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, T"": I'HACTICAL C HR IST IAN, 03
be mad e to a ppear cO llstru~ tiv ely DE~' ENS I V E . Nor
do we filld amo ng OUI' pr ofessed military
men any di sp osit ion to justify offe n~ ive war. They
are a ll as mu ch opposed to offensive war,
86 drinker s of intoxicating liqu ors ar e to intemperance,
They are onl y in favo r of th e occus
io ua l moderate use of'Violeuce. , T I, w same
mny he said of a II our du elli sts, Even the
c ha llenge r does not a llow th ~ t he is th e IIg.
gress or- he is only act ing in defen ce of h is
honor. ' It is a pit y thnt suc h lIIeOIlS are necessary,
he tells liS, 10 vindicat e personal d ignity
and righ ts; but th ey are necessary in th e present
s tate ' of society j and having made out his
cuse , he del lbenu ely shoots his brothe r, T}!!,
grnnd fhllucy in 1111 th ese cas es is on assumed
Hfctssity ofself- defence, Th is necessity is imagina'
7J; 111111 any mall who happens to imagine
it, having become his own judge, readily
J us tifies the use of physicul viol en ce in I; i s
pnrtl cular. ease. The fnct is, th e principle is
wroug- c- the priuciple that men may sometillles
lise physical viuleuce- c- that th ey runy ever use
it. AlIIllJeliev e me, my broth er, wa rs an,(
fightin gs will never ce ase ' a111011g men, - till
thi s false principle is di scarded, and its oppo.
site is sacre d ly enthroned in o u r moral se nse.
I perceiv e vt oo, rhnt you mnk e 110 distin crion
between mere physical for ce ami physical via.
u nce ; nor betweell moral agents IIl1d I/ WI/ M CIl.
We do not sa y in our Slnndurd thut we ~ ;;: I
never use ph.' Isicalforce in any cllse wlllltsoev.
« : 1' , \ n our tre: ltmelll of munkind. 0111' words
are- o: r" We cunllot employ cllrlllli weupo l1s
1101' lilly p" y" ical violellce [ IIUt ph. I/.¥ iclll force]
to cu mpel moral l//{ ents [ not / IItmiacs] 10 do
~ ill ll t, ur tu pr ev ellt lb eir d oin g wr oll g-," & c,
We kllow tll/' I'e Ill'll IlIlIny c n ~ es ill wlli e!' II
CllI'is tinn cun ulld ought to lise ph ysi<- 1I1 fo rce,
i, e. nlu l'cnl llr fi. rcc, ill di ~ l: IllIrgill g' lIis , Iuly to
fellow bllllUlIl bl, itigs. IJlly~ i clIl fim:' l . iuty he
n ~ ed ill love. YI~ l!, love mllY nhslli llte ly I'e ~
quir e it . Hilt we do 1I0t IIl1uw thnt physical
viulellce c\' cr CUll he use rl hy nlllU on 11101' 111
1l,!,;' ; lIrs in the s l' irit of C llris tilln luv e. YUII
I)' ill IIsk wlllli is p" J/ sical violt. nc~ ' J I IInsw Ilr,
IllYtllillll , wllid l inte lltioua lly IJl'llisel!, mai ms,
WOUllfls, 0\' illjn J'(' s rile horlies of our fellow
IlIJm. T u s hnot, s tr ike, sHll n g le, _ s la h, ~ C! I~.
J._~ - ~........- -- ~ ' .
wonlll i of £ ii- ii is e th e human Lo, ly is physical
riolence. AIIII .- what is physicalforce, in con ·
lrnllil! linc tio ll to physic al violence ? ' An swer.
' 1' 0 cur ry Il d rild frolll th e cn ulle to a herl- Io
11111,1 : t s ick IIIl1n un th e hed wb en deron g- e, 1
atul t'IIving to rio unkllown misch icf- to 1101,1
a lIIulliac : uul pr ev ent his doing hllrm to him!\
llf or other per sons- to hul rllhe 11II1I, ls or re !
Imin the d ellllly blows of a violent' man,
IIWIlelllll'flleu., .111 n paroxl'slII 0 f rllge or Illlssi. on
Ht II fellow creature- to interpose our booy
IHl lli main stre ng th, in a cllse of mur, Jer or rap e,
I
hetween tile assailun t and lIis victim- to ste p
ill between two men ullollt to fight ellch otlwr,
' fill' Ihe pnrpose of 8epura ting' them- to luck a
1" 001' , 01' hal' II gnte, witll a r1csign to increase
he diffi culty ofthefr, 01' an y otber wi ck edlless
'. vhicll mi ght he p" e venlcrl hy suc h meansremov
e illsll, nc ' peolJle to a hospital, or a
k u nkai'll in , Ielirinlrl IrelllellS to u place of
fety, & c & c. ' rhpre lire lIlallY of th ese
~ ses wh er e love IIhsollll cl\' d i l~ llltcs tI, e , use o f
\ illlple physical force lo r ti ' e goo, 1 of 11I,~ th er
IIIn ; alld wh er e to withhold it , wu uld be
llwa rd ice, cruelt y a lld sin. But ill no case
' vlllitsoe\; e r du I II110w th at a C hr istiun muy
' onke use o f ph ys ical violence o n a mOl'lll agent.
his is th e pre<; ise grou nd of ou r S t ll n tl u rd.~
II thi s ~ rll u n d I plant mys elf; nnd will meet
: our ' q nes tiolls und diffi cllitics.
You set ont wilh th e gellerul IIssnmptiun
at our views , of duty in resp ect to th is IIllllte l'
f l'hysiflnl vi ole! lce nr e impracticable, You
nt that th e tilll e is 10 come wh en th ey will
( Il' 1lctkable , This is to arl'iv e wh en nil
II ure recon cil ed to God . ' llow is thi s ? Is
rfeet love allli fo rgi\' en ess of illjnries ne\' er
be Jlracti cahl e till th ere s h.. 11 he no haired to
' corne, allli no torongs to for give ~ S h.. 11 we
:¥ er be a ble, even by God's g race, to do r i/ tht
Ihis res pect tiU tmnptati on ' s llllli hav e hellll
' bo'lly rem oved? A · gaill; will Ihe nuture o f
: 1It and wron g esse ntially c ha nge? Is it
, wright to fight a nti kill in ce rwi n case.., helllse
we ha ve occusion, and will it hecome
; hlto cellse frolll all thi s, mer cly hccullse we
" e no occasion ,? Again; is not rcco nc ilillli
to God th e sa' lIe t hl llg in one ind ivirlua l
Iit will be in 11 11 men ? AIIII if so, oug ht it
to 11I" oduce itsyro per fi'ui l in one or af em,
ns well as in many , or the whole human race?
