asses and
differently defined, they are all natural rights. It is generally held
in this country as a truth, that "all men are created equal;" that is,
born with the same rights. And if men, as social and moral beings, are
fitted by _nature_ and designed for government and laws, we conclude
that their political, civil, and religious rights, and all other rights
to which they are entitled by the law of nature, are natural rights.

Sec.9. _Liberty_ is the being free to exercise and enjoy our rights, and is
called natural, political, civil, or religious, according to the
particular class of rights referred to. Thus the exercise of rights
guarantied by the constitution or political law, is called political
liberty. The free enjoyment of rights secured by the civil or municipal
laws, is called civil liberty. And freedom of religious opinion and
worship is called religious liberty.

Sec.10. Hence liberty itself is a natural right. The words _right_ and
_liberty_, however, have not the same meaning. We may have a right to a
thing when we have not the liberty of using it. John has a pencil which
is justly his own; but James takes it from him by force. John's liberty
to enjoy the use of his pencil is lost, but his right to it remains.
James has no right to the use of the pencil, though he enjoys the use of
it.

Sec.11. This example serves also to explain further the use of the
different terms applied to rights and liberty. John's right to his
pencil, being guarantied to him by the laws of civil society, is a
_civil_ right. It is with equal propriety called a _natural_ right,
because, by the law of nature, he has a right to the use of his pencil.

Chapter III.

Laws, defined.

Sec.1. Law has been briefly defined. (Chap. 1. Sec.6.) As in the case of
rights and liberty, laws are distinguished by different names; as, the
law of nature, or natural law; the moral law; the law of revelation, or
revealed law; the political law; the civil or municipal law.

Sec.2. The _law of nature_, is of the highest possible authority, being
established by the supreme Lawgiver himself. It is called the law of
nature, because it is right in itself--right in the nature of things,
and ought to be obeyed, though no positive command had ever been given
to men. It is a perfect rule of right for all moral and social beings.
It is that eternal rule of right to which God himself conforms.

Sec.3. The law of nature, as a rule of human action,