Tolbert Fanning

“ But what shall we say for man? Has not the Allwise implanted in his nature a love for life,—for mere existence; and bid him instinctively to respect it in all his fellows? He who acts from the dictates of Nature, wills not the destruction of the poorest worm that crawls. ”

“ We desire it to be clearly understood that, under the dispensation of Moses, there was no system of religion to cleanse the soul of man from sin, and point him to immortality and eternal life. God was only preparing our race for better things. In these circumstances, when nations and individuals became too corrupt to live, they were slain by Heaven's appointment. The act of killing even the vile, however, was of no moral advantage to him who did the deed; hence, as a general rule,—"The wicked are the sword o the Lord."—Prov 17: 13. ”

“ We express our belief firmly, when we say, doubtless the Lord has protected, and will still sustain his people, if they will manifest greater confidence in him than flaming swords and glittering spears. It is difficult to find human beings sufficiently degraded to slay members of the family of man, who cultivate not a spirit of war.
But be this matter as it may, the whole teaching of the New Testament, is to impress the spirit of long suffering and forbearance; and to sacrifice property and life itself, rather than deny the Savior. ”

“ Not only have Romanists and Protestants, lived and feasted upon blood; but many of their leaders are at this moment, men famed for spilling the blood of their fellows. Most conquerors from Constantine to Santa Anna, professed to fight alone for God and religion. Such sacred missionaries were scarcely of Heaven's appointment, and the grand mistake of the world, consists in the fact, that men have failed to regard christianity as possessing no affinity for the wisdom of this world, or its institutions. ”

“ The causes of war are numerous, but a few of them must be mentioned. National honor is assigned as the first cause of war. Nations do not wish to be considered cowardly, and think it disgraceful to take an insult; and hence, they are constantly anticipating offences.
The love of conquest is a fruitful source of war; but the love of territory, and plunder, has always had a most powerful bearing on the minds of men. The fame of military chieftains, exerts a vast influence in implanting in the mind of youth, the love of war. ”

“ God intended it to turn the eyes of its advocates from evil—to save their feet from the path of mischief, their hands from blood, and to direct their thoughs, and hightest aspirations up to the throne of his favor. ”

“ The prophecies, in reference to Christ and his kingdom, clearly teach that, the whole tendency of the new institution, was to put an end to war. Isaiah said, when speaking, as all the world agree, of the gospel age:—"They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.—Isa. ”

“ We would now, most respectfully, ask the lovers of truth, if these plain and pointed declarations do not fully establish the point, that the reign of Messiah was to be one of universal peace? We believe all that is necessary to convince the world of the truth of the proposition, that—Christians are not permitted to engage in the bloody conflicts of the infidel nations, is to let these scriptures have their wonted influence upon the mind. ”

“ We have not read in history of a people who acknowledge themselves the offending party;—all plead justification, on the ground of aggressions from the enemy. Again:—There is scarcely, in the annals of Time, an account of an important war, in which both parties did not operate, both offensively and defensively. The doctrine of attack, advantage taking, and punishing to gratify feelings of revenge, is adopted by all parties engaged in war; and it is universally the case, that so soon as war is declared, the technicalities—of offensive and defensive war—are forgotten. ”

“ The point established, then, is that while man remained in a state of innocency, he had not in his heart a spirit of destruction. While he regarded the image of God in those who were flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone, he could not slay his fellows; but when the Creator's works became mutilated, defaced, and corrupted,—so much so that they did not answer the designs of creation,—for wise purposes, the Almighty destroyed the whole race of man, with the exception of eight souls, by a flood. ”

“ Now it remains to be shown that the differences are so great in the two institutions, that war could be tolerated in the former, but not in the latter.—Before, however, offering our arguments, we wish to say to those who may desire to find fault with us, we are not contending that war is never justifiable in the nations of the earth. Indeed, we doubt not, it is often Heaven's policy, to regulate nations by the sword; but we wish our readers to understand us to say, that the Almighty acknowledges no nation as peculiarly his, at this day ”

