Year: 1860

these two seminal, all comprehensive command
ments.


In each ase, We repeat, Jesus Christ spoke tc
men as individuals, and he inculcated these prn
ciples Of moral conduct because they were right
The obligation to conform to them arose then, Il
arises now from the constitution Of man which the
all-wise God devised and of which Jesus Chris,
was the best expounder, constitution not written
upon parchment, bu; upon the living tables of the
human heart,-a constitution, of course, much
more ancient, venerable sacred, than any which
men have framed for national purposes. We are
not therefore, to wait until the civil government
under which We live, shall see ft to conform itself
to these requirements of the Just and Holy, be-
fore we give our individual obedience to them.-
individuals generally must preccde nations in
their conformity to Gods will. They must often
do so through persecution and suffering. Such is
the high calling oS those who are to bo accounted
as benefactors; the lights ol the world the lead
ers of reform. Every one when he comes to
know himself amid his relations to other beings,
will see that the greatest two commandments OF
Christ found in otornal righteousness, and
justly claim his prompt, entire obedience. ii
there be any man who does not discern the reason
ubleness of these commandments, and the obliga-
ton that rests upon himself to obey themif these
have not become self-evident to him. matters Of
consciousness to his moral sense-it must be be-
cause his intellectual and moral nature is undevel
oped. lie needs education, culture and the
greatest concern of society is to see to it, that It's
constituents shall become cult vated and en-


ghtened, that at least they shall not be ignorant
Of tie first principles Of right and lcrOng.


Those rulers are not such as God approves, not
such We should respect who aim merely to ex-
act from their subjects blind obedience TO their
authority, instead of encouraging and assisting
them to discern the things that right and con-
form to them because they are right. Much less
can we believe that those rulers were ordained of
God, who prescribe to their slb ecta fellow cti-
zens whatithey know to be not right and then 60
about to cdnpe! them to obey such enactments,
how itlmay violate Their conscences to do so,
or outragethe feelings. To compel any man &c
do wrong s to compel him to set his own mora
nature at naught, which is to d. himself the great
Get harm. 5-eF the subject the citizen consents
to this, he sins he sets God at defiance HI
Ichvoses to serve Baal, or Molocb, or Mammon in
stead.


Unless there be un authority higher than tina
of the Most High an authority capable of making
wrong right, there can be, as Jesus said, com
maudment greater than these,-"Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart" and S'Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thysef." Surely by
them enactments of man that contravene these
can have claim to our obedience


Nevertheless it has been assumed by many, and
since September lSj0.it has been stoutly maintain
ed 5v some, from whom we should have expected
better things that law Of tho land, although il
be contrary 20 the two great commandments o
Chri t. and though it require Of US most unrght
eous and cruel acts toward our neighhore, ough
to be obeyed because IL is 3aw, and because, II
we do not obey it, the authority of our rulers will


be stricken down,and our civil fabric al to pieces
Now, it seems to us that all this is predicted upon
a very false assumption as to the true nature and
province Of law, erroneous view Of the source
of governmental powers, and of the extent ol
each individuals obligations to the State King.
dom in which lac may happen to live


Mistakes on these points are objectionable in
the prominent men Of or country because the
truth on these points WAS seen so clearly and de-
clared so emphatically by the founders Of po-
ltical institutions. Those renowned men, who
eighty four years ago dared to renOunce their al
Iegiauce to the British Gown. and TO establish
new governments for their several States and for
the Confederacy, did in virtue of 'tie self-evt
dent truths that all men are endowed by their Gre
stor with certain unalienable rights, among which
are life, liberty, and the pursuit Of happiness
That t. secure these rights governments re insti
tuted among men, deriving their just @ers from
the consent of the governed" Men are not made
that they may be the suG;eo;s of oppressive
political compact oaaed Republic, any more
than they were made to be the creatures Of des
pot. Men were not made for governments, but
governments were made for mon.


In the light of the Declaration of Independence
} all may see and with most weighty sanction w
may confidently affirm that all attempts to maxi
a law which would violate the unalienable right
of man, must be morally sbOrtive and all attempts
to enforce such a statute may be denounced as op
pressve cruel. If an individual king should d
this he would be branded as a tyrant, and th
character OF the act would not be any better, be
cause done by q majority. 1t matters not hoV
largo the majority may he in it's favor, if the en-
aclment be designed and adapted to deprive one
man of his unalienable rights, it cannot become
Legitimate law men would be guilty before Coo


who should assist 80 enforce it, nay, if they woulC
not endeavor to prevent its being enforced. Al
unrighteous, cruel enactmen: can derive no law
fulness from the consent Of the governed. Thos'
whom il may be intended to favor had no right t.


give their consent to it, If they should, their con
f sent would be morally invalid, because men hav
no more authority 80 ALLEVIATE their own inalen
able rights than others have to take their right


away. A man could no more be justified in vol
unfairly surrOndering his liberty at the comman'
, Of tyrant, or tyrannical majority, than h
e would be justified in taking away his own life il
obedience to q mandate from the same quarter
The rights to life, liberty and happiness are tn
0 most sacred gifts Of our Creator. We ma
q not wsnsonly trample them under our own fee