Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-07-25
TO !he Editors Of The Enquirer:

TO !he Editors Of tie Enquirer:
Ca Ira, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Va, JrLY 2 1851.
Gentlemen : G""i see any ground which to believe
that the z"al for obedience Aar Of the United States
Which, like nhshoom, h recently sprung up in the minds
ot some ecclesas'ics who reside north n Mason and DIX
ons line, rests On sound and suld foundation, should
hal us good sign of The times. On this matter wish
mfonsh your courtesy To stale To the public some hints
with 'he view 10 call The attention Of my fellow citizens
some OF those truths both o moral and Of political sci
ence IN which are involved all the rights privileges inter
csts and hopes of man.
III rcasone., The want of discrimination whclhrr undc.
signed aud then Is his paUc weakness drsgheL ard
'hrii II Is his denonaca rascaip is the very Of al
possible faults. In reasoning The duty God, Of
our ieow-ciIz"n {" carry into execution the fugitive slave
iaw The ecc- sias"a, 10 whom au1c, guilty vi MS
very great inul;.
Ii understand them, (lnd if do not wish the Soarh-
cn press 10 compel clearly and expcy say SOD
HE position on ihs subject which tcs: ccceSIascs
slie IS this Thai, con>lr.d sIicy universal pro-
position, unqnalEa, without any exception, without any
tApanhIon and wlihun any reference the character,
whether political no Tie laws uocdiencr the civil
laws ui eur country duty, which Ciud. Ihs
Is precisely the Old d.rlno uctr u obedience
and non Resistance: legitimate authority Whatever may
BE- the nitre, unrcasondVrrss Injustice degree and
linuance Of uppr ssIun under which any peuple may
labor from Don sian Fiefian government represents
God and the Bible urUddng u people any cyuIvn
ay movcnicn; with The view 10 the Fighting Ul themselves
anu OF t'.eE poscrty il goes Tie tau length Utterly 10
C"nicn the Reura..tlna IN F.Ecc Dy LeirvGr. IN Sw-
zcand by Tw!n lie, In Germany Lnret, IN England ty
Lmnner, aud III Scotland Uy Knox. II utrr.y cun!cm
our revolutionary ill prosecutions uf Gpds iicu
pie whether the Christians by hrI!arn Enpegors Of
Ronr, The Christians Ic Pope and his satellites subse
GtHt ngts the Christians hy Charles Charlrss II, and
James ii and their t>triI5 aHi council IN ScotlLnd tns
mOnsous universal proposition approves because II says,
Ihat God naArs the DUTY The people 10 obey all
the laws o Ieir rulers. utterly condemns the fidelity tu
truth 10 unesy, 10 The civil and rr iuus rights oI 10
imperative duty, a, eu-rnly Conscience 10 the
Bible aud 10 God, vi all the holy artvrs, who suffered The
u aiiu tic most rxcclling earh joyful prefer
10 The violating of VI duty, that stronger
hn death. lnderd, tha hurfd, unqualified, universal pr"
POSITION condemns even JcSus Chrls himself Tor prrsrver
my upprs:in the nds and threat, ninIs oi IN"
inln a'i Je"sh rulers, in the accomplishing vi our re-
d4nIpil n.
AL who consider the Apostle Peter having spokcn
j. l9 IN H. own name and in ,nal ui the Apostle J"r
rr,,l.un a.us, GD! anI the csii govern
bat nialot ti,uta;u, vf itc iiiy Spirit, Gr&ni
ii ~ Sp!Gt hn-r, here, through PcGer uni john
tile tcu ,c:nItIve and rcrnully obligatory
srnrnce that Gous clam, paihrounr, uhd by
qucnce, totally .x'Ingnsnns thu claims OF man on
his fellow man, where the Latter clearly OBVIOUSLY pal
papy and directly in cunrt with the 'rmer, SO that the
the other be disrrgad-d Tne words pi Peter
and john are: Judge whether II Is right In me sl2ht OF
Gud Ia heLIkcn yuI rather than unto God" This
qtrocious unqLa fed universal proposition, pronounced
Peter, Jhn he Holy Spirit 10 have been all three re-
ues against both tiod asd HE civil government IL Is on
piucIpc Acts l. 49, that ali 'hs molly patriotic
po>eis "l governmental opp cSson and the whole galaxy
ii hy martyrs n ',l The past history ot mac, have acted
OjStu jrtncpiis L. maxim vi profound wisdom. IL
would i"lnd 10 Rave been had The warning
voice u john -. EInoun been irdd twenty years ag"
Like Pas dIushte hc rrpncslrj truly; but Troy s IA,
They, whu nu'th " Mason Dixon ne rom ruoia
iputiDnlss and u The Southern people nave as
mushrooms recently sprung up friends, nave, dD'ot-
less, ultimately in view the OF our admission oi islc
rnn ul lrr u,ruciuis unqualified, universal pop"siion
instrument Tor r overwhelming ul Us win some o
pressyr law OF Congress- perhaps, such as thi whlet IN
The former communication supposed merely "r Tie pur-
pose OF Illustration. As good citizens, we are under the
highest and strongest ublgaT ms ~ obey or 10 SUBMIT ~
every ordinance u which Is itself consistent win our
performing vi our duty tu Gud. Iakng lS Sonhu, VIC are
sale abandoning it, introduce The o6uus Jnre Grtno
Of pa.=e obedience and anu all lis
nurrld tram oil consequences
a i'm i,i II,
Psbyrr.ans always a; >icadiasiy held maj Tie
pplG makes il the niy al the Citizens nr subjects u 60
vcnmrn unless they are placed IN circumstances lt d.