Oug ht not th ose who ar e a lready reconciled
to ex hi bit u specime n of what all w ill ex h ibit
wh en reconciled ? ' Ve do not , ex pec t that
those who ar e unreconciled to Goo will love
aud for g ive their inj urers. Rut thousands
pro fess tha t they ha ve been born from ubove,
that th ey lire united to Christ- thut th ey hav e
his spir it- tha t th ey hnve embraced his cross,
und tha t th ey ar e reconciled to Go d. Huve
. we 1I0t a r ight 10 ex pect that nil th ese will
hr in!:! forth Christian fmi ts ? !\ lay we 1I0t call
on such to follow Him who suffe re d for
them , lenving them on ex ample thnt they
sho uld follow hi s steps: " whu when he was
revil ed re viled nut agui n, a nd wh en he suffered
threat en ed not ," & c. ? 0.' lIlay men rise
up and tell us th ey are Christ ians, while yet
th ey are co nii n na lly overcome of e vil, instead
of overcoming C\ ' i1 with good, Wherein ,10
suc h Christ ian s , liffer from resp ectuhl e world-
, lillgs ? Again; have we auy reason to presurne
that love uud hol iness will becom e unive
rsa l exce pt by a grad ua l pr evalen ce of right
principles ? Will Chris t ians knep fighling
anti multiplyin g, till all lit on ce wurs a nd fight.
ings cease by some fiat of th e ,\ hu iglu y ? Are
we to con clude th at vio lenc e ill (' erlUill cases
is ~ o cOlll inue till th e Inst s inne r is reco'llcil ed
io God- alld th at Ihen ull are to be lit pea ce ?
This is nOl God's melhud o f huilding III) h is
kingdo m. II e cau ses a great truth, 01' a g reat
prill cipl e to he pr ocl llimed ; he rai ses lip faith ·
fulwilllesscs, lllIti flllrries lthem throngh a 11111' tislll
o f reproal'll nlld per secution in ilS tie ·
lellCe j , alHl hy a vlI ~ i ou s disp en sat ion , of s nlIe r in
l; ulI, 1 mal'lyl'( lIIm, hrings mell to bow , Iown
111,, 1 do lumor to wh at Ihey Imd desp ised . If
th er e ~ h a ll e ver be IIniv er sul peoc · e II1nu llg
mell , it will comellbom in thi s wa)'. All , th eil ,
\~ h icl l weal! k o rexpcet is, th ut th ose wh o nr e
rel: oll cil ed to God would oct j lls t liS it is u, l ·
' lIit tc, l lIlI win act wl": n recon cil ed to God, 1\
.111 ifprolessed Chrisl illns, who say th ey be · ,
long to II kingriom 1I0t of this world, would
, ll1l1leOn them selv es li S the s uhjects o f th a t
~ Ieave ll ly kin g- dom, th e reign of \' iuJence wuuld
. be grcat ly enfee hled . '
l: y.. hf'O, I~- tlJly s~ IItl"' would'- not Iiii've the
Churc h of ChrisI ama lgamated with the gov.
ernme nts ofthis world j and yet he ' sllYs lhese
go vern me nts lire effic ient me an s o f reforming
IIlul c hristianiz ing Ihe world; IInti also he sa ys
Chr istians are th e most fit person s to admiuistel'
these go ver ullIllllls. How is all tld s ? I s
ci vi l govei'n nlp. nt olle of th e most effic: iellt
mean s of c l, r i: llillniz ing th e w",' ld, lind a re
Chrislia ns th e Illost fit per son s to admi niste r
iI, allli ye t ol! gh t not th e e hu rc h to be amalga mated
with gove rn me nt ? \ Vhat is th e c hu rc h
hut th e whole bo, ly o r Christian s ? And
wh at would n l! 0vernllIe nt : lIhll ini sl flreti hy
C.. hris tillllS he, but a n amulg- nmation of th e ,
c h ur l'll with go verll nle nt? ' fhe c hu rcl l gov :
e rns wh en its memhers govern; a nti th e world
is refill'lned alld c hr istianize d most rnpidly '
wh en thi s is th e cas e ! ' Vh at is th is but a n
', ama lgllllllltion o f c h nrc h lind sta te?
