Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-04-08

seven times, but until seventy times
seven ?" All this is true, bnt these
things were said for the guidance of
men in their social relations, and not
for the direction of rulers in their
treatment of wilful murderers and
other violators of law. If rulers
should 30 love criminals as to take
no account of their crimes, they
would not be ga terror to evil doers.' .
BY their conduct they would encour-
age criminals, and do irreparable
harm to society. The public safety
is to be sought in preference to an
individuals, especially when the in.
dividual is criminal. That was a
great sentiment of Brutus when he
declared that he sslew Caesar, not
because he loved Caesar less, but be-
cause he loved Rome more."
In the thirteenth chapter of the
Epistle to the Romans, Paul teaches
that government is divine, "The
powers that be are ordained of God"
1t was to the Roman government
that he then had reference. This
government was very stern, and in
many respects, tyrannical. But an
imperfect government, even tyran-
nical one, is better than anarchy, or
no government at all. Capital pun
ishment was inflicted for various
offenses, and in several ways, often
by decapitation and often by cruci-
fixion. The sword was generally
used in beheading. 1t was, there
fore, the symbol which Paul en-
ployed in this chapter of his Epistle
to the Roman Christians to warn
them against violations of the laws
under which they lived. He says,
"Rulers are not a terror to good
works, but to the evil. Wilt thou
not then be afraid of the power ?
Do that which is good, and thou
shalt have praise of the same. For
he is minister of God to thee for
good. But if thou do that which ia
evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the
sword in vain; for he is the minister
of God, a revenger to execute wrath
upon him that doeth evil"
That Paul referred to capital pun
ishment in these quotations is evil
dent from what he said when ar
raigned before Festus some time
afterwards. When this hot. headed
governor showed a willingness to
sacrifice the great apostle to please
his Jewish prosecutors, Paul said i:
g! stand at Caesars judgment seat,
where | ought to be judged. To
the Jews | have done no wrong, as
thou very well knowest. For if / be
an offender, or have committed any
thing worthy of death, l refuse not
to die; but if there be none of these
things whereof these accuse me, no
man may deliver me unto them. I
appeal unto Caesar"
How easy and how natural it
would have been for a man speaking
in that bold strain to a Roman gov
ernor to have added if capital pun
lshment was wrong, that he was a
follower and an apostle of Christ,
and that Christianity, which is good
will to man, forbids the taking of
life in any case. There is nothing
in the teaching of Christ or his apos.
ties, when properly interpreted, that
favors the abolition of capital pun
ishment in case of wilful murderers.
A Christian, though a NONRESIDENT
in theory, will resist the attack of a
and even take his life if
necessary to save his own. And he
will be doing right. The law will
protect him, and his own conscience
will be clear. While war for con-
quest is wrong, war for defence, like
self-defence in an individual, is right
and praiseworthy. A Christian
nation may employ all it's land and
naval force to repel and conquer an
invading army. BY doing so it
will destroy thousands of lives and
be guilty of no wrong, because mil
lions of men, women and children
are thereby saved from the horrors
of successful invasion by a foreign
foe. 1t is vain to contend, because
the gospel inculcates love, good will
and forgiveness among men, that it
is, therefore, wrong to infict the
death sentence against a murderer.
A sheriff who executes a murderer
does not necessarily hate him, Oh
wish him harm, or refuse to forgive
his wrong doing toward himself, if
he ask forgiveness. He may love
him and hang him at the same time.
But his love to society that needs
protection against manslayers, will
be immeasurably greater than that
exercised toward the man who has
his hands in another's blood.
Tho skilfuD surgeon will infict pain
10 amputating limb, but the pain
he inflicts is meant for the good of
the sufferer, his family and society.
God himself afflicts for the good of
the afflicted. "For whom the Lord
loveth he 'chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth." We
kill mad dogs to protect against hy-
drophobia. We kill wolves to pro-
tect our flocks. No sane man will
say because wolf has wool that it
is as valuable as a sheep, and that its
life should be guarded with the same
tender care. None but dreamers
would think of demonstrating wolves
for the benefit of the wool market.
Wise men would say, shoot the
wolves and shelter the sheep.
TO BE Continued