The Quakers ground the illicitness of war on several passages, which are to be found in the New Testament*. I shall not quote all the texts, which they bring forward, but shall make a selection of them on this occasion.

Jesus Christ, in the famous sermon which he preached upon the mount, took occasion to mention specifically some of the precepts of the Jewish law, and to inform his hearers that he expected of those, who were to be his true disciples, that they would carry these to a much higher extent in their practice under the New Dispensation, which he was then affording them. Christianity required

* The Quakers have been charged with inconsistency in refusing military service, and yet in paying those taxes, which are expressly for the support of wars. To this charge they reply, That they believe it to be their duty "to render to Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's," and to leave the application of it to Cæsar himself as he judges best for the support of Government. This duty they collect from the example of Jesus Christ, who paid the tribute-money himself, and ordered his Disciples to do it, and this to a Government not only professedly military, but distinguished for its idolatry and despotism. Personal service, however, they conceive to militate against a positive command by our Saviour, which will be explained in this chapter.

a greater

a greater perfection of the human character than was required under the Law. Men were not only not to kill, but not even to cherish the passion of revenge. And "Whereas it was said of old, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, I say unto you, says Christ, that ye resist not evil. But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also*." And further on in the same chapter he says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies †, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you. For, if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Now the Quakers are of opinion, that no man can receive this doctrine in his heart, and assist either offensively or defensively in the operations of war. Other passages, quoted by the members of

* Matt. v. 38, &c.

+ The Heathen nations, on account of their idolatry, were called Enemies by the Jews.

this Society in favour of their tenet on war, are taken from the apostles Paul and James conjointly.

The former, in his second epistle to the Corinthians, says, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; to the casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ*." From this the Quakers argue, that the warfare of Chris, tianity, or that which Christianity recog+ nises, is not carnal but spiritual, and that it consists in the destruction of the evil imaginations, or of the evil lusts and passions of men; that is, no man can be a true soldier of Christ, unless his lusts are subdued, or unless the carnal be subdued by the spi ritual mind. Now this position having been laid down by St. Paul, or the position hav→ ing been established in Christian morals, that a state of subjugated passions is the great characteristic mark of a true Christian, they

* 2 Cor. x. 3, 4,

5.

draw

draw a conclusion from it by the help of the words of St. James. This apostle, in his Letter to the dispersed Tribes, which were often at war with each other as well as with the Romans, says, "From whence come wars and fightings amongst you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members*?" But if wars come from the lusts of men, then the Quakers say that those, who have subdued their lusts, can no longer engage in them; or, in other words, that true Christians, being persons of this description, or being such according to St. Paul as are redeemed out of what St. James calls the very grounds and occasions of war, can no longer fight. And as this proposition is true in itself, so they conceive the converse of it to be true also. For if there are persons, on the other hand, who deliberately engage in the wars and fightings of the world, it is a proof that their lusts are not yet subjugated; or that, though they may be nominal, they are not yet arrived at the stature of true or of full-grown Christians.

A third quotation, made by the Quakers, is taken from St. Paul exclusively: "Now if

#James iv. 1.

any

any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his*;" that is, If men have not the same disposition, which Jesus Christ manifested in the different situations of his life,the same spirit of humility, and of forbearance, and of love, and of forgiveness of injuries, or if they do not follow him as a pattern,—or if they do not act as he would have done on any similar occasion,-they are not Christians. Now they conceive, knowing what the Spirit of Jesus was by those things, which have been recorded of him, that he could never have been induced or compelled by any earthly consideration or power to engage in the wars of the world. They are aware that his mission, which it became him to fulfil, and which engrossed all his time, would not allow him the opportunity of a military life. But they believe, independently of this, that the Spirit, which he manifested upon earth, would have been of itself a sufficient bar to such an employment. This they judge from his opi nions and his precepts. For how could he have taken up arms to fight, who enjoined in the New Dispensation that men were not

* Rom. viii. 9.

to