8. Sin abounded by the Law because Ib. vii. 7. by the Law is the knowledge of sin, and thus it began to be injurious to me to know that which through infirmity I could not avoid; it is good to foreknow in order to avoid, but if I cannot avoid, to have known was injurious. Thus the effect of the Law was changed to me into its opposite, yet by the very increase of sin it became useful to me, because I was humbled. Wherefore David also said, Ps. cxix. 71. It is good for me that I have been humbled. For by my humiliation I have broken those bonds of that ancient transgression, whereby Adam and Eve had bound the whole line of their posterity. Hence too the Lord came in obedience that He might loose the knot of disobedience and of man’s transgression. And so, as by disobedience sin entered, so by obedience sin was remitted. Wherefore the Apostle also says, Rom. v. 19. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
9. Here is one reason the Law on the one hand was superfluous and yet became necessary.It was superfluous herein, that it would not have been needed could we have kept the natural Law, but as we kept it not, the law of Moses became needful for us, to the intent that it might teach us obedience and loose that knot of Adam’s transgressionwhich has fettered his whole posterity. Guilt indeed was increased by the Law, but pride, the author of this guilt, was overthrown by it, and this was profitable to me, for pride discovered the guilt, and this guilt brought grace.
10. Hear another reason. At first Moses’ Law was not needed; it was introduced subsequently, and this appears to intimate that this introduction was in a sense clandestine and not of an ordinary kind, seeing that it succeeded in the place of the natural Law. Had this maintained its place, the written Law would never have entered in; but the natural Law being excluded by transgression and almost blotted out of the human breast, pride reigned, and disobedience spread itself; and then this Law succeeded, that by its written precepts it might cite us before it, and Rom. iii. 19. every mouth be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God. Now the world becomes guilty before God by the Law, in that all are made amenable to its prescripts, but no man is justified by its works. And since by the Law comes the knowledge of sin, but not the remission of guilt, the Law, which has made all sinners, would seem to have been injurious.
11. But when the Lord Jesus came, He forgave all men that sin which none could escape, and Col. ii. 14. blotted out the handwriting against us by the shedding of His own Blood. This then is the Apostle’s meaning; Rom. v. 20. sin abounded by the Law, but grace abounded by Jesus; for after that the whole world became guilty, He took away the sin of the whole world, as John bore witness, saying: S. John i. 29. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Wherefore let no man glory in works, for by his works no man shall be justified, for he that is just hath a free gift, for he is justified by the Bath. It is faith then which delivers by the blood of Christ, for Rom. iv. 7. Blessed is the man to whom sin is remitted, and pardon granted.
Farewell, my son; love me, for I also love you.
LETTER LXXIV.
IN this letter S. Ambrose explains the meaning of S. Paul’s expression, that ‘the Law was our schoolmaster,’ and shews how, while the letter of the precepts fitted the Jews, the spiritual sense which lay under the letter applies to Christians.
AMBROSE TO IRENÆUS.
1. YOU have heard, my son, the lesson of to-day in the Apostle, that Gal. iii. 24. the Law was our schoolmaster in Christ, that we might be justified by faith. And by this one text I believe that those questions are resolved, which are wont to perplex many. For there are those who say, ‘Since God gave the Law to Moses, what is the reason that there are many things in the Law which now seem abrogated by the Gospel?’ And how can the Author of the two Testaments be one and the same, when that which was permitted in the Law, when the Gospel came, was permitted no longer? as for instance there is a circumcision of the body, which was even then only given for a sign, that the verity of spiritual circumcision might be preserved, yet why was it even given as a sign? Why was there such diversity, that then it was esteemed piety to be circumcised, but now it is judged to be impiety? Again it was ordered by the Law that the Sabbath day ought to be a holiday, Num. xv. 35. so that if any one carried a bundle of sticks, he became guilty of death; but now we perceive that the same day is devoted to bearing burthens and to transacting business without any punishment. And there are many precepts of the Law which at the present time would seem to have ceased.