us to our
Savior's cross; that Christians should not punish, either to amend those
who trespass against them, or to comfort themselves; for they do not amend
others by fines and imprisonments, nor do they need any better comfort
than that of their Savior, who, on the cross, not only prayed, but
apologized for his murderers; that, if the gospel is right in prescribing
pardon, the law is wrong in inflicting punishment; that, if a Christian
reigns, he reigns by love, not by force; that he cannot smile with frowns,
forgive with punishment, love with hatred, bless with the sword, do good
with evil, be humble with pride, love God and serve Mammon; that moral
power would govern men altogether cheaper and better than physical; that
the destruction of every kingdom that has heretofore existed, proves that
men will not, cannot be governed by physical force; that the refusal of
our Savior to govern, when he had the power of miracles, was his greatest
miracle; and that his obedience, forgiveness, sufferings, and death,
established the constitution of a government, in which peace on earth and
good-will to men will be maintained by the God of peace, the Prince of
peace, and the Spirit of peace. They believe that, when Jesus referred his
hearers to the law of retaliation, which law constituted the great
fundamental principle in the Jewish civil government, and when, in express
terms, he repealed that law, he laid the axe at the root of that
government, and virtually repealed or abrogated the whole of it; for of
what force can any civil government be, which cannot enforce its laws by
inflicting evil upon its violators? When Jesus took from the Jewish civil
ruler the right to inflict punishment, he declared the only civil
government, which God had ever instituted, and recognized as of any
rightful authority, to be null and void forever. They think it will be
admitted, by all who receive the plain declarations of Scripture as truth,
that no man, as an individual, has the right to render evil for evil, or
to enforce even his lawful claims, by his fist, the club, or the sword.
But if a man has no such right as an individual, he has none as a member
of a family, or as the inhabitant of a town, county, state, or nation;
hence he cannot delegate any such right to others, called legislators,
magistrates, judges, sheriffs, &c. If no man has the right to retaliate
with the fist, or club, or sword, it is equally and immutably true that he
has no ri