Prima Secundae
Lecture 284: Exterior Works and the New Law

Transcript
================================================================================

Now, this 108 seems more what laws usually like, right? But there's no principle in the law. Then we're not to consider about those things that are contained in the law. About those four things are asked. First, whether the new law ought to command or prohibit certain exterior works. Secondly, whether it sufficiently has itself in commanding or prohibiting exterior works. Third, whether it suitably institutes men as regards interior acts. And then, this is that of you guys now. Whether it suitably adds above this consoles to the, what, precepts, huh? So, to the first, one goes for it thus. It seems that the new law ought to command or prohibit no exterior acts, right? That's kind of an odd position. For the new law is the gospel of the kingdom, according to that of Matthew 24. This gospel of the kingdom should be preached in the whole world, huh? It's interesting, huh, that phrase, huh? The gospel of the kingdom, huh? Interesting, huh? That you call that the gospel of the kingdom. You hear that much in the sermons, I don't think, do you? That phrase that expressed. But the kingdom of God does not consist in exterior acts. Hey, that was, that was really good, I think. It takes genius to think off an argument. Getting out of all that stuff. Yeah, but it's only interior acts, right? According to that of Luke 17, the kingdom of God is within you. There you go. That is something. So you can sleep in on Sunday morning. That's the good news. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In Romans 14. So I have to eat salmon on Fridays. The kingdom of God is not food and drink. There you go. It's in it. But justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. No, that's food. That's not it. That's not part of the kingdom. You don't have to worry about whether it's steak or salmon. Therefore, the new law ought not to command or prohibit some exterior acts. Of course, what about murder and so on? It seems to be something about these exterior acts. Moreover, the new law is the law of the Spirit, as it's said in Romans 8. But where is the, where the Spirit of the Lord, there is, what? Freedom. Where a man is, what? But there is not liberty, where a man is obligated to doing or avoiding some exterior works. Then you're enslaved, right? Therefore, the new law does not contain any precepts or prohibitions of exterior acts. You think it's one Augustine thing, you know, love and do what you want to. Yes, yeah. Because it's understood very easily. Yeah, yeah. Moreover, all exterior acts pertain, are understood to pertain to the hand, just as interior acts pertain to. But this is laid down as a difference between the new law and the old. That the old law, yeah. But the new law, of course, is the soul. Therefore, in the new law, there ought not to be laid down prohibitions and precepts of exterior acts, but only of interior ones. But against all this, huh? Is that through the new law, men are made sons of the, what? Light. Whence it is said, John chapter 12, believe in the light, that you might become sons, I guess, in the light, huh? But the sons of light ought to do works of light and to reject works of darkness. According to that of Ephesians chapter 5, you were for a while darkness, huh? But now you are a light in the Lord. Walk as sons of the light. Therefore, the new law ought to prohibit certain exterior works and to command other works. So, what does Thomas say? The master. The answer should be said, that as has been said, the chiefness, right, the principal thing in the new law is the grace of the Holy Spirit, right? That was the kind of thing that shook us up there, right? Because it seemed to be a strange thing when you're talking about laws that are distinguished from grace, right? Which is made known in faith, which acts through what? Love. But men, huh, attain this grace through the Son of God made man, right? Whose humanity, first grace, what? Filled, huh? And hence it was what derived to us, huh? Whence it is said in John 1, huh? The Word was made flesh. And after, it adds, full of grace and truth. And then finally, and of his fullness, right? We have all received, right? Grace for what? Whence it is added that grace and truth was made through Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is suitable that to some exterior sensible things, the grace flowing from the incarnate Word be led down to us, right? And from this interior grace, through which the flesh is subject to the Spirit, certain exterior works, sensible works, are what? Produced. Thus, therefore, the exterior works in two ways pertain, are able to pertain in two ways to grace, right? In one way, it's leading us in some way to grace, huh? And such are the works of the sacraments, which in the new law are instituted as baptism, Eucharist, and others of this sort, huh? That's why he's mentioning those two sacraments first, chief sacraments. Sometimes the Eucharist is the end of all the sacraments, huh? Baptism is the beginning of them. But the others are exterior works, which are reduced from the instinct of grace, huh? And in these, a certain difference should be noted. For some have a necessary agreement or contrariety to the interior grace, which consists in faith acting through what? Love, and works of this sort, or exterior works of this sort, are commanded or prohibited in the, what? Law. Just as there is commanded the confession of, what? Faith, right? That's the exterior thing, right? And there is prohibited the, what? Negation of it, right, huh? For it is said in Matthew 10, Who confesses me before men? I will confess myself. before my father but whoever negates me before men i will what deny him right before my what father isn't mine there are other works which should not have a necessary contrariety agreement to faith acting through love and such works are not in the new