All War Antichristian; Or, the Principles of Peace, as Contained in the Holy Scriptures (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: well as to the manner in which they were preserved, The next relates to the threats and dangers to which they were subjected, for the firmness and faithfulness with which they endeavoured to discharge the important duty of religious worship, and to the way in which these threats were defeated. A third class, to which the reader's attention will be directed, refers to the trials, connected in some degree with the last, arising from the refusal of many individuals to conform to the ceremonies of the Romish church, which exposed them, in the circle of their families, as well as abroad, to the danger of instant death. And the fourth class will embrace a more comprehensive range of incident relating to the Society, in other parts of the country which were the scenes of commotion. In every place, it will appear, that the same principles of conduct produced effects of a similar description. CHAP. II. State of the Society of Friends, previous to, and during the Rebellion. It is generally known that an objection to take part in War, in any shape, forms one of the tenets of the Society of Friends, com. monly called Quakers. This objection is purely religious, and is founded upon what they conceive to be the spirit of the Gospel dispensation, as it is illustrated in the precepts of Christ and his Apostles, and exemplified in their practice. They consider that it must follow as a necessary consequence, that a religion breathing peace and good-will to men, cannot, in any case, be supported by the spirit of War. They believe that, on the contrary, the practice of this evil, among the professors of Christianity, has tended, moTe than any other circumstance, to prevent its propagation in the world, to tarnish its excellency in the eyes of Jews and Pagans, and to confirm their speculative...