from the sacred pages of inspiration, the author hopes, will not be found unworthy of the attention of the critic, the scholar, and the divine. One thing may safely be affirmed, concerning the resistance of evil by armed force, which is, that it is a system that does not work well. The truth of this is attested by universal history, and by the present state of almost every nation in Europe. Whence proceed the accumulated evils under which all are now labouring? Are they not, in a great degree, owing to men preferring the heroic to the Christian character; the pliant and narrow policy of the present age, to the generous, independent, and benevolent spirit of the Gospel of Peace? "The Though this policy is sanctioned by the authority of antiquity, yet the present taste is at variance with that of the most learned and polished nation among the ancients; and, in this respect, a doubt may be entertained whether ancient or modern Athens has the best claim to wisdom. Athenians," we are told, "spent their time in nothing else but to tell or to hear some new thing *" The predominant taste of modern Athens is to tell or to read some old thing, and to search the dusty tomes of remote ages. That this may not only amuse, but instruct, cannot be denied; but it must at the same time be admitted, that works of the kind alluded to, have a powerful tendency, by employing the mind on trifles, to repress the spirit of improvement, particularly of religious improvement; and, if not to restore the deeds of chivalry, to check the progress of Christianity (with which these works have little in common), and keep things as they are. That some of our most popular writers should, therefore, have honours conferred on them by statesmen, is in the natural course of things; for their writings may be consi Acts xvii. 21. dered as convenient checks, or mounds, to prevent the too rapid progress of moral and intellectual improvement. They fix the attention of a large portion of mankind on what are called the good olden times, thus reconciling them to trivial pursuits, instead of exciting them, by the study of the sacred volume of inspiration, to look forward into futurity; to aim at higher virtues than military heroism and chivalry; and to prepare their minds for those times anticipated by the poet, when "The lion, and the libbard, and the bear, Graze with the fearless flocks; all bask at noon Of the same grove, and drink one common stream." COWPER. Notwithstanding so little interest has been hitherto excited to the subject, the author has proceeded in publishing the Three Parts of his Observations on the Causes and Evils of War, &c. And, though writing under circumstances little encouraging, the employment has afforded him the conscious satisfaction of believing that he has been discharging his duty to his Maker, his Saviour, and his fellow-creatures; and he will add, to his King and country; for he feels the fullest conviction, that the endeavour to establish correct Christian principles is real patriotism, and that those principles form the best foundation for the permanent greatness of a nation, and the safest pillars for the throne. Cheered by the "day-star of prophecy that shineth as in a dark place," the author indulges a fervent hope that what he has written will be read with approbation, when the * The Series of Letters was published in Three Parts, and at different times. The "Letter to the King" was published some time before them. meek and patient courage of the Christian shall be held in higher honour than the dauntless intrepidity of the hero; when implicit obedience to Christ shall take place of the pliant and selfish policy of the world; when men, either from greater intensity of suffering occasioned by war, or from better understanding the spirit of the religion of Christ, or from a union of these causes, shall altogether abandon the profession of arms. To suppose that these pages, disregarded by the critics of the present age of learning and investigation, will outlive their author, may appear to spring from vanity, rather than from the anticipations of a sound judgement. He should, indeed, consider himself as chargeable not only with vanity, but with excess of folly, were he to found his expectations of posthumous fame upon any imagined merit these Letters may possess. His hopes are founded on the certainty that a time will arrive, when the present delusions concerning war will be dispelled; a time when the nineteenth century, instead of being celebrated as a period distinguished for wisdom and benevolence, will have its merits and demerits duly appreciated. The philanthropist, who looks forward to an improved state of society, has the satisfaction of knowing, that inquirers concerning the subject of these pages have of late years greatly increased; and that Christians professing the most contrary creeds, and men of strong natural intellect and extensive knowledge, have been found in various countries, entertaining the same views as are advocated in these Letters. Some may, and some already have censured the author for a departure, not only from patriotic, but also from Christian principles. To make such charges is easy; but not so to prove them. No one, whatever danger he may foresee in carrying into practice the principle which these Letters advocate, will deny that in theory the principle itself is correct; viz. that the great Creator of the world is also its present King and Governor; and that it is the positive duty of every believer in the inspired volume of revelation, to examine the laws it establishes and the duties it imposes, and to aim at perfect obedience to them. If, in the present state of society, this is considered impracticable, it affords no mean presumption that a want of moral principle has placed modern nations in a similar dilemma to that in which Christianity placed the Jews: like the Jewish rulers, statesmen of the present day apprehend that if they adopt the Gospel of Peace, so far as to act upon it, that other nations "will come and take away their place and nation*." Such a fear is inconsistent with Christian faith, that simple faith which teaches that "God is; and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him." This faith appears to possess little influence on the actions or councils of nations. The present times, as they regard Britain, may be considered as critical in the extreme. We are burthened with a debt incurred by war, greater than the history of the whole world records; and instead of possessing the means of liquidating this debt, the wisest men are puzzled to devise the ways and means of discharging its interest, or of affording relief to a starving population. In this state, and all the nations of Europe armed and ready for battle, not only Britain, but all these nations, instead of being placed in security by their military defensive armaments, seem to have added to their danger, and to be living close to the crater of a volcano ready to overwhelm them. At such a period, surely Christians, and especially Christian princes and legi *John xi. 48. slators, ought to pause and ask themselves the solemn question, "Shall the sword devour for ever?" What will be the result of all these great military armaments, no human sagacity can discover. Poverty to a large portion of those for whom God has provided the means of comfort must be one certain consequence. As to Britain, it may be, that blessed, perhaps, with a larger portion of righteous men than other European nations, she may be permitted, by the goodness and forbearance of God, to continue a great and powerful nation; and this on the very principle that God would have spared the dwelling-place of Lot*. It may be that, after having ceased to learn war, she may be made the honoured instrument of Providence in establishing, along with the Gospel of Peace, universal peace and security. But to expect this so long as she continues a great belligerent nation, is an expectation as vain, as to look for thorns producing grapes. But, alas! the very reverse of this may happen; for of Britain it can hardly be said that she has been humble in prosperity, or faithful in improving the talents committed to her care. The sun of her glory may, therefore, be about to set, and, like other nations raised to greatness by the sword, she may by the sword be reduced to her original boundaries and comparative insignificance. Those who reckon with so much confidence on the rapid progress of knowledge, of the arts and sciences, of religion, and of the benefits likely to accrue from a union of these, may find themselves miserably deceived; and, instead of erecting new colleges, the ample revenues of those already in existence, and the treasures of a richly-endowed church, may be seized upon by the rapa *Genesis xviii. 29. |