Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-09-14
Casting Down Of Thrones.
BY ALBERT BARNES, D. D.

The "casting down of thrones" is, and is to
be, connected with freedom in the true sense
the freedom of all, and with the introduction of
period when "the Ancient of Days" the great
God alone, shall rule over men. So far as the
demolition of royal hereditary power goes to e.
mancpate one man, it goes to emancipate all; so
far as it raises one to the dignity of freeman,
it, in principle, raises all; so far as it opens to
the view Of any man the right to civil and reli-
gious liberty, it opens that view to all. The
principle is one whose progress cannot be arrest
ed toward universal emancipation Orr princi
Piles Of liberty strangely stopped before we reach
ed this result, and millions are still held in bond
age; France, seventy years after the proclama
ton of our independence, and taking our prin-
ciple as her guide, eaped at once to a conclusion
which zoe should have reached, that if one man
is free, all are that if one class of men are en-
titled to liberty all are; that if it is wrong for
kings to tyrannlZe over men, it is wrong for any
man to do it; that if men are not to be slaves
beneath throne, they are not to be slaves in a
republic; and that, as they who stand around a
throne when it falls, are free, SO all men, SO far
as they are concerned, are free also The con.
cusion is inevitable; and to this, sooner or later
all men must come If liberty is our right, it is
the right of others; if it was not right that we
should be fettered and manacled, having done no
wrong, it is not right that others should be. If
kings are guilty of wrong in deprving men Of
freedom, then all other men are guilty of wrong
in doing the same thing; and if they are right
who seek their own freedom, they cannot be right
in Withholding it from others. Curran saw this
in the immortal declaration, that the "moment
any one touched the soil of England that mo-
ment he was free, and his shackles fell" Mans
field saw it when, from the highest seat of judi
cial power he declared this to be British law;
and it is strange that the word-that the great
advocates of liberty-that the great defenders of
the Gospel-that the great uphoIders of the dem
ocratic principle-have not always and every
where proclaimed it. But it will be proclaimed.
Slavery cannot always exist in a republic. There
is such singular incongruity between the dec
laration in the instrument which proclaims our
freedom, "that all men are created equal-that
they are endowed by the Creator with certain
inalienable rights that among these are life, lib
erty and the pursuit of happiness" and the dee
trine and the fact that millions are held in sew
tude; there is such an incongruty in reading
and proclaiming this throughout the land and
dwelling upon this as "sef.evident truth" and
In the same breath proclalmlng that there are
now as many millions in our own country as first
gave utterance to this truth, who are not, and
ought not, to be Free there is SO much of an i'm
possibility in maintaining the democratic prin-
ciple, and still defending the institution of per-
petua bondage, and there is such fell and
chilling difficulty in expressing congratulation to
foreign people because they are all free, while
we ensave millions in our bosom, that the eyes
will yet be open upon Inconsistencies and abb
surdities SO glarng, and the world will begin to
ask, whether we mean to teach that liberty is the
right of man as such, or only our own right;
whether we mean to rejoice that it is extended
to others, or only that it is ours. But the world
does not go backward on this point; They that
rejoice with France; they that exult with the
hope that Europe will be emancipated; they that
express sympathy with the elevation of man when
thrones are Frustrated, are holding up sentiment
that will yet emancipate every human being from
oppression and bondage. And to that the world
is coming; and God speed the day