The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-30
BROOKLYN CHURCHES.
CHURCH OF Sis. PETER AND PAUL.

Sermon by the Rev. DIR. McGlynn-Pri-
macy OF st. Peter-His Office In tho
Church of Observation-Disclosures Not I'm.
pcccnbflity.
The faithful OF the district over which the Rev
Father Malone exercises spiritual sway assembled
in large numbers yesterday morning to celebrate
the y-eighth anniversary of the dedication of
the Church of SITS. Peter and Paul. Among the
audience were many non-Cathoics, attracted no
doubt, by the announcement that the Rev. DR.. Nc
Glynn would preach on the ''Once OF st. Peter in
the Church OF Christn After the first Gospel the
reverend Doctor assembled the pulpit ana taxing as
his text the Gospel OF the festival. delivered an
eloquent and apparently conclusive discourse on
the title OF st. Peter and his successors to pri-
natal honor and authority. When, said
he, our LORD was about to leave the world, He
comiorted His disciples by assuring them that lie
would not leave them orphans. That promise He
has kept and will keep. At the moment OF separa-
ton He gave US that miracle of love- the adorable
sacrament OF the altar, and before His ascension
He SAID, "Lol am with you all days, even to the
contamination ofthe world" In these words we
find Justification for the received theological view
that the Church is, In some sense,
A CONTINUATION OF THE INCARNATION
She is His bride, His immaculate spouse. His mys-
tic body. Thus the heart of the Church is not
heart of the Son ofGod. And the mind of the Church
is not the mere aggregate OF tie intelligence and
wisdom OF the fathers and theologians and sacred
writer's. 1t Is the mind Of Christ the spirit OF truth
vivifying and illuminating IL. How blessed them
Is the condition of the children OF this Spouse who
are nurtured and taught truth by mother whose
mind is the spirit OF TRUTH In keeping with this
doctrine is the subject of to-day. According to
His promise there must be, after His ascension, In
His visible household head, father OF the family
q shepherd Of Ills flock to represent His care His
love and His vigilance. His Church is KINGDOM
not invisible beyond the grave, but brought down
from heaven, finding its subjects among all the
Kingdoms in the world. This new spiritual COM
monwealth should not be without visible head, q
ruler, father, teacher. All this is promised in
unmistakable language in the Gospel OF st. Ma THEW
ne asSea a LIS a III mno 40 men say that the
men otherwise learned were merely guessing
about HIS nature and mission, He turned To His
apostles and asked them, ''Wh0 do you say that I
az" Peter at once takes ON himself the right to
answer for the others. AS their spokesman, as
Christ, the Son of the living Cod.1 Jesus does not
rebuke his presumption in speaking as chief OF the
apostles. On the contrary, he says, BLESSED art
hath not revealed 1t to thee, but my Father, who
is In heaven: And say to thee, Thou art Peter,
gates Of hell shall not prevail against it.b Mark
the beautiful analogy. SIMON Peter says, ''rhou
words on ART and or Peter s ns
in the revelation that Christ is the Son OF God and
blessed In the change OF his name from Simon Bar
Jona to Cephas, which, IN English, means q rock;
in Greek petros, rock, so that IL might with pro-
priety be translated, "Thou art the rock and on
you, as q foundation l will build my Church, and
the gates OF hell snail not prevail against It,
BECAUSE OF IT'S FOUNDATIoN.n
In vain shall the ancient serpent strive to subvert
gences OF philosophers and theologians but there
Is one rock against which he shall expend in vain
is Peter and each OF his successors. Our Lord
changes the simile and instead OF calling His
Church an edince He speaks or it as the king.
through him TO his successors he conffdes
the keys OF that kingdom. He constitutes st.
tian commonwealth, with full and undivided
power to "blnd and to loose--that is, to enact
laws binding on all the subjects OF she Kingdom OF
Christ on earth, on priests and bishops and arch
bishops and dignitaries OF every rank, as well az
the laity. Again, our Lord tell US suat He is the
mindful OF his flock He did not forget us after Ills
resurrection; for IN the Gospel OF ut. John, XXI,
that our saviour was not
authority In His Church. he also consti-
tuted the shepherd of His flock with q
and His sheep in the pastures OF truth
and guard them from the entcing and deadly pas
is 70 say teach and instruct the aity in the ways OF
eternal he. "Feed my sheep;' guard over your
helpers IN the sheepfold-the Church-aud see that
entrusted to them, and feed them with the Bread
OF Life. Primatal dignity and authority could not
be conferred In clearer or more expressive language
than our Lord uses when addressing the apostles
luke xxi, 31-2) =" simon, Simon, behold Satan
hath desired to have you On the piuraD that he
may sft you as wheat: But have prayed for thee
(Simon) that thy faith fail not: and
thou (Simon), being once converted confirm thy
brethren" It is, therefore, the Office Of Peter
In every age and every nation 20 confirm his
brethren, to teach what Christ has taught and
nothing more and nothing less, to preserve and
explain and expOund ''the deposit OF the fattn.u
When we claim for Peter and his successors the
right and duty to teach the truth as Christ taught
we DO not exalt the power OF man; we glorify the
divinity Of the Son OF God, who will not permit
1.-THE FOUNDATION OF HIS CHURCH, TO BE sAPPED
by error, who can never allow His nock to be led
astray by their shepherd, His own vicar on earth,
into the byways Of error. When we claim for