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Perilous Times

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 23, 1865

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 25, No. 25.

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Perilous Times.

By O. Nichols

The bold assassination of President Lincoln, and the daring attempt to murder Secretary Seward, perpetrated through the aid of an extended conspiracy to destroy our government, and burn our large towns and cities, is appalling. It is the most surprising and alarming event in this nation's history. The Lord has suffered these things to take place for some wise purpose. Our government has been exceedingly lenient to high-handed rebels and traitors. They have been suffered to live unmolested in Washington, and even to hold offices of honor and trust in the Federal government; and if any were arrested for treasonable acts, they were not punished.
"Treason is the highest crime of a civil nature of which man can be guilty."—Webster. These acts of violence, sanctioned by the leaders of the rebellion, have aroused our government, and people generally, to deal retribution and justice to the principal leaders of the rebellion, and President Johnson seems to be the man chosen by the Lord to execute the retribution they justly deserve. We hope he has the strong nerve to execute the laws without being biassed by his friends. President Lincoln was extremely lenient to the leading high-handed traitors and rebels. The feeling was prevalent that they would not be punished, but that the leaders of the rebellion would be the arbiters of the South for their restoration into the union again. "The terms of Gen. Lee's surrender seem to be generally regarded as promising amnesty (i. e. pardon) to him and his officers."—Congregationalist.
A general amnesty was expected from Mr. Lincoln to all that would take the oath of allegiance to the Federal government. The leading rebels have no scrupulous consciences against the violation of their oath of allegiance. We believe God designs they should be punished; for he has ordained human governments and "rulers for a terror to evil workers. They are the ministers of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon them that do evil." "Governors are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers." Rom. xiii; 1 Pet. ii, 14. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Eccl. viii, 11. "Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness." Isa. xxvi, 10. How true.
The terms of Gen. Lee's surrender were understood to be a precedent for the leading rebels. R. E. Lee is ring-leader of the rebels, a malicious tyrant, unrelenting, implacable, and defiant, even after Gen. Grant had him in his power, and agreed to surrender only upon terms which promised amnesty to him and other leaders of the rebellion; and after his surrender, he insulted the Federal government in his farewell address to his officers and army.
Should such a man go at large unpunished? If so, then we may expect that "violence will rise up into a rod of wickedness." Eze. vii, 11.
The following remarks from Harpers' Weekly are appropriate: "The country is very much obliged to R. E. Lee and Beverly Tucker for an exhibition of the real spirit of the conquered rebel leaders. R. E. Lee is to-day as utter a rebel as he was on the day when he deliberately resolved to betray the country which had educated him, and to fire upon the flag which he had engaged in honor to defend. . . . These menare representatives of that class of leaders at the South, who inspired and consummated the bloody rebellion. They are silent guns, but loaded still; not spiked or broken, but ready at any favorable moment to open fire again upon the national life and honor. They are the dragon's teeth which are now in the hand of the American government, and people. That hand may hold them harmless, or it may sow them again and reap another bloody harvest of armed men. But if the nation is as true as it is strong, it will secure peace by the entire political disfranchisement of such avowed public enemies as Robert E. Lee and Beverly Tucker, with all the other ring-leaders of the rebellion."
O. NICHOLS.
Dorchester, Mass.