The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-10-01
Correspondence.
A Day Outside of the Church.
~ Christ be not risen, then is your taiM
rain, and ye are get IN yOur sins"

ran, and ye are get IN yOur sins"
Tue human race, as it emcrges from
barbarsn 10 civ Utilization. marks it's
progress from the savage to the ell
! lightened state, by intellectual and
religious development, and sustains
its progress by civil laws. The adj
vance of knowledge and religion has
been step by step, not kindly devel-
oped, but reaped from the field of
persecution and war, and trOd in the
winepress of affiiction and sorrow,
and secured in the universal con-
science OF right. If it be true, that
revolutions never 60 backward, it is
because the peril endured in the for
! ward strides Of the world. has taught
mankind TO secure themselves from
the repetition of the same evils. by re-
moving he cause, by the enact ment
of laws which would make every
dearly bought victory permanent III
lis result. The great body of our
laws. come under the head of restraint,
take from our statutes each spe cial
restraint, and all other laws become
weak or useless: whatever higher
laws exist, it will be seen, upon ex-
animation, that they are founded up
on those laws which restrain men bv
force; restraint upon the baser pro-
pensities, is the way 10 the develop
ment Of he higher faculties of the
man; aud it is also true of the COM
munity. of the state, and of the ma
ton. Many of our laws give to mau
a liberty of person, property. speech,
conscience, &c, for while conscience
is susceptible of education, and may
become degenerated, corrupted and
hardened, it has enslaved itself
through law, and fettered aud robbed
men of its rights, making laws neces-
sarv, whereby men may become Sc
cured i'll such rights; without such
liberty, all development and prog"es.
sion is at an end. Reason and con
science INCREASINGLY cry, give us liber-
ty or give us death Our progress
and prosperity as a nation, spring
from the lars Of our Mnd which give.
and secure to us This liberty, and
while we are resi- rained by civil law.
from that which is vicious in our ma
lures, and given freedom in that
which our higher faculties crave. we
are also constrained by certain laws
Of obligation, that make the individ-
ual though free in himself, unit of
he whole, a member of the Hreat
public body, that bv mutual safety
and lnt crest, we are compelled by
law o mutual service and defence.
And by inquiry into all civil law. we
find that ihe human cOus,ienre when
rising above its average. is he sour,
Of all law, and Though e tending over
the cent l1ries into the ages past. con-
science as q chisel in The bands of
Providence has cut int o the tables of
ST one the laws which govern the hu-
man race, and the conscience Of any
individual comprchendS, in one SEN
tence the embodiment and Of all law.
viz: Thou shalt love thy neighbOr !
as thyseIf." Civil Jaw is but one
form of expression which conscience !
gives Of that law written by the Gre !
ator on every human heart, cEpres- |
slOns of this natural law are found in |
the very constitution Of society, |
where civil law has no authOritv.eOn- /
science secretly admonishes, cou-
demns or approves. Conscience not |
only originates law, but gives 10 it |
authority. The judge, who admins
tcrs the civil law, sWears by The AL
mighty whom he recognizes. impell- !
ed, by his own religious nature. to
fear the God who ordains lie powers
that be, and enters into his Office de-
termined to apply the laws of men
faithfully in obedience to conscience.
Law recognizes God, conscience ap-
prehends the will of God. The law
of conscience is founded upon the re-
ligious nature of man, and by his re-
gard for man, is determined his fear
or love of God. Do our religious
principles spring from some deep
seated law of our nature2 Do our