law commanded or prohibited from the first institution of law but are left by the legislator that is christ to each one according to someone what yeah and thus to each one it is free about such to determine what it is expedient right for him to do or to avoid and to each one reciting i'm reciting over others about such things to order to those below him what in them should be done or what avoided and so also regards this is the the law of the gospel is called the law of liberty for the old law determined many things and left few things to be determined by the liberty of man so we see there's some laws about but something that leads to grace the laws exposed about the sacraments and other ones are the what exterior acts of things that are either what harmony with or are what opposed to faith acting through what love now what about the first objection right the kingdom of god consists in interior acts right thomas answers to the first therefore it should be said that the kingdom of god consists chiefly in interior acts that's only right huh chiefly but consequently to the kingdom of god pertains all those things without which the interior acts are not able to be just as if the kingdom of god uh is uh what interior justice right and peace and spiritual joy is necessary that all exterior acts which are repugnant to justice or to peace or to joy spiritual joy are repugnant to the kingdom of god right and therefore they what are privated in the gospel of the what kingdom huh but those things which indifferently have themselves in respect to these as to eat what in these is not the kingdom of god right once the apostle sets forth the kingdom of god is not food and drink uh eat those fish that they ate there that the first apostles ate right huh elizabeth did you know she put two days for eating fish you know she wanted to build up the maritime populations that's more than what the catholics do right we only had one day you know where we had to eat fish and you got two days right a week so you develop you know get more fishermen in the yeah i told you i was a student in quebec there with this little restaurant you know and they had petite steak you know and they got to know me as much for order to eat steak when the waitress who's walking in the place she'd say it's dead doctor i could hear it just walking the door she'd say that so i i i could see from the grill i could see the ups truck coming from the driver put it out right so that you didn't have to wait for a special order now what about this freedom right huh spiritus domineus libertas right right the spirit of the lord the second should be said that according to the philosopher in the first book of metaphysics the free one is the one who is his own what cause he therefore acts freely who acts from himself now that a man act from a habit suitable to his nature is to act from himself because the habit inclines him in the mode of what nature but if the habit were repugnant to nature a man would not act according to what is himself but according to some corruption that has come upon him right because therefore the grace of the holy spirit is like a inward habit poured into us right inclining us to acting well it makes us act what freely those things which are in agreement with grace and to avoid those things which are repugnant to grace thus therefore the new law is said to be the law of what liberty in two ways in one way because it does not coerce us to making or avoid those things except those things which of themselves are either necessary or repugnant to salvation because they come under the precept or prohibition of the law secondly because precepts or prohibitions of this sort make us what freely fulfill insofar as from the inward instinct of grace we what fulfill them and account to this these two things the new law is said to be the law of perfect liberty liberty so partly because it doesn't force us to do things that aren't necessary right and the other one because it gives us this sort of information to them right so that they proceed from us right there's an account of uh saint john de brebouf um one of north american martyrs and the incredibly intricate and uh bizarre rituals that the europe that he was dealing with had to go through super time consuming super complex it sort of made a party out of it but it was very onerous and so you wonder about the impact of christianity on a pagan people the incredible sense of liberation in different ways in different ways just from the ridiculous strange intricate intricate intricate intricate complex i'm sorry last night and um but rituals today they could be unleashed from or unburdened from and so we we take it for granted i guess being christian while the women increasingly taking the world the third it should be said that the new law by what restricting the soul from disordered movements right is this say also that it what restrict the hand from disordered what acts which are the effects of interior motion so now we'll get to let you get away at that time i think it's okay i'm not going to try to maintain anything against you remember when i was teaching out in california there and some some of the philosophers down at the university of california why not to come down and put on a medieval debate you know we we turned them down but we have to prepare ourselves right you know quite extensively to do that sort of a thing right and to make it okay now we've admitted now that the new law should command or prohibit some exterior works, right? How does it do so sufficiently, right? It's a little harder to show an article. To the second one goes forward thus. It seems that the new law does not sufficiently order the exterior acts. Because to the new law especially pertains, it seems, the faith that acts through love. Formed faith, as Thomas calls it. According to that of Galatians 5.6, in Christ Jesus, right, neither does circumcision be of any value, nor, I suppose that's the integrity of the flesh there, right? But