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be appointed to celebrate brother is a murd victories, and to give thanks "See that n to the Father of all, for the evil for evil unt havoc which they made a-but ever follow mong his children. The is good, both an

crimes that have been com-selves and to all mitted may be veiled with a "God hath d cloud of military splendour, peace." and the world resound with "Live in pea the praises of military glory. God of all pead All these things have with you." been, and may be done, "The gospel without viola'ing any of the pel of peace. laws and usages of war, "The servant which have been established must not strive." among nations professing "Be diligent to the religion of the Prince of of him in peace v Peace. land blameless."

But in order to reconcile the conduct of profess the christian religion, and yet make a age war, it has been asserted, that the precept relate only to individuals in private life; that neither preserve order at home, nor protect t from foreign insult and injury, without occ course to vindictive measures. But from they get this indulgence? Is their any thing viour's doctrine or example that affords a pret a conclusion?

Not only rulers are to be governed by vind sions in time of war; but the great mass of must be wrought up to contemplate with pl anguish and desolation of a reputed enemy; to the destruction of his property, and even the

nsciences to be

ereby not responsible to a higher power; they must erefore have an awful account to give at the tribunal eternal justice.

But are christians to relinquish the peaceful, forbearg, benevolent spirit of their Master, the moment they re called to act in a corporate capacity? Are they no ooner to move in public stations, and be clothed with ▪ublic authority, than the consideration of the public welare is essentially to change their duties? to justify a Forsaking of all the feelings and habits which the gospel -equires, and adopting those of an opposite nature, if a supposed advantage to the community can be obtained Dy it ?

Deep rooted depravity, and lasting wretchedness flow from admitting that the general welfare may, in any case, warrant men in dispensing with the meekness, humility, and love, peculiar to the followers of Christ.

What the duty of a christian individual is to his neighbour, or his enemy, the same must be the duty of one christian nation to another. If pride, wrath, ambition, revenge and murder, are sinful in an individual; must they not be equally so in a nation composed of these individuals?

A distinction between political expediency, and christian duty, is dangerous in the extreme; not founded in truth, and of pernicious tendency to morality. Truly, if the command to love enemies; to do good for evil, does not extend to political bodies of christians, all consistency is at an end; individual responsibility for conduct will be taken from man; crimes clearly marked and defined in the Bible, will cease to be crimes at the will of rulers; and men will have two different standards of morality; one, the commands of the gospel; the other, the orders of government, or customs of the world. But, be it remembered, that no orders of government, nor of the world, can ever take away individual reility at the awful tribunal of retributive justice.

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Of WAR we may safely affirm, without fear contradicted by future inquiries, that it is th practical evil" that has ever been popular "Measuring its magnitude by its crimes and it is the grossest delusion, the most dreadful s the greatest curse that ever afflicted the rad Yet to this sanguinary custom, the greater po human family pay homage and afford suppor delusion it is probable that more human been sacrificed, than twice the present popula world. But still war has its advocates even professed disciples of the benevolent Messiah

Nay, have not ministers of religion—and n for learning and piety-been so bewildered b ularity of war, as to lend their names, their their influence to give celebrity to this most delusions Have they not in one breath just Christianity, as prohibiting all injustice, ro every species of cruelty-as requiring of all the spirit of meekness, forbearance, forgivene versal good will ;-in another breath, hay justified the custom of war, which involves a and crimes that the gospel forbids, and sets every virtue which the gospel requires? W one hand they have exhibited the mild and character of our Saviour, as worthy of unive and imitation; have they not on the other e characters and destructive exploits of military temper and conduct formed a perfect contra they had commended in the Prince of Pea men, too, who had nothing to recommend th display of eminent talents in spreading desola and wo, among their brethren?

Let it not however be imagined that these r

made to cast reproach on christianity or its r

postacy

rinciples, as laid down by Christ himself, and to awaken all a spirit of inquiry and reformation.

The palpable darkness relating to war, which has for ges overspread the christian world, and the strong prepossessions which still exist in its favour, have rendered t needful to strip the custom of its delusive glories, and to display its crimes and horrors in the clearest light.— For so long as the predominating influence in Christendom shall be in favour of war, "darkness will cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.”

It is enough to fill the mind of any reflecting man with horror, to think of the millions of his fellow men that have been sacrificed to the ambition, the avarice, the petulance, or the profligacy of ungodly rulers. How shocking the thought, of armies meeting under the influence of enmity, artificially excited, to plunge their bayonets in the breasts of each other; and thus to offer sacrifices by thousands, to some idolized phantom of ambitious or revengeful men! The soldiers on each side often meet without ever having experienced the least injury from each other; with no enmity but what has been artificially excited, any more than they had in time of perfect peace. Yet by art are they inspired with enmity, and made to thirst for each other's blood, and to perish by each other's hands. A more barbarous mode of offering human sacrifices was never practised by the most savage nations; nor one, it is believed, more abhorrent in the eyes of heaven.

The demoralizing effects of war cannot be too seriously considered. We have heard much of the corrupting tendency of some of the rites and customs of the heathen; but what custom of the heathen nations has had a greater effect in depraving the human character than that of war? What is that feeling usually called a war spirit, but a compound of enthusiastic ardour, ambition, malignity, and revenge a compound which as really endangers the soul of the possessor, as the life of his enemy. Who, but a person deranged or deluded, would think it safe to rush into the presence of his Judge with his heart boiling

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with enmity, and his brother's blood drippin hands! Yet in time of war, how much pains excite and maintain this blood-thirsty disposit

The profession of a soldier exposes him to untimely death, and at the same time hardens and renders him regardless of his final accou a person goes into the army, it is expected he will rise above the fear of death. In doi too commonly loses the fear of God, and all s cern for his soul.

When a war is declared for the redress of so in regard to property, if nothing but propert into consideration, the result is not commonly spending five hundred dollars in a lawsuit to debt of ten. But when we come to estimate 1 against dollars and cents, how are we confoun that a man hath will he give for his life." custom of war, men are so deluded, that a rule fifty or a hundred thousand lives, when on amount of property is in question, and when bilities are as ten to one against him, that ever amount will be secured by the contest. It mu again be remembered, that war-makers do give their own lives, but the lives of others.has a war been declared with a prospect th than 50,000 lives must be sacrificed; and whi agents in making the war, would not any or have given his own life, to secure to the n thing that was claimed from the other governm are rulers to be upheld in thus gambling awa of others? Does it not appear that they regar of soldiers as mere property which they may barter away at pleasure?

If by the custom of war rulers learn to und lives of their own subjects, how much more

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