, 1865-01-20
gpmttttit2tict
To the Editor of the St. CrOix Avis.
MIR. Editor,

You will, I hope, give a subscriber The liberty
Of making some remarks in the pages OF your
paper on the following words, "Per me reyes
regnant," which seem to stand the same test,
and to be taken in the same sense as those OF
St. Paul, "Non est potestas nisi a Dec" II
Kings therefore rule by the authority Of God,
as is very plain from the words "Per me reyes
regnant," and have no power unless from God
as is also evident from these Of St. Paul mon
est p~otestas nisi a Deo' then rulers and subjects
are involved here together. Rulers are admon-
ished by whose commission they govern, and
subjects instructed whom they should obey.
Now if it be granted that Government is of God
it must necessarily follow that subsection is too,
for "Superior'' would be nonsense without ON
ferior'' and the relatives cannot stand one with
out another. If Governors be from God, so are
the Governed, if Power 50 is Subjectjon. One
Proposition is here involved in another and
cannot be separated. There is no room in this
place either for fallacy or force, for arms or ar,
guments, for these words, "per meregeS reGnaht
c0nf0unds all sophisms, diS&olrcs all sCruPles,
stops all mouths, and SllcnccS all disputes. Inc
imposition of a certain class OF people as Il a0-
thority were radically placed under Their con
troll, the contradictory per&uaSIonS OF q CO.
OrdinanCy that is to say, OF a sharing o. govern
mcnt amongst one portion of subjects to the
prejudice Of another, the fancy OF a condl-
tional power, and a conditional duty, the
Paradox of a siRGuHs H1aj0r, and a @n1rotsls
ninor, the conceit of erecting Government on
tho sandy foundation of a narroW-minded e
would be absurd. Take all these 'suppositj0ns
and objections and as many more OF the same
pigmy kind as were ever hammered out by the
malice and I~ittleness Of corrupt nature, and still
- I.a4 -o 1S+41l 1r,.1, g I1gr oln p St'.- lHn ~
they are all answered, beyond all thought or
possibility Of resource, unless they appeal from
The Potter to the Clay, from omnipotence to
flesh and blood, and from the truth Of the scrip
lures to some here and there silly man Of state.
BY whom was the world made3 BY me said the
divine wisdom, whence had the stars their Intll-
ences, the celestial orbs their motions, and We
qetables and minerals their virtues, who was 1t
That made every thing out Of nothing by one
word. and hy another drew order out OF CON
fusion. The answer is still "Pcrme," "By ne,
And the Original of Government was as much
the work of Gods Providence, as the Creation
was of his Power. Therefore "Pef me reyes
r~eenant,2 "Rv me Kings rule is spoken to az
KINGS, to all Princes, to all Rulers and TO all
Governors, so it is to all people, III all places,
at all times and forever, without any sort OF
limitation or restriction or condition III respect
of customs or dcc.6cs or any political sanction
or provisions. [ speak this with al! respect
imaginable to the dignity Of human laws and
to the order of human society. Hence as God
is the fountain, the inexhaustible fountain of all
Power, so we cannot without blasphemy fancy
to ourselves that Wisdom itself can ever mistake
its measures. From this it follows that all hui
man Powers are but as Examinations from the
divine Providence without any respect to man
kind than as a rule and direction for them to
govern by. Not but that men are apt, instead
Of carrying the Copy to the Original, to carry
or bring down the original to the Copy. But
still the little words, 'Per me reyes regnant'
are there, and no matter what objection may be
raised against them, by saying that they go too
far. and that the Canon Of the scriptures is no
rule to a Pagan, still it can be answered, and
must ex necessitate as a truth founded on rea-
sonable nature, a truth that every man finds
written in his heart. 1t is a truth that is calcu-
lated for all meridians, for all nations, and for
all religions without distinction, having a par
tieular regard to the comfort, the peace and we'll
being of mankind. Now Mr.. Editor, it is very
we'll known that some governments act dlfte-
rentIy by founding and framing certain state
measures, and models according to their own
whimsical conceptions, but of course these are