The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1873-04-03
From the New York Observer.J
GODS LAW THE BASIS OF ALL LAW.
Death, the Penalty of Murder.

The public mind, not in this city only
nor chiefly, but throughout the country,
is reused to discuss the question What
shall be done to stay the arm of the muir
derer?' We would say a word on the di-
vine right and duty of the death penalty,
hoping that the Bible is not played if
hanging is. -
After the Deluge, God started the or
ganization of human society with two
great insurance companies; the first life
insurance, and the second a fire and flood
In the first he made all mankind stock
holders, personally interested and re-
sponsible, and gave to every man bond
of security and indemnity under his own
seal.
The canon of death for murder is one
of Gods safeguards for his creatures
against their own passions, and one OF the
beams of his own moral government of
the world. He layeth the beams of his
chambers in the waters; he admits us to
behold the order and the reasons of his
government of men before the promulga-
ton of the decalogue. cat the hand of
every mans brother will / require the
life of man. Whose sheddeth man s
blood, by man shall his blood be shed /;
for in the image of God made ne man"
1t is the beginning of all protective
and retributive legislation after long
trial and development of human wicked
ness. Government by divine statute be-
gins with the greatest of crimes, and ap-
points the appropriate penalty, the larg-
est and severest possible in this world,
and from that the guilt and the penalty
of all other crimes may be graduated.
The reason is given and it begins with
God, as the authority of taking life comes
only from him; Therefore the destruction
of Gods image in man, the killing of a
being to whom God gave such an image,
is first of all crime directly against God,
against his creative ownership and SOW
ereign right dignity, and personal we'll
being and government
God, in launching the race of men
anew after the deluge, appointed this
penalty for the measure of the sacredness
of human life, as it had not been meas
ured by statute before the deluge. Death
not having been visited upon the first
murderer, society would seem to have
been filled, in consequence of such impu-
nifty, with the violence of crimes against
life. There was little or no disease; a
vigorous health, constitution, and pro-
longation of active existence like Methu-
selah's; but death by violence and strife
death by anger and revenge, murder by
blood-shedding; perhaps a mans life
was little more regarded than brutes.
Retaliation by death for mere insult was
probably frequent, but how much more
frequent retaliation of death for death,
by vendetta, wave pursuing wave
Now then, in the new start of. society,
God the Creator comes forth with stat
ute based on the sacredness of a mans life as
Cod s sole possession, because man IS made IN
the image Of God.
So, first, the statute is for all mankind;
its comprehensive and perpetual applica-
ton and obligation being demonstrated
beyond the possibility of mistake or con
tradiction, by the reason given for it..
The attempt TO evade the ordinance as
temporary or Judaic merely, is annulled
by that reason. But Judaism had not
begun. One might as we'll affirm the
rainbow to have been made only for the
Jews in the face of the reason of the ev-
erlasting covenant between God and eve
ry living creature of all flesh upon the
earth. Gods rainbow is not more uni
versal and everlasting than Gods statute
against murder, Both covenants span
the clouds and tempests; both are God S
promise and security against another de-
luge; the rage of human passion and re-
venge being bound by the moral, as we'll
as Of storms and floods by those material
or physical laws, of which the bow in
the clouds is Gods perpetual token.
The second reason stands at the head
of the second table, as the frs of the
first; for this statute is both toward
God and man germ or concentration of
the two tables of the law. Your blood
OF your lives will l require; at the hand
of every beast will l require it, and at
the hand of every man | will require it;
the crime is against me"
But second, the crime is against man.
1t stands at the head of all crimes, the
highest of all, against both God and man
the highest violation of the highest law
in both tables, of love to God and love to
man. All the law and the prophets are
sacrificed in this crime, which is the con-
centration of hatred, revenge, implacable
wrath, all that constitutes the devil a
murderer from the beginning. He that
hateth his brother is q murderer. All
angry feelings, all impatiencies of thwart-
ed seltishness, all sudden or chronic en-
| vyings and animosities, travel thithe--
! have their coil and recoil upon that cen
tire, ripen in that fruit, strike that twelve
o'clock of crime in the machinery OF
growing passion. Every man desires to
| put his enemy out of the way When
will he die and his name perish? Eth,
er you must get out of his way, or he
out of yours Silent, yielding natures
choose to withdraw Energetic ones
sweep the path. Abel shrinks back, and
! gives place; Cain advances, urges. Out
of my way, is the rule, and it ends in
murder.
But for murder, there is no possibility
/ of recompense or restitution. If there
were, the law Of retaliation would come
in play in an atonement in kind made to
! the murdered man. The mans ghost
would have a right to say, Give me your
life for taking mine.
| That would be exact and equal justice
| if one life could be restored by taking
the other, as a mans property when stol-
en- can be restored. 1t is as exact justice
to require life for life, as a thousand dol.
lars for thousand dollars.
Less than that is not justice. As thou
hast done, so shall it be done to thee, is
| as lust as, Whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so them.
But this recompense cannot be made
and no man can rightfully undertakes Il
| for himself, instead OF the murdered
man. God is the owner of the destroyed
property. The voice of thy brothers
blood crieth UNTO 'MEi Because A has
killed B, G has no right to kill A, unless
God appoints and requires it.
Neither have G, D, f, F, G altogether
nor the whole of society," that right, un
less by Gods appointment Inasmueh
as there is no possibility OF restoring life,
the punishment of murder by death be-
comes vengeance, retributive Justice; and
vengeance is mine, saith the Almighty,
/ will repay,
If A has killed B, and still possesses
| BIS life so that he could bemade restore