ods, albeit in subordination to God:
whereas the perverse place their end in temporalities. It was
therefore fitting that the Old Law should conduct men to God by means
of temporal goods for which the imperfect have an affection.

Reply Obj. 1: Covetousness whereby man places his end in
temporalities, is the bane of charity. But the attainment of temporal
goods which man desires in subordination to God is a road leading the
imperfect to the love of God, according to Ps. 48:19: "He will praise
Thee, when Thou shalt do well to him."

Reply Obj. 2: Human law persuades men by means of temporal rewards or
punishments to be inflicted by men: whereas the Divine law persuades
men by means of rewards or punishments to be received from God. In
this respect it employs higher means.

Reply Obj. 3: As any one can see, who reads carefully the story of
the Old Testament, the common weal of the people prospered under the
Law as long as they obeyed it; and as soon as they departed from the
precepts of the Law they were overtaken by many calamities. But
certain individuals, although they observed the justice of the Law,
met with misfortunes--either because they had already become
spiritual (so that misfortune might withdraw them all the more from
attachment to temporal things, and that their virtue might be
tried)--or because, while outwardly fulfilling the works of the Law,
their heart was altogether fixed on temporal goods, and far removed
from God, according to Isa. 29:13 (Matt. 15:8): "This people honoreth
Me with their lips; but their hearts is far from Me."
________________________

QUESTION 100

OF THE MORAL PRECEPTS OF THE OLD LAW
(In Twelve Articles)

We must now consider each kind of precept of the Old Law: and (1) the
moral precepts, (2) the ceremonial precepts, (3) the judicial
precepts. Under the first head there are twelve points of inquiry:

(1) Whether all the moral precepts of the Old Law belong to the law
of nature?

(2) Whether the moral precepts of the Old Law are about the acts of
all the virtues?

(3) Whether all the moral precepts of the Old Law are reducible to
the ten precepts of the decalogue?

(4) How the precepts of the decalogue are distinguished from one
another?

(5) Their number;

(6) Their order;

(7) The manner in which they were given;

(8) Whether they are dispensable?

(9) Whether the mode of observing a virtue comes under the precept
of the Law?

(10) Whether the mode of char