_for_ we are all partakers of that ONE Bread!” And in the judgment of the same Apostle, no language seemed too severe to condemn the willing violaters of this Union. It was sacrilege to injure the least of the members; how much more then to divide the Body? That the Baptized were “One with CHRIST,”—that the Communicating believer was already, as it were, linked with the verities of eternity,—were transcendent Mysteries; not bare metaphors, but earthly forms of stating Heavenly Truths. And if every member of CHRIST was thus sacredly looked on, so the more also was the whole Body. “Ye are a chosen generation,” says St. Peter, “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people.”—Every Christian indeed was a “Temple of the HOLY GHOST:” but as S. Clement of Alexandria saith, the CHURCH is GOD’S great Temple—“builded together for an habitation of GOD through the SPIRIT.” Here, then, is opened to us the great Catholic idea of the Christian Revelation—That the mystical COMPANY of CHRIST’S people, as such, were clothed with the heavenly Powers, and “blessed with the heavenly blessings.”—It was in the temple “builded together” that the Divine glory vouchsafed to dwell.—To the Church, the elect assembly, the promises had been made. To the BODY, when in solemn meeting, the special and highest grace of CHRIST had been granted; (and so at the appointed “gatherings together” {134a} the Blessed Eucharist was usually celebrated.)—From the beginning of the Gospel this had been indicated, so that even the instituted Apostolate arose, as at CHRIST’S command, out of the CHURCH, more as the Divine instrument of Her invisible power, than the possessor of aught in itself. {134b} CHRIST’S words, “Thou art Peter,” were instantly connected with the promise of building the CHURCH against which “the gates of hell should not prevail.” The commission, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained,” was instantly followed by words conveying this power of absolving and condemning, to the CHURCH, and not to the _persons_ of the Apostles, {135} except as GOD’S instruments _in_ the CHURCH; “_for_” it is directly added, “where two or three are _gathered together_ in MY name, there am I.” In accordance with which declaration, we see (in a passage before quoted) that an Apostolic condemnation of a sinner was pronounced. “In the name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, when ye (i.e. the Church) are _gathered together_” (1 Cor. v. 4.) In like manner we may trace how, from the first, the highest Authority, as well as sacredness and favour, (Luke xxiv. 33.) was attributed to the “assembling together” of Christians, which therefore they were urged “not to forsake.” Thus when the door of faith was first “opened to the Gentiles,” the Church was “_gathered together_”, (Acts xiv. 27.) and the matter rehearsed. When the question of Judaizing arose, again “the Apostles and Elders _came together_” (Acts xv.