Thomas Aquinas

After the Apostle showed the necessity of the virtues and the origin of grace, here he teaches the use of grace, which pertains to moral instruction. And concerning this he does two things. First he sets down moral teaching in general; second he descends specially to certain particulars pertaining to those to whom he writes, around the middle of chapter XV, where he says, but I myself am persuaded, and so on. Concerning the first he does two things. First he teaches the use of grace as to this, that man be made perfect; second as to this, that the perfect man should bear with the imperfect one, in chapter XIV, where he says, now him who is weak, and so on. Concerning the first he does three things. First he leads on to perfection of life as to the holiness which man keeps toward God; second as to the justice which one shows to one's neighbor, in chapter XIII, where he says, let every soul, etc.; third as to the purity which man preserves in himself, near the end of chapter XIII, where he says, and knowing this, and so on. Concerning the first he does two things. First he admonishes that man show himself holy to God; second he teaches how one ought to use the gifts of God's grace, by which one is sanctified, where he says, for I say, through the grace, and so on. Concerning the first he does two things. First he teaches how one ought to show oneself to God as to the body; second as to the soul, where he says, and be not conformed, and so on. Concerning the first he does two things. First he induces observance of the things that are taught: and this in two ways. In one way indeed on his own part, when he says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, as if he were to say: it has been said that the judgments of God are incomprehensible, and his ways unsearchable, and therefore I beseech you, brethren, namely that you observe the things that shall be said. Now he makes use of beseeching for three reasons. First indeed to show his humility. Proverbs XVIII, 23: the poor man speaketh with supplications, namely one who does not trust in his own abundance, and therefore tries to lead men to the good not from what is his own, but from what is God's. For to beseech (obsecrare) is to call to witness by sacred things (ob sacra contestari). Second, that he might move them more by love in asking, than by fear, in commanding with authority. Whence it is said to Philemon 8f.: having much confidence in Christ Jesus to command thee that which is to the purpose, for charity's sake I rather beseech. Galatians, last chapter: you who are spiritual, instruct such a one in the spirit of gentleness. Third, on account of the reverence due to the Romans, to whom he was writing. I Timothy V, 1: rebuke not an elder, but beseech him as a father. In another way he leads them on on God's part, when he says, by the mercy of God, namely by which you have been saved. Titus II, 5: according to his mercy he saved us. And therefore from consideration of the divine mercy we ought to do what we are admonished to do. Matthew XVIII, 33: shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? Or it can be said, by the mercy of God, that is, by the authority of the apostolate mercifully entrusted to me. I Corinthians VII, 25: I have obtained mercy from the Lord, to be faithful. Second he sets down the admonition, when he says, that you present your bodies, and so on. Concerning which it must be known that, as Augustine says in Book X of the City of God, the visible sacrifice, which is offered outwardly to God, is a sign of the invisible sacrifice, by which one presents oneself and one's own things in obedience to God. Now man has a threefold good. First indeed the good of the soul, which he presents to God through the humility of devotion and contrition, according to that word of Psalm 50, 19: a sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit. Second, man has exterior goods, which he presents to God through the giving of alms. Whence it is said in Hebrews, last chapter: do not forget to do good and to share, for by such sacrifices God is won over. Third, man has the good of his own body: and as to this he says, that you present, namely to God, your bodies, as a certain spiritual sacrificial victim. Now an animal immolated to God used to be called a "hostia" (sacrificial victim), either because it was offered for victory over enemies (hostes), or for security from enemies, or because it was immolated at the door (ostium) of the tabernacle. Now man presents his body to God as a sacrificial victim in three ways. In one way indeed, when someone exposes his body to suffering and death for God's sake, as is said of Christ, Ephesians V, 2: he delivered himself up for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God. And the Apostle says of himself, Philippians II, 17: if I be sacrificed upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice. Second, by this, that man macerates his body with fastings and watchings in order to serve God, according to that word of I Corinthians IX, 27: I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection. Third, by this, that man presents his body for carrying out works of justice and of divine worship. Above, VI, 19: present your members to serve justice, unto sanctification. Now it must be considered that the sacrificial victim which was immolated to God had four properties. For first, the offering itself had to be whole and uncorrupted. Whence it is said, Malachi I, v. 14: cursed is the deceitful man, who hath in his flock a male, and making a vow, offereth in sacrifice that which is feeble to the Lord. And on account of this he says, living, namely that the sacrificial victim of our body which we offer to God should be living through faith formed by charity. Galatians