The despotism of heaven is the one absolutely perfect government. An
earthly despotism would be the absolutely perfect earthly government, if
the conditions were the same, namely, the despot the perfectest
individual of the human race, and his lease of life perpetual. But as a
perishable perfect man must die, and leave his despotism in the hands of
an imperfect successor, an earthly despotism is not merely a bad form of
government, it is the worst form that is possible.