1 0 ST P1 rER'S PRIVILEGES MERELY PERSONAL. Our Lord promised to give him the keys of the heavenly king- dom: this power St Peter signally executed in converting Christians, and receiving them bybaptism into the church, by conferring the Holy Ghost, and the like administrations. Our Lord charged "Simon, son of Jonas, to feed his sheep," John xxi. 15-17: this he performed by preaching, writing, guiding, and governing Christians, as he found opportunity. Wherefore, if any thing was couched under those promises or orders singularly perti- nent to St Peter, for the same reason that they were singular they were personal; for, These things being, in a conspicuous manner, accomplished in St Peter's person, the sense of those words is exhausted; there may not with any probability, there cannot with any assurance, be anymore grounded on them: whatever more is inferred must be byprecarious assumption; andjustly we may cast at those who shall infer it that expostulation of Tertullian, " Who art thou that dost overturn and change the manifest intention of our Lord, personally conferring this on Peter ? "' 3. Particularly, the grand promise to St Peter of founding the church on him cannot reach beyond his person; because there can be no other foundations of a society than such as are first laid. The successors of those who first erected a society and established it are themselves but superstructures. 4. The apostolical office, as such, was personal and temporary; and therefore, according to its nature and design, not successive or com- municable to others in perpetual descendence [descent] from them. It was, as such, in all respects extraordinary, conferred in a special manner, designed for special purposes, discharged by special aids, endowed with special privileges; as was needful for the propagation of Christianity and founding of churches. To that office it was requisite that the person should have an im- mediate designation and commission from God ; such as St Paul so often insists upon for asserting his title to the office: " Paul, an apostle, not frommen, or by man," Gal. i. 1. " Not bymen," says St Chrysostom; "this is a property of the apostles."' It was requisite that an apostle should be able to attest concern- ing our Lord's resurrection or ascension, either immediately, as the twelve, or by evident consequence, as St Paul. This St Peter im- plied at the choice of Matthias: " Wherefore of those men which have companiedwith us .... must one be ordained to be a witness with us of the resurrection," Acts i. 21, 22. And, " Am I not," says Qualls es evertens atque commutans manifestam Domini intentionem personaliter hoc Petro conferentem ? Tertul. de Pud., xxi. 2 Tan el, óT ád,d:nrwv, Toürro May r.-ir dwoo Tear. Chrys. inGal. i. 1.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=