Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1851-02-20
The Higher Law"

The anti Fugitive Slave Law Convention, re-
Gently holden at Winthrop. in this State. has
defined this hitherto uncertain and vague
adopted, and which they publish under the
heading of "Tke Higher Lac
l. Resolved, That obedience to human
government and law is not only political, but
also a moral duty, imposed upon US, and limit
ed by the law of God; and while we may not
resist a law, because il subjects US to inconve-
inicnce or penalties, yet every human enact
:ment which requires us to do moral wrong.
lis in violation of the higher law, null aud
void and we are bound to disobey it.
2. Resolved, That the African slave trade
IS immoral, cruel, piratica that the slave
trade from Maryland to Louisiana is also i'm
moral, cruel, piratical, and a greater wrong
than the African slave trade; that the laws of
England, which authorized the burning of
Christians for their religious opinions,
also immoral. cruel, internal but the law,
which, as construed by the courts, authorizes
she slave hunter to seize another mans wife in
New England and to drag her from her hus-
band and home into slavery, there to live life
of degradation, pollution, and shame /; to min
lister TO the lust of the stakeholder. and become
the unwilling mother of Legitimate children,
slaves, IS more immoral, more cruel, and more
devilish than them all.
8. Resolved, That when the hunted fugi-
tive flies to US for shelter, we will harbor him ;
when hungry, we will feed him: when naked,
we will clothe him 4; and we will do all we can
70 protect him, and aid him in his escape from
slavery; and in the language of Batrick Hen
~, we say, IF this be treason, make the most
of it.
Let us see what all this amounts to. The
idea in the first resolve is, that the committal
of any act which involves moral wrong is
mn6cr no circumstances, justihabe, and that
human enactments that are made to enforce
such aets, should be disobeyed. The applica-
ton of this is apparent and the theory may at
first strike one as plausible. But let US exam
ine it little more closely. And first we might
enquire the 3efniSiea of aaaroi rrong. Literal
dy, it would seem to be a contradiction of
Germs for srrsngs are mineral. not Dioral-and
you might with equal rropriety dcnominatc an
act as a good bad one, as to use the term moral
ecrong. The ida intended 10 he expressed,
slough, is what we are after, and that is, that
acts which violate morality, are moral ,cronqs.
What, then, is morality, Il we examine the
dictionary, we find that it is 1'thc doctrine of
the duties of life SC These duties OF life,
Christians believe to be best defined and laid
down Ia the sacred Book But this Book
seems to have commenced with the creation of
man and anticipates his final eXtnction-and
the code of morality is found throughout to
conform to the state of society-to be adapted
to lis condition and wants. Morality belongs
10 MANS part of him-snd like his nature,
is progressive. We read in the Scriptures. that
war, slavery. the qualification of ambition,
lusts and other vices, were allowed in certain
PERIODS of the world. Why' Because moral
,ty is progressive, and was then at low ebb in
society. If. according to the Bible, the AL
mighty commanded certain nations to wage
war and exterminate other nations, we ask if it
was not Gods riii-or what is the same thing,
His lar' If corresponding human enactments
were also in force. and men existed in that
stage Of the world who entertained the peace
views that prevail SO extensively nov. and WHO
considered it immoral, unhoiv. and contrary to
the spirit Of an exalted religion to engage in
orc Il warfare, and consequently made solemn
gadRJIb i'et 'bsir aiGaatse ss justified them in
d moved its reference to tie tfMss9 sasyis