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| Chapter XIII.—Christ did not abrogate the natural precepts of the law, but rather fulfilled and extended them. He removed the yoke and bondage of the old law, so that mankind, being now set free, might serve God with that trustful piety which becometh sons.
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Chapter XIII.—Christ did not abrogate
the natural precepts of the law, but rather fulfilled and extended them. He
removed the yoke and bondage of the old law, so that mankind, being now set
free, might serve God with that trustful piety which becometh sons.
1. law, but removed the bondage" title="477" id="ix.vi.xiv-p1.1"/>bondage of" title="477" id="ix.vi.xiv-p1.2"/>And
that the Lord did not abrogate the natural [precepts] of the law, by
which man3948
is justified, which also those who were
justified by faith, and who pleased God, did observe previous to the
giving of the law, but that He extended and fulfilled them, is shown from
His words. “For,” He remarks, “it has been said to them
of old time, Do not commit adultery. But I say unto you, That every one
who hath looked upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.”3949
And
again: “It has been said, Thou shalt not kill. But I say unto you,
Every one who is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in
danger of the judgment.”3950
And,
“It hath been said, Thou shalt not forswear thyself. But I say unto
you, Swear not at all; but let your conversation be, Yea, yea, and Nay,
nay.”3951
And other statements
of a like nature. For all these do not contain or imply an opposition to
and an overturning of the [precepts] of the past, as Marcion’s
followers do strenuously maintain; but [they exhibit] a fulfilling and an
extension of them, as He does Himself declare: “Unless your
righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”3952
For what meant the excess referred to? In the first place, [we
must] believe not only in the Father, but also in His Son now revealed;
for He it is who leads man into fellowship and unity with God. In the
next place, [we must] not only say, but we must do; for they said, but
did not. And [we must] not only abstain from evil deeds, but even from
the desires after them. Now He did not teach us these things as being
opposed to the law, but as fulfilling the law, and implanting in us the
varied righteousness of the law. That would have been contrary to the
law, if He had commanded His disciples to do anything which the law had
prohibited. But this which He did command—namely, not only to
abstain from things forbidden by the law, but even from longing after
them—is not contrary to [the law], as I have remarked, neither is
it the utterance of one destroying the law, but of one fulfilling,
extending, and affording greater scope to it.
2. For the law, since it was laid down for those in
bondage, used to instruct the soul by means of those corporeal objects
which were of an external nature, drawing it, as by a bond, to obey its
commandments, that man might learn to serve God. But the Word set free
the soul, and taught that through it the body should be willingly
purified. Which having been accomplished, it followed as of course, that
the bonds of slavery should be removed, to which man had now become
accustomed, and that he should follow God without fetters: moreover, that
the laws of liberty should be extended, and subjection to the king
increased, so that no one who is converted should appear unworthy to Him
who set him free, but that the piety and obedience due to the Master of
the household should be equally rendered both by servants and children;
while the children possess greater confidence [than the servants],
inasmuch as the working of liberty is greater and more glorious than that
obedience which is rendered in [a state of] slavery.
3. And for this reason did the Lord, instead of that
[commandment], “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” forbid even
concupiscence; and instead of that which runs thus, “Thou shalt not
kill,” He prohibited anger; and instead of the law enjoining the
giving of tithes, [He told us] to share3953
all our
possessions with the poor; and not to love our neighbours only, but even
our enemies; and not merely to be liberal givers and bestowers, but even
that we should present a gratuitous gift to those who take away our
goods. For “to him that taketh away thy coat,” He says,
“give to him thy cloak also; and from him that taketh away thy
goods, ask them not again; and as ye would that men should do unto you,
do ye unto them:”3954
so that we may not
grieve as those who are unwilling to be defrauded, but may rejoice as
those who have given willingly, and as rather conferring a favour upon
our neighbours than yielding to necessity. “And if any one,”
He says, “shall compel thee [to go] a mile, go with him
twain;”3955
so that thou mayest not
follow him as a slave, but may as a free man go before him, showing
thyself in all things kindly disposed and useful to thy neighbour, not
regarding their evil intentions, but performing thy kind offices,
assimilating thyself to the Father, “who maketh His sun to rise
upon the evil and the good, and sendeth
rain upon the just
and unjust.”3956
Now all these [precepts],
as I have already observed, were not [the injunctions] of one doing away
with the law, but of one fulfilling, extending, and widening it among us;
just as if one should say, that the more extensive operation of liberty
implies that a more complete subjection and affection towards our
Liberator had been implanted within us. For He did not set us free for
this purpose, that we should depart from Him (no one, indeed, while
placed out of reach of the Lord’s benefits, has power to procure
for himself the means of salvation), but that the more we receive His
grace, the more we should love Him. Now the more we have loved Him, the
more glory shall we receive from Him, when we are continually in the
presence of the Father.
4. Inasmuch, then, as all natural precepts are common
to us and to them (the Jews), they had in them indeed the beginning and
origin; but in us they have received growth and completion. For to yield
assent to God, and to follow His Word, and to love Him above all, and
one’s neighbour as one’s self (now man is neighbour to man),
and to abstain from every evil deed, and all other things of a like
nature which are common to both [covenants], do reveal one and the same
God. But this is our Lord, the Word of God, who in the first instance
certainly drew slaves to God, but afterwards He set those free who were
subject to Him, as He does Himself declare to His disciples: “I
will not now call you servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord
doeth; but I have called you friends, for all things which I have heard
from My Father I have made known.”3957
For in
that which He says, “I will not now call you servants,” He
indicates in the most marked manner that it was Himself who did
originally appoint for men that bondage with respect to God through the
law, and then afterwards conferred upon them freedom. And in that He
says, “For the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth,” He
points out, by means of His own advent, the ignorance of a people in a
servile condition. But when He terms His disciples “the friends of
God,” He plainly declares Himself to be the Word of God, whom
Abraham also followed voluntarily and under no compulsion (sine
vinculis), because of the noble nature of his faith, and so became
“the friend of God.”3958
But the
Word of God did not accept of the friendship of Abraham, as though He
stood in need of it, for He was perfect from the beginning (“Before
Abraham was,” He says, “I am”3959
), but that He in His goodness might bestow eternal life upon
Abraham himself, inasmuch as the friendship of God imparts immortality to
those who embrace it.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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