying claim to any such power, or the Apostles giving him the least shadow of it. In the whole course of his affairs there are no intimations of this matter; in his Epistle he styles himself but their fellow-Presbyter, and expresly forbids the Governours of the Church to Lord it over God's heritage. When dispatched by the rest of the Apostles upon a message to Samaria, he never disputes their authority to do it; when accused by them for going in unto the Gentiles, does he stand upon his prerogative? no, but submissively apologizes for himself; nay, when smartly reprov'd by S. Paul at Antioch (when, if ever, his credit lay at stake) do we find him excepting against it as an affront to his supremacy, and a sawcy controlling his superiour? surely the quite contrary; he quietly submitted to the reproof, as one that was sensible how justly he had deserved it. Nor can it be supposed but that S. Paul would have carried it towards him with a greater reverence, had any such peculiar soveraignty been then known to the World. How confidently does S. Paul assert himself to be no whit inferiour to the chiefest Apostles, not to Peter himself? the Gospel of the uncircumcision being committed to him, as that of the circumcision was to Peter. Is Peter oft named first among the Apostles? elsewhere others, sometimes James, sometimes Paul and Apollos, are placed before him. Did Christ honour him with some singular commendations? an honourable elogium conveys no super-eminent power and soveraignty. Was he dear to Christ? we know another, that was the beloved Disciple. So little warrant is there to exalt one above the rest, where Christ made all alike. Hoc erant uti (que) & caeteri Apostoli, quod fuit Petrus, pari consortio praediti, & honoris & potestatis. Cyprian de unitat. Ecsles. p. 180. If from Scripture we descend to the ancient Writers of the Church; we shall find that though the Fathers bestow very great and honourable Titles upon Peter; yet they give the same, or what are equivalent to others [Page ix] of the Apostles. Orat. in S. Jac. ap. Phot. Cod. cclxxv. Col. 1525. Hesychius stiles S. James the Great, the Brother of our Lord, the Commander of the new Jerusalem, the Prince of Priests, the Exarch or chief of the Apostles, [...], the top or crown amongst the heads, the great light amongst the Lamps, the most illustrious and resplendent amongst the stars: 'twas Peter that preach'd, but 'twas James that made the determination, &c. Of S. Andrew he gives this encomium, Encom. S. Thom. ibid. Cod. cclxix. col. 1488. that he was the sacerdotal Trumpet, the first born of the Apostolick Quire, [...], the prime and firm Pillar of the Church, Peter before Peter, the foundation of the foundation, the first fruits of the beginning. Peter and John are said to be [...], equally honourable, by S. Cyril In Conc. Ephes. Concil. Tom. 2. p. 209. with his whole Synod of Alexandria. S. John (says Prolog. in Joan. p. 2. Chrysostom) was Christ's beloved, the Pillar of all the Churches in the World, who had the Keys of Heaven, drank of his Lord's cup, was wash'd with his Baptism, and with confidence lay in his bosome. And of De Pet. fil. Zeb. p. 378. Tom. 1. S. Paul he tells us, that he was the most excellent of all men, the Teacher of the World, the Bridegroom of Christ, the Planter of the Church, the wise Master-builder, greater than the Apostles, and much more to the same purpose. Elsewhere he says, In illud, sal. Aquil. & Prisc. p. 218. Tom. 5. that the care of the whole World was committed to him, that nothing could be more noble or illustrious: yea that (his Miracles considered) he was more excellent than Kings themselves. And a little after Ibid. p. 221. he calls him the tongue of the Earth, the light of the Churches, [...], the foundation of the faith, the pillar and ground of truth. And in a discourse on purpose, wherein he compares Peter and Paul together, he makes them of equal esteem and vertue;(e) Serm. in Petr. & Paul. p. 261. Tom. 6. [...]; What greater than Peter? What equal to Paul? a Blessed pair! [...], who had the Souls of the whole World committed to their charge. But instances of this nature were endless and infinite. If the Fathers at any time style Peter, Prince of the Apostles, they mean no more by it, than the best and purest Latine writers mean by princeps, the first or chief person of the number, more considerable than the rest, either for his age or zeal. Thus H. Eccl. l. 2. c. 14. p. 52. Eusebius tells us, Peter was [...], the prolocutor of all the rest, [...], for the greatness and generosity of his mind, that is, in In Matth. c. 16. p. 483. Chrysostome's language, he was the mouth and chief of the Apostles, [...], because eager and forward at every turn, and ready to answer those questions which were put to others. In short, as he had no Prerogative above the rest, besides his being the Chair-man and President of the Assembly, so was it granted to him upon no other considerations, than those of his age, zeal, and gravity, for which he was more eminent than the rest.
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