APPETITE and passion are far worse tyrants than was George III.
PERSONAL independence means more to you than national independence.
ALL human laws are a failure which aim either to make it as easy as possible to do right, or as hard as possible to do wrong.
“OLD Glory” bears neither mark nor sign suggestive of empire or a colonial government. Will the nation adopt a new flag?
A VERY good thing, in its place, becomes a very bad thing, out of its place. The church, out of her proper place, becomes one of the worst institutions in the world.
THE law of the land says that you shall not spend your time in doing that which interferes with the rights of your neighbors. And this is as far as human law has a right to go.
OUR forefathers of Revolutionary days fought against the principle of arbitrary government embodied in an act of Parliament imposing a tax on tea. The tax itself was very mild; but the unjust principle was just as big in the mild tax as it would have been in a heavy one. And so of a Sunday law; the unjust principle embodied in the law is in no wise affected by making the requirements of the law mild instead of severe. It is against the principle of such measures that we need to be guarded.
“WHY don’t God kill the devil?” some people foolishly ask. The answer is that God believes in religious liberty, and is now giving the human family an opportunity, through the enjoyment of that liberty, to develop character. God purposes to dispose of the devil and sin and all that is evil at one and the same time; for all these things belong together and all tend toward the same end. But if God were to destroy sin now, all sinners would be destroyed with it; but sinners are yet on probation, and have an opportunity to separate from sin, so that the destruction of sin will not involve them with it; and besides, God is able to deliver all persons from the devil, so that so far as that is concerned, the devil doesn’t need to be destroyed. If God were to kill the devil now it would be an acknowledgement that he could not successfully contend with him on even terms.
SOME people find fault with the AMERICAN SENTINEL for speaking so much in a tone of challenge. They think it should have more to say in the line of “All’s well,” or “Good time coming.” We assure our friends that the SENTINEL would be glad to make this report if it could do so upon evidence. It proceeds upon the principle that it is better to know an unpleasant truth, than a pleasant lie. There is a good time coming, but we will not survive to see it unless we know how to meet and escape existing perils.