Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-03-04


whatever form Of outward authority that may bn
pen to be uppermost Hence with the unparallo
: ed freedom Of thought which charactcrizes o,
) day, we have the contemporary revival Of Roma
ism, IL being form Of outward authority Il
most respectable for age extent consistent prefer
sions, and seeming stability. This idle talk of ii
right Of private judgment, and of liberty of col
science, while it is denied in practice by a shor
coming or spurious professionalism, is weighed i
the balance and found wanting. Again, "choos
| ye whom ye will serve" Which is Gods metho
OF ruling the wordH Through tie mediation
Kings, Presidents, and Priests, or directiy by hi
own Spirit through the human conscience9 Is "a
Gar Gods vicegerent in Russia, and the Sultan il
Turkey, in France is it Napoleon the Little. and i
Italy the Pope2 In England is it Victoria, whom
must forswear on coming to this country,
franklin Pierce is here the Lords anointed? Ar
the purest dictates Of conscience but the dcnrayit
Of the human heart, or the Living Law Of God 2
Should we be under infallible pilotnge in sailin,
life's ocean by abandoning ourselves to this inward
guidance, or should we be left to the mercy O
passion and prejudiceY ! am endeavoring to stat,
plainly the question which is agitatirg and diyid
ing the world, question which concerns ever,
one of u.s. and in the decision of which each ough
to feel that they have a part to take.
And what tis this outward Law that well nigh mo
nopolses the name Of Law, and to which the mass Of
mankind cling SO tenacously2 1t is the limita
tions of human imperfection, for beings of infinite
progression. 1t is the past made the standard foi
the present and the present the law for the future
| ia tbn gla bnI1 a,,I
ham erected into model for the guidance of the
patriarchs Of Kentucky and Virginia. 1t is the
"eyo for an eye and tooth for n tooth" retaliation Of
Moses, for this 1854 of the christian era. It was
the "thou shalt not suffer witch to live" for
New England Purtans. 1t is Paurs notions Of
the wife's subjection to her husband, and of the
slaves suIcction to his master for this time. and
all coming time. 1t is the expression Of the aver
age current intelligence and morality pet,fGed.
1t is the Journalism of crceds the thirty-nine ar.
ticles, Wesley's sermons, "the testimony of our
early friends" or the book of Mormon.
And what on the other hand is this inward
Higher Law2 1t is the inward law Of the Spirit
which givcth life, not Of the letter which killeth.
1t is our highest conceptions Of right for tue time
being. The inward light, that light which enlight-
eneth every man that cometh into the world, tho
salt Of ages" the vitality of "the tree Of exist
ence," the inspiration Of prophets, and apostles,
aud reformers, and phlanthropists, down to the
humblest of you, that gives cup of water, n
dime, or nights lodging to poor fugitive. 1t is
that law to which reformers and revolutonists ap-
peal when all other law becomes intoleraLlo
"If there was no law there would be no living" "
That claims the dignity of one Of the wise sayings,
and is used in reference to this outward letter law
which reminds me of the antinomian that was con-
tending with John Nelson that we could not live
without sin. docs it keep your soul or your body
alivc?" was Mr.. Nelson's pertinent enquiry. Does
this Inv of the dead past imposed on the living
present keep our souls or bodies alive? It claims
to do both Let us see. Life, moral, as well as
animal and Vegetable implies growth and growth
implies liberty. 1t has been well said that "with
regard to man there is nothing fixed but change"
Health is the free and continuous appropriation of
new elements of nutrition and the removal of the
worn-out old The life-blood uncloged by impuri-
ties, careering unimpeded through its ramfed
channels to the ultimate tissues depositing its
precious freight and returning to head quarters for
new supply, this continuous circulation, this
continuous outgoing and incoming, this is the in
dispensable condition of health and life. The
laws of spiritual physiology also as imperatively
demand the continuous appropriation of new ele-
ments of nutrition and the removal Of the worn
out old. "Nothng fixed but change" that is the
law alike of animal and spiritual life. The con-
tinuous, unimpeded circulation of thought, through
4.
priceless deposits for the Development of noble
lives. To Him who supplies to the trees their
fruits and to the fields their corn We pray, "giyC
us this day our daily bread" direct from the mu
nifcent storehousc of His spirit, we must have
also those daily, hourly, those continuous supplies
of the elements of spiritual life If the law Of
life is the continual change of growth, and if the
indispensable condition of growth is freedom, We
have it accounted for why governments have never
been otherwise than hostile to human interests
and we may also see the folly Of expecting then
to ever become subservicnt to human well-being
Let government be made to day up to the high
est attained ideas of its members, write down III
provisions on parchment with all due solemnity
and formality and declare this to be law hence
forth. Tomorrow as sure as the earth has madt
revolution on its axis so sure will to-day's for
mula have become an inadequate representation o
another days developement, will be too little fol
an added days growth and precisely to that exten
oppressive. BY the time it is week old, it will
have become a sevenfold oppression, and so on a
Time advances Romanism boasts a creed lS0
wears old Professionalism of a creed as old as Lu
ther, the Anti-Slavery Society of creed twent.
years old. The oldest creods are of course tn
most oppressive, being the least adapted to presen
conditions. A formula may be too large as well a
too little too far advanced for some, as well as to-
far behind for Others in either it is disaster
GUS The 5th chapter of Matthew read as an as
sistance to spiritual development is invaluable
but imposed as an arbitrary law it becomes a