Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-11-16
The Function and Place Of Conscience.

Ihe Function and Place OF Conscience.
For clearness's sake, the natural and per-
sonal obligation TO keep the law of God us
my conscience declares IL, | will call Duty ;
fhc conventional and official obligation TO
comply with some custom, keep some stat
ute, or serve some special interest, will call
Business. Here then are two things-my
| natural aud personal duty, my conventional
and official business. Which of the two
shall give way to the other,-persona duty
or official business? Let il be remembered
that am MAN first of all, and all else tina
nm is but modification of my manhood
which makes me clergyman, fisherman
OF statesman; but the clergy, the fish, an,
the state are not TO strip me Of my manhood
They are valuable in so far as they serve M,
manhood, not as it serves them. My oflicia
business as clergyman, fisherman, or states
man is always beneath my personal duty a,
man. In case OF any conflict between the two
the natural duty ought to prevail and carry
the day before the official business for the
natural duty represents the permanent law OF
God, the absolute right, Justice the balance
point of all interests, while the official bust
hess represents only the transient conven-
lions Of men, some partial interest; and be-
side the man who owes the personal duty is
Immortal, while the officer who performs the
official business is but for time. At death
the man is tried by the Justice of God, for the
deeds done, and character attained, for his
natural duty, but lie does not enter the next
life as a clergyman with his surplice and
pruyer-book, or n fisherman with his angles
and net, nor yet as a statesman with his
iinuking privileges aud title of Honorable
md Member of Congress. The officer dies,
OF a vote or a fever. The man lives forever.
From the relation between man and his
occupation il is plain, in general, that all con-
ventional and official business is to be over
ruled by natural, personal duty. This is the
great circle, drawn by God aud discovered by
Conscience, which girdles my sphere, in
cluding all the smaller circlca ana itself in
cluded by none of them. The law of God
has eminent domain everywhere, over the
private passions of Oliver aud Charles, the
special interests of Cartilage and of Rome,
over all customs, all official business, all pre-
cedents, all human statutes, all treaties be-
tween Judas and PLATE, or England aud
France, over all the conventional affairs of
one man or mankind. My own Conscience
Is To declare TINT lazy for me, yours for you,
end is before all private passions, or public
Interests, the decisions OF majoritios, aud u
world full of precedents. You may resign
your office and escape its obligations, forsake
Nour country aud owe il no ulieglance, but
'fsag cannot move out of the domnions OF
;;rtts8Ii i,or escaI,e where Conscience bas moi
eminent domain. sf.. ~.
Last winter law for the capture of fiigi-
tive slaves was introduced into the Senate of
the United States of America the Senator
who so ably represents the opinions and
wishes of the controlling men of this city,
proposed to support that bill, "with all It's
provisions TO the fullest exteut;" that, bill,
with various alterations, some for the better,
others for the worse, has become n law--it
allows the STAKEHOLDER, or his agent, TO come
here, and by a summary process seize n flu
gitive slave, aud, without the iormalhy of u
trial by jury, TO carry him back to eternal
bondage. The law makes il the official bus
mess of certain magistrates to ala i'll enslav-
ing man; It empowers them to call ont
force enough to overcome any resistance
which may he offered, to summon the by
ISLANDERS TO aid in that work. IT provides n
punishment for any one who shall aid and
abet, directly and indirectly, and hnrbor or
| conceal the man who is seeking TO obtain his
natural and unaienable right TO life, liberty
and his natural pursuits of happiness. lie
may be fined n thousand dollars, imprison-
ment for six months, and be liable to civil
action for thousand dollars lnore This is
now the law of the land. 1t is the official
business of judges, commissioners and mar
shals, as magistrates, TO execute the law and
deliver fugitive up TO slavery it is your of.
ficial business and mine, as citizens, when le-
gally summoned, TO mid in capturing n man
Does the law make il any mans duty? The
natural duty TO keep the law of God over
rides the obligation TO observe any human
statute, and continually commands us to love
a man and not hate him, TO do justice, anC
not Injustice, to allow him his natural right
not alienated by himself yes TO defend hin
in them, not only by all means legal but b!
all means moral.
Let us look a little at our duty under thi
law. Ii man falls into the water and is il
danger of drowning, it is the natural duty {
the bystanders to aid in pulling him out, eve
at the risk of wetting his garments. w
should think n man coward who coul
swim and would not save drowning gil
for fear of spelling his coat. He would b
/, indictabo ut common law. If troop Q
wolves aud tigers were about TO seize man
and devour him, and you and | could he'll
him, it would be our duIy TO do so, even 4
peril our own limbs aud life for that purpose
If a man undertakes TO murder or steal
man, il is the duty of the bystanders to hell
their brother who is in peril, against wrong
from the two legged man, as much as agnins
the four legged beast. But suppose the IN
yader who seizes the man is an officer of Tho
United States, has a commission in his pock
; ct, a warrant for his deed in his hand, an'
seizes as a slave a man who has done moth
ing to ALLEVIATE his natural rights, does iha
give him any more natural right TO enslaVe
: man that he had before? Can any piece O
parchment make Right wrong, or Wron
right2
The fugitive has been slave before !
does the wrong you committed yesterda
| give you natural right to commit wrong
fresh and continually? Because you enslay
ed this mans father have you natural rigl
, to enslsve his child? The same right yo