The kingdom of God, he says, is righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. So wherever there is
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, there the
kingdom of God is. But His kingdom over what? Over dumb animals, or
over men? Over men, certainly; for dumb animals cannot have
righteousness, or joy in the Holy Spirit. But over what part of a
man? Over his body or over his spirit, as we call it nowadays? Over
his spirit, certainly; for it is only our spirits which can be
righteous, or peaceful, or joyful in God's Spirit. Therefore God's
kingdom, of which St. Paul speaks, is a kingdom, a government over
the souls, the spirits of men. Now, are our spirits the inward part
of us, or our bodies? Our spirits, certainly. We all say, and say
rightly, that our bodies are the outward part of us, and that our
spirits are within us. Now, do you not see how that agrees exactly
with the blessed Lord's saying in the text, "Behold, the kingdom of
God is within you"--that is, in your spirits, because it is
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; and these are
things which only our souls, not our bodies at all, can have.
But these Pharisees were not righteous; they were wicked and
hypocritical men.
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