Nature
KJV References
Physis, Greek Strong's #5449, is used 14 times in the New Testament. It is translated as nature (10), natural + <G2596> (2), kind (1), mankind + <G442> (1). It is translated as “nature” in the following verses:
Genesis, Greek Strong's #1078, it used 3 times in the New Testament. It is translated as generation (1), natural (1), and nature (1). It is translated as “nature” in the following verse:Romans 1:26 - For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Romans 2:14 - For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Romans 2:27 - And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
Romans 11:24 - For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
1 Corinthians 11:14 - Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
Galatians 2:15-16 - We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 4:8 - Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Ephesians 2:3 - Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
2 Peter 1:4 - Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The Declaration of Independence states:James 3:6 - And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language, 1828“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation.”
Bouvier’s Dictionary of Law, 1856NATURE, noun [Latin from nature born, produced, ]
1. In a general sense, whatever is made or produced; a word that comprehends all the works of God; the universe. Of a phoenix we say, there is no such thing in nature
And look through nature up to natures God.
2. By a metonymy of the effect for the cause, nature is used for the agent, creator, author, producer of things, or for the powers that produce them. By the expression, trees and fossils are produced by nature we mean, they are formed or produced by certain inherent powers in matter, or we mean that they are produced by God, the Creator, the Author of whatever is made or produced. The opinion that things are produced by inherent powers of matter, independent of a supreme intelligent author, is atheism. But generally men mean by nature thus used, the Author of created things, or the operation of his power.
3. The essence, essential qualities or attributes of a thing, which constitute it what it is; as the nature of the soul; the nature of blood; the nature of a fluid; the nature of plants, or of a metal; the nature of a circle or an angle. When we speak of the nature of man, we understand the peculiar constitution of his body or mind, or the qualities of the species which distinguish him from other animals. When we speak of the nature of a man, or an individual of the race, we mean his particular qualities or constitution; either the peculiar temperament of his body, or the affections of his mind, his natural appetites, passions, disposition or temper. So of irrational animals.
4. The established or regular course of things; as when we say, an event is not according to nature or it is out of the order of nature
5. A law or principle of action or motion in a natural body. A stone by nature falls, or inclines to fall.
6. Constitution aggregate powers of a body, especially a living one. We say, nature is strong or weak; nature is almost exhausted.
7. The constitution and appearances of things.
The works, whether of poets, painters, moralists or historians, which are built upon general nature live forever.
8. Natural affection or reverence.
Have we not seen, the murdering son ascend his parents bed through violated nature force his way?
9. System of created things.
He binding nature fast in fate, Left conscience free and will.
10. Sort; species; kind; particular character.
A dispute of this nature caused mischief to a king and an archbishop.
11. Sentiments r images conformed to nature or to truth and reality.
Only nature can please those tastes which are unprejudiced and refined.
12. Birth. No man is noble by nature
NATURE, verb transitive To endow with natural qualities. [Not in use]
MaximsLAW OF NATURE.
1. The law of nature is that which God, the sovereign of the universe, has prescribed to all men, not by any formal promulgation, but by the internal dictate of reason alone. It is discovered by a just consideration of the agreeableness or disagreeableness of human actions to the nature of man; and it comprehends all the duties which we owe either to the Supreme Being, to ourselves, or to our neighbors; as reverence to God, self defence, temperance, honor to our parents, benevolence to all, a strict adherence to our engagements, gratitude, and the like.
2. The primitive laws of nature may be reduced to six, namely: 1. Comparative sagacity, or reason. 2. Self love. 3. The attraction of the sexes to each other. 4. The tenderness of parents towards their children. 5. The religious sentiment. 6. Sociability.
3. 1. When man is properly organized, he is able to discover moral good from moral evil; and the study of man proves that man is not only an intelligent, but a free being, and he is therefore responsible for his actions. The judgment we form of our good actions, produces happiness; on the contrary the judgment we form of our bad actions produces unhappiness.
4. 2. Every animated being is impelled by nature to his own preservation, to defend his life and body from injuries, to shun what may be hurtful, and to provide all things requisite to his existence. Hence the duty to watch over his own preservation. Suicide and duelling are therefore contrary to this law; and a man cannot mutilate himself, nor renounce his liberty.
5. 3. The attraction of the sexes has been provided for the preservation of the human race, and this law condemns celibacy. The end of marriage proves that polygamy, (q. v.) and polyandry, (q. v.) are contrary to the law of nature. Hence it follows that the husband and wife have a mutual and exclusive right over each other.
6. 4. Man from his birth is wholly unable to provide for the least of his necessities; but the love of his parents supplies for this weakness. This is one of the most powerful laws of nature. The principal duties it imposes on the parents, are to bestow on the child all the care its weakness requires, to provide for its necessary food and clothing, to instruct it, to provide for its wants, and to use coercive means for its good, when requisite.
