I ADMIRE your principles and motives; but still say, Make us Christians; and as that succeeds, it will, it must embrace the good which your Society makes an individual object. It strikes me, you might as well have a Society for the beneficial sway of other Christian virtues-sobriety, honesty, chastity, &c. as the Pagans had their "gods many." I am still, my dear Sir, unconvinced of the necessity of your isolated aims, and deem them (I may be wrong) supererogatory. The endeavours to make mankind Christians are powerful and extensive: never so much so in any previous period of the world, and I do trust the Almighty favours the good design; and I cannot but view it, since I reflected on it, in this simple light, that as those enlarged and universal measures prosper, the hatred to War, and the love of l'eace, must of consequence attend it. The Christian will not draw the

suppose, call "anti-governmental." During this period, or at least the greater part of it, war was considered as antichristian ; but when Christians, under Constantine and his successors, had tasted the sweets of worldly power and dominion, Christianity became debased by being blended with state policy; and the monster War, instead of concealing nis hideous form, stalked triumphant, under the banner of the Cross, among the Christian churches, mingling Such has been, with a few almost even with their devotional forms. solitary exceptions, the general state

of the Christian church for the last fifteen centuries.. Our Correspondent says, "the Christian will not draw the sword;" we might ask him, Which of the Christian Missionary Societies incul

cate

With the exception of the Moravians act upon this principle? we know of none. And if this "Chrissionaries cannot propagate it among tian duty" is not embraced, Misthe Heathen, and their labours must fall short of producing Christians who "will not draw the sword,"hatred to war, and the love of peace." must fall short of exciting Are then those friends of Christianity who endeavour to purify it from the corrupt practices that have crept in during the long night of apostasy, to be accused of works of supererogation?

"the

There is no Christian, no moral community, but condemns intemperance, dishonesty, and unchastity, as private vices; no government, to the laws of which the two latter vices at least are not amenable. But when the Christian virtues are tram pled upon, and vice encouraged under the sanction of human laws, we shall not be deterred, by the fear of man, from deprecating conduct that must bring down upon us the Divine displeasure. Is not War the parent of every crime? Who would seek the ensanguined plain or the sacked town for the virtues sobriety, honesty,

chastity, &c.? Yet War, which sanctions every crime, and sacrifices at its shrine every Christian virtue, finds advocates among the majority of professing Christians. When our Correspondent says, "Make us Christians, and as that succeeds, it will, it must embrace the good which your Society makes an individual [specific] object," he says true, if by Christians he intended apostolical Christians. And what is the specific object of the Peace Society? To call Christians to the renunciation of a practice which is one of the greatest stains upon the present professors of the Christian name: in short, to "make us Christians" in reality, and not in theory only, and then, but not till then, wherever Christian Missionaries spread the Gospel of peace and salvation among the Heathen, it will be proclaimed "the Christian cannot draw the sword.".

We are, equally with our Correspondent, friendly to "the endeavours to make mankind Christians,” and therefore invite him to co-operate with us in our " endeavours to make mankind Christians" at home, as the most effectual means of ensuring the Divine blessing on our Missionary labours abroad. Whatever be his determination, ours is fixed, and while we have a tongue to speak, and a pen to write, we shall, with the Divine aid, not cease to expose in the teeth of a jarring world, War in all its forms as a desolating scourge, an antichristian abomination, which will be swept away from the face of the earth by Him out of whose mouth goeth a sharp sword with which he will smite the nations, and establish his own everlasting kingdom of peace and righteousness.

Brief Remarks upon the Carnal and

Spiritual Nature of Man.

[An Extract.]

AS MAN, in his natural and fallen state, is prone to evil, and can only be redeemed from it by the operation of the Spirit of Christ, so there are

two great classes or states, distinguished in the Holy Scriptures, by the terms carnal and spiritual.-Each of these states has its distinguishing marks. The rule for ascertaining the members of each was laid down by our Lord himself, when he said, Every tree is known by its own fruit, for of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble-bush gather they grapes.'

