The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-06-03

the expressions under which his kindred were
suffering: and having seen particular in
stance of injustice and cruelty perpetrated ON
one of them, he nterposed, and rendered effect
ual aid to the oppressed Again he interpoeed
between two of his brethren, who were en-
gagged in quarrel, and he demonstrated with
| the wrong-doer His intervention on this oc-
casion was treated by the wrong-doer AS an
impairment intermeddling in other peoples
business-Er. ii, 1l-l4
\ The man of Uz, who was signalized for pa
tience, and all the other gentle emotions OF
our nature, was by no means insensible to the
claims of Justice and the cries of suffering hui
mainly. He therefore acted as father to the
poor, and the cause which he knew not, he
searched out the blessing Of him that was
ready to perish came upon him for he brake
the jaws of the wicked and plucked the spoil
out of his teeth-yob xxx Ply. On vari-
Gus occasions we find Gods people fleeing from
the oppression of tyrannical civil rulers. Thus
Moses fled to the land of INDIAN; David, on
one occasion, fled to the King of Gath and
on another occasion, to the King Of Moab, from
the jealous tyrant Saul And the Lords
priests, who afforded aid to the political refu-
gee. were inhumanly massacred by the orders
of Saul Sam. xxi, xxi. The divine oracle
informs David that the ungrateful people OF
keilah, should he continue among them, would
betray and surrender him into the power of
his prosecutor The supple instruments of
tyranny, the Ziphites, who wished to ingratiate
themselves in the favor of despotism tender
their services to Saul so that he might glut his
rage against one who had never injured him,
but on the contrary. by his courage and bra
very in vanquishng the proud Phlistine, who
had defed the armies of Israel and threatened
the enslavement of Saurs kingdom, brought
renown to his country, which the minions of
SauFs -misgovernment never could do
Sam xiii
The Tishbite, constrained by fear of his life,
fled from the rage Of the licentious and idola-
trous Jezebel To secure his person, and to
wreak the vengeance of the wicked on this
man Of God the most scrutinizng search was
made for him, not only in his own country,
but also 10 foreign countries. All the arts of
diplomacy were employed, in order to procure
his extradition, and make him an example to
those who might dare to find fault with the
ruling powers A friend at court, who was
afraid of getting into difficulty on his account,
informs him as follows There is no nation
or kingdom whittier my Lord hath not sent to
seek thee and when they said, he is not there,
he took an oath of the kingdom and nation
that they found thee mott Kings, xviii, 10.
On behalf of the prosecuted prophet jeremiah,
Ebedmelech, foreigner by birth interceded
with King Zedekiah he employed individual
intervention And for this act of humanity
the Almighty promises him protection, when
prosecutors and sycophants would be slain by
the invading Chaldeans. '-Jer. xxxvin
The oppression of the Israelites in Egypt |
was the immediate cause of their emigration
from that country to the country promised to !
their fathers Two small nations treated them |
with inhumanity on their journey; and for |
this reason the Divine displeasure was marked |
against these nations as long as they existed. |
The Amalekite instead OF aiding the fugitiyes |
from oppression harassed their rear in order |
to cut off the feeblest among them and for
this act of nhumanty they were, by an inexo-
rable sentence devoted to utter destruction
Er xvii, H. I6 Dem XIV, 17-l9. Sam. XIV,
ID
While proselytes from other nations were to
be admitted TO full privileges in the Jewish
church, in the third generation, the AmOrites
and Mosbtes were not to be thus admitted be-
fore the tenth generation, because they met
not the Israetes with provisions in the wilder
ness, near their borders but hired the con Juror,
Balaam, to curse them.-Dem XIII, 3-s.
In the book of Obadiah we have an account
of the Intervention Of the Edomites in favor of
the rapacious and cruel invaders of the land of
Israel and for this cruel Intervention, like that
of Russia in favor of Austria they were to be-
come base among the nations of the earth, UNI
TIL at length, they would become extinct The
Ruler of nations who puts down one and sets
up another says to the Edomites by his proph- {
ct" For thy violence against thy brother
Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt
he cut off forever. In the day that thou
stoodest on the other side, in the day that
the strangers carried away captive his forces,
and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast |
lots upon Jerusalem, even thou vast IA one of |
them. But thou shouldest not have looked on
the day Of thy brother, in the day that he be-
came IA stranger neither shouldest thou have
rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day
of their destruction neither shouldest thou
have spoken proudly in the day of their dis
tress. Thou shouldest not have entered into
the gate of my people, in the day of their ca
lamity; yea, thou shotlde not have looked
on their affection, in the day of their calamity
nor have laid hands on their substance in the
day of their calamity neither shOuldest thou
have stood in the cross-way, to cut of those
Of his that did escape neither shouldest thou
have delivered up those Of his that did remain
in the day of distress. For the day of the
Lord is near upon all the heather; AS thou
hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy re-
ward shall return upon thine own head y
Obadiah, l0-15.
When Paul was brought to trial before the
truculent Nero, none of his friends at Rome
dared plead his cause, give testimony in his ia
vor counsel or encourage him but all forsook
HIM and fled. 81 pray God says he, that
this may not be laid to their charge Tim. |
w. l6 AT another time, in the same city, he
experienced the Intervention Of kind friend,
who sought him out very diligently and found
him, and was not deferred by fear or shame
chained like felon. For this sympathy and
aid to the distressed servant Of Christ, the
blessing of him that was ready to perish came
on Onesiphorus and his family Tim j.
l6-ls If any are unjustly and cruelty used,
it is a manifest duty to become their compan-
ions, and to interpose for their protection, or at
least for their sufferngs x, 33, "a. If
one member suffer all the members should
suffer with it, At the final day of accounts,
the Judge of all will say to some, q was sick,
and in prison, and ye visited me- Blessed
are the mercifnl, for they shall obtain mercy"
But he shall have Judgment without mercy,
who hath showed no mercy and mercy rejoi-
ceth against Judgment"
The foregoing references, we think, are suf-
fcient to show that intervention in favor Of the
rights OF others has the sanction Of the Higher
Law.
In the history of nations we find numerous
examples Of Intervention, though it is to be
regretted that many il not most Of these, have
been in favor of despotism Still there are to
he found some illustrious examples in favor of
justice and humanity, which commend them
selves to the appreciation of every lover of his
species. Let reference to n sample of these
suffice Tor the present Ii il not however mo-