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| The Objection is Raised, Why, Then, Was the Limit of Lawful Food Extended After the Flood? The Answer to It.
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Chapter IV.—The
Objection is Raised, Why, Then, Was the Limit of Lawful Food Extended
After the Flood? The Answer to It.
This rationale was constantly kept in the eye of
the providence of God—modulating all things, as He does, to suit
the exigencies of the times—lest any from the opposite side, with
the view of demolishing our proposition, should say: “Why,
in that case, did not God forthwith institute some definite restriction
upon food? nay, rather, why did He withal enlarge His permission?
For, at the beginning indeed, it had only been the food of herbs and
trees which He had assigned to man: ‘Behold, I have given
you all grass fit for sowing, seeding seed, which is upon the earth;
and every tree which hath in itself the fruit of seed fit for sowing
shall be to you for food.’1022
Afterwards, however, after enumerating to Noah the subjection (to him)
of ‘all beasts of the earth, and fowls of the heaven, and things
moving on earth, and the fish of the sea, and every creeping
thing,’ He says, ‘They shall be to you for food: just
like grassy vegetables have I given (them) you universally: but
flesh in the blood of its own soul shall ye not eat.’1023
For even by this very fact, that He
exempts from eating that flesh only the ‘soul’ of which is
not out-shed through ‘blood,’ it is manifest that He has
conceded the use of all other flesh.” To this we reply,
that it was not suitable for man to be burdened with any further
special law of abstinence, who so recently showed himself unable to
tolerate so light an interdiction—of one single fruit, to wit;
that, accordingly, having had the rein relaxed, he was to be
strengthened by his very liberty; that equally after the deluge, in the
reformation of the human race, (as before it), one
law—of abstaining from blood—was sufficient, the use of all
things else being allowed. For the Lord had already shown His
judgment through the deluge; had, moreover, likewise issued a
comminatory warning through the “requisition of blood from the
hand of a brother, and from the hand of every beast.”1024
And thus, preministering the justice
of judgment, He issued the materials of liberty; preparing through
allowance an undergrowth of discipline; permitting all things, with a
view to take some away; meaning to “exact more” if He had
“committed more;”1025
to command
abstinence since He had foresent indulgence: in order that (as we
have said) the primordial sin might be the more expiated by the
operation of a greater abstinence in the (midst of the) opportunity of
a greater licence.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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