Page:Notes on the History of Slavery - Moore - 1866.djvu/54

 death! Our anwer, hereunto is, that we do acknowledge, that rule, Deut. 24: 16, to be morall, and therefore perpetually binding, viz., that in a particular act of wickednes, though capitall, the crime of the parent doth not render his child a ubject to punihment by the civill magitrate; yet, upon erious conideration, we humbly conceive that the children of notorious traitors, rebells, and murtherers, epecially of uch as have bin principal leaders and actors in uch horrid villanies, and that againt a whole nation, yea the whole Irael of God, may be involved in the guilt of their parents, and may, alva republica, be adjudged to death, as to us eems evident by the cripture intances of Saul, Achan, Haman, the children of whom were cut off, by the word of Jutice for the trangreions of their parents, although concerning ome of thoe children, it be manifet, that they were not capable of being co-acters therein.

The Rey. Increae Mather, of Boton, offers thee entiments on the quetion, in a letter to Mr. Cotton, October 30, 1676.

"If it had not been out of my mind, when I was writing, I hould have aid omething about Philip's on. It is neceary that ome effectual coure hould be taken about him. He makes me think of Hadad, who was a little child when his father, (the Chief Sachem of the Edomites) was killed by Joab; and, had not others fled away with him, I am apt to think, that David would have taken a coure, that Hadad hould never have proved a courge to the next generation."