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Objection 1: It would seem that the order of charity is not included
in the precept. For whoever transgresses a precept does a wrong. But
if man loves some one as much as he ought, and loves any other man
more, he wrongs no man. Therefore he does not transgress the
precept. Therefore the order of charity is not included in the
precept.
Objection 2: Further, whatever is a matter of precept is
sufficiently delivered to us in Holy Writ. Now the order of charity
which was given above (Question 26) is nowhere indicated in Holy
Writ. Therefore it is not included in the precept.
Objection 3: Further, order implies some kind of distinction. But
the love of our neighbor is prescribed without any distinction, in the
words, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Therefore the
order of charity is not included in the precept.
On the contrary, Whatever God works in us by His grace, He
teaches us first of all by His Law, according to Jer. 31:33:
"I will give My Law in their heart." Now God causes in us the
order of charity, according to Cant 2:4: "He set in order
charity in me." Therefore the order of charity comes under the
precept of the Law.
I answer that, As stated above (Article 4, ad 1), the mode
which is essential to an act of virtue comes under the precept which
prescribes that virtuous act. Now the order of charity is essential to
the virtue, since it is based on the proportion of love to the thing
beloved, as shown above (Question 25, Article 12; Question
26, Articles 1,2). It is therefore evident that the order of
charity must come under the precept.
Reply to Objection 1: A man gratifies more the person he loves
more, so that if he loved less one whom he ought to love more, he
would wish to gratify more one whom he ought to gratify less, and so he
would do an injustice to the one he ought to love more.
Reply to Objection 2: The order of those four things we have to
love out of charity is expressed in Holy Writ. For when we are
commanded to love God with our "whole heart," we are given to
understand that we must love Him above all things. When we are
commanded to love our neighbor "as ourselves," the love of self is
set before love of our neighbor. In like manner where we are commanded
(1 Jn. 3:16) "to lay down our souls," i.e. the life of our
bodies, "for the brethren," we are given to understand that a man
ought to love his neighbor more than his own body; and again when we
are commanded (Gal. 6:10) to "work good . . . especially to
those who are of the household of the faith," and when a man is blamed
(1 Tim. 5:8) if he "have not care of his own, and especially
of those of his house," it means that we ought to love most those of
our neighbors who are more virtuous or more closely united to us.
Reply to Objection 3: It follows from the very words, "Thou
shalt love thy neighbor" that those who are nearer to us are to be
loved more.
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