ページの画像
PDF
ePub

all parties rejoice in the event of peace; we hope that on this subject we may speak freely without giving offence. Why then, we ask, is the news of peace a matter of such general joy? Is it not because the war has been felt as a dreadful calamity? Although it is a deplorable fact that there are men in every nation so selfish or malignant, that they can delight in a declaration of war, which exposes thousands to misery and death; yet we seldom see a whole community so deluded, as to rejoice in an event which is acknowledged to be a frown of heaven, and a curse to the nation. We must therefore conclude, that there is now a general impression on the minds of people, that PEACE is better than war.

But if war is an evil of so dreadful a character, that a temporary deliv. erance from it will diffuse joy through a nation; is it not suitable to inquire, whether something may not be done to prevent a recurrence of this awful scourge? If war originated, like earthquakes, from causes over which human agency has no control, still it would be our duty to humble our. selves for our offences, carefully to avoid every thing which would tend to provoke the displeasure of God, and to do whatever would tend to secure his favor. How much more then should means be used to prevent the recurrence of a calamity, which results directly from the lusts, the passions and the delusive opinions of mankind! Inordinate lusts or passions for wealth, and fame, and power, are the sources of war. From the indulgence of these passions in different persons, aspiring for the same objects, originates hatred, envy, and the spirit of revenge; and from these malignant feelings, proceed malignant remarks, speeches, and writings. The reiteration of abusive language augments the malignity, until men become ripe for a declaration of war, and to sheath their swords in the hearts of each other; yea, even in the hearts of such as never gave them the least provocation. So

"Volcanos bellow ere they disembogue"

course of conduct, are the very reverse of those enjoined by the precepts and the example of the Lord Jesus? Was it not the very design of the christian religion, to subdue the passions from whence wars and fightings proceed?

If such be the causes of war, and such the design and tendency of the gospel; shall christians forbear all efforts to secure a continuance of the blessings of peace? Shall they conduct as though they had no more concern in the causes of war, than they have in the causes of tempests or earthquakes, or volcanic irruptions? And as though the calamities of war must be necessarily and periodically felt to the end of time, even if men were all united in christian love? God forbid!

If then we feel grateful for the blessings of peace, if we wish its continuance-if we desire to transmit it to the next generation;-let every one learn of him who was meek and lowly of heart-learn to subdue every passion in himself from which war could possibly originate. Let every one be humble for past offences, and look to the God of all grace for aid to govern his temper and bridle his tongue, as becomes one who must give account to the Searcher of hearts. Let children be faithfully taught by precept and example, to reverence the character and the commands of Christ; and to abhor every passion, every vice, and every practice, which endangers the peace of society and the tranquillity of the world.

To persons not destitute of benev olence, the present scene of joy must be mingled with distressing recollections, If we have christian feelings, we must not only give praise to God, and rejoice with those who rejoice; but we must weep with those who weep. How many thousands has the war reduced from, affluence or competency to beggary and want! How many have been made criples and invalids for life! Alas! how many thousands have been precipitated into eternity unprepared, leaving relations and friends to bevail their untimely fate! To these considerations of individ

Now, what can be more evident than that such a spirit and such a ual suffering and woe, we have to add

that the nation has been both impoverished and corrupted; and yet for all this waste or expense of morals, of treasure, of happiness, and of life, we have gained little to console us, unless it be the malignant pleasure of having inflicted similar evils on our fellow beings, with whom we have been contending. In this pleasure however the followers of Jesus cannot share.

But all these painful considerations may be converted into powerful arguments, to induce every one to cultivate in his own breast, and in the hearts of all around him, the spirit of peace and an abhorrence of war. For the evils we have suffered have not been peculiarly great, compared with the sufferings of warring nations in general; nor greater than any judicious person might reasonably have expected, when the nation voluntarily plunged into the horrid abyss.

If then we shall follow the dictates of that wisdom which is from above, "which is first pure, and then peace

able"-if we humble ourselves for our past follies and offences-if we take warning by the evils we have endur. ed, and prove grateful for the blessing we now enjoy; then may our "peace be like a river"-our calamities will eventually be productive of blessings to us and to our children. But if we shall disregard the admonitions of heaven, and despise the mercy of our God-if we still indulge the spirit of discord, and blow the coals of strife; the evils we have suffered may be to us but the beginning of sorrow; the interval of peace may be of short duration, subsequent wars may terminate in national ruin, and spread tenfold desolation and misery through the land. The ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Only by pride cometh contention. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on and are punished. GLORY TO GOD

IN THE HIGHEST; ON EARTH PEACE; AND GOOD WILL TO MEN.

