Despite the impairment of humanity’s reasoning ability, people’s efforts are not always completely futile. Especially when they direct their minds to non-spiritual things, they usually get some results. Even when people investigate spiritual matters, they will make at least a little progress. Yet, people’s abilities are more limited in spiritual matters. People are never made more aware of their limitations when they try to raise their thinking to matters above this present life. Since humanity’s abilities differ in regards to these two classes of objects, it will be helpful to draw distinctions between them to understand better. We have a certain kind of intelligence for earthly things and another of heavenly things.

Earthly things refers to things not related to God and his kingdom. Earthly things have some connection to the present life. Heavenly things refers to the pure knowledge of God, how to attain true righteousness, and the mysteries of God’s kingdom. Things such as economics, politics, and liberal arts are earthly things. Knowledge of God and his will, and how to live in light of those things, are heavenly things. Since people are social by nature, they will be disposed by their natural inclination to cherish and preserve society. They even have in their minds ideas for civil order and honesty. Every individual understands that human societies must be regulated by laws. People are also able to understand the principles of those laws. There is universal agreement about certain subjects among nations and individuals, which indicates that the seeds od those things have been implanted in the hearts of people without a teacher of lawgiver.

The truth of the universal acceptance of certain principles is not affected by wars and arguments that immediately arise. Some people such as thieves and robbers invert the rules of justice. They loosen the bonds of law and allow their desires to run free. Others think something is unjust which is regarded as just in other places. Some think things are praiseworthy which others think are forbidden. These kinds of people do not hate the laws because they’re ignorant of what is good. Instead, they are inflamed with strong desire and argue about what is clearly reasonable. They hate what their mind and understanding approve of. Disputs of this kind do not destroy the idea of justice. While people will argue over particular applications, their ideas of equity mostly agree in substances. Such disputes actually proves the weakness of the human mind. For even when the human mind seems to be on the right path, it halts and hesitates. Yet all people still know that there must be some principle for civil order. The fact that people recognize the need for civil order demonstrates that no person is utterly devoid of the light of reason.

“Blogging the Institutes” is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin’s work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List.