St. Peter, His Name and His Office, as Set Forth in Holy ScriptureAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
St. Peter, His Name and His Office, as Set Forth in Holy Scripture
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Peter, the Apostle, Saint
But who, they retort, cannot see that the cause of the Primacy,
which we defend, is far inferior? For our exposition is opposed not
by one or two parties, but by them all in a mass, Anglicans,
Lutherans, Calvinists, and _all who are not Catholics_. The addition
is significant, _all who are not Catholics_, for indeed all these,
and these alone, are our opponents. Yet their very name creates the
gravest prejudice against them, and shows them to be unworthy of
attention. As S. Augustine said, "The Catholic Church is one, to
which different heresies give various names, they themselves each
possessing their own name, which they dare not refuse. Whence judges
unaffected by partiality can form an opinion to whom the name of
Catholic, which all aim at, ought to be given."[19] If, then, the
name of Catholic is a note of truth, the negation of that name is a
test of error and heresy. But no one will imagine that heretics,
that is, the enemies of Christ and the Apostles, have a right to be
followed in what concerns the doctrine of Christ, and the Apostolic
institutions. Thus what Tertullian said is to the point, "Though we
had to search still and for ever, yet _where_ are we to search? Is
it among heretics, where all is foreign and opposed to our own
truth, whom we are not allowed to approach?[20] What servant expects
food from a stranger, not to say an enemy of his lord? What soldier
takes donative or pay from confederate, not to say from hostile
kings, except he be an open deserter and rebel? Even the woman in
the Gospel searched for her piece of silver within her own house.
Even he who knocked, struck the door of a friend.[21] Even the widow
solicited a judge, who was hard indeed, but not her enemy. No one
can be built up by the person who destroys him. No one be
enlightened by one who shuts him up in darkness. Let us search then
in our own, and from our own, and about our own, and only that which
can be questioned without harm to the rule of faith."[22]
But if we look closer into the matter, we shall find that even in
the interpretation of our texts Protestants are not so agreed with
each other as uniformly to oppose us. Some of the greatest names
amongst them, such as Camero, Grotius, Hammond, Leclerc, Dodwell,
Michaelis, Rosenmueller, and Kuinoel, differ from the rest and agree
with us in interpreting, "upon this rock I will build My Church,"
words of great importance in the controversy about the Primacy. So
that we were not wrong in stating that Protestants do not entirely
agree among each other in their interpretation, nor disagree with
ours.
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