17. And it may be thus understood, beloved brethren, that since the Lord commands and admonishes us even to love our enemies, and to pray even for those who persecute us, we should ask, moreover, for those who are still earth, and have not yet begun to be heavenly, that even in respect of these God’s will should be done, which Christ accomplished in preserving and renewing humanity. For since the disciples are not now called by Him earth, but the salt of the earth, and the apostle designates the first man as being from the dust of the earth, but the second from heaven, we reasonably, who ought to be like God our Father, who maketh His sun to rise upon the good and bad, and sends rain upon the just and the unjust, so pray and ask by the admonition of Christ as to make our prayer for the salvation of all men; that as in heaven—that is, in us by our faith—the will of God has been done, so that we might be of heaven; so also in earth42 [See Hooker (a beautiful passage) in Walton’s Life, “on the angels in heaven;” also, E. P., book v. cap. xxxv. at close.]—that is, in those who believe not43 Some editions omit this “not.”—God’s will may be done, that they who as yet are by their first birth of earth, may, being born of water and of the Spirit, begin to be of heaven.
XVII. Potest et sic intelligi, fratres dilectissimi, ut, quoniam mandat et monet Dominus etiam inimicos diligere et pro iis quoque qui nos persequuntur orare, petamus et pro illis qui adhuc terra sunt et necdum coelestes esse coeperunt, ut et circa illos voluntas Dei fiat, quam Christus hominem conservando et redintegrando perfecit. Nam, cum discipuli ab eo non jam 0530C terra appellentur, sed sal terrae (Matth. V, 13), et Apostolus primum hominem vocet de terrae limo, secundum vero de coelo, merito et nos, qui esse debemus patri Deo similes, qui solem suum oriri facit super bonos et malos et pluit super justos et injustos. (Matth. V, 45), sic, Christo monente, oramus et petimus ut precem pro omnium salute faciamus; ut, quomodo in coelo id est, in nobis, per fidem nostram voluntas Dei facta est ut essemus e caelo, ita et in terra, hoc est in illis non credentibus , fiat voluntas Dei, ut qui adhuc sunt prima nativitate terreni, 0531A incipiant esse coelestes ex aqua et spiritu nati.