employed in fighting the battles of the Lord-an observation very plainly suggested by the history of Joshua and his followers, of the successive Judges, and of David. And secondly, the contests which were undertaken and conducted on the principles now stated were followed by uniform success. The Lord was

carrying on his own designs through certain appointed instruments; and, under such circumstances, while failure was impossible, success afforded an evidence of the divine approbation. Now, it cannot be predicated even of the justest wars, as they are usually carried on among the nations of the world, that they are undertaken with the revealed sanction, or by the direct command, of Jehovah-or that they are a work of obedience and faith-or that they are often accompanied with a condition of high religious excellence in those who undertake them-or that they are followed by uniform success. On the supposition, therefore, that the system of Israelitish morals is still in force, without alteration and improvement, it is manifest that we cannot justly conclude, from the example of God's ancient people, that warfare, as it is generally practised, even when it bears the stamp of honour or defence, is consistent with the will of God.

In addition to the example of the Hebrews, the defenders of modern warfare are accustomed to plead the authority of John the Baptist; see Grotius de Jure Belli ac Pacis, lib I, cap. ii, § vii, 5. It is recorded, in the Gospel of Luke, that, when that eminent prophet was preaching in the wilderness, various classes of persons resorted to him for advice and instruction. Among others, "the soldiers demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages;" ch. iii, 14. Since the precept of John to these soldiers, that they

should do violence to no man, probably related to their deportment among their friends and allies, it may be allowed that he did not, on this occasion, forbid the practice of fighting. On the other hand, it must be observed, that the expressions of the Baptist afford no direct encouragement to that practice. I would suggest that, with reference to the present argument, his doctrine is neutral. The question, whether war was, in itself, lawful or unlawful, is one which was probably placed beyond his scope, and which he obviously did not entertain. On the supposition that the soldiers would continue to be soldiers, he confined himself to recommending to them that gentle, orderly, and submissive, demeanour, which was so evidently calculated to soften the asperities of their profession.

But, although John the Baptist was engaged in proclaiming the approach of the Christian dispensation— the king of heaven-he did not himself appertain to that kingdom; see Matt. xi, 11. He belonged to the preceding institution; and his moral system was that of the law. Now, although, on the supposition that this system continues unchanged, it may fairly be denied, for the reasons now stated, that the example of the Hebrews, or the expressions of the Baptist, afford any valid authority for warfare, as generally practised, it ought to be clearly understood that the objection of Friends to every description of military operation is founded, principally, on that more perfect revelation of the moral law of God which distinguishes the dispensation of the Gospel of Christ. We contend, and that with no slight degree of earnestness, that all warfare whatever are its peculiar features, circumstances, or pretexts-is wholly at variance with the revealed characteristicks and known principles of the Christian religion.

In support of this position, I may, in the first place,

adduce the testimony of the prophets; for, these inspired writers, in their predictions respecting the Gospel dispensation, have frequently alluded both to the superiour spirituality and to the purer morality of that system of religion, of which the law, with all its accompaniments, was only the introduction. In the second chapter of the book of Isaiah we read the following prophecy: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it; and many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for, out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more;" ver.2--4. The prophet Micah repeats the same prediction, and adds the following animating description: "But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his figtree; and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it;" Mic. iv, 1—4.

It is allowed, by the Jews, that the "last days," of which these prophets speak, are the "days of the Messiah;" and the unanimous consent of Christian commentators confirms the application of those expressions to the period of that glorious dispensation which was introduced by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the actual predictions of his coming are elsewhere accompanied with similar descriptions. In Isa. ix, 6, the Messiah is expressly denominated the "Prince of Peace." In Isa. xi, the

reign of Christ is painted in glowing colours, as accompanied by the universal harmony of God's creation, Lastly, in Zech. ix, 9, 10; we read as follows: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth;" comp. Ps. xlvi, 9.

It is undeniable that, in these passages, a total cessation from the practice of war is described as one of the most conspicuous characteristicks of Christianity. Such a consequence is represented by Isaiah as arising from the conversion of the heathen nations,-as resulting from their being led into the ways, instructed in the law, and enlightened by the word, of the Lord. Whoever, indeed, were to be the members of the true church of God, she was no longer to participate in the warfare of the world. The chariot was to be cut off from Ephraim, and the war-horse from Jerusalem. It is true that, for the full accomplishment of these glorious prophecies, we must look forward to a period yet to come. But let us not deceive ourselves. The inspired writers describe this complete and uninterrupted peaceableness, as a distinguishing feature of the dispensation under which Christians are living-as the result of obedience to that law which they are, at all times, bound to follow: and we may, therefore, infer that, if the true nature of the Christian dispensation were fully understood, and if the law by which it is regulated were exactly obeyed, a conversion to our holy religion, or the cordial and serious holding of it, would be uniformly accompanied with an entire absti

nence from warfare. Thus the prevalence of the law of peace would be found commensurate, in every age of the church, with the actual extent of the Messiah's kingdom over men.

As the language of prophecy clearly suggests this doctrine, so it will be found that, on the introduction of Christianity, there were promulgated certain moral rules which, when fully and faithfully obeyed, infallibly lead to this particular result. Here I am by no means alluding exclusively to those divine laws which condemn aggressive warfare and every species of unjust and unprovoked injury; for these laws (however it may be the intention of Christians to obey them) are far from being powerful enough to produce the effect in question. They were, indeed, commonly admitted in the world, long before the commencement of the Christian dispensation; and neither before nor after that era have they ever been found sufficient to convert the sword into the ploughshare, and the spear into the pruninghook. In point of fact, the distinction which men are accustomed to draw between just and unjust warfare is, in a great plurality of instances, entirely nugatory; for there are few wars, however atrocious, which are not defended, and not many, perhaps, which the persons waging them do not believe to be justified, by some plea or other connected with self-preservation or honourable retribution. In addition, therefore, to the laws which forbid spontaneous injury, some stronger and more comprehensive principles were obviously needed, in order to the accomplishment of this great end; and these principles are unfolded in that pure and exalted code of morality which was revealed, in connexion with the Gospel. They are, the non-resistance of injuries, the return of good for evil, and the love of our enemies.

It was the Lord Jesus himself who promulgated