nd affection, according to Isa.
51:3: "Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the
voice of praise."

But in the present state of life, we are unable to gaze on the Divine
Truth in Itself, and we need the ray of Divine light to shine upon us
under the form of certain sensible figures, as Dionysius states
(Coel. Hier. i); in various ways, however, according to the various
states of human knowledge. For under the Old Law, neither was the
Divine Truth manifest in Itself, nor was the way leading to that
manifestation as yet opened out, as the Apostle declares (Heb. 9:8).
Hence the external worship of the Old Law needed to be figurative not
only of the future truth to be manifested in our heavenly country,
but also of Christ, Who is the way leading to that heavenly
manifestation. But under the New Law this way is already revealed:
and therefore it needs no longer to be foreshadowed as something
future, but to be brought to our minds as something past or present:
and the truth of the glory to come, which is not yet revealed, alone
needs to be foreshadowed. This is what the Apostle says (Heb. 11:1):
"The Law has [Vulg.: 'having'] a shadow of the good things to come,
not the very image of the things": for a shadow is less than an
image; so that the image belongs to the New Law, but the shadow to
the Old.

Reply Obj. 1: The things of God are not to be revealed to man except
in proportion to his capacity: else he would be in danger of
downfall, were he to despise what he cannot grasp. Hence it was more
beneficial that the Divine mysteries should be revealed to uncultured
people under a veil of figures, that thus they might know them at
least implicitly by using those figures to the honor of God.

Reply Obj. 2: Just as human reason fails to grasp poetical
expressions on account of their being lacking in truth, so does it
fail to grasp Divine things perfectly, on account of the sublimity of
the truth they contain: and therefore in both cases there is need of
signs by means of sensible figures.

Reply Obj. 3: Augustine is speaking there of internal worship; to
which, however, external worship should be ordained, as stated above.

The same answer applies to the Fourth Objection: because men were
taught by Him to practice more perfectly the spiritual worship of
God.
________________________

THIRD ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 101, Art. 3]

Whether There Should Have Been Many Ceremonial Precepts?

Objection 1: It wou