Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-01-30
VOL. XII. NO, Ia

''nef cherIshes pride, malice and revens,
Ind like the image which John in vi,;o,
Jaw upon the pale horse, il breathe. from
It's shrivelled lips, blasting and desolat;on
and death. The prevalence Of ,bs o,.h-
culhvating benevolent feeling ana ~
actions, would cause the desert 70 h,a .-s
blossom as the rose. The prev,,.,
the other would mar all that !, -.
and good, and make every Eden on e,r.
bowling waste. The truth asserted in ~.
text therefore commends itself 10 usa.,
result naturally TO be expected from ,b.
spread and prevalence Of such religion g,
the Bible teaches.
But il il be the natural tendency or
christianity TO produce such result why
has not greater progress been made toward
this glorious consummaton, during The last
eighteen hundred years2 In part, this is 10
be attributed TO the circumstances in which
the church has been placed; and in parts
least 10 lamentable ignorance Of the gen
ius of christianity, OF 10 criminal negl:.
gence in falling TO apply christian principles
10 practical questions. Though the Savior
did not particularly forbid his disciples 10
engage in military service, and though tie
apostles and first preachers of christianity
did not expressly enjoin upon their convert,
10 abandon the profession Of arms, still Inc
incongruity between military and chris.
tan life was early perceived, and many Of
those early christians, upon their CONFER.
sion, renowned the military profession. So
general indeed was this refusal TO bear arms
in the second century, that CELSIUS, pagan
writer of that period, and bitter opposer Of
christianity, brings this as one charge
against the christians. Whatever might
, have been the ground Of this refusal at Gr.l
whether the Inconsistency Of wal with
their religion, or the Improperly of serving
pagan emperor and marching under Idol
atrous standards, or both COMMUNICATES as
early as the fourth century, only the last
named objection was much needed. For,
) from the time that Constantine placed th.
figure of the cross upon his banners Tor
more than thousand years during the lOag
night Of Romish supremacy, christians gen
orally engaged in military service, without
scruple. And since the reformation,
much Of time and thought bave bcen-ex-
pended in a contest for life with the calho-
lies aud in ooptroyorey rasrao,;or, demon,
national pecularities, among the reformed
churches themselves, il is not strange that
many important moral questions have been
: generally neglected. Sill, while the re-
r culiar circumstances of The church account
), for this neglect, they do not excuse il. The
e spirit of pure christianity has been bat i'm
: perfectly imbibed, or lis natural tendencie;
and manifestations have been most lament
= ably counteracted; else the history Of chris,
!, tendon could not have formed, as il now
does, one of the bloodest chapters in the
history of the world. But notwithstandn!
this painful acknowledgement, it is never
> theiess true that christianity is essentially
peaceful In lis spirit, and that its genera
/, |
u favorable circumstances than hitherto, will
Z cause all wars 10 cease, and render even
J the weapons of war useless things to as
|. converted TO other purposes.
II may be Interestingly contemplate, IL:
! few moments, the process by which chs
S tianity will work out this benign result
d Such contemplation may also prepare us 70
s TALL IN with and thus most efrectually haste
D the completicn of the work.
/, !. The precedence of christianity vii
p diminish The causes Of arar, so far as
: ProrocdtioRs may be termed causes. Ia
: almost all cases Of national, as of indTid-
: ual contention, some wrong Of one or the
other party gave birth 10 the strife. But as
o the nations become more extensively AID
h thoroughly christian, their treatment ofcsca
h other will become more equitable. PalPa-
bic and intentional infringements of each
others rights will become less frequent, and
r in the end utterly cease. The religion Of
the Bible teaches a universal relationship
among the nations, and il inculcates moral
: precepts applicable as well 10 national as Z.
: individual intercourse. And when 10 the
d general prevalence of this religion, the dIi-
! ferent governments Of the earth become
;, christian, this relationship will be recog-
k nIzed and these precepts will be adopted as
e part Of International law. Then no long
v er will
: "Lands intersected by a narrow friti
Abhor each othsr.''-
-or " mountains interEosed
Make enemies of nations"
: Adjoining States. no more than adjoining