Thomas Aquinas, on Ps 18:7

“His going out is from the end of heaven, And his circuit even to the end thereof: and there is no one that can hide himself from his heat.”

“"The law." Above, the Psalmist treated of God's general instruction, which takes place through creatures; now he treats of the special instruction which takes place through legislation. And concerning this he does two things. First, he sets forth the commendation of the law. Second, he treats of the offenses committed against the law, at "Who can understand sins?" And fittingly, after the mysteries of the incarnation of Christ, he treats of the old law, which was fulfilled by Christ and the new law handed on. Concerning this he does two things. First, he shows the goodness or rectitude of the law. Second, its sweetness or lovableness, at "More to be desired." Concerning the first he does three things. First, he commends the law in general. Second, the things contained in the law, at "The testimony of the Lord." Third, he commends those things that are adjacent to the law, at "The fear of the Lord." Now it should be considered that he says two things about the law of the Lord: both that it is unspotted and that it converts. And this can refer to each law, namely the new and the old. And they are set in contrast to human law, in which certain unlawful things are permitted, such as usury and houses of prostitution; for it cannot correct all things. But the law of the Lord is not such; rather, it is unspotted, that is, excluding all evils: Ps. 11: "The words of the Lord are chaste words," and so on. Job 6: "You will not find iniquity on my tongue, nor will folly resound in my jaws." Likewise, human law does not extend itself except to those matters over which human judgment has competence, namely only to exterior things: 1 Sam. 16: "Man sees what appears, but God beholds the heart." And therefore human law restrains from exterior things, though divine law converts the heart to God. And therefore he says, "converting," not only exterior acts, but "souls." But the old law did this imperfectly, the new law perfectly, because the old law restrained through temporal punishments, which coerce the hand, but the new law restrains through eternal punishments, which coerce the heart. Now three things are contained in the law: testimonies, judgments, and precepts. Testimonies, because divine law necessarily proceeds upon certain matters of belief: Heb. 11: "He who comes to the Lord must believe." And therefore testimonies are necessary by which the right faith of a man may be tested; and so there are in it testimonies and ceremonies. And he says two things about them: that the testimonies or precepts have something trustworthy, and that they bestow wisdom. But human doctrines have something untrustworthy and do not bestow wisdom. Untrustworthy, because the ancients fabricated certain falsehoods in their laws, as seemed to them useful for the states: for example, that certain men were born from gods, so that they might conceive great spirits; and that those who governed well were transferred to the gods, so as to encourage good governance of the commonwealth. But the testimony of the Lord, that is, the doctrine or divine commandment, is trustworthy, that is, it has truth; but that other doctrine is false: Ps. 92: "Your testimonies, Lord, are made exceedingly credible." And this is because that law orders only the things of this present life; but divine law orders toward the future life. Rom. 8: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us." Testimonies are properly called those things in the law which generate the authority of the one commanding in the hearts of subjects, so that they obey the precepts -- such as that God is one, and that he is the Creator of heaven and earth, and things of this kind. And because the ceremonial precepts are owed solely from divine authority, they could be called testimonies; but the moral precepts are grounded in the obligation of every virtue; and the judicial precepts are grounded in obligation between men regarding contracts. Now that human law does not bestow wisdom: for there is some wisdom in human affairs, where there is some truth, such as philosophical wisdom; and there was a certain wisdom that the priests used in the temple, and this is false; and this was proposed to many. But that philosophical wisdom was proposed to few, whereas divine wisdom is proposed to little ones, that is, to the people: Deut. 4: "This is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples." Or, "to little ones," that is, to the humble: Mt. 11: "You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to little ones."”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.