These are the marks by which the members of the carnal state may be known. Their supreme delight seems to be in the objects of sense; they are pleasing and gratifying themselves solely with the material world, and idolizing the powers and faculties which they possess as rational creatures; they refuse to believe in what cannot be made plain to their natural capacities, and in the pride of their hearts, even sit in judgment upon the operations of Infinite Wisdom. The carnally-minded are busy in doing their own wills; and, despising the lowly appearance of the Spirit of Christ as inwardly manifested, they are in a great measure left to themselves; their foolish hearts become darkened, and they have no more conception of the things which belong to the spiritual kingdom, than a man born blind has of colours. They become estranged from the source of love, then hardened, and some at length persecutors. They are servants of a power which has always been opposed to the happiness of man, and being out of the Divine harmony which reigns among the subjects of the spiritual kingdom, they produce confusion and misery throughout the creation of God. They are every moment liable to be carried away by the whirlwind of their passions; they will bear nothing, will suffer nothing. When strongly excited by pride and revenge, they become 'hateful, and hating one another;' and no wonder, if such are the advocates and instruments of Waran evil, which, whether we consider the mischief that it brings

upon mankind, or the malevolent feelings which it excites, must be admitted to stand foremost in the catalogue of those calamities which the unrestrained passions of men inflict on their fellow-creatures.

Let us now turn to that state, which is opposite to the carnal state : this is known by its fruits, but they are of a very different description. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.' Again, The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth. These good fruits can only be produced by those who are in the spiritual state, which is to be attained by co-operating with the Spirit of Christ, a measure of which is imparted to every rational Being.

True religion alone can inspire with true benevolence. When the love of God has taken possession of the heart, we cannot but love all that he has made. We love our fellow-men, of all nations, as the children of our common Father, and, appreciating the value of their everlasting concerns, are willing to spend and be spent to do them good. Our eyes being opened to the vast interests of eternity, we shudder for those who are on the brink of destruction, and rush to their assistance. Love is so eminently a fruit of the Spirit, that the apostle John says, ' He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.' Our Lord declares it to be a distinguishing mark of his followers; By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if ye love one another. Under the influence of this love, which is one of the strongest marks of being in the spiritual state, we cannot think evil of, much less injure one another; and so powerful was its effect, when the Holy Spirit was poured forth upon the disciples on the day of pentecost, that they were bound together as one man in the precious feeling of union with the Divine Being, and with each other in him, that no one considered

the things he possessed as his own, but they had all in common-the selfish principle was overcome, and pure benevolence supplied its place.

Testimony of the Trustees of a

Popular Seminary.

AT a late semi-annual examination of the students of the Raleigh Academy, in North Carolina, Gen. Calvin Jones, according to appointment of the Trustees, declared the honorary distinctions which had been awarded, and delivered an address to the stu dents. From this Address the following extract is made; and it is offered as an example worthy the imitation of all individuals and bodies of men, who are fashioning the minds and forming the principles of the rising generation.

"I have ventured to stimulate your ambition. But take care that it is directed to proper objects. Military fame has many dazzling attrac tions to captivate the affections of the young and ardent. The poems of Homer, by the splendour they have thrown round human butchery, are believed to have had a mischie vous effect on the peace of nations and the happiness of mankind. In the present civilized and improved age of the world a new and higher species of glory is offered to the grasp of ambition. It is that of conferring benefits upon mankind, instead of plotting and effectuating their destruction. It is in rendering rivers navigable, cutting canals, founding schools and colleges, cultivating science and the arts, and improving agriculture and all the means that sustain and embellish life.

It is in carrying the lights of civilization and the humanizing and consoling influence of religion into the benighted and savage regions of the earth, and in cherishing every where principles and practices of benevolence and peace among our fellow-men. Here is a career of glory in which all are qualified to

run, and where many may obtain the prize. No compunctive visitings of conscience ever disturb the sleep of this hero. His steps to fame are not in the blood that has filled nations with misery, and that has drawn down upon his head the heaven-heard denunciations of widows and orphans. No! He has the conscious satisfaction of reflecting that he has performed a great duty, that he has contributed to diffuse widely the streams of human happiness; and the blessings of mankind and the approbation of Heaven are his reward."

Several circumstances concur to render the foregoing address worthy of attention. Its object was beneficent, the sentiments are humane and patriotic, and the speaker was well acquainted with the "dazzling attractions of military fame." He had been, we believe, the first in rank among the generals of North Carolina. A warning and exhortation from such a source must probably have made durable impressions on the minds of the pupils. The example of this gentleman is worthy to be imitated by all who have any concern in directing the minds of young people. It is by the influence of education that children are transformed into warriors, privateersmen, pirates, robbers, and murderers. A proper change in the modes of education will produce opposite results. Let the rising generation be properly instructed; then War and violence, with all their dazzling attractions," will be to them objects of horror, rather than admiration.

