would have been the answer from a member of a “Non-resisting society,” had the world been wise enough then to have had one. But what was John’s answer—“Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages.” Here observe that the latter clause in these instructions to the soldiers, is equivalent to a command to remain in the army and pursue the trade of war; and the former part was a rule for their observance while not engaged in active warfare. Had John commanded these soldiers to desert their ranks, he would have been arrested for treason and rebellion; and the Roman Tribunes would have spared Herod the crime of murdering the foreunner of Christ. They would have put him to death for other and better reasons than to gratify a wicked mother and a silly daughter.
That war is an evil of the highest magnitude, is true; that it is contrary to the letter and spirit of the gospel, is equally true; and that the spirit of the gospel will eventually exterminate war, by exterminating the evil passions of men, that generate war, is no less true. But until the spirit of the gospel becomes the spirit of the nations, and the principles of the gospel, the laws of nations, wars, sometimes, will be unavoidable, and armies will be necessary. I mean defensive wars, for aggressive wars are always wrong, and never justifiable. And, therefore, to require men and nations to lay down their arms, and disband their armies, while the spirit of war is still in their hearts, is attempting to heal a great and sore disease by attacking the effect instead of the cause.
Take another example in support of our position. The Scribes and Pharisees, with that craft, cunning and dupliciiy, always characteristic of religious and political Jesuits, employed every stratagem to entrap the Redeemer, so as to commit himself on some great question of religion or politics, came to him on one occasion, and with the subtlety of their father, the Devil, intending to take him by surprise, thus addressed, him: “Master, we know that thou regardest not the person of any man, and carest for no man, but teachest the way of God truly; tell us therefore, is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar or not? Shall we give? or shall we not give?”
It is not possible to conceive a more deep-laid and cunningly contrived scheme to entrap an innocent person, than this, which was the master-piece of deceit of these serpents and vipers, as John truly called them. There is the insiduous manner of address, the appeal of human vanity, the delicate and subtle flattery, that Delilah, that has destroyed stronger Sampsons than he of old.
They, no doubt, expected, that, as the Redeemer came in the character of a deliverer, and also a kieg, that he would at once have told them to pay no tribute to Cæsar; and then they would have accused him to Cæsar for rebellion: or, should he answer in the affirmative, then they could accuse him of imposture and hypocricy. Either way they had him sure; and how they must