Bilt to r etul'll to th e qu estion o f praeti cahil"
ity, Is it relllly impracticable fo r Cl lris tinns ,
to wilhrlraw Ii'om a ll illterferen ce with human
, I! 0ver ntrle llls -'- to forego th eir nrme ,1 pr ot ection
- allli to aballflon a ll ca rual wellpons anti
ph ysi cIII vio lence? S u ppose Chrisli uns e very
wh er e s ho lild mak e nn hon est, perseveri ng
Illialofthe pl'llcti cahility of thi s d uty, S IIPpose
they shoul! 1 mal, e uP , th eir Illilld s thnt
this was t he will ur Go d- thllt it wa s the Inw
ofCllrist- that it was ngreea ble 10 his ex ample
- and th at th e worl( 1 could ne ver be co nve
rle rl lill ir hlld heen curr ie, ) out in the' lives
of th e professedly goo d. S np pose they should
sit down allll es tima te th e worth ofll pl'in ciple,
which alon e would co nver t all men int o c h ildren
of peace. ' S uppose th ey sho u ld as k
themselves- how IIlllch th ey conld IIffim l to
sac r ifice of Ihis world's e njoyment for th e '
sllke of es tablishing s uc h a grellt rest orat ive
principle. \ V ould th ey IIny loliger deem it
impracticabl e ? Did C hrist rlee lll it illl pra ctic
, lble, who wh en he lIIight ha ve sUlllmo ne d
th e for ce of tw el ve Il1gi olls ora ngels, ye t rath er
than violate th is pr inciple , d ied in IIgony, reo
ee iving the sco ffs of hi s e lle mies While he
pl'llyetl for them? D id th e hol y trIl1rlyr s deem
it im pr acti cahl e, wh o countetllllliellr thl y th ings
- eve n morlul lifc, as dross , for Ihe exce llellcy
of the Ch ristian testi lllony? \ Vould human
govenlment SUfftT , or wo u ld it tlo less goo d
th an now, if all ' Chr istians s ho uld cense to
struggle fur its hon ors, and to do its work s of
vio lence? No; in thn t case pr ofessing Christian
s would do th e works of th eil' own heav en ly
kingd om so much more efficiently, th at the
men of th is world would be co ns trn ine rl to
gl urify God, Their increased moral power
would mu ch more than make up for th eir relinquishmeut
ofpoli ticu i pow er. They would
th en begin to go vern th e world by th ut swa y
of'tr uth lind righteou sn ess which is mightier
thun 1111 seept res of iron. Those who remain eo
behind them to administe r th e govern me n ts
of thi s world, would shnpo their proceedings
mo re nnd mo re in conformity wi th nn every
wh ere pr eval ent and inc rea sing se n time nt of
ben evol en ce, Chr ist ie ns would th en ,10 ten
tim es more than tire)' now tlo to put 111111 keep
mankind in order. They lire now in a false
positi on ; they are reall y ende a voring to unite
love lind hatred, u r " rn rher ' to co n found - the
works of hatred with th ose of love , They
pnrnlyze th'eir own e ne rgies, a nd se ll th eir
birth- ri ght for a mess or pottage. Like Sampso
n nsleep in the lap of Delilah, th ey a re shorn
of th eir stre ngth without knowing it. , ' Vhat
would become of th e world , sllY th ey , if we
should qnit human gove rnme nt, lind go nltoget
her hy th e divine go ve rnme nt? Indeed!
on ly this : the kingdom s ' of this worl, 1 would
th cn soo n hecolll e th e kingdom of our Lord ,
nlli! S ilvio I' J esns Chl'isl. Every on e 10 h is
own pillce, an, i to his own mission, Worldlin
g'S to th ei "", Christians to theirs,
Bll t th en it is impracticable to act ont Non -'
Resistan ce, hecau se soine ChristiAns wOllld be
in slllt ed , arHI couldnol sellk redress hy IlIw ,
lint!. sOll1e would he l< illed out- rig ht, tr yin g to
stllllfl to th ejr pri nciples. Very, well ; IVere
not Christians of old persecuted, tormented
lIlIll slain, for Clldst's sa ke ,? \ Va s it im pr ac- '
licllhle then 10 s n lI~ r IIno die fur n good
prinr : il'l e ? ' And what ifChristillns/ ll'e kill ed;
is ' no t thl1ir life hid with Christ , in Goo ? do
th ey'not fillll ; thei,' life ag llin ? are ' they not im ·
1I10rllll? Th~ y mll st die at a ll ev elll s, in II
s ho rt tim e; "'. Irat if th ey shou ld di e lIIuch
soo ne r, ' 1uil' ke r mId ensiflr on ucconnt of II
C hdsliun I'~~ il'l e ; would - they - rClllly- lose
lilly thing hy it ? ' And llllli nut tw enly Chl'is t
ian s hett el" he kill ed hy sinne rs , th an one s inner
by a Christian? , Hnt it wonld not cost a
th01l5111,, 1 part so ma. iy lives to est llblish Non ·
R, ~ si st ance in th e world, liS hu ve heen sac r i ·
ficed hy 1I0minlii Chr islillns in Will" It is n'
I! lorio us th ing to ma reh out by thom, ulld s undcr
th e orders o f humlln goVel'llmelll, IIl1d
shoo t , Iown tl lOllsllnll s of lell ow c hr istians who
a l'e , Iutifully obeying Meir go ve rnment. And
wh never is him self s hot down in thi s IIlOSt
CllI'islian work n rshoo ting other s , : l ies a 111111' ·
ter - apllllintmal'lyrl l\ Iyl'iadshuve ll ied this
d eutll for th ei l', co ulllry , ulld , it wa s glor inus ! T
omhs lind trIUlllllllellts , lire ere cted In th eir'
mem ol'y, But to tlie for peac: e- to d ie for
Ch rist- to di e for a prin ciple worth mOl'c th an
the wholc \ yol'ld- this is impracticable ! The
filct is, NOll- Resistance would sa ve II tho llsa nd
lives wh en' it would lose olle . A lld vel it is
illll'l'IIcti cub le. " It would prevent a tiuHISIIlJO
crne lties wh er e it woulrl lose one, und yet it is
illlpl'lIcti cahl e. It would sa ve a th on slllHI dol 1m's
whe re it would cost on e, a nd yet it is imIJl'llcti
cahle. The world is fnll of hl oo/ hihed,
lind Inlll'd er , nn il violen ce , fur th e want of th is
pri nci ple ; mlll ye t C hr isti ll n~ will not ri se III"
IIl1d live it our, for fellI' tllllt in a few e ~ l re me
ell~ es, it will cus~ theill th eir life- II life which
Ilu: y sllY is ilJ(! esl ru ct ihle! But tlley ca ll as ·
sist in han gi llg, heh earl- ing, a nd s laug hle ring
th eil' fellow mell fill' th e sllke of hUlllon goverlHllc
llts, e ve n lho ug h th ey themsel ves a re
l! l: lill hy th ou s81111s in th e ull empt. 0 Ch ris tian
, how is thi s ? I s it 1I0t true th, lIt tliou hllst
a nalll e to live , whilst th ou a rt d elld to IlOli ·
ness! Hast th uu co uside red 1111 th e~ e thillgs?
Arise, th llt C hris t ma y g ive th ee light ?
( Re ma inde r in next No.)
INTERESTING LETTER
Frolll G. If'. Stacy to lite E dilor.
BO)' lston, No v. 12, 1840.
