The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-04-09

IL, D,
your principles by his command to say oil the child
rem that were in Bethlehem, and In all the coasts
thereon, from two years old and under. II was
command Of the king, founded on reasons Of state,
and Peter tells You to submit to every ordinance Of
man for the Lords sake, whether of the king as
prene, or governors a. sent by him. And Paul tells
you that whosoever resseth the power resisteth the
ordinance o. God, aud that every soul must be sub
ject to the higher powers According to your inter
probation 1t was right, in obedience to the king, to
murder those children; it was an act of obedience
70 Cod and according TO your theory, if the child
Jesus himself had been murdered under that COM
mand, II would have been right and Just, and who
ever was commanded to put the Babe in Bethlehem
to death, was bound In conscience to do 1t, and he
had succeeded, would have done thing acceptable
to God. My friends, there is q rule in regard 20
obedience to state policy in such rule that
ever and anon, in the case OF any extraordinary
wickedness is heard like the voice OF Satan to his
friends, Prepare my way before me "a rule pthy,
terse and comprehensive Go 1t bind" If yon
will obey government in executing unrighte0us de
crees under pretence Of obedience to God, you
must " go it blind "-but remember one declaration
of our blessed Lord in such o case--that " II the
blind lead the blind both shall fall into tho ditch"
UPPER ANB NBTBEs MILLsTONEs OF SCRIPTURES.
Now, put these two things together, Pauls deca-
ration in the 18th chapter OF Romans, "Let every
soul be subject unto the higher power" and
the same Paul's declaration in the second chapter
Of the same epistle, that "God will render unto
them who do not obey the truth, but obey upright
eousness indignation and wrath, tIibulation and
If the higher powers command evil, and man obey
them in such unrighteousness, upon every such soul
there is the sentence OF indignation and wrath from
the Almighty. Why then, you may perhaps ask,
were these strict inunctons as to obedience to the
powers laid down, and the exceptions not given so
that this part Of divine revelation has served
quarry OF despotism in the hands of tyrants and
Obedient ministers for the building of the Bastles
Of unlimited, irresponsible, jure dicine tyranny !?
When they would grind to pieces the oppressed
and break the very bones of Puritanc insubordina
ton against commanded unrighteousness, they put
them between these upper and neither millst0nes Of
Paul and Peter torn away from Gods living temple,
and whirled round by unjust judges, for grinding
into powder every ina gioation OF resistance against
tyranny; When they would crush the grapes Of a
servle theology itself for intoxicating draught of
full license TO oppression, they threw them into that
wine press. But wisdom IL justified of her children.
The exception is given, and is part of the rule, and
any conscience truly tender towards God delivered
from the fear Of man. ana Jealous for Gods right
eousness and the supremacy of Gods law, cannot
fail to see it. Obedience to the powers that
be, from conscience toward God, does not
Gods word, does not permit you to 60
contrary, in any respect, TO the universal law of
peiy and love. But these iDjunctions were written
especially. in the first case, to persons in the
and unaccust stoned freedom Of the gospel. who had
been commanded in nothing to suffer themselves to
be the servants Of men, but TO feel and realize and
caDy ous their entire independence Of all human
thori:y, and their dependence only on God. Tne
whole tenor of the Old Testament to train them
in such freedom. But some among them imagined
that in coming into the kingdom and liberty Of
Christ, they we're freed from all subjec ton to hui
man governments, and especially had there been q
se:t anon the Jews teaching such nsubof duation,
walking after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness
and despispg government, promising men liberty,
but themselves the servants OF corruption. And it
was necessary, with strong arm TO CHI OK such per-
nicious heresies by the strongest possible state
ments Of the truth as to Gods own establishment
and Authorization of human governments, clothed
~ e.
and the fnilment Of all righteousness. For the
sake of God for the sake of the gospel for the sake
of commencing Christianity as a religion.of purity
and peace; purity first aud peace in consequence;
religion Of order OF obedience to magistrates; q
religion, the best possible and only permanent
support of the state in freedom and pros
perity, such obedience was carefully to be main
tanned, was t, be carried even to an extreme
of passive nonresistance, wherever IL could be
dDne with good conscience towards God.
"S.and fast, therefore in tie liberty wherewith
Christ has made us Free aud be not entangled again
with the yoke Of bondage. For brethren ye have
been called INTO liberty only not liberty tor an oc
casion 70 the flesh, but by love 10 another.
For all the law Is fulfilled in one word in this;
Thou shall love thy nei2hbor as myself" This was
their freedom under God and the gospel, freedom
Of righteousness and love, and freedom of obedi-
ence 20 human government and law 30 far as il full
filed Gods own great Law OF righteousness and love.
Not freedom OF the government TO bind and oo.
press them, but freedom for them to sustain the
government and obligation to obey II for the sake
of liberty an love, and TO advance the kingdom OF
God, which is rchteousr es and peace aud joy in the
Holy Ghost. These principles constitute the only
steadfastncss and permanence OF authority and law.
The security both OF constitutions and Of laws Is In
the fearlessness ard independence Of q righteous
conscience II lies IN the fear Of God and not In the
liberty, AIgernon Sidney, rightly declared, In his
discourses ON government, insisting on a perfect
to the laws Of God, that II hath been
ever hereupon observed that they who most precisely
H. - ~ III
ceinpg the commands Of men, unless they are well
grounded; and those who most delight In the glo-
rious liberty Of the sons Of God do not only subject
TO him. but most regular observers Of
the Just commands Of man, according to the will Of
Cod
prsoBrDrrNcE DUTY.
The usirpaiion Of power, for selfish and unrighte
Gus objects, for oppression, inlstice and cruelty
not the ordinance OF God, but OF sin and Satan. In
such case II to be the duty Of the people TO
obey; |, is the duty OF every one 10 disobey, mas
much as the very declared purpose and object for
which God has ordained the powers that be are set
aside by them, and they themselves bee )me nothing
but forms Of treason against Cod and as such the
very allegiance Of men 70 God requires, for obed
ence to him, the punishment Of such treason and the
restoration Of the powers that be, as 600 has or
for good not evil and bears the sword Tor good, not
evil; and they who WELD the power for evil, and not
good themselves resisting the ordinance Of Cod
and they who thus resist shall receive 10 themselves
0AmnalO0, anu are Doutiu W uc ftSirotus OOu
science towards God commands you as positively 10
disobey, when the government orders unrighteous
meas, as II does 70 obey when II orders righteous
ness and for the same reason, because God has laid
the sole authority OF government in conscience
towards him. IT. therefore, obey God, II they obey
government out Of conscience towards God, they
lever Viii permit an unhghteous government to
exist over them-they are not permitted OF GOD ID
permit such thing. And who does not see that
when the consciences Of men are thus fastened 70
God and faithful TO him, misgovernment and ty-
rainy are rendered impossible FOR no government
even supposing usurpation for wicked purposes
possible, and the passing Of wicked laws possible
could find any instrument 10 carry out their &C
cursed designs. Where whole people are under
the teaching Of Gods word and the power OF an en-
lightened conscience binding them 10 him, and
making them faithful Ia vain would tyrants rage,
since they must imprison the whole people cut of
all Their heads in which case there wyud be no sub
ocs left; but In fact no tyrant nor tyrannic power
can possibly be sustained against the united con
scientious determination Of q whole people. The