phecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved of the Holy Ghost."

That God acted upon a wise and merciful principle in giving to mankind the knowledge of future events, might be shown in various prophecies of the Old Testament: I shall, however, confine myself to those which relate to the appearance of the Messiah, Graciously forewarned by prophecy, the minds of the Jews were prepared to expect him. In this was evinced the wisdom, as well as the goodness of God. The exercise of the same divine attributes are apparent at the present period. Enlightened by "the day-star of prophecy," the best commentators on these sacred writings lead us to hope that, at no very remote period of time, the Christian religion, which during so many ages has been in abeyance, or obscured and disgraced by the ignorance, the vice, and the sanguinary character of a large portion of its professors, will be restored to its pristine excellence, and will become universal; that it will put an end to the reign of antichrist, and regenerate the whole world, causing men to beat their swords into ploughshares, and to cease learning war. Although graciously forewarned by prophecy, although experiencing the calamities arising out of a long and sanguinary war, and threatened with evils incalcu

lable from other wars,-still nations and individuals, like Gallio, seem "to care for none of these things," or to ask themselves the all-important question, "Is war lawful?"

If the Jews, who had the light of prophecy and the evidence of the miraculous powers bestowed on Jesus, were signally punished for rejecting him; if they, on this account, remain in their present degraded state,—can Christians hope to go unpunished? Christians, who have not only the day-star of prophecy, but the glorious hopes of a resurrection from the dead! Can they who, notwithstanding the joy that is set before them, rival tigers and wolves in murdering each other, can they hope for the favour and approbation of a just and a good God?

This Letter has arrived at a length which I did not anticipate when I began it; and as I find there are other matters closely connected with the subject of the unlawfulness of war to be considered, I must trespass further upon your patience.

I remain, &c.

LETTER XV.

THE SUBJECT OF THE UNLAWFULNESS OF WAR &c. CONCLUDED.

"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might: let not the rich man glory in his riches.”— Jer. ix. 23.

MY DEAR SIR,

HAVING, I trust, shown in my last Letter, that certain of our Lord's precepts, and particularly that of "Resist not evil," are not to be received with the limitations proposed by Mr. Sheppard, it will follow, that his conclusions respecting the duty of private Christians engaging in war (being founded on these limitations) will be erroneous. This being the main question discussed in the Inquiry, which I proposed to examine, I shall decline offering any remarks on the other parts of Mr. S.'s work, which may be considered rather of a political, than a religious nature. In adopting this line of conduct, I think I am justified by Mr. S. himself. At page 21, he very properly says: "Professing, as we do, to believe in the divine authority of these precepts, it is evidently our duty to judge conscientiously of their meaning, extent, and relation to our own circumstances; and,

when we have done this, unreservedly to obey them.” If I have succeeded, and shown that the grand fortress of Mr. S. is untenable, I need not take up your time or my own, by attacking his outworks. I however consider the whole of the Inquiry as every way deserving of attention.

If I may be permitted to offer an opinion concerning the source of the error of Mr. S., (if he be in error,) it is excess of patriotism; and this will probably secure to him a larger portion of appro bation than of censure. That many of the vices which prevail in the world arise from the excess or abuse of certain virtues, is a truth generally admitted. Thus œconomy carried to excess, degenerates into avarice; generosity into extravagance; religious zeal into fanaticism. All these are intrinsically good, and consonant to the precepts of Christ; but, when carried to excess, they cease to be Christian virtues, and become destructive of pub lic and private happiness.

These remarks apply with great force to the vir tue of patriotism; which, instead of promoting the peace of mankind, has, from not being tempered by the spirit of Christianity, produced confusion and bloodshed. When patriotism attempts to establish the prosperity or independence of one nation at the expense of another, it cannot be too much deprecated, as a sure source of war. If I rightly under stand the subject, some of our enlightened statesmen have of late honourably employed themselves in counteracting the effects of this kind of patriotism, by removing those restrictions on trade, which found

the prosperity of one country on the ruin of another; and which, instead of leading to friendship between nations, have hitherto been productive of jealousy and hatred. However this may be, this virtue, so highly extolled by statesmen, by orators, and poets, derives little support from the religion of Christ. Speaking of this virtue, Bishop Watson says, that

"Christianity, in its regards, steps beyond the bounds of national advantage, in quest of universal good; it does not encourage patriotism in opposition to general benignity; or prompt to love our country at the expense of our integrity; or allow us to indulge our passions to the detriment of thousands. It looks upon all the human race as children of the same Father, and wishes them equal blessings; in ordering us to do good, to love as brethren, to forgive injuries, and to study peace, it quite annihilates the disposition for martial glory, and utterly debases the pomp of war.”

I am induced to make these remarks, from a suspicion that the benevolent author of the Inquiry has unconsciously, in what he has written, been biassed not only by national patriotism and political expedience; but I even think that a portion of the heroic spirit, however little he may be aware of it, is discernible in him. For such a remark, it is proper that I should assign a reason.

At page 140, Mr. S. quotes, and, I conclude, with sentiments of approbation, the following passage from a Sermon, preached in 1816 by Dr. Chalmers: "Such are the mighty resources of defensive war, that though the whole transportable force of Europe were landed upon our borders, the result of the experiment would be such that it would never