Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-12-28

DANGERS OF TmE NATION.

We copy the following eloquent extracts
from THEODORE PARKER's Thanksgiving
Sermon, lately preached in Boston.
And now n word of our DANGERS. There
seems no danger from abroad; from any for
eign State, unless we begin the quarrel
none from famine. The real danger, in one
word, is this, that WE SHALL TRY TO ENACT
INJUSTICE INTO A LAW, AND WITH the FORCE
OF THE NATION TO MAKE INIQUITY OBEYED.
See some of the special forms of injustice
which threaten us or ARE already here.
shall put them into the form of idaas.
i. One, common amongst politicians is.
that the State is for a portion of the people,
not the whole. Thus it has been declared
that the Constitution of the United States
did not recognize the 100000 slaves as cii-
zens, or extend to them any right which it
guarantees to other men. 1t would he a sad
thing for the State to declare there was n
single child in the whole land to whom it
owed no protection. What then, ii it at
tempts 10 take three millions from under ijs
shield? In obedience to this false idru the
counsel has been given that we must uhstaiI.
from all "pOliiical agitation" OF the most
important matter before the people. We
must leave that TO our masters, tor the State
is for them, il is not tor you aud me. They
mus; say whether we must agtaic aud dis
cuss these things or not. The politicians are
our masters and mny lay their fingers on our
lips when they will.
2. The next false idea is that government
is chiefly for thc protection OF property
This has long been the idea on which some
men legislated, but Oh the l9lh day OF this
month tue distinguished Secretary oi Sttc,
in u speech at New York, used ihrsc words ::
81.
lection of property Ut home and respect aud
Tenowil abroad" You see what the policy
must be where the Government is Tor tie
protection of the HAT and only takes care oi
the head SO far as il serves to Wear hut
Here the man is the accident aud the dollar
il the substance for which the man is TO he
protected think nation very much like
this prevails extensively in the great cities OF
America, North aud South. ! think the crf
politicians OF the Two parties are agreed III
this-ihat government is for tic protection OF
property, and every thing else is subsidiary.
With many persons politics are IA pnrt Of
their business; the State House and the Gus
tom House are only valued for their relation to
trade. This idea is fatal TO a good govern
ment.
Think of this, that "the great object of
government is the protection of property"
Tell that to Samuel Adams, and John Han
cock and George Washington, and the older
Wintbrops, and the BradiOrls and CarverS
Why! il seems as if the buried majesty of
Massachusetts would start out Of the ground,
and with its Bible in its hand say, this is
.CaiSe.
3. The third false idea is this that you are
morally bound to obey the law let it he ever
SO plainly wrong and opposed TO your con-
science. This is the most dangerous of all
the false ideas yet named Ambitious men,
in an act of passion make iniquity into
law, and then demand that you and ], in an
act of prayer, shall submit TO il and make il
our daily life that we shall not try to repeal
and discuss aud agitate it. This false idea
lies at the basis of every despot's throne, the
idea that men can make right wrong aud
wrong right. II has come to be taught in
New England, to be taught in our churches
though seldom there, TO their honor he il
spoken-that if wrong is law you and must
do what il demands, though Conscience de-
clares il is treason against man and treason
against God. The worst doctrines of Hobbs
and Filmer are thus revived.
have sometimes been amazed at the talk
of men who call on us to keep the Fugitive
Slave Law, one of the most odious laws in Il
world of odious laws; law not fit to be
IDdut Ut tFDts DuNC Dtth dillhLNh ihht
aheg should dare 10 tell us the law of
God, writ on the heavens and our hearts,
never demanded we should disobey the
laws of men Well, suppose it were so.
Then il was old Daniels duty AT Darius com
msnd to give up his prayer-but he prayed
three times day, with his windows up
Then il was Johns and Peters duty TO for
bear TO preach ofChristianity; but they said,
"whether il he right in the sight of God TO
hearken unto you more than unto God, Judge
ye;" then it was the duty of AmranI and
Jechebed to take up their new horn Moses
aud cast him into the Nile, for the law of
king Pbaroah, commanding it, was "consIi-
tuiiOnal," and "political agitation" was dis
countenaDced as much in Goshen as in BOs-
ton. But Daniel did not obey John and
Peter did not fail to preach Christianity;
and Amram and Jochebed refused 'passive
obedience to the kings decree think it
will take a strong man all this winter TO re-
verse the Judgment which the world has
passed on these three cases. But it is A" in
nooent'' to try. However, there is another
ancient case, mentioned in the Bible, in
which the laws commanded one thing and
conscience just the opposite. Here is the