St. Paul also, speaking of " the Spiritual Rock, which attended the Israelites in the wilderness," and supplied their wants, expressly says, " and THE ROCK was CHRIST." 1 Cor. x. 4.

Our Lord's declaration to Peter seems to have been founded on ancient prophecy, "Behold I lay in Sion for a foundation, a stone, an approved stone; a corner-stone, precious, immoveably fixed: and he who believeth on HIM shall not be confounded." Isa. xxviii. 16. And St. Paul thus explains it: "Other foundation can no one lay, beside that which is laid, which is JESUS CHRIST." 1 Cor. iii. 11.

But the prophets foretold his rejection by the Jews: "And he [IMMANUEL] shall be to the Gentiles for sanctification; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence to two of the Houses of Israel, [Judah and Benjamin,] Isa. viii. 14;-"The Stone which the builders refused, is to become the Corner head-stone,” destined to bind and unite together both Jews and Gentiles, in the profession of the same faith, Psal. cxviii. 22. And these signal prophecies were expressly applied to CHRIST, by our Lord himself, Matt. xxi. 42; Mark xii. 10; Luke xx. 17; and by his Apostles, 1 Pet. ii. 7; Rom. ix, 33; Acts iv. 11; Ephes. v. 23.

And as CHRIST is the sole foundation, or Rock, destined to support "the kingdom of the Stone, which shall never be destroyed," Dan. ii. 41, so

his Apostles are also foundation-stones, laid upon Him; Ephes. ii. 20; Rev. xxi. 14; whence St. Peter himself, explaining this imagery, calls CHRIST AOY ZWVTα, "THE LIVING STONE," and his faithful followers So Tes, living stones,' 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5, thus modestly communicating to them also, the title of Terę, stone, conferred upon him by ή πετρη, "THE ROCK, CHRIST."

This interpretation, adopted by our ablest Divines, is now, I trust, placed beyond the reach of further controversy.

The second privilege conferred on St. Peter was the gift of the keys of Heaven. And accordingly, he first unlocked the door of Faith to the Jews, on the memorable day of Pentecost; and to the Gentiles, in the case of Cornelius, the Roman Centurion; and also, to the Jews of the dispersion, and to the foreign Gentiles, at Antioch, Corinth, and Spain, &c. These keys were likewise communicated to the other Apostles, and especially to Paul," the Apostle of the Gentiles.'

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The third privilege was the power of binding and loosing. This is variously interpreted :The Romanists understand it of the power of granting indulgences, and remitting penances, or temporal punishment due to sins; powers, which having been scandalously abused in their Church, brought about, under God, the blessed Reforma

tion. The Protestants, with more propriety,

understand it of Ecclesiastical Rules or Regulations, to be enacted or rescinded for the good of the Church; as in the decree of the first Apostolic Council held at Jerusalem, Acts xv.; or else, of the powers of inflicting miraculous punishments, and even death; and of miraculously healing diseases, and restoring to life, with which Peter was eminently gifted; as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, Tabitha, &c. See Lightfoot, &c. This power was extended to the other Apostles likewise, John xx. 23, and in a most eminent degree to Paul; who was not a whit inferior to the Chief Apostles in Spiritual endowments striking Elymas the Sorcerer blind, and restoring Eutychus to life, &c.

But Peter, though Prince of the Apostles, was primus inter pares, "first among his equals," he never possessed any spiritual authority, jurisdiction, or supremacy, over the rest. On the contrary, the President of the first Apostolic Council at Jerusalem, was James, the Lord's Brother, or Cousin-German, who was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, and pronounced the decree, Acts xv, 13-21. And at Antioch, when Peter dissembled and temporized with the Juda-izers, who wished to impose Circumcision on the Gentile Church there, Paul boldly withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed." Gal. ii, 11-14. There was none of the apostles, indeed, that betrayed greater frailty, or weakness, than St, Peter.

For his worldly-mindedness he drew-down that severe rebuke, "Get thee behind me, Satan," &c. shortly after he had received the signal blessing. Matt. xvi. 21-23. He thrice formally denied his his Lord, as foretold-but was forgiven upon immediate, and bitter repentance; and he was formally re-instated in his Apostolic office, by his compassionate LORD, after his self-sufficiency and presumption had been sufficiently humbled. Feed my lambs-feed my sheep-feed my sheep. John xxi. 15-17. This simple act of re-instatement, in the privileges which he had forfeited, is magnified by the Romanists beyond all bounds; as if, indeed, "Our Lord, in the most solemn manner, thrice committed to Peter the care of his whole flock, of all his sheep without exception, that is, of his whole Church!"-superseding even John, the disciple whom JESUS loved, who was present at the time; with others of the Apostles. Such are the interpretations and arguments with which Romanists deceive themselves, and labour to support the Antichristian authority of their head, deceiving others.

V. The Roman pontiff is NOT the Vicar of Christ.

This will most satisfactorily appear from a short historical survey of the rise and progress of the Pontifical title and power.

At first the Popes were no more than simply Bishops of Rome, (as already shewn) not possess

ing ecclesiastical jurisdiction beyond their own See, and subservient to the Emperors.

The removal of the seat of Empire by Constantine the Great, from Rome to Byzantium, or Constantinople, A. D. 330, in resentment for the ill treatment of the Romans, on his embracing Christianity, first prepared the way for the Papal authority, by removing the controul of the Emperor's presence, and accustoming the Romans to look up to the Bishop as their ostensible head.

In the next place, the conversion to Christianity of the rude and barbarous nations of the North, who invaded the Roman empire, contributed to extend the papal influence among them also. For, as Michiavel observes, "The suc cessors of St. Peter were reverenced, at first, by all men; and the sanctity of their lives, and [supposed] miracles, and their examples, did so extend the Christian Religion, that the princes were under a necessity of obeying, [or conform ing thereto] to remove out of the way the great confusions that were then in the world." The first of these kingdoms, that of the Huns, arose about A. D. 356; and they put an end, at length, to the western empire, A. D. 476.

About A. D. 378, Pope Damasus obtained an important grant from the Emperors Gratian and Valentinian, vesting him, by their edict, with patriarchal jurisdiction over the whole western Church; and, in cases of doubt or difficulty, sanctioning