Mr. 'Turner on Crimes and Vuntjhmcnts. 353 



But the punifliment of murder by death, it is 

 faid, does not appear to have deduced its 

 origin or obligation fionn the law of Mofes 

 alone, but to have been required by the pre- 

 cept given to Noah and his pollerity, * " Whofo 

 " fheddeth nnan's blood, by man fhall his blood 

 " be Ihed," and confequenily to be obligatory 

 upon all the defcendants of that patriarch. I 

 hope I fhall not offend any one, by taking the 

 liberty to put my own fcnfe upon this celebrated 

 paffage; and to enquire, why it fhould be 

 deemed a precept at all. To me, I muft con- 

 fefs, it appears to contain nothing more than 

 a declaration of what will generally happen j 

 and in this view, to ftand upon exadlly the fame 

 ground with fuch paifages as the following, -j- 

 " He that leadeth into captivity fliall go into 

 " captivity : " He that taketh up the fword 

 " fhall periih by the fword." The form of ex- 

 prefTion is precifely the fame in each of thefe 

 texts; why then may they not be all interpreted 

 in the fame manner, and confidered, not as com- 

 mands, but as denunciations ? And if fo, the 

 magiftrate will be no more hound by the text in 

 GeneHs, to punilh murder with death, than he 

 will, by the text in the Revelations, to fell every 

 Guinea captain to our Welt India planters. 



* Gen. ix. 6. 

 f Rev. XV. lo. Matt. xxvi. 52. 



And, 



