i I

({toil (Bm^rnmtyt, n lining Instate.

O. RMON

DELIVERED BEFORE

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

OP THE

Maty fff tyrnurtrt:
OCTOBER 9, 1857,
BY REV. SILAS McKEEN,
OP BRADFORD, VERMONT.

PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

MONTPELIER:
K. P. WALTON, PRINTER.
1857.

dfidl (Sropwini, a giuimi Jnatitota.

SERMON

DELIVERED BEFORE

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

OF THE

OCTOBER 9, 1857,
BY REV. SILAS McKEEtt,
OF BRADFORD, VERMONT.

PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

MONTPELIBR:
K. P. WALTON, PRINTER.
1857.

Resolved', by the Senate and House of Representatives,
That the thanks of the General Assembly be tendered to the
Rev. Silas McKeen, for his Election Sermon, and that the
Secretary of State be directed to request a copy of said
Sermon for the press, and to cause one thousand copies of
said Sermon, when procured, to be printed for the use of
the General Assembly.
In House of Representatives, Oct. 10, 1857.
Read and adopted. L. G. HINCKLEY, AssH Clerk.
In Senate, Oct. 10, 1857.
Read and adopted in concurrence. R. C. BENTON, Jr., Asa't Sec'y.

SERMON.

Lkt every soul be subject unto the higher powers; for there is no power but
of God : the powers that be, are ordained of God.
Whosoever, therefore,£rcsisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God : and
they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not u. terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not
be afraia of the power ? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the
same. For he is the rninister^of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which
is evil, be afraid ; for he beareth not the sword in vain ; for he is the minister of
God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Wherefore, ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience
sake. — Rom. xiii, 1 — 5.
The holy Scriptures are entirely adapted to our
wants, and eminently worthy to be received as the
guide of our lives. They not only teach us our
duty to their divine Author, but also how we ought
to feel and conduct towards our fellow men, in every
condition and relation of life. Here legislators and
all other governmental officers, and all their constitu
ents or subjects, may learn by what principles they
must be actuated, what course they must pursue,
in order to secure the approbation of the supreme
Law-giver.

6

The passage before us contains more important
instruction respecting the origin and binding authority
of all just civil government, and the duty of its
subjects, than, probably, can any where else be found
within the same compass. And this instruction is so
radical in its nature, and universal in its application,
that it is as appropriate to one form of righteous gov
ernment as another. All such government is divinely
authorized, and should, as a divine institution, be hon
ored. On such an occasion as this, when the Legislature
of a sovereign State, about to enter on the perform
ance of the high duties to which they have been ap
pointed, and such a representation of the entire peo
ple, are assembled in this house of religious worship,
to bow down with reverence before the Most High
and implore His guidance and blessing in the admin
istration of government and the use of all good means
of promoting the public welfare, it seems to be emi
nently proper that we should reverently consider what
His word teaches respecting the origin, intention, due
limits, and just authority of Civil Government; to
gether with the duty of general obedience thereunto.
And this will be our theme during this fleeting hour.
There can be no doubt but the gospel was first re
ceived at Rome by converts from among the Jews
resident there. Probably it was introduced by some
of those from that city who were converted at Jeru-

salem under the preaching of Peter, and might have
received a new impulse from some of the disciples
who were scattered abroad by the martyrdom of Ste
phen. The first converts being Jews, the type of
their Christianity would be Jewish. Converts directly
from Paganism uniting with these Hebrew Christians,
and looking to them for instruction and example,
would naturally embrace their opinions and act in
harmony with them.
But, the only government which the Jews had been
accustomed to acknowledge as worthy to be obeyed
was a Theocracy. They received Jehovah as their
King, and yielded obedience to the judges and kings
of Israel on the ground that they were divinely au
thorized to govern, as . servants of the King in Sion.
They had long been looking forward to the advent
of the promised Messiah, and expected that He would
reign over them as a mighty earthly Potentate, and
raise their nation to the highest degree of power and
renown. These converts believed that the promised
Saviour had already come, they recognized him as- their
King, and were unwilling to own allegiance to any
other — especially to the idolatrous emperors of Eome,
who set themselves against the Lord and His Anoint
ed. They firmly believed that the heathen rulers, who
had no respect- for the authority and honor of the
King in Zion, had no right to exercise lordship over
His subjects. The great question with them was not,
as some have supposed, whether it was their duty to

