Order is foundational for Liberty. Without a Just Order, Liberty is impossible. Vice and license – lawlessness in the biblical sense – undermine and destroy Order, so they cannot be a part of true Liberty. Rather, true Liberty is freedom to do virtuous things. Order and then Liberty require, then, a law. Law constitutes the Order, which then makes a theater in which Liberty may be enjoyed. The rule of law must be established for Order’s sake, since true Law is stable, does not show partiality, does not shift and change of a sudden. It makes for a structured world, a solid ground on which to stand. The Law must stand over and above the desires of Men. The passions of Men must be ruled by the Law, not the Law ruled by the passions of Men. That said, the Law needs an executor, a living image in the created world, a person or persons to be its arms and legs.
Hence, God created Adam and his sons.
I aim to flesh out this idea: Men (i.e. the male sex) are living images of God as the Law-giver and Law-enforcer, images of Law itself. Men are Law-made-flesh. They divide, gather, form, and name – all ways of establishing boundaries, hierarchy, and structure, which is what Law does. I’ve written some about this before, mostly as a summary of Alastair Roberts. I’ll be using those thoughts as a starting point for the next post, so go check them out.
A Pilgrim's Missives 