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christ, in and through every part of governing Christendom.

In the darkest ages of Romish superstition, a martial spirit of zeal and glory for the gospel broke forth in kings, cardinals, bishops, monks, and friars, to lead the sheep of Christ, saints, pilgrims, penitents, and sinners of all kinds, to proceed in battle array to kill, devour, and drive the Turks from the land of Palestine and the old earthly Jerusalem. These blood-thirsty expeditions were called an holy war, because it was a fighting for the holy land; they were called also a croisade, because crosses and crucifixes made the greatest glitter among the sharpened instruments of human murder. Thus, under the banner of the cross, went forth an army of church wolves, to destroy the lives of those whom the Lamb of God died on the cross to save.

The light which broke out at the Reformation abhorred the bloody superstitious zeal of these Ca. tholic heroes. But (N. B.) what followed from this new-risen, reforming light, what came forth instead of those holy croisades? Why, wars, if possible, still more diabolical. Christian kingdoms, with blood-thirsty piety, destroying, devouring, and burning one another, for the sake of that which was called Popery, and that which was called Protestantism.

Now, who can help seeing that Satan, the prince

of the powers of darkness, had here a much greater triumph over Christendom, than in all the holy wars and croisades that went before? For all that was then done by such high-spirited fighters for old Jerusalem's earth, could not be said to be sỡ much done against gospel light, because not one in a thousand of those holy warriors were allowed to see what was in the gospel. But now, with the gospel opened in every one's hands, Papists and Protestants make open war against every divine virtue that belonged to Christ, or that can unite them with that Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. I say against every divine, redeeming virtue of the Lamb of God, for these are the enemies which Christian war conquers. For there is not a virtue of gospel goodness but has its death-blow from it; for no virtue has any gospel goodness in it, any further, than as it has its birth and growth in and from the Spirit of Christ; where his nature and Spirit is not, there is nothing but the heatlien to be found, which is but saying the same truth as when the apostle said, that he who hath not, or is not led by the Spirit of Christ, is none of his.

Now, fancy to yourself Christ, the Lamb of God, after his divine sermon on the mount, putting himself at the head of a blood-thirsty army, er St Paul going forth with a squadron of fire and

brimstone, to make more havoc in human lives than a devouring earthquake.

But if this be too blasphemous an absurdity to be supposed, what follows, but that the Christian who acts in the destroying fury of war, acts in full contrariety to the whole nature and Spirit of Christ, and can no more be said to be led by his Spirit, or be one with him, than those his enemies, who 66 came forth with swords and staves to take him."

Blinded Protestants think they have the glory of slaughtering blind Papists; and the victorious Papist claims the merit of having conquered troops of heretics. But, alas! the conquest is equally great on both sides, both are entitled to the same victory; and the glorious victory on both sides, is only that of having gospel goodness equally under their feet.

When a most Christian majesty, with his Catho lic church, sings a Te Deum at the high altar, for rivers of Protestant blood poured out; or an Evangelic church sings praise and glory to the Lamb of God, for helping them from his holy throne in heaven to make Popish towns like to Sodom and Go morrha, they blaspheme God as much as Cain would have done, had he offered a sacrifice of praise to God for helping him to murder his brother. Let such worshippers of God be told this, that the field of blood gives all its glory to Satan, who was

a murderer from the beginning, and will to the end of his reign be the only receiver of all the glory

that can come from it.

A glorious Alexander in the heathen world, is a shame and reproach to human nature, and docs more mischief to mankind in a few years, than all the wild beasts, in every wilderness upon earth, have ever done from the beginning of the world to this day. But the same heroe, making the same ravage from country to country with Christian soldiers, has more thanks from the devil, than twenty Pagan Alexanders would ever have had. To make men kill men, is meat and drink to that roaring adversary of mankind, who goeth about seeking whom he may devour. But to make Christians kill Christians for the sake of Christ's church, is his highest triumph over the highest mark, which Christ has set upon those whom he has purchased by his blood. "This commandment," says he, "I give unto you, that ye love one another. By this shall men know that ye are → my disciples, if ye love one another as I have loved you."

Can the duelist, who had rather sheath his sword in the bowels of his brother, than stifle that which he calls an affront, can he be said to have this mark of his belonging to Christ? and may not he that is called his SECOND, more justly be said to be second to none in the love of human murder?

Now, what is the difference between the haughty duelist with his provided second, meeting his ad, versary with sword and pistol behind a hedge, or a house, and two kingdoms with their high-spirited regiments slaughtering one another in the field of battle? It is the difference that is between the murder of one man, and the murder of a hundred thousand.

Now imagine the duelist fasting and confessing his sins to God to-day, because he is engaged to fight his brother to-morrow; fancy again the conqueror got into his closet, on his bended knees, lifting up hands and heart to God for blessing his weapons with the death of his brother; and then you have a picture in little of the great piety that begins and ends the wars all over heavenly Christendom.

What blindness can well be greater, than to think that a Christian kingdom, as such, can have any other goodness, or union with Christ, but that very goodness, which makes the private Christian to be one with him, and a partaker of the divine nature ? Or that pride, wrath, ambition, envy, covetousness, rapine, resentment, revenge, hatred, mischief, and murder, are only the works of the devil, whilst they are committed by private or single men, but when carried on by all the strength and authority, all the hearts, hands, and voices of a whole nation, that the devil is then quite driven

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