01 Dec Spirit of the Law Quotes

This statement summarizes and transcends Montesquieu`s thought on all the different laws, customs and mores that shape a society. A wise legislator, he argues in his treatise, will enact laws that often do not need to be broken because they correspond well to the spirit of the people. Nevertheless, Montesquieu admits, there will inevitably be cases where the letter of the law seems to contradict its spirit. When this happens, it becomes necessary to consult a higher law by asking what is best for the people. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. When he saw the crowd, he went up to the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. In L`Esprit des lois, but especially in these last books, Montesquieu tries to extract a coherent history of disparate and sometimes contradictory texts. Sometimes he does not know which monarch promulgated a particular law, as dynastic rulers often used the same name as their ancestors.

To solve these problems, it is necessary to examine the overall history of the country concerned. Laws that respect the Church, for example, are probably the work of a Christian leader, not his polytheistic ancestor. No word has taken on more different meanings and struck the mind in as many ways as freedom. The corruption of a government almost always begins with the corruption of its principles. What shall we say then? That the law is a sin? On no account! But if the law had not existed, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what coveting meant if the law had not said, “Thou shalt not covet.” Whoever practices sin also practices anarchy; Sin is anarchy. O foolish Galatians! Who delighted you? Before your eyes, Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. I just want to ask you this: Have you received the Spirit by the works of the law or by listening in faith? Are you so stupid? After you begin with the Spirit, are you now perfected by the flesh? Have you suffered so much in vain – when in fact it was in vain? Does the one who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you do so by the works of the law or by listening in faith? It doesn`t take a lot of laws for shy, ignorant, and depressed people. And you show that you are a letter of Christ transmitted by us, written not in ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tables of stone, but on tables of human hearts.

The Lord rejoiced, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious. Although he did not devote much time to economics, Montesquieu had a nuanced view of monetary policy. A lasting contribution is its recognition of the dual status of money as a sign and a commodity. As a sign, money sometimes lends itself to tactics such as devaluation or a change in the exchange rate. As a raw material, however, silver obeys the same rules of supply and demand as iron, grain or wool. (which is symbolic of the present). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshipper, but he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, for he is not a hearer who forgets, but an agent who acts, will be blessed in his actions. For by the works of the law no one shall be justified in his sight, for by the law comes the knowledge of sin.

The statutes of legislators consider society more as the citizen and the citizen more than as man. In L`Esprit des lois, Montesquieu calls for moderation in legislation. He is particularly concerned about laws that seem to ignore the natural feelings or inclinations of the citizen. Such rigidity – whether in the laws of religion, in those that deal with public morality or in those that govern heritage – is an imperfection in Montesquieu`s mentality. But some men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “If you are not circumcised according to Moses, you cannot be saved.” And since Paul and Barnabas had no small disagreements and debates with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders on this matter. When they were sent on their way by the Church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, described in detail the conversion of the pagans and brought great joy to all the brethren. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, the apostles and elders, and they proclaimed all that God had done to them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and command them to keep the law of Moses. But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after these days, says the Lord: I will put my law in them, and I will write it in their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be my people. History must be enlightened by laws and laws by history.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. — Dr. Thomas Fuller, 1654-1734, English physician and collector of proverbs For sin was indeed in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. And he gave Moses, when he had spoken to him on Mount Sinai, the two tables of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. Bear one another`s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For freedom, Christ set us free; So stand firm and do not submit to another yoke of slavery. The law is therefore holy, and the commandment is holy, just, and good. Montesquieu (1689-1755) spends much of Book 1 developing a contrast between God, the divine legislator, and human legislators.