Chapter 4. All the Blessed Are Kings.

THE fourth reason (and a very powerful one) why heaven is called a kingdom is because all the Blessed in heaven are kings, and all the conditions of being such most aptly apply to them. For although the saints

in heaven serve God, as it is mentioned in the Apocalypse, yet at the same time they reign also ; for in the same book, and in the same chapter, where it is said, " His servants shall serve Him/' a little lower we are told that " They shall reign for ever and ever." (chap, xxii.) But all the Bless ed will not only serve and reign at the same time ; they will also be called servants and sons. Thus God speaks in the Apoca lypse : " He that shall overcome shall possess these things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (chap. xxi. 7.) Wherefore, as they can be both servants and sons, so also they can be both servants and kings ; they are servants because they were created by God, to whom they owe obedience, and from whom they receive their being, and all things else ; and David makes no exception when he says: "All creatures serve him." They are also the sons of God, since they were born of God by water and the Holy Spirit ; they are kings, too, because they have received the dignity from the King of kings, who is called by this name in the Apocalypse, " King of kings, and Lord of lords." (chap. xix. 16.)

t But it may perhaps be said, that it is not difficult for one to be both a king of the earth, and a servant of God, for thus the Psalmist speaks : ' ' And now, 0 ye kings, understand, receive instruction, you that judge the earth. Serve ye the Lord with fear : and

rejoice unto him with trembling." (Ps. ii.) But to be a king in the kingdom of heaven, and a servant of the King of heaven — who can understand or comprehend this ? And yet such is the truth, which faith believes and understands. The just, therefore, will also be kings in the kingdom of heaven, because they will be made partakers of the royal dignity, and power, and riches, &c., of that kingdom. This is what the Holy Spirit clearly teaches us, especially in three passages from the Scripture ; the first of which occurs ^in St. Matthew: " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven/' (chap, v.) In another part: " Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (St. Matthew, chap, xxv.) The third pas sage is from the Apocalypse : ' To him that shall overcome I will give to sit with me on my throne : as I also have overcome, and have sat down with my Father in His throne." (chap, iii.) What can be clearer than these words ? The kingdom of heaven is promised — the possession of it will be given to us at the last day — we shall have a seat on the royal throne of the Son of God, and of His Father, our eternal King: what is this but a participation of the same kingdom, which God possesses from eternity? St. Paul also adds his testimony : "If we suffer, we shall reign with Him;" and St. John likewise, in the beginning of

the Apocalypse: "I, John, your brother, and your partner in tribulation, and in the kingdom/' &c. And St. James, in his Epistle : " Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love Him?" (chap. ii. 5.) But the kingdom of heaven is not lessened, because it is divided amongst innumerable angels and men. This kingdom is not like the kingdoms of the world, which cannot well be divided ; but should they be distributed into parts, the division weakens them, and at length they are destroyed. But not so with the kingdom above, which is perfectly possessed by all, and wholly by each one, just as the sun is seen by all and each of the inhabitants of earth, whom it equally enlightens and vivifies. But this point will be more easily understood when we explain the good things that are to be found in the kingdom of heaven. We must now dwell on the conditions or qualities which are required in kings, so that we may be con vinced the saints and blessed spirits can justly be called the Kings of the kingdom of heaven.

There are two qualities especially necessary for kings — -wisdom and justice. But with wisdom the Scripture joins prudence and counsel, and all other things that relate to intelligence ; with justice are united mercy, clemency, and other virtues that adorn and perfect the will. Wisdom., there-

fore, is required that the king may have knowledge ; justice, that he may govern his subjects with equity. On this account, Solomon, in the beginning of his reign, being admonished by God to ask for what he wished, asked for wisdom, which is the chief of all the virtues required in kings. His petition was acceptable before God, as we read in the third Book of Kings, and therefore he obtained what he prayed for. Would that he had asked for justice also : perhaps he would not then have fallen into so many crimes. But more justly does David speak in that psalm, where he prays for blessings on Solomon his son : " Give to the king thy judgment, 0 God ; and to the king's son thy justice." (Psalm Ixxi.) From these words it appears that he fore saw Solomon would ask for wisdom, and therefore David prayed that "justice and judgment" might be given to him, which without wisdom cannot exist, although wis dom, though but imperfectly, may exist without justice. The Book of Wisdom, which was written for the instruction of kings, thus speaks : " Love justice, you that are judges of the earth." (chap, i.) It commences from "justice," because it is not only in itself necessary for kings, but also because it disposes us to receive wisdom. Thus, a little lower, it adds : " For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sin." In fine, Jeremias, foretelling the virtues of

At

Christ, the eternal King says : " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, and I will raise up to David a just branch: and a king shall reign and be wise, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth/' (chap, xxiii. 5.) Truly, therefore, are "wisdom and justice required in kings."

Now every one must acknowledge, that all the blessed in heaven, though they may have been whilst on earth simple and ignorant, are now possessed of the deepest wisdom, and so eminently endowed with the virtue of justice, that they might justly become kings of any kingdom. For all the blessed behold the very essence of God Himself, which is the " first cause" of all things ; and thereby, from this fountain of uncreated wisdom, they drink in such wisdom as neither Solomon nor any other mortal possessed, except our Lord Jesus Christ, who, even during the time of His mortal life, saw God, for in Him "were hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. " But, besides the wisdom which the blessed possess, there is also given to them a full measure of justice, so that they can never sin, nor even wish to sin ; thus St. Augustin speaks:* 'The first liberty of the Will was, to be able not to commit sin, but the last will be much greater, not to be able to sin." But he who cannot commit sin, cannot be unjust ; and since perfect charity is the same as

• Liber de Correptione et Gratia, cap. 12.

perfect justice, as St. Augustine asserts,* he who loves not God with the greatest and most perfect love, cannot possess the perfect justice. Now, they who behold God — that infinite and pure Being — cannot certainly turn away from Him, but they must ever love Him with the most ardent love ; whence it follows, that all the saints in heaven are perfectly wise, perfectly just, and therefore most proper to reign.

Arise then, my soul, and as far as possible consider, what happiness it will be to reign with God ! And thus — -to omit other considerations — penetrate heaven .itself on the wings of contemplation, and behold that glorious throne of which our Saviour speaks: "To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me on my throne, as 1 also have overcome, and have sat down with my Father in His throne/' (Apoc. ohap. iii, 21.) How great will the glory be for that just soul to be placed with such an infinite multitude of angels, on the very throne of Christ and of God ! And by His just judgment to be proclaimed a conqueror over the world, and the rulers thereof, and all invisible powers ! And how will this soul exult with gladness, when, delivered from every toil and danger, she shall behold herself gloriously triumphant over all her enemies ! What more will she desire, when she shall be made a partaker of all the gifts of her Lord, even of a participation of His throne

• Lib. de Natura et Gratia, (cap. ult.) and Kingdom ? Oh, how zealously do they fight on earth, and with what patience do they bear all things for the love of Christ, who, with a lively faith and a sure hope, contemplate such divine honours in hea ven !