Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-04-14

will lind in the second sentence OF our re-
marks Tel. No. 10, PIP. 74l upon his ar
ticle, that we have 50 recognized it. The
sentence reads thus: From the days Of |
Moses down to the present time, the pub
lie opinion of the world, with little excep- |
ton, has called for the blood of the wilful
murderer" 1t is time we adverted to the
fact that human Legislators in general dis
regard some of the Old Testament penal
code; and we undertook to show the in
consistency ofreligiously adhering to par
ticulars of this code while the majority of
IT is disregarded-Eor we had not, until
we received and read the communication
now before US, supposed that Vindex him
self viewed the whole penal code delivered
to Moses, tosbe obligatory on US. Let US
now attend to that point.
He asks: Have you shown that the
penal code of the Old Testament is abro-
gated in the newl" We have not under
taken to show any such thing. Nor need
we, for the very good reason that what
was never in force needs no abrogation.
And here we take the ground that the
"pen0! code of the Old Testament" was
never in any part Of it binding on those
who take the New Testament as guide
Further still We have as yet been una
bic to learn that it was ever, at any time
obligatory on any people but the Jews
Bear in mind to keep up the distinction
between laos and penalties; and remem-
Der that we are now talking about the
latter. Any Ian that exists in the fitness
of thinGs-that can be read in the book OF
nature, as plainl y as in the book of reve-
lation, is of universal obligation, at all
times, resting upon all rational existence.
That there are such lars, founded in nat
ural justice, fit in the nature Of things,
= none will deny "Thou shalt not kill
b is one OF them. 1t is written in our hearts
and would have been read by our Reason
> and urged by our common sense, had the
Creator forever witholden revelation.
+ This cannot be said Of penalties. Nat
u ural justice has no specified penalties. |
it had had, and if one of them had beer
r death for murder, most certainly the Coz
l., ofjustice would have taught it to the frs
It family BY making an example of CAIN
, Our God must not be charged with vic
"A lation of natural justice, notwithstanding
~ he turned the murderer loose, with tn
n instrument of assassination IN his hand
}! In this connection we wish again to no
a tice briefly the passage addressed to No
-, ali: Whose sheddeth mans blood, b
vs. man shall his blood be shed" We SUI
IT. pose that those who look upon this pa
a. sage as a land mark; to be observed by a
men in all ages and nations, have bee
H. led to this view Of ii from first identifyin
Is it, in their own minds, with what the
H. have supposed to be eternal justice and f
y, ness of things, They have thought tn
s. this penalty had a common origin with tt
vi law which forbids murder The view
rs incorrect. The lar eternally and niece
IN sarily existed in the mind Of God, cor
r.. ponent Of everlasting justice, if we may
10. allowed so to speak, which was indicat
he 1.-THE very first transgression. But the
We was not the least indication that death w
10. the coexistent and necessary penalty
mr. Not an intimatlon Of it can be found du
nd ing the first sixteen or seventeen hundr
TIA years. Thus it is most plain that, allo
Te' ing that such penalty was delivered to \
IHv ah-which we are not yet prepared to
va low-still it was not the necessary dict'
Of imperative Justice, but arose out of
!dd exigences of the situation. From t
~, ~ view OF the subject it will be seen that S
to ciGc penalties are not ofperpctual obi
my ton, otherwise they would have. been
ave existent with The laws to which they
lot annexed. Penalties have their orr!
Ill and their end in the course, not in the
thy tare of things.
So =" To proceed, Vindex calls on US 70
,nIr substitute for the Mosaic penalty. It'll
nor hand-found every where in the n
mon Testament. 1t is forgiveness as we h
lg's- to be forgiven; and the preaching of
10: pentance. 1t is good for evil-not
,nIe society should have no security again
more repetition Of the murderer's outrage;
buse can be had consistently with the nresel