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 Himself?" I belong to God, and to God I must give back myself, for having created me and given me my being; but after I have given myself, what return shall I make to God for having given Himself to me? We have, however, no need to disturb ourselves any longer; it is enough if we give our love to God, and God is satisfied. The kings of the earth glory in the possession of kingdoms and of wealth, Jesus Christ rests content with the sovereignty of our hearts; this He considers His principality; and this principality He sought to obtain by dying on the Cross: And the government is upon His shoulder. [Isaiah 9:6] By these words, "the government is upon His shoulder," several interpreters, with St. Basil, St. Cyril, St. Augustine, and others, understand the Cross which our Redeemer carried on His shoulders. This heavenly King, says Cornelius à Lapide, is a very different master from the devil: the devil burdens the backs of his subjects with heavy loads; Jesus, on the contrary, takes on His Own shoulders the burdens of His kingdom, embracing the Cross, on which He will die, in order to gain the mastery of our hearts: "The devil lays burdens on the shoulders of his subjects, Christ will bear the weight of His government on His shoulders; for He will carry the sceptre of His kingdom---that is, the Cross---on His Own shoulders, and will reign from the tree." It is the remark of Tertullian that while earthly monarchs bear the sceptre and crown as symbols of royalty, Jesus Christ bore the Cross, which was the throne which He mounted to rule over our love: "Every king bears the symbol of