Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-04-26

Of toleration and righteousness in the new.
How stands the case with many
who nre set npart as the teachers of Gods
laws They've speak of course only o
the offenders-procaim that Gods law is re
pngnant to the very Government which
makes God supreme, by making rcspec
for religion aud religious rights and dutei
the very basis of its action. They believe no
only in "a higher law" than the constitution
but in higher than the Divine law, wlIicl
commands obedience TO human laws.
Farewell to all true religion if tile spirit o
the pulpit, ms we refer TO it, is to he in
terpreted as the spirit of true religion. In
stead of prayers for mems welfare, eternal Or
temporial-insteud of that love TO God and
men which is the genius Of Christianity
instead of rendering TO Caesar the things
which are Caesars, and to God the things
which are God's-we behold the spirit OF
fraternal dIscord, hate, vengeance, and moral
ms well us political dissolution.
Ifthe Express can't conirive to talk with
more coherency than this, it surely were bet
ter for itself and the cause il aims to serve
that it should forever remain silent. Its ideas
of the province of the pulpit must have been
derived from the mau who eulogzcd his
minister by declaring that he never meddled
either with politics or religion IL is hard
no doubt, that the makers of the laws should
be held amenable TO the MORAL SENTIMENT
of the people, but we don't see how il is TO
he helped. We know no way by which our
politicians can exempt human laws aud hu-
man governments from tue 'fulminutons
of truly Christian pulpit, except by taking
good care that those laws aud governments
do not Outrage the first principles of the gos-
pei of Jesus Christ. Does tie Express sup
pose that the government can enter into the
business ofman-hunting and kidnapping, and
summon the whole people to its aid, and then
shield itself from the rebuke of the ministers
of Christ under the plea that its viIuny is
politculY If so, it undertakes the intelli-
gence of the age. There was time, before
abolition was old enough TO be 'scotched,'
when that plea was efiectuaI, but it will not
answer now.
Our fanatcal dreams had taught us that
Religion, with its blessed freedom, was the
gift Of God--thot liberty of speech and the
press descended from Heaven! But il seems
we were mistaken. II is the Constitution
which coniers these invaluable gifts upon
men. Taking the declarations of the Err
press as conclusive OH this head, we are still
puzzled 10 understand how the freedom of
religion, of speech and the press could emau-
ate from the same Constitution which allows
one portion Of the people 10 enslave another
aud devolves upon the North the duty Of
| catching and returning to the South her fly
ing chattels.
| We had thought, too, that the Bible incul-
Gated the duty of obeying God rather than
men-that the Prophets Of the Old Testa-
meni, and the Apostles of the New were
the victims Of cruel persecution for acting
upon this principle and refusing obedience
to humun laws which contravened the high
er law of Heaven. We are quite sure that
we have read in some ancient book an nc
count of one Daniel who was cast into den
of lions because he could not SO far con-
quer his prejudices as to stop praying in
obedience to a governmental mandate, and
OF three other men who were put ia very
hot place because they would not fall down
before a certain image at the bidding of the
King, but obsiinatey and fanaiicaly persist
ed in worshiping the true God. We have,
too, vague impression, that the Jews, when
they sought to release Barabbas aud mbrue
their hands in the blood of Jesus, said to the
Roman Governor, Ue hare A LAW, and by
that ldio he ought 10 de-" aud il puzzles us to
understand why the Apostles should have
denounced them as murderers merely for
observing one OF those 'hliman decrees,'
which, according TO the Express, the Bible
everywhere sanctions and commands.' But
perhaps we shall be wise enough one of
these days to iathom this and other similar
mysteries.