Thomas Aquinas

Above he forbade the oldness of carnal deceits; here he exhorts to the contrary newness. And first he exhorts to the newness contrary to deceit; second, to the newness contrary to excess, at "and be not drunk," etc. The first part is divided into three. First he leads them to the caution contrary to deceit; second he shows the newness of this caution, at "redeeming the time," etc.; third he teaches the manner of this caution, at "therefore do not become," etc.

He says therefore, "so then" — namely, from what has gone before — "see how you walk carefully." Caution is a certain condition of prudence, by which someone avoids the impediments to the things to be done, and all ought to have this caution. Proverbs 4:23: "Let your eyes look straight on, and let your eyelids go before your steps." But this pertains to the wise, and therefore he says "not as unwise" — namely, those who do not know how to avoid impediments. Psalm 75:6: "All the unwise of heart were troubled." "But as wise." Ecclesiastes 2:14: "The eyes of the wise man are in his head; the fool walks in darkness."

Some say: "if not chastely, yet cautiously." But the Apostle does not take it in this way; rather he says "carefully," as if he were saying: beware of men contrary to chastity.

He shows the necessity of this caution when he says "redeeming the time," etc., which can be expounded in two ways. For someone sometimes redeems his own thing by giving gifts or something in exchange for it, just as someone is said to redeem his vexation by giving gifts, or money, or by giving up something of his own right. He says therefore: this whole present time is a time of calumny, and therefore be redeeming the time, "because the days are evil." From the time Adam sinned, snares impelling to sin have always stood ready. But it was not so in the state of innocence, in which man did not need to abstain from anything lawful, because in his will there was nothing impelling him toward sin. But now we must redeem the time, "because the days are evil," that is, we ought to avoid the malice of the days, to guard beforehand against the evil day, as is said in Ecclesiastes 7:15, and also to abstain from certain lawful things. 1 Corinthians 10:23: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify." It is in this manner that someone is said to redeem his vexation, because he lets something of his own right go to waste.

Or otherwise: "redeeming the time," etc. It happens sometimes that someone lives in sin for a great span of his lifetime, and this is lost time. But how will he redeem it, since man is not sufficient to pay off what is owed? I respond: it must be said that he ought to devote himself to good works all the more, the more he formerly pressed on in evils. 1 Peter 1: "For the time past is sufficient to have fulfilled the will of the Gentiles, for those who have walked in excesses, wine-drinking bouts, desires," etc. But the first exposition is better.

Then when he says "therefore do not become," etc., he teaches the manner of this caution, saying: "therefore" — namely, so that you may be able to redeem the time — "do not become imprudent." Note that there is a difference between wisdom and prudence. For prudence is a certain wisdom, but not universal wisdom. Proverbs 10:23: "But wisdom is prudence to a man." For he is called wise without qualification who has it in him to order all things; but he is called wise in a qualified sense who has it in him to order those things concerning which he is wise. 1 Corinthians 3:10: "As a wise architect I have laid the foundation." For it belongs to the wise man to order, as is said in Metaphysics I. But everyone who orders looks to an end; therefore he is wise without qualification who knows the end, or who acts for the sake of the universal end, namely God. Deuteronomy 4:6: "For this is your wisdom," etc. For wisdom is the knowledge of divine things, as Augustine says, On the Trinity IV. But prudence is the providence of a particular thing, namely, when someone orders his own deeds. And therefore "wisdom is prudence to a man."

For this reason, then, he says: "do not become imprudent, but understanding," etc. Just as speculative reason orders and judges concerning things to be known, and it is necessary to hold conclusions and judge them by means of principles, so too it is in things to be done. Now this first principle, by which we ought to judge and regulate all things, is the will of God; and therefore the intellect, in moral and divine matters, ought to have the will of God as its principle, because, if it has this as its principle, the intellect becomes prudent. Deuteronomy 32:29: "O that they would be wise and would understand," etc. This the Lord taught, Matthew 26:42: "Your will be done."