Mercy is the grand characteristic of the gospel, and the practice of
mercy is the indispensable duty of man. "Be ye merciful, as your Father
also is merciful"; "For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust"; "Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy"; "For he shall have judgment
without mercy, that hath showed no mercy."
Mercy is that disposition which inclines us to relieve distress, to
forgive injuries, and to promote the best good of those who are ill
deserving. Mercy in us towards our enemies implies seeking and pursuing
their best good for time and eternity. It is sinful to exercise any
affection towards enemies short of that benevolence or mercy which
involves the advancement of their best good, and Christians may not
suspend this disposition, or do evil that any supposed good may come;
for no law can be of higher authority than the express precept of
Christ which requires this disposition towards enemies, and of course no
other consideration can be paramount to this, for nations are as much
bound as individuals.
It is surely too grossly absurd for any to pretend that destroying the
property and lives of enemies is treating them mercifully, or pursuing
their best good for time and eternity. Nor can any so impose upon their
imaginations as to think that injuring mankind is treating them with
benevolence or mercy.
But the direct object of war is injury to enemies; and the conduct of
soldiers generally speaks a language not easily to be misunderstood.
Though soldiers are not always as bad as they might be, their tender
mercies are often but cruelty. When they storm a fortified place and do
not put all the captives to the sword, they are complimented for
exercising mercy, merely because they were not so cruel as they might
have been. But shall a highway robber be called an honest man because he
takes but half the money of him whom he robs? Is it an act of mercy,
when a man encroaches on your property, to take away his life? Do
nations exercise mercy towards each other when they enter into bloody
wars in consequence of a dispute which shall govern a small portion of
territory? or does a nation show mercy to another that has actually
invaded its rights by falling upon the aggressor and doing all the
injury in its power? This surely is not forgiving injuries. And when two
contending armies come in contact and rush on each other with all the
frightful engines of death and cut each other to pieces they do not
appear to me as merciful, kind, and tender-hearted, forgiving one
another in love, even as God for Christ's sake forgives his children.
Yet this is the rule by which they should act and by which they will at
last be judged.
But the whole system of war is opposed to mercy, and is therefore
altogether unlike the spirit of the gospel, and must be criminal.
VII. WAR IS CRIMINAL, AS THE PRACTICE OF IT IS INCONSISTENT WITH
FORGIVING TRESPASSES AS WE WISH TO BE FORGIVEN BY THE FINAL JUDGE
Our Saviour says: "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses";
"Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."
Here it is evident that the everlasting salvation of men depends on
their exercising forgiveness towards their enemies; for if they forgive
not, they will not be forgiven of God, and with what measure they mete
to others, it will be measured to them again.
To forgive is to pass by an offense, treating the offender not according
to his desert, but as though he had done nothing amiss.
But do the principles of war lead individuals or nations to pass by
offenses and to treat offenders as if they were innocent? Do they not,
on the contrary, require justice and exact the very last mite? Has it
the aspect of forgiveness for us, when an enemy trespasses on our
rights, to arm with weapons of slaughter and meet him on the field of
battle? Who, while piercing the heart of his enemy with a sword, can
consistently utter this prayer: "Father, forgive my trespasses, as I
have forgiven the trespasses of this my enemy"? But this, in reference
to this subject, is the only prayer the gospel warrants him to make. And
professing Christian nations, while at war and bathing their swords in
each other's blood to redress mutual trespasses, are daily in their
public litanies offering this prayer; but is it not obvious that either
their prayers are perfect mockery, or they desire not to be forgiven but
to be punished to the extent of their deserts?
If individuals or nations desire that God would forgive their
trespasses, then they must not only pray for it, but actually exercise
forgiveness towards those who trespass against them; and then they may
beat their useless swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning
hooks and learn war no more.
But it must be very criminal to engage in war, or to tolerate it in any
way, if it is inconsistent with the forgiveness of injuries as we hope
to be forgiven, and in this respect violates the precepts of the gospel.
VIII. ENGAGING IN WAR IS NOT MANIFESTING LOVE TO ENEMIES OR RETURNING
GOOD FOR EVIL
Returning good for evil and manifesting benevolence to enemies is,
perhaps, the most elevated and noble part of Christian practice,--the
inculcation of which in the gospel exalts Christianity far above any
other form of religion and proves it to be not only divine but
efficacious to subdue the turbulent and corrupt passions of men; and for
these reasons this part of duty ought to be zealously advocated and
diligently performed by every one who bears the Christian name.
The ablest writers who have defended the divine origin of the Scriptures
against infidels have urged this topic as constituting conclusive
evidence in their favor; and unbelievers, instead of attempting to meet
the argument fairly, have urged the inconsistency of Christians in
acting contrary to so conspicuous a rule of duty; and such is and ever
has been the most powerful weapon that infidels can wield against
Christianity. But it is the will of God that by welldoing we should put
to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Let Christians act in strict
conformity to this part of Christian practice, and they will wrest from
the infidel's hand his strongest weapon.
That exercising benevolence towards enemies and returning good for evil
is inculcated as one of the most important doctrines of the gospel is
evident as well from the whole tenor of the New Testament as from the
express commands of the Son of God: "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, that ye may be the
children of your Father in heaven"; "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if
he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire
on his head"; "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
Such are some of the divine precepts on this subject. So different,
however, are the laws of war among Christian nations, that rendering
comfort or relief to enemies is considered high treason, and they punish
with death the performance of the very duty which God commands as a
condition of eternal life!
The common sense of every man revolts from the idea that resisting an
enemy by war is returning good for evil. Who would receive the thrust of
a sword as an act of kindness? Was it ever considered that killing a man
was doing good to him? Has not death always been considered the greatest
evil which could be returned for capital crimes? But the principles of
war not only allow enemies to return evil for evil by killing one
another, but secure the highest praise to him who kills the most. It is
often said of those who distinguish themselves in butchering their
fellow-men, that "they cover themselves with glory!"
Nations, when they go to war, do not so much as pretend to be actuated
by love to their enemies; they do not hesitate to declare in the face of
Heaven that their object is to _avenge_ their wrongs. But, says an
inspired apostle, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but give place
unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith
the Lord." Retributive judgment, the execution of strict justice, or
vengeance, God declares often, belongs to him. He has reserved it in his
own hand as his sovereign prerogative.
It is not very surprising that savage pagans should glory in revenge,
but that those should do so who have the Bible in their hands, and
profess to take it as the rule of their faith and practice, is truly
astonishing. Still more astonishing is it that some ministers of the
gospel not only connive at but approve of the spirit and practice of
revenge by war.
But though the whole tenor of the gospel absolutely enjoins returning
good for evil and blessing for cursing; yet the open and avowed
principles of war are to return evil for evil, violence for violence.
Now if the principles of war are so directly opposed to the principles
of the gospel, if the practice of war is so perfectly contrary to
Christian practice, then it must be very criminal for Christians not to
bear open testimony against war, and much more criminal to do anything
to promote it.