The republic., 1851-07-17

Moses, was left to the discretion of the court
Other offences were made capital upon a Sc
cond convicton--the returning of a Romish
priest or a Quaker. They followed the laws
Of the Israelites by establishing the slavery Of
captives taken in war Female adultery was
cause for divorce, Uinculo--male adultery
w9s not.
] am inclined to think that lawyers would
do rather better as sermonlzers than clergymen
as Legislators. The most consistent advocates
for the higher LalU were the Brownists; they
held "that no prince or State on earth has any
legislative power; that God alone is the law
giver; that the greatest magistrate hath no
other power but to execute the laws of God set
down in scripture; and that the judicial laws of
Moses bind, at this day, all the nations of the
world as much as ever they did the Jews.v
High rs is this law, il is not high enough for
our teacher Of piety. He is fastidious indeed
The law of the land he contemns, and enjolns
it upon his disciples to disobey it, The laws
of God, which came by Moses, do not suit him
at all. Nothing will answer but that little
portable deity--the divinity that stirs with
in" HMM his own breast, whose responses
to his spiritual knockings constitute his higher
lar.
} 1t is difficult to discover the use Of any lea
scripta For, if this higher lac is sufficient for
the greatest occasions, it is sufficient for the
least. The knottiest points of marine insurance,
for example, which have hitherto caused vast
amount of trouble, would be instantly settled
SO pleasantly, by the conscience Of the presi-
dent of the office; there would be no litigation,
for the consciences of the insurers and the in
sured would sympathize, like globues of quick
silver, and he who for moment had fanced
himself entitled TO $4,000 for the loss of his
vessel and cargo, by one or two gentle raps
upon his conscience, would obtain response
that he was not, and retire contented.
The old proverb-so many men, many
minds-would not apply to a case like this, OF
course; for if the consciences Of all men did not
perfectly agree, fear this delightful plan
would CRATE little, however simple the ma
chinery, and the forum conscientie would be
not whit better than the old one-perIaps not
quite so good.
Under this new Jerusalem arrangement it
might seem to shortsighted people that spiritual
guides, teachers Of piety, would be as super
fluous as expounders of human law. But it
will not be so. Upon moments reflection the
utility of teachers Of piety will be readily per-
celved. Though the consclences of all men,
particularly highwaymen and pirates, will be
quite sufficient for the adjustment OF all ques-
tlons of Dte,us and t,titm, as well as of cIimi-
nal and national law, yet the vigor of mems
consciences will differ--there will still be some
whose consciences are more feeble and tender
than the consciences of others. Such may be
troubled with occasional doubts as to the entire
justifiableness of high treason, the propriety of
falsehood, the righteousness of perjury; then
the teacher Of fpiety will step in and remove all
these unnecessary scruples.
What blessed time we shall have of it,
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb; the
abolitionists shall lie down with the man steal
er; and the Wing and the Free-soiler and the
Loco together, and Theodore shall lead them.
And the southerner and the northerner shall
feed; their young ones shall lie down together;
and the teacher Of piety shall eat thistles, like
an ass. SIGMA.