self, the leader and prince of the apostles, bursting forth into this very expression of his own unbelief. For when, together with the rest, he had been asked what he thought of Him, that is, whom he thought Him to be, and first had confessed the truth, saying, that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God,' and was therefore pronounced blessed, because he had attained to this, not by the flesh, but by the revelation of the heavenly Father, yet that same true confessor of Christ,.........a few days after, began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Lord, be propitious to Thyself; this shall not be.' (Matt. xvi. 22)."-Auctor. de Rebaptism. n. 10, Galland. ii. p. 366.

ST. ARCHELAUS, G. C. 278.-"The apostle Peter, the most eminent of all the disciples, was able to acknowledge Him on that occasion, when all were putting forth the several opinions which they entertained respecting Him; for he said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,' (Matt. xvi. 16); and immediately He names him blessed, saying, 'For my heavenly Father hath revealed it to thee.' ......Peter, on a certain occasion, subsequent to the time of his receiving that declaration of blessedness from Him, said to Jesus, 'Be it far from Thee, Lord. This shall not be unto Thee.' (Matt. xvi. 22.) This he said after Jesus had announced to him that the

having amended their faith, were baptized after the Lord's Resurrection with the Holy Spirit."-Ib. n. 6. p. 365. Another anonymous treatise of the same date says: "Whom of those who had failed or denied Him while He was still with them, did our Lord deny? Even Peter, whom He had previously foretold as about to deny Him, when he had denied Him, He did not deny, but sustained; and He Himself soothes him when subsequently bitterly bewailing his denial."-Tract. ad Novatian. de lapsis, n. 8, p. 373, Galland. iii.

Son of Man must go up to Jerusalem, and be killed, and rise again the third day. (Matt. xvi. 21.) And, in answer then to Peter, He said, 'Go behind Me, Satan, because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.' (Matt. xvi. 23.)......Tell me, then, why it is, that when the devils confessed Him, and said, 'We know Thee, who Thou art, the Holy God,' (Luke, iv. 34), He rebuked them, and commanded them to be silent. Why, if He does indeed take pleasure in the testimonies of those who confess Him, did He not recompense them also with benedictions, as He did Peter when giving utterance to the truth? But if that would be an absurdity, it remains that we must understand the words spoken, in accordance with the place, the time, the persons, the subjects and the due consideration of the circumstances."*-Disput. cum Manete, n. 47, 48, Galland. iii. p. 602.

ST. PETER OF ALEXANDRIA, G. C. 306.-" Peter, who was adjudged above the apostles, having been often arrested, imprisoned, and ignominiously treated, at last was crucified at Rome."-Canon 9, Galland. iv. p. 98.

EUSEBIUS OF CÆSAREA, G. C. 325.-" Peter, that coryphæus, having first founded the Church at Antioch, went away to Rome preaching the Gospel; and he also, after the Church in Antioch, presided over that of Rome until his death."-T. i. Chron. ad ann. 44, (Sync.), p. 539-40, Ed. Migne.t

*Pro accidentium salute: accedentium ? and the supreme good of those who drew nigh to Him.

† "Peter the apostle, when he had first founded the Church at Antioch, is sent to Rome, and there, preaching the Gospel, continued Bishop of that city for twenty-five years."-St. Jerome's translation.

"Under the reign of Claudius, the most benign and gracious Providence of God leads, as it were, by the hand to Rome, that powerful and great one, him, who on account of his excellence, took the lead of all the rest, Peter, against that sad destroyer of the human race, (Simon Magus). He, like a noble general of God, fortified with divine arms, brought the precious merchandize of intellectual light from the east to those in the west."-T. ii. H. E. ii. 14, p. 52.