“ We presume, there is not a learned man on earth, who will contend, that either civil government, or war, would be necessary for the happiness of our race, if all men were christians.
With these suggestions, we proceed to give, in order, a few reasons, drawn directly from the gospel, for believing that christians have no right to engage in war. ”

“ We may be told, it is no where written that, war was to be abrogatedby the gospel. True: but we find hundreds of practices amongst the Jews, of which it is no where written:—"They shall not exist in the christian economy;" yet when we find christianity standing just in the place of them, we know it was its tendency to abrogate them. It was not Christ's intention to attack civil institutions, but rather to impress upon his disciples the importance of respecting them. ”

“ We should like, upon a suitable occasion, to notice some of the evils of war upon what is called, christian society, the education of youth &c., but we leave the statements to speak for themselves. If we have taken the right view, christians are in great error and must reform. ”

“ Behold! a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest, [the Hebrew, menuhah, may, with great propriety, be translated peace.] and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon; [the Hebrew Shaloum, means peace.] and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name."—1 Chron. 22: 8-10.
From these facts we are led to conclude that, extreme wickedness called for the shedding of blood, in order to rid the earth of some of its curses ”

“ In Isaiah, 35th chapter, it is written:—"And a high way shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those; the way faring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there ”

“ Christians during the first and second centuries, presumed not to take the least part in civil governments, or thought of engaging in war. Even the very calm and moderate author, Doctor Paley, says:—"Christianity, soliciting admission into all nations of the world, abstained, as behoved it, from intermeddling with the civil institutions of any." ”

“ The conclusion of the whole matter is, that wars were barely tolerated, in consequence of the corruptions of the times; but those considered worthy to approach the divine presence, as priests, for instance, were not suffered to shed blood.
It is pleasant to think, that notwithstanding the Alimighty permits men to follow their own devices, he always recommends them to walk in wisdom's path; but when his creatures have become abandoned, he has often permitted their destruction. ”

“ If the spirit of war had existed in the government of Christ, we might reasonably suppose he would have appealed to arms to establish it. So far, however, from this being the case, the Apostle applies the language of the Prophet to him:—"He shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. ”

“ We will submit such arguments to the candid, as satisfy us that christians, as a nation, church, or individuals, have no divine authority for engaging in war, offensive or defensive, for fame, plunder, revenge, or for the benefit of themselves or their enemies. ”

“ Then, so far from the passage showing that the disciples were to use violence, the very reverse is most obvious.
8th. We are asked the question, "suppose the territory of christians were invaded, and the enemy were about to destroy their property; must they not defend themselves?" The Romans came against the christians in Jerusalem, and in obedience to the Lord, they "fled to the mountains." The innocent Waldenses, often forsook their homes to escape the sword of the bloodthirsty Roman Catholics, yet by this course they maintained their purity, and honored their immaculate Redeemer. ”

“ But take any definition of war, given by our most popular writers: the great question to be determined, is:—Are Christians authorized, by the New Testament, to engage in war? There is no philanthropist, or christian, who is not deeply interested in the solution of this subject.
2d. The origin and causes of war, are matters not to be slighted. We presume no one will argue, that man was made to sport with the life's blood of his brother. Moses informs us that man was made—"To till the ground."—Gen. ”

“ First:—As before intimated great corruption existed, before war was tolerated. Secondly:—It must not be forgotten that, no nation was capable of appreciating a pure system of religion before Christ; and, lastly,—It must be kept in mind, that in all circumstances, war has been regarded, by God and man, as a sore calamity. The shedding of blood, it is true, "defiled the land of Israel, and it could not be cleansed but by the blood of him that shed it."—Nu. ”

“ The Spirit of—"Joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, forbearance," &c., which christians are commanded to cultivate, forever precludes the spirit and practice of war. The servant of god, should desire above all things, the conversion of his fellow creatures ”