Wednesday, May 25, 2016

They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power  Psalms 145:11

“They shall speak of the glory of thy, kingdom,” etc.  The glory of a kingdom is synonymous with its power.  The power of a kingdom consists in the number of its subjects, and the sufficiency of its revenues to maintain them.  Now, the glory, or the power of God’s kingdom, may be inferred from the difference between it and that of man.  There are four points of difference.  First, the kings of this world have but few subjects, with but little wealth, not more than the population and riches of one kingdom, or one province, while God reigns over all angels, all men, all demons; and all wealth on land, in the sea, or in the air, belongs to him.  There is another difference, that while the kings of this world rule their subjects, they are still ruled by them, they are dependent on them, could do nothing without them; and, however abundant their revenues may be, they are generally in want, nay, even in debt, and, consequently, always calling for fresh tributes and taxes; but God, while he governs all, is subject to none, because he needs nobody’s help or assistance.  Instead of being in want, he abounds in everything, because he could, in one moment, bring from nothing much more than he now beholds or enjoys.  The third difference is a consequence of the second, while the kings of this world seem so to enjoy their honours and dignities, they are, at the same time, suffering acutely from interior fears, doubts, and cares, which have some times been so burdensome, as to cause them to abdicate altogether.  God never suffers such pressure, is subject to no fear, no misgivings, but reigns absolutely in perfect tranquillity.  The fourth difference, an essential one, is, that the kings of the world reign but for a time; but God reigneth for ever.               
                                                                                                                                   Robert Bellarmine     

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