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Objection 1: It would seem that the New Law made insufficient
ordinations about external acts. Because faith that worketh through
charity seems chiefly to belong to the New Law, according to Gal.
5:6: "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything,
nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh through charity." But the
New Law declared explicitly certain points of faith which were not set
forth explicitly in the Old Law; for instance, belief in the
Trinity. Therefore it should also have added certain outward moral
deeds, which were not fixed in the Old Law.
Objection 2: Further, in the Old Law not only were sacraments
instituted, but also certain sacred things, as stated above
(Question 101, Article 4; Question 102, Article 4).
But in the New Law, although certain sacraments are instituted by
Our Lord; for instance, pertaining either to the sanctification of a
temple or of the vessels, or to the celebration of some particular
feast. Therefore the New Law made insufficient ordinations about
external matters.
Objection 3: Further, in the Old Law, just as there were certain
observances pertaining to God's ministers, so also were there certain
observances pertaining to the people: as was stated above when we were
treating of the ceremonial of the Old Law (Question 101,
Article 4; Question 102, Article 6). Now in the New Law
certain observances seem to have been prescribed to the ministers of
God; as may be gathered from Mt. 10:9: "Do not possess gold,
nor silver, nor money in your purses," nor other things which are
mentioned here and Lk. 9,10. Therefore certain observances
pertaining to the faithful should also have been instituted in the New
Law.
Objection 4: Further, in the Old Law, besides moral and
ceremonial precepts, there were certain judicial precepts. But in the
New Law there are no judicial precepts. Therefore the New Law made
insufficient ordinations about external works.
On the contrary, Our Lord said (Mt. 7:24): "Every one .
. . that heareth these My words, and doth them, shall be likened to
a wise man that built his house upon a rock." But a wise builder
leaves out nothing that is necessary to the building. Therefore
Christ's words contain all things necessary for man's salvation.
I answer that, as stated above (Article 1), the New Law had to
make such prescriptions or prohibitions alone as are essential for the
reception or right use of grace. And since we cannot of ourselves
obtain grace, but through Christ alone, hence Christ of Himself
instituted the sacraments whereby we obtain grace: viz. Baptism,
Eucharist, Orders of the ministers of the New Law, by the
institution of the apostles and seventy-two disciples, Penance, and
indissoluble Matrimony. He promised Confirmation through the sending
of the Holy Ghost: and we read that by His institution the apostles
healed the sick by anointing them with oil (Mk. 6:13). These
are the sacraments of the New Law.
The right use of grace is by means of works of charity. These, in so
far as they are essential to virtue, pertain to the moral precepts,
which also formed part of the Old Law. Hence, in this respect, the
New Law had nothing to add as regards external action. The
determination of these works in their relation to the divine worship,
belongs to the ceremonial precepts of the Law; and, in relation to
our neighbor, to the judicial precepts, as stated above (Question
99, Article 4). And therefore, since these determinations are
not in themselves necessarily connected with inward grace wherein the
Law consists, they do not come under a precept of the New Law, but
are left to the decision of man; some relating to inferiors---as
when a precept is given to an individual; others, relating to
superiors, temporal or spiritual, referring, namely, to the common
good.
Accordingly the New Law had no other external works to determine, by
prescribing or forbidding, except the sacraments, and those moral
precepts which have a necessary connection with virtue, for instance,
that one must not kill, or steal, and so forth.
Reply to Objection 1: Matters of faith are above human reason, and
so we cannot attain to them except through grace. Consequently, when
grace came to be bestowed more abundantly, the result was an increase
in the number of explicit points of faith. On the other hand, it is
through human reason that we are directed to works of virtue, for it is
the rule of human action, as stated above (Question 19, Article
3; Question 63, Article 2). Wherefore in such matters as
these there was no need for any precepts to be given besides the moral
precepts of the Law, which proceed from the dictate of reason.
Reply to Objection 2: In the sacraments of the New Law grace is
bestowed, which cannot be received except through Christ:
consequently they had to be instituted by Him. But in the sacred
things no grace is given: for instance, in the consecration of a
temple, an altar or the like, or, again, in the celebration of
feasts. Wherefore Our Lord left the institution of such things to
the discretion of the faithful, since they have not of themselves any
necessary connection with inward grace.
Reply to Objection 3: Our Lord gave the apostles those precepts
not as ceremonial observances, but as moral statutes: and they can be
understood in two ways. First, following Augustine (De Consensu
Evang. 30), as being not commands but permissions. For He
permitted them to set forth to preach without scrip or stick, and so
on, since they were empowered to accept their livelihood from those to
whom they preached: wherefore He goes on to say: "For the laborer
is worthy of his hire." Nor is it a sin, but a work of
supererogation for a preacher to take means of livelihood with him,
without accepting supplies from those to whom he preaches; as Paul did
(1 Cor. 9:4, seqq.).
Secondly, according to the explanation of other holy men, they may be
considered as temporal commands laid upon the apostles for the time
during which they were sent to preach in Judea before Christ's
Passion. For the disciples, being yet as little children under
Christ's care, needed to receive some special commands from Christ,
such as all subjects receive from their superiors: and especially so,
since they were to be accustomed little by little to renounce the care
of temporalities, so as to become fitted for the preaching of the
Gospel throughout the whole world. Nor must we wonder if He
established certain fixed modes of life, as long as the state of the
Old Law endured and the people had not as yet achieved the perfect
liberty of the Spirit. These statutes He abolished shortly before
His Passion, as though the disciples had by their means become
sufficiently practiced. Hence He said (Lk. 22:35,36)
"When I sent you without purse and scrip and shoes, did you want
anything? But they said: Nothing. Then said He unto them: But
now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip."
Because the time of perfect liberty was already at hand, when they
would be left entirely to their own judgment in matters not necessarily
connected with virtue.
Reply to Objection 4: Judicial precepts also, are not essential to
virtue in respect of any particular determination, but only in regard
to the common notion of justice. Consequently Our Lord left the
judicial precepts to the discretion of those who were to have spiritual
or temporal charge of others. But as regards the judicial precepts of
the Old Law, some of them He explained, because they were
misunderstood by the Pharisees, as we shall state later on (Article
3, ad 2).
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