7. 5. The religious sentiment which leads us naturally towards the Supreme Being, is one of the attributes which belong to humanity alone; and its importance gives it the rank of the moral law of nature. From this sentiment arise all the sects and different forms of worship among men.
8. 6. The need which man feels to live in society, is one of the primitive laws of nature, whence flow our duties and rights; and the existence of society depends upon the condition that the rights of all shall be respected. On this law are based the assistance, succors and good offices which men owe to each other, they being unable to provide each every thing for himself.
LAW, UNWRITTEN, or lex non scripta. All the laws which do not come under the definition of written law; it is composed, principally, of the law of nature, the law of nations, the common law, and customs.
LEX LOCI CONTRACTUS, contracts. The law of the place where an agreement is made.
3. There is an exception to the rule as to the universal validity of contracts. The comity of nations, by virtue of which such contracts derive their force in foreign countries, cannot prevail in cases where it violates the law of our own country, the law of nature, or the law of God. 2 Barn. & Cresw. 448, 471. And a further exception may be mentioned, namely, that no nation will regard or enforce the revenue laws of another country.
LAW, INTERNATIONAL. The law of nature applied to the affairs of nations, commonly called the law of nations, jus gentium; is also called by some modern authors international law.
DUTY. 4. 2. A man has a duty to perform towards himself; he is bound by the law of nature to protect his life and his limbs; it is his duty, too, to avoid all intemperance in eating and drinking, and in the unlawful gratification of all his other appetites.
LIBERTY. 5. Natural liberty is the right which nature gives to all mankind, of disposing of their persons and property after the manner they judge most consonant to their happiness, on condition of their acting within the limits of the law of nature, and that they do not in any way abuse it to the prejudice of other men.
The Century Dictionary, an Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language, Vol. 5, 1895When laws imposed by the state fail, we must act by the law of nature.
The union of husband and wife is founded on the law of nature.
An accessory follows the nature of his principal.
The union of a man and a woman is of the law of nature.
Heir is a term of law, son one of nature.
The laws of nature are unchangeable.
When laws imposed by the state fail, we must act by the law of nature.
The law regards the order of nature.
Nature aspires to perfection, and so does the law.
Nature makes no leap, nor does the law.
Nature makes no vacuum, the law no supervacuum.
The force of nature is greatest; nature is doubly great.
No man is presumed to do anything against nature.
Offences against nature are the heaviest.
It is in the nature of things that he who denies a fact is not bound to prove it.
That is perfect which wants nothing in addition to the measure of its perfection or nature.
What is prohibited in the nature of things, cannot be confirmed by law.
The word things has a general signification, which comprehends corporeal and incorporeal objects, of whatever nature, sort or specie.
As nature does nothing by a bound or leap, so neither does the law.
General words must be confined or restrained to the nature of the subject or the aptitude of the person.
Black's Law Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1910nature (na'tur),
1. Birth; origin; parentage ; original stock.
2. The forces or processes of the material world, conceived of as an agency intermediate between the Creator and the world, producing all organisms and preserving the regular order of things: as, in the old dictum, "nature abhors a vacuum." In this sense nature is often personified.
3. The metaphysical principle of life; the power of growth; that which causes organisms to develop each in its predeterminate way.
4. Cause; occasion; that which produces anything.
5. The material and spiritual universe, as distinguished from the Creator; the system of things of which man forms a part ; creation, especially that part of it which more immediately surrounds man and affects his senses, as mountains, seas, rivers, woods, etc.: as, the beauties of nature; in a restricted sense, whatever is produced without artificial aid, and exists unchanged by man, and is thus opposed to art.
6. That which is conformed to nature or to truth and reality, as distinguished from that which is artificially forced, conventional, or remote from actual experience ; naturalness.
7. Inherent constitution, property, or quality; essential character, quality, or kind; the qualities or attributes which constitute a being or thing what it is, and distinguish it from all others; also, kind; sort; species; category: as, the nature of the soul; the divine nature; it is the nature of fire to bum; the compensation was in the nature of a fee.
8. An original, wild, undomesticated condition, as of an animal or a plant; also, the primitive condition of man antecedent to institutions, especially to political institutions: as, to live in a state of nature.
9. The primitive aboriginal instincts, qualities, and tendencies common to mankind of all races and in all ages, as unchanged or uninfluenced by civilization; especially, the instinctive or spontaneous sense of justice, benevolence, affection, self-preservation, love of show, etc., common to mankind ; naturalness of thought, feeling, or action; humanity.
