Petros - Petra - Kleis

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: INTRODUCTION. The address of the Saviour to the Apostle Peter, which is the subject of the following Commentary, is said to be cited, even by Protestants, for the purpose of justify ing the assumption of the priestly title and office in the Christian Church. But there is no doubt of the fact, that this...
More Description

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: INTRODUCTION. The address of the Saviour to the Apostle Peter, which is the subject of the following Commentary, is said to be cited, even by Protestants, for the purpose of justify ing the assumption of the priestly title and office in the Christian Church. But there is no doubt of the fact, that this citation is most confidently made by the numerous body that attempt, thereby, to prove the sanctity of the spiritual and temporal dominion which, for so many ages, has been usurped by the Church of Rome. The examination of the text, which is thus claimed by the sacerdotal party, as, directly or indirectly, establishing a Christian priesthood, cannot, if scripturally conducted, be unprofitable to those who would add to their faith the knowledge which may enable them to withstand a widely-spreading and ensnaring error. To earnest and honest inquirers after truth, the dryness, inseparable from an investigation of this nature, will prove no hindrance to its pursuit; to such readers is this dissertation, cordially and with much sympathy, addressed. If it should be asked why priesthood is made so prominent in the following pages, the reply is, that, without deducing this sacerdotal system from the text under consideration, the main support of the Romish domination would be wanting. For the temporal power is merely a result of the spiritual dominion over the souls of men which Rome has obtained; and this spiritual rule is derived from the paramount influence of the priestly oflice. Wherefore, in tracing the matter to its source, it will be seen that the establishment of priesthood is a prominent, if not the main, object of the Romish interpretation of the Lord's address to His Apostle. The reasonableness of this supposition is apparent, if it be considered that the...