Page:The History of Liberty.djvu/33

 have their social and relative positions in the world distinctly marked and fixed, and all the power and art of heaven earth and hell cannot alter it. In his distribution and relative positions of the three sons of Noah and their posterity, Japheth was ultimately to have the pre-eminency over his brethren—. God would enlarge his Territory, even the occupancy of Shem’s territory, while the posterity of Ham should be his servant. And is there a prophecy in the entire word of God more truely and literally fulfilled, or receiving its fulfilment than this one? All know that Japheth and his posterity settled Europe; and has not and is not God fulfilling his promise to hint in enlarging his territory in all parts of the earth? is not Japheth every where supplanting both Shem and Ham? and is he not every way and in all things superior to his brethren? And what think you will be the final result of all this in the distant future, a hundred generations hence? can we come to any other conclusion than this, that the posterity of Japheth continuing to increase, advance, and occupy will in the end cover the earth—the ocean and the isles of the sea, and the posterity of both Shem and Ham be lost, being merged and swallowed up in the overwhelming and absorbing tide of their supplanting brother? This is the decree of him who rules in heaven and over the nations of the earth. We may stumble at it—and fight against it—, and assail the justice and propriety of these things as they are hastening to their consummation; but in vain; men and nations cannot prevent the destinies that God has decreed to them; and as we stated before such events as we have alluded to and anticipated are not to be tried by the ordinary maxims of the world’s wisdom, nor adjucated by the ordinary principles of the world’s justice. These things are under the immediate direction of God and by his principles of Divine procee [sic]dure they must be tried. The laws of nations would not justify, the forcible seizure of the land of Canaan by the Israelites, but God justified and commanded it.

The laws of nations may do for nations, to control and regulate their national intercourse with each other, but they must not presume to direct and control the will and purposes of him who rules over the nations of men and disposes of them in his own way; whose ways are not our ways, nor the ways of nations.

The great mistake of modern philanthropy, is, in overlooking, these facts, and in attempting to elevate all the nations of the earth to the same social, political, intellectual and moral level of equality. Now nothing is more impracticable and therefore nothing more absurd! It is the pleasing day