66

The Field of Waterloo. [From Raffles's Tour on the Continent.] THE field of Waterloo is now rich in waving corn, ripening for the sickle of the husbandman. What a scene must it have been when Death was the reaper, and gathered his

VOL. III.

thousands of sheaves to the garner of the grave! And what a scene will it be again, when the trump of the archangel shall awake the sleepers that repose beneath its clods, and the mighty armies that day annihilated, shall start up to life upon the plain on which they fell!

I never heard a sermon so impressive as the silence that reigned around me on the field of Waterloo, I could not but connect a contemplation of their everlasting destinies with a remembrance of the thousands of dead upon whose dust I trod. The Eternity that seemed to open there upon my view, peopled with the spirits of the slain, was an awful scene. The bitterness of dying on the field of battle the widows' cries, the orphans' tears-the agonies of surviving friendship-were all forgotten. I only saw the immortal soul hurried unprepared, and perhaps blaspheming, into the presence of its God! I shuddered at the contemplation, and felt how deadly a scourge, how bitter a curse, is War!

Amid the repose which mankind once more enjoy, let it be the care of England to cultivate the arts of peace. Let her pour the balm of the Gospel into the wounds of bleeding nations. Let her plant the Tree of Life in every soil, that suffering kingdoms may repose beneath her shade, and feel the virtue of its healing leaves, till all the kindreds of the human family shall be bound together in one common bond of amity and love, and the warrior shall be a character unknown but in the page of history.

in question," answered Mentor, "you must suppose that your claim to them is good if the Sibarites insist upon a restoration, they must on their part suppose their right to be incontestable. Your opinions being thus opposite, the difference must either be accommodated by an umpire mutually chosen, or decided by force of arms;-there is no medium. If you should enter a country inhabited by people who had neither judge nor magistrate, and among whom every family assumed a right of determining their differences with a neighbouring family by violence, would you not deplore their misfortunes, and think with horror of the dreadful confusion which must arise from every man's being armed against his fellow?-Is not justice yet more sacred and inviolable as an attribute of kings, when it has whole nations for its object, than as a private virtue in an individual, when it relates only to a ploughed field? Is he a villain and a robber who seizes only a few acres ; and is he just, is he a hero, who wrests whole provinces from their possessor? If men are subject to prejudice, partiality, and error, with respect to the trifling concerns of private property, is it probable that they should be less influenced by such motives in affairs of state? Should we rely upon our own judgment where it is most likely to be biassed by passion? And should not error be most dreaded where its

consequences will be most fatal ?

"The mistake of a prince with respect to his own pretensions is the cause of ravage, famine, and massacres of incalculable loss to the present generation, and of such depravation of manners as may extend calamity to the end of time. If he leaves his differences to arbitration, he shows himself candid, equitable, and dispassionate; he states the reasons upon which his claim is founded; that Umpire is an amicable mediator. Though his determinations do not compel implicit obe

dience, yet the greatest deference should be paid to them. He does not pronounce sentence like a judge from whose authority there is no appeal; but proposes expedients,and by his advice the parties make mutual concessions for the preservation of peace."-Adventures of Telemachus, book 23.

Such was the project of the amiable Fenelon, for preventing war, and such the advice which he gave to a young prince. That these sentiments are the dictates of benevolence, few will deny. To say that it is impossible for rulers to carry such a plan into effect, is to represent them as the most ignorant or most depraved of the human race. Nothing but the will not or the depravity of those in power, can, with any reason, be urged as an obstacle to the adjustment of national disputes by an Umpire. As soon, therefore, as the nations of Christendom shall be blessed with good rulers, some me thod of this amicable nature will be adopted to prevent the calamities of War. And so long as the appeal is made to deadly combat, it may justly be inferred that deluded or unprincipled men have the management of public affairs.

"Should, however, any question arise, where principle and not passion is involved, there can be no objection, in a just government, to submit it to the decision of an independent tribunal. If the object of a national claim is sincerely justice, friendly discussion and the mediation of a third power are the natural modes of promoting it. As long as these can avail, no nation that has been sufficiently enlightened to abolish the trial by judicial combat in the litigation of individuals, can offer an apology for resorting to arms in its own cause."*

* See the late Address of the Honourable Andrew Ritchie to the Massachusetts Peace Society, p. 13.