another during the past century more than pagans or Mahometans, but the history of their settlements in heathen lands is written in letters of blood. The sword has preceded the gospel, and extermination has followed it. No wonder it is so difficult to convert the heathen to Christianity. As in Christian lands men of the world judge of Christianity more by the conduct of Christians than by the word of God, so the heathen read the gospel in the history and example of Christian nations, rather than in the Bible. The natives of India have seen the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the English, bearing the standard of the cross, arrive on their shores, and, after having spread their conquests by fire and sword, turn on each other their deadly weapons. If this be Christianity,' say they, we want no such bloody religion.' The emperor of China refused the admittance of the Christian religion into his vast empire, because, said he, "wherever Christians go, they whiten the soil with human bones." O, I could write page after page to to show, that war has been the greatest of all obstacles to the spread of the gospel among heathen nations.

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One recent event, however, I must notice. In the islands of the Pacific Ocean, the natives had seen little or nothing of Christian warfare. They readily embraced Christianity. Its peaceful, humbling truths took hold on their feelings. They were converted. They read the gospel, and saw clearly that it prohibited war. They did not beat their spears into pruning-hooks, for happily they had no vineyards; but they converted the points of them into instruments of husbandry, and took the shafts to make railings for the pulpit stairs. War was banished from among them, to the astonishment of the missionaries, who, it seems, were not prepared for such results from the preaching of the gospel. It led them to consider whether the gospel allows war; and they were converted to the principles of peace by their own disciples. "The last pulpit stairs I ascended in Rurutu," says Rev. Mr. Ellis, "were railed with warrior's spears." But mark the change, since the natives have seen more of Christians, so called. They find that Christians bite and devour one another; and they too have left the precepts of Christ to follow the practice of his professed disciples. Mark the consequences. In the Society Islands, says Mr. Orsmoud, "the insubordination, confusion and disregard of the ordinary restraints, which the occurrence of actual war produced, appear to have increased the evils of intemperance." In reference to the effect of war on many of the people, the same writer observes, "I have seen more wickedness within the last two weeks than in sixteen years before." The ordinances of the church were discontinued, and these once peaceful nations have sunk back to nearly their original state. Mr. Simpson, missionary at Eimeo, says, our people returned from Tahiti dreadfully chagrined," they had been defeated, -"and in their anger, for a time, determined to abandon both law and gospel. A great falling off in our adult and children's school followed, and has continued to a great extent to the present time." The spears have disappeared from Rurutu; and the nations now fight, like Christians here, with muskets. That rum has been in

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part the cause of the deplorable change, I grant. New England rum, and Old England muskets, like Herod and Pilate, have agreed in crucifying the Prince of Peace afresh.

X. WOMEN SHOULD OPPOSE WAR BECAUSE SO DEGRADING TO THEMSELVES.-Should I descend to particulars respecting the degraded condition of females among nations that delight in war, I might fill a volume; but it would be both disgusting and unnecessary. Nor let the matrons of our country think, that their fair and virtuous daughters would be exempted from these evils, if ever America should be infatuated enough to desire a military reputation. The females of England who crowd the navy and the camp, or are thrown degraded on an unfeeling world by some gold-laced villain who has lured only to destroy, were some of them once as virtuous, and blessed with as many religious privileges, as their own daughters. The only difference is, that God has appointed their habitation in a land where arms are hardly known as a profession. Let them thank Him who has made them to differ, and show their gratitude by doing what they can to abolish war.

And women can do much. "Women are the mothers of men;" and the future character of a man is often formed in the nursery. The characters of Alexander, Charles XII. and Napoleon, those scourges of God, were formed in the nursery, and the school-room; and, did we know the early history of their compeers, Attila, Jenghis-Khan and Tamerlane, we should probably find it similar. Let matrons then look carefully to the education of their children, and sedulously exclude from them those toys, pictures, histories and poems which foster a military spirit. Let ladies of every age throw the weight of their influence into the scale of peace. Let them read and circulate peace tracts, assist in forming peace societies, contribute their mite, make their ministers life-members of the peace society, and above all pray for the success of this cause.

XI. CLAIMS OF PEACE ON MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL.Ministers of the Gospel are ambassadors of the Prince of Peace, and bound to take him for their pattern and example. Did he ever engage in war, or have any concern in it? If not, how can his representatives take any share in it? The first sermon which he preached on earth, was a peace sermon, the first that was ever preached. How many ministers, who have lived in the world longer than he did, have never preached a peace sermon in all their lives! Do they faithfully represent the Prince of Peace, or do they "shun to declare the whole counsel of God?" Christ blessed the peace-makers, and in that act blessed the cause of peace. Can that minister be called a peace-maker, who has never preached on the subject, or prayed for a blessing on the exertions of the friends of peace? Can he who gives his sanction to war by acting as chaplain at a militia muster where men meet together to learn the art of homicide, or to a regiment, or man-of-war engaged in putting these lessons into practice, and sending hundreds of immortal souls to perdition, say he is the imitator of Christ? Did

Christ, or any of his apostles, ever appear on the field of mortal strife? There is no record of any such example; nor did any Christians engage in war for the first two centuries of our era.