the faith which acts through love. But the new law explains certain things to believe which are not made explicit in the old law, just as the faith of the, what, Trinity. Therefore, it ought to also add above some exterior moral works which are not determined in the, what, old law, right? Moreover, in the old law not only were instituted the sacraments, but also some sacred things, as has been said above. But in the new law, although there instituted some sacraments, nevertheless were there some sacred things instituted by the Lord. As an example, those things that should retain either to the sanctification of some temple, or the vases, or even, what? Therefore, the new law insufficiently orders the exterior. But it was left to the bishops and the other people to see how the ceremony that should be observed in these things. You see, the pastor, he always has us sing a song coming in, right? But he sits in there, he's not so good at getting us started singing. So he has us recite the verse, you know, which you have to be in the Mass, and then the communion verse, right, huh? So, those things are left to the discretion, apparently, of the principle solvents, huh? I know St. Benedict left the order of the psalms to the individual abbot, the algorithm of the office. Moreover, in the old law, there are certain observances pertaining to the ministers of God. So also, there are certain observances pertaining to the people. This hasn't said above, when we treated of the ceremonial commands, you might say, huh? Laws of the old law. But in the new law, there seems to be some observances given to the ministers of God, right? As is clear in Matthew 10, do not, what, wish gold or silver, nor, yeah, other things which there follow, and which are said in Luke 9 and 10. Therefore, there ought to also be some observances, it's due to the new law, pertaining to the, what, faithful people. Moreover, in the old law, apart from the moral and ceremonial, there are certain judicial precepts. In the new law, there are not treated any judicial precepts. Therefore, the new law insufficiently orders the exterior works. I think he's shown pretty thoroughly the insufficiency of the new law right here, I would say, wouldn't you? Now, you guys got to defend it now, huh? But against this is what the Lord says, Matthew 7, huh? Everyone who hears my words and does these is like a wise man, right, who built his house upon rock. But the wise builder omits nothing of those things which are necessary for the building. Therefore, in the words of Christ are sufficiently laid down all things which pertain to human salvation. I'd say that's an argument for authority, huh? The answer should be said, as it has been said above, that the new law in exterior things ought to command those things only or prohibit those things only, by which we are, what, either, these are the two things we have, let into grace, right, this is about the sacraments, I guess, or those things which pertain to the right use of grace, of necessity, right, that you have to use it this way. And because we are not able to gain grace by ourselves or from ourselves, but through Christ only, and therefore the sacraments through which grace is achieved or attained, the Lord instituted to himself, to wit, baptism, and the, what, Eucharist, the order of ministers, the new law, instituting the apostles and the 72 disciples, and penitence, penance, and indivisible matrimonia. Confirmation he promised through the mission of the, what, yeah, ascending of the Holy Spirit. From what? From his institution, the apostles are led to have, what, secured by oil, and then the infirm oil, which are the sacraments, the new law, right, huh? That's one thing, right, how we get grace, huh? Now, the other thing is the right use of grace, right, is through the works of charity, which, according as they are the necessitative virtue, pertain to the moral precepts, which were also contained in the Old Testament, huh, the old law. Whence, as regards to this matter, the new law was not able to add over the old law about the exterior things to be done, huh? That would be the same, right? Now, the determination of the foregoing works in order to the worship of God pertains to the precepts of the ceremonial precepts of the law in order to one's, what, neighbor to the judicial ones. And therefore, because these determinations are not as such a necessity of interior grace in which law consists, therefore they do not fall under the precepts of the new law but are left to human, what, judgment, which always regards inferiors or those who are subject to the other ones, what pertain individually to each one, some to the temporal or the spiritual precepts, what's a temporal precepts, which pertain to the common, what, use, utility. Thus, therefore, the new law ought to determine by commanding or reveting no other exterior works except those two, huh, the sacraments, and then the moral precepts, which of themselves pertain to the notion of virtue. As one should not kill, he shouldn't steal, and so on. It's interesting, that distinction, huh? Two sets of things to command, right? One is to acquire grace, right? And the other is to live in accordance with grace, right? It's interesting. The first, therefore, it should be said, that those things which are above faith, right? Which are faith, excuse me, are above human reason, huh? Whence in them we are not able to arrive except through grace, huh? And therefore, a more abundant grace coming upon us is necessary for more things to be believed to be enfolded, yeah? But to the works of the virtues, we are directed by natural reason, right? Which is a certain, what, rule of human doing. As has been said above. And therefore, in these, it's not necessary for any precepts to be given beyond the moral precepts of the law, which are of the dictamen of what reason, huh? Thomas is quoting, you know, I was reading about charity there and friendship, you know, and so on. And of