There can be no prescription old enough to supersede the Law of Nature and the grant of God Almighty, who has given to all men a natural right to be free, and they have it ordinarily in their power to make themselves so, if they please.
Interpretation
This quote asserts that natural rights to freedom are inherent to all humans and cannot be overridden by man-made laws.
James Otis emphasizes the importance of natural rights, arguing that these rights are bestowed by a higher power and are a fundamental aspect of human existence. He asserts that individuals possess the inherent ability to pursue and secure their freedom, highlighting the moral supremacy of natural law over human legislation.
In practice
In a speech on civil liberties, you might reference this quote to highlight the importance of individual freedoms.
I am forced to get my living by the labour of my hand; and the sweat of my brow... for bitter bread, earned under the frowns of some who have no natural or divine right to be above me, and entirely owe their grandeur and honor to grinding the faces of the poor.
I will to my dying day oppose with all the powers and faculties God has given me, all such instruments of slavery on the one hand, and villainy on the other, as this writ of assistance is.
If we are not represented, we are slaves.
Now, one of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house.
It is a clear truth that those who every day barter away other men's liberty will soon care little for their own.
An act against the Constitution is void; an act against natural equity is void.
Agitate him and ascertain the pattern of his movement.
It is fashionable to wax apocalyptic about the threat to humanity posed by the AIDS virus, "mad cow" disease, and many others, but I think a case can be made that faith is one of the world's great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate.
One can enjoy a rainbow without necessarily forgetting the forces that made it.
Religious leaders will always avail themselves of public ignorance for their own purpose.
Why not, when it can be done without exposure or expense, let me rescue some of America's miserable children from vice and guilt?
The most important thing to me is, how, in the process of learning how to use my body, can I come to understand myself ?
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