Page:Speechofrevsamue00mays.djvu/10

 that these great commandments are founded in eternal righteousness. If there be any man, who does not discern the propriety of these commandments—if he does not recognize the obligations, which they would enforce—if these have not become self-evident to him, matters of consciousness to his moral sense—it must be because his intellectual and moral nature is undeveloped. He needs education, culture. And the greatest concern of society should be, to see that its constituents are so enlightened and cultivated, that they shall be at least not ignorant of the first principles of right and wrong.

Those rulers are not such as God approves, and we should respect, who aim merely to exact from their subjects a blind obedience to their own authority; instead of encouraging and assisting them to discern the things that are right, and to do them because they are right. Much less are those rulers ordained of God, who prescribe what they know to be not right, but only, as they think profitable or expedient for the time being, or accordant with an iniquitoua compact,—and then set about to compel their subjects to obey such laws, however they may violate their consciences, and outrage their feelings. To compel any man to do wrong, is to compel him to set his own moral nature at naught, which is to do himself the greatest harm. If the subject consents to this, he sins—nay—he sets God at defiance; and chooses to serve Baal, or Moloch, or Mammon instead.

Unless then, there be an authority higher than that of God, the Creator of man,—an authority, too, capable of making wrong right,—there can be, as Jesus said, no commandments greater than these, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;" and "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Surely no commandments less than these,—most certainly none that contravene these, can have a just claim to our obedience.

Nevertheless it has been assumed by many, and since September, 1850, has been stoutly maintained by some from whom we should have expected better things, that a law of the land, although it be contrary to these two great commandments, although it require of us most unrighteous and cruel acts towards our neighbors, and although Congress may be very censurable for enacting it, ought to be obeyed, became it is a law; and because, if we do not obey it, the authority of our rulers will be stricken down, and our civil fabric fall to pieces. It seems to me that all this is predicated upon a very