g in regard to worship of
God will be figurative; there will be naught but "thanksgiving and
voice of praise" (Isa. 51:3). Hence it is written concerning the city
of the Blessed (Apoc. 21:22): "I saw no temple therein: for the Lord
God Almighty is the temple thereof, and the Lamb." Proportionately,
therefore, the ceremonies of the first-mentioned state which
foreshadowed the second and third states, had need to cease at the
advent of the second state; and other ceremonies had to be introduced
which would be in keeping with the state of divine worship for that
particular time, wherein heavenly goods are a thing of the future,
but the Divine favors whereby we obtain the heavenly boons are a
thing of the present.

Reply Obj. 1: The Old Law is said to be "for ever" simply and
absolutely, as regards its moral precepts; but as regards the
ceremonial precepts it lasts for even in respect of the reality which
those ceremonies foreshadowed.

Reply Obj. 2: The mystery of the redemption of the human race was
fulfilled in Christ's Passion: hence Our Lord said then: "It is
consummated" (John 19:30). Consequently the prescriptions of the Law
must have ceased then altogether through their reality being
fulfilled. As a sign of this, we read that at the Passion of Christ
"the veil of the temple was rent" (Matt. 27:51). Hence, before
Christ's Passion, while Christ was preaching and working miracles,
the Law and the Gospel were concurrent, since the mystery of Christ
had already begun, but was not as yet consummated. And for this
reason Our Lord, before His Passion, commanded the leper to observe
the legal ceremonies.

Reply Obj. 3: The literal reasons already given (Q. 102) for the
ceremonies refer to the divine worship, which was founded on faith in
that which was to come. Hence, at the advent of Him Who was to come,
both that worship ceased, and all the reasons referring thereto.

Reply Obj. 4: The faith of Abraham was commended in that he believed
in God's promise concerning his seed to come, in which all nations
were to blessed. Wherefore, as long as this seed was yet to come, it
was necessary to make profession of Abraham's faith by means of
circumcision. But now that it is consummated, the same thing needs to
be declared by means of another sign, viz. Baptism, which, in this
respect, took the place of circumcision, according to the saying of
the Apostle (Col. 2:11, 12): "You are circumcised with circumcision
not made by hand,