The Irish standard., 1897-02-27
Gave POWER 70 ST. Peter.
Evident p !;0l Of {. Divine Govern
ment in the Church from
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the First.
80 <f+rf
THE ROCK UP0N WHICH IT WAS BUILT
Peter WaS, Chosen the Head Be-
~: ,s;:-st
cause of his Great Love
for Christ.

The idea Of a divine government in the
Church is as old as the Church itself.
The apostles were conscious OF their au-
thority, and they proclaimed it every
where. The New Testament is a living
witness of their Divine commission.
They were to teach all nations, and their
work was to go on forever. 1t was not,
however, the Divine plan TO. perpetu-7
ate the Church as house divided
against itself Jesus prayed that His
disciples might be one, as He and the.
Father were one. The Papacy was con-.
structed as the center Of unity, and the.
Pope was regarded in every age as the:
successor of Peter, the vicar of Christ,
the visible head Of the Church and the
infallible organ of divine truth, writes
Dr.. Justus J. Spreng, in the Irish World.
The history of the Popes is the history
of the Church, and the primacy of the
Roman See is the corner stone Of the re-
ligious fabric. Destroy this primacy
and the entire edifice will tumble down.
Bishops and pastors will be without all-
thority. and the several churches will
become so many disorganized mobs.
T. q Holy Scripture will have To sane.
ton, and revealed truth will perish.
Such would be the rellgious condition OF
the world, if the Papacy and its preoga-
tiyes disappeared; but this shall never
occur, for Christ said:
ssThou are Peter, and upon this rock
will build my Church, and the gates Of
Hell shall not prevail against It,.
1t is a. pa1pable fact that Our Lord
continually singled out Peter from the
other apostles. He was addressed in
preference to all, and he was constantly
speaking in the name of all. Nay, he
could scarcelN-open his mouth without
proclaiming the divinity of the Son OF
God. This is evidenced to every reader
of the New Testament. On certain oc-
casion Christ said to His disciples:
"Whorn do men say the Son Of Man.
is?" ..-
Accord lngs to some he was John the
Baptist, and according to others he was.
Elias, or JeEeaniae, or one of the proph-.
cts. 1t was reserved to Peter to cry
ont: - ~
: .s.Thou .aree Cnnst. the son or the living
God
Peter was an ignorant fisherman, but
he enunciated the doctrine of the In
carnation of the Eternal Word, which
transcends the loftiest flights of angelic
intelligence. Why was Peter thus called
to make a profession of his faith? Be-
cause the time had come for the founda-
ton Of the Church and the establish
1nent CT the Papacy. Peter did not
speak, then, merely as man, but Gas all
future Popes did) as teaching the
Church and proclaiming divine truth.
He spoke infallibly, under the guidance
of God. for Christ said:
s.Flesh and blood hath not revealed it
to thee, but my Father who is in
heaven
The time fixed in the eternal DEGREES
for rewarding the faith Of Peter and
founding the Church on the solid rock Of
the Papacy had almost come. Then
Christ said:
sThou art Peter and upon this rock 1
will build my Church, and the gates OF
hell shall not prevail against it. And
7 will give to thee the keys Of the King
dom of Heaven. And whatsoever thou
shall bind upon earth shall be bound
also in Heaven; and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosened
also in heaven"
Thus, in recompense of the faith OF
Peter it pleased the Lord to make him
the corner stone of His Church. To him
was confided the fullness of ecclesiastical
power. The keys were always consid-
cred the symbol of authority, and they
we're given to Peter without reserve.
There is another passage of the Holy
Scripture which proves Enthusiastically
the primacy Of Peter, and it is in the
I'D chapter of St. Luke. Before our
Lord rose from the Last Supper He had
reason to chide His disciples. There
was a strife among them as to which
would seem to be greater, but He singled
out Peter to confer on him the superb
GRITTY. He. said:,y
II have prayed for thee, that thy faith
fail not: ana thpta, being once converted,
confirm thy: brethren
/ E. X
Peter was then commanded to confirm
the brethren. Hr was an evident mark
of primacy, not only of honor. but also
of jurisdiction. y Again he is made the
rock IN which the Church was built, and
against which sne gates OF hell should
never prevail. These words were spoken
at the very, ' ttiRRSStin which our Lord fore
told the fall of Peter. he was presump-
tuous, and he fell. AS yet he had only
the promise, for'he was not confirmed in
the primacy until after the resurrection.
The promise was not revoked, on ac-
count of his fall, but, on that same night,
he received new assuranee-and thou,
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