THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST of the race, and so opened Heaven once more to man ; and He brought the gifts man needed of truth, law and life. On the question how men were to obtain these gifts from Him the last chapter closed. Now to this question there is a very simple and satisfying answer. While He was upon this earth, Christ gathered a small band of followers, the disciples. Of these He selected twelve — the Apostles, of whom one, Peter, was singled out from the others — took them about with Him, taught them, and when He was about to leave the earth gave them a commission to teach the truths and the laws He wished men to know: to administer the sacraments by which His life might flow to the souls of men. Thus, when He left the world. He left His followers as a body among whom were officials, with Peter at their head, who could transmit the truth, law, life men needed : by joining this body, then, men could receive from its officials what all men need. Christ extended their commission to all nations: that it might survive the ages. He extended it to the end of the world : that the teaching and the life might never fail. He promised to be with them in the work He had given them to do. Thus, then, you have His arrangement. His followers, still united with the successor of Peter, the visible point of unity, were to be one body till the end of time : and in that body they should receive teaching which is infallible, because Christ is with it, and sacraments which are channels of true life, because Christ is with them. 59