submit to unjust and oppressive laws, but whether it
was right for them to recognize as just the authority
of such heathen rulers, at all. The opinion that they
did not owe allegiance to them seems to have prevail
ed, and was suited to exasperate the civil authorities
against them, and to bring down upon their defence
less heads an insupportable weight of vengeance. It
was to avert this gathering storm, and to induce them
to pursue a course which would be for their own peace
and prosperity in a heathen land and under the reign
of a cruel tyrant, for Nero was then on the throne,
that Paul, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
gave them the instruction which we are now to con
sider; — instruction as entirely appropriate to us as it
was to them.
"• Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers."
By every soul, every person capable of understand
ing and obeying this injunction is intended. The ex
pression is general, including both Jews and Gentiles,
whatever their standing in society or religious belief
might be.
By ': the higher powers" the ruling authorities, or
existing civil government, must be understood. Wheth
er the civil government be held and exercised by an
absolute or a limited monarchy, an oligarchy, a na
tional representative assembly, or a pure democracy,
is immaterial, as it regards the duty of submission.
The established government of a state or nation must be

\

acknowledged and honored as such. The government
of the Eoman empire was at that time imperial, anti-
Christian, and administered by one of the most op
pressive and cruel tyrants that ever disgraced a throne ;
but still it was the government of the country, and
as such must be respected.
Every soul is required to " be subject" to the high
er powers. The term used implies such subordination
as is felt and acknowledged by under officers and pri
vate soldiers in a well disciplined army. A general
principle is laid down, without here particularly de
fining its extent, or specifying any cases of exception
which might occur. There must be human govern
ments, and, as a general rule, it is the duty of those
living under them to be submissive and obedient to
them. Otherwise there could be no peace or securi
ty in society ; but anarchy, confusion and misery, must
universally prevail.
" For there is no power but of God.' He is the
original, the supreme source of all power in the uni
verse. From Him all our corporeal, intellectual and
governmental powers are derived. It is in virtue of
His original decree to that effect that man holds right
ful dominion over the irrational animals, to use them
for his benefit. Without His. approbation no parent
would have right to exercise authority over his own
children, or master over his servants, or civil ruler
over his constituents or subjects. He is Lord of the
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10

universe, and whatever just authority either men or
angels exercise is from Him, held in subjection to
His will and liable to be recalled at His pleasure.
The kings of the Gentiles, no less than those of the
Jews, .received all their proper power from the Lord
of all, and were to be regarded with reverence, be
cause He had set them in their high places and given
them dominion over their fellow men.
" The powers that be are ordained of God" Men
may adopt such forms of government as they judge
best adapted to their circumstances and suited to pro
mote " the common benefit, protection and security of
the people," but government itself originates in the
will of God, who has so constituted human beings,
and placed them in such circumstances that there can
be no general security, peace or happiness without.
He has not only authorized the existence of human
government, but has in His word declared the princi
ples on which it should be administered. In fact,
" the powers that be," all exist in accordance with
the wise and holy arrangements of His providence.
He, the sovereign Ruler, has ordained, that is, arrang
ed, and marshalled them all, as a chief commander
does his subordinates. He has so ordered events that
this man should be invested with authority here, and
another there ; that one should rule as a sovereign,
and others in legislative bodies with delegated power;
but all in subordination to Himself. He assigns them
their various stations, and orders all things concern
ing them as He pleases.

11

This does not imply that the Lord of all approves
of the measures by which the aspiring mortal secures
for himself a throne, or of his acts of injustice and
cruelty when seated thereon; bat only that He has
made governments necessary, and orders everything in
regard to the administration of them as He pleases ;
putting down one and raising up another, and over
ruling all the affairs of states and nations, as will
best subserve His ultimate designs.
It has justly been remarked that, at the time in
which Paul wrote this epistle, the Roman empire was
agitated with civil dissensions. Caligula had been put
to death in a violent manner ; Claudius by poison ;
Nero was a cruel tyrant ; it was the order of the
times for usurpers to reign ; and amidst these agita
tions and crimes and revolutions, the apostle wished
his fellow Christians to remain as quiet as possible,
believing that all these events had transpired in the
course of Divine Providence, and that even the worst
rulers were subject to Him, and would be made in
struments in the accomplishment of His sovereign
will. It would in his view be for the personal com
fort of believers, and for the honor and prosperity of
religion, that they should, even in such trying circum
stances, aim to be good and loyal subjects.
" Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth
the ordinance of God ; and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation" That is, those who rise

