Page:The Church, by John Huss.pdf/137

Rh And so Peter heard from the Lord's lips the words: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." And because of this faith Peter received the burden of the church's prefecture. And the Rock said: "I say that thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my church." Hence, on account of these things Peter's vicars and those appointed to rule in the church are bound to preach the church's faith. Therefore, the Saviour said: "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren," Luke 22:32. Therefore, praying for faith, "he was heard for his godly fear," Heb. 5:7.

In the second place the Lord joined with him the primacy of office. After my death, he said: "I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven," that is, the keys of the church, which I will strengthen and defend against the church of the wicked by giving to thee the power of binding and loosing that thou mayest, not without avail, hold the keys of the church which I have given thee for thy meritorious confession of my humanity and deity, of which, taught by the Father, after a heavenly manner, thou didst say: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Therefore, because of his confession, so confident and profound, he was called Cephas, which is by interpretation Peter, John 1:42. For this reason Jerome, expert in languages, says: "that Cephas means Peter, or firmness, and that it is a Syriac not a Hebrew word." This affords the solution of the last objection; for Cephas does not mean head, according to the Gospel and Jerome, but Peter.

Peter's second virtue was humility. Inasmuch as Peter heard from his Master the words, "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart," Matt. 11:29 and, "whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be first among you, let him be your servant," Matt.