Liberty, Chapter IV, 2

Also concerning the eighth law, against pride.

11 The eighth law, acknowledging our natural equality, or humility, is established by these passages. Matth. v. iii: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Prov. vi. 16-19: “These six things the Lord hates; indeed, seven are an abomination to him. A proud look,” etc. Prov. xvi. 5: “Everyone who is proud is an abomination to the Lord; though hand join with hand, he shall not go unpunished.” Prov. xi. 2: “When pride comes, shame follows; but with the humble is wisdom.” Likewise Isaiah xl. 3, where the coming of the Messiah is proclaimed and his kingdom prepared for: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness was this: Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised, and every mountain and hill brought low.” This is surely spoken to people, not mountains.

Also concerning the ninth law, equity.

12 Equity, which we showed in the ninth place to be a law of nature, commands everyone to allow others the same rights they would have allowed themselves and contains all the other laws. It is the same commandment Moses gives (Levit. xix. 18): “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Our Savior calls it the sum of the moral law. Matth. xxii. 36-40: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” For loving our neighbor as ourselves is nothing other than granting him all that we desire to have granted to ourselves.

Also concerning the tenth law, against favoritism.

13 The tenth law forbids favoritism, as do the following passages. Matth. v. 45: “That you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good,” etc. Coloss. iii. 11: “There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian or Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all.” Acts x. 34: “In truth I perceive that God shows no favoritism.” 2 Chron. xix. 7: “There is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no favoritism, and no taking of gifts.” Ecclesiasticus xxxv. 12: “The Lord is Judge, and with him there is no favoritism.” Rom. ii. 11: “For God shows no favoritism.”

Also concerning the eleventh law, to hold in common things that cannot be divided.

14 I do not know whether there is an express passage of Scripture for the eleventh law, commanding that things which cannot be divided be held in common. But its practice appears everywhere in the common use of wells, roads, rivers, sacred things, etc.; otherwise people could not live.

Also concerning the twelfth law, to divide things by lot.

15 We said in the twelfth place that where things could neither be divided nor held in common, the law of nature required their disposal by lot. This is confirmed both by Moses, who at God’s command (Numb. xxvi. 55) divided the several portions of the promised land among the tribes by lot, and by the apostles (Acts i. 24), who admitted Matthias rather than Justus to their number by casting lots and saying, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two you have chosen,” etc. Prov. xvi. 33: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its entire disposition comes from the Lord.” And as for the thirteenth law, the succession belonged to Esau as Isaac’s firstborn, had he not sold it himself (Gen. xxv. 33), or had his father not otherwise appointed.

Also concerning appointing a judge.

16 St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians (1 Epist. vi), reproaches them for bringing lawsuits against one another before unbelieving judges, their enemies. He calls it a fault that they would not rather accept injury and suffer themselves to be defrauded; for this violates the law commanding us to help one another. But if the dispute concerns necessities, what is to be done? Thus the apostle says in verse 5: “I say this to your shame. Is there not one wise man among you, not one who can judge between his brothers?” By these words he confirms what we called the fifteenth law of nature: when disputes cannot be avoided, the parties must agree to appoint an arbitrator, some third person, so that—as the sixteenth law requires—neither party judges his own case.

Also concerning the seventeenth law, that arbitrators must receive no reward for their judgment.

17 That a judge or arbitrator must receive no reward for his judgment, the seventeenth law, appears from Exod. xxiii. 8: “You shall take no gift; for a gift blinds the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.” Ecclesiasticus xx. 29: “Presents and gifts blind the eyes of the wise.” Hence it follows that he must not be more obligated to one party than the other; this is the nineteenth law, also confirmed by Deut. i. 17: “You shall not show favoritism in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great,” and by all the passages cited against favoritism.

Also concerning the eighteenth law, witnesses.

18 Scripture not only confirms the eighteenth law, requiring witnesses in judgments of fact, but requires more than one. Deut. xvii. 6: “On the testimony of two witnesses, or three witnesses, the person deserving death shall be put to death.” The same is repeated in Deut. xix. 15.

Also concerning the twentieth law, against drunkenness.

19 Drunkenness, which we placed last among breaches of the law of nature because it obstructs the use of right reason, is forbidden in Holy Scripture for the same reason. Prov. xx. 1: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; whoever is deceived by it is not wise.” And Prov. xxxi. 4, 5: “It is not for kings to drink wine, lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment due to any of the afflicted.” But to show us that the evil of this vice does not lie, strictly speaking, in the quantity drunk, but in its destruction of judgment and reason, the next verse continues: “Give strong drink to one who is ready to perish, and wine to those heavy of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.” Christ gives the same reason for prohibiting drunkenness (Luke xxi. 34): “Take care that your hearts are never burdened with excess and drunkenness.”

Also concerning what has been said of the eternity of the law of nature.

