Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-05-08
Theodore Parker's
FAST-DAY SERMON.

harge to the Grand Jury undergoes an examl-
lation;
The false idea is set on foot that the people |
IRE morally bound 10 obey any Iuw that is made
until it is repealed. General Haynau wrote a
etter not long ago, to the subalterns in the Aus
rlan army, and thus quoth he :" You are
bound to obey the law. 1t is none of your bus
mess whether the law is constitutional or not
that is our affair."" So went it with our officers
here. We are told that there is no such thing
as higher law" no rule of conduct better
than that enacted by the law of the land."-
conscience is only to tell you to keep the stat
utes. Religion consists i'll " fearing God and
serving the King" You are told that religion
bids you to " fear God and keep the command
ments," no matter what these commandments
may be- No matter whether it be King Ahab,
or King Peter the Cruel, you are told: :" Mr..
Republican, what right have You to question the
consthutionality or justice of anything? Your
business is to keep the law" Religion is very
excellent thing, quotes Mr.. Webster, except
when it interiors IN politics; then it makes men
mad.
This doctrine appears in the charge of the
Judge of the Circuit Court to the Grand Jury.
/ believe that Judge to be good, and excellent
and honorable man. | never heard a word to
the contrary, and am glad to think it SO.
have only TO deal with his opinions; not with
his theoretie doctrines of law, of which latter |
profess to know nothing; but with the theoretic
doctrines OF morality he lays down. Of moral
lty do profess to know something.
He says some excellent things III his charge,
which am glad were said. He is modest in
some places and moderate in others. He does
not think that dozen black men taking fugi-
tive out of Court are guilty of "leVying war;"
and therefore should be hanged, drawn and
qnartered if you can catch them. All honor to
his Justice. He does not say, as the Secretary
of State, that we must suppress discussion and
stop agitation. He says we may agitate as much
as we have a mind to may not only speak
against law, bnt may declam against (which
is speaking strongly. | thank the Judge for
this respect to the Constitution. But with re-
gard to the higher and lower law, he has some
peculiar opinions. He supposes CAGE: that
the people ask him, Which shall we obey, the
law of man or the law of Godl He says IL
answer, obey both. The incompatability which
the question assumes does not exist" So then,
here is great general rule that between the
" law Of men " and the will of God " there is
no "incompatibility," and we must obey both"
Now let US see how this will work.
If am rightly informed, King Ahab made a
law that all the Hebrews should serve Baal, and
ii was the will of God that they should serve
the Lord According to this rule Of the Judge
they must obey both" But if they served
Baal, they could not serve the Lord. In such
case, what is tn be done "We are told that
Elijah gathered the prophets together, 8 and he
come unto all the people and said, "How long
halt ye? Ii the Lord be God, .toilow him; but
if Baal, follow him." Our modern prophet says
: Obey both. The incompatibiliy which the
question assumes does not exist Such is the
difference between Judge Elijah and Judge Pc.
leg.
Let us see how his rule will work in other ca
ses how you can make a compromise between
two opposite doctrines. The King of Egypt
commanded the Hebrew nurses, When you do
the Office of a midwife to Hebrew woman, if
it be son We shall kill him." | suppose it is
plain to the Judge of the Circuit Court that this
kind Of murder, killing the new born infants, is
against the will of God )" but it is a matter of
record that 1t was according to the claw of man."
Suppose the Hebrew nurses had come to ask
, Judge Sprague for his advice. He must have
said, ''Obey both" His rule is universal
one.
Another decree was once made, as it is SAID
in the Old Testament, that no man should ask
any petition of any God for thirty days, save of
the king, on penalty Of being cast into the den
of lions. Suppose Daniel mean the old Dan
iel, the Prophet should have asked him, What
is to be done Should he pray to Nebuchad-
nezzar or pray to God? "Obey bolh!" would
be the answer. But he cannot for he is forbid
to pray to God. We know what Daniel did do.
The elders and scribes of Jerusalem comman-
ii Al o,t 70 to -
all in the name of Jesus but Peter and John
{ asked those unctionarles, "whether it be right
in the sight Of God to hearken unto you more
than unto God, judge ye." Our Judge must
: have said, There is no ''ncompatablity ;""obey
, both" What "a comfortable scripture" this
would have been to John Bunyan! What a
great ethical doctrine to st. Paul! He did not
know such Christianity as that. Before his time
certain man had said, " No man can serve two
t masters" But there Is one person who made
+ the attempt, and he is eminent in history. Here
: was "the will of God" to do to others as you
would have others do 70 you " Love thy neigh
Y Dor as myself" Here is the record of the " law
t of man :" "Now both the chief priests and the
pharisees had given a commandment that if any
man knew where he Jesus were, he should
show it that they might take him" Judas, il
seems, determined TO "obey both, "-"the law
-. of man." and the will of God" So he sal
with Jesus Christ at the last supper, dipped bis
hand in the same dish, and took morsel from
the hand of Christ, given him in token of love
d All this he did to obey the will of God" Their
= he went and inforGled the Commissioner or Mar
e shall where Jesus was. This he did to obey
"the law of man." Then he came back and
found ChriSt,-the agony all over, the bloody
sweat wiped off from his brow presently to bleeC
$ again,-the Angel of Strength there with hin
to comfort him. He was arousing his sleeping
disciples-for the last time, and was telling
them, Pray, lest we enter into temptation" Ju
das came and gave him a kiss To the clever
it seemed the friendly kiss, -.obeying 1.-THE will o
t God" To the marshal 1t also seemed friend
y kiss,-obeyng "the law of man." &c. in tn,
same act, he obeys " the law of God" and |" thu
law of man." and there is no /" incompatibility.
Of old it was said, Thou canst not serve Goo
and mammon." He that said it has been though
to know something OF morals, something OF Re
ligion.
Till the Fugitive Slave Law was passed, W,
!, did not know what great saint Iscarot was
think there ought to be a chapel for him, ant
a day set apart in the calendar Let him bav,
his chapel in the Navy yard at Washington
lie has got priest there already. And Tor
< day in the calendar, set apart for all time tn,
9TH OF March! Here the audience, which la,
previously given indications of warm sympath,
with the Reverend Speakers views, manifested
their appreciation by very cordial applause
Mr. Parker Immediately said 81 would re-
quest my friends not to express their apprecia
ton by applause. can see your sympathy il
your countenances, and it gives me as much en-
: coulagement as the most hearty expression O
} your appreciation could do. | therefore beg o
you to torbear from such unnecessary though
well meant demonstrations oil your appreciation.
Let us look to some other things in the
Judges address to the Grand Jury. Unjus
and oppressive laws may indeed be passed b,
human government. But if infinite and nscru
tabsh such laws, may not the same wisdom per