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

234 APOSTOLICITY, OR PETER's PRIMACY.that to the Colossians, and the second to Timothy) from thatcity ; and though these abound with warm greetings and remembrances,tiie name of Peter does not once occur in them.In the epistle which he wrote to the Church at Rome, hesends sahitations to twenty-five individuals, and to severalwhole households besides ; but he sends no salutation toPeter, their bishop ! It is plain, that when these epistleswere written, Peter was not at Rome. " Particularly StPeter was not there," argues Barrov/, in his matchless treatise," when St Paul, mentioning Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus,Marcus, and Justus, addeth, ' these alone myfellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, who have been acomfort unto me.' He was not there when St Paul said, 'atmy first defence no man stood with me, but all men forsookme.' He was not there immediately before St Paul'sdeath (when the time of his departure was at hand), whenhe telleth Timothy that all the brethren did salute him,and, naming divers of them, he omitteth Peter."*Nor have the Romanists been able to establish in Peter'sbehalf that he was the founder of the Church at Rome. Itis no uncertain inference, that the apostle Paul, if not thefirst to carry Christianity within the imperial walls, wasthe first to organize a regular Church at Rome. Whenthe epistle to the Romans was written, there was a smallcompany of believers in that metropolis, partly Jews andpartly Gentiles ; but they had never been visited by anyapostle. Of this we find a proof in the opening lines of hisepistle, where he says, " I long to see you, that I may impartunto you some spiritual gift."-|- To an apostle onlybelonged the power of imparting such gifts; and we may* Barrow's Woilig, vol. i. p. 600. We have eight instances of Pa'il'scommunicating with Rome,—two letters to, and six/;-o»i, that city,—duringthe alleged episcojiate of Peter there ; and yet not the slightest allusion toPeter occurs in any one of these letters. This is wholly inexplicable onthe sujiposition that Peter was at Rome.+ Romans, i. 11.