Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-09-14

corder.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher
powers. For there is no power but of God
the powers that be are ordained OF Cod
Rom. 13: /.
The Christian religion is intensely
practical. 1t takes up every relation
of this life, and sanctifies all its duties
by making them acts of piety. Dis
obedience of constituted authority in
church or state is sin against God.
To the Christian there is stronger
tie than patriotism binding him to
the discharge of all duties imposed by
the state; stronger obligations than
those growing out of his love for
order and good government; it is the
law of God, whom he has covenanted
to obey. The Christian can neither
break nor avoid by any subterfuge or
legal technicality obedience to law
without SHINING against God.
l. 1t is a universal obligation upon
every soul. The rich and poor, the
ignorant and the learned, the high
and the low, all are brought under
obligations to mans law by Gods
command.
2. 1t is an obligation to be subject !;
that is to be obedient. The Christians
of the day when this command was
first given were under heather gov
ernments, and in the midsts of bitter
prosecutions, yet were they COM
manded to "Submit themselves to
every ordinance of man for the Lords
sake"
This necessarily involves the cult
walton of respect for those in authori-
ty for their POSITIONS sake. The
Word of God puts it as the very eli
max of wickedness that men should
not be afraid to speak evil of dignita-
ries, and affirms that such are reserv-
ed unto the day of judgement to be
punished. All disparagement of those
in authority by partisan papers be,
cause they do not belong to theil
party, is not only an education of peo
pie in despising law and order, and
therefore in deeds of lawlessness, but
is sin-a positive violation of God:
plain command.
This requires also obedience to ev'
cry law of regularly constituted au
thority. The law may be very fool
ish, or a very injurious law to my
temporal interest, yet if 1 would keel
myself free from sin l must obey it
If the law requires me to do tina
which is wicked Of course / cannot d,
it. But even there as a Christian
must stand ready to suffer its penalt.
cheerfully and without trying t,
evade it. But l must be able to SHOW
that the law commands that which i
wicked before l am at liberty to re
fuse obedience to its precept. II
show that the law is foolish or unjus
in mere temporal matters does nc
relieve me from obligations to obey
am not the judge. 1t belongs to tn
Legislature to make the law, an,
they are the sole judges of the wisdom
and eXpediency of laws. 1t belong
to the courts to judge of their consti
nationality. 1t belongs to me to ODE
them, and to obey them cheerfully
OF course l am at liberty to use a
lawful means to get an unwise lay
repealed or an unconstitutional lay
set aside; but until that is done b
competent authority, am bound b
Gods command to obey it al ever
cost, short of committing sin. TIL
command is to erery soul the law
subsection; the measure is ereJy ord
nance; the motive is for the Lord
sake, and because "the powers tn;
be are ordained of God; WhOSoer
therefore resisteth the power, resis
eth the ordinance of God; and the
that resist shat receive to themselv'
l.,