Ordinations.

IN Lunenburg, Feb. 1, Rev. David Damon-Sermon from 2 Chronicles xviii. 13. "And Michaiah said, as the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak"-Ordaining prayer by Rev. Mr. Thayer of Lancaster; Charge by Rev. Dr. Wale of Cambridge; Right hand of fellowship by Rev. Mr. Loring of Andover.

In Weston, Feb. 1, Rev. Joseph Field-Introductory prayer by Rev. Mr. Thacher of Boston; Sermon by Rev. Dr. Kirkland of Cambridge, from 2 Thess. i. 11, 12. "Wherefore, also, we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power-That the name of our

Hymn, sung at Cambridge, Almighty God! to Thee we bow, To Thee the voice of gladness raise; Thy mercy, that hath blessed us now, In loud and grateful songs we praise. Long hast thou stretched the avenging hand,

And smote thy people in thy wrath; Hast frowned upon a guilty land, While storms and darkness veiled thy path.

Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God, and the Lord Jesus Christ." Ordaining prayer by Rev. Dr. Holmes of Cambridge; Charge by Rev. Dr. Stearns of Lincoln; Right hand of fellowship by Rev. Mr. Ripley of Waltham; Concluding prayer, by Rev. Mr. Pratt of Barnstable.

In Boston, Feb. 16, Rev. Mr. Pierce to the pastoral care of the church in Trenton, N. Y. Introductory prayer by Rev. Mr. Lowell; Sermon by Rev. Mr. Carey; Ordaining prayer by Rev. Dr. Lathrop; Charge by Rev. Dr. Freeman; Right hand of fellowship by Rev. Mr. Holley; Concluding prayer by Rev. Mr. Thacher.

at the celebration of peace.

But light from heaven has shone at last,' And PEACE is beaming from above, The storm of doubt and fear has past, And hope returns, and joy, and love. Then praise to that Eternal Power, Who bids our wars and tumults cease, And hymn, in this auspicious hour, The God of Mercy-God of Peace.

[blocks in formation]

A Sermon preached in Springfield, before the Bible Society, and the Foreign Missionary Society, in the county of Hampden, at their annual meeting, August 31, 1814. By Joseph Lathrop, D. D. Pastor of the First Church in West-Springfield.

DR. LATHROP, the auther of the sermon now before us, has the uncommon felicity of commanding the esteem and veneration of persons of different sects and discordant opinions. To those who are acquainted with his writings no commendation of this sermon will be needful. They will nat. urally expect, that it is pious, benevolent, and instructive; that it contains important truths, expressed in a natural, unaffected, and perspicuous manner; that it is not designed to prepossess one half the christian world against the other, but to unite them all in the bands of mutual love, and to excite them to show their religion, by doing good to all as they have opportunity. That such is the character of the discourse will be evident from the following extracts.

Isai. ii. 2. "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

"THE ancient temple of God was built in Jerusalem, and on the mountain of Zion, and was the seat of his worship in the

13

Jewish church. Hence Jerusa lem and mount Sion are often, in the sacred writings, figuratively used for the church of God. Thus they are used in our text.

"The passage of prophecy, with which our text is connected, respects a time still future, when the gospel shall obtain a universal spread. It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house,' or the church of God, shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills,' shall become eminently conspicuous and glorious, 'and all nations shall flow unto it.' The church shall not, as before, be confined to one nation, with a few proselytes from neighboring countries, but shall embrace all nations. And many people shall say, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. This extensive diffusion of the gospel will be effected by the zealous exertions

of the church. Many people shall be taught the ways of the Lord, for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.'

"Hence we learn, that the principal reason, why God has committed to the church his lively oracles is, that she might not only preserve them for her own use, but also propagate them for the benefit of the world.

"The church is the pillar and ground of the truth.' She supports the truth by maintaining within herself the preaching of the gospel; and she stands as a pillar, on which laws and edicts are inscribed, for general communication." pp. 1, 2.

