permitted, but _retaliation_, as, "an eye for an eye"; "a tooth for a tooth"; "life for life," etc. The question to be decided is whether these regulations are still in force, or whether they were disannulled by the gospel dispensation. The life and precepts of our Lord and his disciples while under the unerring guidance of his spirit must be our only authority in this inquiry. That many things were done away by the gospel dispensation, none will deny who believe the gospel. The ceremonial part, which was only a shadow of good things to come, vanished away when the substance appeared; and not only the ceremonial part was abolished, but many other practices. Polygamy was permitted under the law, but forbidden under the gospel. Divorce was allowed under the Mosaic but prohibited under the gospel dispensation, except in the case of adultery. Under the Mosaic dispensation the penalty for whoredom was stoning to death. This penalty was not enforced under the gospel dispensation, as may be seen in John viii. 11. That all kinds of war, revenge, and fighting were utterly prohibited under the gospel dispensation we think appears evident not only from the life of our glorious Mediator but from his express precepts. "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews." No comment can add force to this passage, for it is apprehended that no language can be more explicit against defensive war. In Christ's Sermon on the Mount he quoted a passage from Exodus, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That _ye resist not evil_: but whatsoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." The force of this passage has generally been obviated by saying that we are not to take all the words of our Lord literally. Although this is admitted, yet we are absolutely bound to take the spirit of every word, if we can understand them, by comparing the Scriptures with the Scriptures. That the spirit of this passage is directly opposed to the one our Lord quoted from Exodus, we think cannot fairly be denied; and, of course, it disannulled it, for he who had power to make laws under one dispensation had power to abrogate them under another.