'It
is'."] Again, in this respect, it also fulfils what the Old Law
foreshadowed. Hence it is written (Col. 2:17) concerning the
ceremonial precepts that they were "a shadow of things to come, but
the body is of Christ"; in other words, the reality is found in
Christ. Wherefore the New Law is called the law of reality; whereas
the Old Law is called the law of shadow or of figure.

Now Christ fulfilled the precepts of the Old Law both in His works
and in His doctrine. In His works, because He was willing to be
circumcised and to fulfil the other legal observances, which were
binding for the time being; according to Gal. 4:4: "Made under the
Law." In His doctrine He fulfilled the precepts of the Law in three
ways. First, by explaining the true sense of the Law. This is clear
in the case of murder and adultery, the prohibition of which the
Scribes and Pharisees thought to refer only to the exterior act:
wherefore Our Lord fulfilled the Law by showing that the prohibition
extended also to the interior acts of sins. Secondly, Our Lord
fulfilled the precepts of the Law by prescribing the safest way of
complying with the statutes of the Old Law. Thus the Old Law forbade
perjury: and this is more safely avoided, by abstaining altogether
from swearing, save in cases of urgency. Thirdly, Our Lord fulfilled
the precepts of the Law, by adding some counsels of perfection: this
is clearly seen in Matt. 19:21, where Our Lord said to the man who
affirmed that he had kept all the precepts of the Old Law: "One thing
is wanting to thee: If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell whatsoever thou
hast," etc. [*St. Thomas combines Matt. 19:21 with Mk. 10:21].

Reply Obj. 1: The New Law does not void observance of the Old Law
except in the point of ceremonial precepts, as stated above (Q. 103,
AA. 3, 4). Now the latter were figurative of something to come.
Wherefore from the very fact that the ceremonial precepts were
fulfilled when those things were accomplished which they
foreshadowed, it follows that they are no longer to be observed: for
if they were to be observed, this would mean that something is still
to be accomplished and is not yet fulfilled. Thus the promise of a
future gift holds no longer when it has been fulfilled by the
presentation of the gift. In this way the legal ceremonies are
abolished by being fulfilled.

Reply Obj. 2: As Augustine says (Contra Faust. xix, 26), those
precepts of Our Lord are not contrary to the precepts of t