The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1864-12-06

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sociuy. The crooked places shall be
mad .irsichl.the rough places smooth,
every valley shall te lilled and every
mouulap brought low This effect.
howeFeb :. only the bringing q soci-
etY bact iowhat i should have been
sod sets5 havv been bat Cor the dis.
rupiion q thc homan brotherhood
through deprssily. For as in the
casr of the individual. the rnoyaion
of the gospel is Jui Restoring him 20
mans original purity. so when that
gospel remodel. society i j. but rlae-
/ il,z (. where Il would tse been IN
/ der the influence of s0ch purify
These mouniain obstacles % human
progress have been thrown up by dep
rayity. The gospel comes Jewel them.
I All are brethren. The bands Of this
/ brotherhood have hecn severed. We
see il in the despotic governments Of
the world, where the viii Of ore man
Is the law Tor tie millions, and where
! The masses live for the ruler, 10 crafty
1 bis ambition or rayarice,or love OF pleas
ure. He sits euthroned as god
/ they bow down and worship. The
very clements Of brotherhood are de-
stroyed. There is TO fellowship, no
/ kindred relations, no likeness in con
/ lition. We see tie same in ths re-
4 ligious hierarchics Of the world, IN
which pries'ly denomination is main.
! iaino d over the masses. giving the en-
4 tire rule into ihe hands of the higher
I clergy in chri.iendom, and among pa
gaus running into the most debasing
I power Of Case. BY these, the ruling
minds in religious society stand aioot
from the masses only as shey are used
10 promote the ambitious ends OF the
! dominating party. In less degree
\ is separating line drawn by the M
iluence OF wealth. destroying fellow
ship and placing the iron foot Of prej-
udice upon the neck Of the poor And
| than last. rot least, is The power Of
! sloyeh9ld'ng to crush beneath the rod
a oppress!ca the toiling ma ses to
crafty the love Of power or oil case,
or other lesser passions IN the arlSto.
cratic few. In his the great brother
hood Of men is destroyed The sys-
TEN cuts off all sympathy. 1t denies
the right 10 mutual feeling, Il excludes
the idea Of mutual equality in every
respect.
The language Of the text was spok-
en- Of believers in their relation to each
other as christians. But its also true
OF all men IN their relations TO each
other under civil government. In re-
spect to christians we can scarce mis-
tax e its import. Thry are brethren,
equals, no one having the right to lord
il over others, bat each standing on
an equal footing IN their relation 10
each other and 10 Christ, tie head. lie
does not mean that there should be no
authority lodg d with any--that there
should tie no government in the
church. For We know that he did
| delegate authority to the apostles. and
wc read expressly Of those who rule.
| But he means that this delegate au-
thority does not must not exalt oue
above another ia sespect 10 tie laws
ofhis kingdom--tliat they are all alike
and on the same principle subiec: to
the same laws aud amchable to the
same tribunal, that each has an. equal
privilege TO all the blessings of his
kingdom and an equal right before his
lhrons. Equality ia the sense Of hay.
ing equal powers and equal degrees ot
enjoyment he did not indeed mean
since il is absurd. But equality ol
feeling he did mean. lie did near
that each could claim Of the other tet
ioao feeling respect as equal before
their divine Master, having the same
place In his affections aad equally un,
der his care and in his fellowship
He did mean that religiously, in rela,
tion TO the christian man, no one should
think himself above another.
Now, as It il With the christian il
relation TO the church Of Christ, so il j.
with men in relation TO civil goverr
ment. In some important sense al
are brethren all are equal. There
is a foundation for The language Of the
, French socialists "Liberty, Fraterni
" and Equality they may bav,
attacked a meaning TO the phrase
which facts viii not warrant, as some
have adopted the notion thai The state
is bound 10 make al equal in socia
position and TO conver' its government
into pure democracy. Bat without
lhi. extreme yiew here Is sense. il
which all are free, all are breshren.-
Mep are free under just law--they
ars'breihren With fraternal sympathy
under different social positions -thet
are equal before TIE law While one i
placed upon the magis rates seat and
the other Is among the governed. -
They are equal IN iial tie law protects
aud ads one equally with The ether
They may bot be equal in natural
strength or N nial endop meuls. Or ac.
q8ired abilities, Bot they are equal
10 rights and privileges. being equally
respected BY tie lass ard Kept safe
4 under ils broad asis. Neither for.
eisn power nor Individual ambition
+ can irample On tie enc more than the
other. The &ealthiest. the poorest,