Adin Ballou

“ Besides this, intemperance and licentiousness are permitted to allure millions through their licensed portals to the chambers of hell; and slavery shakes her whips and chains over a sixth portion of a professedly free people, under the protection of our star-spangled banner! Is it any wonder that such a state of things, such a religion, such a morality, such unbridled acquisitiveness, such selfishness, and such oppression of the governing portion, should breed, foster and perpetuate all manner of vice and crime in the under classes of society? ”

“ How then is it to be accounted for, on the supposition that political action is so adapted to moral reform and wholesome order in society? The facts contradict the theory. The good men in political parties are not the leaders, but the led. They do not use political action to a noble end, but are themselves the dupes and fools of immoral managers - put up or put upon, foremost or rearmost, in the center or on the flank, just as they will show and count to the best advantage. All they are wanted for is to show and count against the same class in the other party. ”

“ When a considerable portion of the people have been enlightened and won over to Christian non-resistance, the tide of public sentiment will begin to set with such force against war, and the whole injury-inflicting system, that the less enlightened and less conscientious portion will insensibly yield to the current, add the relicts of barbarism, one after another, be "cast to the moles and bats." Thus, ultimately, government will be christianized, and the most scrupulous disciples of the non-resistant Savior feel at liberty to perform any service in it which the public good may require. ”

“ Is a common highwayman to be held in universal abhorrence, and hung up by the neck on a gibbet, and yet are Christian people to authorize their Congress to grant letters of piracy! And will a man after agreeing that such things shall be perpetrated in his name, presume to go about preaching peace and non-resistance? Does the objector wish me to make myself supremely ridiculous, as well as wicked? ”

“ Meantime England, and the other great nations, between whom and ourselves there is such a frequent and increasing familiarity of intercourse, would vie with ours, not which should have the strongest army and navy, and be able to do the most mischief, but which should lead off in the glorious work of reforming, improving and blessing the human race. Patriotism would then no longer strut in regimentals, recount its ruffian exploits, and provoke quarrels with fellow men for the crime of having been born over sea, or on the other side of a mountain or river. ”

“ Man would make no wicked and foolish attempt to appear a god to his fellow-worms. The most exalted servant of the people would need to dwell in no better house, eat no better food, drink no costlier liquids, wear no richer livery, ride in no better carriage, under a wise and righteous government, than would be proper for every common citizen. He would be ashamed to wish anything better.
He that will be chief among you shall be as he that doth serve. This is the pattern for the head of a Christian republic. ”

“ The man and the man's means of preserving his life, do not necessarily belong together. The Christian non-resistant is as much of a man as your sword and dagger character, and much less a brute. And the former stands a much better chance of long life, civil treatment, and substantial happiness in the world, than the latter. Suppose some one should assert that there could be no such thing as a family, or good family government, without guns and dogs to defend them against marauders, and plenty of switch-sticks to wear up over the children's backs. ”

“ The morning stars are singing together in thy train, and the sons of God shout for joy. In due time the heavens shall kiss the earth in thy presence, and the earth shall be restored to the bliss of heaven! ”

“ But the governments now under notice are radically, fundamentally ANTI-CHRISTIAN. "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint." Military and injurious penal power is their very life-blood - the stamina of their existence. They are as repugnant to non-resistance, as pride is to humility, wrath to meekness, vengeance to forgiveness, death to life, destruction to salvation. ”

“ Is it not a fact that the most scrupulously moral and circumspect men in all the rival political parties are uniformly found, with very rare exceptions, either among the rank and file of their party, or in the inferior offices? Are our wisest and best men of each party put forward as leaders? ”

“ People with a false and low religion, a false and low morality, a low and undeveloped intellect, will have a corresponding false and low organization of society, false and low government! An Esquimaux, Hottentot, or New Hollander, would devise and administer an Esquimaux, Hottentot, or New Holland government. The reason why we have not a Christian government is, that our people are not in the aggregate a Christian people. The aggregate religion is far below the Christian standard. The aggregate conscience and moral sentiment of the people is semi-barbarous. ”

“ The unprincipled must be threatened with destruction. The lawless must be held at bay by the terrors of the halter and the cell. Mankind are too depraved to be held and treated as brethren."
This is the language of our professedly wise and upright men, in what are falsely supposed to be the first ranks of society. But it is the language of men who need to be born again before they can enter into the kingdom of God - Pharisees and Sadducees, haughty religionists and moralists, who know not their own hearts, nor "what manner of spirit they are of." They look not into the causes of crime. ”

“ Is non-resistance, as defined and expounded in this work, for or against human government per se?
This depends on what sense is given to the adjective human when joined to the noun government. If human government be understood to imply or presuppose an inherent, original, ABSOLUTE power in man to make laws and exercise discretionary control over man, non-resistance is against it. It denies any such inherent, original, absolute power in man, and refers it to God only. In this sense all rightful government is essentially divine; man being ever a subject - not a governor. ”

“ It seems to have been universally taken for granted that military force would be indispensable. It is therefore a gross fraud and imposition for any man to appear at the ballot-box as a voter, who is at heart false to the Constitution, who does not mean in good faith to abide by and support it, and just as it is, till it can be constitutionally amended. This is what a non-resistant cannot do, without treason to the divine government ”

