The Ethics Of Waterloo

The Christiai: tvorld was represented by .the nrmios ibat met aL the field of Wnterloo. - We doubt wliether a single iuolater carried u gun or drew a sword at that battle. It woulo bo rajr to fissume, tliat cvery soldier in those hostüe hosts believed in the existence of a God, the God of the gospel, the sim and sun of whose infinite nttributes are lovc. Not a warrior of them all, stained his soul on t hal day with a brother's blood, who liad not heard of the story of Calvary, of redemption nnd sal val ion by Jesus Chrisr, qh contation of repentance towards God, faith in his crucitied Son, and forgiveness of oui enemies; without whichVthe blood of atonemenf. could not wash èfway a single sin, or extend to a single human bcing the rernotest. hope of lle-tven. No pngon standard was unfnr'led on the mornirjg of' that dreadful day. Chrisiian banners alone floated over thiit horrid 3cene of human butchery. Protestants, Engüsh Churchmen, Lutherans, Greek and Roman Catholics - beliovers eJl in the religión of Jesus Christ - mingled, the chiefest actors in the bloody meleo. They were hired and commanded to kill, and to be content with tlieir wages and profession. [t mattered not what laws'G"od ever wrote upon the stone or upon the stony heart of nran, or what was commanded and tanghtby 'the precep's and spirit of the goppél; human governmentp, they c.onceived, liad pul the governinent of the Almighty under marlial law, and given ihem a carie bltnc to tiample upon every coinmandrnent óf the Decologue with impunity. A few imperial despöts mude a 3evil's religión, for 'every soldier that fonght or feil on that field. They proclaimed a new and hornd gospel, which every flend that hated God and man inspired with his maügnant breath; a sulphur, sin-breal!iing gospel, that s.iinted thonghts and deeds in men that damned the angels. And with this infernal religión and gospel, they displaced the religión end gospel of the meek and lowly Jesus. - They f'orged his name to their bloody edbstitiite, and fqreed his ministers into the ministration of their malignant ethics. Yes, min istersof the gospel were tbere, and they were girded each with a long, silver hondled butclier-knife by liis side; and there, nt. the word of" cofniíísnch they - prayed! Those who had taughl - that no human heart could. have a hearing at the throne of grace, while it clierihed aughtagainst a brother- ihey looked not down, as they ought, but üpwards to the pure ;ind penceful heavens, and pniyed to the God of battles! They ascribed tTic passions ánd attribules of'the demon to Him. the sum total of whose character is lovc, thé sun of whoïe attributen, whose Üghr, is peace - peacc, the effiision of love, the light of heaven. They praytjd, - otlièiwise tiiey would have been coiirt-mariiolled, - that the God of peace, the common Father of kindand mankind, woii'd come down and reign in the heil wbieh myriads of maddened men could make on earth; that hn would supervise the siaughter of his family: direct the Garnage; increase tliR murderous energy of one part of liis cliildren against their brethren: inhale the incensé of j -iricking rivers of blood, running between long winrows of the blackened doad and dying, - the eacrifice of a hundred thousand liearts burning with feil and fiendish haie, and passions unknown to fiends!