horrent to humanity, to virtue, to religion. Such being the magnitude of this evil-such the infatuation by which it is upheld, we are imperatively called upon to join heart and hand to oppose it in its most seductive forms; the contest will be long and severe : our progress may be slow-sometimes we may scarcely appear to retain the ground we had previously gained, but, nothing discouraged, we must stand firm and not desert the banner of the Prince of Peace, confident that, through divine aid, with our weapons the love of God and man, the love of our enemies, we can never be foiled-therefore, let us, brethren, be strong in the Lord, who will reward our work and labour of love, and in his own time crown it with full, with triumphant success.

N. B. In the progress of printing the foregoing Report, a Letter has been received from our Foreign Secretary, Mr. John Bowring, dated Madrid, Dec. 6, 1821, with an Answer of the Spanish Athenæum to his Address to them on behalf of the Peace Society; the communication was too important to be withheld from the public, it will therefore be found in the Appendix, No. II.

The Prospectus and Letter referred to as in the Appendix No. I.; the whole of the Third Annual Report of the Peace Society at NewYork,and the Fifth from that of Massachusetts, have already appeared in theHerald, see vol. iii. pages 266, 271, 278, 290. The Fourth Annual Report from Rhode Island, &c. will be found in this Number.

The Letters referred to as in the Appendix No. II. are as follows.

Sir,

Extract from a Letter.

Gibraltar, 28th Nov. 1821. Having a short time since transmitted to me some Tracts, in Spanish, of the Peace Society, for promulgation, which are all gone; and as a desire seems to exist in the breasts of many to read them, I am induced on reading your Circular to address myself to you as Foreign Secretary, to say that I shall most readily engage in the circulation of the Society's Tracts, and become their Correspondent as far as in my power lies; and have to re

quest you will be pleased to send me out by the first trader that leaves the Thames for Gibraltar, two sets complete of the Herald of Peace; about twenty complete sets of all the Society's Tracts in English; and as many as the Society may deem proper in the Spanish, French, Portuguese, and such other languages as they may have them in. The situation of Gibraltar for efforts of this nature is unexceptionable; the general character of the people I am well acquainted with, from a servitude of nearly sixteen years in the Mediterranean. I shall feel extremely happy to dispose of any other works the Society may have, of which I will render an account.

With sincere wishes that all may unite in this most desirable object, I subscribe myself, Sir,

Yours, &c. &c.

****

To John Bowring, Esq. Foreign Secretary to the Peace Society.

Thomas Bell, Esq. Secretary to the Peace Society, London.

Madrid, Dec. 6, 1821.

I WROTE you, my dear Sir, from Paris on the 29th July, and again on the 8th of August; I should be much gratified with some reports of the Proceedings of the Peace Society, in whose I cannot but feel an progress intense interest.

The Committee will be glad to hear that the Spanish Translation of No. 3. has been reprinted entire in this country in the Cronica Religiosa, and that the subject to which the Peace Society directs its attention, will soon be treated at length by one of the most eminent literary men in Spain, with whom I have habitual intercourse, and who will, I am sure, do justice to this, as he does to every thing in which he employs his pen.

On the other side you have the Answer of the Spanish Athenæum to my address to them, which will, I think, ornament the pages of The Herald of Peace. I am most truly JOHN BOWRING.

yours,

SIR.-The Spanish Atheneum has received and greatly values the different works, with which your spontaneous and kind attention has favoured its members. They have directed that their special gratitude shall be communicated to you by me, with their unanimous determination to co-operate with you in the objects to which you direct their attention. Their exertions can be but weak; those of the respected members of the Peace Society will be efficacious though laborious. Their sacred object is such as well accords with the spirit of my fellow-labourers of the Athenæum, who, being divided into several classes, according to the original plan of the institution, will, I doubt not, produce some work in which they will employ their best cares, which may make them worthy of having been addressed by the Society for the Establishment of Permanent and Universal Peace ..God preserve you many years.

......

FAUSTINO RODRIQUEZ MONROZ,
Secretary.

Madrid, 2d Dec. 1822.
John Bowring, Esq.

Correspondence of the Committee of

the London Peace Society. [Extracts from the Letters of their Country Correspondents.]

"The earlier numbers of the Herald have been in circulation amongst the subscribers, but so bountiful a supply from the Society will enable it to be circulated amongst those who have not publicly enrolled their names as supporters of the cause of Peace. With such as have enrolled their names, the work may be said in great measure to be accomplished, and the labour should turn upon those who have not yet attained to the knowledge of that portion of the Divine will which is "peace on earth," otherwise, when the petition was preferred at the footstool of the Most High, "thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven," the supplicants would rejoice to imitate, according

to their ability, the perfect obedience of the pure and spiritual inhabitants of the heavenly kingdom, and would be ready to do the Divine will in bringing in universal peace, as well as in other of the great and gracious purposes of the Almighty concerning his creatures."

"I am afraid that too many who profess to be the disciples of him who was meek and lowly of heart, and who came not to destroy men's lives but to save them, are either not sufficiently imbued with his spirit, or their understandings are not sufficiently enlightened, to be sensible of the great inconsistency of the vindictive spirit with the Christian dispensation,many with whom I have conversed allow it to be a dreadful scourge, and also a necessary evil. I lately had considerable argument with who was some time since a Member of Parliament-now a Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant in our County,— he deplores war, at the same time that he cannot but allow the necessity of the defensive; he stands however open to conviction, and says he should be pleased to converse with me again on the subject. He takes in the Herald, and quite approves of the Peace Society. Being fully persuaded that the scripture prophecies in this particular, as in every other, must one day be accomplished, I see no cause for dismay or for discouragement to the friends of Peace, at the same time it is their indispensable duty to watch every opportunity of spreading its genial influence among the inhabitants of the earth."

