, shall find there is no place
in the whole Scripture, that maketh more against the Popes Authority,
than this very place. The Priests and Scribes seeking to kill our
Saviour at the Passeover, and Judas possessed with a resolution to
betray him, and the day of killing the Passeover being come, our Saviour
celebrated the same with his Apostles, which he said, till the Kingdome
of God was come hee would doe no more; and withall told them, that one
of them was to betray him: Hereupon they questioned, which of them it
should be; and withall (seeing the next Passeover their Master would
celebrate should be when he was King) entred into a contention, who
should then be the greater man. Our Saviour therefore told them, that
the Kings of the Nations had Dominion over their Subjects, and are
called by a name (in Hebrew) that signifies Bountifull; but I cannot
be so to you, you must endeavour to serve one another; I ordain you a
Kingdome, but it is such as my Father hath ordained mee; a Kingdome that
I am now to purchase with my blood, and not to possesse till my second
coming; then yee shall eat and drink at my Table, and sit on Thrones,
judging the twelve Tribes of Israel: And then addressing himself to
St. Peter, he saith, Simon, Simon, Satan seeks by suggesting a present
domination, to weaken your faith of the future; but I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith shall not fail; Thou therefore (Note this,) being
converted, and understanding my Kingdome as of another world, confirm
the same faith in thy Brethren: To which S. Peter answered (as one that
no more expected any authority in this world) "Lord I am ready to goe
with thee, not onely to Prison, but to Death." Whereby it is manifest,
S. Peter had not onely no jurisdiction given him in this world, but a
charge to teach all the other Apostles, that they also should have none.
And for the Infallibility of St. Peters sentence definitive in matter
of Faith, there is no more to be attributed to it out of this Text, than
that Peter should continue in the beleef of this point, namely, that
Christ should come again, and possesse the Kingdome at the day of
Judgement; which was not given by the Text to all his Successors; for
wee see they claim it in the World that now is.
The second place is that of Matth. 16. "Thou art Peter, and upon this
rocke I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail
against it." By which (as I have already shewn in this chapter) is
proved
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