12

up against government itself, who refuse to obey
laws whose object and tendency are to promote the
welfare of the community by protecting those who do
well and restraining evil doers, and thus give coun
tenance to anarchy and confusion, do thereby pursue
a course which God forbids, and are guilty not only
of resisting the magistracy, but of resisting the reveal
ed will of , the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Such shall receive to themselves condemnation, or pun
ishment, as the original term often denotes. They
would make themselves liable to the penalty of the civil
laws which they violated, and must expect to be pun
ished by the officers whose business it was to exe
cute them. They would also incur the divine dis
pleasure, and must ultimately endure the consequen
ces. The Most High is a God of order, " who still-
eth the noise otf the seas, the noise of their waves and
the tumult of the people."
But, here the question arises, whether obedience to
magistrates is in all cases a duty. Did the apostle
enjoin obedience to all human laws, whatever their
requisitions might be, or was he speaking only of
such laws as were consistent with justice and the
proper ends of all legislation1? Let him be his own
interpreter. " For rulers are not a terror to good works, but
to the evil." Here the legitimate intention of civil gov
ernment, in whatever form administered, is stated. It

13

is to promote the public welfare, by protecting and
encouraging the subjects of it in well doing, and by
restraining evil doers. Human governments must co
incide with the divine government in the support of
truth, faithfulness, honesty, justice, mercy, peace, good
order, prosperity and happiness in the community, and
in the restraint and punishment of those who by their
vices and villainies would corrupt or injure others.
It is clearly of such laws, of laws falling in with the
proper scope of all just legislation, that the apostle
speaks. It is implied that the Roman laws, though
enacted by heathen rulers, were generally of this sort,
and worthy to be obeyed. Had it not been so, the
rulers would not have been a terror to evil doers, but
to those that did well.
" Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power ? Do
that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the
same." As if he should say, " Dost thou choose then
not to fear the government 1 Would you be free from
the restraint of the laws, even if you could ; since
their bearing is so decidedly in favor of general good
order, security and happiness ? The laws, if you do
well, will not injure, but reward you. If you would
not be afraid of the ruling power, do only that which
is good, and you shall have no cause to fear, but shalt
have praise of the same power. Most evidently the
apostle was speaking only of obedience to just author
ity properly exercised ; of authority in which the
righteous might rejoice, and which none but evil do
ers would have cause to dread.

14

" For he is the minister of God to thee for good."
The apostle all along maintains that God is the sov-
reign Ruler, and that earthly legislators and magis
trates of every grade are subject to Him, and sacred
ly bound to rule in accordance with the fundamental
laws of His kingdom, making it their great object to
promote the highest good of the community. They
have no authority, no right, to do any thing indepen
dently of Him — anything in conflict with perfect moral
rectitude; but as His servants are entrusted with pow
er to be used only in obedience to His will. Here
we see the due limits of human government; it may
go as far as the supreme lawgiver has authorized, but
no further. " He that ruleth over men must be just,
ruling in the fear of God." To all who do well, such
rulers will prove to be the ministers or servants of
God for good. If not in heart His servants, as surely
the wicked emperors and subordinate officers of the
Roman government were not, yet they are officially
His servants, and He will make use of them to ac
complish His wise and benevolent designs. While
rulers protect the good and punish only evil doers,
they, as rulers, are to be honored, whatever their pri
vate principles or characters may be.
" But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid ; for
he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the Minister
of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth
evil." As the ruler was authorized and required to
protect and encourage the good in well doing, so was

\

15

he bound to restrain and punish wicked transgressors ;
and with him there should be no respect of persons.
To those who professed Christianity, no less than to
others, the solemn warning is given, ' If thou do evil,
if thou art rebellious, injurious, or addicted to any
vice inconsistent with the peace of society, be afraid
of the magistrate, for the power of punishing is not
communicated to him by the Most High in vain ; he
is a servant of God, appointed to avenge an injured
community by punishing evil doers.'
The sword was an instrument of punishment as well
as a weapon of war, and princes were accustomed to
"wear it as an emblem of their authority to punish the
guilty. ' The apostle takes it for granted that the
ruler did not wear that badge of authority as an un
meaning show, but that he would really inflict on
transgressors the penalty of the violated laws. As the
sword was an instrument often used in taking life,
and as the apostle enjoins subjection to those who, as
revengers authorized by God execute justice upon
criminals, by that instrument, here is an incidental
proof of the propriety of capital punishments in cer
tain cases. While the Almighty proclaims, " Ven
geance is mine, I will repay," he may, and often does,
execute his just displeasure by means of subordinate
agents. When the magistrate in a legal manner inflicts
merited punishment on the transgressor, he is not to
be justified on the ground that one man has any nat
ural right to deprive another of life, liberty or com-

