v. 10,) "of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the

edifying of the body of Christ; until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ."[48] To this living hierarchy he expressly attributes preservation from doctrinal error, proceeding thus: "That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive." And, secondly, this hierarchy itself was knitted and gathered up into a monarchy, and its whole force and solidity made to depend on association with Peter, to whom _alone_ was said, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not;" to whom alone was enjoined, "And thou, in thy turn, one day confirm thy brethren."

II. Accordingly the pre-eminence of Peter is well expressed by the words,[49] "Primacy of faith," "chiefship of faith," "chiefship in the episcopate of faith," meaning thereby a peculiar authority to prescribe the faith, and determine its profession, and so protect its unity and purity. This is conveyed in the words of Christ, confirm thy brethren. Thus[50] S. Bernard addressed Innocent II., "All emergent dangers and scandals in the kingdom of God, specially those which concern the faith, are to be referred to your Apostolate. For I conceive that we should look especially for reparation of the faith to the spot where faith _cannot_[51] fail. That indeed is the prerogative of this see. For to whom else was it once said, 'I have prayed for thee, Peter, that thy faith fail not?' Therefore what follows is required of Peter's successor: 'And thou in thy turn one day confirm thy brethren.' And this is now necessary. It is time for you, most loving father, to recognise your chiefship, to approve your zeal, and so make your ministry honoured. In that you clearly fulfil the part of Peter, whose seat you occupy, if by your admonition you confirm hearts fluctuating in faith, if by your authority you crush those who corrupt it."

III. All who have received the ministry of the word, and the charge of defending the faith and preserving unity, and are "ambassadors in Christ's name," have a claim to be listened to, but he above all who holds the chiefship of faith, and who received the charge, "Confirm thy brethren." He therefore must be the supreme standard of faith, which is just what S. Peter Chrysologus, in the fifth century, wrote to Eutyches: "We exhort you in all things, honourable brother, to pay obedience to what is written by the most blessed Pope of the Roman city; for S. Peter, who both lives and rules in his own see, grants to those who ask for it the truth of faith."[52]

IV. And in this prerogative of Peter, to be heard above all others, we find the meaning of certain ancient expressions. Thus [53]Prudentius calls him, "the first disciple of God;" [54]S. Augustine, "the figure of the Church;" [55]S. Chrysostome, "the mouthpiece of the disciples, and teacher of the world;" [56]S. Ephrem Syrus, "the candle, the tongue of the disciples, and the voice of preachers;" [57]S. Cyril of Jerusalem, "the prince of the Apostles, and the highest preacher of the truth." In these and such like continually recurring expressions we recognise his chiefship in the episcopate of faith, his being the standard of faith, and his representing the Catholic faith, as the branches are gathered up in the root, and the streamlets in the fountain.

V. Our [58]Lord has most solemnly declared, and S. Paul repeated, that no one shall be saved without maintaining the true and uncorrupt faith. Of this Peter's faith is the standard and exemplar. Accordingly by the law of Christ unity with the faith of Peter is necessary to salvation. This law our Lord set forth in the words, "Confirm thy brethren." And to this the Fathers in their expressions above quoted allude.

VI. The true faith and the true Church are so indivisibly united, that they cannot even be conceived apart from each other, faith being to the Church as light to the sun. But the true faith neither is, nor can be, other than that which Peter, "the first disciple of God," "the teacher of the world," "the mouthpiece of the disciples," and "the confirmer of his brethren," holds and proposes to others. No communion, therefore, called after Christ, which yet differs from that faith, can claim either the name or dignity of the true Church.

VII. If any knowledge have a special value, it is surely that by which we have a safe and ready test of the true faith and the true Church. It is of the utmost necessity to know and embrace both, and the means of reaching them are proportionably valuable. Now that test abides in Peter, by keeping which before us we can neither miss the true faith nor the true Church. For no other true faith can there be than that which he delivers, who received the charge of confirming his brethren, nor other true Church than what Christ built, and is building still. Hence the expression of S. Ambrose,[59] "where Peter is, there is the Church;" and of Stephen[60] of Larissa, to Pope Boniface II. (A.D. 530.) "that all the churches of the world rest in the confession of Peter."

VIII. With all these agrees that famous and most early testimony of S. Cyprian,[61] that men "fall away from the Church into heresy and schism so long as there is no regard _to the source of truth, no looking to the head_, nor keeping to the doctrine of our heavenly Master. If any one consider and weigh this, he will not need length of comment or argument. It is easy to offer proofs to a faithful mind, because in that case the truth may be quickly stated." And then he quotes our Lord's words to Peter, Matt. xvi. 16, and John xxi. 17, adding, "upon him being one He builds His Church." Therefore that Church can neither be torn from the one on whom she is built, nor profess any other faith, save what that one, who is Peter, proposes.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Passaglia, p. 68.

