The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1851-01-29
For the Spirit Of Democracy.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
[coNTINUED.l

Saviour to Peter into evidence sustaining
capital punishment. We will next show
the misapplication of the quotation from
Revelations. A greater perversion. of the
truth, "if not Interpolation and forgery"
could not easily be conceived Of, than 10
committed in this instance. Mr.. c. asks
the question, "Ought the murderer TO be
punished with death?" and then quotes for
an answer from Rev. 13: 10: "He that
killeth by the sword must be killed with
the sword" DR.. Clark's version Of the
above quotation is as follows: "The Latin
empire must be also broken to pieces by
the sword, because it killeth the saints Of
God. This prophecy will not receive its
full accomplishment till the kingdoms Of
this world become the kingdoms of our
Lord and his Christ" Does this interpre.
tation of DR.. Clark warrant the use made
of this passage Of scripture by Mr.. C. to
prove capital punishment Of divine author.
ity, and of perpetual obligation9 No;
neither is there any commentator to bs
found who will. One thing is certain, ~
long as Mr.. G. can quote scripture with ~
much ease and facility, without regard to
its applicability, as he has done in this in.
stance, he will never be at loss for scrip.
tural evidence in support Of any PROPOSE.
ton he may choose; for by such loose
and unwarrantable application of it as 10
here exhibited, it is easier to sustain false.
hood than truth. The verse from which
the above quotation is taken, as fully proves
that we are as much under moral obliga.
ton to lead the "captor into captivity" a.
we are to punish captally "him who kill
eth by the sword" All that is necessary
to satisfy any one of the misaPplication, BY
Mr.. c., Of the passage above quoted, is 10
read it in its connection, and consult com.
mentators upon it. 1t will then be seen
that the Revelator was prophesying Of
things then yet in the future, concerning
the Christian world till the end OF time.
Yet it is referred to with great apparent
confidence, by Mr.. c., to prove that the
law given TO the patriarchs and Je,os in.
iicting capital punishment, is still in force,
and of perpetual moral obligation. tx
The language Of Paul, when arraigned
before Festus, is referred to as favoring
capital punishment, which is as follows:
"lf | have offended, or have committed
anything worthy OF death, refuse not to
de-" Here follows the reasoning Of Mr..
c. upon the above quotation: He asks the
question, "Do you suppose Paul would
thus willingly submit to the demands Of .
law which he regarded as unrighteous,
cruel, barbarous?" We answer, Yes; Paul
would have thus .,oillingly submilted, be.
yond all doubt, and we appeal to the course
of Paul's life as an apostle to prove what
we say to be true. If Mr.. C.'s argument
be worth anything, it will prove the Ian Of
God to be Of no more binding force than
The law of the heather nations existing tho
day Paul was arraigned before Festus; for
Paul nor any other apostle verresisted the
law, in any heathen country Which they
visited, but always aoillingly submitted 10
its demands. If, then, the ,cilling submis.
sion to lap, by Paul, is to be regarded a.
evidence of its business, then it follows,
according to Mr.. C.'s own mode Of rea.
soning, that the laos Of those heather
countries visited by the apostles, are ~
obligatory upon us as the Ian Of God.
!" To what desperate straits are men dris.
en-, when they set up their own fancies and
prejudces as safe rule Of Interpretation,
and thus pervert the right ways of the
Lord" From the teaching of the apostles
it is evident that they never regarded tho
law inaicting capital punishment as oblig.
atory upon them only as civil regulation.
They at no time recommended the adop.
ton of the bloody code by any people.
They established churches where the Law
Of Moses was neither understood nor prac.
ticed; yet they neither taught it nor its OBJ.
servance as Of moral obligation. Hence
they could not have regarded il as Of per.
petual obligation, as do the advocates Of
capital punishment, or they would have
taught it and its observance to their disci-
pies. This Of itself is sufficient, If no 9th.
er reason could be given, to prove that tho
law inAicting capital punishment was but
a civilregulation, and no part of the moral
law Of God. Seeing that the apostles did