Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

396 THK FORMATION OF CHRISTENDOMhe whole teaching of the Church, through her livingtructure in the hierarchy, through her channels ofgrace in the sacraments, and through -^^~- her great -^^^"- act ofworship, the Sacrifice. For were not all her membchildren together of one Father ? Was not this theirbaptismal name ? Was it not her very distinguishingmark that neither difference of rank nor difference ofrace affected at all the Christian adoption ? He whoreceived it arose " renewed unto knowledge accordingto the image of the Creator, where there is neitherGentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ isall and in all." Nor did this remain a fine theory,like the Stoic fraternity or the Epicurean and afterwardsthe Neoplatonic friendship. From the beginningmaster and slave partook together of thesacraments which conferred the brotherhood, and sustainedit when conferred. Nor was God the Creatorever celebrated with such chants of praise as" thosewhich arose from the eucharistic altar on which Godthe Redeemer lay sacrificed, to be the food of Hisbrethren.Philosophy had - been for ages trying to find anadequate basis for the relative duties of man to man.The Stoic conceived that he had found it in thecommon possession of reason, which he attempted toexalt into a share of the divine nature. This samenotion formed the core of the Neoplatonic theory.Hence both deduced a sort of duty of man to himself,and by consequence to other men of like nature.But the theory was tainted at its source with falsehood.Man's spirit was as much made as his body.To represent, therefore, human duty as springingfrom the possession of reason on the ground that this