Abhandlung über die allgemeine Zusammenkunft der Freymaurer, bei den Gesundbrunnen in Wilhelmsbad

...the conception we form of justice, according to which it would be a contradiction to assert that something could be just without also being honest and useful. This contradiction thus provides the most tangible proof of the close connection by which the three qualities of justice, Rechtschaffenheit integrity or uprightness, and utility are linked together. This connection is so tight that one can say with truth that a law in which one perceives one of these qualities must necessarily also contain the other two. Every law that possesses these qualities is good, just as it is worthless if one does not find one of these qualities in it; for in that case, it will certainly lack the other two as well, or contain them only in appearance. (r)

It was necessary to establish these principles first in order to define what is meant by a well-ordered social connection. However, I shall speak only of the particular societies that constitute a part of the greater society meaning the state or humanity at large. Otherwise, I would give my treatise too much breadth, and the principles are the same anyway, whether one applies them to

(r) Pufendorf and Barbeyrac, The Duties of Man and Citizen original French: "devoirs de l'homme et du citoyen", Book I, chapter 2, sections 7 and 8. Domat, Treatise on Laws original French: "traité des loix".

the whole or to the individual parts.

Shall we not call a connection well-ordered when its parts are all so perfectly united that nothing within it can disturb order and harmony? This union arises from relationships, and these relationships are varied, namely: I.) The relationship of individuals to individuals, which is further divided into the relationship of equals to one another, then of the superior to the subordinate, and finally of the subordinate to the superior. II.) The relationship of the individual to the whole. III.) The relationship of the whole to the individuals. Therefore, if in a connection the members mutually provide what they owe to one another; if they render to the entire Staatskörper body politic or state body that obedience which it has the right to demand; and if the body, in return, grants the individual members the protection they are entitled to expect, then the society is well-ordered.

However, so that everyone may know the extent of their obligations, it is necessary to develop the rules by which the whole is governed and by which every member is bound. The rule that guides and obligates is called the Gesetz law. For this to be good, one must find justice, utility, and integrity within it