Chapter 6 [IV.]—The Calumny Concerning the Old Testament and the Righteous Men of Old.

Now if these things are so, out of these things are rebutted those which they subsequently object to us. For what catholic would say that which they charge us with saying, “that the Holy Spirit was not the assister of virtue in the old testament,” unless when we so understand “the old testament” in the manner in which the apostle spoke of it as “gendering from Mount Sinai into bondage”? But because in it was prefigured the new testament, the men of God who at that time understood this according to the ordering of the times, were indeed the stewards and bearers of the old testament, but are shown to be the heirs of the new. Shall we deny that he belongs to the new testament who says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me”?182    Ps. li. 10. or he who says, “He hath set my feet upon a rock, and directed my goings; and he hath put a new song in my mouth, even a hymn to our God”?183    Ps. xl. 2, 3. or that father of the faithful before the old testament which is from Mount Sinai, of whom the apostle says, “Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; yet even a man’s testament, when it is confirmed, no man disannulleth or addeth thereto. To Abraham and to his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one; and to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say,” said he, “that the testament confirmed by God, the law which was made four hundred and thirty years after, does not weaken, so as to make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”184    Gal. iii. 15 ff.

CAPUT IV.

6. Calumnia de veteri Testamento et antiquis justis. Vetus Testamentum figura novi. Sancti veteris Testamenti ad novum pertinent. Quibus ita se habentibus, ex his etiam illa quae deinceps nobis objiciunt refelluntur. Quis enim catholicus dicat, quod nos dicere jactitant, «Spiritum sanctum adjutorem virtutis in veteri Testamento non fuisse;» nisi cum vetus Testamentum sic intelligimus, quemadmodum Apostolus dixit, A monte Sina in servitutem generans (Galat. IV, 24)? Sed quia in eo praefigurabatur novum, qui hoc intelligebant tunc homines Dei, secundum distributionem temporum, veteris quidem Testamenti dispensatores et gestatores, sed novi demonstrantur 0592 haeredes. An vero illum ad Testamentum novum negabimus pertinere, qui dicit, Cor mundum crea in me, Deus, et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis (Psal. L, 12)? aut illum qui dicit, Posuit super petram pedes meos, et direxit gressus meos, et immisit in os meum canticum novum, hymnum Deo nostro. (Psal. XXXIX, 3, 4)? vel illum ante Testamentum vetus, quod est a monte Sina, patrem fidelium, de quo dicit Apostolus, Fratres, secundum hominem dico, tamen hominis confirmatum testamentum nemo irritum facit aut superordinat. Abrahae dictae sunt promissiones et semini ejus. Non dicit, Et seminibus, tanquam in multis; sed tanquam in uno, Et semini tuo, quod est Christus. Hoc autem dico, inquit, Testamentum confirmatum a Deo, quae post quadringentos et triginta annos facta est lex non infirmat ad evacuandam promissionem. Si enim ex lege haereditas, jam non ex promissione: Abrahae autem per promissionem donavit Deus.