Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

202 THE FIRST AGE OF THE MARTYR, CHURCHin One whose mind they collectively represent,and that One is He from whose Person their authorityradiates; in "whom, as he says in this sameletter, " the old kingdom was being destroyed, Godappearing j in the form of a man, unto the newnessof eternal life."25 Again, it is not merely an outwardunity of government, but an inward unity ofthe truth held in common, and also held as givenby authority: not truth, as a result of the curiosityof the human intellect, rather truth, as aparticipation in the mind of Christ. Thus theCatholic unity of government is at the same time aunity of belief, which two unities are not, in fact,separable, for their principle is one in the Personof Christ, in respect of whom submission to theRuler is one and the same thing with belief in thetruth revealed by Him, who is King no less thanWord, Word no less than King.We have, then, here the principle of authorityand tradition as seated in the hierarchy, and at thesame time the whole order and unity of the Churchas girdling the world by its chain of the Episcopate,and as possessing the truth and exhibiting itin its quality of an institution. It is before us andat work in its succession of men, in its sacramentswhich they administer,26its truth which is im-25 Ad, Eplies. xix.26 Another point on which S. Ignatius dwells repeatedly is the receivingthe flesh of Christ in the Eucharist: thus he says of the heterodox,ad S-myrn. 6: " They abstain from the Eucharist and prayer,because they do not confess that the Eucharist is that flesh of our