How did Sir William Blackstone describe the relationship between human law and the law of nature?

Sir William Blackstone, a prominent 18th-century English jurist, posited that municipal laws derive their legitimacy from their alignment with the law of nature, which he also referred to as the law of God.1

In his influential work, the Commentaries on the Laws of England, Blackstone explicitly stated that human laws possess no validity if they are found to be contrary to this higher natural law. He viewed the law of England as a system of rules imposed by a superior power, yet he maintained that these human-made regulations must conform to the fundamental principles of divine or natural justice to be considered binding.1

While Blackstone was celebrated for his lucid and comprehensive exposition of English law, critics—most notably the legal reformer Jeremy Bentham—argued that his work often relied on loose literary phrasing rather than precise legal definitions, leading to occasional contradictions in his treatment of these underlying principles.1