16

fort, nor yet on the assumption that princes or legis
lative assemblies have any right delegated to them by
the people to perform such acts, for how can the
people confer power which they do not themselves
possess 1 but his vindication rests solely on the ground
of Divine authority. The magistrate, as a minister of
God, as an avenger to execute wrath, has right to do
in this respect whatever he is Divinely commissioned
to perform. That capital execution in the case of
murder is right, seems entirely certain from that orig
inal mandate of the Lord of all, which has never been
revoked, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall
his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he
man." This precept, delivered to the father and rep
resentative of the whole human race then existing, or
who have ever lived since the deluge, is evidently of
universal application.
" Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for
wrath but for conscience sake." In view of the con
siderations above stated, the apostle concludes it h a
matter of high obligation to be subject to civil rulers,
who make it their object to preserve good order in
the community by protecting those who do well, and
punishing the workers of iniquity. He assigns two
reasons. The first is that by pursuing this submissive
and quiet course, they would not awaken the displeas
ure of the government, or expose themselves to the
penalty of the violated laws. So far as this could be
done consistently with truth, justice and their duty to

17
God, they ought to do it. It would have been un
wise, in the extreme, for them to bring needlessly up
on themselves, few and feeble as they were, the wrath
of their imperious rulers. It was for their peace, and
for the honor and prosperity of their religion, that
they should obey all just and reasonable laws, what-.
ever the character of the rulers might be. The same
consideration should have its proper influence with us
all. The other reason for submission was the voice of
conscience. As God had willed that civil governments
should in all nations be established, and on princi
ples of equity be administered for the public benefit,
as He in the course of His providence had given this
power to the existing magistrates, obedience was not
a duty to them merely, but unto Him by whom " kings
reign and princes degree justice." It was a thing
reasonable and right that civil government, thus sanc
tioned, should, to the full extent of its legitimate pow
ers, be obeyed and honored. In this divine sanction
a sacred obligation to obey must be seen and acknowl
edged. Obedience was not merely a civil but a reli
gious duty, binding on the conscience.
The Author of our being has established conscience
in the human bosom to restrain man from evil, and
to urge him to the performance of every known duty,
and its mandates cannot with impunity be disregarded.
In all domestic duties, all commercial transactions, all
3

18

our conduct as rulers or subjects, we must act consci
entiously, ever doing what we sincerely believe to be
right before God. Whoever pursues a contrary course,
and allows himself, from any consideration, to do what
his conscience condemns, does violence to his own
moral nature, and shows himself alike unworthy of
human confidence and of the divine approbation.
While the apostle thus strongly inculcated the duty
of submission to magistrates in all things which they,
as the servants of God, are authorized by him to re
quire, it is perfectly obvious that he did not teach
that unjust laws — that laws -which come into direct
antagonism with the laws of Jehovah,— are morally
binding. Though the doctrine of unconditional sub
mission has always been extremely grateful to tyrants
and their partisans, we see not by what just principles
of interpretation they can derive it from this passage.
" If laws be unreasonably formed or iniquitously exe
cuted, this should be endured as a cross laid on us,
till they who are legally authorized, apply a remedy
to the evil ; but if we be required by human authori-,
ty to sin against God, we must steadfastly refuse obe
dience, and cheerfully and meekly endure the conse
quence ; well satisfied with the blessing pronounced
on those who suffer for righteousness sake." " Rul
ers are the servants of God for good to the people,
and are supported by God only in the just execution
of their office. The apostle did not mean that his
fellow Christians were to be subject to the sinful laws

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19

of the countries where they lived ; otherwise He made
it necessary to the Roman brethren to join in the
worship of idols, contrary to the superior obligations
they were under of obeying God rather than man."
"The requirements of magistrates may be opposed to
the law of God, and then we are to obey God rather
than man. If they abuse their power, they do it at
their peril ; and when so abused, the obligation to obey
then ceases." " Nothing can be plainer than that the sub
jection urged cannot be extended to cases where the
commission of moral evil is demanded. But with the
exception of this, the principles here enjoined are al
together of such a nature as our holy religion de
mands."* These are the views of expositors eminent
for their biblical learning, and evangelical sentiments,
who wrote, not under the spur of some political ex
citement, but dispassionately, as impartial inquirers af
ter abiding truth, and whose opinions the Christian
world is accustomed to regard with respect and confi
dence. That this view of the apostle's meaning is correct,
is evident from the approved conduct of the servants
of God when placed in circumstances of appropriate
trial. I refer especially to examples found in the holy
scriptures. By these we are taught that the decrees
of earthly monarchs and the enactments of civil gov
ernments are to be obeyed so far, and only so far, as
they do not contravene the immutable principles of
*Scott, Macknight, Barnes, Stuart.

