6. But how can you venture to quote this verse against me? Or why should it be against me only, when it is as much against yourself? If Christ does not destroy the law and the prophets, neither must Christians do so. Why then do you destroy them? Do you begin to perceive that you are no Chris- tian? How can you profane with all kinds of work the day pronounced sacred in the law and in all the prophets, on which they say that God, the maker of the world, himself rested, without dreading the penalty of death pronounced against Sabbath-breakers, or the curse on the transgressor? How can you re- fuse to receive in your person the unseemly mark of circumcision, which the law and all the prophets declare to be honorable, espec- ially in the case of Abraham, after what was thought to be his faith; for does not the God of the Jews proclaim that whosoever is with- out this mark of infamy shall perish from his people? How can you neglect the appointed sacrifices, which were made so much of both by Moses and the prophets under the law, and by Abraham in his faith? And how can you defile your souls by making no distinction in foods, if you believe that Christ came not to destroy these things, but to fulfill them? Why do you discard the annual feast of un- leavened bread, and the appointed sacrifice of the lamb, which, according to the law and the prophets, is to be observed for ever? Why, in a word, do you treat so lightly the new moons, the baptisms, and the feast of tabernacles, and all the other carnal ordi- nances of the law and the prophets, if Christ did not destroy them? I have therefore good reason for saying that, in order to justify your neglect of tnese things, you must either aban- don your profession of being Christ's disciple, or acknowledge that Christ himself has al- ready destroyed them; and from this ac- knowledgment it must follow, either that this text is spurious in which Christ is made to say that he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, or that the words have an entirely different meaning from what you suppose.
7. AuGUSTiN replied: If you allow, in con- sideration of the authority of the Gospel, that Christ said that He came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them, you should show the same consideration to the authority of the apostle, when he says, "All these things were our examples;" and again of Christ, "He was not yea and nay, but in Him was yea; for all the promises of God are in Him yea; " - that is, they are set forth and fulfilled in Him. In this way you will see in the clearest light both what law Christ fulfilled, and how He fulfilled it. It is a vain attempt that you make to escape by your three kinds of law and your three kinds of prophets. It is quite plain, and the New Testament leaves no doubt on the matter, what law and what prophets Christ came not to destroy, but to fulfill. The law given by Moses is that which by Jesus Christ became grace and truth. ^ The law given by Moses is that of which Christ says, " He wrote of me." •♦ For undoubtedly this is the law which entered that the offence might abound; ^ words which you often ignorantly quote as a reproacli to the law. Read what is there said of this law: "The law is holy, and the command- ment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, wrought death in me by that which is good."*^ The entrance of the law made the offense abound, not because the law required what was wrong, but because the proud and self-confident incurred additional guilt as transgressors after their acquaintance with the holy, and just, and good commandments of the law; so that, being thus humbled, they 4 John V. 46.
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[Book XIX.
might learn that only by grace through faith could they be freed from subjection to the law as transgressors, and be reconciled to the law as righteous. So the same apostle says: " For before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which was afterwards revealed. Therefore the law was our schoolmaster in Christ Jesus; but after faith came, we are no longer under a school- master." ' That is, we are no longer subject to the penalty of the law, because we are set free by grace. Before we received in humil- ity the grace of the Spirit, the letter was only death to us, for it required obedience which we could not render. Thus Paul also says: " The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."^ Again, he says: " For if a law had been given which could have given life^ verily righteous- ness should have been by the law; but the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be jriven to them that believe." ^ And once more: "What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, that by sin He might condemn sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ""* Here we see Christ coming not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. As the law brought the proud under the guilt of trans- gression, increasing their sin by command- ments which they could not obey, so the righteousness of the same law is fulfilled by the grace of the Spirit in those who learn from Christ to be meek and lowly in heart; for Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. Moreover^ because even for those who are under grace it is difficult in this mortal life perfectly to keep what is written in the law, Thou shalt not covet, Christ, by the sacrifice of His flesh, as our Priest obtains pardon for us. And in this also He fulfills the law; for what we fail in through weakness is supplied by His perfection, who is the