Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries
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Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

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146 THE SECOND MAN VERIFIED IN HISTORY.them without, through the craft of men and theseduction of deceit.27 " Possessing the truth inarity," or a sanctified in the truth," was the expressionof that divine life in common wherebythey were to grow up into one, and be called by thename of their Lord,28 because inseparably unitedby the nerves and ligaments of one BodjAnd this makes manifest to us how Christians,while scattered through every city of the greatRoman empire, formed one Body. It was byvirtue of the unity of spiritual jurisdiction whichdirected the whole ministry of that Body. Thecommand of our Lord was, u Go, and make disciplesall nations," "proclaim the gospel to everycreature ;" the Body assembled and empowered atPentecost was to carry out this command. Howdid it do so ? The teaching and ruling powerwas distributed through a ministry wherein thoseof a particular order were equal as holding thatorder: bishops as bishops were equal, priests aspriests. But not the less by the distribution ofthe places where the ministry was to be fulfilled,subordination was maintained through the wholeBody. Had it been otherwise, as each Bishop hadhe completeness of the priesthood in himself, hisshere of action, that is, his diocese, would haveconstituted a distinct body. But no such thing27 Ephes. iv. 11-16. d\7j0et'orre$ «V aydirr). Job, xvii. 19. $yto0p¬P»< eV28 1 Cor. xii, 12. O&T& Kai 6 Xpt(rr6$.

THE SECOND MAN VERIFIED IN HISTORY.147was ever imagined in the Church of those firstcenturies. The Bishops were, on the contrary,joint possessors of one power, only to be exercisedin unity.29 The unity was provided for inthe Apostolic body by the creation of the Primacy,without which the Body never acted, the Primatebeing designated before the Body was made ; thePrimate invested with his functions on the seashoreof the lake of Galilee before the Ascension,the Body on which he was to exercise them animatedon the day of Pentecost. Spiritual jurisdictionbeing nothing else but the grant to exerciseall spiritual powers, two jurisdictions would maketwo bodies ; a thousand would make a thousand ;so that the more the Church grew, the more itwould be divided, were it not that the root of allits powers in their exercise is one. A spiritualkingdom is absolutely impossible without this unityof jurisdiction; and in virtue of it the whole Church,from north to south and from east to west, was andis one Body in its teaching and its rule ; that is,in the administration of all those gifts which werebestowed at the day of Pentecost,"and which haved to be exercised from that day to thand which shall never cease to the end of the world.Thus as it is through the Body that men are madeept Christians, so the Primacy is that prin--^pars tenetur."mm

146 THE SECOND MAN VERIFIED IN HISTORY.them without, through the craft <strong>of</strong> men and theseduction <strong>of</strong> deceit.27 " Possessing the truth inarity," or a sanctified in the truth," was the expression<strong>of</strong> that divine life in common wherebythey were to grow up into one, and be called by thename <strong>of</strong> their Lord,28 because inseparably unitedby the nerves and ligaments <strong>of</strong> one BodjAnd this makes manifest to us how Christians,while scattered through every city <strong>of</strong> the greatRoman empire, formed one Body. It was byvirtue <strong>of</strong> the unity <strong>of</strong> spiritual jurisdiction whichdirected the whole ministry <strong>of</strong> that Body. <strong>The</strong>command <strong>of</strong> our Lord was, u Go, and make disciplesall nations," "proclaim the gospel to everycreature ;" the Body assembled and empowered atPentecost was to carry out this command. Howdid it do so ? <strong>The</strong> teaching and ruling powerwas distributed through a ministry wherein those<strong>of</strong> a particular order were equal as holding thatorder: bishops as bishops were equal, priests aspriests. But not the less by the distribution <strong>of</strong>the places where the ministry was to be fulfilled,subordination was maintained through the wholeBody. Had it been otherwise, as each Bishop hadhe completeness <strong>of</strong> the priesthood in himself, hisshere <strong>of</strong> action, that is, his diocese, would haveconstituted a distinct body. But no such thing27 Ephes. iv. 11-16. d\7j0et'orre$ «V aydirr). Job, xvii. 19. $yto0p¬P»< eV28 1 Cor. xii, 12. O&T& Kai 6 Xpt(rr6$.

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