The San Francisco call., 1896-01-11

| Then charged he the disciples that they should
| tell no man that he was the Christi
Let any honest and unprejudiced American
repeat this passage aloud, and then he VIII GER
talnly agree with DR.. Wendte that it is very
mysterious ii it means nothing at all.
but let US consider for moment Christ's
! words IN thelr natural context and in their
natural Specification. He is d great teacher
who has been going up and down the province
Oh Gahlee preaching and dong good; The
whole population is stirred to its depths.
some are In his favor; are
bitterly opposed to him. One cries
out that he is the son OF David.
Anotner sneers, "He is a Samaritan and hath
devil. 1t happens that on certain occasion
ne wlthdraWs with his chosen companions to
the mountain solitudes. These are the twelve
ne mas selected to carry on his work. That
work is the formation of the kingdom of
heaven. No doubt the ques tionings which
were dlstractlng the people found an echo in
the hearts OF the disciples. They, TOO, were
wondering who was this man. So one day he
turns to them and puts the question straight
10 tnenl, Nv nom do ye say that am, and one
OF OIL @them. simon, the son OF John, speaks up:
Thou are the Messias. Thou art he who
is is to to come 10 restore the kingdom
to this disciple, Thou art a rock, and upon
this rock will build my church and the gates
OF hell shall not prevail against it. He speaks
In metaphors. He imagines his church as &
| city. 1t Is not city in peace. The shadow OF
the cross has fallen on his soul; he is a
sign which shall be contradcted. His church
snail ever be beleaguered by mis- enemies. The
gotes OF hell shall encamp over against it,
Around it shall wage the eternal war between
good and evil, between light and darkness
shall be the thickest of the fight
When, therefore, he lay the foundations
OF the church he must lay them broad
and deep. None knew better than he how nee
essary it was to reach the rock He had spoken
OF the house built the sand and had told
how the rains had fallen and the winds had
ragged, and the food had lifted up their voice,
and how the house had fallen because it was
built upon the sand. He had spoken too OF the
mouse built on the rock. In vain had the rain
iashed II ; in vain had the storm wreaked its
iury on 1t; in vain had the torrents hurled
themselves against it, 1t stood mistaken be-
cause 1t wss founded upon the rock.
And now he was about TO build his church.
against 1t shall come not wind or water, but
the very gates OF hell. In all their pride in all
thelr cunning, in all their brute strength, in
III thelr ungovernabie fury, they snail rage
Flrm and strong must that church be 10 with
STAND their assaults, and firm and strong the
Lord builds it upon the rock.
''On this rock will | build my church. and
the gates of hell snail not prevail against it,
Now, what does all this imagery mean?
After ALL the church is not building and ST.
refer is not rock; the church is a society
ana 81. Peter IS man. Evidently this man
was 10 nave certain office in the society. The
OBJECT OF that officer is to hold the society
together against its enemies, and to hold it
together In such way that these enemies shall
never prevail. Such an office in a society
made up of men implies jurisdiction-implies
together?
Unless general has supreme power over his
men he cannot mass them to the best adyan-
tage he cannot punish traitors ne cannot re-
WaId the brave, he cannot keep his men to-
gether and present united front to the
enemy 1t is the same with the church. I'm
less Fcter has supreme power he cannot carry
out the duties OF his office, for his office implies
that ne sustains the church and brings her
victorious over all the assaults OF her enemies
THE OBJECTIONS.
Such, then, Mr.. Editor, is the plain and OBJ
Vlous meaning OF these words o Christ.
, Mr. Wendte, however, is determined to make
them mysterious, and 10 do SO quotes Scrip
lure against scripture. Let me state that the
gentle art of uPsettlng one text by means OF
another Is not at all difficult of ACQUISITION.
a good concordance and little ingenuity viii
GispIoVe the Qecalogue and Justify the seven
deadly sins. Every one knows the old story
OF the biblical obligation of suicide. The
lrascible Old man who was pestered by the
hrst young scripture-reader turned on him
suddenly: Sir, it is written in Matt. xxxvii; A.
mat Judas went away and hanged himself"
1t is also written Luke X: 81, "Go thou and do
Likewise" History does not relate the sequel,
but l am afraid that Dr.. Wendte has been
adopting some such system of exegesis in his
endeayors to mystify 5. Matthew.
(a) PETER NOT THE ONLY ROCK.
"These words" says Mr. Wendte, "are
capable of various interpretations when con-
sidered in the light of other passages Else
where in the New Testament Christ is called
Il Corinthians, iii: III the 'hesdstone OF
the corner (by Peter himself in Acts v: o. as
If the apostolic writers were quite unaware OF
any such exclusive distinction having been
conferred on Peter"
l must confess, Mr. Editor, that cannot un-
derstand what light these texts can throw on
the passage from st. Matthew Christ IN ad-
dressing st. Peter does not call him a founda-
ton. He calls him the rock on which founda-
ton and all is laid. The metaphors used by
ST. Peter and by st. Paul are entirely different.
Surely Mr.. Wendte distinguishes between the
ground on which the cornerstone is laid and
the cornerstone itself. In the epistle to the
a pn &c lit
some converts for their unruly ways
They have formed factions about various
teachers. The apostle exhorts them 10
cease to heed the mere person OF
the men who baptized them or taught
them. The work OF regeneration is the same,
whether Paul planted or ApollOs. They are
puts up the walls. There is only the one
foundation of each mans spiritual life-Jesus
Christ On this foundation each one builds
his own work-gold, silver, costly stones, wood,
hay, stubble
Now, l may ask Dr.Wendte what in the name
OF common-sense has this passage to do with
the text from Matthew? There Christ speaks
OF building his church foundation. and all on
Peter; here 81. Paul speaks OF each individual
Christian as rearing his spiritual life upon
foundation already laid-namely, Christ. How
does this latter prove that Peter was not the
only rock?
The second text is taken from St. Peters
speech before the council. The apostle de-
ciGres: "Be 1t known unto you and to all the
people that in the name OF Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, Whonl ye cruclhed, whom God raised
from the dead even in him doth this man
stand here before you whole. He is the stone
which was set at naught by you, the builders,
which was made the head Of the corner
Again l ask Mr. Wendte what bearing has
this text on the rock on which Christ built his
church. The meaning of the apostle is that as
the desplsed stone was put in the place of
honor, so the rejected Christ was now gloritied.
Therefore, concludes Mr.. Wendte, St. Peter
was not the only rock on which Christ built
his church. Ii this is the result of an honest
and impartial review OF the Bible testimony,
may the good Lord deliver US from such
honesty and impartiaiity.
tb) THE GIVING OF HIS NAME.
Mr.. Wendte continues: ACCORDING to Mark
lille and Luke vi:14 the bestowal of this
name upon Simon took place on earlier and
different occasion" Surely Mr. Wendte did
not take the trouble OF looking up the texts
The two passages he quotes are the lists of the
names OF the apostles. Luke begins: ''Simon
whom he also named Peter and Andrew
his brother" Mr.. Wendte wishes US to
infer from this that our Lord changed
SlmOn'S Sin he