The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1862-11-13

As with individuals, so with communities.
They should bear long with their Oppressors,
whether foreign or in the shape of their
own government; but there is APPOINT beyond
which forbearance ceases to be virtue
The right and duty Of protecting the COM
mon veal has been recognized by the Al
mighty unequivocally in the history of the
Jews, and indirectly though clearly by the
Saviour himself. On the occasion of his
trial, our Saviour used the remarkable
words My Kingdom is not Of this world
if my Kingdom were of this world, then my
servants rcouId fight" He manifestly de-
signed by these words to teach, LIST. That
his special mission pertained not to the
worldly or temporal, but to the spiritual
interests of men in their individual charaC-
ters; hence the law of his Kingdom, IS
exemplifed by his own mission, was peace,
long suffering and forgiveness. But had
he come, as many expected he would come,
to be the head of the civil government, then
would he have surrounded himself, like
other earthly soyereigns, with soldiers, for
the protection of his person and the public
veal, and for the execution OF Justice
Whilst his mission was different and far no
bier, he yet acknowledges on this as on
other occasions, the dignity and authority
of the earthly Kingdom, and declares
&" fighting" to be one of its proper fune-
tiOns. Indeed war-making grows out of
the very idea of government; which is the
machinery of resistance against all that dis
turbs the well-b being of society, wheth-
er within or without. 1t is ordained
Of God, and is necessary for the existence
of communities. When an army is ordered
out, against a public foe, the principle I'M
derlying it is the same that regulates the
ordering out a sheriffs posse c0mitatas for
the suppression of riot, or arrest of
band of murderers The army is but a
gigantic instrument of public justice, and
when legitimatly summoned to the field is
the Of dained servant Of God and is entitled
to the prayers of Gods people under the
injunction of praying for kings and all IN
authority, and the example of Gods an
cieut people: and its battles should be re-
garded with a reverence such as is paid to
Gods great judgments among the nations
But even the soldier whilst engaged in
the righteous shedding of the blood of the
public enemy is never for one moment ex-
empted from the obligation of all those
precepts of Christ, which require a gentle,
patient, generous, loving and fOrgiving spir-
it toward those whom he is commissioned to
slay. Christ in mingling tears of compass
sion with his sentences of destruction has
shown how the demands of public justice
and safety may be carried out with inexOra-
bic rigidity, and yet all the gentler attri'
butes of humanity, and the graces of reli-
gion be preserved in their exercise. Let
the character of our sweet and heroic Ash
by be our illustration, our example, and
our witness, among the patriots of the pre-
sent war. The sword and cannon belong
to Sinai, and must on occasion fash and
roar, but they have lesson to learn also on
Calvary, where justice and mercy are met
together and truth and righteousness kiss
each other. w. II. R. :.