butchering one another? What Christians! and what a God do they serve during war!

In the fourth place we are told, that "to fight in a humble dependence on divine protection, and with a simple, unmixed reliance on Divine mercy through the Redeemer, is and always must be the highway to victory and honour."

"To fight in humble dependence on Divine protection!" What language from the lips of a Christian! However, if God on any occasion requires men to fight, they may do it in humble dependence on him. But when they engage in war to gratify their own ungodly passions, or the passions of bloodyminded rulers, how grossly are they deceived if they imagine that God can approve such conduct ! How shocking for men to think of depending on the mercy of God who have no mercy on their fellow beings, and glory in shedding the blood of brethren!

To complete the climax of inconsistency it is supposed, that men should fight, not only in "humble dependence on Divine protection," but also "with a simple, unmixed reliance on the Divine mercy through the Redeemer !" Yes, that Redeemer who gave his own life "to redeem us from all iniquity”—who suffered himself to be led by his enemies as a lamb to the slaughter who spent his dying breath in praying for his murderers who " suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps." Yet the name of this meek and forgiving Redeemer is brought to view, to encourage men bravely to fight and murder one another in the cruel and wanton wars of rulers! The pacific Lamb of God is named to excite in men the undaunted and unreflecting ferocity of wolves and tigers, while engaged in destroying such as he came to seck and to save.

Most sincerely do we hope that the time is at hand, when the Christian religion will be better understood, and more clearly distinguished from the sanguinary religion of Mahometans and Pagans-when it will be known that the blood of Christ and the gracious promises of the gospel, were designed for nobler ends, than that of encouraging men to fight and devour one another. The crown of glory which the Messiah

has promised, is laid up for those who follow him—who “ overcome evil with good," and not for those who overcome by rendering evil for evil.

Had Admiral Saumarez, like Telemachus, exposed his own life in a benevolent effort to save the gladiators of the two fleets from murdering one another; with how much more consistency might he have relied on "the Divine mercy through the Redeemer !" In such an effort he would have been a follower of Him "who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." But where shall we look for a more perfect contrast than we behold in comparing the conduct of the suffering Redeemer towards his enemies with that of a naval or military commander in the day of battle? On the one hand we behold the immaculate but insulted "Son of the Highest," full of compassion, praying for his foes," Father forgive them, for they know not what they do:" On the other hand, we behold a sinful worm, who needs divine forgiveness for ten thousand offences, employing all his powers of eloquence, in arging enslaved and deluded men, to hazard their lives and their everlasting welfare, by endeavoring to destroy multitudes of their brethren, to revenge some real or imaginary wrong, of which the intended victims are as innocent as himself,-and thus occasioning thousands of fellow beings, to close their day of probation in the horrible work of shedding each other's blood! cident

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CONFESSIONS OF PRINCE EUGENE,

THE necessity of wars may receive some illustration from the acknowledgement of Prince Eugene, one of the most skilful and successful commanders and negociators in modern times, who expressly declared that he loved war. Having described the part he took in the Emperor's council in 1715, on occasion of an impending war, in which he of course must be commander in chief, he dropt the following honest confes

sion :

"When I look into myself, I dare not decide whether there

was not a little self-interest in what I said. Glory is some. times a hypocrite, which hides itself beneath the cloak of national honour. We imagine, we devise injuries, insolence and evil intentions, and then we cause five hundred thousand men to perish!" And again

"We are never too well convinced which of two parties is wrong at the commencement of a war. They quarrel, they recriminate, and they go to battle before all can be satisfactorily explained."

This language confirms the impressive lines of Wordsworth :

"Earth is sick,

And Heaven is weary of the hollow words

Which States and Kingdoms utter, when they speak

Of Truth and Justice.",

For the preceding paragraphs we are indebted to a judicious friend, and also for "A good example," which will be seen in the following article. We hope the lovers of peace will seriously reflect on the concession of the lover of war.It shows on what ground or in what sense wars are necessary. If, at the time of giving his advice, Prince Eugene had been a lover of peace instead of a lover of war, there probably would have been no necessity of the war which followed. But he loved war because he loved military glory, therefore the war, was necessary. Let public opinion be so changed, that the murders of war shall be rewarded with infamy instead of glory-as is the case in private murder-then there will be no Prince Eugene to render war inevitable, by his vote or opin ion.

