ch were contracted in consequence of the
prescription of the Law. Hence the Apostle says (Heb. 9:13) that "the
blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of a heifer, being
sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the
flesh." And just as this uncleanness which was washed away by such
like ceremonies, affected the flesh rather than the soul, so also the
ceremonies themselves are called by the Apostle shortly before (Heb.
9:10) justices of the flesh: "justices of the flesh," says he, "being
laid on them until the time of correction."

On the other hand, they had no power of cleansing from uncleanness of
the soul, i.e. from the uncleanness of sin. The reason of this was
that at no time could there be expiation from sin, except through
Christ, "Who taketh away the sins [Vulg.: 'sin'] of the world" (John
1:29). And since the mystery of Christ's Incarnation and Passion had
not yet really taken place, those ceremonies of the Old Law could not
really contain in themselves a power flowing from Christ already
incarnate and crucified, such as the sacraments of the New Law
contain. Consequently they could not cleanse from sin: thus the
Apostle says (Heb. 10:4) that "it is impossible that with the blood
of oxen and goats sin should be taken away"; and for this reason he
calls them (Gal. 4:9) "weak and needy elements": weak indeed, because
they cannot take away sin; but this weakness results from their being
needy, i.e. from the fact that they do not contain grace within
themselves.

However, it was possible at the time of the Law, for the minds of the
faithful, to be united by faith to Christ incarnate and crucified; so
that they were justified by faith in Christ: of which faith the
observance of these ceremonies was a sort of profession, inasmuch as
they foreshadowed Christ. Hence in the Old Law certain sacrifices
were offered up for sins, not as though the sacrifices themselves
washed sins away, but because they were professions of faith which
cleansed from sin. In fact, the Law itself implies this in the terms
employed: for it is written (Lev. 4:26; 5:16) that in offering the
sacrifice for sin "the priest shall pray for him . . . and it shall
be forgiven him," as though the sin were forgiven, not in virtue of
the sacrifices, but through the faith and devotion of those who
offered them. It must be observed, however, that the very fact that
the ceremonies of the Old Law washed away uncleanness of the body,
was