43 NO HIGHER OFFICE THAN AN APOSTLE. The collation of that power could not well be at any time before the celebration of our Lord's supper, because before that time St Peter was scarce an ecclesiastical person, at least he was no priest, as the convention of Trent under a curse requires us to believe;' for it were strange that an unconsecrated person, or one who was not so much as a priest, should be endowed with so much spiritual power. After his resurrection, our Lordgave divers common instructions, orders, and commissions to his apostles ('Evrsrac asvorç ro7ç út'oóróXorç, &c., Acts i. 2; John xx. 21; Matt. xxviii. 19; Luke xxiv. 49; Mark xvi. 15), but it does not appear that he made any peculiar grant to St Peter; for as to the pretence of such anone drawn out of the appendix to St John's Gospel, or grounded on the words Pasce oves, we shall afterward declare that to be invalid. 4. If St Peter had been instituted sovereign of the apostolical senate, his office and state had been in nature and kind very distinct from the common office of the other apostles; as the office of a king from the office of any subject; as an ordinary, standing, perpetual, successive office, from one that is only extraordinary, transitory, tem- porary, personal, and incommunicable (to speak according to distinc- tions now in use, and applied to this case); whence, probably, as it was expedient to be, it would have been signified by some distinct name or title characterizing it, and distinguishing it from others, as that of arch -apostle, arch-pastor, high priest, sovereign pontiff, pope, his holiness, the vicar of Christ, or the like; whereby it might have appeared that therewas such an officer, what the nature of his office was, what specialtyof respect and obedience was due to him. But no such name or title, upon any occasion, was assumed by him, or was by the rest attributed to him, or in history is recorded concerning him, the name of an apostle being all that he took on him, or by others was given to him. 5. There was, indeed, no office above that of an apostle known to the apostles or to the primitive church. This, says St Chrysostom, was "the greatest authority," and "the top of authorities." Therewas, says he, " none before an apostle, none superior, none equal to him;"2 this he asserts of all the apostles, this he particularly ap- plies to St Paul, this he demonstrates from St Paul himself, who, Si quis dixerit, illis verbis, Hoc facite in meam commemorationem, Christum non in- stituisse apostolos sacerdotesanathema sit. Cone. Trid., sees xxii. can. 2. " If any . one shall say that in those words, Do this in remembrance of me, Christ did not ordain his apostles priests let him be accursed." 2 'apx7 pafyío,rn. xopo¢t Tav ipx:,v.Chrys., tom. viii. p. 114. Eflrp i4.nxóv xaAñpasvor Tóv iaorócaoTa2,. wai oil rpó izs ,00 övra, aims áveZayev. Ibid. Tmv as áarooróT.mvYeas aúóe)s. yíyaysv.lbid., tom. v., Or. 33. AVTOV avr rialaav racxoúoapasv ápdpaovvTOS ales ápxás, wai iv Tq ú nT.«Tip" x''p"e' SAY áaoora llaR zaBílvroçIbid., tom. viii., ubi supra. " We have heard Paul himself reckoning up powers or authorities, and placing the apostolical in the highest place."
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