Denr HI',:
' Ve hop e th e 1.01' 11 is in t!' llth
wilh liS. The glorinus prin ciples we llllv ocli te
- anti 0 , thm we IIIl1y live them- ar e mi ghty
a nd ' will prevllil. Nevel' did I feel more
cOllrage an d henrt to press onlDa/' d, Nevel',
since it has heen m~\' pr ivil ege liS II ponr , hrokell
\' esse l, to proc illim tile un sear chahl e ridles
of red ee mi ng lov e, ha ve I enjoyed so mu ch of
th e k iugrlom of helive n. I feel nolO tha t I am
1I0t as a ilion beating the ai r,
" A heavenly race demands my zeal.
And an imrnorta l crcwn. " ,
o my Br. ! what is olulOard- wh81 is ea rthly
fume and go ofl s tanding umong th e " Ieise
and prudent." compared with His " favor,
which is life ?" . When with angel s we a re
ca lled 10 rej oice at the return of penitent souls
who are ready to for sak e oil things for. Ch rist,
we may take co urage that we hav e e n te re d
our Masler's vin eyard. Hless the LOI'II; O my ,
so ul, for wh ut my eyes hnve seen, nnd ea rs
have heard of th e workings of thelloly S pir it
in th is place !
A Revival, no t in the mer e technical sense, ,
hut we tru st a revival of PIII'f~ , self- sac r ificing,
se lf- de ny ing religion has commence d in 0111'
midst. There is a s hnki ng among th e dry
hon es, and soul s are beginning to live. A
happy littl e compnny of breth ren nnd sis ters
nre now shouting 111111 sing ing on their way to
henv en , They lire poor in th e goods of the "
world, hut the littl e they posse ss th ey nr e
read y to ded icate to th e se n ice of God , ca lling
no thing thei ~ own. Yon kn ow, Br, thnt
not many migh ty , not many rich, RI'e call ed, While
I pen thi s l: hee l: i n~ int elligen ce, Illy
henrI burns wilhin me, \ Vhat llre " gems li'llIn
the mountaill s, 01' gold from th e mincR," ill
c umpll rison with tl, c gnthe l'ing of jewe ls to
s hi ne as st: lry of rej oi cillg in ' the kingdom of
glory ?
An age( f brothe r, who has end nre d th e frost
of mor e thnn sixty willl er s, has upe ned hi s
heul't io us, lie cOIlItI, to use hi s OWII words ,
' keep silent 110 longer.' \ Vi th a tremllious
voke he toll! us th e workings of his min, l fill"
th e post few months, li e hus now, nhermoistelling
his pillow wil h tea rs ! It midnig/ ll, and
th ell ! lile ntly eOlrinlllll iug with his G,-! d , found
a pred ou s Savior, wh o is to him th e ' c hiefes t
alllong ten thousands.' Tile self- den y ing
pl'inciples, which ure now, in a gr eat rnCllsnre,
re pUd ia ted hy the C h u r~ h , as well ns the
world, lire his till in all. !\ Iuy he hy Divine
grace IJIJrfec t-. 1he - gOffiI · work ' I~ gu n in his
heart, IIlld watcl~ and wuit for a hurv est o f g lo ry.
l\ Iany ollnit'll ar e fust pr essing on. 0 11 1'
littl e guthe t'illgs from hou se to hOllse hn\' e
heen oWlled of God, and hl essed thll s for. \
Ve have in th em no 11,; esthood, hu t lIIeet on II
lev el , with J esus fur ( Jur P res id ent. The
hre thren a nll sist ers are led . to feel Ih e lIIeet illgs
to he tl leir own, for tlle uUer llnce of IIIC
full srlUl. " W he re th e s pir it , o f th e t Offl is,
th er c is liherl y."
~ JllY we ha vc tlie prayer s anol sy n, pat lly of
onl' denr hrelhren and sislet'!' sCllllered in lilli e
hundfuls over th e ellrl h. \ V e ha ve only to be
tnu , alIII Go, 1 will hless liS, Let us emhody
iii 0 11 1' lives th e hlessed s pir it of J esus, a nd li\' e
as he li\' ed, u'nd we shll l, l nu lon ger mou, 1' Il
o ve t th e desolation of Z ion . And now that
men hav e se ttled th e I; l< t ve qll estioll , \ vllO s li. oll
rule o\' e r tllem in a temporal kingdom, may
' we lah or to e lltl , ro ne J eSlls in 011 1' heur tS ns
th e ' King of Killgs nlld Lord of L ords.'
R EWARD AND P USI SIIMENT IN SCll oor. s, A
teac hel' cnn render almost nny thing a re- ,
\~ nJ'( 1 or a punishment 10 his pllpil by h is own
manner of cons idering it. F or ins tan ce, I
on ee hnrl an empty sell t pla ceflat my s ide it, l
th c s eh ool , I soo n perceiv ell n c h ild , thnt was
misch ie vou s and idl e. } sllid, ' Come her e and
sit hy rne , yo u ar e too lIallgbty to sit \ lIrnong
gooll c hild ren - I ca llnot trll st yOIl at a di slance
Ii'om me till yOIl ar e houm'.' The c hil d cl'ied
hitt el'ly at wbat he , Ieeme d n pllllish me nt, and
soon hecnnl e well enough to l'eBtlme his form e
r seat. Not l on ~ after , J saw unother wh ose
llili gen r'e and aue:; ti on gnve me pleusure. I
call ed him , with a smi le, to sit on the slime
Sellt. ' Come to me,' sllid I ; ' I lov e 10 ha\' e
yon near me , whc n you arc so gllorl.' The
smiling happiness of th e c l/ illl su ffici ently testified
bis co mprel le nsio n of th e spi/ it of my
ar ra llge me nts.- .! lmel'ican annals of Educatioll.
CONDENSED A R G U ~ t E N T,- A very ce leh ra
ted Scote h d ivine says: " T he world we inbahit
mu st bave had all u rigin j that , origi ll / II list
hav e eo nsi~ letl in a ca lise; th llt ca use IllUSt
Imv'e beeII int ell igent ; tl lllt , intelligence mll st
have heen effidellt j tlmt e ffi eie n~ y l1I usl ha \' e
heen ulti lllute ; t hat nlt ifllatc power n llist hav e
been su pre llle ; Rlld that whic h a lway s was,
and issu prelrle, we kllow hy lh e nllme ofGo{ I."
