f God, then we elevate it into a higher
sphere; we invest it with religious sanctions and it become pervaded by
a divine presence and authority, which immeasurably strengthens, while
it elevates its power. Obedience for conscience' sake is as different
from obedience from fear, or from voluntary consent, or regard to human
authority, as the divine from the human.

Such being, as we conceive, the true doctrine concerning the nature of
the state, it is well to inquire into the necessary deductions from this
doctrine. If government be a divine institution, and obedience to the
laws a matter resting on the authority of God, it might seem to follow
that in no case could human laws be disregarded with a good conscience.
This, as we have seen, is in fact the conclusion drawn from these
premises by the advocates of the doctrine "of passive obedience." The
command, however, to be subject to the higher powers is not more
unlimited in its statement than the command, "children obey your parents
in all things." From this latter command no one draws the conclusion
that unlimited obedience is due from children to their parents. The true
inference doubtless is, in both cases, that obedience is the rule, and
disobedience the exception. If in any instance a child refuse compliance
with the requisition of the parent, or a citizen with the law of the
land, he must be prepared to justify such disobedience at the bar of
God. Even divine laws may in some cases be dispensed with. Those which
indeed are founded on the nature of God, such as the command to love Him
and our neighbor, are necessarily immutable. But those which are founded
on the present constitution of things, though permanent as general rules
of action, may on adequate grounds, be violated without sin. The
commands, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Remember the
sabbath day to keep it holy, are all of permanent authority; and yet
there may be justifiable homicide, and men may profane the sabbath and
be blameless. In like manner the command to obey the laws, is a divine
injunction, and yet there are cases in which disobedience is a duty. It
becomes then of importance to determine what these cases are; or to
ascertain the principles which limit the obedience which we owe to the
state. It follows from the divine institution of government that its
power is limited by the design of God in its institution, and by the
moral law. The family, the church and the state are all divin