II, 20: that which I now live in the flesh, I live in the faith of the Son of God. Now it must be noted that the natural sacrificial victim which had previously been alive, used to be killed, in order to be immolated, to show that death still reigned in man while sin reigned, as was said above at V, 12ff. But this spiritual sacrificial victim always lives and progresses in life, according to that word of John X, 10: I am come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly, because sin has now been taken away through Christ: unless we should say that the sacrificial victim of our body indeed lives to God through the justice of faith, but is put to death as to the concupiscences of the flesh. Colossians III, 5: mortify your members which are upon the earth. Second, the sacrificial victim offered to God was sanctified in the very immolation. Whence it is said, Leviticus XXII, 3: any man of your race, that approacheth to those things that are consecrated, and which the children of Israel have offered to the Lord, in whom there is uncleanness, shall perish before the Lord. And therefore he adds, holy, namely through the devotion by which our body is bound over to the service of God. Leviticus XX, 7: be ye sanctified and be ye holy, for I am the Lord your God, who is holy. Now holiness is properly spoken of with respect to God, inasmuch namely as man keeps those things that are just, as regards God. Third, as to the very consumption of the sacrifice, it was called a sacrifice sweet and acceptable to the Lord, according to that word of Leviticus I, v. 9: the priest shall burn all the things offered upon the altar for a holocaust, and for a most sweet odor to the Lord. Whence here he says, pleasing to God, namely through rectitude of intention. Psalm 55, 13: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living. Fourth, in the very preparation of the sacrifice salt was added. Whence Leviticus II, 13: whatsoever sacrifice thou offerest, thou shalt season it with salt. And Mark IX, 48 it is said: every victim shall be salted with salt. Now salt signifies the discernment of wisdom. Whence it is said, Colossians, last chapter: walk with wisdom towards them that are without, let your speech be always in grace seasoned with salt. Whence also here follows, your reasonable service, namely that with discernment you present your bodies to God as a sacrificial victim, whether through martyrdom or through abstinence or through whatever work of justice. I Corinthians XIV, 40: let all things be done decently, and according to order among you. And Psalm 98, 4: the king's honor loveth judgment. The just man is related differently to interior acts, by which he does service to God, than to exterior ones. For the good of man and his justice consists principally in interior acts, namely those by which man believes, hopes, and loves. Whence it is said, Luke XVII, 21: the kingdom of God is within you. But it does not consist principally in exterior acts. Below, XIV, v. 17: the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. Whence the interior acts are related after the manner of an end, which is sought for its own sake: but the exterior acts, by which bodies are presented to God, are related as those things which are for the end. Now in that which is sought as an end no measure is applied, but the greater it is, the better it is. But in that which is sought for the sake of an end, a measure is applied according to proportion to the end, just as a physician produces health as much as he can, but he does not give medicine as much as he can, but as much as he sees to be expedient for attaining health. And likewise man ought to apply no measure in faith, and hope, and in charity, but the more he believes, hopes, and loves, the better it is; on account of which it is said, Deuteronomy IV, 5: thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and so on. But in exterior acts a measure of discernment must be applied by comparison to charity. Whence Jerome says: does not a rational man lose his dignity, who prefers fasting or vigils to soundness of sense, so that on account of the chanting of psalms and offices, he incurs a mark of madness or of sadness? Then when he says, and be not conformed, etc., he shows how man ought to present himself to God as to the soul. And first he forbids conformity to the world, when he says, and be not conformed to this world, that is, to the things which pass away in time. For the present age (saeculum) is a certain measure of the things that pass away in time. Now man is conformed to temporal things through affection, by clinging to them with love. Hosea IX, v. 10: they became abominable, as those things which they loved. James I, 27: religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to keep oneself unspotted from this world. He is also conformed to this world who imitates the life of those who live worldly lives. Ephesians IV, 17: I testify in the Lord, that henceforward you walk not as also the Gentiles walk. Second he commands an interior reformation of the mind, when he says, but be reformed in the newness of your understanding. Now the "sense" (sensus) of man is here called reason, according as through it man judges concerning things to be done. Now man had this sense whole and vigorous in his creation, whence it is said, Ecclesiasticus XVII, 6: understanding filled their hearts, and showed them good and evil. But through sin this sense has been corrupted, and, as it were, made old, Baruch III, 11: thou art grown old in a strange land, and consequently it has lost its beauty and comeliness. Lamentations I, 6: from the daughter of Sion all her beauty is departed. The Apostle therefore admonishes that we be reformed, that is, that we take up again the form and comeliness of