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the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed; take all the people of war with thee, and arise go up to Ai; See I have given into thy hand the king of Ai and his people, and his city, and his land. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand towards Ai, for I will give it into thy hand.-Josh. viii, 1-29. comp. ch x, 8. ch xi, 6. The children of Israel asked the Lord, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold I have delivered the land into his hand.-Judges, i, 1. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped, will I save you and deliver the Midianites into thy hand. And the three companies blew the trumpets and brake the pitchers, and cried, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. And Gideon came to Jordan and passed over, he and the three hundred men that were with him, faint yet pursuing them. &c,-Judges, chs vii, and viii. Then they told David, Behold the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshing floors. Therefore David enquired of the Lord, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said unto

David. Go and smite the Philistines and save Keilah. And David's men said unto him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we come to Keilah, against the Philistines? Then David enquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hands. So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter.-1 Sam. xxiii, I—5. But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it and went down to the hold. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David enquired of the Lord, Shall I go up to the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thy hand. And David went up and smote them and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of the place Baal-perazim.-2 Sam. v, 17.--20, comp, v 22--25. and 1 Kings xx,13,14.

If the doctrine of the Peace Society be true, that war is never a proper resort, then it was no more justifiable under the old dispensation than under the new: and we leave these wise men to extricate themselves from the dilem ma of making God a sinner: for the passages above quoted exhibit him, commanding war, appearing armed, marshalling the host, directing the battle, and moving before his saints in a vesture dipped in the blood of inimical and warlike states. Will the Quakers, who are here my chief opponents, say that although antient Israel might so contend, yet according to the Gospel a christian nation must not fight? We have in a previous article clearly exposed this grand error of imagining the church of the New Testament is also intended to be a civil state; and Quakerism is broken up by the argument, as well as some other fellowships: indeed the whole community of professors, as now constituted. falls before it-and the heavens are rolled away! The church of Christ unlike their predecessors of the Mosaic economy, is not a nation: else war would have been among the means at its disposal, To the close of time, it is only a spiritual association therefore is

forbidden the use of the sword in the maintenance of its worship. And with all due deference to the various religious bodies, who are laboring to bring about the occurrence, there never has been, there is not, and never will be such a thing as a christian nation. But our Lord's own words before Pilate, testify that temporal states may now as formerly, arm on just occasions. My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, (that is if my church were a civil polity) then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews.-John, xviii, 36.

If

Only one point further claims our regard. Can a disciple of Jesus Christ consistently bear arms in the service of his country? the Church is simply a spiritual brotherhood, it follows that it is permanently in all civil matters under the temporal power in the land of its sojourn. Now, if the temporal power is of the Almighty permitted to wage war, and the members of the church as its subjects be - not suffered to take a part in it, a palpable

contradiction becomes manifest in the commands of Jehovah: a solecism in his management of

the universe is apparent that would undeify Him: a secular imperium in imperio, a civil state in a civil state is the consequence-a piece of confusion that it were blasphemous to charge on the infinite wisdom of God. John the fore

runner of Christ, did not enjoin the soldiers who came to his baptism, to leave the military occupation. Our Lord and his apostles received military men into the flock; and yet not a syllable was uttered by the Holy Ghost against their continuance in this employment. Therefore, a christian refusing to fight for his country, is a traitor to the State, and is a disgrace to the cross of Christ.

FINIS.

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