Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Law-Abiding Conscience, and the Higher Law Conscience; With Remarks on the Fugitive Slave Question: A Sermon, Preached in the South Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, Dec, 12, 1850
It is manifestly a Scripture doctrine. This you see in one portion of our text. The higher powers spoken of by Paul, were the civil authorities of the Roman empire. He deelares civil goverment to he '0f-divine appointment, for the proper regulation of human conduct, for the protection of societv by the punishmentof crime. He exhorts Christians to be subject to the higher powers, not only on account of the penalty, but also as a matter of duty. It was not his purpose to assert the Divine right of Kings, but of civil government, as such, and the duty of the subject. There was special pertinence as well as wisdom in this instruction. The higher powers referred to were Heathen powers; at'd there was no little danger that the disciples of Christ, mistaking the proper sphere of their Christian liberty, might come in conflict with them - mig'ht take up'the idea that, being Chris tians, they owed no allegiance to a. Flea/hen magistracy. Paul, as a judicious counselor and faithful apostle, endeavors to guard them against so fatal a mistake. Peter took the same course. Submit yourselves to every ordiname of man for the. Lord's sake whether it be to the King, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well. The. Doctrine of sedition, treason, rebellion, and tumultuous resistance, in civil society, is not ineuh-ated in the teaching or the example of the apostles, or in those of Christ himself. This isa perfectly clear point. Hence, we say, the Scriptures give their sanction to the great principle affirmed by the Za'zn-abidmg conscience. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