mind, which our mind had, which indeed comes about through the grace of the Holy Spirit, in participating in which man ought to have zeal, namely in such a way that those who have not yet received it may receive it, and those who have received it may progress in it. Ephesians IV, 23: be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Psalm 102, 5: thy youth shall be renewed like the eagle's. Or otherwise, be renewed, namely in exterior acts, in the newness of your understanding, that is, according to the newness of grace, which you have received in your mind. Third he assigns the reason for the aforesaid admonition, when he says, that you may prove what is the will. Concerning which it must be considered that, just as a man who has a corrupted taste does not have a right judgment concerning flavors, but sometimes abominates the things that are sweet, and desires the things that are abominable, whereas he who has a sound taste has a right judgment concerning flavors; so the man who has a corrupted affection, as it were conformed to worldly things, does not have a right judgment concerning the good; but he who has a right and sound affection, his sense renewed through grace, has a right judgment concerning the good. Therefore he said: be not conformed to this world, but be reformed in the newness of your understanding, that you may prove, that is, that you may know by experience — Psalm 33, 9: taste and see that the Lord is sweet —, what is the will of God, by which namely he wills you to be saved — I Thessalonians IV, 3: this is the will of God, your sanctification —, good, that is, he wills that we will the honest good, and to this he leads us by his precepts — Micah VI, 8: I will show thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requireth of thee —, and well-pleasing, inasmuch namely as, to one well-disposed, that which God wills us to will is delightful. Psalm 18, v. 9: the justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts. And not only useful for attaining the end, but also perfect, as it were joining us to the end. Matthew V, 48: be ye perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. Genesis XVII, 1: walk before me, and be perfect. Those, therefore, who are not conformed to this world, but are reformed in the newness of their sense, experience the will of God to be such. But those who remain in oldness, conformed to the world, judge the will of God not to be good, but heavy and useless. Ecclesiasticus VI, 21: how exceeding harsh is wisdom to unlearned men. Then, when he says, for I say, through the grace, etc., he teaches how man ought to use the gifts of God. And first he teaches this as to the gifts which are not common to all, such as the graces freely given (gratiae gratis datae); second, as to the gift of charity, which is common to all, where he says, let love be without dissimulation, and so on. Concerning the first he does two things. First he teaches in general how man ought to use the graces freely given; second he carries this out part by part, where he says, but having different gifts. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth the instruction; second he assigns the reason, where he says, for as in one body, and so on. Concerning the first he does three things. First he excludes excess, saying: I have admonished that you be reformed in the newness of your understanding, which indeed you ought to do with moderation; for I say, that is, I command, through the grace, of the apostolate and by apostolic authority, that is given to me. Galatians II, 9: when they had known the grace that was given to me among the Gentiles. Ephesians III, 8: to me, the least of all the saints, is given this grace, etc., to all that are among you, because this is useful to all. I Corinthians VII, 7: I would that all men were even as myself. This, I say, I command: not to be more wise than it behooveth to be wise, that is, let no one, trusting in his own understanding or wisdom, presume beyond his measure. Ecclesiastes VII, 17: be not more wise than is necessary. Psalm 130, 1: neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me. Second he exhorts to that which is the mean, saying, but to be wise unto sobriety, namely I command you that you be wise with measure according to the grace given to you. For sobriety imports measure. And although it is properly said concerning the drinking of wine, it can nevertheless be taken concerning any matter whatsoever, in which man observes due measure. Titus II, v. 12: that we may live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world. Third he teaches according to what the measure of the mean is to be taken, saying, and this, I say, according as God hath divided, that is, distributed, to every one the measure of faith, that is, the measure of his gifts, which is ordered to the building up of faith. I Corinthians XII, 7: to every man is given the manifestation of the spirit unto profit. For God gives gifts of this kind, not the same to all, but distributes different ones to different people, according to that word of I Corinthians XII, 4: there are diversities of graces. Nor does he give equally to all, but to each one according to a fixed measure. Ephesians IV, 7: to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the giving of Christ. And therefore the Apostle, being wise soberly according to this measure, said, II Corinthians X, 13: but we will not glory beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the rule, which God hath measured to us. Now to Christ alone was the spirit given not by measure, as is said in John III, 34. Now God gives not only the other graces freely given with measure, but also faith itself, which works through love. Whence Luke XVII, v. 5 the disciples said to Christ: Lord, increase our faith.