Chapter 17.—Where the Kingdom of God May Be Understood to Be.

Now, they who say this, do no doubt seem to themselves to say a good deal, because theirs is only a slight and careless view of Scripture; nor do they understand in what sense we use the phrase, “kingdom of God,” when we say of it in our prayers, “Thy kingdom come;”108    Matt. vi. 10. for that is called the kingdom of God, in which His whole family shall reign with Him in happiness and for ever. Now, in respect of the power which He possesses over all things, he is of course even now reigning. What, therefore, do we intend when we pray that His kingdom may come unless that we may deserve to reign with Him? But even they will be under His power who shall have to suffer the pains of eternal fire. Well, then, do we mean to predicate of these unhappy beings that they too will be in the kingdom of God? Surely it is one thing to be honoured with the gifts and privileges of the kingdom of God, and another thing to be restrained and punished by the laws of the same. However, that you may have a very manifest proof that on the one hand the kingdom of heaven must not be parcelled out to the baptized, and other portions of the kingdom of God be given to the unbaptized, as you seem to have determined, I beg of you to hear the Lord’s own words; He does not say, “Except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom or heaven;” but His words are, “he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” His discourse with Nicodemus on the subject before us runs thus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Observe, He does not here say, the kingdom of heaven, but the kingdom of God. And then, on Nicodemus asking Him in reply, “How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” the Lord, in explanation, repeats His former statement more plainly and openly: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Observe again, He uses the same phrase, the kingdom of God, notthe kingdom of heaven.109    John iii. 3–6. It is worthy of remark, that while He varies two expressions in explaining them the second time (for after saying, “Except a man be born again,” He interprets that by the fuller expression, “Except a man be born of water and the Spirit;” and in like manner He explains, “he cannot see,” by the completer phrase, “he cannot enter into”), He yet makes no variation here; He said “the kingdom of God” the first time, and He afterwards repeated the same phrase exactly. It is not now necessary to raise and discuss the question, whether the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven must be understood as involving different senses, or whether only one thing is described under two designations. It is enough to find that no one can enter into the kingdom of God, except he be washed in the laver of regeneration. I suppose you perceive by this time how wide of the truth it is to separate from the kingdom of God any mansions that are placed in the house of God. And as to the idea which you have entertained that there will be found dwelling among the various mansions, which the Lord has told us abound in His Father’s house, some who have not been born again of water and the Spirit, I advise you, if you will permit me, not to defer amending it, in order that you may hold the catholic faith.

17. Hoc qui dicunt, videntur quidem sibi dicere aliquid, quia Scripturas negligenter attendunt, et quomodo regnum Dei dicatur, unde oramus dicentes, Veniat regnum tuum (Matth. VI, 10), non intelligunt: quia regnum Dei dicitur, ubi cum illo fidelis familia ejus beate et sempiterne tota regnabit. Nam secundum potestatem quae illi super omnia est, etiam nunc utique regnat. Quid ergo est quod oramus ut veniat, nisi ut cum illo regnare mereamur? Sub ejus autem potestate etiam illi erunt, qui poena aeterni ignis ardebunt: numquidnam ob hoc etiam ipsos in regno Dei futuros dicturi sumus? Aliud est enim regni Dei muneribus honorari, aliud regni Dei legibus coerceri . Ut autem tibi manifestissime appareat, non esse regnum coelorum distribuendum baptizatis, et alias partes regni Dei dandas quibus tibi visum est, non baptizatis; ipsum Dominum audi, qui non ait, Si quis non renatus fuerit ex aqua et Spiritu, non potest intrare in regnum coelorum; sed, non potest, inquit, intrare in regnum Dei. Nam verba ejus de hac re ista sunt ad Nicodemum: Amen, amen dico tibi, nisi quis natus fuerit denuo, non potest videre regnum Dei. Ecce non hic dixit, Regnum coelorum; sed, Dei. Et cum respondisset Nicodemus atque dixisset, Quomodo potest homo nasci, cum senex sit? numquid potest in ventrem matris suae iterato introire, et nasci ? eamdem Dominus sententiam planius apertiusque repetens ait, Amen, amen dico tibi, nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et Spiritu, non potest introire in regnum Dei (Joan. III, 3-5). Ecce nec hic dixit, Regnum coelorum; sed, regnum Dei. Quod enim dixerat, Nisi quis natus fuerit denuo; hoc quid esset exposuit dicens, Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et Spiritu. Et quod dixerat, non potest videre; hoc exposuit dicendo, non potest introire. Illud tamen quod dixerat , regnum Dei, non alio nomine repetivit. Neque nunc opus est quaerere atque disserere, utrum regnum Dei regnumque coelorum cum aliqua differentia sit intelligendum, an res una sit duobus appellata nominibus: sufficit quod non potest introire in regnum Dei, qui non fuerit lavacro regenerationis ablutus. Mansiones autem aliquas constitutas in domo Dei separare a regno Dei, quam sit a veritate devium, puto quod jam intelligas. Et ideo quod putasti, in aliquibus mansionibus, quas Dominus multas esse dixit in domo Patris sui, mansuros quosdam etiam non renatos ex aqua et Spiritu, 0520 ut fidem catholicam teneas, admoneo, si permittis, emendare non differas.