Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-09-16

ed our flight from Agerne slavery and should ask lot
shelter aud concoalment IN christian tamly' ana ue
desired favor should be refused the ground that 1t
was contrary 10 law and we driven from the door into
chains and mauacles Of our Algerne master, should
we admire the loyalty of that christian family ana
suppose that they did perfectly right in observing the
laws of thcr country and in hurrying us back into
homeless bondage There is but little or no difference
between Algerne and American slavery, The gov
eminent Of Algers is Just much of divine authority
as our own, for the Apostle makes no distinctions a.
mong the powers that be" and the violation of their
laws is Just as wrong and improper as our own, and
vet in the case supposed we shoudregard extremely
hard if the laws of God and humanity did not triumph
over the bloody and cruel code ofsayery. Now, Mr. T.
supposed that if he was in Turkish slavery, he should
need and desire the assistance Of kind friends that II
he had started with determination to obtain his ber-
ertv he should desire some kind and humane person to
extend to him the rights OF hospitality, protection, and
conceamen And the words of our text are forced
upon his mind " AS we would &c" and then he re-
earded it his his bounden duty to assist his fellow man
in fleeing from the horrors of slavery to the rich boon
Of liberty and Freedom If this one principle contain
ed in our text should be carried out to It's full extent 1t
would cause the destruction of all slavery. No one
wishes to be a slayc-then 10 one should ensIave an
other. Every one if reduced to slavery, would long
and wish to be free: then every one must extend The
rich boon of freedom to those IN bondage, Another
divine law is that we should remember those IN bonds
as bound with them" Here we are commanded to
sympathse with our fellow men in slavery, add regard
their condition as ours their chains fastened upon
us and as we should like to be freed, if ensaved to
have others break off chains, we should be will
ling to extend the same blessing to others.
Another divine law bearing on the case before US,
is that contained in the parable of ho good Samaritan.
The unfortunate man had fallen among thieyes-was
stripped Of his ramen and left half dead, The good
Samaritan pours oil and wine upon his wounds-bnds
them up-puts the man upon his own beast and carries
him to tavern, and becomes responsible lof his eX-
penses. And then the Savior says to all go and dc
likewise
Now the slave of Maryland was not journcyinG
when he fell into lis masters hands lie or lis fore
fathers we're suatched iorom their native homes in AT
rca brought to this country, and sold like dumb beasts
Here they must toll all their days for the benefit an'
profit of another and in the mean time they are sub
ected to the caprice, wrath hate, and brutal lasts
their masters Thus they are similarly situated will
the man who fell among thieves. And every one il
in duty bound to lend them helping hand.
We must bear in mind that civil law does not ant
cannot determine what is morally right and wrong.
defines civil and legal rights and wrongs; but moral
must be brought to a different standard, 1t is not
gay right to assist slave to his freedom, and at til
same time it is morally right to do Civil law say
must not be done but Gods law says it may be done
and therefore, the act is morally right. Civil law ha
no power to alter or change the morality Of an act
If certain act is morally right according to the law
of God, civil law has no power to alter the charace
of that act 1t certainly morally right to assist OF
fellow man in distressto relieve their suferings an
miseres-and if civil law should strictly forbid thes
acts of humanity, still the morality Of the act wouI
remain perfectly the same. The great principles
right and wrong, justice and equity not create
and made to exist by civil cnactments; they have e'
isted from all eternity, and would remain the same
every civil law throughout the universe was annhlt
ted and would remain the same so long as God SUI
ports his throne If, then, it is morally right to Wis
the poor slave in his bondage, and assist him in OF
tanning the rich boon of liberty, no civil enactment
can alter or change in any degree the morality of til
act If it is morally right for us 10 go to Turkey,
Arabia, Or to Algoirs, and free our own friends fro
the iron grasp of slavery, then it is just right to
to Maryland and to South Carolina and do the sam,
am not aware that our Southern brethren had an e1
elusive right to hold slaves. am not aware that the
have charter from the Almighty, giving them rgI
to ensave their fellow man. | am not aware that 4
mcrcan slavery is an iota better than Agerine SLAYER
and in fact father Wesley says that American sav
ry is the worst that the sun ever saw"
Again, Gods laws command us to clotle the make
to feed the hungry, to give rink to the thirsty, to
ford shelter to those destitute and deliver the oppres
ed from him thai spoilethh him. Now, the slave, heen
towards the prize of liberty, susains to us nearly
of these relations and if we regard the divine Law
as binding upon us, we under obligation to rend
these kind Offices Whose heart so hard as to dri,
the tired, hungry, furnishing slave from his door, wi
is struggling to obtain his brhrght-feedom Al
who could seize him, put him in irons advertise hir
and thus allow his master to drag him back to hop
less bondage. Is this doing as we would be done by
Is it complying with divine laws? Will such condu
satisfy the claims of humanity sof ell the dying pillo
silence the camors of conscience, and cause the gre
God of the universe to say well done good and fat
full servants" Perhapsit will be readily granted til
these kind offices should be extended to the slave
all those in the free States where there are no dire
laws against it but not in the slave States, where t
laws forbid it, This is very singular position indeC
What feasible influence does location or place ha
upon the binding force of Gods laws? These la
are UNIVERSAL They relate to all climes and to
places, and no place, Or time or civil law, can DIM
ish ought from their binding force. Suppose two m
live four rods apart either side of the line betwe
Maryland and Pennsy lvania--a runaway slave con
to the one on the Maryland side and asks for food
protection which are refused, on the ground that t
law lorbids it. and the slave is seized and put in iro
on the ground that the law requires it. and also on
ground that the laws Of man are paramount and stror
than thn laws of God and hutoanit,,