Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

LIBRARY ST MARY'S mi IPOWER OF THE GREEK PHILOSOPHY 353made and carries on the Christian Church. The workcontinues one likewise in operation by the Church inall times and places. The teacher who does not holdspiritual rule is an impotent teacher; the teacher whodoes not offer sacrifice is a false teacher. How poorwas the mere sacrificant who did not teach, though headministered a rite in itself full of teaching, we haveseen in the fully-ripened heathen corruption. Howmiserable was the separation of action from belief andworship we have seen in that same corruption. Infact, the efficacy of each several function lies in theirunion.The office of the Teacher, the Pastor, and the Priestis carried on undivided in the whole Church, but inits bearers it is seen in three degrees. In its fulnessit dwells in the Sovereign Pontificate; in its diocesanderivation it is stored up in each bishop; it is diffusedthrough the whole Church in the priesthood. WhenConstantine examined it he found the Christian Episcopatein all lands. No Christian community existedwhich did not form part of a diocese under the rule ofa bishop. Between diocese and diocese there was theutmost variety as to extent and population, but in allthe same organisation, and the rank of the bishop ineach the same with regard to all who were under hiscare. If this had been all, the Church would nothave formed a kingdom, but at the utmost a confederationof provinces far more numerous than the provincesof any temporal kingdom, and in proportionliable to disruption. The power which was to lastfor ever and to defy the gates of hell, would havebeen the weakest and most dissoluble of all powers.It was not so that the Church had grown. It was notso that the great commission, " Feed My lambs," " BeVOL. m. z