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Show 154 George B. Cheever. tions. And a most. rcrnarlwblc thing it is, that ju~t when th~ doetrines of th inYiol:dJility an(l ~~wn·dncss of' ~l:n'<' pro1wrty had rcacltetl their ·ulmin:tling point of au<la<·ity arHl infi11ny; when it was becoming a political trui ::-~ m that th ·rc <'otdd be no right of interventiou against the wrong of' human Slnn:ry wberc it alrcatly exi~ts, but Only the right of Clldt>aYol'illg tO prevent its exten ·ion; wit •n some politieians even, in the only party in tire coun try imagined to posses~ :my remn:111L of eonscience or of priu<'iplc, w 're setting up a dcfen<·c of' the ri,hf" n "' of the South to UJHli ·turh('d poss •s::-~ion or their millions of' slavc·s, as ave-ted interet and right not to b meddled with; that just at this junct ur<', Go\1 should hav' ·hot ,John Brown ot1t of the cannon or hi ' proYi<l 'I1Ce right into tho bO.'Oill oJ' that ve. ted intcre ~ t; shot him ::v a bomb against it, scatt •ring all the thcorie. of politicians to the winds, and se tting nll m ·11 to :t J1 W di::>CUS ' ion, not Jn('L' •Jy of lit ' right or the :-il:l\'t'H lJ1 m~ ehTCS tO aSSCl't (Jtpjl' 0\VJl (j· •edom, but 0C the right :\1111 dttly ol' all m 'n to lH•Ip tll<'m to it, i11 :1ny nn<l every ju:-;t way that God pul~ in their poWI'I'. There i:-; 110 :-;topping- this di:-;cu:-;sion, when it plca:-;es God that it shouhl eome. And if' the fountains ol' the great deep of' JtttHl:lll rights :ll'C Ol'Ok('l\ up here, as in the Frcn<:h revolution, il " ·ere a:-; , ·ain to ~f><'<lk to the whirlwind, <18 cxpt•ct to re: train or con:~. mand the hlowinrr f . . 0 o . uch a hmTte:wc. 'Vhnt God has <lono is but a wnrnin(Y, of what. lte will do. The apparition oC ,John Brown before the terrified t•ourt and magieians or Ollr Amerit'tlll Egypt, is out as that of l\Iose3, throwing down l1is rO<l to b 'COllie a scrprnt, in com pari ~on with tl1 deadly plagu e~ tltnt arc to loiiow. It look:::, indeed, a. if God lwtl b<'gun his work of' jnclgmcnt. L01~g ha" he be ·n calling in m rcy. Y e:u-s or grae<', mighty l'CVIV:ll Of religion, trials o{' his chur h and peoph•, by b l e~Sjn?, in fin it , by be~ towing upon his dtnrdt :md tnini ~ t ry :·nrch ~mght of number;:;, aml such omnipoteneo of' :-;piritu:tl power, lf they hau but been r:tithf'ul to him, that, unitv<l ~lg:lillsl thi~ wickedness, they could have ::;wept it fi.·om the laml, al mo~L as George B. Chce ver. 155 easily as tltc c1 •ad frop;~ of' Egypt eoulu have brcn !'hon.!llc·d into the Nilr, when God had don • with that plngu<·. 'Vc have waite<], and. wateheu, and longed for ~ome l'ruil of' the revival of God':-i work, som · application of this spiritu:d JHH\'(•r in effort· for the deli\· •ranc of' the cnslave<1. 'Ve ~we it in sontc uircction~ only in a more dc:u.lly,sullcn, ominou · indifTc rene<· an<l silence, alonO' with the re\'ival of the lor ·ign slav<~ trade; th(')'e is 110t only no purpof;c, even after sueh a unptism of' g r:tce ntHl mercy to our~elvrs, to excr ·i:-;e mercy to ot1H• r:-;, or ln btll' for tl 1e udivcrance of the oppr 'S. C<l, but there is, in many qua r lt'l'~, a deeper, dendli ' r, more terrible opprc•ssion. The churtli('S ~tnd the ministry r •fuse to s1wak out in behalf of' tlw <' n:-;l:wc<l, but till v ry g ·nerally demnnd silenee, and denormcc the :1gitation of' th e . uhj 'Ct. The Free State ' pass new bla<'k lnws :tgain:-'t the colored raee, and the Sian~ Stat<'~ pa. s d<':tdli<'r slave laws, and thrust the free eolorcd population into S!;,n·ry with their chiltlr 'n for •ver. Be you sur ' God is now at lf'ngt h c01nin~ out of hi: place, to punish th' inhal Jitants ol' the lan\l for uch ini<tuity. And he will call f(H· !tis ministn:-; ol' v<•ngcan ·e to devour them. But he nerd not call, h<' JH'<'(l nut sl'ml abroad, he nc a liOt rai.'C up the A. ::-;yri:HIS, th ·y arc here. The yolcanocs of wrath are here the :h•eping earthquakes are here, the ground tremble:=; in cv ry direetion, tlr' wells arc drying up, mute nature almo ·t give~ :ign, of' wt:ath, th:lt UO<l L ju. t ready to remove his r estraints, and l c·t loose. the ele-mcn t of death. The government that maintain nth wi~·kc~lnes, is pirnt-ica1. If one m~n shoul<.l tlo it, it bccom ·s the di1ty of govcmment to put ltim to death. If a nation should do it, it would become the duty of every man to rise up against . udt a n:1tion; if thi were done, the iniquity it e!C would be annihila(ecl. lly the law of Go<l Virgiuia is a corporate pirate. H er Ycry laws arc outlaweu. She i occupied with m n-stC'a1ing, earricu on, day by day, ince santly, and her law· for the r-;anet ion ancl protection of this wickcdne s make it doubly vi \c. f I cr very government, uy such laws, converts h r cit izcns into |