I '
be mad e to a ppear cO llstru~ tiv ely DE~' ENS I V E . Nor
do we filld amo ng OUI' pr ofessed military
men any di sp osit ion to justify offe n~ ive war. They
are a ll as mu ch opposed to offensive war,
86 drinker s of intoxicating liqu ors ar e to intemperance,
They are onl y in favo r of th e occus
io ua l moderate use of'Violeuce. , T I, w same
mny he said of a II our du elli sts, Even the
c ha llenge r does not a llow th ~ t he is th e IIg.
gress or- he is only act ing in defen ce of h is
honor. ' It is a pit y thnt suc h lIIeOIlS are necessary,
he tells liS, 10 vindicat e personal d ignity
and righ ts; but th ey are necessary in th e present
s tate ' of society j and having made out his
cuse , he del lbenu ely shoots his brothe r, T}!!,
grnnd fhllucy in 1111 th ese cas es is on assumed
Hfctssity ofself- defence, Th is necessity is imagina'
7J; 111111 any mall who happens to imagine
it, having become his own judge, readily
J us tifies the use of physicul viol en ce in I; i s
pnrtl cular. ease. The fnct is, th e principle is
wroug- c- the priuciple that men may sometillles
lise physical viuleuce- c- that th ey runy ever use
it. AlIIllJeliev e me, my broth er, wa rs an,(
fightin gs will never ce ase ' a111011g men, - till
thi s false principle is di scarded, and its oppo.
site is sacre d ly enthroned in o u r moral se nse.
I perceiv e vt oo, rhnt you mnk e 110 distin crion
between mere physical for ce ami physical via.
u nce ; nor betweell moral agents IIl1d I/ WI/ M CIl.
We do not sa y in our Slnndurd thut we ~ ;;: I
never use ph.' Isicalforce in any cllse wlllltsoev.
« : 1' , \ n our tre: ltmelll of munkind. 0111' words
are- o: r" We cunllot employ cllrlllli weupo l1s
1101' lilly p" y" ical violellce [ IIUt ph. I/.¥ iclll force]
to cu mpel moral l//{ ents [ not / IItmiacs] 10 do
~ ill ll t, ur tu pr ev ellt lb eir d oin g wr oll g-," & c,
We kllow tll/' I'e Ill'll IlIlIny c n ~ es ill wlli e!' II
CllI'is tinn cun ulld ought to lise ph ysi<- 1I1 fo rce,
i, e. nlu l'cnl llr fi. rcc, ill di ~ l: IllIrgill g' lIis , Iuly to
fellow bllllUlIl bl, itigs. IJlly~ i clIl fim:' l . iuty he
n ~ ed ill love. YI~ l!, love mllY nhslli llte ly I'e ~
quir e it . Hilt we do 1I0t IIl1uw thnt physical
viulellce c\' cr CUll he use rl hy nlllU on 11101' 111
1l,!,;' ; lIrs in the s l' irit of C llris tilln luv e. YUII
I)' ill IIsk wlllli is p" J/ sical violt. nc~ ' J I IInsw Ilr,
IllYtllillll , wllid l inte lltioua lly IJl'llisel!, mai ms,
WOUllfls, 0\' illjn J'(' s rile horlies of our fellow
IlIJm. T u s hnot, s tr ike, sHll n g le, _ s la h, ~ C! I~.
J._~ - ~........- -- ~ ' .
wonlll i of £ ii- ii is e th e human Lo, ly is physical
riolence. AIIII .- what is physicalforce, in con ·
lrnllil! linc tio ll to physic al violence ? ' An swer.
' 1' 0 cur ry Il d rild frolll th e cn ulle to a herl- Io
11111,1 : t s ick IIIl1n un th e hed wb en deron g- e, 1
atul t'IIving to rio unkllown misch icf- to 1101,1
a lIIulliac : uul pr ev ent his doing hllrm to him!\
llf or other per sons- to hul rllhe 11II1I, ls or re !
Imin the d ellllly blows of a violent' man,
IIWIlelllll'flleu., .111 n paroxl'slII 0 f rllge or Illlssi. on
Ht II fellow creature- to interpose our booy
IHl lli main stre ng th, in a cllse of mur, Jer or rap e,
I
hetween tile assailun t and lIis victim- to ste p
ill between two men ullollt to fight ellch otlwr,
' fill' Ihe pnrpose of 8epura ting' them- to luck a
1" 001' , 01' hal' II gnte, witll a r1csign to increase
he diffi culty ofthefr, 01' an y otber wi ck edlless
'. vhicll mi ght he p" e venlcrl hy suc h meansremov
e illsll, nc ' peolJle to a hospital, or a
k u nkai'll in , Ielirinlrl IrelllellS to u place of
fety, & c & c. ' rhpre lire lIlallY of th ese
~ ses wh er e love IIhsollll cl\' d i l~ llltcs tI, e , use o f
\ illlple physical force lo r ti ' e goo, 1 of 11I,~ th er
IIIn ; alld wh er e to withhold it , wu uld be
llwa rd ice, cruelt y a lld sin. But ill no case
' vlllitsoe\; e r du I II110w th at a C hr istiun muy
' onke use o f ph ys ical violence o n a mOl'lll agent.
his is th e pre<; ise grou nd of ou r S t ll n tl u rd.~
II thi s ~ rll u n d I plant mys elf; nnd will meet
: our ' q nes tiolls und diffi cllitics.
You set ont wilh th e gellerul IIssnmptiun
at our views , of duty in resp ect to th is IIllllte l'
f l'hysiflnl vi ole! lce nr e impracticable, You
nt that th e tilll e is 10 come wh en th ey will
( Il' 1lctkable , This is to arl'iv e wh en nil
II ure recon cil ed to God . ' llow is thi s ? Is
rfeet love allli fo rgi\' en ess of illjnries ne\' er
be Jlracti cahl e till th ere s h.. 11 he no haired to
' corne, allli no torongs to for give ~ S h.. 11 we
:¥ er be a ble, even by God's g race, to do r i/ tht
Ihis res pect tiU tmnptati on ' s llllli hav e hellll
' bo'lly rem oved? A · gaill; will Ihe nuture o f
: 1It and wron g esse ntially c ha nge? Is it
, wright to fight a nti kill in ce rwi n case.., helllse
we ha ve occusion, and will it hecome
; hlto cellse frolll all thi s, mer cly hccullse we
" e no occasion ,? Again; is not rcco nc ilillli
to God th e sa' lIe t hl llg in one ind ivirlua l
Iit will be in 11 11 men ? AIIII if so, oug ht it
to 11I" oduce itsyro per fi'ui l in one or af em,
ns well as in many , or the whole human race?
