Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1852-07-07

we should expect wiser things, that should hold
our peace and utter no word for Justice aud Free
DOM because it will disturb, and irrtne, aud cause
divisions: becaure it will bring peace but sword
Surely, | cannot help thinking, when henr this,
they who talk thus have forgotten Christ. If this
were good and sufficient reason why truth Should
not he uttered then Jesus Christ did wrong, for he
knew, he oresaw tnorr clearly than my one else,
that the ueiance of truth would cause DIVISION aud
yet he persisted in uterng it. No consideration ut
consequences whether to himself or others, could
deter him from declaring what he knew, and what
his hearers knew to he truth. The more the malig-
nity and violence ol human hearts revealed. on
w the more manifest the need for the truth to
be spoken. If it were wise and right then to assert
the truth, when the assertion OF il caused u,ronr a
excitement what makes it unwise and wrong now,
when the consequences follow If they, who
IN these days proclaim truth doing harnl then
Christ and his apostles did harm, then the preaching
Of Christ miscellaneous then the world would
have been great deal better off il Christianity had
not come. We are told, and hy intelligent people
too. that if never word had been spoken in behalf
of tie down-troddrn aud in condemnation oi the
mighty Wrong which diShonors our country and
our Christian profession, that Wrong would have
been by this time abolished TO very considerable
extent My friends, for more than half century
not word was spoken, and that great Wrong, 50
far from wasting away, spread over more than doub-
c the number of States in which it originally exist
ed, aud lis victims increased from thousands 10 mil
lions, and grew nightly and prevailed until it has
become the commanding interest and the ruling law
Of this nation This is natter not Of opinion, but
Of fact. But even il, Notwithstanding this fact even
if it were true that silence could have insured the
downfall of oppression, and that talking about it
" tends to strengthen it, in this case the uphoIders
Of the wrong ought 10 lave 10 quarrel with those
wha1pppose it, since their opposition tends, as is
said only 10 strengthen and pcrpenate it.
But letting this pass, ] cannot help being deeply
impressed with the similarity between these times
and the times of Christ and his apostles. cannot
see how this same argument which is urged now n
guinst the bold and earnest publication OF truth, and
which is founded upon the disturbance that truth
causes, would not have been just sound then.
when Christ earth MS it is now. For my
self dread noise and irritation, aud oppositiom &
the rupture of friendly ties truly MS any man !
shrink from it all. 1t is very painful to me- could
almost fnd il in my heart to wish that it were good
reason for Keeping silent in the cause Of my poor
wrougcd brother. that speaking for him veXes and
cnrages people. would sometimes he very glad if
could find silence justified by this consideration.
Bit then, whenever am tempted TO yield to this
weakness, | am prompted 10 ask myself if ! am
swayed by the fear OF excitement and dlvlslon where
on which side should have stood had lived in
the times of Jesus. had been one of his hearers !?
And am forced TO see that if am governed by such
considerations now, should have been governed
by such considerations then and instead OF being II
happy and blessed friend and follower OF his, !
should have been ranked among his enemies or of
the ukewarm multitude that, if they did not hate,
neither did they love him.
All but Christ Gt will be said,) Christ--thnt is
another sort of thing we cannot reason from the g
nornnt would-be retormers and violent advocates of
truth at the present day, to Christ And pray, why
not! Was he not gwen MS tor an eXnupIe? Is he
not the truest standard whereby to try aud Judge
others? II he, in his divnely inspired wisdom,
gave uerance TO the truth in the face of opposition
and division not those who profess to he his
friends commanded to be faithful in like manner TO
their best convictions of truth
! But, it will be added, he knew how, and what, q
when to speak, lie had special authority TO declare
the truth. What then? 1t did not save him from
being opposed aud ragged against. Anger and NAL
ice aud lnred none the less excited against
him. These modern reiormers you may say, deal
! in violent and abusive language. They condemn
and denOunce by Wholesale, and this is the reason
why we would have them hold their peace. 1t is
not the truth which they speak, but the ,Cay in which
they speak it, that gives offense and causes division.
What then was it, ask that caused people TO be so
enraged with Christ? There is no that has ev-
er asserted the ruth of God that has been perseon-
ted and huted ms he was. He was not only spoken
against and denounced, he was put TO death and his
friends were hunted and inI isohed, and likewise
put to death, merely on account of his name. Ii
could have been nothing but the truth, and the pure
truth which he taught that raised such storm.
1t may he that those who in these days striving
to be faithful to his commandments and to maintain
the prcceps and principles of his religion, and to in
culcae his law of lOye-it may he that they are vio
lent aud denuncatory, although when one has once
caught sight of the horrors OF that system of human
bondage which they seek TO abolish, he cannot wei
see how any language is strong enough to depict il
in its true character. The author of that wonderful
tale, which touches all hearts young and DID, has ex
pressed therein her conviction, and she seems &c
know, that it is beyond the power of mortal lips ad
equalely 10 portray the evil against which she la:
struck so heavy blow. But let il I've that those
who are aboring 10 awaken the heart q conscience
of this people TO this fearful violation of the law o
Christ and God-t may be that their language is vi
client and extravaganza at least let it be granted
But this does by no means account for the agitation
which they cause, for the madness and division
which they occnsion, for Christ produced far great
err agitation. Men were wrought up TO the hIghes
pitch Of fury against him, and yet he spake nothing
you will admit but pure truth They were enrageC
with him not the less but the more for the perlee
truth which he declared.
1t is an idle thing to attempt to draw distinction
between times and those of Jesus, in this par
cular. repeat it, it was the truth that he laugh
2 that made men mad, mad that they killed him
2 and prosecuted all who dared TO breathe his NAM
with respect. And it is the truth now the truth tina
they speak who assert the Christian law of love
G which srs up the violent passions of men & bring
J. not peace but division.
Y If they were saying what is not true fthey wer
asserting what is false in this day of free speech am
;, publication, the falsehood would have been expose
: long ago. 1t would have recoed upon those VIII
II uttered it, and they would have lost, long since al
: power to disturb the public mind. But the fact il
q the agitation which exists in regard to the grea
i cause of Human Rights is now of more than TWEEN
IS ~ years standing. Within that Time with an coca
3 sonal lull and then, it has been steadily on III
IS increase. 1t has spread and deepened it has nvt
is ded aud divided great ecclesiastical organizations
It has covered the land, one Of its opponents ono
L. said, like one of the plaques of Egypt Ii has bro
I ken through all the prohibitions with which il hf
n been attempted to keep il out of The national com
i ellis and has established itself there Again and
,r gain by most arbitrary proceedings and by despo