Whether the New Law Made Sufficient Ordinations About External Acts?
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.
Obj. 2: Further, in the Old Law not only were sacraments instituted,
but also certain sacred things, as stated above (Q. 101, A. 4; Q.
102, A. 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.
Obj. 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 (Q. 101, A. 4; Q. 102,
A. 6). Now in the New Law certain observances seem to have been
prescribed to the ministers of God; as may be gathered from Matt.
10:9: "Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses,"
nor other things which are mentioned here and Luke 9, 10. Therefore
certain observances pertaining to the faithful should also have been
instituted in the New Law.
Obj. 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 (Matt. 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 (A. 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 (Q. 99, A.
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 Obj. 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 (Q. 19, A. 3; Q. 63, A.
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 Obj. 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 Obj. 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 (Luke 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 Obj. 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 (A. 3, ad
2).
________________________