The San Francisco call., 1896-01-12


the teachers and the taught. From the multi
tude of his disciples he selected twelve
Cdatt. Ky. Them he sent forth to preach. At
the end of his stay on earth he commanded
them 10 make disciples OF all the nations
Matt. xXxiil). He gave them power to admins
ter sacred rites such as baptism, penance tJohn
XXX and the holy communion II Cor. Xi). He
made them legislators. whose laws should bind
the very eonscienees of men. Matt xviii).
Moreover, these powers he gave only to GER
tain officers. AS st. Paul puts it. "God hath set
some in the church; hrst, apostles; secondly,
prophets; thirdly, teachers; then powers, then
gifts OF healing, etc. Are all apostles2 Are
ers Of miracles? Have all gifts of healings?
DO all speak with tongues? Do all interpretl'
And again (Ephes. iv: III, ''He Jesus gave
some to be apostles, and some prophets, and
some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting
OF the saints unto the work of ministering
unto the building up OF the body of Christ till
we all attain unto the unity OF the faith
That 1t is TO say, there shall be in the church
men TO instruct, TO govern, to minister, by the
appointment of Christ, until the last soul is
gathered to the sheepfold with the Good Shep-
herd on the eternal hills.
Hence it is that we find the church suming
hlerarchlcal form Immediately after the
death OF Christ. Another succeeds TO the Office
from which Judas had fallen and obtains the
same grace and apostoleship as the eleven.
Paul and Barnabas are set aside for d certain
work and straightway they proceed to appoint
elders or bishops in every church. Nothing
can be conceived more diverse from the apos-
tolic practice than q modern Protestant con
gregaion. Ii the Christians OF Crete were any
thing like our California Unitarians they
must have considered that Paul had un-
paralleledampudence.w he handed them
over to Titus. Heretofore ] left thee in Crete
that thou shouldst appoint elders or bishops
in every city" If by some dispensation of
providence Titus should some dav appear in
oakland, accompanied by DR.. Stebbins, and
order Dr.. Wendte over to Franklin street, am
afraid the congregation would have unani-
nous fit. The apostle who wrote of the over
seers whom the Holy Ghost had paced to rule
the church OF God would have very little sym
pathy with the modern system whereby 10
member OF the church is compelled to obey
except the unfortunate pastor.
For these reasons l conclude that DR..
Wendte'S attempt TO block out ST. Peter is not
a success. There is no use arguing against
TACT, and the facts OF apostolic history are in
favor of the Pope.
3. THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH.
DR.. Wendte gives four reasons for his asser-
ton that the history of the apostolic church
shows no traces of the primacy of Peter. l
will consider these four reasons separately:
(d) The apostles exercised their authority in
common.
He says: The first church officers mentioned
in the New Testament-the deacons (Acts
common, not by Peter alone. So, again, when
earnest teachers are needed in Samaria (Acts
yi1:14) the apostles exercise their collective
authority and send Peter and John thither.
might remind DR.. Wendte that the practice
of ordination in common is still carried on in
the Catholic Church, ana does not at all prove
that the bishop is not the governor OF the do
cese. When the presiding officer OF the Senate
votes for bill, and thus passes ii, he does not
cease 10 be Vice-President OF the United States.
Some people imagine that st. Peter could not
have been head OF the church unless he was
grabbing every hing in sight. II may say il
without disrespect the proper answer to DR..
Wendte S objection is that ST. Peter was no hog.
That he was sent into SGmaria with John is
a very peculiar way to prove that he was not
head of the apostles. Suppose in the present
war scare the English Cabinet should decide
mollity her grandson, would that prove she
was not Queen of England? Peter and John
were sent because they were considered best
fitted for the work, and that Peter went only
proves that he patterned himself on his Mas
ter, who came not to be ministered unto but 10
minister.
To what desperate straits must men be re-
duced when they bring forward such cobweb
arguments as these to batter down the rockl
(b) The Council OF Jerusalem.
Still more significant is the testimony at-
forded by the council or synod of apostles
mentioned in the fifteenth chapter OF the
Book OF Acts. Peter does not preside over il,
as he would naturally have done if he had
been recognized as prlmate. He defends his
own course like private member of the con-
gregaton, and James is the one who proposes
the compromise which is finally adopted by
the apostles, elders and congregation IN settle
ment OF their differences.
1t would take up too much room to copy out
this text. However, as this letter will appear
on Sunday your readers Mr.. Editor could not
do better than read the whole fifteenth chap
ter of the Acts OF the Apostles They will find
that there is not the slightest hint given that
Peter did not preside at the synod. Indeed
his words have an authoritative sound. He
does not defend his course as DR.. Wendte
says, but he simply tells what he did, as if the
fact that he did it were sufficient Justification
What James has to do with the question no
one cat tell That he proposed a com promise,
or that the compromise was adopted, proves
nothing for his superiority. One might as we'll
claim that Mr.. Wilson, the author Of com
promise tariff act, is the President of the
United States Hence, l am afraid that Dr.
Wendte will get cold comfort from the council
OF Jerusalem. The description OF it contains
not single sentence to show that Peter was
relegated TO d second place.
(c) Paul withstood him face to face.
To prove that st. Peter WAS not the head of
the church DR.. Wendte produces the famous
text from the Galatians. He says:
Peter was no rock when in apostolic times,
in subservience to the narrow policy of the
Jewish wing of the church, he was unfaithful
to his own highest conviction. opposed the
necessary world-historic development of Chris
tian truth, and drew upon himself the stern
rebuke of Paul Galatians ii:1l-21l who nc
cused him OF falsehood, hypocrisy and thwart-
ing the viii of God. This frank criticism in
which Paul indulged does not look like an ac-
acknowledgement on his part OF the primacy and
sovereign authority OF Peter"
If there is anything that delights me it is to
see the beautiful way in which the modern
preacher can pitch into ST. Peter | do not
know what special spite they have against
him, but they seem to revel in hurting cpl
lneIS AT nlln. IN the DeR1Q0lng OF his letter
DR.. Wendte reproached me with solemn face
and lugubrious voice for my bad language and
here he is five minutes after calling St. Peter
liar, hypocrite and a coward. He reproyes
me for applying TO live sinner terms which
he does not scruple TO apply to dead saint
Now, let US see what bearing st. Paul's con-
duct has upon the supremacy of Peter The
mere fact that he resisted the Pope to his face
proves nothing. Many man has resisted his
superior TO his face and gloried in II. Why
not st. Paul? In fact if we study the cfrcum-
stances under which this resistance took place
we Will find another and a stronger argument
in favor OF st. Peters prerogative.
The statement that St. Paul withstood St
Peter is found in the second chapter OF the
Epistle 10 the Galatians. These Galatians were
troubled by mischiefmakers who insisted that
the Jewish law was binding on all Christians
AS this was directly opposed to ST. PauPs
teaching the Judalzers, as they were called,
strove to belittle his authority by declaring
that he was not genuine apostle but late
conner, who had never walked with Christ on
earth, and who, therefore, was not competent
TO declare what the true faith was. The Epistle
to the Galatians was written TO enforce the
idea that st. Paul was true apostle and capa-
bic of saying that his teaching concerning the
Jewish law correct.
The proof which he offers is the testimony
OF st. Peter. He says that after his call at
Damascus he went into Arabia for three years
to prepare for his mission. Before he entered
on that mission, however. he writes: 81 came
to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with MIN
fifteen days" Now, if Peter had not some
IT,