The Ohio Democrat and Dover advertiser. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1839-1840, 1840-05-29
MORAL AND POLITICAL FREEDOM

From the eloquent essay by the Rev. Henry
Bellows, on Moral and Political Freedom, we
make the following extracts.
God has created society for the benefit of the
individual man. lie looks down upon the world
n5tas d congregation of nations, or states or cit
ieJ.or.yilages, but no an aggregation of individ-
uals. The good order aud happiness Of the
mass, or of the majority, is not his ultimate OBJ
iect-it is the culture aud happiness of the ndi.
vidual man. 1t is not the world, but man, not
aocely, but the soul, which directly interests
him. Society was constructed for man, aud not
man for society. His discipline, growth, and
excellence, we're to be advanced only by means
of society," which the wisdom and benevolence
Of God therefore frames. Now, to imperfect
beings, perfect and peaceful freedom is only com
patbe with perfect isolation and solitude. Per
feet freedom is complete lawlesSness-a stale in
which each man eonsults only his own incinas
tons and impulses. lfhis feelings were all right,
if his judgment were infalible, he might live in
society without any other law than the law Of
hia own mind and conscience; but being an m>
perfect and erring creature, passionate and sell
ish being, and placed here as such, and for the
very purpose of disciplining his passions and er
adicating his selfislness, living in the midst OF
those equally disposed with himself to CRAFTY
their inclnations, it soon discovers itself to his
reason, that the comfort and happiness Of all re
qure that society should be under some regula-
iien, and this religion, whatever form it may
take. is government. Government, defined pro
perly, is the laws by which society is regui,ted
to The best good of individual men.l observed in
the first place. you wi ! remember, that society is
nothing in ITSELF has no interests of it's OWL
being in fact merely name; that the indivldua
is every thing in the sight of God. Much more
then, is government, growing out of society
unimportant in ITSELF having no Independent
rights, no divine authority, but entirely vaueles'
aud authoritative, except as far as it susiains So
clety in its proposed influences upon the weliar,
Of individual man.
The hest government is that which render
society most favorable to the devel Jpment of il
dydual man. Now, what is the true develop
ment of individual mani Mans Whole dignit,
resides in seIEconlrol-selE He is designed I,
be ultimately law to himself lie has rebeli
Gus passions aud appettes-he has wandering
and wavering will. He is kingdom made u
Of discordent elements, of contrasting and con
tending factions.--He Is sent into the world al
tribe of savages might be set in the midst of
DI6SI, 10 WOrk Out NY eApeTlenCc, ny COilillCl
~ sorrow, by dlscord, their civilization and fl
nal establishment as free nation.-Indeed, tn,
history of the individual written in larger type
Man is born savage, and passes through bar
barisn, and semi civilization, to his destined col
dition. Like the world, though in an inverte
order, he has his iron, and brazen. and his sol
den age. His development and destiny is tn
reduction of his various facnltes and propensi
ties to their internal law. in other words, it is I
self government; and precisely in proportion q
be governs himself, is he absolved from otht
government. He is freeman just to the degre
n which he enslayes himself to his own col
science; for the only law which man is undC
obligation to obey, is the law Of right. Thi
law senf6rced by God, in penalties, as far as
N not voluntarily submitted TO. Mans excel
enSe resides in complete obedience 10 that Law
lie Is free agent he therefore obeys it volunt
TlIy or not at all AS far as he infringeS it,
suffers. But suffering by no means compel
though it may incline and induce him to subm
The nnlY freedom Of which he is capable, is Il
voluntary accordance Of his will with God
will. Then obedience is no longer slavery. /.
lie IS perfectly free; for the definition of iIe
dom is tho undisputed exercise of the incIin
tons; and when the heart loves the right, 4
will practices it as ,he very law of is being, al
Is as free as though it made the law ITSELF hu
ing no disposition to change it, Y
Such as give ear to slanderers are but one d
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