True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1856-12-24
RELIaToN ANn .poIITICs .


Christian Advocate Of October twenty
second:
John Baptist reprovsd Herods adul
terry, though it cost him his life. Pau
rebuked the partial and unjust administra'
ton ofthe high'priest--" God shall smite
thee, thou whiied wall; for sittest thou
TO Judge me after the law, and comman
dest me to be smitten contrary 10 the
law?" and his subsequent explanation is
not to be construed as retraction Of his
right and his intention TO rebuke the in
justice of the priest. He pointed his
burning shafts al Felix-the vicious and
unjust magistrate-when "be reasoned
of righteousness, temperance, (self-con'
troll, and judgement to come" still the
infamous Roman trembled before the
prisoner.
Read the faithful messages Of Elijah tc
Ahab and JeEebel, Of jeremiah to king
Zedekiah. and others. Read the follow.
ing from jeremiah to king Jehoiakaim
Woe to him that buildeth his house
by unrighteonsness, and his chambers by
wrong; that useth his neighbours service
without wages, and givelh him not fol
this work that saith, will build me q
wide house and large chambers, and cut
teth him out windows. and it is ceiled
with cedar and painted with vermiIlion.
Shalt thou reign because thou closest thy.
sclfin cedar I Did not thy father ea
and drink and do Judgement and justice,
then it was we'll with him. He judg'
ed the cause of the poor and the needy
then it was well with him. Was not
this to know me p! saith the Lord But
thine eyes and thy heart are not but irr
thy covetousness, and for 10 shed inno-
cent blood, and for oppression, and fol
violence to do it. Therefore, thus saith
the Lord, concerning Jehoiakim the son
of Josiah, king of Judah they shall not
lament for him, saying, All my brother
or, All sister! They shall not lament
for him saying, All Lord or ah his glory
He shall be buried with the burial Of an
ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the
gates Of jerusalem" Jeremiah xxi, l3-
10.
Thus when the magistrates forsake
God, perverts his functions, derelicts his
public duty, he falls under censure like
other men. The prophet and the priest
should teach that righteousness which
the law should establish, and rebuke the
iniquity of that administration wkich lends
the sanctions of government to injustice
and proAigacy. BUTT must be consider
ed we have cited very extraordinary in
stances for the clearer illustration of gen.
eral principles. Such examples do not
authorize us, on slight occasion to reproVe
and censure the acts Of rulers.
The principle is this /: The author
ity which one man has to govern
another is delegated Of God. 1t is a
delegated trust, given under guards and
restrictions, and the moment this human,
delegated authority steps beyond these
we'll defined limits, that moment, so far
as morals are concerned, it loses its bin
ding force, it becomes null and void. The
magistrate may still have the power to
enforce it, but has lost the right to do so,
by the very terms Of his commission. The
right to rule is then resumed by the au.
thorily from which it first emanated.
The Christian man has no option in such
a case. He is bound by higher law,
by an older and more solemn obligation,
to refuse submission. Where the sup
remacy of the magistrate conflicts with
the supremacy of God. the Christians
line of duty is marked out. He must
obey God. And the supposition that
those Scriptures which command and re-
quire obedience to magistrates, require
absolute, unqualified obedience to wick.
ed and unjust laws as we'll as to good
ones, is not only absurd, but fatal to all
civil liberty, monstrous in mortals, and
impious ia religion. We do not say that.
in such case, the Christian is necessari-
" called TO an open physical resistance
Of law we say only, that he is called to
refuse assent and submission, 10 still do
his duty to God and humanity as afore-
time, and to endure whatever consequent
ces may follow, just as Daniel did his
duty and braved the cousequences-just
as Moses BY failh L" fOrsook Egypt" and
all its lask-masters," not fearing the
wrath Of the king, for he endured as see-
ing him who is visible"
To illustrate and apply in few cases
the principle here laid down, let us look
at few things in juxtaposition.
HUMAN LAWS. BIBLE.
Slave shall be God hath made
deemed, sold, taken, Of one blood all ma.
reputed, and adjudg- tions of men, for to
ed in law to be chat dwell on all the
tells personal, in the face ofthe earth"
hands Of their owner Have we not al
amp possessors, and one Father! Haiti
their executors, ad- not our God created
ministrators, and as us 7"
signs, to all intents, " As live, saitl
constructions, and the Lord, every knee
purposes whatever" shall bow to me, ant
-lSonth Carolina every tongue shal
Laws. confess to God. s.
GA slave is one then every one ofuI
who 10 in the power shall give an accoun
of the master to of himself to God.'
whom he belongs. $50 God create
The master may sell man in his own i'm
him, dispose of his age; in the imag
person, his industry, Of God created h