Yesterday was the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and his writings near the end of his life to the churches in the Near East are a remarkable witness to the structure of the Church in her infancy. The following are a couple of quotes from his letter to the Smyrneans:

"See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." A portion of Chapter 8. This is also the first time the title "Catholic Church" is used. Keep in mind this is being written in the early 100s.

"And say I, Honour thou God indeed, as the Author and Lord of all things, but the bishop as the high-priest, who bears the image of God - of God. inasmuch as he is a ruler, and of Christ, in his capacity of a priest. After Him, we must also honour the king. For there is no one superior to God, or even like to Him, among all the beings that exist. Nor is there any one in the Church greater than the bishop, who ministers as a priest to God for the salvation of the whole world. Nor, again, is there any one among rulers to be compared with the king, who secures peace and good order to those over whom he rules. He who honours the bishop shall be honoured by God, even as he that dishonours him shall be punished by God." A portion of Chapter 9.

His writings are free at online sources and they're worth a read in their entirety! St. Ignatius of Antioch, pray for us!