Head, while we are His members. Thus John says: " My little children, these things write I unto 3^ou, that ye sin not; and if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: He is the propitia- tion for our sins." ^ 8. Christ also fulfilled the prophecies, be- cause the promises of God were made good in Him. As the apostle says in the verse quoted above, " The promises of God are in Him yea." Again, he says: "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the cir- cumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. ' ' * What- ever, then, was promised in the prophets, whether expressly or in figure, whether by words or by actions, was fulfilled in Him who came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them. You do not perceive that if Christians were to continue in the use of acts and observances by which things to come were prefigured, the only meaning would be that the things prefigured had not yet come. Either the thing prefigured has not come, or if it has, the figure becomes superfluous or misleading. Therefore, if Christians do not practise some things enjoined in the Hebrews by the prophets, this, so far from showing, as you think, that Christ did not fulfill the prophets, rather shows that He did. So completely did Christ fulfill what these types prefigured, that it is no longer prefigured. So the Lord Himself says: " The law and the prophets were until John."^ For the law which shut up transgressors in increased guilt, and to the faith which was afterwards revealed, became grace through Jesus Christ, by whom grace superabounded. Thus the law, which was not fulfilled in the requirement of the letter, was fulfilled in the liberty of grace. In the same way, everything in the law that was prophetic of the Saviour's advent, whether in ' words or in typical actions, became truth in Jesus Christ. For "the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus. Christ." * At Christ's advent the kingdom ofi God began to be preached; for the law and the prophets were until John: the law, that its transgressors might desire salvation; the prophets, that tliey might foretell the Saviour. No doubt there have been prophets in the Church since the ascension of Christ. Of these prophets Paul says: "God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers," and so on.' It is not of these prophets that it was said, " The law and the prophets were until John,", but of those who prophesied the first coming of Christ, which evidently cannot be prophe- sied now that it has taken place.
9. Accordingly, when you ask why a Chris- tian is not circumcised if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, my reply is,i that a Christian is not circumcised precisely for this reason, that what was prefigured by circumcision is fulfilled in Christ. Circum- cision was the type of the removal of our fleshly nature, which was fulfilled in the resur- rection of Christ, and which the sacrament of baptism teaches us to look forward to in our own resurrection. 'The sacrament of the new 3 Gal. iii. 21, 22.
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243 life is not wholly discontinued, for our resur- rection from tlie dead is still to come; but this sacrament has been improved by the sul)- stitution of baptism for circumcision, because now a pattern of the eternal life which is to come is afforded us in the resurrection of Christ, whereas formerly there was nothing of the kind. So, when you ask why a Chris- tian does not keep the Sabbath, if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, my reply is, that a Christian does not keep the Sabbath precisely because what was prefigured in the Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ. For we have our Sabbath in Him who said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls." ' 10. When you ask why a Christian does not observe the distinction in food as enjoined in the law, if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, I reply, that a Christian does not observe this distinction precisely be- cause what was thus prefigured is now fulfilled in Christ, who admits into His body, which in His saints He has predestined to eternal life, nothing which in human conduct corres- ponds to the characteristics of the forbidden animals. When you ask, again, why a Chris- tian does not offer sacrifices to God of the flesh and blood of slain animals, if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, I reply, that it would be improper for a Christian to offer such sacrifices, now that what was thus prefigured has been fulfilled in Christ's offering of His own body and blood. When you ask why a Christian does not keep the feast of unleavened bread as the Jews did, if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, I reply, that a Christian does not keep this feast precisely because what was thus prefigured is fulfilled in Christ, who leads us to a new life by purging out the leaven of the old life.= When. you ask why a Christian does not keep the feast of the paschal lamb, if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, my reply is, that he does not keep it precisely because what was thus prefigured has been fulfilled in the sufferings of Christ, the Lamb without spot. When you ask why a Christian does not keep the feasts of the new moon appointed in the law, if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, I reply, that he does not keep them precisely because what was thus prefigured is fulfilled in Christ. For the feast of the new moon prefigured the new creature, of which the ■ Matt..\i. 28, 29.
I Cor.
