Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

342 THE THIRD AGE OF THE MARTYR CHURCH.full in the thirty-three years : a thought which wehave seen Origen expressing in the chrism whichdescended from the head of Aaronskirt of his raiment.to the utmostut likewise in His Priesthood a parallel derivationensues. First He multiplies Himself inHis Apostles : they again in the Bishops whomthey create ; while each of these communicateshimself in his priests. A triple transfusion sufficesto form the whole hierarchical order. Nothing o canbe conceived more simple, yet nothing more efficientsupposing that He is what He proclaimed Himselfto be. The victim which He appoints to beoffered by this priesthood is Himself, and His Bodyso offered is the food, 4 the U-LJLV-/ life, -1_-LJ.\_S* and the bond of thewhole spiritual Body thus created. That Personwith which He took the manhood is the centre of-all this worshi, of which the manhood so takenis the instrument. Thus it is that His secondoffice of Priest, bound up so entirely with Himself,is yet communicated through His divine man-hood to the whole Body which He forms. And thisorder remains through all ages, as intimately con-nected with his Person now, as eighteen centuriesago, and as it will be when all the centuries tocome are evolved.One office remains ; His office of King. Andhere, again, the jurisdiction which He created forHis kingdom springs from His Person, and that notonly in its origin but in its perpetual derivation.