A GOOD EXAMPLE IN SIR ISAAC NEWTON.

DR. Gregory, Professor at Oxford, having received from his father for examination, the model of an invention for rendering, the operations of artillery more destructive, exhibited it, to Sir Isaac Newton to obtain his opinion of it.

"Sir Isaac was much displeased with it, saying, that if it tended as much to the preservation of mankind as to their

destruction, the inventor would have deserved a great reward; but as it was contrived solely for destruction, and would soon be known to the enemy, he rather deserved to be punishedand urged the Professor very strongly to destroy it, and if possible to suppress the invention."

This was probably done, as nothing more was ever heard of it.-New Ed. Encyclopedia by Brewster, Article "David Greg-ory."

How admirable was this decision of Newton, compared with the decision of Prince Eugene, or that of any other war-maker! The invention of Artillery was by Erasmus imputed to the devil; but as men are found bad enough to take delight in using these engines of destruction, we need not reproach the devil as the inventor. But if it could be shown that he was the inventor, this would not prove him to be a more depraved being than those who voluntarily make war, and employ his invention for murdering their own species.

Should another act of Congress for making war be presented to a President of the United States to be approved, we hope that he will reply in the words, or at least in the spirit, of Sir Isaac "that if the act tended as much to the preservation of mankind as it does to their destruction, the inventor would have deserved a great reward; but as it was contrived solely for destruction, and would soon be known to the enemy, he rather deserved to be punished."

DECLARATION OF THE CONFERENCE OE THE METHODIST

REFORMED CHURCH.

The Conference of the Methodist Reformed Church, impelled by a grateful sense of the importance of peace to the world, and the laudable stand taken by their Congregational Brethren in the State of Massachusetts for the abolition of war, feel it a duty they owe to God,their country,and the religion they profess, to declare their most cordial approbation of the measures adopted by that respectable Body, and to assure the friends of peace of all sects and orders that, laying aside all distinction of names, they will unite in all practicable means

to effect an object of such vast importance to the world. And can we for a moment doubt of success when we look to the promises in the gospel? And if where two or three are agreed in asking, they shall receive-shall not the thousands who are daily presenting their petitions to Heaven for peace on earth, be answered in due time?

It is a worthy remark, that the ministers of the gospel can have the greatest influence on the public mind of any class of people whatever; but let it be remembered that in union there is strength. May gainsayers no longer have reason to say, that disunion has its rise and advocates among the teachers of the religion of Christ. War and bloodshed have had their rise and support too much among professors of religion. But we trust and believe that the day is near-if it has not already come, when the children of the same family will no more join in the diabolical practice of murdering one another, because required so to do by unsanctified national rulers; and that in God's Holy Mount, which is his militant church, there shall be none to disturb or hurt-especially with carnal weapons of death. Therefore we will from henceforth consider ourselves as a PEACE SOCIETY, and endeavor to be so as much in fact as in name-hoping and believing that the united efforts of the friends of peace, by the grace of God, will yet render at least the church militant a praise in the earth.

By order of Conference at their Annual Meeting held at Springfield, Oct. 15th, 1818.

JOHN COMSTOCK,

Clerk of said Conference.

The foregoing Declaration has been recently received for the Friend of Peace. The name of the state, in which the Annual Meeting was held, was not mentioned; but from the Post-mark we presume that the meeting was held at Springfield, in the state of New-York. The example of this denomination of Christians, in avowing themselves as a Peace Society, is worthy of imitation, and we hope it will be followed by every denomination in Christendom. Too long have the greater number of professed Christians been unmindful of the distinction between sheep and wolves, and of the fact that sheep