V. 7.
apostle says: " If therefore there is any new creature in Christ Jesus, the old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new." 3 ^Vnen you ask why a Christian does not observe the baptisms for various kinds of uncleanness according to the law, if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, I reply, that he does not observe them pre- cisely because they were figures of things to come, which Christ has fulfilled. For He came to bury us with Himself by baptism into death, that as Christ rose again from the dead, so we also should walk in newness of life.'* When you ask why Christians do not keep the feast of tabernacles, if the law is not destroyed, but fulfilled by Christ, I reply that believers are God's tabernacle, in whom, as they are united and built together in love, God condescends to dwell, so that Christians do not keep this feast precisely because what was thus prefigured is now fulfilled by Cnrist in His Church.
11. I touch upon these things merely in passing with the utmost brevity, rather than omit them altogether. The subjects, taken separately, have filled many large volumes, written to prove that these observances were typical of Christ. So it appears that all the things in the Old Testament which you think are not observed by Christians because Christ destroyed the law, are in fact not observed because Christ fulfilled the law. The very intention of the observances was to prefigure Christ. Now that Christ has come, instead of its being strange or absurd that what was done to prefigure His advent should not be done any more, it is perfectly right and rea- sonable. The typical observances intended to prefigure the coming of Christ would be observed still, had they not been fulfilled by the coming of Christ; so far is it from being the case that our not observing them now is any proof of their not being fulfilled by Christ's coming. There can be no religious society, whether the religion be true or false, without some sacrament or visible symbol to serve as a bond of union. The importance of these sacraments cannot be overstated, and only scoffers will treat them lightly. For if piety requires them, it must be impiety to neglect them.
12. It is true, the ungodly may partake in the visible sacraments of godliness, as we read that Simon Magus received holy bap- tism. Such are they of whom the apostle says that " they have the form of godliness, but deny the power of it."^ The power of godliness is the end of the commandment, 3 2 Cor. V. 17.
4 Rom. vi. 4.
5 2 Tim. iii. $.
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that is, love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of taith unfeigned.' So the Apostle Peter, speaking of the sacrament of the ark, in which the family of Noah was saved from the deluge, says, " So by a simi- lar figure baptism also saves you." And lest they should rest content with the visible sac- rament, by which they had the form of godli- 1 ness, and should deny its power in their lives by profligate conduct, he immediately adds, "Not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience." ^ 13. Thus the sacraments of the Old Testa- ment, which were celebrated in obedience to the law, were types of Christ who was to come; and when Christ fulfilled them by His advent they were done away, and \vere done away because they were fulfilled. For Christ came not to destroy, but to fulfill. And now that the righteousness of faith is revealed, and the children of God are called into liberty, and the yoke of bondage which was required for a carnal and stiffnecked people is taken away, other sacraments are instituted, greater in ef- ficacy, more beneficial in their use, easier in performance, and fewer in number.
14. And if the righteous men of old, who saw in the sacraments of their time the prom- ise of a future revelation of faith, which even then their piety enabled them to discern in the dim light of prophecy, and by which they lived, for the just can live only by faith; ^ if, then, these righteous men of old were ready to suffer, as many actually did suffer, all trials and tortures for the sake of those typ- ical sacraments which prefigured things in the future; if we praise the three children and Daniel, because they refused to be defiled by meat from the king's table, from their regard for the sacrament of their day; if we feel the strongest admiration for the Maccabees, who refused to touch food which Christians law- fully use; ■• how much more should a Christian in our day be ready to suffer all things for Christ's baptism, for Christ's Eucharist, for Christ's sacred sign, since these are proofs of the accomplishment of what the former sacra- ments only pointed forward to in the future! For what is still promised to the Church, the body of Christ, is both clearly made known, and in the Saviour Himself, the Head of the body, the Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, has already been ac- complished. Is not the promise of eternal life by resurrection from the dead? This we see fulfilled in the flesh of Him of whom it is said, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.^ In former days faith was dim, 3 Rom.:. 17.
for the saints and righteous men of those times all believed and hoped for the same things, and all these sacraments and cere- monies pointed to the future; but now we have the revelation of the faith to which the people were shut up under the law; ^ and what is now promised to believers in the judgment is already accomplished in the example of Him who came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them.