Oug ht not th ose who ar e a lready reconciled
to ex hi bit u specime n of what all w ill ex h ibit
wh en reconciled ? ' Ve do not , ex pec t that
those who ar e unreconciled to Goo will love
aud for g ive their inj urers. Rut thousands
pro fess tha t they ha ve been born from ubove,
that th ey lire united to Christ- thut th ey hav e
his spir it- tha t th ey hnve embraced his cross,
und tha t th ey ar e reconciled to Go d. Huve
. we 1I0t a r ight 10 ex pect that nil th ese will
hr in!:! forth Christian fmi ts ? !\ lay we 1I0t call
on such to follow Him who suffe re d for
them , lenving them on ex ample thnt they
sho uld follow hi s steps: " whu when he was
revil ed re viled nut agui n, a nd wh en he suffered
threat en ed not ," & c. ? 0.' lIlay men rise
up and tell us th ey are Christ ians, while yet
th ey are co nii n na lly overcome of e vil, instead
of overcoming C\ ' i1 with good, Wherein ,10
suc h Christ ian s , liffer from resp ectuhl e world-
, lillgs ? Again; have we auy reason to presurne
that love uud hol iness will becom e unive
rsa l exce pt by a grad ua l pr evalen ce of right
principles ? Will Chris t ians knep fighling
anti multiplyin g, till all lit on ce wurs a nd fight.
ings cease by some fiat of th e ,\ hu iglu y ? Are
we to con clude th at vio lenc e ill (' erlUill cases
is ~ o cOlll inue till th e Inst s inne r is reco'llcil ed
io God- alld th at Ihen ull are to be lit pea ce ?
This is nOl God's melhud o f huilding III) h is
kingdo m. II e cau ses a great truth, 01' a g reat
prill cipl e to he pr ocl llimed ; he rai ses lip faith ·
fulwilllesscs, lllIti flllrries lthem throngh a 11111' tislll
o f reproal'll nlld per secution in ilS tie ·
lellCe j , alHl hy a vlI ~ i ou s disp en sat ion , of s nlIe r in
l; ulI, 1 mal'lyl'( lIIm, hrings mell to bow , Iown
111,, 1 do lumor to wh at Ihey Imd desp ised . If
th er e ~ h a ll e ver be IIniv er sul peoc · e II1nu llg
mell , it will comellbom in thi s wa)'. All , th eil ,
\~ h icl l weal! k o rexpcet is, th ut th ose wh o nr e
rel: oll cil ed to God would oct j lls t liS it is u, l ·
' lIit tc, l lIlI win act wl": n recon cil ed to God, 1\
.111 ifprolessed Chrisl illns, who say th ey be · ,
long to II kingriom 1I0t of this world, would
, ll1l1leOn them selv es li S the s uhjects o f th a t
~ Ieave ll ly kin g- dom, th e reign of \' iuJence wuuld
. be grcat ly enfee hled . '
l: y.. hf'O, I~- tlJly s~ IItl"' would'- not Iiii've the
Churc h of ChrisI ama lgamated with the gov.
ernme nts ofthis world j and yet he ' sllYs lhese
go vern me nts lire effic ient me an s o f reforming
IIlul c hristianiz ing Ihe world; IInti also he sa ys
Chr istians are th e most fit person s to admiuistel'
these go ver ullIllllls. How is all tld s ? I s
ci vi l govei'n nlp. nt olle of th e most effic: iellt
mean s of c l, r i: llillniz ing th e w",' ld, lind a re
Chrislia ns th e Illost fit per son s to admi niste r
iI, allli ye t ol! gh t not th e e hu rc h to be amalga mated
with gove rn me nt ? \ Vhat is th e c hu rc h
hut th e whole bo, ly o r Christian s ? And
wh at would n l! 0vernllIe nt : lIhll ini sl flreti hy
C.. hris tillllS he, but a n amulg- nmation of th e ,
c h ur l'll with go verll nle nt? ' fhe c hu rcl l gov :
e rns wh en its memhers govern; a nti th e world
is refill'lned alld c hr istianize d most rnpidly '
wh en thi s is th e cas e ! ' Vh at is th is but a n
', ama lgllllllltion o f c h nrc h lind sta te?
Bilt to r etul'll to th e qu estion o f praeti cahil"
ity, Is it relllly impracticable fo r Cl lris tinns ,
to wilhrlraw Ii'om a ll illterferen ce with human
, I! 0ver ntrle llls -'- to forego th eir nrme ,1 pr ot ection
- allli to aballflon a ll ca rual wellpons anti
ph ysi cIII vio lence? S u ppose Chrisli uns e very
wh er e s ho lild mak e nn hon est, perseveri ng
Illialofthe pl'llcti cahility of thi s d uty, S IIPpose
they shoul! 1 mal, e uP , th eir Illilld s thnt
this was t he will ur Go d- thllt it wa s the Inw
ofCllrist- that it was ngreea ble 10 his ex ample
- and th at th e worl( 1 could ne ver be co nve
rle rl lill ir hlld heen curr ie, ) out in the' lives
of th e professedly goo d. S np pose they should
sit down allll es tima te th e worth ofll pl'in ciple,
which alon e would co nver t all men int o c h ildren
of peace. ' S uppose th ey sho u ld as k
themselves- how IIlllch th ey conld IIffim l to
sac r ifice of Ihis world's e njoyment for th e '
sllke of es tablishing s uc h a grellt rest orat ive
principle. \ V ould th ey IIny loliger deem it
impracticabl e ? Did C hrist rlee lll it illl pra ctic
, lble, who wh en he lIIight ha ve sUlllmo ne d
th e for ce of tw el ve Il1gi olls ora ngels, ye t rath er
than violate th is pr inciple , d ied in IIgony, reo
ee iving the sco ffs of hi s e lle mies While he
pl'llyetl for them? D id th e hol y trIl1rlyr s deem
it im pr acti cahl e, wh o countetllllliellr thl y th ings
- eve n morlul lifc, as dross , for Ihe exce llellcy
of the Ch ristian testi lllony? \ Vould human
govenlment SUfftT , or wo u ld it tlo less goo d
th an now, if all ' Chr istians s ho uld cense to
struggle fur its hon ors, and to do its work s of
vio lence? No; in thn t case pr ofessing Christian
s would do th e works of th eil' own heav en ly
kingd om so much more efficiently, th at the
men of th is world would be co ns trn ine rl to
gl urify God, Their increased moral power
would mu ch more than make up for th eir relinquishmeut
ofpoli ticu i pow er. They would
th en begin to go vern th e world by th ut swa y
of'tr uth lind righteou sn ess which is mightier
thun 1111 seept res of iron. Those who remain eo
behind them to administe r th e govern me n ts
of thi s world, would shnpo their proceedings
mo re nnd mo re in conformity wi th nn every
wh ere pr eval ent and inc rea sing se n time nt of
ben evol en ce, Chr ist ie ns would th en ,10 ten
tim es more than tire)' now tlo to put 111111 keep
mankind in order. They lire now in a false
positi on ; they are reall y ende a voring to unite
love lind hatred, u r " rn rher ' to co n found - the
works of hatred with th ose of love , They
pnrnlyze th'eir own e ne rgies, a nd se ll th eir
birth- ri ght for a mess or pottage. Like Sampso
n nsleep in the lap of Delilah, th ey a re shorn
of th eir stre ngth without knowing it. , ' Vhat
would become of th e world , sllY th ey , if we
should qnit human gove rnme nt, lind go nltoget
her hy th e divine go ve rnme nt? Indeed!
