title: The Early Church and Today, volume 1
author:  Everett Ferguson 
description: Everett Ferguson is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University, where he taught Bible, Church History, and Greek from 1962-1998. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His honors include the Distinguished Service Award from the North American Patristics Society (2008), of which he was president 1990-1992, the Vestigia Award for Excellence in Early Christian Studies and Service to the Church from the Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies (2010), and Christian service awards from Pepperdine University, Harding University, <i>The Christian Chronicle</i>, and most recently the Christian Scholars Conference (2010). Ferguson served on the Council of the American Society of Church History (1983-1985) and the Council of the Association internationale d'etudes patristiques (1995-2007). His editorial work includes three scholarly journals (<i>Restoration Quarterly, The Second Century,</i> and <i>The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity</i>. His books include <i>Backgrounds of Early Christianity; The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today; Church History: From Christ to Pre-Reformation; Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers;</i> and the latest, <i>Baptism in the Early Church.</i> His publications for ACU Press include <i>Early Christians Speak</i> (volumes 1 &amp; 2).
zlib_text: # FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW.
  
  ## THE  
  Religious Duty  
  OF  
  OBEDIENCE TO LAW:
  
  ### A  
  SERMON,  
  Preached in the Second Presbyterian Church  
  IN BROOKLYN, NOV. 24, 1850.
  
  ## BY ICHABOD S. SPENCER, D.D.
  
  #### NEW YORK:  
  PUBLISHED BY M.W. DODD,  
  BRICK CHURCH CHAPEL, CITY HALL SQUARE,  
  OPPOSITE THE CITY HALL.  
  1850.
  
  * * *
  
  TO THE REV. DR. SPENCER:
  
  The undersigned having listened, with much pleasure and as we hope profit, to
  the Sermon which you delivered yesterday morning, most respectfully request a
  copy of the same for publication, believing that much good may be done to the
  cause of Religion and Law, by the dissemination of the truths expressed
  therein.
  
  _Brooklyn, Monday, Nov, 25, 1850._
  
  JASPER CORNING,  
  FRANCIS H. ABBOTT,  
  LEBBEUS CHAPMAN,  
  F. DEMING,  
  GEORGE A. TALBOT,  
  A.M. FENBY,  
  THOMAS COCHRAN,  
  WM. BARBOUR,  
  J.B. WICKHAM,  
  SAMUEL HUTCHINSON,  
  WM. H. AMES,  
  L. HOPKINS,  
  JARVIS BRUSH,  
  S.N. BROWN,  
  GEORGE P. LORD,  
  H.K. CORNING,  
  THOS. BAYLIS,  
  W.K. BROWN,  
  M.S