It is a little picture of a gathering composed of all sorts and conditions of men and women, of slaves and freedmen, of artisans, tradesmen, and soldiers, with a certain admixture of cultured and wealthy persons, drawn together in the first instance by the pressure of the burden of the awful sadness of life, by a belief, hazy at first, but growing clearer and more definite every day, as the congregation listened to these teachers who dwelt on the words and acts of the Divine Redeemer who had visited this earth for their sakes. For they came together to hear more of the Redeemer who had sojourned so lately among men. They listened while the Christian teacher who presided over the gathering explained the historic words, the commandments and promises of that pitiful, loving Master who had entered into their life; they would then partake of the mystic Eucharist feast together; and as they partook of the sacred bread and wine as He had bidden His followers to do in memory of Him and His death and suffering for their sakes, they would feel He was indeed in their midst, and that new life, new hope were theirs. The dogmatic teaching in these early assemblies was very simple, but strangely sublime. It was given in a language every one could understand. It went home to the hearts of all--of the wise and unlearned alike. The story of the Gospels, the wonderful words of the Master--were at once the text and subject of every sermon and exposition. We have among our precious reliquiæ of the earliest days enough to show us what was the groundwork of this primitive teaching. An _atonement_ had been made by the Divine One who had come among men; He had suffered for them, and by His suffering had redeemed them. In all the earliest Christian writings which we possess, this great truth is repeated again and again. With adoring gratitude the Christian Brotherhood loved and worshipped Him. Jesus Christ was the centre of all their hopes--the source of their strange, newly found happiness.[60] Very briefly we will quote a very few of these important dogmatic sayings pressed home to the believers when they met together. _Clement of Rome_--_circa_ A.D. 95: “Let us fix our eyes on _the blood of Christ_, and understand how precious it is unto His Father, because being _shed for our salvation_.”--_Ep._ i. 7. “Let us fear the Lord Jesus whose blood was given for us.”--_Ep._ i. 11. “Jesus Christ our Lord hath given His blood for us, by the will of God ... His life for our lives.”--_Ep._ i. 49. _Ignatius of Antioch_--_circa_ A.D. 107-10. “It is evident to me that you are living not after men but after Jesus Christ who died for us, that believing on His death ye might escape death.”--_Ep. ad Trall._ 2. “Him (Jesus Christ) I seek, who died on our behalf; Him I desire, who rose again (for our sake).”--_Ep. ad Rom._ 6.