20

moral rectitude. It may indeed in certain circumstan
ces be right for the subject to submit, meekly, to the
sufferance of unjust penalties, to be led even to exe
cution as a lamb to the slaughter, but to do what God
forbids, can never be right.
The great lawgiver of Israel, while a distinguished
subject of the king of Egypt, felt constrained by a
sense of duty to pursue a course with reference to the
deliverance of his suffering people which he knew to
be highly offensive to that monarch. The prophet
Jeremiah, when moved by the Divine impulse to fore
tell the success of the invaders of his country and
the calamities which would follow, held fast his integ
rity in despite of the wrath of his king, and the cru
el treatment of the princes who cast him into a deep,
miry pit, intending that he should be silenced and
perish there. He was evidently disposed to please his
king as far as he could, consistently with fidelity to
his God, but no condition could induce him to tar
nish the honor of a true prophet. Shadrach and his
two worthy associates had so faithfully servedthe con
queror of their nation that he had elevated them to high
stations of authority and honor ; but still, when he pro
claimed his unrighteous decree that all his subjects
must fall down and worship the great image which he
had set up, they utterly refused. In view of the burn
ing, fiery furnace, in the very presence of their incens
ed sovereign assuring them that if they did not yield
they should be cast into that furnace heated seven

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21

times hotter than usual, They refused; and their
God manifested his high approbation of their con
duct by delivering them out of that furnace, entire
ly unharmed. When Belshazzar issued his tyran
nical edict that whoever should present any petition
to any god or man save to himself, during the space
of thirty days, should be cast into the den of lions,
the prophet Daniel, then next to the king himself in
the government of the empire, made his prayer to his
God three times a day, and that openly as he had
done aforetime. He believed the law of his earthly
sovereign to be directly contrary to the higher law of
his God, and therefore he would not obey it whatev
er might be the consequences. They cast him into the
den of lions, but God did not suffer them to harm
• *
him in the least. The course pursued by these faith
ful men signally glorified their God, and contributed
to promote the cause of truth and righteousness in the
earth. When the Jewish ruler* and elders and scribes and
Annas the high priest arraigned the apostles Peter
and John before them, and strictly forbade them with
threats, to speak or teach any more in the name of
Jesus, they firmly replied, " Whether it be right in the
sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto
God, judge ye." The rulers, having further threaten
ed them, let them go ; when they proceeded to preach
the doctrines of the cross with unabated zeal and
boldness. Did they act injudiciously? The other

22

apostles did not so judge ; but on being informed of
their decision and firmness, glorified God for the grace
which He had given them. When they were again
called before the same tribunal and interrogated thus,
" Did not we straitly command you that ye should not
teach in this name!" Peter and the other apostles
answered and said, " We ought to obey God rather
than men." On this principle the apostle, and those
who through their instrumentality were converted, in
variably acted ; never yielding to any human power
which required of them a violation of the immutable
principles of truth and righteousness. This inflexible
adherence to moral rectitude subjected them to much
hatred, to severe sufferings, and in multitudes of in
stances, to death itself. But they dared not pursue
any other course. Our Lord, when sending forth His
disciples, plainly told them that they would be hated
of all men for His name's sake ; and charged them,
"Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able
to kill the soul ; but rather fear Him who is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell." Far, indeed,
was this from enforcing obedience to the unjust de
mands of human governments.
The course pursued by the apostles and other men
of old, " who lived and walked with God," has been
honored and followed by men of a similar spirit in all
subsequent ages. This was the course pursued by
our own venerated ancestors, when subjected to mon-
archial and ecclesiastical oppression. When, in the

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23

reign of bloody Mary, the ministry were all required
to practice the mummeries of Romanism and do hom
age to the authority of the pope, such men as John
Rogers' preferred to be burned at the stake. When
by the unjust act of James the first, ministers were
required to read what has been called the " Book of
Sports," on the Sabbath, giving the people a royal li
cense to go forth from their several places of worship
to engage in various amusements, they, in numerous
instances, either refused to read the decree of the
king, or having read it, read also the fourth com
mandment, and called on the people to decide for
themselves which was the higher law. When, by the
acf of Uniformity in the reign of Charles the Second,
the Protestant clergy were all required to conform to
the usages of the Episcopal Church, to take an oath
of strict obedience to their ecclesiastical superiors, and
solemnly abjure the right of taking up arms against
the king, or any one commissioned by him, on any
pretence whatever, did they yield obedience 1 No.
More than two thousand of the most learned and ex
cellent ministers in the kingdom chose rather to be
driven from their pulpits and to be deprived of their
means of living than to submit to such an unjust en
croachment on their rights, both civil and religious.
When Dissenters generally were strictly required to
attend the services of the established church, and pro
hibited from assembling in any other places of wor
ship under penalties of imprisonment, banishment and
even death in cases of persevering disobedience, mul-

