The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

222 APOSTOLICITY, OR PETER's PRIMACY.the Church, that is, Christianity, built ? On Jesus Christ,replies the apostle.If these words do not definitely settlethat question, we despair of words being found capable ofsettling it. " It is here," says Calvin, " abundantly evidenton what rock it is that the Church is built." Bellarmine,unable to meet this plain testimony, attempts to turn asideits ^orce by saying, that it is granted that Christ is the primaryfoundation of the Church, but that Peter is the foundationof the Church in the room of Christ, or as Christ'svicar ; and that it is proper to speak of the Church as immediatelyand literally built upon Peter.* Now, no enlightenedProtestant affirms that Romanists make Peter the soleand primary author of Christianity, or that they utterly ignorethe person and work of the Saviour :admit, is regarding vicarship.But to make Peter the foundationof the Church inthe question, theythe room of Christ, or as Christ'svicar, is just to make him the foundation of the Church.To devolve upon a second party theimmediate and literalgovernment of the realm, would be a virtual dethronementof the real monarch, more especially if the party in questionbad no patent of investiture to exhibit. The more enlightenedheathens willingly allowed the existence and supremacyof an infiniteroom.and invisible Being, only they put idols in hisRomanists have dealt in the same way by the divinefoundation of the Church . reserving the empty name toOnrist, they have put him aside, and substituted another.The Bible furnishes not a tittle of evidence that the personof Peter can in any sense, or to any extent, be denominatedthe foundation.Nay, it explicitly asserts that Christ is thatfoundation, to the exclusion of all participation on the partof any one. " Other foundation can no man lay than thatwhich is Jesus Christ."To the same mp ort is the passage, " And are built uponis laid,the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christhimself being the chief corner-stone."-f-Romanists some-* De Roman. Pont. lib. i. cap. x. + Ephesians, ii. 20.