on ly this : the kingdom s ' of this worl, 1 would
th cn soo n hecolll e th e kingdom of our Lord ,
nlli! S ilvio I' J esns Chl'isl. Every on e 10 h is
own pillce, an, i to his own mission, Worldlin
g'S to th ei "", Christians to theirs,
Bll t th en it is impracticable to act ont Non -'
Resistan ce, hecau se soine ChristiAns wOllld be
in slllt ed , arHI couldnol sellk redress hy IlIw ,
lint!. sOll1e would he l< illed out- rig ht, tr yin g to
stllllfl to th ejr pri nciples. Very, well ; IVere
not Christians of old persecuted, tormented
lIlIll slain, for Clldst's sa ke ,? \ Va s it im pr ac- '
licllhle then 10 s n lI~ r IIno die fur n good
prinr : il'l e ? ' And what ifChristillns/ ll'e kill ed;
is ' no t thl1ir life hid with Christ , in Goo ? do
th ey'not fillll ; thei,' life ag llin ? are ' they not im ·
1I10rllll? Th~ y mll st die at a ll ev elll s, in II
s ho rt tim e; "'. Irat if th ey shou ld di e lIIuch
soo ne r, ' 1uil' ke r mId ensiflr on ucconnt of II
C hdsliun I'~~ il'l e ; would - they - rClllly- lose
lilly thing hy it ? ' And llllli nut tw enly Chl'is t
ian s hett el" he kill ed hy sinne rs , th an one s inner
by a Christian? , Hnt it wonld not cost a
th01l5111,, 1 part so ma. iy lives to est llblish Non ·
R, ~ si st ance in th e world, liS hu ve heen sac r i ·
ficed hy 1I0minlii Chr islillns in Will" It is n'
I! lorio us th ing to ma reh out by thom, ulld s undcr
th e orders o f humlln goVel'llmelll, IIl1d
shoo t , Iown tl lOllsllnll s of lell ow c hr istians who
a l'e , Iutifully obeying Meir go ve rnment. And
wh never is him self s hot down in thi s IIlOSt
CllI'islian work n rshoo ting other s , : l ies a 111111' ·
ter - apllllintmal'lyrl l\ Iyl'iadshuve ll ied this
d eutll for th ei l', co ulllry , ulld , it wa s glor inus ! T
omhs lind trIUlllllllellts , lire ere cted In th eir'
mem ol'y, But to tlie for peac: e- to d ie for
Ch rist- to di e for a prin ciple worth mOl'c th an
the wholc \ yol'ld- this is impracticable ! The
filct is, NOll- Resistance would sa ve II tho llsa nd
lives wh en' it would lose olle . A lld vel it is
illll'l'IIcti cub le. " It would prevent a tiuHISIIlJO
crne lties wh er e it woulrl lose one, und yet it is
illlpl'lIcti cahl e. It would sa ve a th on slllHI dol 1m's
whe re it would cost on e, a nd yet it is imIJl'llcti
cahle. The world is fnll of hl oo/ hihed,
lind Inlll'd er , nn il violen ce , fur th e want of th is
pri nci ple ; mlll ye t C hr isti ll n~ will not ri se III"
IIl1d live it our, for fellI' tllllt in a few e ~ l re me
ell~ es, it will cus~ theill th eir life- II life which
Ilu: y sllY is ilJ(! esl ru ct ihle! But tlley ca ll as ·
sist in han gi llg, heh earl- ing, a nd s laug hle ring
th eil' fellow mell fill' th e sllke of hUlllon goverlHllc
llts, e ve n lho ug h th ey themsel ves a re
l! l: lill hy th ou s81111s in th e ull empt. 0 Ch ris tian
, how is thi s ? I s it 1I0t true th, lIt tliou hllst
a nalll e to live , whilst th ou a rt d elld to IlOli ·
ness! Hast th uu co uside red 1111 th e~ e thillgs?
Arise, th llt C hris t ma y g ive th ee light ?
( Re ma inde r in next No.)
INTERESTING LETTER
Frolll G. If'. Stacy to lite E dilor.
BO)' lston, No v. 12, 1840.
Denr HI',:
' Ve hop e th e 1.01' 11 is in t!' llth
wilh liS. The glorinus prin ciples we llllv ocli te
- anti 0 , thm we IIIl1y live them- ar e mi ghty
a nd ' will prevllil. Nevel' did I feel more
cOllrage an d henrt to press onlDa/' d, Nevel',
since it has heen m~\' pr ivil ege liS II ponr , hrokell
\' esse l, to proc illim tile un sear chahl e ridles
of red ee mi ng lov e, ha ve I enjoyed so mu ch of
th e k iugrlom of helive n. I feel nolO tha t I am
1I0t as a ilion beating the ai r,
" A heavenly race demands my zeal.
