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Objection 1: It would seem that the New Law is more burdensome
than the Old. For Chrysostom (Opus Imp. in Matth., Hom. x)
say: "The commandments given to Moses are easy to obey: Thou shalt
not kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery: but the commandments of
Christ are difficult to accomplish, for instance: Thou shalt not
give way to anger, or to lust." Therefore the New Law is more
burdensome than the Old.
Objection 2: Further, it is easier to make use of earthly
prosperity than to suffer tribulations. But in the Old Testament
observance of the Law was followed by temporal prosperity, as may be
gathered from Dt. 28:1-14; whereas many kinds of trouble ensue
to those who observe the New Law, as stated in 2 Cor.
6:4-10: "Let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God, in
much patience, in tribulation, in necessities, in distresses,"
etc. Therefore the New Law is more burdensome than the Old.
Objection 3: The more one has to do, the more difficult it is.
But the New Law is something added to the Old. For the Old Law
forbade perjury, while the New Law proscribed even swearing: the
Old Law forbade a man to cast off his wife without a bill of divorce,
while the New Law forbade divorce altogether; as is clearly stated in
Mt. 5:31, seqq., according to Augustine's expounding.
Therefore the New Law is more burdensome than the Old.
On the contrary, It is written (Mt. 11:28): "Come to
Me, all you that labor and are burdened": which words are expounded
by Hilary thus: "He calls to Himself all those that labor under the
difficulty of observing the Law, and are burdened with the sins of
this world." And further on He says of the yoke of the Gospel:
"For My yoke is sweet and My burden light." Therefore the New
Law is a lighter burden than the Old.
I answer that, A twofold difficult may attach to works of virtue with
which the precepts of the Law are concerned. One is on the part of
the outward works, which of themselves are, in a way, difficult and
burdensome. And in this respect the Old Law is a much heavier burden
than the New: since the Old Law by its numerous ceremonies
prescribed many more outward acts than the New Law, which, in the
teaching of Christ and the apostles, added very few precepts to those
of the natural law; although afterwards some were added, through being
instituted by the holy Fathers. Even in these Augustine says that
moderation should be observed, lest good conduct should become a burden
to the faithful. For he says in reply to the queries of Januarius
(Ep. lv) that, "whereas God in His mercy wished religion to be a
free service rendered by the public solemnization of a small number of
most manifest sacraments, certain persons make it a slave's burden;
so much so that the state of the Jews who were subject to the
sacraments of the Law, and not to the presumptuous devices of man,
was more tolerable."
The other difficulty attaches to works of virtue as to interior acts:
for instance, that a virtuous deed be done with promptitude and
pleasure. It is this difficulty that virtue solves: because to act
thus is difficult for a man without virtue: but through virtue it
becomes easy for him. In this respect the precepts of the New Law
are more burdensome than those of the Old; because the New Law
prohibits certain interior movements of the soul, which were not
expressly forbidden in the Old Law in all cases, although they were
forbidden in some, without, however, any punishment being attached to
the prohibition. Now this is very difficult to a man without virtue:
thus even the Philosopher states (Ethic. v, 9) that it is easy to
do what a righteous man does; but that to do it in the same way, viz.
with pleasure and promptitude, is difficult to a man who is not
righteous. Accordingly we read also (1 Jn. 5:3) that "His
commandments are not heavy": which words Augustine expounds by saying
that "they are not heavy to the man that loveth; whereas they are a
burden to him that loveth not."
Reply to Objection 1: The passage quoted speaks expressly of the
difficulty of the New Law as to the deliberate curbing of interior
movements.
Reply to Objection 2: The tribulations suffered by those who
observe the New Law are not imposed by the Law itself. Moreover
they are easily borne, on account of the love in which the same Law
consists: since, as Augustine says (De Verb. Dom., Serm.
lxx), "love makes light and nothing of things that seem arduous and
beyond our power."
Reply to Objection 3: The object of these additions to the precepts
of the Old Law was to render it easier to do what it prescribed, as
Augustine states [De Serm. Dom. in Monte i, 17,21; xix,
23,26]. Accordingly this does not prove that the New Law is
more burdensome, but rather that it is a lighter burden.
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