PEACE. 
of others, and to found it on judice and equity. Thus 
difpofed, they will neceflarily cultivate peace; for, if 
they do not live peaceably together, how can they per¬ 
form thofe mutual and facred duties which nature en¬ 
joins them ? And this date is found to be no lefs neceflary 
to their happinefs, than the difcharge of their duties. So 
that the law of nature every way obliges them to feek 
and cultivate peace. 
This obligation of cultivating peace is a double tie. 
A king owes this care to his.people, on whom war draws 
a multitude of evils ; and this care is due to them in the 
mod drift and indifpenfible manner; government being 
committed to him only for the advantage of the nation. 
This peace, fo propitious to mankind, a nation or a fo- 
vereign Ihould not only avoid didurbing; they fliould 
alfo promote it to the utmod of their power, difluade 
others from breaking it without neceflity, exhort them to 
a love of judice, equity, and public tranquillity, to a love 
of peace. It is one of the bed offices poffible to be per¬ 
formed to nations, nay to the whole world. What a 
glorious appellation is that of peace-maker ! Were a 
powerful prince rightly acquainted with the advantages 
of it; did he reprefent to himfelf the fplendid glory this 
endearing charafter offers him, with the gratitude, the 
love, the veneration, the confidence, of nations enjoying 
happinefs under his aufpices ; did he know what it is to 
reign over hearts, he would become the benefaftor, the 
friend, the father, of mankind ; and in being fo he would 
experience infinitely more delight than in the greated 
conqueds. 
The mod glorious period in the life of Augudus, was, 
when he fhut the temple of Janus, adjuded the difputes 
of kings and nations, and gave peace to the world. Here 
he appears the greated of mortals, almod divine. 
But thofe didurbers of the public peace, thofe fcourges 
of the earth, who, fwayed by a lawlefs third of power, 
or a haughty and favage difpofition, take up arms with¬ 
out judice or reafon, who fport with the quiet of man¬ 
kind, and the blood of their fubjefts ; thofe falfe he¬ 
roes, however deified by the injudicious admiration of 
the vulgar, are in effeft the word of enemies to their fpe- 
cies, and deferve to be treated as foes to the happinefs 
and repofe of mankind. Experience, that unerring 
touchdone of truth, fliows how very calamitous war is, 
even among nations not immediately engaged in it. 
War didurbs commerce, dedroys the properties of men, 
raifes the value of the necefiaries of life, fpreads frightful 
alarms, obliges all nations to be upon theirguard, and to 
keep up, at a great expenfe, an armed force. He, there¬ 
fore, that breaks a peace without caufe, or merely to fa- 
tisfy his pride and boundlefs ambition, neceflarily in¬ 
jures thofe kingdoms which are the objefts of his arms; 
and by this pernicious example eflentially attacks the 
happinefs and fafety of every nation on the earth. He 
gives them a right to join in repreffing, chadifing, and 
depriving him of a power, which he has fo diamefully 
abufed. What evils does he not bring on his own nation, 
laviffiing its blood to gratify his exorbitant paflions, and 
expofing it to the refentment of confederate enemies! 
A famous warrior at the end of the lad and beginning of 
the prefent century has rendered his memory odious 
by involving the nation he governed in continual 
wars, without either judice or neceffity: if by his abilities 
and indefatigable application he procured didinguiffied 
fuccefles in the field of battle, he drew on himfelf the 
execration of all Europe, and at length his own downfal. 