"We are a people, who enjoy the high privilege of the gospel revelation. And a reason why God in his goodness has committed it to us is, that we may convey it to those who are destitute of it. Our continued enjoyment of the gospel will depend on our attention to this great end, for which it is deposited in our hands. Who among us could

with indifference admit the expectation, that the word of life should soon be taken from himthat his children should never enjoy it-that the next generation should grow up in ignorance of the way of salvation? If the gospel is important to us, it is equally so to others. If we value it for ourselves and for our children, we ought, according to our ability, to

spread the knowledge of it among our fellow mortals.

"Benevolence is an essential virtue of the religion which the gospel teaches. The benevolence of the gospel is not a partial virtue, operating only in a contracted circle. It embraces all men, and does good as there is opportunity. Where, and in what ways will it do good? Will it only supply the temporal wants of here and there a neighbor? Or send some small pecuniary relief to a town suffering the desolations of fire, inundation, or war?

"God, in the designs of his providence, and in the works of his grace, usually employs human instruments. Whenever he makes particular communications to a people in reference to religion, it is that they may convey them to others. The partial knowledge of religion in the world is to be imputed to the neglect of duty in those who enjoy it. Were there among christians in general a proper zeal for the interest of the gospel, it would soon cover the earth, as the waters cover the seas, and its doctrines would reach to the end of the world. "The employment of mission--It moves in a larger circle, and aries for the spread of religion is so evidently an appointment of God, and a duty of every enlightened people, that it is really astonishing that any, who pretend to regard the scriptures, should object against it, throw impediments in its way, or manifest a reluctance to promote it.

does good in a more excellent way. It looks around on mankind; it sees, with deep concern, thousands sitting in the region and shadow of death. It prays that the light may arise, and the glory of the Lord may shine upon them. It inquires what it can do to diffuse among them a

portion of that light which shines in its own privileged region. True benevolence feels a pleasure in the reflection that it has rescued a neighbor from the distresses of hunger or from the jaws of death. How exalted then must be its pleasure in the thought, that it has done something-done what it could to deliver thousands, even whole nations from ignorauce, vice, and eternal perdition, and that the blessing of multitudes ready to perish will be its reward?

"It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Your well placed charity, flowing from a pure heart, will return to you with a more sensible delight, than that which it communicates to the needy object. Go, relieve a poor man in his want-reclaim a vicious man from the path of ruin: you will ever after feel an interest in that man: you will regard him as your brother; you will view him as one, who by your means has become virtuous and happy. His virtue and happiness will be yours, and will give you joy whenever you meet him. The principle of virtue and benevolence will be enlarged and strengthened within your own breast. The good you have done will prompt you to do more; your charity will expand and be invigorated by action. Give sound advice to your friend, serious reproof to your neighbor, pious instruction to your domestics, and you will become more circumspect in your walk, more watch. ful against sin, and more atten. tive to your duty. It is the nature of religion to increase by communication, and to grow by diffusion." pp. 6, 7, 8.

"Associations are now formed for the charitable purpose of distributing the scriptures among the poor and destitute, and em ploying missionaries to carry the gospel, where it is not known, or not statedly preached. By means of these associations every man can exercise a charity proportioned to his ability, in spreading christian knowledge, and can apply to this purpose those mites and farthings, which otherwise would be lost to the world, and be unfelt by himself.

"The missionary and bible societies, which now exist, are excellent and wonderful institutions.

The motives from which they originated must have been pure and disinterested. No man of common intellect can imagine, or of common decency will insinuate, that the promoters of them could have any sinister views in the institution of themany views but the honor of the Redeemer and the good of mankind.

And every man who feels these motives will favor such societies and pray for their success.' pp. 9, 10.

[ocr errors]

"Great exertions are made in Europe, especially in Great Britain, for the extensive diffusion of christian knowledge. The Bible is translated into various languages, and copies of it are circulated to a wide extent. Even Turkey, Arabia, Persia, China, and India, as well as the ignorant parts of Europe, begin to participate in this heavenly blessing." p. 11.

"It is a happy and encouraging circumstance in the associations for the translation and distribution of the scriptures, that here all distinctions of sect and

« 前へ次へ »