Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-02-08
DIVINE AND HUMAN LAW,


Perhaps Il Is not quite safe to quote
from telegraphod report or a lawyers
argument. but the regular press dis
patches from Washington detailing
the proceedings IN the case OF Senator
Smoot before the Committee on Priv
ileges and Elections, have been IN the
main so nearly correct that We may
take the purported remarks Of Judge
Tayler IN his opening speech as sub
stantially correct particularly when
they harmonlze with expressions that
have come from him during the prog
ross OF tho case The gentleman took
very singular ground, on several points
more or less associated with the mat
ter under consideration, but we will
now direct attention to just one sem
tence which Is this:
"A conscientious, sincere man who
says that the law OF God is superior TO
tho law OF man IL traitor TO his
country"
This assertion, we think, will not be
endorsed by any believer In the SUI
preme Being, no matter what may be
his particular creed or form of worship.
No believer In the Bible will coincide
with tho learned lawyer in such sem
timent Plain, ordinary reason will
perceive that II there be a God, and He
promulges law, It must be OF noces-
sity superior to any human enactment;
also that if "a conscientious, sincere
man says" So II does not follow that
he is ~ traitor to his country"
VIII any sane person assert that De-
ity is not higher than humanity God
Is perfect, man is imperfect, His law
must IN the nature of things be SUI
perior to anything that man can orig
mate The bible, both IN It's history
aud It's theology supports this doc
trine, Peter, the Apostle when
brought before the Council, charged
with disobeying the law, enunclated
this rule: "Wo ought TO obey God
rather than men (Acts. Y. 29) From
tho earliest ages believers In God have
stood by the maxim announced by
Peter It was declared by all the IN
splred prophets whose testimony has
come down to us through holy writ
It was manifested in their lives, their
sufferlngs and their martyrdoms.
The very government mder which
we live, with It's guarantees Of cyil and
religious liberty was brought into be-
ing as a consequence Of this principle
For, the Pilgrim Fathers, obeylng God
aa the Supreme Ruler, left the lands
where human laws came into conflict
with divine laws, and fed to this con-
tlnent, where they established the IN
stltutions under which we i've Were
they traitors to their country? We do
not think that any true American win
dare so to assert
The heroism, lrmness and grandeur
OF character exhibited by most Of the
great religious men and women of
ancient and OF modern times, have
been the result Of fidelity to the prln-
ciple that the law OF God is supreme,
in cases where II was impossible TO
carry out the divine mandate because
Of the oppressive laws Of man, many
of them left their native countries and
moved 10 other parts. whore they could
be FREE to worship and serve their
Makor according to the dictates Of their
own consconces without molestation.
Tor the uttorance OF a sentiment I'm
harmony with this proceeding tho law
yer whose words we have quoted at
tho beginning OF this article, virtually
condemned % witness In his own be-
half as % traitor 10 his country and
thus that lawyer showed that he placed
humanity above Deity, or proclaimed
himself an atheist
WHOM we speak Of a law OF God
we mean that which is actually re-
vealcd from heaven for obedience by
man ON earth, Not any doubtful say
Ing, or mysterious utteiuncc or any
thing that Is not clearly demonstrated
and received as mandatory from tho
Almighty Clearly n God speaks and
man receives His word, IL must be
superior 10 anything that Is merely
human. IL does not follow however,
that man is under compulsIon to obey
the divine word or that while il ls and
must be- superior TO mans law, one Is
necessarily IN conflict with the other
Human law may harmonize with divine
law, yet that the latter Is superior to
me other is almost Belf-evideut
But If 1T happens that there is such