yd p.ob ble ground lo hupe, that by iuTcioc RESISTANCE
they permanently relieve themselves and Their osefi'y
without doing :iscIc han good, quietly to submit
even very great oppression from the government But
mere. God has m de il to our duy Film 10 look al
Distinction broad the dstancG from one pole
I, the other and as clear greatest bliance Of The
clDudess nuun-duy II the oppression, pcrPelrntcd
on the people by the government, is wholly ana ex-
clusyeIy the crime OF the government, ana SUD-
mission 10 It does not at all Involve ihe opplts
sed In the crime of the governmcn' quiet suhmis
sion the oppression may in This case, be precisely Inc
hin which God requires the oppressed when IN suc CIR
cunlsianccs do and of COURSE be not no crime 2hy
bu, even an exalted virtue also Bur, il tie daonmca ana
hvl.inspcd oppression, consists In iiic government
tempting its c2cns or SUBJ, cts 10 SIN asa=
CJd whether by The ncgcciing oi either, any or al Tue n
ties which they Immediately 10 G'd, or 1y ie cpIiS
sion positive crime, by burh then, rs Peter ara '"
under the u'abc ins ifat"n OF III. Holy Sp In1orm US
God makes it to be the duty oi each lndl'unai "hs'
man, woman, child unto death; ana oy oyln. ~
the 0i humanity Country, virtue h"ty' c''i "i' i
pios liberty religion and God detcrnlnatty ana pciSe'c
nuy 10 resist all such attempts uf any human 60
vcrnmeni whether civil ecclesiastical or 'Iary or c'1
mound Of the three.
Anorhcr error in the reasoning OF the e1clesastics to
whv reference, il the position whci e' taAe At
all resistance 10 the Laws and government "t our c'h'i!
rebellion against the g"vctnmcnt and an cir to H.
Then, for the last twenty years or more, severn, I
nvrt OF Mason and DA"s line. bni!i hy enactment 'nc
Legislature and by tic action o irc people anu oy Iesc
resi- saEcr in both ways the fugitive slave law, h'
lcuu.h
tie uTrinic Law and the government OF tG unea .,''.
While am t,'nlly unsoclous to ward oil ths PI." ~
oplca,iun Of tie univcs position, maintain a IN Ver!
many instances the application oi II wuuld &c WIN; '
rect and unjust :is the mail should DC i,ie " a.
rive NJ his office on Sabbath day. Should every ossc
the United States, in opinion ne "ush 10 I
Ior h his resignation to the Postmaster t'"neI .s
be a Knocking down resistance 10 the niitous o'I"'u
Juhnsun Sabbath mail law; and yet 1t would Dc np
apaDs the organic law and the u 'vGrnhirn' :" "c o.
States no rebellion against this particular a"' NO at
tempt 10 subver the government, AMI NOT eve" 81 10 ~
nm i'm ueinng of The death Of hing hutnTa L. ohou ,'e
rti,I S,oes ms in isrice 10 themselves think they
should have the patriotism 10 d. scfny anu "N'.! s
the Revolutionary affair IT Bushn or IN IAa'e' .
,rr and havinr thus daicrnincd should hey h", in
h.yiov AMI p.rsevengp adhere 10 t'ef ue'cfhhi"", "
have NO farther cdn,nIrci"! Inerc"use VIII 'c H'
hndnr States until lhe sAodid De restored 10 IN
eouaiIv of rights IN the Gencra Governments "i-i u"
cen, slht experiment oy of our MERCHANTS deci'TrN
nr,yrd would be d tremendously Hteft 10 "' '
and jnrcuturle measures o the federal govern
n,ri b,,t il wuuld be rebellion against tlat govern
m,nr M aim 10 H. and NET e"eh any, '"s'i'c
movement towards i. The futn is' iaa'' ~ gov
ernmeut Of any f,rm, resistance o some so - ~ a.
ounus laws and measures oil the Government Is The only
possible method o getting those laws and measures repeal
d r. ;s ina neopIss right compel their rulers TO attend
only 10 those things which properly belong 10 lhem anc tc
10, one nse tfnrs which do not belong 10 the we are
moi 10 abandDn great religious moral and p"lical prncp
because AbvlUns!s say, that they oull tei' Ia
n,Iicn and rrc7 BE pro On those principles
have ur.ady stated that The bible lays down a gene
roi hut mo-, y. ~ rnqnal.ty rIc That CIV! com
mnnes fur civil Opt cs-ua SHOULD not, without po2ioe
ground 10 hope for success, attempt. by evniuon |" eE
~ themselves from expressions Iet We az "n""
,ha, ,huuph .i:-t fu several years the e'oaha 10
hon for success very slen4=r nur heroic ai pi't"c
,,ib,a i.. nraha..i hoping against hope made the al
,rmo and bv the blessing OF ID succeeded Inc people
nj Texas furnish another precisely similar example lhen
are our fathers the Texans, because ney were
I'll n bo regarded nUhe and glorious patrols and heroes
md because of their failure in their morally sublime attempt
ar the glorious HnnGans TO be cooy set down as lanai
irs rebels and scoundl. The reception which an Aus
tran General England is The best answer 10 the M
,er question The attempts Of the holy and ilasoa1!y
nn,-ntc covcnaaters in Scotland where they rcsor1e
arms were 10 the end oil unsuccesstul Yet goaoed as
were BY Ii. myrmdon Of those man-deVis Chaf's Il an'