Chapter 29 [XVII.]—A Comparison of the Law of Moses and of the New Law.

Now, amidst this admirable correspondence, there is at least this very considerable diversity in the cases, in that the people in the earlier instance were deterred by a horrible dread from approaching the place where the law was given; whereas in the other case the Holy Ghost came upon them who were gathered together in expectation of His promised gift. There it was on tables of stone that the finger of God operated; here it was on the hearts of men. There the law was given outwardly, so that the unrighteous might be terrified;120    Ex. xix. 12, 16.here it was given inwardly, so that they might be justified.121    Acts ii. 1–47. For this, “Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment,”—such, of course, as was written on those tables,—“it is briefly comprehended,” says he, “in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”122    Rom. xiii. 9, 10. Now this was not written on the tables of stone, but “is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.”123    Rom. v. 5. God’s law, therefore, is love. “To it the carnal mind is not subject, neither indeed can be;”124    Rom. viii. 7. but when the works of love are written on tables to alarm the carnal mind, there arises the law of works and “the letter which killeth” the transgressor; but when love itself is shed abroad in the hearts of believers, then we have the law of faith, and the spirit which gives life to him that loves.

Chapter 30.—The New Law Written Within.

Now, observe how consonant this diversity is with those words of the apostle which I quoted not long ago in another connection, and which I postponed for a more careful consideration afterwards: “Forasmuch,” says he, “as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”125    2 Cor. iii. 3. See how he shows that the one is written without man, that it may alarm him from without; the other within man himself, that it may justify him from within. He speaks of the “fleshy tables of the heart,” not of the carnal mind, but of a living agent possessing sensation, in comparison with a stone, which is senseless. The assertion which he subsequently makes,—that “the children of Israel could not look stedfastly on the end of the face of Moses,” and that he accordingly spoke to them through a veil,126    2 Cor. iii. 13.—signifies that the letter of the law justifies no man, but that rather a veil is placed on the reading of the Old Testament, until it shall be turned to Christ, and the veil be removed;—in other words, until it shall be turned to grace, and be understood that from Him accrues to us the justification, whereby we do what He commands. And He commands, in order that, because we lack in ourselves, we may flee to Him for refuge. Accordingly, after most guardedly saying, “Such trust have we through Christ to God-ward,”127    2 Cor. iii. 4. the apostle immediately goes on to add the statement which underlies our subject, to prevent our confidence being attributed to any strength of our own. He says: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us fit to be ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”128    2 Cor. iii. 5, 6.

CAPUT XVII.

29. Legis Mosaicae et novae comparatio. In hac mirabili congruentia illud certe plurimum distat, quod ibi populus accedere ad locum ubi lex dabatur, horrendo terrore prohibetur (Exod. XIX): hic autem in eos supervenit Spiritus sanctus, qui eum promissum exspectantes in unum fuerant congregati. Ibi in tabulis lapideis digitus Dei operatus est; hic, in cordibus hominum. Ibi ergo lex extrinsecus posita est, qua injusti terrerentur: hic intrinsecus data est, qua justificarentur. Nam. Non adulterabis, Non homicidium facies, Non concupisces, et si quod est aliud mandatum, quod utique in illis tabulis scriptum est, in hoc, inquit, sermone recapitulatur, in eo quod diliges proximum tuum tanquam te ipsum. Dilectio proximi malum non operatur. Plenitudo autem legis est charitas (Rom. XIII, 9, 10). Haec non in tabulis conscripta lapideis, sed diffusa est in cordibus nostris per Spiritum sanctum qui datus est nobis (Id. V, 5). Lex ergo Dei est charitas. Huic prudentia carnis non est subjecta; neque enim potest (Id. VIII, 7): sed ad hanc prudentiam carnis terrendam 0219 cum in tabulis scribuntur opera charitatis, lex est operum, et littera occidens praevaricatorem: cum autem ipsa charitas diffunditur in corde credentium, lex est fidei, et spiritus vivificans dilectorem.

30. Vide nunc quemadmodum consonet ista discretio illis apostolicis verbis, quae paulo ante ob aliud commemorata et diligentius pertractanda distuleram. Manifestati, inquit, quoniam estis epistola Christi, ministrata per nos scripta non atramento, sed Spiritu Dei vivi; non in tabulis lapideis, sed in tabulis cordis carnalibus. Ecce quemadmodum ostendit, quia illud extra hominem scribitur, ut eum forinsecus terrificet; hoc in ipso homine, ut eum intrinsecus justificet. Carnales autem tabulas cordis dixit, non carnalis prudentiae, sed tanquam viventis sensumque habentis, in comparatione lapidis qui sine sensu est. Et quod paulo post dicit, quod non poterant intendere filii Israel usque in finem vultus Moysi, et ideo eis per velum loquebatur; hoc significat, quia littera legis neminem justificat, sed velamen positum est in lectione Veteris Testamenti, donec ad Christum transeatur, et auferatur velamen; id est, transeatur ad gratiam, et intelligatur ab ipso nobis esse justificationem, qua faciamus quod jubet. Qui propterea jubet, ut in nobis deficientes ad illum confugiamus. Ideo vigilantissime cum dixisset, Confidentiam talem habemus per Christum ad Deum; ne nostris hoc viribus tribueretur, continuo commendavit unde agitur, dicens: Non quod idonei sumus cogitare aliquid a nobis quasi ex nobismetipsis; sed sufficientia nostra ex Deo est, qui et idoneos nos fecit ministros Novi Testamenti, non litterae, sed spiritus. Littera enim occidit, spiritus autem vivificat.