y: If thou lovest Me, chastise thy body by fasting and stripes,
prophesy, work miracles, lay down thy life for Me? No, but "feed My
lambs," "feed My sheep." This was to be the closest bond of Peter's
devotion to his Master, and of the Master's affection for His disciple.

And our Lord declares that the reward of His disciples would be
commensurate with the dignity of their ministry: "Behold," says Peter, "we
have left all things and have followed Thee. What, therefore, shall we
have? And Jesus said to them, Amen, I say to you that you who have
followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the
seat of His majesty, you shall also sit on twelve seats, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel." And immediately after He adds that the worthy
successors of the Apostles shall share in their felicity: "And every one
that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or
wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake shall receive a hundredfold
and shall possess life everlasting."(505)

I know that there are many in our days who deny that Priests possess any
spiritual power--as if God could not communicate such power to men. I
understand why atheists and rationalists, who reject all revelation,
should deny all supernatural authority to the ministers of God. But that
professing Christians who accept the testimony of Scripture should share
in this unbelief passes my comprehension.

Has not the Almighty, in numberless instances recorded in Holy Writ, made
man the instrument of His power? Did not Moses convert the rivers of Egypt
into blood? Did he not cause water to issue from the barren rock? Did not
the prophets predict future events? Did not the sun stand still in the
heavens at the command of Josue? Did not Eliseus, the prophet, raise the
dead to life? Why do we believe all these prodigies? Because the
Scriptures record them. Does not the same Word of God declare that the
Apostles received power to confer the Holy Ghost by the imposition of
hands, to forgive sins, to consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ, etc.
Is not the New Testament as worthy of belief as the Old? Has not Jesus
Christ solemnly promised to be always with the ministers of His Church,
"even to the consummation of the world," strengthening them to repeat
those miracles of mercy that were wrought by His first disciples? Can the
God of truth be unfaithful to His promises? Is He not as strong and
merciful now as He was in days of t