The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-10-05
DEMOCRAT.
RAW EMMA. OHHO:
pEnc1L1Nas By 1AMp-11aHr.
2 The Higher Law.

2 &
The Higher Law. .1
a We have before us in pamphlet form. an
able and eloquent discourse. delivered by Rev,
Miles Sanford. pastor of the First Baptist
Church in North Adams, Massachusetts,, in.
which is discussed. with much thoroughuess.
Gods Punitive Justice. The author shows.
! conclusively from all the history of our race
as recorded by sacred and profane writer's.
that God superintends in specific detail. the
affairs of men, and that the violation of moral
laws are visited with as cert ain penalties as
the violation of physical laws. In view of this
doctrine he says Cf<g .yxFSf (
"Bnt though the Bible makes this so clear,
there are not wanting those who truck death
to diseases, accidents. and violence, and there
stop. They talk of these secondary and prox-
innate causes Of death as If they were alt /;
ard either leave out of sight, or deny alto
gether, that sod is its first and remote cause /;
that it exists by His appointment, and is a
part of that branch of His administration
usually known as His retributiVe Justice
Il
exist among men, are the agents that God
uses in accomplishing the great ends of His
moral government, so far as they are connect
ed with his punitive justice. If we examine
the matter thoroughly. we shall find that mems
crimes, those they commit against themselves
and others that all diseases which dim the
iustre of the eye. stop the breath, and destroy
life; that all that large class of events called
accidents, which terminate 10 death. are Gods
ministers, doing. His work and performing His
purposes /; peopHng the grave-yards, and car
rying sorrow to every human habitation /; and
yet solving the grand problem Of His punitive
justice
After citing several important historica
facts, clearly showing how certsinly the wratl
of the Almighty in all time, has fallen upo
wicked men. the discourse proceeds "Wh
these significant facts before youin the histor
of Gods punitive. justice towards individual
and nations that have "taught rebellion agaiBs
the Lord" you viii be prepared now to loo
rightly upon some things among ourselves q
they stand connected with this branch of Ri
retributive righteousness.
1t is within the recollection of Us all. tha
men without the church and. within it, taugh
the doctrine that there is no higher law for tb
citizen than the law of the land. This wa
done in seeming forgetfulness that the yer
law which requires submission to the civil lag
and defines the citizens relation to it, is frol
God, who, as Supreme Legislator, is 'the Go
erner among the nations" and I" the King
all the earth !" and who gives to all hums
lawgivers and all human laws. the highest q
thority which clothes them. Indeed, Goo
law is always superior to mans in authority
and it is, therefore, always binding, not on
upon man as citizen. but equally so in {
his other relations. The Scriptures of Divi
truth fully teach the supremacy of the Divi
law, not only as doctrine to be believed, b
as precept to be obeyed. Peter and t
other apostles were commanded by the Jewi
Sanhedrim-the legal and constitutional
thority of the land-"not to speak at ALL T
teach in the name of Jesus To this, "Pe
and John answered and said, Whether it
right in the sight of God to hearken unto !
more than unto God, judge ye." And wi
arrested for disobeying this command, and
minded that they had violated the law" Pc
and the other apostles answered and said,
ought to obey God rather than men," In
the Scriptures proclaim, as with one vo
that wherever God commands. and human
forbids; or God forbids, and human law &C
mands. God is to be obeyed rather than m
= The denial Of this law-the Higher Law
its application to the citizen in his relation
the civil power, can be regarded therefore
no other light than practical atheism.
Now see how Gods punitive justice
smitten rs with moral death through all
borders. First, there came blight on
H moral sense of mnltitudes, in reference to Il
eternal distinctions which God has made
tween right and wrong. This was quickly
70 lowed by the almost total obiiteration of
q moral sense and the triHing hippancy
v which meH spoke on this subject. bee
W alarming to those who had not been cal
away by the prejudices of the hour To
q the sympathies Of the soul and smite dowr
e holiest instincts which God ever planted j,
Eh human breast-compassion and pity for
Il weak and the suffsring-were lauded as
of civic glory, and ihdorsed as the purest
riotism. Now when men break loose
y Gods authority. or practically deny it,
q isno telling what hideous acts of wicke,
- will be perpetrated. All we know is,
n such offered violence to heaven shall I
z sooner or later, in moral earthquake, v