course, Thomas is saying there can't be any charity towards the demons, right? Or to the damned and so on because they're confirmed evil, right? He quotes Aristotle from the Ethics, right? Aristotle is talking about if a man is confirmed in wickedness, then you should break off all communication with him. To the second, it should be said that in the sacraments of the new law, grace is what? Given, which isn't true about the sacraments of the old law, which grace is not except from Christ. And therefore, it's necessary that they have institution from him. What is the old definition in the catechism definition of grace? I mean, the sacrament. Yeah. You've got the word institution right here. Yeah. Altar sign instituted by Christ to give grace. But in the sacred things, this is not given any grace, huh? That's to say in the consecration, the temple or the altar are the things of this sort. Or also in the what? Something. Yeah. Now, you've got to be careful about that because the church can, from its treasure, right, give a grace, give a indulgence, you know, like you go for, yeah, I mean, you know, there's going to be something like a first mass or something like that, you know, or even, you know, at the baptism, I think attending a baptism, I think. I think there's a grace in the ingredient, you know? But that's kind of a special, particular thing. Grace. Yeah. But for the faithful, yeah, the first mass. Yeah, if you attend the first mass, right? Devotion, so. We have these feasts, you know, about for the dedication of the churches in Rome, you know, and so on. There's an indulgence attached to those, I think. Ten minutes. Yeah. But that's it. Yeah. For the feasts of St. Mary, which was the other two days ago. Yeah. I don't know if it's still the fourth, but there was a plenary in our night church. I don't need to attend the service or just go to the church. I don't know. You get a plenary. Yeah. Yeah. It's not part of the new law, in a sense. It's something that the church proclaims. Brands. The ingredient I have are the indulgences and so on. They wanted to cut down on the number of things they were a thing and emphasize in the ones, you know. Things that are especially important. But they're giving, you know, special graces, you know, in terms of saying the rosary together people and reading scripture into this sort to a half hour or something like that. And therefore, those such things which all themselves do not pertain to the necessity of interior grace, right? The Lord leads to what? According to their judgment, right? By the faith. Yeah. To the third, and I'll just look back at the objection. It's a little more lengthy reply. I've got these lengthy replies. Yeah. Yeah. So you said there's some things about not possessing gold or silver and so on. They should, therefore, some pertain to the faithful people, right? You write books out there. You should get a bunch of rules. Yeah. To the third, it should be said that those precepts the Lord gave to the apostles are not as ceremonial observances, but as were moralia, moral ones, it's too old. And they can be understood in two ways. One way, according to Auguste in the book on the consensus of the evangelists, that not, what, they're not precepts, but, what, concessions. They conceded to them that they could, what, go forth to the office of preaching without a, what, staff, yeah? Another thing is this sort. As were having, what, the power of getting the necessities of life from those to whom they preached, right? They said that the worker is worthy of his, what, food. He does not have a sin, but goes beyond, huh? Who carries his own, from which he lives in the office of predication, not taking his, to be the substance from those to whom he preached the gospel, as Paul was supposed to have done, right? You can read about that, you want to annoy them, but... Another way they can be understood according to the exposition of other saints, huh? And he goes down here, Chrysostom, and bead, huh? Turn here to look at the catena oria in Matthew, but anyway. Another way they can be understood according to the exposition of other saints that there are some temporal statutes given to the apostles for that time, right, in which they were sent to preaching in Judea before the Passion of Christ, right? For the disciples needed, as were still little ones, existing under the care of Christ, to take some special things as suited by Christ, just as whoever was subject, right? And especially because they were little exercised, right? They might be freed, in which they were rendered suitable to this, that they preached the gospel through the whole world. Nor was it to be wondered at if there existing the statuses, still existing the status of the old law and not the perfect liberty of the spirit having been achieved, that some determined nodes of living were instituted. Which statutes, the Passion being imminent, were removed, as were the disciples already to themselves sufficiently exercised? Whence Luke 22 says, when I sent you without what? And, yeah, he says, now who has a sack? Thank you. Yeah. For now already was imminent the time of perfect liberty, that holy to each one would be, his own judgment would be dismissed in those things which in themselves do not pertain to the necessity of virtue. Yeah. To the fourth, it should be said that judicial things considered in themselves are not the necessity of virtue as regards what? Such a determination but only according to the common notion of justice and therefore judicial precepts the Lord left to be disposed by those who have what? Care of others either spiritual or temporal care but about the judicial precepts of the Old Testament some things that he explained in account of the bad understanding of the Pharisees as will be said. We'll break here now. We'll break here now. We'll break here now. We'll break here now. We'll break here now. We'll break here now. We'll break here now. We'll break here now. We'll break here now.