vestigation put a murderer to death, they do what in itself is right;
but if they do so as those who in their incorporate capacity act for
Him, they do what is wrong. By the deed they are chargeable with the
sin, not of murder, but of assuming to themselves a designation which
they do not sustain. No man in society should take upon him by himself
to execute justice for the shedding of blood, whether he live under a
good or a bad government, except the government refuse to defend the
lives and properties of subjects, and even as some, nay, many
governments have been, be chargeable with oppression and bloodshed. The
reason why none should so interfere, is, that it is likely that the
whole community would execute justice with more propriety than an
individual. Yea, a whole community under an improper civil power should
not of itself execute justice, if there were an accessible power apart
from or connected with it, in which were lodged authority from God.
Those, however, who would in such circumstances claim that power, may
often be looked upon with a jealous eye, as in general they would be
found least entitled to the possession of it. Those who have most
warrantably declaimed against evil constitutions, have been among those
who were least given to assume to themselves a title to power;--they
have been found to defend themselves, but not rashly to usurp authority.
If there were but one individual who could avenge bloodshed, and were
his mind in a proper state, he would seem to have a call addressed to
him to do so; failing to attend to it he would err. Were a community
under an authority not of God, to fail to execute justice, they would be
chargeable with two sins,--that of letting the murderer go unpunished,
and that of not, in recognising the law of God, forming a constitution
or government gifted with power lawfully to proceed against the
criminal. Thus were either an individual or a community to avenge
bloodshed, a lawful power being awanting, such would not be chargeable
with murder. Were a community to do so without acknowledging themselves
to be possessed of authority from God, they would be chargeable with
sin, for not endeavouring to constitute an authority having attributes
which He would recognise as in accordance with his will. Were they to do
so as if possessed of that authority, while destitute of it, they would
be chargeable with the sin essentially of usurpation; and with them,
because of this, others acti