Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-10-13
For the Burlington Free Press.


For the Burlington Free Press.
To HIS ExcELlEscY, CHARLES PAINE, GovERsoR
Of the State OF Vermont.
No. v.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. THE LAW OF GOD
UNREPEALED.
DsAR SIa' In my last letter, it was shown that
the universally of the sentiment. that the murderer
ought De put to death. has been SUCH in all time and
among all nations, that it be regarded as law of
God, craven upon the human conscience. Having
disposed of this part Of the subject;
propose in this number, to examine the LAW OF
GoD rs HIS WORD, and the circumstances attending
its PRONUNCIATION.
In the commencement of the human race, the expe-
siment was made of suppressing murder by moral
considerations, and las is commonly supposedly with
out resor!ing to capital punishment The insuf1ici-
ency OF this plan was soon evnced to the race. We
have an account Of at least Two murders: that of
Abel by CAIN and that Of young man by Lamech.
It is fair inference from the sacred record that
der was common event in the nn,ediluvian world
for we read that the earth ods filled ,oh rolencc Ian
guage clearly intimating that men constantly
engaged in broiIs with each other. In the brevit, of
the record, other murders not distinctly mention
Cd. But from the known principle, that the wicked
wax worse and worse, the longer they live in wicked
ness, is easy to see that the spirit of Cain, c. hui
man depravity, must have acquired n terrific power
in the course Of long life Of 500 or 600 years. and
that frequent murder must have been the result.
The mder course had been taken in vain; nj least,
il served only this important purpose of demonstra-
ting to mankind their exceeding sinfnness, and the
necessity of higher sanctions. Under the mder
course. violence filled the earth and men became
wicked, that he who made them could not have mer.
ey upon them. Therefore, with food he swept to
destruction the entire race, saving the single family
Of Noah.
After the food, the earth came forth afrcsh cleans
ed from the lood of frequent murders. With Noah,
as the head and progenitor Of race, God enter
ed into a covenant as he did with A am, and gave
HIM new charter for the world. H.. commands him
10 increase and multiply and replensh the earth as
sures him that the ground shall he curse for
mans sake THAT while the earth continues, seed
time and harvest, summer and winter, cold and heat,
and day and night shall not cease, and, lest every
gathering storm sweeping across the horizon, should
awaken in him, the fear of another dege he assures
MN that the earth shall no more be drowned with
ncoi: as perpetual memorial and pledge of this pro-
mise, he paints the rainbow upon the clouds with
divine pencil. He enlarges to Noah the means of
snstenance, by grant Of animal food, but restricts
MN with respect To the blood which, said God is the
life ofihe flesh He then added the arent law for the
protection "f human life, WHOSE saEpDnrn MANS
BLOOD, y" MAN SHALL HIS D;.oop HE'D This is tie
law of life. In it, Co declares his own estimate Of
life, and has asserted his supreme authority over it,
Him.
Thus the circumstances connected with the ci,Inu
OF THIS law, invest it with great importance, and aid
Us IN lis right Interpretation. The remembrance of
former violence and Of The wrath Of God upon it,
fresh IN the minds Of the progenors of the race
and would give meaning and sanction to the law
l. me meaning Of this ld,c, is that which sug-
gests itself at once to every mind. Whether
weigh the words of the statute, examine the scope
and hearing of the context, no ingenuity OF criticism
invest the passage with any other meaning than
the first and ohv lous one. The English version
stands in our bibles is close md faithful translation
Of the Hebrewin Gen. o: 6. We can not find
mentator who has attempted an Interpretation Of the
passage going 10 destroy its received and established
sense. 1t is as if the Lord had said, Although
have enlarged your means of subsistence, by the
grant Of animal food think not tina, set diminished
value upon life. In order to evince this now forbid
your eating the blood, which is the life Of the animal,
and strictly forbid yoH touch the life of man. which
is Of vastly greater importance, because have made
him in my own image
II brute beast shall in the exercise of vicious pro-
pensitie destroy the life of man, his life shall be
ken, because il would not be safe that he should live.
Gen. 8: s. So ifOne man shall wilinv take the life
OF another his life shall be the forfeit His fellow
men shall take his life. He is a dangerous member
Of community He is moi fit to live. 1t is not proper
that any man should he exposed the inf Of his
evil passions Make hi m an example to de er all 9th
ers from offending in the same way. Moreover, We
shall take no satisfaction (no substitution Of other
punshmen,) Cor the life of murderer; He shall sure
" be pu, to death" Such, and no Other, to every
mind ia the plain meaning Ofthis law Notice
2. The erient gift Some have argued ms il this
Law were aJewsh regulation, and had passed away
with the Lsvl'eal dlspensatlon. But, no; This law
Sims, Americans or Chinese. II had no connection
with Mosnic ins utipns. II was given TO Noah eev,
en- hundred years before Mosrs,-,he law of God TO
u
oil who admit the right of their maker govern Them
1t the primal law Of race, rescued from de-
struc.lon toTcpensh again the earth, given upon the
inception Of the new condition they were entering up
on, as the rule for all succeeding Time
II is law as necessary in our age and for peo-
pie Us for any other. In its enactment, it
strc,ed 10 any age or tribe, but given to the human
family. In short, il is ordinance extensive and
comprehensive as the promise that while the earth
continued cold and heat seed time and harvest should
not cease ,-as universal in its obligation, as is the
promise connected with the rainbow in the sky, that
God will no more destroy the earth with flood
See also,
3. It's perpetual obligation As this law throws
it's claims oyer all men, so il con nues its authority
through all time. u IS standing ordinance for the
protection Of Gods image in man. 1t is not statute
Of Limitation, intended TO secure temporary purpose
and then EXPIRE No evidence Of this has ever been
adduced to mv knowledge
Some have supposed, that it has been repealed
Such are bound to bring the proof We can show
them when and where the law was enacted, and for
what end. We can point them 10 chapter and verse.
If it has beslIepealed, il must have been by Gods
thority, for no other is competent We mast be
shown chapter and verse iohen and riere 1t has been
M sa sessc Dd by an" what
message from God did men know il? These are
questions that no man can answer Not trace OF
the abropar6n Of this ordinance, he found either
in the course OF Gods providence or in The tenor OF
Gods word either in sncred or protane history, either
in the old or the new Testament" All the reasons
for il. existence, al ALL are equally reasons for its per-
But, Sirshe labored and plausible argument against
the divine Jaw of capital punishment is this, viz =:
That the coming Of Christ and the introduetion o.
the Christian dispcnsation has abrogatedh so that il
Is no longer Of binding force" If we were to admit
what is by. no means the fact that the Law in Gen.
Q: g. wasin any sense, given peculiarly to the Jews,
il would nv no means follow that the introduction OF
the christian dspensn,inn had repealed it, II is nd-
miitcd that Christ vacated what merely typical
and ceremonial in that dspensaiion but il could ensl-
ly be shown that he did not touch single moral pre-
eept. He says himself that he came not TO destroy
the Law hat 10 fuil
But we have already shown that this law is in no
sense Jewish institution that was given to Noah
and his sons the progenitors Of n new race more
than thousand years before the Jews had existence
ASA nation,
When the Jews embodied people, the ex-
is,ence md obligation Of this law was taken for
granted, mech MS the continued permission to eat
animal food. The code given to the Hebrews was n