4:17: "The kingdom of God is
not meat and drink; but justice and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost."
Therefore the New Law should not prescribe or forbid any external
acts.

Obj. 2: Further, the New Law is "the law of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:2).
But "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor.
3:17). Now there is no liberty when man is bound to do or avoid
certain external acts. Therefore the New Law does not prescribe or
forbid any external acts.

Obj. 3: Further, all external acts are understood as referable to the
hand, just as interior acts belong to the mind. But this is assigned
as the difference between the New and Old Laws that the "Old Law
restrains the hand, whereas the New Law curbs the will" [*Peter
Lombard, Sent. iii, D, 40]. Therefore the New Law should not contain
prohibitions and commands about exterior deeds, but only about
interior acts.

_On the contrary,_ Through the New Law, men are made "children of
light": wherefore it is written (John 12:36): "Believe in the light
that you may be the children of light." Now it is becoming that
children of the light should do deeds of light and cast aside deeds
of darkness, according to Eph. 5:8: "You were heretofore darkness,
but now light in the Lord. Walk . . . as children of the light."
Therefore the New Law had to forbid certain external acts and
prescribe others.

_I answer that,_ As stated above (Q. 106, AA. 1, 2), the New Law
consists chiefly in the grace of the Holy Ghost, which is shown forth
by faith that worketh through love. Now men become receivers of this
grace through God's Son made man, Whose humanity grace filled first,
and thence flowed forth to us. Hence it is written (John 1:14): "The
Word was made flesh," and afterwards: "full of grace and truth"; and
further on: "Of His fulness we all have received, and grace for
grace." Hence it is added that "grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ." Consequently it was becoming that the grace which flows from
the incarnate Word should be given to us by means of certain external
sensible objects; and that from this inward grace, whereby the flesh
is subjected to the Spirit, certain external works should ensue.

Accordingly external acts may have a twofold connection with grace.
In the first place, as leading in some way to grace. Such are the
sacramental acts which are instituted in the New Law, e.g. Baptism,
the Eucharist, and the like.

In the second place there are those external acts whi