[2] Eph. i. 10.

[3] 2 Pet. i. 14.

[4] Passaglia, p. 69.

[5] 1 John v. 6, 7.

[6] Luke ix. 32.

[7] Matt. xxviii. 36.

[8] Mark v. 35.

[9] Passaglia, p. 72.

[10] Matt. xvii. 23.

[11] On Matt. Hom. 58, n. 2.

[12] Origen on the text, in Matt. Tom. xiii. 14.

[13] S. Chrysostome on the text, Hom. 58, Tom. 7, p. 587.

[14] Passaglia, p. 77, note 38.

[15] Luke xviii. 34.

[16] Passaglia, p. 78.

[17] Matt. xviii. 2.

[18] Luke xxii. 25.

[19] Passaglia, p. 77.

[20] Matt, xx. 20.

[21] Hêgoumenos.

[22] John xiii. 13.

[23] Passaglia, p. 82.

[24] Matt. xxiii. 8.

[25] John chps. x., xiii., xvii.

[26] Dialog. cont. Lucif. n. 9.

[27] St. Cyprian, Ep. 46.

[28] Passaglia, p. 89.

[29] Exêtêsato. The word in classic Greek has this force.

[30] Serm. 4, c. 3.

[31] Rom. xvi. 25; 2 Cor. i. 21; 1 Pet v. 10.

[32] Col. ii. 6; 1 Cor. i. 7; 2 Thess. ii. 16.

[33] John xvi. 13; xiv. 16, 26; Eph. iii. 16.

[34] Passaglia, p. 563.

[35] 1 Pet. v. 10.

[36] Apoc. iii. 2.

[37] Rom. xvi. 25; 1 Thess. iii. 13; 2 Thess. ii. 17; 1 Pet. v. 10.

[38] Rom. i. 11.

[39] Apoc. iii. 2.

[40] S. Cyprian, Ep. 55.

[41] As far as the _words_ by themselves go, it is the opinion of the best commentators that they may be equally well rendered, "And thou, when thou art converted," or, "And thou, in thy turn, one day," &c. But as it is impossible to bring a discussion turning on a Hebrew idiom conveyed in a Greek word before the English reader, we must here restrict ourselves to the proof arising from the _sense_ and _context_. And here one thing alone, among several which may be urged, is sufficient to prove that the sense preferred in the text, "And thou in thy turn one day confirm thy brethren," is the true one. For the other rendering supposes that the time of Peter's conversion would also be the time of his confirming his brethren; whereas this was far otherwise. He was converted by our Lord looking on him that same night shortly after his denial, and "immediately went out and wept bitterly." But he did not succeed to the charge of confirming his brethren till after our Lord's ascension. It must be added that the collocation of the original words kai su pote epistrepsas stêrixon is such as absolutely to require that the joint action indicated by them should belong to the same time, and that an _indefinite_ time expressed by pote. Now this would be false according to the rendering, "And thou, when thou art converted, confirm thy brethren," for the conversion was immediate and definite, the confirmation distant and indefinite; whereas it exactly agrees with the rendering, "And thou in thy turn one day confirm thy brethren."

Those who wish to see the whole controversy admirably drawn out may find it in Passaglia, b. 2, ch. 13.

[42] Mansi. Concilia, x. 894.

[43] Baronius, Annal. A.D., 817, xxi.

[44] Passaglia, p. 545.

[45] Passaglia, p. 547.

[46] Passaglia, p. 571.

[47] For which see hereafter, ch. 7.

[48] Eph. iv. 11.

[49] Petrus uti audivit, vos autem quid me dicitis? _Statim loci non immemor sui, primatum egit_; primatum confessionis utique, non honoris; primatum fidei, non ordinis. Ambros. de Incarn. c. 4, n. 32, Tom. 2, p. 710.

[50] Ep. 190, vol. 1, p. 649.

[51] Observe the exact identity with S. Cyprian's expression nine hundred years earlier, quoted p. 55.

[52] Twenty-fifth letter among those of St. Leo.

[53] Con. Symmachum, Lib. 2, v. 1.

[54] Sermon 76.

[55] Hom. 88, on John.

[56] Encom. in Petrum et coeteros Apostolos.

[57] Cat. xi. n. 3. ho prôtosthatês tôn Apostholôn kai tês ekklêshias koryphaios khêryx.

[58] Mark xvi. 16; John iii. 18; Rom. iii. 3, &c.

[59] Ambros. in Ps. 1. n. 30.

[60] Mansi, Tom. viii. 746.

[61] De unitate Ecclesiæ, 3.