Did God pre-ordain this before sin, or in consequence of sin? If God had not let his power be known, we should have never known or feared him. There were the races, hardened, stubborn, and sinful. God strove to save them, but the evil was so great that except with one race it was impossible; but God subjected them, in hope of the future. The races of the gentiles, of all races and tongues, might groan, wail, and weep, from commencement of sin until redemption, it availed nothing, except to preserve their cities from destruction, as Ninevah, &c. Although their anguish might break forth, like Esau's, in an exceeding bitter cry, it was to no purpose, notwithstanding their lamentation. Redemption has changed this, and all are saved by grace, not individually elected to be saved or lost; the whole world of gentiles can now receive the Holy Spirit, as the Jews, providing they conform to the love of Christ, as God predestinates him. Thus are the portals of salvation thrown open unto all applicants, which was not so before redemption. "I will call them my people who were not my people, and them beloved which was not beloved." "In the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God." "I came unto my own, and my own received me not, and I was found of those who sought not after me." "It is God who justifieth, who is he that condemneth ?" God had justifiable cause for what he did, even on Mount Sinai, when his voice shook the earth; it was to make his power known. As a father threatens a stubborn son, so did he his people, who were then not sufficiently pure to touch the mount when Holiness was there.

"For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire; nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet; and the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more (for they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart; and so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceeding fear and quake).”— Heb., c. xii., v. 18.

And this was a long time after the separation of the seeds in the twin brothers. What were their propensities and dispositions previously can only be imagined, for Esau even would have done as Cain did, and have murdered his brother, had it not been prevented. Not even a daughter

of a perfected generation was allowed him for wife. Jacob obtained all of them; and had there been a dozen he would doubtless have had them given him, rather than they should have been united to Esau, or to any other race of people then existing. Not because Esau had done any actual sin does God refuse him.

"For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac (for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth), it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then, Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid."—Rom., c. ix., v. 9.

It is God that justifieth. St. Paul finishes his tenth chapter with quotations, as, "But I say, Did not Israel know? First, Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." Here is universal election of a people, who previously were without a shadow of salvation. Not a portion of a people; for Christ died for all.

THE UNGODLINESS OF WAR.

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."-Epis. Gen. James, c. iv., v. 1.

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St. James writes this direct question and answer by the power of the Holy Spirit (the same as if God himself were writing the epistle). Come they not hence? Where then, even of your lusts that war in your members. This is satisfactory and conclusive. Wars and fightings come not from God, but from our lusts, that agitate and war in our members. Ye lust, and have not his assistance, help, or guidance. Ye kill, and yet

desire, and cannot obtain. We are here told that, Ye ask, ye lust, ye 'kill, and desire; ye fight and war; yet ye have not, nor cannot obtain, because it cannot be given, for it is amiss to consume it on your lusts. What is the desire? Is it vanity? is it wealth? is it honour? or is it the knowledge of understanding that God died to save the men that we fight, war upon, and kill, keeping and feeding hundreds of thousands to That ye may consume it -be ready for the purpose, like bees in a hive ? upon your lusts. Yes, that is strictly speaking the truth. Ambition, is the giant demon of the heart-the bottomless pit, the imagination. From whence come the wars and fightings among us? They come not from God, neither does he have anything to do with them, except allowing man to fulfil to his heart's content "the measures of your fathers" that which he most desires, receiving in himself a reward of judgment for his despotism, against God and man, and a certain destruction in the torment to come. Nothing can be said in its favour. It is without one shadow of argument to support it. Heaven disowns thee, thou hideous monster, scourge of mankind, thou abominable desolater and disquieter of the whole earth. Where wast thou fostered and nursed? even of your lusts, that war in your members. That is the answer as St. James states it. But let us test it ourselves. God has not made man for the purpose of destroying his fellow man. He made man especially to till the ground, that the earth might bring forth her increase. Is there no ground to till? If not, any object would be better than that of destroying each other. And this is called a gentlemanly profession! What has it to do with Christianity? Impious! Nations gathering and banding together, like beasts of prey, thousands of their kind and sex, for the sole purpose of destroying each other. After having become skilled in their chosen professional art, they are let loose, as men of blood, rapine, and murder; victim slaying victim; not one in a thousand knowing the exact cause, .not one of the whole knowing the ungodliness of the act, and not one perhaps ever knew or saw the other previously. Yet not one perhaps but what had some hope of the life to come; but if any could meet together in the Paradise of Bliss and Peace, it would be a discordant meeting-it is a hasty departure for such a happy reunion. Hear the war notes of the opposing armies, calling upon the God of Battles to assist them, and give each of them the victory over the other. Who is the God of Battles that is thus called upon for victory, and even to defend their

