Page:The Church, by John Huss.pdf/141

Rh there is required for such an office as that of vicar conformity of life and authority from the person instituting it, and to this one [such a vicar] the Saviour at the Last Supper committed the institution of the venerable sacrament. And constituting his disciples his vicars that they might so do in remembrance of him, he said: "I have given you an example that ye also should do as I have done to you," John 13:15. He also said: "Whosoever shall do and teach them he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven," Matt. 5:19.

On this point St. Jerome ad Heliodorum, also Decretum, Dist. 40 (Friedberg, 1: 145], says: "It is not easy to fill the place of Peter and Paul in occupying the chair—cathedra—of those who reign with Christ, because it was said, 'they are not the children of saints who hold the places of saints, but they who do their good works.'" St. Gregory [Friedberg, 1: 146] says the same: "Neither places nor orders make us near to our Creator, but our good works bind us together or our evil works separate us." Likewise Chrysostom, Dist. 40: 12 [Friedberg, 1: 147], says: "Many priests there are, and few; many in name, and few in works. See, therefore, how ye sit in the official chair, for the chair does not make the priest, but the priest makes the chair: the place does not sanctify the man, but the man the place. Not every priest is holy; but every holy person is a priest. He who sits well in the official chair gives honor to the chair; he who sits there ill does injury to it. Therefore a bad priest gets criminality from his priesthood not dignity."

Likewise, we have this from the Acts of Boniface-Martyr [Friedberg, 1: 146]: "If a pope neglect his own and his brother's salvation and be reproved as useless, remiss in his acts, and above all keeping silent about the good because