The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1850-02-27

opportunity Of delivering his sentiments
upon the subject. Here an instrument of
death was lifted with intent to take life,
right in the presence Of him who was ca
pable oftelling what was tho appropriate
penalty for such crime; and what was
his message? That the man who takes
the sword shall be imprisoned for life, or
escape justice entirely? No; but he
who plunges an instrument of death into
his fellow with an intent to kill shall for
felt his life, shall perish by the sword =
Now when God our Saviour speaks, when
he utters his solemn fiat upon a point, let
all the world listen. The very same sen.
timent is reiterated by the Apostle John,
with perhaps still more distinctness He
in fact gives pointed affirmative answer
to the question am attempting to discuss.
Question.-"Ought the murderer to be
punished with death?'' Answer.--Rev.
l3: 10. "He that killeth by the sword,
must be killed with the sword" 1t seems
strange 10 us, how men can contradict a
point so clearly established in the word OF
God. .r 4
Again, the language Of Paul when ar
raigned before Festus, furnishes striking
evidence, that he regarded capital punish
ment as just. The Jews clamored loudly
against him, declaring that he had COM
mitted crimes worthy of death. What
said Paul when standing in the presence
of the Roman Governor! He alludes to
the charges alleged against him, and
winds up the whole by the following decla-
ration:--''If be an offender, or have
committed anything worthy of death, 1
refuse not to die.' Acts 25th. Now
what is the import Of this language? Is
it not manifest to every thinking man, that
the Apostle here admits, that there we're
crimes for which man ought to die; and
that if he could be proven guilty of any OF
them. he was willing that the penalty OF
death should be inflicted on him. 81 re-
fuse not to die" Do you suppose Paul
would thus cillingly submit to the de
lnands of a law which he regarded as un-
righteous, cruel, barbarouS? Had he been
possessed of the sagacity of some of our
modern reiormers, who have discovered
that the law of capital punishment was re.
pealed by Christ, he might at this critical
moment, when his life was in peril, called
in question the justice of the law which de.
manded his death. But he has not; and
the language of his defence evidently i'm
plies that Paul knew there was crime
for which man ought to die, and that If
he could be proven guilty, he would cheer
fully submit to its demands.
One more passage, and we are done
with this examination. "For he'' (the civ
il magistrate) is the minister of God to
thee for good. But if thou do that which
is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the
sword in vain: for he is the minister of
God, revenger to execute wrath upon
him that doeth evil" Rom. 13: ID. Ac-
cording to the united testimony of the
most eminent expositors we have consult
ed, the phrase bearing the sword" here
means the po,cer Of life and death. Every
reader Of history knows, that it was Gus
tomary in the days Of Paul for every Ro-
man magistrate, to be grded with
sword, or to carry it before him, as an
emblem of his power to execute the law.
Also in the old Rabinical writings, which
were read much in the time of the apos-
tie, the expression frequently occurs, "The
king who bears the sword" 1t is also
well known fact, that decapitation by the
sword was a frequent method of inhictng
capital punishment among the Romans,
to whom Paul wrote. These facts can
leave us but one opinion, as to the mean
ing Of Paul, in the phrase, "bearing the
sword" 1t evidently means the power
which God has lodged in the civil magis-
trate, to inAict the penalty of death for
capital offences. If il can be tortured
into any other Specification in the light of
the facts above. alluded to, it must be done
in opposition to reason, in opposition to
facts, in opposition to all the rules Of Bible
Interpretation. This passage not only
furnishes q conclusive argument in our
favor, but it also contains most triumph |
ant refatation Of an old hackneyed argu-
ment in the mouth of all the opposers of
capital punishment. ltis briefly summed |