3 grossly perverted. The nations of Europe are pro- fessedly christian ; but in Europe war has raged un- til it has lost its energies, and it is still cultivated as a science, and followed as a profession, although its principles and its practices are as much opposed to christianity as light is to darkness; and there is much truth in the assertion, that, were christian nations, nations of christians, all war would be im- possible, and unknown among them. Let those who may doubt this assertion, read attentively the Sermon of Jesus Christ upon the Mount, Matthew v. vi. and vii. and let them say if War is in any way cour- tenanced there. To correct, however, the ideas of those into whose. hands this may fall, who think otherwise, a few mournful pictures are subjoined, which have been exhibited to the world during some of the recent campaigns; and that they may not be objected to us the ideal representations of an ever-sanguine philan- thropy, are delineated in the words of the writers, who were themselves eye-witnesses of, or actors in, the scenes they so affectingly describe; and these we shall introduce with the following Picture of War and its effects, drawn by a modern divine. At the final issue of an obstinate contest, there must necessarily be many lives lost on both sides ; de- struction has then done her worst, and selected the objects of her fury; the grave that tells no stales, silently receives her myriads of murdered souls and ungrateful Ambition, forgetting the blood by which victory was purchased, dwells only with rap- ture on the glory of her conquests! Oh! that the great ones of the earth were but a little more inclined to the reflection ! what conquest was ever worth the useful lives lost to accomplish it? what battle was ever fought that did not hurry thousands of tremb- ling and unprepared souls into the presence of their offended Redeemer ?
Page:Picture of war (1).pdf/3