15. It is a question among the students of the sacred Scriptures, whether the faith in Christ before His passion and resurrection, which the righteous men of old learned by revelation or gathered from prophecy, had the same efficacy as faith has now that Christ has suffered and risen; or whether the actual shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God, which was, as He Himself says, for many for the remission of sins," conferred any benefit in the way of purifying or adding to the purity of those who looked forward in faith to the death of Christ, but left the world before it took place; whether, in fact, Christ's death reached to the dead, so as to effect their lib- eration. To discuss this question here, or to prove what has been ascertained on the sub- ject, would take too long, besides being for- eign from our present purpose.
16. Meanwhile it is sufficient to prove, in opposition to Faustus' ignorant cavils, how greatly they mistake who conclude, from the' change in signs and sacraments, that there must be a difference in the things which were prefigured in the rites of a prophetic dispen- sation, and which are declared to be accom- plished in the rites of the gospel; or those, on the other hand, who think that as the things are the same, the sacraments which an- nounce their accomplishment should not differ from the sacraments which foretold that accomplishment. For if in language the form of the verb changes in the number of letters and syllables according to the tense, as done signifies the past, and to be done the future, why should not the symbols which declare Christ's death and resurrection to be accom- plished, differ from those which predicted their accomplishment, as we see a difference in the form and sound of the words, past and future, suffered and to suffer, risen and \.o\ rise? For material symbols are nothing elsej than visible speech, which, though sacred, is| changeable and transitory. For while God is eternal, the water of baptism, and all that- is material in the sacrament, is transitory: the very word "God,'' which must be pronounced in the consecration, is a sound which u ^ Gal. iii, 23.
7 Matt,.\xvi. 28.
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245 passes in a moment. The actions and sounds pass away, but their efificacy remains the same, and the spiritual gift thus communicated is eternal. To say, therefore, that if Christ had not destroyed the law and the prophets, the sacraments of the law and the prophets would continue to be observed in the congre- gations of the Christian Church, is the same as to say that if Christ had not destroyed the law and the prophets. He would still be pre- dicted as about to be born, to suffer, and to rise again; whereas, in fact, it is proved that He did not destroy, but fulfill those things, because the prophecies of His birth, and pas- sion, and resurrection, which were represented in these ancient sacraments, have ceased, and the sacraments now observed by Christians contain the announcement that He has been born, has suffered, has risen. He who came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them, by this fulfillment did away with those things wliich foretold the accom- plishment of what is thus shown to be now accomplished. Precisely in the same way, he might substitute for the expressions, " He is to be born, is to suffer, is to rise," which were in these times appropriate, the expres- sions, " He has been born, has suffered, has risen," which are appropriate now that the others are accomplished, and so done away.
17. Corresponding to this change in words is the change which naturally took place in the substitution of new sacraments instead of those of the Old Testament. In the case of the first Christians, who came to the faith as Jews, it was by degrees that they were brought to change their customs, and to have a clear perception of the truth; and permission was given them by the apostle to preserve their hereditary worship and belief, in which they liad been born and brought up; and those who had to do with them were required to make allowance for this reluctance to accept new customs. So the apostle circumcised Timothy, the son of a Jewish mother and a Cireek father, when they went among people of this kind; and he himself accommodated his practice to theirs, not hypocritically, but for a wise purpose. For these practices were liarmless in the case of those born and brought up in them, though they were no longer re- quired to prefigure things to come. It would have done more harm to condemn them as hurtful in the case of those to whose time it was intended that they should continue. Christ, who came to fulfill all these prophe- cies, found those people trained in their own religion. But in the case of those who had no such training, but were brought to Christ, he corner-stone, from the opposite wall of these works of the them as a agamst ^ circumcision, there was no obligation to adopt Jewish customs. If, indeed, like Timothy, they chose to accommodate themselves to the views of those of the circumcision who were still wedded to their old sacraments, they were free to do so. But if they supposed that their hope and salvation depended on