Peace Societies. —The United States of America enjoy 
the honour of having been the fird of the nations of the 
earth who founded an organized Society for the propa¬ 
gation of pacific principles. There are now, at lead, five 
of fuch inditutions in that country, mod of them having 
their affiliated branches : of thefe the mod important are 
the New York (which takes precedence of all others, 
with regard to priority of formation, having been efla- 
blifhed in Augud 1815), the Ohio, and the Mafiachufetts, 
437 
Peace Societies. The lad named one confids of upwards 
of 400 members, among whom are one of the former pre- 
fidents of the United States, feveral members of the 
legiflature, and refpeftable judges of their courts, the 
chief judice of their fupreme court, two of the former 
governors, and about ninety miniders of religion; the 
lieutenant-governor of the date is prefident of their fo- 
ciety. Indeed on the American continent the caufe of 
peace has been fuccefsfully advocated, both from the 
pulpit and the prefs ; and the friends of peace-focieties 
are in confequence rapidly multiplying there. 
Turn we now from America to our own country. “A 
Society for the Promotion of permanent and univerfal 
Peace” was edabliilied in London in the year 1816. The 
objeft of it is to print and circulate trafts, and to diffufe 
information tending to diow that war is inconfident with 
the fpirit of Chridianity, and the true intereds of man¬ 
kind, and to point out the means bed calculated to main¬ 
tain permanent and univerfal peace upon the balls of 
Chridian principles. The Society confids of perfons of 
every denomination, who are defirous of uniting in the 
promotion of “Peace on earth, and good-will towards 
men.” Subfcribers are entitled to receive half the amount 
of their fubferiptions in Trafts. The committee confids 
of individuals whofe principles on the fubjeft of war are 
in drift accordance with thofe on which the Society is 
founded. Among thefe we need only mention that emi¬ 
nent philanthropid Thomas Clarkfon, the zealous co- 
operator with Mr. Wilberforce in the abolition of the 
dave-trade. A confiderable number of cheap but neatly- 
printed trafts have been circulated, expreffive of the 
opinions of the fociety, on the momentous fubjeft of the 
unlawfulnefs of war, upon Chridian principles, and to 
point out the means bed calculated to maintain perma¬ 
nent and univerfal peace. 
Ten auxiliary focieties had been reported at the clofe 
of 1820. The number of trafts printed in the fird year 
was 48,000, in the fecond 128,000. 
Confidently with that refpeft which is at all times due 
to the condituted authorities of the country, the Com¬ 
mittee, in 1818, prefented an Addrefs with a Set of the 
Society’s publications to his majedy, during his late re¬ 
gency, through the hands of lord Sidmouth, minider for 
the home department. Addrefles were likewife prefented, 
through the means of Mr. Clarkfon, at Aix la Chapelle, 
to the allied fovereigns in congrefs, and alfo to his ma¬ 
jedy Alexander emperor of Ruffia. It does not appear 
that the fociety received any anfwer from the prince re¬ 
gent ; but the anfwer from the emperor was fo much in 
unifon with the views of the Society, that we cannot for¬ 
bear tranferibing it in this place. 
Aix la Chapelle , the 6th — 18 til 061. 1818. 
“ I received, fir, with fatisfaftion, the communications 
of a fociety edabliffied upon principles conducive to per¬ 
manent and univerfal peace. The mixture of good and 
evil obfervable in recent events, has exemplified in a fig- 
nal manner the diferiminating difpenfation of Divine 
Providence in mercy and judgment. As a Chridian, I 
cannot but defire the edabliffiment of peace on earth by 
every lawful and practicable means. As a Chridian fo- 
vereign, I mud anticipate a time when nation /hall not lift 
up J'wortl agaivjl nation, neither Jhall they learn war any 
more. The unanimity of other Chridian powers is yet 
uninterrupted, and, founded on the principle of our holy 
faith, has the faired profpect of dability. Permanent and 
univerfal peace is not altogether at man’s difpofal. It is 
encouraging to obferve the growth of pacific difpofitions 
in the world ; and focieties conducted in a temperate and 
Chridian fpirit may contribute to their extenfion and 
maintenance. With thefe views, the objeft of your fo¬ 
ciety cannot fail of my cordial approbation, without in¬ 
volving an implied concurrence in rneafures adopted for 
its attainment, over which I have no controul. 
Alexander.” 
Peace, 
