218 ASSAYS SCIENTIFIC AND PHILOSOPHICAL. 



XL 



THE DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 

 AND THE ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH 

 WITH RESPECT TO WAR. 



An address delivered at the Portsmouth Church Congress, 

 October, 1885. 



OUR President has spoken of this subject as a 

 " delicate and difficult " one. I confess I am not 

 greatly troubled by the delicacy of my position. 

 Those who serve their Queen and country as our 

 soldiers and sailors do, will not only allow, they 

 will expect the Christian priest to do his duty. But 

 the difficulty is a very real one. When Christ was 

 born into the world the angels proclaimed " Peace 

 on earth : " His legacy to us was, " Peace I leave 

 with you, My peace I give unto you : " when He 

 came among us from the grave He said, " Peace 

 be unto you." The new Kingdom was a King- 

 dom of Peace ; the promised Comforter was the 

 Spirit of Peace : Christ Himself was the Prince of 

 Peace. How, then, are we to explain the teaching 

 of the Bible and the attitude of the Church in 

 respect of War ? The Old Testament commands, 



