The Second Decade of Sermons, Written by Henry Bullinger. Of Laws, and of the Law of Nature, Then of the Laws of Men. The First Sermon
The sum of all laws is the love of God and our neighbour; of which and every part whereof because I have already spoken in my last sermon, the next is, that now also I make a particular discourse of laws, and every part and kind thereof. Let us therefore call to God, who is the cause and beginning of ldws, that he through our Lord Jesus Christ will vouchsafe with his Spirit always to direct us in the way of truth and righteousness.
A heathen writer, no base author, I wis, made this definition of law; that it is an especial reason, placed in nature, commanding what is to be done, and forbidding the contrary. And verily the law is nothing but a declaration of God’s will, appointing what thou hast to do, and what thou oughtest to leave undone. The beginning and cause of laws is God himself, who is the fountain of all goodness, equity, truth, and righteousness. - Therefore all good and just laws come from God himself, although they be, for the most part, published and brought to light by men. Touching the laws of men, we must have a peculiar consideration of them by themselves.
For of laws, some are of God, some of nature, and some of men. As concerning God’s law, I will speak of it in my second sermon: at this present I will touch first the law of nature, and then the law of men.
[3 non obscurus, Lat.] [ Lex est ratio summa, insita in natura, que jubet ea que facienda]
[sunt, prohibetque contraria.—Cicero, de Leg. 1. 6.] 13 [BULLINGER.]]
of The law of nature is an instruction of the conscience, and, ag it were, a certain direction placed by God himself in the δ minds and hearts of men, to teach them what they have to do and what to eschew. And the conscience, verily, is the knowledge, judgment, and reason of a man, whereby every man in himself, and in his own mind, being made privy to every thing that he either hath committed or not committed, doth either condemn or else acquit himself. And this reason proceedeth from God, who both prompteth and writeth his judgments in the hearts and minds of men. Moreover, that ~~ Which we call nature is the proper disposition or inclination of every thing. But the disposition of mankind being flatly corrupted by sin, as it is blind, so also is it in all points evil and naughty. It knoweth not God, it worshippeth not God, neither doth it love the neighbour; but rather is affected with self-love toward itself, and seeketh still for its own advantage. For which cause the apostle said, “that we by nature are the children of wrath.” Wherefore the law of nature is not called the law of nature, because in the nature and disposition of man there is of or by itself that reason of light exhorting to the best things, and that holy working; but for because God hath imprinted or engraven in our minds some knowledge, and certain general principles of religion, justice, and goodness, which, because they be grafted in us and born together with us, do therefore seem to be naturally in us.
Let us hear the apostle Paul, who beareth witness to this, and saith: “When the Gentiles, which have not the law, do of nature the things contained in the law; they, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; which shew the works of the law! written in their hearts, their conscience bearing them witness, and their thoughts accusing one another, or excusing, in that same day, when the Lord shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel2” By two arguments here doth the apostle very evidently prove, that the Gentiles are sinners. For first of all (lest peradventure they might make this excuse, and say, that they have no law) he sheweth, that they have a law; and that, because they transgress this law, they are become sinners. For, although they had not the written law [1 opus legis, Lat.] [3 Rom. ii. 14—16.]
of Moses, yet notwithstanding they did “by nature the things contained in the law.” The office of the law is to disclose the will of God, and to teach thee what thou hast to do and what to leave undone. This have they by nature; that is, this know they by the law of nature. For that which followeth maketh this more plain: “They, when they have no law, are to themselves a law:” that is, they have in themselves that which is written in the law. But in what sort have they it in themselves? This again is made manifest by that which followeth: “For they shew the work of the law written in their hearts.” But who is he that writeth in their hearts, but God alone, who is the searcher of all hearts? And what, I pray you, writeth he there? The law of nature, forsooth; the law, I say, itself, commanding good and forbidding evil, so that without the written law, by the instruction of nature, that is, by the knowledge imprinted of God in nature, they may understand what is good and what is evil, what is to be desired and what is to be shunned. By these words of the apostle we do understand, that the law of nature is set against the written law of God; and that therefore it is called the law of nature, because it seemeth to be, as it were, placed or graffed? in nature. We understand, that the law of nature, not the written law, but that which is graffed in man, hath the same office that the written law hath; I mean, to direct men, and to teach them, and also to discern betwixt good and evil, and to be able to judge of sin. We understand, that the beginning of this law is not of the corrupt disposition of mankind, but of God himself, who with his finger writeth in our hearts, fasteneth in our nature, and planteth in us a rule to know justice, equity, and goodness.
Then also the apostle maketh his second argument, whereby he proveth the Gentiles to be guilty of sin; and this argument he fetcheth from the witness-bearing of their conscience. For the conscience, being instructed by the law of nature, doth accuse and condemn the evil committed; because this conscience only and alone is instead of a thousand witnesses. And again, it excuseth, that is, it absolveth and acquitteth them, if nothing be committed contrary to the law. But although in this present life we do set light by the judgment of our conscience; yet verily we may not then despise
[3 grafted, 1577.] 13—=2]
or lightly pass over the conscience’s accusations, when the Lord shall come with justice and equity to judge the world. So then by all this it followeth, that all nations are sinners; whom unless the Son of God, the common and only Saviour and deliverer of all the world, do cleanse from their offences, it cannot be but that all nations must needs perish in their sins.
But now we come again to the law of nature, of which there are two points especially for you to be put in mind of. \ The first 15, Acknowledge God, and worship him: “the second “is, Keep or maintain society and friendship among men. Touching the first, we have these words of Christ his apostle: “Whatsoever may be known of God is manifest among them” (to wit, among the Gentiles); “for God hath shewed it to them. For his invisible things, being understood by his works, through the creation of the world are seen; that is, both his eternal power and Godhead: so that they are without excuse; because that, when they knew God, (notwithstanding) they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful!,” &c. 50 then, the Gentiles knew God; yea, they knew whatsoever might be known of God. But what teacher had they, or what master? They had God to their master. In what order taught he them, or out of what book 7 Not out of the written books of Moses, or the prophets; but out of that great and large book of nature. For the things that are not seen of God (in which sort are his everlasting eternity, his virtue, power, majesty, goodness, and Godhead), those he would have to be esteemed of according to the visible things, that is, the things which he hath created. For God’s eternal Godhead is known by man’s creation, by the continual moving of heaven, and the perpetual course of rivers: for it must needs be, that he is most mighty which sustaineth all these things, which moveth, strengtheneth, and keepeth all things from decay, and which with his beck shakes the whole world. Finally, who doth not see the goodness of him which suffereth the sun to rise upon the good and the evil? But to what intent revealeth he these things to the Gentiles? To the intent, forsooth, that they may acknowledge him to be God, that they may glorify and worship him as God, and be thankful to such a benefactor. When therefore they do not