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

NO TRACE OF TRIMACY. 229world and preach the gospel to every creature.""'* " Andsurely," says Poole, " Peter's diocese cannot be more ex-perhaps Utopia be taken in, or that whichtensive, unlessis in the same part of the world, I mean purgatory "fOn the supposition that Peter possessed the primacy, hemust have exercised it ; and if so, how comes it that notthe slightest trace of such a thing is to be discovered, eitherin the New Testament or in Ecclesiastical History? Therest of the apostles were entirely ignorant of the factEven afterthe words on which we have been commentingwere addressed to Peter, we find them raising the question,with no little warmth, " who should be the greatest" intheir master's kingdom 1—a question which Romanists believehad already been conclusively settled by Christ. Ardentin temper and fearless in disposition, Peter was onsome occasions more prominent than the rest ; but that wasa pre-eminence springing from the man, notfrom the office.His whole intercourse with the other apostles does not furnisha single instance of official superiority. When " Judasby transgression fell," Peter did not presume to nominateto the vacant dignity ; and yet, as prince of the apostles,and the fountain of all ecclesiastical dignity, he ought tohave done so. We do not find him, as arch-apostle, appointingthe ordinary apostles to their spheres of labour, orsummoning them to his bar, to give an account of theirmission, or reproving, admonishing, and exhorting them, ashe might judge they required. In the synod holden atJerusalem, to allay the dissensions which had sprung up onthe subject of circumcision, it was James, and not Peter,that presided.:]:Paul, in the matter of the Gentile converts,withstood Peter "to the face, because he was to be blamed."§"We find," says Stillingfleet, "the apostles sending St* Mark, xvi, 15.t Blow at the Root of the Romish Church, chap. ii. prop. ii.t Acts, XV. § Gal. xi. 11.