“ How much better am I by nature than these murderers, robbers, thieves, and wretched culprits whom I so much detest? Had I been born of their parents, been brought up as they were brought up, been neglected by the better classes as they were neglected, been tempted as they have been tempted, and been treated as they have been treated, should I have been at this moment what I am? ”

“ If our scruples related solely to minor details, and incidental defects in the existing governments, the objector's reasoning would be conclusive. For we do not exact absolute perfection, either theoretical or practical, in constitutions of government, as a condition of our participation in them. We can readily conceive of a radically Christian government with minor errors and defects in its details, and certainly with incidental abuses of administration arising out of human imperfection. ”

“ But if human government be understood to imply only divine government clothed in human form, and administered by human organizations, with merely incidental human imperfections, non-resistance is for it per se. ”

“ They declare what is to be considered truth and duty, and are a solemn mutual covenant of the people with each other, as to what may or shall be done in their name. They are written out with great clearness and precision, so that no one may misunderstand them. When a man assents to them, or swears to support them, or acknowledges himself a party to the compact established by them, they become to all intents and purposes declarations of what he regards as truth and duty, and a pledge on his part that he will faithfully cooperate in carrying them into full effect. ”

“ Under what circumstances the country might have a non-resistant government Let us have two-thirds of the people of the United States, (including that portion who are, or would be thought Christians, philanthropists, people of intelligence and orderly citizens) once firmly committed to non-resistance, as explained and illustrated in this work, with even a large share of imperfection still lingering about them, and the government might triumphantly dispense with its army, navy, militia, capital punishment, and all manner of injurious inflictions. ”

“ They feel not for their fellow creatures, who were born and have lived under the worst possible circumstances. They see not that nine-tenths of the crimes of those whom they glory in bringing to punishment, might have been prevented, had good people, so called, been good enough to care for others beyond the precincts of their own blood relationship. They themselves are great sinners, and need great mercy; yet they have little compassion on their fellow sinners of a lower grade. They live in a sort of conventional decency, and imagine it to be true morality. ”

“ How much attention have I given, in my whole life, to the consideration of the causes which make one person to differ from another? How much time have I spent in earnest endeavors to prevent my fellow-creatures from falling into these crimes, in educating them while children, providing them a good home of industry and comfort in youth, and in inducing them in mature age to lead orderly lives? ”

“ The truth is, if one-hundredth part of what the better classes of society now acquire contrary to the law of love, and expend on themselves to their positive hurt, were faithfully devoted to the prevention and reformation of crime, scarce an offender would remain in society. ”

“ In this view of the case, how supremely silly would it appear for it handful of non-resistants to run a tilt of politics, and harness themselves to the car of Juggernaut, in the hope of influencing the besotted multitude to renounce their idolatry! It would be treason to their cause, and ridiculous infatuation, for them to play such antics. Their mission is to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." To teach, not number the people. To show forth a model of what ought to be, not conform to what is. ”

“ Such a government would verify the prophetic prediction: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders. Such a government there will yet be throughout the earth. ”

“ How to reform government Existing governments have their merits. They might be worse than they are. They are as good as the great mass of the people demand, or are capable of appreciating. If full-grown Christian constitutions were proffered to them, they would vote them down with contempt. If we could cheat them into the reception of one, they would not know how to live under it. Governments arc correct exponents of the aggregate religious light, moral sentiment and intellectual development of the people living under them. ”

“ It is to be done by pure Christian precepts faithfully inculcated, and pure Christian examples, on the part of those who have been favored to receive and embrace the highest truths. They must hold up the true standard, let their light shine, and patiently persevere in the great work of creating a new heart and a new spirit in the people. ”

“ Under the light necessary to effect so general a change of public sentiment, a considerable portion of the people would have reconstructed neighborhood society by voluntary association, in such a manner as nearly to do away intemperance, idleness, debauchery, miseducation, poverty and brutality, and to insure the requisite inducements, means and opportunities for great self-improvement and social usefulness. ”

“ At the same time the ordinary acquisition of property, by what are called the better classes, the criers out for "punishment, punishment," is only a fashionable species of gambling and extortion, in which the cunning, the fortunate, and the unscrupulous carry off the stakes amid the perpetual grumbling of the unlucky losers. ”

“ We must hear those who make the sword, the gibbet, and the dungeon their gods, denounce the doctrines of mercy, and extol the efficacy of cruelty. "The world is full of criminals," say they, "horrid criminals, ravening like wolves for the prey, and it is presumption to think of trusting to love, mercy, forbearance and uninjurious restraints. The wicked must be slain. ”

“ That under the present system of government, legal and political action is generally anti-Christian. That political good men are influential chiefly as tools for mischief. And that non-political good men are the most likely to render legalists and politicians DECENT in the affairs of government. ”

“ I know that this is the common opinion respecting government. But it is false, the spawn of ignorance - a sheer delusion. A little reflection will show how utterly groundless it is. It derives all its plausibility from the exhibitions of past and remaining barbarism. Because men have been barbarous, and their laws and penalties barbarous, it is taken for granted that they cannot be otherwise ”