The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-06-24
God Cares for the Poor aud Oppressed

AdcOoate :
The fact is very full Of comfort, II 1t can
be believed. 1t brings rs vary near the mer
ciiul Father, to Auuw lnaJ whom men deSpiHc
he esteems, whom men neglect he cares Tor.
whom men regard as Of little worth, are
precious in his sight. 1t is not position, nor
glitter, not rank, nor apparel, not broad acres,
nor gold, that God regards, but MAN, whom ne
made in his own image and likeness. Man
cannot be sunk SO low, buried 50 deeply,
chained so inhumanly, bruised and mangied
so savagey, as to be OF no consequence in
the sight Of God. To redeem him, his son
became flesh and entered the brotherhood OF
poverty, sanctityng it forever, and into the
mystery of dcath-and such death God
nath set his heart upon man, and no accident
Of poverty or misfortune can ALLEVIATE MS
regard.
He carefully fenced the rights OF the poor
in the laws OF Moses. His wages were to
be paid with the setting sun, his garment was
not to be kept in pledge, his landmark was
not to be removed, his appeal to the magls'
tratc was to be heard aud justly decided.
When Ahab, the proud and Goddess king, aud
JezebeI, his shrewd and unprlnclpied wife,
desired the field OF the humble vlne-dresser,
they could find no crevico or ioop-hole III the
laws to justify It's seizure, and resorted to the
resource old as tyranny, Of subordlnaton
and perjury, to compass MS death And then
when the coveted land had been secured, Gods
prophet came with these words: Thus
saith jehovah hast thou killed and taken
possession In the place where the dogs
licked the blood Of Naboth, shall dogs lick
thy blood, even thine.
How terrible are the denunclatlons of the
word upon such as wrong the poor, the friend
less the widow, the latherless, the hreling or
the bondman
They are waxen fat, they shine yea
they surpass the deeds Of the wicked They
judge not the cause, the cause OF the father
ness, yet they prosper and the right OF the
needy do they not Judge. Shall not visit
thee for these things saith the Lord shall
not my soul be avenged on such nation as
this 2
He shall break In pieces the oppresor,'
For the oppression Of the poor, for the
signing of the needy, now will | arise, saith
the Lord / will set him in safety from him
that puHeth at him.
The wicked have drawn out the sword
and have bent their bow to cast down the
poor and needy, a@d to clay such as be of
upright conversation. Their sword shall on.
ter into their own heart, and their bows shall
be broken
God becomes the advocate of the poor.
OF the la'hercss, he says, Their Redeemcr
is might he shall plead their cause And
it is also written, He glveth right unto the
poor
He shall stand at the right hand of the
poor, to save him from those that condemn
his soul.
And so perfect is his relation TO them, that
he accepts tavors shown them as though Civ
en- him, whether the crust, the cup OF cold
water, or costly gifts, it matters not ; it is
written, He that hath pity on the poor !end-
eth unto the Lord
How much Jesus loved the poor, how he
shared their lot, entered into their sympathies,
relieved their wants, need not be told. He
assembled on high, leaving them as his legacy
to the church. to be cared for and watched
over, receiving our tenderness to them as
evidence of our fealty to him.
These views grow in their importance when
We compare them with historic developments.
If we have read history Alright, no nation
which has Systematically persisted in oppres
sing class of its subjects, robblng them oil
natural rights, defrauding them OF compensa-
ton for their labor, Wrestling from them their
manhood, has failed to incur the manifest dis
pleasure OF the Father OF all.
The history OF the Jewish empire is to
familiar to need sketchug. The people went
down into Egypt to sojourn, and were op
pressed without couSe. The result was the
scourging OF the Kingdom until it wept blood,
and the loss Of its monarch with the flower
OF his kingdom.
When Babylon executed the measure of
divine chastisemcDt upon apostate Israel, it
was not content. The golden city would not
cease its oppression, and the result came.
With nation of bondmen to do their bidding,
why should they toll Why should not lux
ury and slott do the work they well knew
how to perform And so they did. Israel
in captivity could sing,
AS for our Redeemer, the Lord Of Hosts
is his name, the Holy One OF Israel
Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness,
oh daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt
no more be called the Lady Of Kingdoms
Evil shall come upon thee thou shalt