Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-07-25

z +
/ stit,1tion and Inscribed on our statute
books. it had been handed down to
the present generation. Who that
regards the revealed will of God, or
claims to be rational, would pretend
for a moment that the present gener-
alton of these man-trafickers are not
responsible for carrying on the pres
ent traffic, and for the present exist
ence of the laws requiring it
Ii avails nothing to say that Bap-
fists, alone, cannot effect the work.
Nobody has undertaken to place on
them any more than their share OF
the responsibility. All that has been
required of them, as Baptists is, that
Ithey should deal with Baptists, as
such. But their responsibilities do
not end here. They have other du-
ties, growing out of other considera-
tons, altogether paramount. They
are human beings, and protested Chris
tians, and, as smch, they are account
liable, in common with all the other
human beings and protested Chris
tians implicated, for the present ex-
istence of every unrighteous law
which the whole as body have the
power to abrogate, and for every un-
sodly act resulting from those laws.
If the Baptists are allowed to stand
up before God and say, Lord, the
Baptists had not the power, alone,
to abolish slavery,-there'0re they
claim to be exonerated from all blame
l for participating in its continuance
and more than this, they think that
"they merit thy most cordial ap-
? probation for doing so, under presen'
: circumstances, ''-why may not Pres
: byterians, and Methodists, and every
! other class, stand up and make the
= same plea? A convenient way, tru
= ly, for the present generation of sin
ners to dispose of their own SHINING
o True, say they, in addition to holding
y two millions and a half already il
= our clutches, we are kidnapping 2o'
e or 800 newborn infants every day O
IS the Notwithstanding them-re
d ducing them to goods and chattels-
> withholding from them moral, men
y tai, and religious illumination: blu
$, we do it according to the la,cs received
e from our fathers, and sustained b,
y ourselves,] and therefore, instead o
n our conduct being censurable, w
1t merit Divine appreciation!
l. Who, so weak or so wicked, tina
Re he is not at once ont upon such auda
- ciousness? And what else is her
lie exhibited but Eli Balls doctrine, i
at a stinted measure of its own tru
D. light5
in In an elective government, hk
er ours, where rests the law-makine
20 law-abrogating, and law-reformin
- power. Where but in the people
4 Who then but the people, acting unde
Ie any given laws-whether they mad
If them themselves, or received ther
s. from their predecessors-areaccou
E. able for the present existence an
w the effects Of those laws? Whs
S. then can be more fallacious than fc
OF lawmakers themselves, when the
is are faulted for their sins, to under
of take to shield themselves by plead
or ing that they sin according to lasO
Mt Which of the nations that God hs
OF overthrown have not "framed" the
- mischief by a law?" How muc
p less then shall this nation escape III
p der such a pretext, where there
ny SO much more light and so muc
is, more power to reform the laws.
III, But l must pass to another poin
of lest I be tedious for length. Allo
ps me now to remove one of the thr'
of facts before collected, and place a
,ns other in its stead. This Termontt