24

titudes judged the law to be without moral obligation,
and chose rather to incur its penalties than to give
countenance to such tyrranny. It was in this way
that a spirit of proper independence was preserved
alive, and the rights of the people finally secured.
Whatever liberty, either civil or religious, we in this
country enjoy, is to be traced to this venerable source.
Our Pilgrim fathers and mothers chose rather to en
dure banishment, to encounter all the perils of the
ocean at an inclement season, and hardships of the
wilderness in a foreign land, than to leave their pos
terity to be trodden in the dust by the iron heel of
such intolerable oppression. They -a?e worthy to be
had in everlasting honor on this account. Men. of
the same views in regard to the due rights both of
the people and their rulers, were our revolutionary
fathers ; and, when necessity demanded, freely poured
out their treasure^ and their blood to establish a strong
government where these principles should be acknowl
edged and perpetuated. When we abjure, or tamely
give up, these noble sentiments of our ancestors, we
sb&eid prove ourselves to be unworthy of the exalted
privileges which we have inherited as the fruit of
their sacrifices and sufferings and Christian heroism.
It is a humiliating consideration that, when a few
years ago, the highest legislative body in this nation
passed a law against which the moral feelings of mil
lions of our most conscientious citizens rebelled, the
novel doctrine was broached and maintained by sever-

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25

al distinguished ministers of the gospel, that, while
we are not obliged to obey such human laws as inter
fere with our conscientious worship of God and the
various duties which we owe immediately to Him,
yet we are bound to obey all such laws as pertain to
our social relations, or have respect to our treatment
of our fellow men. Such laws, they argued, must be
regarded as divinely sanctioned, in virtue of the au
thority given from above, to rulers to legislate at discre
tion for the general benefit of the state or nation.
But this is plainly a groundless distinction, apparently
attempted to answer a turn. The fact is, God as clear
ly declares our duty towards our fellow men as to
Himself, and His law in the one case no less than in
the other, is fundamental, irrevocable, and decidedly-
paramount to all human legislation which may con
flict with it. Laws regulating the various secular af
fairs of the commonwealth are binding, provided they
do not interfere with humanity and justice — much
here must always be left to the discretion of legislators
— but no law which requires ore man to do towards
another what the great principles and precepts of di
vine revelation forbids, is or can be morally obligatory.
Let us look at some appropriate instances: Pha
raoh commanded the Egyptian midwives to put to
death every male child of the Hebrews as soon as
he was born. But they dared not do it. Conscience
told them it would be wrong — extremely cruel. And
God not only approved of, but rewarded their disobe-
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26

dience. That despot ordered his minions to treat the
Israelites with merciless severity while toiling in his
service. Did that make it right ? No : God crushed
both them and him, to work deliverance for his op
pressed people. When Herod, surnamed the Great,
had by stratagem collected the chief men of his king
dom and shut them up in prison, with strict orders
to his sister and her husband to put them all to
death as soon as he himself should expire, so that the
people, instead of rejoicing, might be obliged to mourn
at his death ; were his appointed executioners morally-
bound to obey his cruel mandate, even though he had
extorted from them an oath that they would? No.
They did right to hearken to the voice of conscience,
to obey the demands of humanity and justice, rather
than those of that execrable tyrant. When another
Herod, filled with jealousy and rage, commanded his
executioners to go forth and slay all the children of
Bethlehem and the coasts thereof, from two years old
and under, were they, by that abominable decree, di
vinely authorized to imbrue their hands in the blood
of those poor innocents X When the infamous Charles
the ninth of France, under sanction of pope Gregory
the thirteenth, ordered his blood-thirsty officials to
commemorate the twenty-fourth of August, 1572, with
the butchery of all the Huguenots in Paris while slum
bering in their beds, and thence, by the aid of his
Catholic subjects, extend the bloody work vigorously
through the whole kingdom, were those sons of Belial
thereby justified in shedding the blood of thirty thou-

