MATTHEW, XVI. 18. "Ir is evident that the Apostles themselves did not understand those words of our Lord to signify any grant or promise to St. Peter of supremacy over them; for would they have contended for the chief place, if they had understood whose it of right was by our Lord's own positive determination? Would they have disputed about a question which, to their knowledge, by their Master was already stated? Would they have troubled our Lord to inquire of Him who should be the greatest in His kingdom, when they knew that our Lord had declared His will to make St. Peter His viceroy? Would the sons of Zebedee have been so foolish and presumptuous as to beg the place which they knew, by our Lord's word and promise, fixed on St. Péter? Would St. Peter, among the rest, have fretted at that idle overture, when, as he knew, the place by our Lord's immutable purpose and infallible declaration was assured to him? And if none of the Apostles did understand the words to imply the Roman sense, who can be obliged so to understand them? Yea, who can wisely, who can safely so understand them? For surely they had common sense, as well as any man living now; they had as much advantage as we can have to know our Lord's meaning; their ignorance, therefore, of this sense being so apparent, is not only a just excuse for not admitting this interpretation, but a strong bar against it. * * * * "In all relations which occur in Scripture about controversies incident of doctrine or practice, there is no appeal made to St. Peter's judgment, or allegation of it as decisive; no argument is built on his authority; dissent from his opinion, or disconformity to his practice, or disobedience to his orders, are not mentioned as ground of reproof, as aggravation of any error, any misdemeanour, any disorder; which were very strange, if then he was admitted or known to be the universal Prince and Pastor of Christians, or the supreme Judge and Arbitrator of controversies among them: for then surely, the most clear, compendious, and effectual way to confute any error, or check any disorder, had been to allege the authority of St. Peter against it: who, then, could have withstood so mighty a prejudice against his cause? If now a question doth arise about any point of doctrine, instantly the parties (at least one of them, which hopeth to find most favour) hath recourse to the Pope to define it, and his judgment, with those who admit his pretences, proveth sufficiently decisive, or at least greatly swayeth in prejudice to the opposite party. If any heresy, or any opinion disagreeing from the current sentiment, is broached, the Pope presently doth roar, that his voice is heard through Christendom, and thundereth it down; if any schism or disorder springeth up, you may be sure that Rome will instantly meddle to quash it, or to settle matters as best standeth with its principles and interests: such influence hath the shadow of St. Peter's authority now but no such regard was then had to poor Pope Peter himself; he was not so busy and stirring in such cases; the Apostles did not send heretics to be knocked down by his sentence, nor schismatics to be scourged by his censure, but were fain to use the long way of disputation, striving to convince them by testimonies of Scripture and rational discourse. If they did use authority, it was their own, which they challenge as given to them by Christ for edification, or upon account of the more than ordinary gifts and graces of the Divine Spirit conferred on them by God.". BARROW. Corner for Controversy. AN ILLUSTRATION. A DISTINGUISHED gentleman had a very beautiful residence. A stranger once came to visit the house. The steward, accompanied by several domestics, took the visitor through the different apartments, and pointed out to him the various objects of interest. The stranger having gratified his curiosity, the steward at length showed him a portfolio of engravings; and selecting one of them, he said, "This is my master." "Is it, indeed? Really I am delighted to see him!" said the gentleman; and he made a low bow to the picture. The steward smiled; the servants turned away and tittered; the gentleman nevertheless continued: "I hope you are well, sir; I feel it a privilege to address you. I have long desired to see you; and it is such an honour, I must shake hands with you." He was advancing for the purpose, but the steward could contain himself no longer, and began to remonstrate. The servants laughed outright, and said, "The man is mad!" but still the stranger continued his address to the picture. "What do you mean, sir?" said the steward, becoming indignant. "That is not my master!" "What do you mean, sir?" replied the stranger angrily. "You are a deceiver. Didn't you just now say to me, 'This is my master?"" "I am no deceiver," replied the steward calmly. "I told you no untruth; I only employed a common form of expression in use every day. If I thought you. sane I would reason with you, and show you that the verb to be is often used in the sense of to represent; and when I say of the picture, 'This is my master, I mean, this is intended to represent my master. If you cannot understand this, sir, I am sorry. But you shall see the picture no longer, for I will not have my master insulted. He is a man and a gentleman: do you suppose he is made of paper?" Ridiculous as this mistake appears, it is painful to reflect that this illustration precisely sets forth a far more fatal error, by which every Roman Catholic is misled in the doctrine of transubstantiation. What language could be more simple, and at the same time more beautiful, than those words of our blessed Lord, when taking the bread at the last supper He said, "This is my body?" What more natural than to understand His meaning to be, "This bread now broken represents my body, now to be offered for the sins of men? Eat of this bread, and your body is sustained-trust in my sacrifice and death, and your soul shall be satisfied." And how painful the delusion, which would see in language so clear a sense so degrading and so revolting, and which could suppose that the morsel of flour and water held up by the priest upon the altar is the Lord of life and glory, the Creator and Redeemer of the world! Poetry. JOHN, XIV. 6. SAVIOUR, if Thou withdraw Thy face, Poor, naked, blind, he seeks in vain, But Thou, of Wisdom's self the source, Dead unto Thee, unless Thou give And though ten thousand rays are given O Saviour God, who loved and died! 66 Lord, save, we perish!" still art nigh, A Man, whose matchless tenderness Give us Thyself, and we shall be Sin conquered, death o'erthrown; Thou claim'st us for Thine own! THE BANNER OF THE TRUTH. -000 The New Year in Dublin. Ir has been, for some years, the practice of the friends of the Mission in Dublin to give a feast to the children of the Ragged Schools at Christmas or the New Year. The occasion is always an interesting one. The mere fact of these poor children, who have so little to cheer them in life, being assembled for the substantial fare of meat-pies, with cake and tea, is in itself most gratifying to the benevolent and the humane. But when, in addition to this, it is remembered that these children have been brought up in the darkness of Romanism, and are now well taught in the word of God, and that they exhibit at the examination the same eager delight which the feast elicits, the spectacle of a new-year's festival in the Ragged Schools becomes a scene calculated to awaken the deepest sympathies of all who value the truths of the Bible. We have been favoured with the following graphic description of the celebration of the New Year in Townsend Street, which we have much pleasure in presenting to our readers: "January 5th. "I cannot help writing to you to-night, to tell you of the happy success of our Townsend Street feast. All day yesterday the Mission-house was in a state of the most delightful excitement; the large room, occupied by a number of the junior men, under the superintendence of our active master, Mr. Houston, who were busily engaged decorating the walls for the happy occasion. The kitchen was a scene of rather warmer excitement. In it 275 little meat-pies were in course of manufacture, and most savory was the smell which saluted our olfactory nerves. In the largest room of the Luke Street School were assembled all the children, boys, girls, and infants, practising their hymns; because, you know, when a tune has been learned in three separate schools, there may be some slight variations as to time, which VOL. IX. с |