Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-09-23

undertook to arrest St Paul. and pitt him to death but
The disciples let him down from the wall in basket.
ST. Peter and John were brought before the Jewish
Sanhedrim, from which Jewish laws originated, ana
they were strictly charged not to teach or preach IN
the name Of Christ but the apostles answered.
"Whethet it be right in the sight of God to heark-
en- unto YOU more than unto God, Judge ye For
uy C mot but pc TX the things which we have seen
and he lrd" Accordingly the Apostles continued to
preach with all bodness, which fired the Jewish Coun-
I'll with wrath and Indignation and caused them to
thrust the apostles into the common prison. But an
angel threw open the prison doors and commanded the
APP se to go stand in the temple and declare all the
words Of this life" The national council the great
Sanhedrm, had ordered the apostles not to preach at ALL
and the angel sent from God commands them to preach
the whole gospel in direct, open, positive violation OF
civil law. For the second time the apostles were
brought before the Sanhedrim, and the high priest
asked them, "Did we not straightway command you
that We should not teach in this name and behold, ye
have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine ana intend 10
BRING this mans blood upon u.s." Then Peter and the
othel apostles said, ave ought to obey God rather
than man." This caused the Sanhedrm to take conn-
sci to put them to death, which would have been put
into execution had it not been for the prudent advice
of Gamae! As it was, they beat then severely and
commanded them not 10 teach to preach in the
name of Jesus. And the sacred historian adds that
"daiy in the temple, and from house to house they
ueeSed not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" Here Is
an instance where the holy apostles, by divine com
mand, set human laws at defiance and openly and bold
ly violated both their letter and spirit; and certainly
we cannot take the ground that they did wrong and
sinned against God by doing for they did it at his
command and therefore the conclusion Is irresistible,
that in some cases subjects ustliable in violating
civil law. The history of the church abounds, in Il
multitude of instances where christians were required
by the civil authority to rcnounce their relgon-to
sacrifice to heather gods, to curse and Ulaspheme the
name of Christ or to commit some fragrant act Of
wckCdness; and, on their refusing to do these things
they were tortured the rack, burnt at the stake or
thrown to wild beasts In all these cases we must
conclude that tue Christians were right in adherng tc
their integrity and suffering the penalty of civil law
In no other way can we justify the Reformation. Lu
thcr and the German States Henry the VIII and thu
crown of England held ecclesiastical and civil acgi
ance to the Pope of Rome: this allegiance they threw
off and set at defiance the temporal and spiritual au
thority of the Roman church. Our forefatherS hell
allegiance to the British crown; the laws of that crow
they regarded tyr1nnica and oppressive, and there
fore threw them of, openly set them at Defiance de
clurod themselves independent and m1intaned tina
resolution by force of arms
These numerous examples apply directly to thu
case of Mr.. Torey. Slavery is direct violation o
the laws of God and the naenablo rights of man.-
1t is direct and shameful violation of our declaration
of Independence which declares that ''all ere
ated equal and are endowed by their creator with
tain inaenable rights, among which are life, liberty
and the pursuit Of happiness" That law, which make
goods and chattels of human beings, is dsrocty OF
posed to this declaration, violates every principle
justice and humanity, shocks all just notions of equa
rights, and trampcs in the dust the laws of God. Tn
great ma ority of slave enactments como in dircc
open pal pable collision withdiwne precepts and laws
and are therefore null and void and binding upon n
man. And in my humble opinion it is the solemn du
ty of every to resist the execution OF slave laws
and use all fair ard honorable means to wipe the darl
foul and bloody stains from the statute books Of h
country. The poor slave, in fleeing from oppression
no more violates laD, in reality, than when he nhae
the pure breezes Of heaven, and the who aids
assists his fellow in escaping from the condition c
goods and chattles, to that of feemcn and citizen
performs a noble and God-liIe deed, and deserves
have his name enrolled by the side of Howard, Carl
son and Wlberlorce. And the man who will seiz
the slave, running for liberty, and chain, bind, an
drag him back into bondage richly deserves the fat
of the felon in this life, and in the life to come, til
keenes pangs of refined torture. "Tho blood OF tn
martyrs is said to be the seed of the church." fc,
years since the Rev. f. P. Loveioy was murdered ic
daring to raise Lis voice against the monster Of slavery
and now the Rev. Mr. Torrey has been sent to pre-
mature grave for daring to act like the good Samaritan
and to obey the divine commands of his master. An
recently, thousands on thousands of human beings hav
been slaughtered on the baue-felds of Mexico, as
dreadful sacrifice to the fend Of slavery. Dark an
fearful clouds rising in the horizon, the !orke
lightnngs dart in most fearful Manner and the be
lowing thunder causes our Union to shake and tcmbl
to its very centre. And how long before these dar
hghtnnings may strike our Union and SILVER to piece
is more than can be determined. The hot bolts
Gods justice and Indignation may sumber over
savehoding nation for some time yet, and they ma
be hurled against us sooner than we are aware Of Bt
sooner or later this time must came the fearful an
dreadful crisis is rapidly approaching, and these darn
lghtnings will never to glare nor these thunde
to below, till they have shattered this Union
fragments and scattered ruin and dissolution on eve
side.