"Peter, on whom is built Christ's Church, against which (Church) the gates of hell shall not prevail, has left one Epistle that is acknowledged."-Ib. H. E. vi. 25, p. 26.*

"The Saviour prophecied that His doctrine would be preached over the whole world, wherever man was, as a testimony to all nations; and, by a divine foreknowledge predicted that the Church, too, which, during the years of His sojourning amongst men, was not seen nor established, should be invincible, incapable of being overthrown, and never to be overcome by death; but should, according to His declaration, stand and continue immoveable, as being, by His power, firmly established and embedded on a rock that could not be moved, nor broken. Better than all reasoning, with good cause should the accomplishment of this prophecy put to silence the unbridled tongues of all who, unchecked by shame, are ever ready to give proof of their audacity. For the fame of His Gospel has filled every country which the sun illumines. Nor has it in any way yielded to its enemies, or even to the gates of death; and this because of that word which He uttered, I will build My Church upon a rock, and

* This passage is a quotation, by Eusebius, from Origen's Commentaries on St. John.

the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.'"-T. iii. Prep. Ev. i. 3, p. 7. Cf. in Ps. 16, p. 174-5; Ps. 44, p. 402; Ps. 52, p. 456; Ps. 67, p. 694; Ps. 71; Ps. 86; Ps. 90; Ps. 92; in Isai. c. 28; De Theophan. n. 6, p. 642.

Contrasting Christ and Moses, he says, "In addition to all this, Moses changed the name to Jesus, and so in like manner did the Saviour change that of Simon to Peter."-T. iv. Demons. Evang. L. iii. 2, p. 93; Cf. Ib. p. 195; & T. v. Ps. 71, p. 811.

And it

"Matthew, when an apostle, did not pass from his former method of livelihood to one more holy, but is amongst those employed as publicans and in farming the taxes. Not one of the Evangelists published this. Not John, his fellow apostle, nor Luke, nor Mark, but Matthew stigmatises his own life, and is his own accuser. Listen how plainly he makes mention of his own name, in the Gospel that he wrote, speaking thus: And when Jesus passed on from thence, He saw a man sitting in the customhouse, Matthew by name, and He said to him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him. came to pass, as He was sitting in the house, many publicans and sinners sat down with Jesus and His disciples.' (Matt. ix. 9, 10.) And again, farther on, when he is setting down a list of the disciples, he adds to his own name that of the publican. For he says, 'The names of the twelve apostles are these; the first Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas_and Matthew, the publican.' (Matt. x. 2, 3.) Thus, then does Matthew, by an excess of fairness, manifest his love of truth, as regards his own habits, and call himself a publican; not concealing his former manner of life. And he gives his own name after that of his comrade. For though coupled with Thomas; Peter with Andrew; James with John;

and Philip with Bartholomew; he places Thomas before himself, honouring his fellow apostle as his superior, though the other evangelists do the very contrary. Hearken then to Luke, how, when he mentions Matthew, he does not call him a publican; nor place him after Thomas; but knowing him the superior, he names him first, and brings in Thomas second, as Mark also has done. These are his words: And when day was come, He called unto Him His disciples, and He chose twelve of them, whom also He named apostles; Simon, whom also He surnamed Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas.' (Luke, vi. 13, 15.) Thus, therefore, Luke honoured Matthew, according as those who from the beginning had been eye-witnesses and ministers of the word had handed down to him. And you will find John acting in the same manner as Matthew. And Peter, through excess of reverence, did not think it became him to write a Gospel; but Mark, having become his familiar and disciple, is said to have commemorated the discourses of Peter concerning the actions of Jesus. This Mark, having come to that part of the history, where Jesus having asked whom men say that He is, and what opinion His own disciples also had concerning Him, and Peter had answered as regards the Christ, he writes as if Jesus had made no answer, nor said anything to him (Peter), but only that He warned them to tell no one concerning Him. For Mark was not present at the discourse uttered by Jesus; and neither did Peter think it fitting to produce, by his own testimony, the things said to, and concerning, himself, by Jesus. But what was said to him, Matthew makes known in these words: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him; Blessed art thou