Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1842-10-05


ing the error and fallacy Of WAR, its utter.
repugnance to every moral and christian
principle, and its entire want of support in
the doctrines and precepls Of the Bible
Finally, let US make the word of God the
man of our council Let Us follow the ex-
ample of Christ our Savior, who, though
scoffed and derided, though reviled and per-
secuted, and openly assaulted by every spe-
cies of cruelty and barbarism, suffering the
treachery Of pretended friendship, as well
as the wrath and indignation of persecut-
ing, self-righteous, and seLfsu6cient heath
enism, YET, like the lamb ia innocence, with
out murmur or complaint, without force or
resistance, fell to his aspiring aim on Cal
vary's sacred Mount. Let US declare His
instruction, and regard fearless His princi
Piles, until the last wall of contention shall
die in tranquility, the last echo Of war its
departure proclaim, and the high floating
banner of peace, love & friendship announce
to the wollu its millennial rest.
No individual believer in divine revela-
ton will hesitate in acknowledging the su-
perior authority of the Bible, over all and
every other institution expressly Of human
origin. No sane and intelligent person will
presume to substitute his own will and
judgment for the laws and regulations Of the
Gospel. Neither will the man Of sense and
accountability, who lives TO the honor and
glory of his Maker, to the good Of himself
and the welfare Of others, shrink from the
proclamation of truth and justice, even tho
it be Ito the pulling down of the strong
holds of the adversary" to the demolshing
of creeds, and to the ovenurning of the
practices Of men. Yea, the man whose
hope and whose trust is the Lord, whose
principles of action are based upon the broad
plan of human redemption, will bear his
arm with pleasure TO the contest, WELD the
weapons of truth with frmness, and risk in
confidence his life and reputation TO the
mandate of Him who is God over all, for
ever, amen.
2. lis Claims.
These, like lis authority, are unparalleled
and imperative. They enjoin more strongly
our observance, being the highest incumbent
on mortal man. No claim can be binding
or obligatory in the absence of authority 10
assert it, and in proportion to the authority
or right of assert, will be found its strength
and obligation. The Scriptures, thro' their
divine Author, possess this qualification in
an infinite extent; the claims Of the Bible
must be considered of corresponding pre-
eminence. To be consistent then, it be-
comes the duty of every individual TO can
didly investigate the principles upon which
human governments are founded, parlicu-
larly those Of wholesale and retail capital
punishment, that we may Observation-Disclosures
! they accord with the express commands OF
inspiration, or agree with lis general teach
ings. Ii they do not agree, and the former
or human governments, found the invention
of man, and consequently ONO higher claims
TO observance than his own unqualified au
thority can warrant it must become an
equally important, and withal a higher duty
to abandon the error and expose honestly
and faithfully the deception. Especially
should this be the case where the evil i.
attended with such bitter and inexpressiblt
consequences as are realized and endured
under the horrors and calamilies of war;
Turn, thou supporter of the military sys
tenn, turn and weep over the mangled mill
ions whose blood has literally flowed thu
streets, and filled the cutters Of the earth
Turn thou aghasr, and behold the ravage:
of death, thro' the slaughter and the slain
Mourn thou in grief, over the once flourish
ing bat now ruined & desola.ed city, whose
inhabitants lie buried and forgotten beneath
IFS deeply instructive though moulderins
remains! The voice is that of grief; th.
wall is that Of death; the end oblivion!
That the Military System is discounte
nanced under the Gospel Desperation, ant
unauthorized BY every precept and eyampl,
of our Savior, must, think, be acknowl
edged by every attentive reader Of the New
Testament. And that lis effects are blooc
and Carnage, | need not occupy space tt
affirm. These are stamped indeIibty u2or
the historic page. The downfall of king
doms, the overthrow of states and empires
fully and most painfully attest their truth
The immoral tendencies of war, as seen an,
recognized through the blushing outrages o
hireling soldiery, are also too clear an.
apparent TO require any attempt al proof
The only question remaining, and to which
shall now direct my attention is, TIL
RIGHT OF War. INCLUDING CAPITAL PUNISH
MENT Here The mailer l. hronnhf to /.