Thomas Aquinas

Above he led them to newness against the oldness of deceit; here he does this same thing against the oldness of carnal vices. Or let us say that before he reproved carnal sins as regards lust, but here as regards gluttony. He does two things. For first he forbids the oldness; second he leads the state to newness, at "but be filled," etc. He says therefore: I said that fornication and all uncleanness should not be named among you; but in order to guard against this you ought to abstain from excessive wine, because excessive food and drink is a cause of lust, and especially wine, which heats and stirs.

Proverbs 20:1: Wine is a luxurious thing, and drunkenness is riotous. Esther 1:10: When the king was more cheerful, and after excessive drinking had grown hot with wine, etc. Hosea 4:11: Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness take away the heart. Whence Jerome: him whom Sodom did not conquer, wine conquered — Lot. Be not therefore, etc.

But be filled with the Holy Spirit. Among all the things that generate many spirits is wine, whence it generates boldness and makes men speak by talents, as is said in 3 Esdras 3:21. And therefore he fittingly teaches them, against this, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, who generates the fervor of devotion. Romans 12:11: fervent in spirit. Likewise, it also generates spiritual joy and gladness. Romans 14:17: justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Likewise, it makes one speak boldly. Acts 2:4: they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak, etc., and therefore those who heard them speaking believed them to be drunk.

But do we have the Holy Spirit in our own power? I answer and say that to have the Holy Spirit is twofold: either receptively, and thus it is not in our power to receive him, but we receive him from the gift of God. Romans 5:5: The charity of God is poured out in our hearts, etc. Or dispositively, and thus still we are not sufficient to receive him, that is, to dispose ourselves, without the grace of God. 2 Corinthians 3:5: We are not sufficient to think anything of ourselves as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. Or someone is said to receive the Holy Spirit, yet not to be full of the Holy Spirit, namely when he has the grace of the Holy Spirit with respect to some operation and not with respect to every operation of man. But then he is said to be full of the Holy Spirit, when he uses it generally. But the manner of being filled is in the love of God and of neighbor.

And therefore when he says "speaking," etc., first he touches the manner of the filling on the part of God; second on the part of the neighbor, at "subject to one another," etc. Concerning the first he does three things. First spiritual meditation is set down; second spiritual exultation, at "singing," etc.; third the giving of thanks, at "giving thanks," etc. The first is divided into two, because first he sets down the manner of the meditation, second its matter, at "in psalms," etc. He says therefore "speaking to yourselves," etc.

Now there is a twofold speech: one exterior, of man to men; the other interior, of man to himself. But such speech ought to be compunctive. Job 10:1: I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. Likewise, it ought to be done in secret. Matthew 6:6: But when you pray, enter into your chamber, and having shut the door, pray to your Father. And Wisdom 8:16: Entering into my house, I shall rest with her.

But he touches the matter of the meditation when he says "in psalms," etc. To sing psalms is to make use of the psaltery. And thus "in psalms," that is, in good works. Psalm 80:3: Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant psaltery, etc. And "hymns," that is, divine praises. Psalm 148:14: a hymn to all his saints, etc. And "spiritual canticles," namely concerning the hope of eternal things. Romans 12:12: rejoicing in hope. Psalm 91:4: upon the ten-stringed psaltery, with a canticle upon the harp. Psalm 97:1: Sing to the Lord a new canticle, etc. Let us therefore meditate: on right action, what is to be done; on divine praise, what is to be imitated; on heavenly gladness, what and how we are to serve.

Thus therefore the first effect of the Holy Spirit is sacred meditation, the second is spiritual exultation, because from frequent meditation the fire of charity is kindled in the heart. Psalm 38:4: My heart grew hot within me, and in my meditation a fire shall flame out, etc. And from this spiritual gladness is generated in the heart. And therefore he says "singing and making melody," that is, so that our affections may be affected with spiritual joy for the doing of good works. 1 Corinthians 14:15: I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the mind. Colossians 3:16: in all wisdom teaching and admonishing yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord in grace.

From this the error of the heretics is confounded, who say that it is vain to sing vocal canticles to the Lord, and that only spiritual ones should be sung. For in the praises of the Church there is something to be considered per se, and this is what the apostle says, "in your hearts." But something is done on account of two things: namely, on account of ourselves, that our mind may be roused to interior devotion — but if from this someone is moved to dissoluteness, or to vain glory, this is against the intention of the Church; likewise, on account of others, because through this the unlearned are made more devout. 4 Kings 3:15: And when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.

The third effect is the giving of thanks: because from this, that someone is so affected toward God, he recognizes that he has all things from God. For the more someone is affected toward God, and knows him, the more he sees him as greater and himself as lesser — indeed, as nearly nothing, in comparison to God. Job 42:5: My eye sees you, therefore I reprove myself, etc. And therefore he says "giving thanks always for all things," namely for gifts, whether prosperous or adverse. Psalm 33:1: I will bless the Lord at all times, etc. For these too are for us gifts on the way. James 1:2: Count it all joy, etc. Acts 5:41: the apostles went rejoicing, etc. 1 Thessalonians 5:18: In all things give thanks.

But this "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," because all good things come about through him. Romans 5:1: we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have access, etc. But he adds "to God," insofar as he is our author through creation, and "the Father," insofar as he sent us Christ, through whom he regenerated us. And thus thanks to God, as regards the goods of nature; to the Father, as regards the goods of grace.

But as regards the neighbor, he sets down the manner of the filling, saying "subject to one another in the fear of Christ," that is, not on account of human fear, but of Christ.