, 1870-06-13
MONDAY, JUNE 13, 1870.


NONOAl. JUNE Id, 4otNs /
PETER AND THE POPE. +;
The successive assumptions upon which
the Christian world is asked to regard Pho
Mono as an infallible guide in matters Of !
faith and morals are these: l.
i. That the Church ut Rozne was found
oa by the Apostle Peter. +; !
y. That Peter was directly invested t1y
Christ with rank superior to his APOSTLES,
and WIS made the foundation Of tie
Church.
,. That by regular apostolic succession |
md election Peters spiritual powu1s have
dcseended 10 Pho Mono. =
E I, That Peter YVES infa1lible, and that all |
Lis Successors, including Pho Mono, inherit |
lis irfallibility. -. |
The first point may ha set down as
demonst1ab1y false. The last chapter of |
the Acts Of the Apostles, in giving the eir-
camstances Of Panl's arrival at Rome, sets |
forth that, arriving there, he found. uncou-
veztel Jews only. They asked him to ex-
plain to them what the new sect was which
they had heard everywhere spoken against.
They were curious to learn what the pecu-
liar notions were wherein Paul differed
from all other Jews. He appointed meet
ing sat his lodgng'-sho~inr that no
Christian place Of worship had then bean
opened for the purpose Of errounding to
them the new faith, to which they evidently
listened from mere curloaty. Paul con-
tiuued TO preach in his own hired house for
two years, and made converts, form
ing church, and. being its
Bishop, There is no mention
IN the New Testament, or in any other
coteruporaneous history, OF Pet57 coming
to Rome at any time. He is traceahle tc
Pontius, Ga1acia, Bythinia, -Csppadocia,
and throughout AHA He probably never
wholly overcame his Jewish intolerance to-.
wnrd Genti1es. If would have been strange
if Peter, with these instincts, had suddenly
become the great apostle 70 the Genti1es at
Rome, where he Ind neither the disposition
nor tho talents to zhine. The book Of
the Acts describes Pauls journey to Rome,
and closes with Paul haEing lived in Rome
for two years. The same book dismisses
Peter at the same date by Raying that ''he
went down from Jndea to Cnsarea and
there abode" -
Peter wrote only two epistles, both to the
saints generally, and one of them dated at
Babylon. This shows that his work WIS
Ecattered, extending far to the eastward Of
Jerusalem. Paul. however,, long after his
first visit to Rome, wrote the letter to his
church, there known as the 'sEpistle to the
Romans" which shows throughout that he
vaa their absent hut unques.ioned Bishop,
aud that they had grown into Aourishing
church uudet his tutalaga. At its close he
names and saiutes many OF his leading CO.
workers and fellow Christians at Rome
He would certainly have sent some greeting
TO Peter, or in some way recognized his
existence, if he had been then the Bishop,
or successor Of Paul in the pastoraia- Je-
rome, Origen, Eusebius, and Chrysostom
relate that Peter became Bishop OF Antioch.
In the imperfect organization OF the
Church, during the life OF Peter, this
would mean merely TINT he preached at
Antioch The alleged tradition that Pete1
came to Rome at MI is unsustained, If, In.
deed, it WIS ever dreamed OF prior to tht
time when the later Roman Bishops, who'll.
ignorant OF The Bible mud Of Church history
Is nppears On the faca Of the clain, bega1
TO nssert it as justification Of their CLAIM
to the pzitnacy, and, st LAST, to the suprem
acy among Bishops, Their real pzece
dence arose wholly out OF the metropolitan
character of Rone as the worlds chic
city.
Secondly. It is hard to EGO how the Pop
would become infal1ible By succeeding t,
aoy, or all, of the attributes of Peter
Peter WAS one Of the least informed-mos
uncertain and treacherous of the Apostles
He was far inferior to Paul in mora
strength or intellectual power. Only b
md Judas, Of the twelve, denied thei
Lord !; Judas once, to make money, and Pete
tAzice, 10 avoid ridicnle, Christ speaks G
him as "of little faith, and nsain says
him, *AGet thee behind me, Satan tho
at an offence unto me, Tor thou savoze:
not the things that be Of God, but thos
that be OF NEIL" 1t is true he anjoine
Peter, three times, to "feed my lambs,
just before his ascension. which W.
natural, since from Lis previous e1perienc
cf Peters fickleness he would have require
three distinct commands to secure the sam
obedience which the disciple whom jest
without command The passage whic
says, 81 Thou art Peter q rock) and upc
this Peter {or rocky have bui
my Church, would, in pettifogging wa.
sustain the plea for the supremacy Of Il
Bishop Vi Antioch, where Peter preachet
/. has really very little bearing in faror
Bishop of Rome Though Peter was
rock in name, the man Peter wns IS as n
ssnEle Els water. Il is ce1tain that the mi
ist1y Of Paul was attended By degree
success with which that OF Peter is not
he'conpared. This success eliminated
Rome, Peters essential disposition d
not wholly Change after Chzists ascens;
and tie descent Of the Holy Ghost
Antioch We find that Paul Was Obliged
withstand Peter to his face" becaus
after having once accepted t
Gentle converts as Christian
he Enthusiastically turned his back
them to asoid offending the Jcws. Thou,
the Eotnan PontiHs 80 reverence Pc:
that they dare not ASSUME his nAme, he n
the most fil.ib1e Of tho Apostles, md hen
the last through whom infa1ibility could
inherited Indeed, they do themselves
credit in repndiating their m.nifest d
TO 80 great an Apostle rs Pnul IN order
pin their faith to SO inferior disciple
Peter.
Thirdly. II It were possible by elect