OCR Text |
Show George B. Cheever. and in the incompatibility of It is Gospel with that form of rruclty and • in, for oppo~ing the law ttn<l gov 'rnmcnt of which m 'eking the d~livemncc o.f it:=; victim.s, he was ltangcd upo~ the gallows. It IS matter of devout thankfulne s, that out of the malice of his cncmic , out of the rage and ~ucccs. ful cruelty of the slave power, out of the roar and fury of the clement., where occurs the fir:=:t gn'at public viol 'nt col lision between conseienec and law in the qu ~tion of the right of Slavery to exist, the grand cmphat ie development and cx11ibition filling nll mind::; with astoni!-ihmcnt, is that of the most cxnlted pcr:-;onal ' '.irtuc, pi ·t~, heroi m, again t which the . lave po\\'cr feel.' that 1t has no n ght but that of murd •r , no ~ ccurity but that of hanging. The • torm ltas b 'C'n raging and two cas l1ave nwt, and on t.hc h ·ight of thi:-:; great first w~we we ·ee • as. by the mi<lnight lightning of Go<l, the form of' (Tolm Browx~ ra1 ·ed . b •t ween lt<~a v 'n and en rth,- a moment f:l"e n, then gone for 'vel'. But the image shall r 'main,- the ~ i ght of thaL. gallow' and the form or the Christian Yictim upou it,de · tmc~I,_ we may hope in Gocl, to awaken a deeper, J1olim· mot:c mtcnsc and comprehcn.-ive indignation and hatret{ ngam~t lav '. . ry,. t.h an the detail of ~· wy of it · 1, , pu1u.1 1· e nnt1 Illu l::itnou · atro c1ll'.~S ha. ever produced. Now, again, we afnrm the obligation of gratitude to God for •J olm Browu'~ Chri tian ch·• u·'· 1ct ' r • It 1'· . j·l lS· t Cat1:4e ('O l' pra1se that Go<l lm. . o ancLifi eJ the battle again. t lavery. that. lie would not leave the br rlory nor the ' l1 fiiC l'·l ll g 0 {' t 11 1·:3' ternble proto. t to be monopoli7.ed by any mere soldier of this world, or any unbeliever in Him· bnt t1 "t II .1 C . . . ' 1.. c prcparcu a hn:=;tJa.n warriOr to strike thi::i fearful blO\V n d tl I • • , CLil 1cn, w 1cn It had been tmck, continued with him "" m1'<l ·t 1't s conse-dq uence· s ; s.h ielding him with IIi truth '.1 11<1 1u, u c1 ~ 1e r, no t c:e~tJ~lg lu~ a~ if h~~ had plunged into some forbidd cu sin, but hlhng l.ns mmd With the peace of God whieh p:u~se lh all un<l<'r:4tan<1m~ ; - showing forth to all men the fact that 1te had uecn Wllh Jesus, r evealinbrr as tl 1roug I1 a tran parency George B. Cheever. the hiduen life of faith that was imr)('11ing l1im, breaking open befon ·hand the cals of the inYi:-: ible •ngr:l\·ing of Go<l' Spirit on his soul, and making his oar· heart a li,·ing pistk known and read of all men; publi:-:hing J'rom that heart letter al't<·r lett r of uch apo ·tolic simplieiLy, gravity, Rouml . p •eeh that cannot be eonuemnc<l-no incongruou ::; utt('J'anc:e int t'rminglc< l; continuing him long cnongh jn li~ ' him ·ell' to examine his own con<luct in the view of death, and to reit r rnt c hi:4 calm afnrmation of the rirrhtcousues of the deed lor whi<'h he 0 'ra.s to ufier as a. criminal; ahjuring and d 'nying all pur-po' c, all motive, aU idea of pcr::;onal r evenge ; declaring t ktL he de, ired and intende<l imply the rc ~cue of t'lavcs, without injury to any one; that he ncv ' 1' <lid iutend murdrr, or tr<'ason, or the destruction of prop rty, or to exc·ite or in<'ile !aYe. to r ebellion, or to waken in. utT ction; :nowing, nl :-:~o, the right anu duty of all men to assist th ' en. laved to rc·gain their liberty; declaring his holy and re ·olulc deflanee of' the sbYc power and wiekcune s, and hi ::; rejection, on the Yer~c of eternity, of any mini:;try that would sanction ~u ch wickedness a maintaining a religion incompatible with the law of God anc1 the Gospel of Ul11·i ·t. The pcrfectne · and glory of this protest - its eomrl<·tr-n cs, , its sublimity, its sol mnity and firmn c:-\., even to the end, su rpa . all po " il>ility of mere human contrivance, and nre at once the work of a Divine Providence, nnd the impub' of Divine truth ancl grace. In all this there arc won<l<· rful le . on · a to the right manner and method of our ·wnrl~tre against Slavery- a to the spirit tlwt Go<.l sanctionR; a;-; to the wrnpons that lie wonlu have us u c ; a~ to the moral omnipotence of his 'Vord; a ' to the nee s-ity of' being rootc<.l and grouncled in it, and in the love wbich it inspir •:; ; :1 :4 to the impos~iuility of being upp6rte<l and made faithf'ul to the en<l by any other strength than Cod'~ . tr ngth ; as to the power of prayer, the necessity of walking with God in C\' ·ry enterprise, and the serenity ancl conficlcncc which the habit 20'~ |