The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

^.-14^ SERMOKS.:And when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah, hecarried the inhabitants captive to Babylon, having, fofar as I remember, flain but a few.In one word, it is naturally jufl to make war byopen violence, as far as it is neceflary to obtain our,.right, or to diftrefs the enemy, fo as he Ihall coirfentto juft terms *, but fuch violence and cruelty as is notnaturally fubfcrvient to this purpofe, or without whichwe could obtain our right as effeftually, and at nogreater expence to ourfelves, is unjuft, and deteftablein the fight of God and man. In order to end fohorrible a thing as war, I think I may fay furtherjtliat if, in the courfe of the w^ar, the leaders of the onecontending party find that their armies are weaker,and their refources fewer, than thofe of the other,they ought to controul their pride, and fubmit, withas good a grace as pofTible, to the flronger : This isfurely a lefs evil than that they fliould^ by their obflinacy,bring extermination upon their country. Civilliberty is precious, but life is ftill more fo. Whywill ye die ? fays tlie prophet Jeremiah to the king ofJudah— " Why will ye die, thou and thy people, bythe fword, by the famine, and by the peftilence, asthe Lord hath fpoken againfl the nation that will notftrve the king of Babylon ?" And whatever fome ofthe haughty Romans have boafted to the contrary, Ithink it mianifeft, that Cato and Scipio ought to havefubmitted to Csefar, rather than, as they did, put aviolent end to their lives. For that unnatural andunjuftifiabte ftep they are cenfured by the more judiciousof even the heathen writers. It is every man'sduty to preferve his life, though, by the viciffitudesof the world, he may fee himfelf obliged to becomethe fubjeft or the fervant of a new mailer. Selfprefervationis his indifpenfible duty j he owes it to'God, to his country, and to himfelf; and God may,in his good time, reftore him to liberty.And here I cannot but regret, that, in this unhap-