10. The physical or moral constitution of man physical or moral being; the personality.
11. Inborn or innate character, disposition, or inclination; inherent bent or disposition; individual constitution or temperament; inbred or natural endowments, as opposed to acquired; hence, by metonymy, a person so endowed: as, we instinctively look up to a superior nature.
12. The vital powers of man; vitality; vital force; life; also, natural course of life; lifetime.
13. In theol., the natural unregenerate state of the soul; moral character in its original condition,
unaffected by grace.
14. Conscience.
15. Spontaneity; abandon; felicity; truth; naturalness.
Law of nature.
An unwritten law depending upon an instinct of the human race, universal conscience, or common sense. [ was the usual sense before the middle of the seventeenth century.]
naturize (na'tur-5z),
To endow with a nature or special qualities.
Black’s Law Dictionary, 7th Edition
Nature
1. A fundamental quality that distinguishes one thing from another; the essence of something
2. A wild condition, untouched by civilization
3. A disposition or personality of someone or something
4. Something pure and true as distinguished from something artificial or contrived.
5. The basic instincts or impulses of someone or something.
6. The elements of the universe, such as mountains, plants, planets, and stars.
Thomas Jefferson said:
Benjamin Franklin said:It is not only vain, but wicked, in a legislature to frame laws in opposition to the laws of nature, and to arm them with the terrors of death. This is truly creating crimes in order to punish them.
John Adams said:Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.
Resistance to sudden violence, for the preservation not only of my person, my limbs and life, but of my property, is an indisputable right of nature which I have never surrendered to the public by the compact of society, and which perhaps, I could not surrender if I would. Nor is there anything in the common law of England ... inconsistent with that right.
Marcus Tullius Cicero said:Human nature itself is evermore an advocate for liberty. There is also in human nature a resentment of injury, and indignation against wrong. A love of truth and a veneration of virtue. These amiable passions, are the "latent spark"... If the people are capable of understanding, seeing and feeling the differences between true and false, right and wrong, virtue and vice, to what better principle can the friends of mankind apply than to the sense of this difference?
Wise men are instructed by reason; men of less understanding, by experience; the most ignorant, by necessity; the beasts, by nature.
John Locke said:There exists a law, not written down anywhere but inborn in our hearts; a law which comes to us not by training or custom or reading but by derivation and absorption and adoption from nature itself; a law which has come to us not from theory but from practice, not by instruction but by natural intuition. I refer to the law which lays it down that, if our lives are endangered by plots or violence or armed robbers or enemies, any and every method of protecting ourselves is morally right.
All men by nature are equal in that equal right that every man hath to his natural freedom, without being subjected to the will or authority of any other man; being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.
William Barclay said:It cannot be supposed that they should intend, had they a power so to do, to give to any one, or more, an absolute arbitrary power over their persons and estates, and put a force into the magistrate's hand to execute his unlimited will arbitrarily upon them. This were to put themselves into a worse condition than the state of nature, wherein they had a liberty to defend their right against the injuries of others, and were upon equal terms of force to maintain it, whether invaded by a single man, or many in combination. Whereas by supposing they have given up themselves to the absolute arbitrary power and will of a legislator, they have disarmed themselves, and armed him, to make a prey of them when he pleases; he being in a much worse condition, who is exposed to the arbitrary power of one man, who has the command of 100,000, than he that is exposed to the arbitrary power of 100,000 single men; no body being secure, that his will, who has such a command, is better than that of other men, though his force be 100,000 times stronger.
Edmund Burke said:Self-defense is a part of the law of nature; nor can it be denied the community, even against the king himself.
Adam Smith said:There is but one law for all, namely, that law which governs all law, the law of our Creator, the law of humanity, justice, equity -- the law of nature, and of nations.
Voltaire said:Every man is, no doubt, by nature, first and principally recommended to his own care; and as he is fitter to take care of himself than of any other person, it is fit and right that it should be so.
Tertullian said:What is not in nature can never be true.
Edward Everett said:It is a fundamental human right, a privilege of nature, that every man should worship according to his own convictions. One man’s religion neither harms nor helps another man. It is assuredly no part of religion to compel religion, to which free will and not force should lead us.
Nolo’s Plain-English Law DictionaryThe man who stands upon his own soil, who feels, by the laws of the land in which he lives,--by the laws of civilized nations,--he is the rightful and exclusive owner of the land which he tills, is, by the constitution of our nature, under a wholesome influence, not easily imbibed from any other source.
Crime Against Nature
An archaic term used to describe sexual practices deemed deviant or not natural by a legislature or a court. Examples range from bestiality (intercourse between a human and an animal) to necrophilia (intercourse with a dead body). Few states still have "crime against nature" statutes on the books, and any that still include consensual sexual acts, such as sodomy, between adults are unconstitutional under a 2003 United States Supreme Court decision, Lawrence v. Texas.