Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-05-23
PEACE DEPARTMENT.
For the Freeman
A WORD TO AMERICAN CHRISTIANS
ABOUT WAR.

II or the FREEMAN.
A WORD TO AMERICAN CHRISTIANS
ABOUT WAR.
Messrs Editors; Will you permit me to address
"a few words to those of your readers who profess
toLelieve, love and teach, without qualification
reserve or doubt, the principles of the Gospel of
peace, as uttered by the lips and illustrated by
the life of Jesus Christi
1t is related of one of great and earnest faith
that "he had power with God, and prevailed, T"
not only in his wrestngs with the Almighty
but also in his encounters with mighty and ma
levolent men. The Gospel, in the integrity of
its vitality, has been declared and proved " the
power and wisdom of God unto salvation Of
man, Of men, of nations, of the world. And to
those who obey that Gospel, to the fullest extent
of its acquisitions, are promised power and
wisdom of God, which neither the power nor
wisdom Of this world can either gainsay or resist
The Prince Of Peace declared, in language une-
'qulvocally clear and energetcally strong, that
they who kept his sayings and obeyed his COM
mandments, should be endowed with an unlim-
ted power to work great works among and upon
ymen-greater works, even, than some that he
wrought himself while going about healing the
sick and raising the dead Now, Christian men
and ministers, at this late age of the world, when
the new revelations of nature & science have done
their utmost to furnish you with new means and
elements of moral strength, do you feel that you
have this power at your commando At this cr-
sis ofyour country, can you lift up standard O.
gainst the enemy that threatens to come in like
flood, to scorch the land with its burning
breath; to set on fire passions as malignant as
malice can breathe or hell endure; to redden the
hands of protesting Christians with the hot blood
of mutual butchery to open every suice gate of
society to deluge of infdelity, intemperance and
every form of corruption, to sow this promising
field just terminating with the seed of the Gospel,
with the dragon teeth of hate to paganize Chris
tianity, and chain it, powerless and degraded, to
the car Of aGorgon-headed Apollyon, to be drag
ged under the axle of his chariot into the red,
Sulphureous riffs of battle, into the human
slaughter-6eld, where deeds are done which have
NO parallels in the record or the region of fallen
spirits?
In the name of God and Humanity, let me, in
earnest humility, adure you to arise like him
who slumbered on the lap of his Deah, and
shake yourselves, and see whether you have any,
the slightest iota, of moral power to hold the
hands Of the Phillstines who are upon you to
stem the desolatng curse Of war, and to roll
back the vengeful current of ignited passions
which threaten to involve in brutal and bloody
Have not the events of the past year revealed your
impotence! Are you not yet awake to the char
acter of your position? Are you not compelled
to feel, and is not the sentiment fraught with af
Fiction, that in discussing the question of open
ing the sluces of human blood the peaceful re-
ligion which you teach and profess is not recog-
nized, by the rulers of your own election, as in
terposing the slightest obstacle to war for ter
ritory, honor, glory or crmel Nay, have you
not virtually committed and pledged the sanction
and influence of the Christian religion to war
waged for any or all oft the objects have men,
tionedl Having compromised between the mex.
orable principles of the gospel and the rebellion.
instincts of human nature, by admitting that al
wars are not sinful, do you not find that your fee
are sinking in treacherous quicksands, the very
moment you attempt to oppose auy aOar? Aftel
having taught a licentous world that defcnsiU
wars ar consistent with the love-breathing doc
trimes of Jesus Christ; after having said to the
infamed and blood thirsty passions ofmen, Thu:
far you may come, can you check the overwhelm
ing and fiery torrent with the broken reed Of
your will, and say Thus far shall we 60 and ne
further!
Sober-minded dispassonate Christians, do yoI
not feel that there is a melancholy parity between
your present condition and that of the shorr
Samson, when he awoke " and visit not that tn,
Lord was departed from him?" Else why hay
you not power with God and men, enough t.
lay your hands upon the Gospel and say, in tn
strength of its power and wisdom, that war sha
never redden again the soil Of Christendom wit
the blood of bIood-bought menl Is not the secre
of your weakness hidden in the fact that 20
have put the Bible to sleep in the lap of carn
expediency, and permitted the Philistines of tn
ungodly world to shear down its highest, HEAVIER
born doctrines, which prohibit all physical resi-
lance of evil or injury, to the level-aye, belo
the level-of the lowest instincts of human n
ture!
But here must stop, where would have b
gun. If can gain access to these columns ne
week, will resume this subject, and in sorrow
full and respectful earnestness endeavor to sho
wherein you have robbed God, and yourselves al
the world of the power, the wisdom and the veal
he had given you, had you " brought all t
tithes into his store-house;" had you adhered
the letter and the spirit of the sublimest preceE
of his Gospel of Peace. E. B.
Prospects Of General Peace-During !
cent debate in Parliament, Lord Palmerston,