Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1819-12-25

OF Blood and treasure upon the reeking
altar Of Warlike fame; all she could
then gain was laurel stained with
blood. But in the last long war, after
the immense sacrifice of property, mise
~, and lives, what real advantage has
any contending nation gained ?. Nay, We
assert they are all, beyond comparison,
in worse condition than when the cor
test began. Before we dismiss the sub,
lcCt of the European contest, let me re-,
quest you to turn your imagination to
yonder scene of battle at Waterloo.
There we may see the marshaIled lines
extended nearly an hundred miles, and
large number from almost every Euro
pean nation, drawn together by the am
bilious intrigues of very few, without
any cause Indifference which would JUS
tiiy taking the life Of an Individual.
Yet, alas the carnage Of that battle
strewed the ground witt, perhaps, an
hundred thousand slain. And nearly
every village in Europe LOST by the event
! some of its inhabitants, who have left be-
hind them distressed widows and poor
w9etched orphans. The tears occasion
cd by the slaughter of that day, we pre-
sumo, if collected in a reservoir, would
be amply sufficient to swim a n. o
melancholy delusion!
Thus far, my dear friends, the argu-
ments We have advanced have mostly
been drawn from considerations of civil
policy. But it we place our subject in
a higher altitude, view it in the light OF
the heavenly sunshine OF the everlasting
gospel ofpeace, we shall be enabled %
discern in the conduct Of warning chris
tians, SO called, a lamcntable inconsis-
tcncy OF conduct Shall those who pro-
fess to participate Of the gospel spirit
those who pretend to pray for their
Heavenly Father to forgive them as they
forgive their encmies--those who would
join with the angels who announced
Saviour's birth, and sing GLORY to God
IN the highest, on earth peace and good
will to men'---can such characters. be
consistent in taking their swords to ex-
terminate their fellow men--vea, often
their fellow christians too Ancient pro-
phecy predicts there will be day when
the lion and the lamb shall lie down to-
gether; when swords shall be beaten in
to plough shares, and spears into prun-
ing-hoDks; when they shall learn war
no more. All who profess to believe in
revealed religion, will tell US they are
looking for such. day. let most oil
them seem to think thei,s ~ duty Tor
man, no cooperation on his part, as an
agent under Divine Providence, In bring
ing about that blessed period. Some,
with kind Of scof, viii ask those who
arc in some small dcgvec au axe 10 a
sense OF their duty, whether the Peace
Society mean to prescribe regulations
for the furious Observation-Disclosures
element couldbe controlled IN the same
manner as the evil passions within our
own bosoms. Yet we might meet the
objcctor upon the threshold, by telling
him that in governing the natural Gle
ments the efforts of man have performed
wonderful things. III he cannot restrain
the impetuoslly Of the winds, he has
made them subservient to his use, and
found a method thereby to guide the ship
across the painless ocean. We do with
confidence give our opinion, that, When
ever the millennium day arrives, it will
be brought about by the cooperative
agency of man. If we attend to the his
tory of the scriptures, we find that, in ac-
comprising the different religious dis
pensations. the Providence of the Lord
has made use Of the agency of man
Yea, we also learn that those only who
were awakened to understand and prac-
tise their duty, were saved from perish
ing. Noah was preacher Of righteous
ness. Moses and Aaron were instru-
ments in delivering Israel from Egyptian
bondage, and establishing the Jewish
law. So were the apostles and print
tive fathers conspicuous agents in intro
ducing the dispensation Of the gospel.
May we not reasonably conclude that
when the millennium day, predicted III
the Prophets and the Evangelists, is
brought about, the agency OF man will be
as conspicuous as in former times
These considerations ought to stimulate
the advocates for peace to cndeayor, By
example and mild persuasion, to dis
seminate the sentiments of tx: angels
song, "Peace on earth and good will to-
wards men,"
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