Friday, January 29, 2010

All Authority

THIS has given manifold occafion for the benign interpofition of divine providence; which, in compaffion to the frailty, the imperfection, and the blindnefs of human reafon, hath been pleafed, at fundry times and in divers manners, to difcover and enforce it's laws by an immediate and direct revelation. The doctrines thus delivered we call the revealed or divine law, and they are to be found only in the holy fcriptures. Thefe precepts, when revealed, are found upon comparifon to be really a part of the original law of nature, as they tend in all their confequences to man's felicity. But we are not from thence to conclude that the knowlege of thefe truths was attainable by reafon, in it's prefent corrupted ftate; fince we find that, until they were revealed, they were hid from the wifdom of ages. As then the moral precepts of this law are indeed of the fame original with thofe of the law of nature, fo their intrinfic obligation is of equal ftrength and perpetuity. Yet undoubtedly the revealed law is (humanly fpeaking) of infinitely more authority than what we generally call the natural law. Becaufe one is the law of nature, expreffly declared fo to be by God himfelf; the other is only what, by the affiftance of human reafon, we imagine to be that law. If we could be as certain of the latter as we are of the former, both would have an equal authority; but, till then, they can never be put in any competition together. (s appears as f in original manuscript) Sir William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, Vol. 1 Section 2.

Likewise, Jesus declared:

18 And Jesus came and said to them, a"All authority bin heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 aGo therefore and bmake disciples of call nations, abaptizing them fin1 dthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them ato observe all that bI have commanded you. And behold, cI am with you always, to dthe end of the age. Matt. 28:18-20.

Therefore, to the extent human governments contradict the Law of Christ, they at odds with the supreme soverign of the universe. Legislators may not like this and they may disagree with it. But they only do so at their own risk and detriment.