20 What we said in the foregoing chapter, that the law of nature is eternal, is also proved by Matth. v. 18: “Truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law”; and Psalm cxix. 160: “Every one of your righteous judgments endures forever.”

Also concerning the bearing of the laws of nature on conscience.

21 We also said that the laws of nature chiefly concern conscience: a person is just if he makes every possible effort to fulfill them. Even if someone orders all his outward acts exactly as the law commands, but does so not for the law’s sake, but because of a punishment attached to it or out of vanity, he is unjust. Both claims are proved by Holy Scripture. The first in Isaiah lv. 7: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will pardon abundantly.” Ezek. xviii. 31: “Cast away all the transgressions you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; why will you die, O House of Israel?” From these and similar passages we can readily understand that God will not punish the deeds of those whose hearts are right. The second is proved by Isaiah xxix. 13, 14: “The Lord said, Since this people draws near me with its mouth and honors me with its lips, but has removed its heart far from me, therefore I will proceed,” etc. Matth. v. 20: “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In the following verses our Savior explains that God’s commands are broken not only by deeds, but by the will. The Scribes and Pharisees observed the law most exactly in their outward acts, but only for glory; otherwise they would just as readily have broken it. Countless passages of Scripture declare most clearly that God accepts the will as the deed, in evil actions as well as good.

Also concerning the ease of observing the laws of nature.

22 Christ himself declares that the law of nature is easy to keep (Matth. xi. 28, 29, 30): “Come to me,” etc. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,” etc.; “for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Finally, concerning the rule by which a person may know at once whether an intended act violates the law of nature.

23 Finally, the rule by which, I said, anyone might know whether an action violated the law—do not do to another what you would not have done to yourself—is delivered by our Savior in nearly the same words (Matth. vii. 12): “Therefore, whatever you would have others do to you, do the same to them.”

The law of Christ is the law of nature.

24 Just as the whole law of nature is divine, so conversely the whole law of Christ, fully explained in chapters v. vi. and vii. of St. Matthew’s Gospel, is also the doctrine of nature—with one exception: the command not to marry a woman divorced for adultery, which Christ introduced to explain divine positive law against the Jews, who had misinterpreted the Mosaic law. I say that the whole law of Christ is explained in those chapters, not the whole doctrine of Christ. Faith is a part of Christian doctrine that does not fall under the heading of law. Laws are made and given with reference to actions that follow our will, not to our opinions and beliefs, which lie beyond our power and do not follow the will.

The eighth law, against pride, is also confirmed.

11 The eighth law calls for humility, because we must acknowledge that people are equal by nature. These passages support it. Matth. v. iii: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs." Prov. vi. 16-19: "The Lord hates these six things; yes, seven are hateful to him: a proud look," and so on. Prov. xvi. 5: "Everyone with a proud heart is hateful to the Lord. Even if they join hands, they will not go unpunished." Prov. xi. 2: "Pride brings disgrace, but humble people have wisdom." Isaiah xl. 3, describing the preparations for the Messiah's kingdom, says: "A voice cried out in the wilderness: Prepare the Lord's way. Make a straight road through the desert for our God. Every valley will be raised, and every mountain and hill brought low." This is surely addressed to people, not mountains.

The ninth law, fairness, is also confirmed.

12 We showed that the ninth law of nature is equity: everyone must allow others the same rights they want for themselves. It contains all the other laws. Moses gives the same rule in Levit. xix. 18: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Our Savior calls it the essence of moral law in Matth. xxii. 36-40: "Teacher, which commandment in the law is greatest?" Jesus says: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." Loving our neighbor as ourselves simply means granting our neighbor everything we want others to grant us.

The tenth law, against favoritism, is also confirmed.

13 The tenth law forbids favoritism, as do these passages. Matth. v. 45: "So that you may be children of your Father in heaven, who makes the sun rise on evil and good people alike," and so on. Coloss. iii. 11: "There is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian or Scythian, enslaved or free; Christ is everything and is in everyone." Acts x. 34: "Now I truly understand that God does not favor one person over another." 2 Chron. xix. 7: "The Lord our God does no wrong, shows no favoritism, and takes no gifts." Ecclesiasticus xxxv. 12: "The Lord is a judge who shows no favoritism." Rom. ii. 11: "God shows no favoritism."

The eleventh law, sharing what cannot be divided, is also confirmed.

14 I do not know if Scripture has any passage that expressly states the eleventh law, which says that things that cannot be divided must be shared. But the practice is everywhere. People share the use of wells, roads, rivers, sacred things, and the like. Otherwise they could not live.

The twelfth law, dividing things by lot, is also confirmed.

15 We said that the twelfth law of nature is to allocate by lot anything that can neither be divided nor jointly owned. Moses confirms it by his example: at God's command (Numb. xxvi. 55), he used lots to divide the promised land among the tribes. The Apostles did the same (Acts i. 24), choosing Matthias rather than Justus to join them by casting lots. They said: "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show which of these two you have chosen," and so on. Prov. xvi. 33: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every outcome comes from the Lord." As for the thirteenth law, succession was Esau's right because he was Isaac's firstborn, unless Esau sold that right himself (Gen. xxv. 33) or his father assigned it otherwise.