religion? It is only demonism-that lust for victory. We want no such religion defended; the sooner it is destroyed the better if the sword is required to uphold it. How could the God of Battles give victory to creeds in opposition, or defend religions unless they are in concord? And then there is no requirement for victory or defence. God, who died to save man, gives no such victory; he is no respecter of persons; he has no partiality. He would tell us, If our enemies hunger, give them bread; he would not tell us either to burn or destroy it, to prevent it being obtained that is open war against him who sent it gratuitously, to support man against hunger. What becomes of the manslayer? If man receives according to his works, then the chastiser will be chastised, the destroyer will be destroyed; he who slays with the sword must be slain with the sword. Supposing reflection be summoned to our aid, while we arraign these contending armies and their chiefs before the judgment seat of God, to be asked by him the cause and purpose of slaying his creatures, for whose salvation he suffered agony and death. Could they answer this, other than by each respectively condemning the other as the instigator. There is no other answer to the question. They could not both say, that they defended their country and religion, because war destroys and impoverishes both country and religion, and all the moral influence of Christianity, and makes brutes of the otherwise sons and offspring of God; while the victor feasts upon the slain, viz., the false honour and the produce of the spoil. Yes, let bells ring, and cannon proclaim to High Heaven the "joyjul tidings" that thousands of those he suffered for are slain-not those whose lust and avarice created the war, but the fathers of perhaps thrice the number of innocent children, now deprived of that parental guardianship for which nature alone can qualify. This is horrible enough, but not the worst. Let us look further. Does man seek to justify his ambition, his glory and honour (as it is wrongly termed), by the history of the wars in the Holy Bible? If so, it must be confessed, that a greater error never was made. The war cry, "To your tents, O Israel," has long been silenced. There is now no war between Jew and gentile. The Jews do not band themselves together to battle; the cause does not exist, nor ever will any more. Redemption has destroyed the enmity that was before required between the seeds. It was to prevent a unity of the seeds, or a defilement between them, that God called forth a war, and to punish rebellious nature. I do not pre

tend to say that there are no other wars recorded in scripture, but there are no others that God authorised. We may find wars with and between the people of the one seed similar to the wars now. Ambition for victory— that murdering principle-began in Cain. Four kings warred against five others in the time of Abraham, but he would not have troubled himself with the war had not Lot and his family been taken captives, which was the cause of his interfering; he brought them back again, but refused any share of the spoil, although he could have claimed their kingdoms. Spoil was not the purpose for which the holy seed went to war, although it was with the vagabond race. The difference formally between the godly and the ungodly seeds was the cause of the wars that God called forth previous to redemption, and the justice of them is patent; but since redemption war is another matter. It is not now between the races that enmity should prevail. If it were so, we might suppose that Christ has not descended, but the position of the wars themselves is a proof positive that he has done so; therefore the enmity is destroyed, and man is commanded to regard the separate races as fellow citizens of the household of God. It must not be supposed that God always fought for the children of Israel, for sometimes he gave the victory to the other seed; but that was when the Israelites had defiled themselves by unity, of marriage or concubinage, with the gentiles. On one occasion the Israelites fought with the Benjaminites, the brother tribe, but through lust of the worst description. The battle went sore with the Benjaminites, who were left without a seed, and the Israelites had to procure wives for them this : may be found in the three last chapters of Judges. of the matter is, that the wars which then seed being empowered to punish the other as either transgressed; the transgression generally being the union of the races, but in no case the desire for the annexation of territory, save and except the war with the Philistines and others, whom the Israelites drove out from the Promised Land to establish a kingdom for themsleves, not holding or annexing any other. This was not the case with the wars previous to Moses; with which the Lord had nothing to do. The lands of the lying vagabond races were defended by might and power; their will was their law, and their lands were overrun with kings, princes, dukes, and lords, not one of whom was ever acknowledged by the deity. Saul was the first annointed king; no other was previously annointed, but kings rose up and governed

The whole sum and substance existed were caused by one