The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-01-05 00:00:00

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tinguished, at least eclipsed epee. the. Cootieent,
When bloodshed and rapine desolated the opposed
shores, and might triumphed over right. the united
flame of freedom and Christianity shed their benign
influence on this free and happy laud. If France
had had an /sixtieth end an annual Parliament of
his institotion, where the people assembied together
to consult " how They should live according to the
law of Goo"—where "wrongs and force were for-
bidden"—where a tortinvs and outrageous Lords"
were punished—and where the light or heavenly km,
Lice " shined briglwas the sun when, aaceeding the
meridiar4m--41 etched had such institutions,•a ud ob-
served them, that country would have been irradiated
with the knowledge called by our -immortal Bard,
" the wings wherewith we file to Heaven ;" but in.
stead of this it was 'darkened with that ignorance,
which he calls, with great justice, " the curse of
Goo t." I have exhorted, and again exhort, my
fellow-cigaens to investigate int♦ the legitimacy of
those maritime pretensions which involved us in the
late unhappy war with America; let them show, if
they can, their right and not their might—let them
not insult the understanding of every man of common
sense, by saying that might constitutes right : if that
were the troll, if might and right were the same,
and not distinct things, whence the proverbs. that
might overconies right. I have, I repeat, conjured
my coutttryteets to justify, or else to renounce these
pretensions, not for the-sake of their commercial in-
terests, which are certainly greatly implicated in the
questiou—but for the sake of justice, let us remember
that the spirit of British fredom is the true and genuine
spirit of Christianity ; let us show our former brethren
that we still retain some part of the noble sentiments
of our common ancestors—let the whole world see
that the sentiment of justice which shined so- bright
in this country, when brutal force darkened and dis-
graced the Continent, is not yet extinguished amongst
us. Alas! if it were, how wretched• would be our
state! The sentiment of justice is to a Government
what the North Star was to a ship before the inven-
tion of the compass; when it shined bright, they
could pursue their voyage in safety ; but ellen
it was obscured the helm was useless and the
crew •forlorn, having no sure guide to direct
their perilous course. Why have men put . them-
selves to the expence of Governments ?—Wlty
abandon their native liberty?—Why renounce
the natural right to do themselves justice if it were
not to receive jastke and safety in return? That
Government then, which has once lost sight of this
heavenly guide, this political Cynosure—that Go-
vernineut which, by its injustice, has provoked the
revenge or retaliation of Foreign States,• has for-
Cited the trust which the people.reposed in it._ By
not making that return •to the people. which they
purchased at the price of these renunciations, it
ceases to become a legitimate Government. I will
now, Mr. EDITOR, address myself to those persons
who have not been ashamed, both in a certain As-
sembly and out of it, to advocate the exercise of a
despotic power upon the wean contrary.to that sys-
tem of naturel justice, called the Lew of Nations,
and for which Ito other ;Authority can be brought
than mere brutal force. • I will show these weak and
deluded men, for that is the most charitable con-
struction that I can put upon their conduct, a pic-
ture of what their principles would lead us to ;—not
a picturedrawn by the imagination, but a tette-hstori-
es( description of what men really are otters they
lose sight of INA ino justice, and worship that in-
fernal deity called might, or Altfis, or • ilocecu—
for the principle is the ranee--the same accursed idol
has existed iu all ages, oily different nations have
given it different names; but there is one grand dis-
tinctims to be made, the old idolatort of MARS and
Motactat were honest beatheos, hut the modern ido-
lators of Might are false hypocritical Christiatm.
These sass do but expose themselves in their
puerile atteespt to impose on others. They wish to
mate us believe that Christianity was intended for a
rule of private life, not for the government of na-
tions. In their domestic concerns they practise the
Christian virtues ; but in national affairs they con-
trive to reconcile those virtues wjth public vices and
corruptions. They are only Christians at home—
abroad they are conformities to the idolatry, that
may be in fashion. They will give their money to
societies for the Suppression of Vice, but they will
not suppress public vices in a house " where it is as
notorious as the son at noon-day." They will send
the Gospel of Peace to remote nations, the liimloos
among the reel, who are far better Christians than
themselves, seeing that they practise peace and good-
will to all men (without .guy of their false distinc-
tions), in public as well as private, nationally as well
as indiridually—they will, do this, and with their
next breath give their support to cruets .unjust, and
sanguinary warfare. These contradictions they can
reconcile for they wear two faces under a hood, the
one is the stern sanctified face adapted to the taber-
nacle, the other is relaxed and softened down to the
standard that will suit with the coenteuance of cor-
ruption. These remarks it is almost needless to say
are not intended genially to apply to the Members
of the Bible Societies, many of whom have been on
all occasions the uniform advneates for peace. Yet
it cannot be denied that some men who have been
loud in their religions have yet been the upholders
•both of war and corruption.
What a miserable nation of Christianity must that
man have who supposes that it was sent into the
world for private, not public use ; to make men good
neighbours towards one another, but note to pre-
serve peace and good-will among nations ; to cur..
rect, in short, the lesser .evils of life, but not the
great ones. Such a wretched nation of Christianity
'ls • mach of a piece with that Monkish corrop-
• doe of its, which may be found in the arotk .before
referred top, of Sir J. FRODISART, the Prebend of
Chinsay in the 14th century, who was very cum-
plaisant towards Obe murders and robberies com-
mitted by the gentiensen of the Free Companies, but
could not 46 find-words to express his
,horror" at the
same kind of acts committed by the.peasants in the
way of retaliation. Jost so our. hifronted Christians,

it may be remembered, felt no indignation at our
employment of savages either in the first, or last,
AMOTIgall wart ; bet if the Americans had retaliated

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