9. In fhort, oppreffion, violence, and cruelty, are the unavoidable concomitants of raging war; as it tends to establish tyranny and slavery, so it gives full fcope to the unrelenting barbarity of men, whose tenter mercies are cruelty. How keenly does Job de-fcribe the unfeeling barbarity cf oppreffing rebels? They drive away the afs of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They caufe the naked to lodge without cloathing, they have no covering from the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rack for want of a shelter. They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor. They caufe him to be naked without cloathing, and they take away the sheaf of the hungry *.

10. SUCH is the dignity of human nature; fuch are the bowels of natural man, in power and authority. We are bleffed with peace and liberty, and, in fact, reign as kings-each fitting under his own vine and fig-tree-none making him afraid. But how is it with millions of our fellow beings, who live under arbitrary government? What shall we fay for numerous tribes of poor flaves, both among the Algerines, and other infamous tyrants? Nay, what heart of stune but must bleed, when he reads the deplorable state of the galley-flaves belonging to the French King? Their wretched food is horfe-beans, and their drink only water. They are naked, and chained to the benches-their labour is inconceivably hard; cruelty

Job xxiv. 3---37.

is

is the only qualification in their wretched officers, who can lay on their poor naked backs, without relenting; who can fee their blood and sweat flow, mingled down together!-and, if one dies under their dire hands, he is unchained, and, without ceremony, thrown into the deep, and another miferable being fet in his place. Meanwhile, what agonies must rend and tear the hearts of thofe poor fufferers, many of whom have been delicately brought up, favoured with a liberal education, and thereby the more fufceptible of feeling, as their minds are the more enlarged ! But, indeed, we need not accuse the French, Turks, Algerines, or Tartars, of cruelty; let any one that can feel, pay attention to the ftate of the poor flaves in the West-Indian iflands, or our other plantations. Are not they violently torn away from every thing that is near unto them? hurried into captivity, and ufed with the most favage barbarity, by fuch as are called Christians-yea, Protestants too? ↑ O tell it not in Gath, tell it not in the fireets of Paris, or Conftantinople, left Papists and Turks should triumph. Has not God lately remembered the blood of these poor exiles, in the late expenfive and deftructive war? and who dare fay, that the anger of God is yet turned away? We are certain, that every kind of oppreffion is abominable in the fight of that God, whofe tender mercies are over all his works. O happy, happy day! when

* See the Memoirs of a Proteftant. See the Life of T. Woolman, a Quaker.

when the tears of violence fhall be wiped from every face, and when they fhall no more hear the voice of the oppreffor!

11. FAMINE is very often the confequence of war; for, during the time that every one's fword is against his brother, people have really fome else to think of, than cultivating their land: for as the life is more than meat, fo, in fuch cafes, the prefervation of their lives, and that of their families, claims all their care and utmoft concern. We have many awful defcriptions of this dire calamity in the Bible, as well as in other writings. In the days of Abraham it so prevailed, that he, though a prince in the land, was obliged to flee into the land of Egypt for fuccour; and what must have been the cafe with many of the poor? Without doubt, multitudes must have perifhed. Likewife in the days of Jacob, when the feven years of famine lafted, it is faid, The land of Egypt, and all the land of Canaan, fainted by reafon of the famine. Let any one confider, how deplorable must have been the land of Ifrael, that hot country, when there was neither dew nor rain for three years and a half! When the King and his prime minister went through the land, where there were either fountains, or brooks, or grafs to be found, to preferve the cattle alive. In what a condition. must the poor inhabitants have been in! What difmal fcenes must have prefented themselves on every fide! Alfo in Samaria, how dreadful, when an ass's head was

fold for fourfcore pieces of filver, and the fourth part of a cab of doves entrails was fold for five pieces of filver; † and when the two women had agreed to eat their fons . Likewife, in how pointed and feeling a manner does the Prophet paint this most awful calamity :-My liver is poured upon the earth for the deftruction of the daughter of my people, becaufe the children and the fucklings fwoon in the streets of the city. They fay to their mothers, where is corn aud wine? when they fwooned, as the wounded in the fireets of the city, when their foul is poured out into their mothers bofom §. And again, The tongue of the fucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the young children afk bread, and no man breaketh it to them ||.

12. THESE are but a few out of many awful images presented to us in the Bible; many others are described, and many more implied, in the fame hiftory. Hence, it would be endless to give a fummary of what is said

by

* A fourth part of the Cab of Doves Dung is the common translation. Hence, fome have judged the Doves Dung to be used for fuel, as they cannot think it could be used for food. But it does not appear that there was any scarcity of fire, or fuel, at all; and, therefore, it must have been fomething ufed for food, be what it may; and I would obferve, there is no fuch word as Dung in the original, any more than there is Straw. The word is 1, which fignifies literally, hollows or cavitities; for it is in the plural, and feems pretty clearly to me is as I have rendered, -the Entrails of Doves; which, being cleanfed from the filth, would no doubt be eaten.

by other writers. Even in our land, we read of dreadful famines, especially in the days of Edward II. in which they devoured, not only dogs and cats, rats and mice, when they could get them, but even the condemned malefactors were devoured, yea, the poor carcafes were dug out of their graves and devoured. * Such are the effects of a ravenous hunger.

13. PESTILENCE is often a concomitant of destructive war, and which may be very easily accounted for; partly by the vaft carnage which is ufually made, and the number of putrified bodies which lie corrupting above the ground, or that are but flightly buried, infomuch, that the air is tainted, and causes peftilential vapours to arife, which spread the contagion on every fide. Alfo the unwholefome provifions which many live upon, the confequencies of dearth and famine, often corrupt the whole mafs of blood, and lay a foundation for a general mortality. Such is the destructive state of things at prefent, in which all creation is groaning and travelling in birth, till the face of the earth is renewed, and the land refume its original complexion ; and then the inhabitant shall no more fay, I am fick. †

II. I AM now to take notice of this plague of war, this cruel clangor ceasing, and the brazen trumpet being eternally put to filence. To us, indeed, that would be impoffible; but, with God, all things are poffible-so that He can bring about this defired revolution.

* Vide Hume's Hiftory of England, in the reign of Edward II. + Ifa. xxxiii. 22.