the Lord is defiled and that
which is laid thereupon is contemptible." Thirdly, on account of a
previous vow, whereby a man has bound himself to offer without
blemish whatever he has vowed: hence the same text says further on
(Malach. 1:14): "Cursed is the deceitful man that hath in his flock a
male, and making a vow offereth in sacrifice that which is feeble to
the Lord." The same reasons avail still in the New Law, but when they
do not apply the unlawfulness ceases.
_______________________

FOURTH ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 86, Art. 4]

Whether Men Are Bound to Pay First-fruits?

Objection 1: It would seem that men are not bound to pay
first-fruits. After giving the law of the first-born the text
continues (Ex. 13:9): "It shall be as a sign in thy hand," so that,
apparently, it is a ceremonial precept. But ceremonial precepts are
not to be observed in the New Law. Neither therefore ought
first-fruits to be paid.

Obj. 2: Further, first-fruits were offered to the Lord for a special
favor conferred on that people, wherefore it is written (Deut. 26:2,
3): "Thou shalt take the first of all thy fruits . . . and thou shalt
go to the priest that shall be in those days, and say to him: I
profess this day before the Lord thy God, that I am come into the
land, for which He swore to our fathers, that He would give it us."
Therefore other nations are not bound to pay first-fruits.

Obj. 3: That which one is bound to do should be something definite.
But neither in the New Law nor in the Old do we find mention of a
definite amount of first-fruits. Therefore one is not bound of
necessity to pay them.

_On the contrary,_ It is laid down (16, qu. vii, can. Decimas): "We
confirm the right of priests to tithes and first-fruits, and
everybody must pay them."

_I answer that,_ First-fruits are a kind of oblation, because they
are offered to God with a certain profession (Deut. 26); where the
same passage continues: "The priest taking the basket containing the
first-fruits from the hand of him that bringeth the first-fruits,
shall set it before the altar of the Lord thy God," and further on
(Deut. 26:10) he is commanded to say: "Therefore now I offer the
first-fruits of the land, which the Lord hath given me." Now the
first-fruits were offered for a special reason, namely, in
recognition of the divine favor, as though man acknowledged that he
had received the fruits of the earth from God, and that he ought to
offer something to God in r