And an imrnorta l crcwn. " ,
o my Br. ! what is olulOard- wh81 is ea rthly
fume and go ofl s tanding umong th e " Ieise
and prudent." compared with His " favor,
which is life ?" . When with angel s we a re
ca lled 10 rej oice at the return of penitent souls
who are ready to for sak e oil things for. Ch rist,
we may take co urage that we hav e e n te re d
our Masler's vin eyard. Hless the LOI'II; O my ,
so ul, for wh ut my eyes hnve seen, nnd ea rs
have heard of th e workings of thelloly S pir it
in th is place !
A Revival, no t in the mer e technical sense, ,
hut we tru st a revival of PIII'f~ , self- sac r ificing,
se lf- de ny ing religion has commence d in 0111'
midst. There is a s hnki ng among th e dry
hon es, and soul s are beginning to live. A
happy littl e compnny of breth ren nnd sis ters
nre now shouting 111111 sing ing on their way to
henv en , They lire poor in th e goods of the "
world, hut the littl e they posse ss th ey nr e
read y to ded icate to th e se n ice of God , ca lling
no thing thei ~ own. Yon kn ow, Br, thnt
not many migh ty , not many rich, RI'e call ed, While
I pen thi s l: hee l: i n~ int elligen ce, Illy
henrI burns wilhin me, \ Vhat llre " gems li'llIn
the mountaill s, 01' gold from th e mincR," ill
c umpll rison with tl, c gnthe l'ing of jewe ls to
s hi ne as st: lry of rej oi cillg in ' the kingdom of
glory ?
An age( f brothe r, who has end nre d th e frost
of mor e thnn sixty willl er s, has upe ned hi s
heul't io us, lie cOIlItI, to use hi s OWII words ,
' keep silent 110 longer.' \ Vi th a tremllious
voke he toll! us th e workings of his min, l fill"
th e post few months, li e hus now, nhermoistelling
his pillow wil h tea rs ! It midnig/ ll, and
th ell ! lile ntly eOlrinlllll iug with his G,-! d , found
a pred ou s Savior, wh o is to him th e ' c hiefes t
alllong ten thousands.' Tile self- den y ing
pl'inciples, which ure now, in a gr eat rnCllsnre,
re pUd ia ted hy the C h u r~ h , as well ns the
world, lire his till in all. !\ Iuy he hy Divine
grace IJIJrfec t-. 1he - gOffiI · work ' I~ gu n in his
heart, IIlld watcl~ and wuit for a hurv est o f g lo ry.
l\ Iany ollnit'll ar e fust pr essing on. 0 11 1'
littl e guthe t'illgs from hou se to hOllse hn\' e
heen oWlled of God, and hl essed thll s for. \
Ve have in th em no 11,; esthood, hu t lIIeet on II
lev el , with J esus fur ( Jur P res id ent. The
hre thren a nll sist ers are led . to feel Ih e lIIeet illgs
to he tl leir own, for tlle uUer llnce of IIIC
full srlUl. " W he re th e s pir it , o f th e t Offl is,
th er c is liherl y."
~ JllY we ha vc tlie prayer s anol sy n, pat lly of
onl' denr hrelhren and sislet'!' sCllllered in lilli e
hundfuls over th e ellrl h. \ V e ha ve only to be
tnu , alIII Go, 1 will hless liS, Let us emhody
iii 0 11 1' lives th e hlessed s pir it of J esus, a nd li\' e
as he li\' ed, u'nd we shll l, l nu lon ger mou, 1' Il
o ve t th e desolation of Z ion . And now that
men hav e se ttled th e I; l< t ve qll estioll , \ vllO s li. oll
rule o\' e r tllem in a temporal kingdom, may
' we lah or to e lltl , ro ne J eSlls in 011 1' heur tS ns
th e ' King of Killgs nlld Lord of L ords.'
R EWARD AND P USI SIIMENT IN SCll oor. s, A
teac hel' cnn render almost nny thing a re- ,
\~ nJ'( 1 or a punishment 10 his pllpil by h is own
manner of cons idering it. F or ins tan ce, I
on ee hnrl an empty sell t pla ceflat my s ide it, l
th c s eh ool , I soo n perceiv ell n c h ild , thnt was
misch ie vou s and idl e. } sllid, ' Come her e and
sit hy rne , yo u ar e too lIallgbty to sit \ lIrnong
gooll c hild ren - I ca llnot trll st yOIl at a di slance
Ii'om me till yOIl ar e houm'.' The c hil d cl'ied
hitt el'ly at wbat he , Ieeme d n pllllish me nt, and
soon hecnnl e well enough to l'eBtlme his form e
r seat. Not l on ~ after , J saw unother wh ose
llili gen r'e and aue:; ti on gnve me pleusure. I
call ed him , with a smi le, to sit on the slime
Sellt. ' Come to me,' sllid I ; ' I lov e 10 ha\' e
yon near me , whc n you arc so gllorl.' The
smiling happiness of th e c l/ illl su ffici ently testified
bis co mprel le nsio n of th e spi/ it of my
ar ra llge me nts.- .! lmel'ican annals of Educatioll.
CONDENSED A R G U ~ t E N T,- A very ce leh ra
ted Scote h d ivine says: " T he world we inbahit
mu st bave had all u rigin j that , origi ll / II list
hav e eo nsi~ letl in a ca lise; th llt ca use IllUSt
Imv'e beeII int ell igent ; tl lllt , intelligence mll st
have heen effidellt j tlmt e ffi eie n~ y l1I usl ha \' e
heen ulti lllute ; t hat nlt ifllatc power n llist hav e
been su pre llle ; Rlld that whic h a lway s was,
and issu prelrle, we kllow hy lh e nllme ofGo{ I."
I '
Page 63 of Volume 1 from The Practical Christian 1840-1841
Creator
Ballou, Adin
Date
1840
Identifier
Files
Collection
Citation
Ballou, Adin, “Page063,” Digital Commonwealth , accessed May 23, 2013, http://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/items/show/494.
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