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27

sand innocent victims during those thirty days of hor
rible carnage? Let reason, let conscience decide.
If all laws touching our social relations or conduct
towards our fellow men are always binding, then,
whenever an ambitious monarch, or the government
of a nation, perhaps under the influence of alcohol,
declares unjustifiable war against another people, and
calls for men and means for carrying it on, all the
subjects of that government must feel authorized to
join in the work of destruction. All the subjects of
the government against which such war has been wag
ed, will, of course, when duty commanded, esteem it
their duty to repel force by force. Both parties must
consider themselves engaged in righteous warfare, Di
vinely warranted to shoot, stab and kill their antago
nists ; and thus, in their minds, truth and falsehood,
right and wrong, are utterly confounded. If this doc
trine be true, then, in countries where slave-holding
and trading in the bodies and souls of men are le
galized, you may innocently join in the practice; and
if you should by chance fall into the hands of barba
rians, and according to their laws be reduced to cruel
bondage, you will have no right to complain of hard
treatment; but must quietly submit to the higher
powers. Then, if your lot should be cast among the
Mormons, you may feel justified in practising polyga
my with all its enormities. On the same ground, sell
ing intoxicating liquors for the purpose of inebriation,
gambling, -and prostitution, must all be acknowledged

28

as moral occupations when licensed by the magis
trates ; a»d in some countries they all are. Not only
so, but all servants, whether male or female, must
yield absolute obedience to their masters, whatever
acts of unreasonable hardship, of dishonesty or shame
ful compliance, may be required ; for the command is,
" Servants, obey in all' things your masters according
to the flesh." Every child must absolutely obey his
parent, however wicked, even if ordered to steal,
or set a neighbor's buildings on fire ; for the precept
is, " Children, obey your parents in all things." Arid
every wife must in every instance obey her husband,
even if intoxicated, beside himself with anger, or an
enemy of religion and all righteousness ; for the sa
cred injunction is, " Let the wives be subject to their
own husbands in every thing." The precepts requir
ing obedience in these cases are more unqualified than
those which enjoin obedience to magistrates. But
where is the man who can believe that either master
or parent or husband is Divinely invested with any
such despotic power? The fact is, that in all these
cases it is clearly implied that the things required
shall not be inconsistent with the will of God, as de
clared in the decalogue and fundamental principles of
the gospel.
The idea that human rulers have power to abro
gate or modify the laws of God at their pleasure, so
far as regards the duty of their subjects towards their
fellow men, is a monstrous absurdity. The laws of

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the Most High are in all countries the same, and in
variably binding, however the laws of the several na
tions may disagree. The inhabitants of the earth, how
ever diverse may be their languages, customs and laws,
are all subject to the same Divine government
It has been urged that laws, which are authorized
by the constitution of any country, must, at all events,
be obeyed by those who have sworn to support such
constitution. Such cases constitute no exception to
the general principle. The fundamental law of a coun
try may be defective, or involve some erroneous prin
ciple. The constitution of one of these States declares
that Slavery never shall or can be abolished in it !
Laws may be authorized by the constitution of a
country, and yet be utterly inconsistent with moral
rectitude. No man, who fears God, ever swears to
support the constitution of his State or Nation, any
further than he at that time believes the same to be
consistent with the constitution, so to speak, of the
iuvine government. And his continued purpose must
be to adhere to it, so far as he shall believe it to be
Divinely authorized ; that is, morally right, and no
further. But must we not obey, even unjust laws while they
exist? We may, and sometimes should, submit to
hard and oppressive laws, until a repeal can be ob
tained, for the sake of peace ; but must never yield
obedience ; no, not for a moment, to any law which

30

requires acts which on general principles must be al
lowed to be wrong, and inconsistent with the revealed
will of God. It may not ordinarily be expedient or
right, even in such cases, to make violent resistance,
but like, the primitive Christians, we must wholly re
fuse to do what is wrong, and patiently endure the
consequences, rather than involve ourselves in guilt
But who, it may be asked, is to be the judge of
what is right? God is the supreme Judge, and eve
ry man must decide for himself, what God requires of
him in any and all circumstances. He must either
do this, or disregard his own convictions of duty, and
do what he believes to be wrong and criminal, when
ever human authority so requires. Which would you
have him do? Those who maintain the duty of obe
dience to all laws regarding our social relations, will
consent that we may act conscientiously, provided our
consciences coincide with their views of duty. Bel-
shazzar, Herod, Nero,, or the Pope, would not object
to their subjects acting conscientiously, provided they
would feel in conscience bound to obey all their man
dates. But conscience was never designed to be
such a humble servant — such a mere tool in the
hands of those who would exercise lordship over it.
Conscience should be duty enlightened, but must be
left to act freely. The consciences of Daniel and his
three friends, of Paul and the other apostles, of the
primitive Christians, of Luther, Baxter, and such
like men, judged that it would be wrong for them to