The success of the cause of peace rests on the church in general, and on ministers in particular. It is in their power, whenever they will unite for the purpose, to put an end to war in Christendom. If they neglect to do what they can, blood, not only the blood of the body, but the blood of souls, will be found in the skirts of their garments. Hitherto the still, small voice of the gospel could hardly be heard amid the confused noise of the warrior; but God has, for a long time, wonderfully preserved the nations of Christendom in a state of comparative peace, and I have no doubt the labors of the peace societies have been greatly blessed to this end. There is no need of ministers interfering with the politics of the day. Simply to preach on this subject, or to meet with their flocks, and pray for a continuance of peace, can give no offence to any party. If they have any faith in prayer, any trust in the promises of God, can they refuse? Churches look up to their ministers for example. They cannot, or will not, act without their head. If ministers refuse their aid to the work, it can never be done; and although God has promised a time when nations shall learn war no more, this event will not arrive, until ministers take up the cause of peace in good earnest. It requires a special effort, more than the cause of missions or temperance. It is greater than either; for on it these two mainly depend.

XII. PROMISE OF SUCCESS IN THE WORD OF GOD.-If God had not promised a time when nations shall learn war no more, I should never have called the attention of Christians to this object; for, without such promises, I should never have thought it attainable. But I have full faith in the "sure word of prophecy," which, at the same time that it foretells the advent of the Prince of Peace, foretells that his religion, when rightly understood and practised, will forever abolish war among his disciples, and finally throughout the whole earth; and when I see that the precepts he taught, forbid war, I cannot doubt that the prophecies will begin to be fulfilled as soon as his church shall undertake the work.

The prophecies which foretell the abolition of war, are too numerous to be quoted. See Isaiah ii. 2-4, and xi. 1-9, Hosea ii. 18, and Micah iv. 1-4, which closes thus: "and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Now, who will dare to doubt this word of the Lord? But are we to suppose that, because God has promised these things, we may fold our hands in indolence, and do nothing? We do not reason so on any other subject. God has promised to give his Son the heathen for his inheritance; but so far is this from preventing our prayers and labors to convert the heathen, that it is the very reason we give for our exertions. By what strange fatality is it, that Christians look to heathen lands, and neglect Christendom, laboring with a laudable zeal to convert the heathen,

only all that beatbes ons can to any great extent be coctened wide Christia nons entire the can of va Tas Asthan in our ca=> paralyzes a.. the exeris ff or evitary ales. It is te stof and soom of the Jew, the stingabek of the beatoes and the Musican *Why do you come bere, Wolfe?" said a Jew to that missionary in Jerslem To preach the grepel of peace" repued Wolle, Peace." retoned ve Jew, -joox there at Calvary, where your different sets of Christians would fg for an empty sepulture, if the sword of the Maestiman did not restrain you. When the true Mewah comes, be will bacish war."

It is remarked by experienced Christians, that God seldom, or never, grants a revival when the state of religion in the church is low, and for the best of reasts. Converts will come up only to the standard of the church that receives them. The higher her standard, not only the more, but the purer will be her converts. So of the church universal-wile she allows war, intemperance, and kindred practices, her converts, what few there may be, will allow themselves in the very same. Had the primitive church allowed polygamy, that vicious custon would have remained in the church; and if the church continue to allow war, war will continue to the end of the world. The heathen cannot be converted until the church renounces and denounces war. They would be converted only to a fighting Christianity which would bring the millennium no nearer. But let the church renounce all the abominations of the world, particularly war; and the heathen, seeing the peace and purity of Christianity, will of themselves flock to her. Their conversion will be the effect, not the cause. God has promsed the time when nations shall learn war no more; and when Christian nations shall set the example, he will crown with success their labors to convert the heathen.

XIII. THE CAUSE OF PEACE Belongs to CHRISTIANS.-Christians are the salt of the earth; but if the salt hath lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? Are they to look to the world for an example, and expect it to go ahead of them in accomplishing the will of God? They are the light of the world. If that light shall be obscured or put out, are they to borrow light from morality, philanthropy, or other unbaptized virtues? No, an extinguished sun might as well be lighted by a taper. Let us pray, that the cloud of prejudice on the subject of war may be removed, and the church shine in all the splendor which she at first exhibited, when no one was justified in rendering evil for evil-when the church preached and practised the duty of loving enemies, and overcoming evil with good.

I have endeavored to produce a few reasons why all who profess to be governed by Christian principles, should put their shoulders to this work, and call on God for help; but do any ask, what can we do? I answer, just the same that you do for the conversion of the heathen. Let every minister of the gospel labor to undeceive his people as to the true nature of war, and show its absolute inconsistency with the religion of Christ. Christian nations must first be converted from this sin. All its abominations should be clearly pointed out; and the exceeding sinfulness of war should be clearly brought to light. Next, let the churches unite in humble and hearty prayer to Almighty God, that he would remember his promise, and do as he hath said.' Let them pray, and pray fervently, that wars may cease to the ends of the earth. An annual concert of prayer is recommended on or near the 25th of December in each year; and, if a majority of the churches in this country would unite in observing some part of that day or evening to implore God's blessing on the cause of peace, might we not expect that the churches of England, where the peace cause has many more efficient friends than it has in this country, would imitate our example, as they have in the temperance cause? If the churches generally in Great Britain and the United States, should engage in this concert, would it be possible for the rulers of either country to declare war against the other? When this concert of prayer has been established in the United States and Great Britain, it is reasonable to expect that evangelical churches on the continent. and through the world, will eventually join in it. Who that has any faith in the efficacy of prayer, can doubt that such prayers would be answered? Christian rulers would not dare to declare war, when they saw the best part of their subjects engaged in prayer against it. War would begin to be considered as a sin, a relic of barbarism, and would be abandoned by all Christian and civilized people. Disputes might still arise among nations; but war never was, and never will be, necessary to settle them, any more than boxing and duelling are necessary to settle disputes between individuals. Nations can, if they will, as easily find some peaceable method of settling their difficulties, as professors of religion find a way to settle difficulties in the church without resorting to personal violence. Arbitration, or a congress of nations,