Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-01-10
The Abolition Clergy and the
War.

you represent the great body of American
clergymen whom a majority of the people
are beginning to hold responsible for much
of the terrible spirit of revenge and slaugh.
ter which desolates our land. One Of you
in late Thanksgiving sermon, said "the
Nation is possessed of the devil" 1t is
alas, too true. The spirit of war is of the
devil. If the prcccpts Of Christ are true,
all who encourage the revenge, cruelty and
inhuman violence Of war, are "chidren OF
the devil" because "hi3 works they do. "
| Where, gentlemen, have these bad tempers
of he devil been more encouraged than in
the pulpit of the United Statesl While
the horrors of the battle field have been
as much as possible, assuagcd by Chris
tain and enlightened Genera, like McClel
Ian, majority of our pulpits have ravcd,
stormed, and bloached forth the smoke and
flame of the "bottomlcss pit" From the
lips Of the clergy the satanic sneer has gone
hsing forth that "nobody was hurt" One
Of your number declared that 'Ewe want
Generals and soldiers who delight to swim
in blood Have you forgotten that you
profess to be ministers of religion of
peace and love? Have you forgotten that
you profess to be followers Of one who was
''the Prince of Peace who came into
this world to teach the nations to "boat
their swords into ploughsharos, and their
spears into pruning hooks, SO that "nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, nci-
ther shall they learn war any more -
The great lesson Of this life was, in the
language of his lips, "Put up thy sword"
How can you, gentlemen, without d blush
profess to be the disciples of that "Prince
of Peace? You teachers of gospel
which was sent to spread "peacc on earth
and good will among men ~
Ono of you, in Il Thanksgiving sermon,
said "thank God for the rebellion and the
war You whose preaching ombowelg
humanity, ana ills the altars of religion
with blood, followers OF the Divine One
who said, "RGsist not evil ARE you not
rather followers of the "Princo of Dark
ness?" Do you not enter your pu1pts ev.
cry Sunday morning as Marius entered
Rome, burning with revcngeful memories
of the marches Of Minturia Instead of
opening the gates Of the kingdom Of llcav-
en-, to make men Of Zone heart and one
mind " one would think your mission was
to open the temple Of Janus. Instead Of
pointing out to nortals 'the paths Of fpeace,
you are striving to drive them down "the
broad road of destruction. Instead o
preaching and prayingto make our country
what Christ meant all nations should be
"a kingdom Of peace you seem to make
it n province Of hell. Your prayers 60 ou
! like poisoned arrows, only to wound and
kill. Like the heathen law gver, you new
er seen God only in the midst of flames
and swords. You are living back these
thousands of years in the brute ages of tho
world, not followers of the "Lamb,' bu
the savage and bloody disciples of Thoi
and Odin. The meek voice that once
breathed peace among tho hills of Galile(
you have never heard, Not in GaIlilee
but in Golgotha were your altars built.
The great Erasmus said, "All this con
ditions of war are absolutely forbidden by
the Gospel ?' You, gentlemen, know tina
the preceptS Of Christ forbid them Yol
know that the early christians, those VIII
lived Immediately after Christ, who wer'
instructed by his Apostles, believed that
a christian could not fight Maximilian
a Roman convert to { hristianity, on be-
ing brought before the tribunal, to be en-
roed as a soldier, declared to the Pro
consul, 81 an Christian anil c0nnoi
,fghf :" When told that he must bea
arms or suffer death, he replied, "Icano
I.Fghb if ! die" and bravely suffered deatl
rather than violate the principles Of his
religion. A Roman Centurion, by thu
name of Narcellus, on being converted to
Christianity, resigned his commission, de-
claring "it is not lawful for a christian tc
bear arms by any consideration" He
too, suffered death for refusing to fight
SO Cassa, Roman Notary, was put to
death for the same cause. Il am, said
he, "a Christian, aud therefore caunot
fight" Great numbers of the early con
vorts to the religion of Christ, suffered
death for the same reason. Clement oi
Alexandria, defined the Christians, "fol
lowers OF peace" Lactantius, an early
christian of note, said, 1T can never be
lawful for righteous men to 60 to war;
Teatullian informs us that even Christi
anty had spread over the Roman Empire
| ,tnot N Christian oor,l1 ko f,nn1 In tbc