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obey certain laws which their rulers had imposed on
them ; that they could not do it without offending
against God ; and therefore they nobly refused, and
manfully endured the consequences ! The same course
should be pursued by all men in like circumstances.
Will it be said that to allow7 subjects to act thus
conscientiously will be dangerous ? Tyrants have al
ways so thought. There may be some truth in it.
Fire is dangerous, water is dangerous, air is danger
ous ; that invisible and all-pervading agent, electricity,
is very dangerous ; human power is dangerous, — for all
arc liable, on certain occasions, to break over their or
dinary bounds and to produce consequences the most
disastrous ; but to be deprived of them would at once
deprive us of life with all its enjoyments. If some
dangers are involved in allowing to individuals the
right of private judgment, and the privilege of acting
conscientiously, a thousand fold greater dangers are
involved in their acting without conscience, without
regard to truth and right and the revealed will of
God. And to believe that all human laws regarding
our treatment of our fellow men must of course be
obeyed, even when they conflict with the Divine law,
rlirectly tends to the destruction of all independence
of mind, of all civil and religious liberty, and to in
volve the credulous mortal in deep criminality.
In cases of fanaticism, in all cases where the gen
eral belief is that individuals, in the exercise of what

32

they claim to be their personal rights, are in fact
warring against established principles of truth and
justice, and interfering with the rights of others, they
must and will be restrained ; though it should always
be in the use of the gentlest means compatible with
the end to be secured. As a general thing, there is
no danger that any community will be injured through
too much conscientiousness and inflexible regard to
truth and moral rectitude among the people. Would
to God there were a thousand times more of this
sterling integrity seen, both in the walks of private
life and halls of legislation. When the people shall
universally acknowledge the binding obligation of all
just and good laws, and of such laws only, legislators
will more carefully endeavor to conform all their en
actments to the Divine standard, and the effect of such
righteousness must be quietness and assurance, forever.
The only just power of human laws consists in
their conformity to the laws of God. Legislators
have no more power to abrogate His moral law, or to
infringe on its requisitions with impunity, than they
have to annul or break with impunity, the natural
laws of the same Almighty Being. Should the high
est legislative body in this or any other Nation pass
laws that all storms should cease, that there should
be no more lightning and thunder, that every day
during harvest should be clear and warm, that the
temperature in all climates should henceforth be mild
and pleasant, that the earth should bring forth its

33

increase without cultivation, that sickness and death
shall no longer continue their ravages, it would not
be at all more absurd and futile than to attempt to
legislate falsehood into truth, wrong into right, or the
reverse. Independently of all human legislation, the
great principles of God's government are the same
through all generations and in all countries. When
civil rulers conform their laws to His, then, and then
only, does He sanction them, and require the subjects
of such governments to yield unreserved obedience.
I am happy to believe that His Excellency the
Governor, and you. Honorable Gentlemen of the Sen
ate and House of Representatives, through whose fa
vor I have been permitted to speak thus freely on a
theme ever dear to the friends of human liberty, con
cur in the sentiments which have been advanced. If
the spirit of genuine independence, of rational liberty,
of opposition to every species of despotism, and of
due regard to the rights of both rulers and the peo
ple, reigns in any community, I believe it does among
the people whom you have ihe honor to represent.
We honor you, Gentlemen, as clothed not merely
with civil, but with Divine authority, to legislate and
act for the highest good of this commonwealth; to
guard the lives and liberties, the property, peace, and
all the sacred rights of this people. On your wise
legislation and firm support of government, the phys
ical improvement of our beautiful State, the advance
ment of its people in useful knowledge, their protec-
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34

tion against the scathing and desolating ravages of
intemperance ; in short, their good morals, private
and public peace, their general prosperity and happi
ness, vitally depend. In the due exercise of your au
thority, you will protect and encourage all who do
well, and be a terror to none but evil doers. Obedi
ence to all your equitable enactments, and to all ex
isting laws of like character, will be our imperious
duty and high privilege. To such laws, all right-mind
ed citizens will be subject, " not only for wrath, but
also for conscience sake." '• The Lord is high above
all nations — His glory above the heavens," and to all
just civil enactments His sanction gives a tremendous
power. May all your deliberations and acts of gov
ernment be so marked with wisdom and justice, as
to secure His approbation ; and under your conduct
of public affairs, the proverb be signally verified, that
" when the righteous are in authority the people re
joice." Especially, may you, and all subject to your
legislation, yield such obedience to the One Lawgiv
er that, through the atoning sacrifice and mediation
of His Son, Jesus Christ, you and we all, when the
scenes of earth Avith us shall be past, may be receiv
ed, as good and loyal subjects, into his celestial and
everlasting kingdom. Amen.

v=.-ion r UHMAHY

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