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 against the  Son  will  be  forgiven,  but  rebellion  against the Holy  Ghost  never— either  in  this  world  or  in the  next,  He  now  says  to  His  Apostles:  "  Receive ye  the  Holy  Ghost." And the  dominion He gives  them,  He  promises,  shall  embrace  every creature in  the  whole  world  and  shall  endure  for  all time. Now this  kingdom  of  Christ,  forasmuch  as  it  is on  the  earth,  is  not  wholly  spiritual — it  is  as  visible and tangible  as  the  kingdom  of  Britain  or  the  German empire. When Christ  said:  "My  kingdom  is  not from  hence,"  He  did  not  mean  to  disclaim  an  earthly empire, but  He  pointed,  rather,  to  the  divine  origin of His  authority. With this  authority  He  invested  a purely  human  society  which,  after  His  ascension, from small  beginnings  grew  into  a  mighty  empire, the ruler  of  rulers,  the  common  mother  and  protector of kingdoms. Herein is  verified  that  twofold description of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  Gospel: " First,  it  is  like  a  man  gone  into  a  far  country  who called  together  his  servants  and  delivered  unto  them his  goods;  and  second,  it  is  like  the  mustard-seed,  the least  of  all,  but  being  grown  becomes  a  great  tree  in whose  branches  the  fowls  of  the  air  find  a  shelter."

Granted then,  the  imperial  nature  of  Christ's  kingdom on  earth — Christ's  Church — we  are  confronted immediately with  the  one  great  menace  to  her  stability— her  contact  with  the  purely  secular  powers  of the  world  and  the  consequent  clashing  of  rights. Having her  divine  destiny  to  attain,  the  Church  can never forego  one  iota  of  her  authority  without proving false  to  her  mission  and  her  Founder. On