Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/587

 keys of the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind upon earth,  it  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven; and  whatsoever  thou shalt loose  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven.”

Witnesses for  the  Divinity  of  Christ:  1. Peter testified  that  Jesus was the  Son  of  the  living  God. 2. Our  Lord  accepted  and  ratified  this confession of  faith,  by  calling  Himself  the  Son  of  the  Father  who  is  in heaven,  and  by  calling  Peter  ‘blessed’  on  account  of  his  faith  in  His Divinity. 3. Our  Lord  acted  and  spoke  as  God,  by  giving  Peter  the keys of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  by  promising  him  a continuous power of  binding  and  loosing — a power  which,  obviously,  only  God could give.

Faith is  a gift  of  God.  The  natural  reason  of  the  people  sufficed to make  them  understand,  from  His  teaching  and  miracles,  that  Jesus was a mighty  prophet. But, as  our  Lord  expressly  said,  supernatural light and  grace  were  necessary  to  enable  them  to  pierce  the  veil  of His  human  nature,  and  recognise  in  this  poor  Jesus  of  Nazareth  the Second Person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity. St. Leo  the  Great  writes  thus: “By divine  inspiration  Peter’s  mind  soared  above  that  which  his  senses could perceive,  and  with  the  eyes  of  his  spirit  he  recognised  the  Son of the  living  God,  and  the  glory  of  His  Divinity.”

The Church  of  Christ. Our  Lord,  in  this  chapter,  said  that  He would  found  a Church  (one  only),  and  that  this  Church  could  not  be overcome. At the  same  time  He  elected  Peter  to  be  its  foundation, and clearly  chose  the  other  apostles  to  be  its  pillars. Thus the  twelve apostles, with  Peter  as  their  chief,  were  the  foundation  of  the  Church, upon which  and  into  which  all  men,  like  so  many  stones,  had  to  be built. The Church  of  Christ  is,  therefore,  visible. She is  formed  of men,  and  governed  by  men,  who  are  armed  with  the  divine  power  of binding  and  loosing. The faithful  owe  obedience  to  this  Church  of Christ,  and  he  who  refuses  to  obey  her  is  to  be  regarded  as  a heathen, who has  no  part  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  (chapter  XL).