The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-05-29

.ASA'So"'' WIZ dtc III power, DluSG use IL
defence of virtue. The Lord of hosts, an
Captain of our salvation, who girds his two
edged sword upon his thigh or causes it t.
proceed out of his mouth to devour the wick
ed-this righteous Lion of the tribe of Ju
dah will never suffer Satan and his servants
SO to bear the swords as to engross the use o
1t. This would be letting them have tht
kingdom, the power, and the glory, without
ontro.
.. The Psalms and Revelation are full O.
prophecies concerning the righteous wars
which the godly will wage against the wicked
before iniquity be rooted out of the earth.--
When the place of the ungodIy shall know
them no more, and Righteousness shall cover
the earth as the waters do the sea, Isaiah's
prophecy shall be fulfilled 1t shall come
to pass In the last days, that the mountan OF
the Lords house shall be established in tho top
oft'le mountains and all nations shall flow uu.
to it, The Lord shall then Judge amo ,g the
nations, etc. and they shall beat their swords
into poughshares, and their spears into
pruning. hooks. Nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn
war any more Isaiah 9: 2, T. But till
this happy time come, whenever one nation,
unjusty rises up against another, it will be
needful to oppose righteous force TO unright-
eous violence. 1t is absurd, therefore, to
measure the duty of Christians who shall
live when all lawless men shall have been de.
stroyed.
4. st. Paul asserts the lawfulness of using
the sword in order to maintain good govern
ment and execute justice. Hear his doctrine
The ruler 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, [of that God
who says IF yc be obedent, yc shall eat
the good of the land but if ye rebel, ye
shall be devoured by the sword, Isaiah
10, 20, and, Of consequence, he is reveng-
er to execute wrath upon him that doeth
evil Rom. l3 4. Hence it appears that
the king is ntrusted with the sword and if
he does not useit to execute wrath upon Grim
inals he bears the sword in vain and defeats
one of the capital ends Of his coronation for
8 governors are sent by God for the punish
ment of evil doers,' Pet 2: II.
5. Some people rejoice that we have watch
men 10 guard our streets, constables to apprc-
hend house-brcakers, jalers to con6nc high
waymen, and executioners to put them TO
death And yet thoy blanc the use of an
army. Is not their conduct in this respect
highly unreasonable ? For, after all, what
are soldiers but watchmen, constables, .iaiers
and, if need be, executioners? Ii it be
right to send an unarmed constable, with
Justices warrant, against an unarmed outlaw,
or detencecss debtor, can it be wrong to
send thirty thousand armed constables, with
the sovereign's warrant, to disarm countless
multitude of awesss men, who assume the
supreme power of the sword with as much
oropriety as the Popc does the power Of the
Keys OF heaven and hell ?
6. Soldiers, like watchmen, jaiers and ex-
,cutioners, are needful burden upon the
public. | heartily wish we were virtuous
enough to do without them; but as this is
lot the case, they are strong, bitter, and
ostly remedy which is absolutely necessary
O prevent or cure our licntiousness. So long
S human bodies shall want to be. preserved
" the amputaton Of painful, mortifying
limbs, we shall want surgeons ; and so long
S political bodies shall be in danger of be-
ng destroyed by the moral corruption of
heir members, we shall want soldiers to do {
oody operations. May the Loud grant us ;
constant succession of wise, conscientious, {
nild and yet steady rulers, who may never {
se it but with the same tenderness with which S
surgeon uses his knife when he cuts a NOR
flied limb from the body of a beloved child. |
lis heart bleeds, while the dreadful operation t
performed and yet his judicious, parental t
ffection makes him consent to sacrifice part c
t his sons body in order to prevent the de- C
.ructon of the whole. AS punishiAg is Gods h
range work, 50 should it be that Of govern a
RS, ,fwho arc his political representatives. 8
To conclude if christianity had prohibited 4
ghtipg for the execution of justice, the con- h
nuance of peace, and the support of good ii
,vemmcnt, when penitent soldiers asked h
ohm the Baptist " What shall VIC do 2" he St
ould undoubtedly have intimated that they u
ould renounce their bloody profession as it
on as they could But instead of doing W
at he charged them to " do violence or in ii
stice to no man and be content With their b
ages !" a direction which amounted to bid. re
ng them to continue to serve their country, hi
, helping the ruler not to bear the sword in al
liu." Nor was our Lord of different C;
ind from his forerunnor for he praised ri
nturion, or captain in the Roman army, a
claring {" he had not found such faith in Is al
el." as he discovered in that Gentle !; and in
parted from him, as Peter afterwards did ly
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