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Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

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THE THIRD AGE OF THE MARTYR CHURCH.349all this spiritual empire, is at Rome. S. Ignatiusand the author <strong>of</strong> the letter to Diognetus writejust after the expiration <strong>of</strong> the apostolic period;and they both regard Christians as one massthroughout the world, living under a divine form<strong>of</strong> spiritual government. No one who studiestheir words can doubt that the one Body and theone Spirit were as visible to their eyes and as dearto their heart as to S. Paul.We pass two generations further and S. Ire-naeus repeats the same testimony. <strong>The</strong> intervalhas been filled by incessant attacks " <strong>of</strong> heresies,and the Bishop <strong>of</strong> Lyons dwells upon the factthat the Church speaks with one voice throughall the regions <strong>of</strong> the earth as being one House <strong>of</strong>God, and that the seat <strong>of</strong> this its unity is in thegreat See founded by the Princes <strong>of</strong> the Apostlesat Rome. He reproduces at great length thestatements <strong>of</strong> S. Paul that the safeguard <strong>of</strong> truthlies in the one apostolic ministry, for whichruns up to the fountain-headvin Rome. It is inthe living voice and the teaching <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> theChurch"that he sees a perpetual preservativeagainst whatever error may arise. Thus it hasbeen up to his time, and thus it will ever be.Another period <strong>of</strong> seventy years runs on, anwe come to the just-cited testimony <strong>of</strong> Cypriaiwho therefore said nothing new, nor anytlaggerated; but when the truth was assailed in itsvery citadel, he spoke out and described whereinRARY ST. /,U2Y'S CGLL££

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