The appointment of a judge is also confirmed.

16 St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians (1 Epist. vi), criticizes those in that city who take one another to court before unbelieving judges, their enemies. He calls it a fault that they would not rather accept a wrong and let themselves be defrauded. Their behavior violates the law commanding us to help one another. But what if the dispute concerns necessities? What should they do? The Apostle says in verse 5: "I say this to your shame. Is there not a single wise person among you who can judge a dispute between brothers?" His words confirm what we called the fifteenth law of nature: where disputes cannot be avoided, the parties must agree to appoint a third person as arbitrator. This also confirms the sixteenth law: neither party may judge their own case.

The seventeenth law, that arbitrators must take no payment for their decisions, is also confirmed.

17 The seventeenth law says that a judge or arbitrator must not take payment for a decision. Exod. xxiii. 8 says: "Do not accept a gift, for a gift blinds wise people and twists the words of just people." Ecclesiasticus xx. 29: "Presents and gifts blind the wise." It follows that the judge must not have a greater obligation to one party than to the other. That is the nineteenth law, also confirmed by Deut. i. 17: "Show no favoritism in judgment. Hear the small as well as the great." All the passages cited against favoritism confirm it too.

The eighteenth law, about witnesses, is also confirmed.

18 Scripture confirms the eighteenth law, that witnesses must be used to judge questions of fact. It even requires more than one. Deut. xvii. 6: "Anyone deserving death must be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses." This is repeated in Deut. xix. 15.

The twentieth law, against drunkenness, is also confirmed.

19 We listed drunkenness last among violations of natural law because it interferes with right reason. Scripture forbids it for the same reason. Prov. xx. 1: "Wine makes a mockery of people, strong drink makes them rage, and anyone led astray by it is not wise." Prov. xxxi. 4, 5: "Kings should not drink wine, or they may drink, forget the law, and deny justice to the afflicted." But the wrong in this vice does not lie simply in the amount drunk. It lies in the destruction of judgment and reason, as the next verse shows: "Give strong drink to someone about to die and wine to those with heavy hearts. Let them drink and forget their poverty, and no longer remember their misery." Christ gives the same reason for forbidding drunkenness (Luke xxi. 34): "Watch yourselves, so that your hearts are not weighed down by excess eating and drunkenness."

The law of nature is also eternal.

20 What we said in the preceding chapter—that the law of nature is eternal—is also proved by Matth. v. 18: "Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter or even a stroke of a letter will pass from the law." Psalm cxix. 160: "Every one of your righteous judgments lasts forever."

The laws of nature also concern the conscience.

21 We also said that the laws of nature mainly concern conscience. A just person does everything possible to obey them. Someone who follows their commands outwardly, but does so only to avoid punishment or to gain empty praise rather than for the law's sake, is unjust. Scripture proves both points. On the first, Isaiah lv. 7 says: "Let the wicked leave their path and the unjust give up their thoughts. Let them return to the Lord, who will have mercy on them, and to our God, who will freely forgive." Ezek. xviii. 31: "Throw away all the offenses you have committed and give yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, House of Israel?" These and similar passages make it clear that God will not punish the actions of those whose hearts are right. On the second point, Isaiah xxix. 13, 14 says: "The Lord said: These people approach me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Therefore I will proceed," and so on. Matth. v. 20: "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." In the verses that follow, our Savior explains how people break God's commands not only by their deeds but also by their intentions. The Scribes and Pharisees obeyed the law most exactly in their outward actions, but only to win praise. Otherwise they would just as readily have broken it. Countless passages of Scripture clearly say that God takes the intention for the deed, in bad actions as well as good ones.

The laws of nature are also easy to follow.

22 Christ himself says that the law of nature is easy to keep (Matth. xi. 28, 29, 30): "Come to me," and so on. "Take my yoke on you and learn from me," and so on. "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Finally, a rule tells us at once if an intended action violates the law of nature.

23 Finally, I gave a rule by which anyone can tell whether their action violates the law. It was: Do not do to someone else what you would not want done to you. Our Savior states almost the same rule (Matth. vii. 12): "Therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do the same to them."

The law of Christ is the law of nature.

24 All of the law of nature is divine. Conversely, all of Christ's law, as fully explained in chapters v. vi. and vii. of St. Matthew's Gospel, is also the doctrine of nature, with one exception. That exception is the command not to marry a woman divorced for adultery. Christ gave it to explain divine positive law to the Jews, who misinterpreted the law of Moses. I mean that those chapters explain the whole law of Christ, not the whole of his teaching. Faith is part of Christian teaching, but is not covered by the word law. Laws are made and given for actions that depend on our will, not for opinions and beliefs, which are beyond our power and do not follow the will.