Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-01-21

ty's .noblest institutions are being torn
down to make place for the towers of arts
tocracy-while human rights are ruth
lessly trampled on with cloVen feet
whilethe sacred palladium ofreligious,a and
all freedom is SO furiously outraged, to
withhold, or restrain our voice, feeble as
it is, would be moral treason.
To the Editor Of the Vermont Telegraph:
DEAR Sm,-If you think the following
worthy Of place in your most excenent pa
per, it is at your service
d" AID Isay unto thee, that thou art Pc
ter =; and upon this rock I 1iH build my
Church; and the gates Of he'll shall not
prerdi against it.
And 1ciH gire INTO thee the keys OF
the Kingdom of hedUen: and IohGtsoereT
thou shalt bind on earth, shall De bound IN
heGpen; and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on EARTH shall be Eoosed in heGUen. Matt.
xvi. 18, 10.
This is the main, if not the only text bro't
BY the Roman Catholics, TO prove the mon
strous doc trine Cf the Pope's supremacy
According TO them, Peter was constituted
both the foundation and supreme and abso-
lutte head Of the church on earth; and the
Bishop Of Rome is his successor in Office.
If il should be admitted that Peter was
| clothed with all that dignity and authority
which is contended Cor, there is 10 evidence
that the Pope is his successor, or that Peter
was Bishop Of Rome, if he ever saw the
place But although some Protestants, and
even Baptists, are willing TO concede that
Peter somehow or other is the rock on which
the church is built, and that he had some pc
culiar prerogative above his brethren, to the
writer of this, the sentiment appears to be
unscriptural and unsafe.
/. The text does not require such con-
strrction. Our Lord was pleased to ask the
apostles the question, "Whom do men say
that the son of man am? 2" After receiving
their answer, he put the question directly &c
them, "But whom say We that am" Pc
ter answered in behalf of the rest, as we'll as
himself no doubt, as the question was put to
them collectively, Thou art Christ, the Son
Of the Living God" Jesus saith unto him
blessed art thu, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but
nv father which is in heaven" Christ was
the subject about which the question was
asked: his character was confessed In Pc
ter's answer. This was the ah-importan
truth which the Father alone had revealed t.
! him, and which it is the greatest blessing t
know. This is the fundamental doctrine
which distinguishes the church of Chris
from that Of antichrist 1t seems to me, tina
if Peter had been the rock mentioned in thi
passage, it would have read, 81 say unto the
that thou art Peter; and upon thee will
build my church" &c.
T But to come more directly to the point
That the rock mentioned IN this passage l.
Christ, and not Peter, appears from the fac
/ that Christ is the stone or rock on which tn
church is built. 1t would seem that it mus
be built partly on Christ, and partly on Pc
ter; or WIDELY on Peter, or exclusively Oh
, Christ. But to the law and testimony: q
= Samuel, xxi. SO, "For who is God save tn
Lord and who is a rock save our God =?
: Ps. cxviii. %, "The stone which the build
ers refused is become the head of the col
ner.n Isa xviii. 16, "Behold lay in Ii
on for a foundation a stone, tried stone,
VI precious corner stone, sure foundation; b
that beIieveth on him shall not make haste.
Our Lord quotes the passage from Ps. cxvll
}. as referring to himself Matt. xxi. 10, 9TH
stone which the builders refused, the sam
- is become the head Of the corner" Anott
er Of the inspired writer's tells US, Cor. Ii
l. IL, "Other foundation hath no man laiC
n than that is laid, which is Christ" Eph.
20, "And are built upon the foundation {
the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ him
d self being the chief corner stone" On tn
J. passage, let it be remarked, !, That it ma
-. be understood that the apostle here remind
y each believer, and the church generally, tn;
/, they are built on the same foundation wit
At apostles and prophets, viz: on Jesus Chris
the chief corner stone; and it is certainl
y true that apostles and prophets have no pr
l. eminence over their brethren in respect
y, their foundation. Or if It be understood tn
apostles and prophets in a secondary sens
g are the foundation, yet, 2, here is no pr
Of emineuce given to Peter over his brethren
- nor Of apostles over prophets. Much Il
i same may be said of the passage in Rev. Ky
at H. "And the wall Of the city had twel
il foundations, and in them the names Of Il
twelve apostles of the Lamb" There is
OF Distinguishing honor given to one apostle
of yer another. But why does our Lord so Ell
be phatically declare one Of the apostles nam
to be Peter, which is by Interpretation
ne stone, and in connection with the buildil
Of Of his church? Answer: To denote that
/. was precious material, TO be placed in Ii
nc building, and on that rock which he h
. brought to view in his confession, in &C
IN. nection with others. But how do you knc
20 this2 Answer: BY the fact that Christ
10 the rock on which his church rests !; a
IL that Peter is a member in that church
stone laid upon that glorious foundation
- And surely we must admit that our Ii
'h spake agreeable 10 fact.
Ice Let US hear what this same apostle Pc
700 saith on this subject Acts iv. II, "This
90 the stone which was set at nought of y
lrn builders, which is become the head Of
i'm, corner" "To whom coming, as unto
10 ing stone, disallowed indeed of men,
n' chosen Of God and precious, ye also,
hat lively stones, are built up spiritual hous