"I have not a doubt that the eyes of many are gradually opening, and that there is a progress in sentiment favourable to the conviction that war is at variance with the peaceable principles of the Gospel, and entirely irreconcileable to its spirit and doctrines. A gentleman to whom I had given the Society's Tracts met me afterwards accidentally, and entering

"We have the pleasure of including amongst the members of the Society, a number of the most active and respectable persons in this place, and their influence is in consequence proportionable. A good deal of liberality is exercised here towards public and charitable Institutions, when the size of the town is considered; this is one reason for the Society's (principles) making progress with us; Another is, that we have few retired Army or Navy Officers in our neighbourhood. The thoughtless, and (as we esteem them) the prejudiced part of the inhabitants, sometimes joke upon (or argue with us about) our Peace Principles, but there is no general or systematic opposition to them, With regard to the neighbouring small towns, we have endeavoured to establish effective agents in them, and hope that ere long the cause of Peace will be benefitted by them to a much greater extent than at present."

"Your late liberal donations of the Heralds have enabled us to extend our exertions in both counties-and though we cannot expect immediate fruit, we have no fear of the seeds being permitted to perish. The Clergy of the establishment have not hitherto looked favourably on this Auxiliary,

though several acknowledge its principles are good; we do not however consider that this class of society have as yet had sufficient time to get rid of such deeply rooted prejudices as are attacked by the Peace Society. The Wesleyan Ministers here have heartily coalesced with the Society, and several Dissenting Ministers in the neighbourhood are its friends; but we hope to be able to report a larger accession from the latter class before the lapse of another year.-Peace principles are advocated by five papers in the two counties, and we trust that they will continue to extend their aid, and increase in boldness in so good a cause.

"The Tracts have undoubtedly been the great means of conviction with us (under the divine blessing.) Benevolent individuals were no doubt predisposed in favour of Peace principles, but the Tracts supplied the systematic and successful means of making converts. And here permit us to suggest for your consideration what has been exemplified in the experience of several of our friends here, viz. That it is perhaps the best mode (instead of attacking the preconceived opinions and prejudices of those who have not considered the subject, by argument) to put the Tracts into the hands of people, and merely (saying the reading of them has convinced us) request their perusal and leave the subject till that is done. We have frequently added, "If you approve, please to keep and circulate the Tracts, but if the contrary, please to mark the passages you dissent from, and return the publications to us."

the grand object contemplated by the Society. Might I also take leave to add, that one other requisite is indispensable to success-prayer should incessantly be made to Him who hath the hearts of all men at his sovereign disposal, and can therefore incline christians to receive with more readiness than they do, the peculiar views of the Society. The tardiness with which, generally speaking, those views are admitted even by thinking, religious persons, proves (at least to me) that the cause absolutely requires the aid of omnipotence to render it successful, but we know that whenever simultaneous and persevering supplications are made for the attainment of any object compatible with Divine Truth, the fulfilment of such petitions may be most reasonably expected, for He who can alone give the disposition to pray, will, when prayer is actually made, hear the "mind of his Spirit." He is the God who heareth prayer.

"The progress of sentiment is with us slow: the other day I happily succeeded in gaining the subscription of an active and excellent Clergythe Rev. J. A. the Curate of the place, who, in his turn, has obtained a subscription from

man at

Esq. Banker of the same town, a gentleman of considerable influence, and, I believe, high moral character. I have likewise got Miss - а

at

To all these I shall furnish Tracts; and I expect that they will not fail to distribute them in that hitherto untried district. On the other hand, I have had rather a long, but fruitless correspondence with a clergyman in shire, and with a gentleman who (although my personal friend) felt compelled to decline second subscription.

“Mr. A——before adverted to, told me that he never doubted the soundness of the principles, but that he had not countenanced the Society, because he was ignorant of the means which

VOL. I. NEW SERIES.

with the Christian Character,

To the Editor.

SIR,I lately met with a practical exemplification of the great principle advocated by the Peace Society, viz. that the military profession is incompatible with the Christian character; the recital of which may perhaps interest some of your readers. The instance alluded to is mentioned in the auto-biographical sketch of the labours of Mr. John Nelson, one of the earliest preachers among the Wesleyan Methodists. That good and zealous man was grievously perC

secuted in his native parish of Birstal, in Yorkshire, on account of his preaching; and to such a pitch did his enemies carry their malice, that they actually contrived to get him, as he tells us, "pressed for a soldier;" and he was made to suffer great cruelties and indignities in consequence. . Having a rooted aversion, as a Christian, to the profession of arms, he refused to take the money usually paid to men under similar circumstances; for which he was hand-cuffed and sent to prison for two nights and part of three days; and then brought before a court-martial for his alleged contumacy in "refusing to take the money." On this occasion, he informs us, the court told him that their orders were "to make him act as a soldier," &c. To this he answered, "I shall not fight; for I cannot bow my knee before the Lord, to pray for a man, and get up and kill him when I have done; for I know God both hears me speak and sees me act; and I should expect the lot of a hypocrite if my actions contradict my prayers." The officers replied to him rudely; and told the sergeant to give him some money, which he again steadily refused to receive; and the matter terminated by their telling him that if he deserted, he would be as liable to suffer as if he had taken the money. Mr. Nelson rejoined, that if he could not be discharged lawfully, he should not run away.

On the next morning he was ordered to parade; where the officers commanded a corporal to fetch him a gun and other warlike instruments. On the corporal's girding them about him, Mr. Nelson said, "Why do you gird me with these warlike instruments? For I am a man averse to war, and shall not fight but under the Prince of Peace, the Captain of my salvation: and the weapons he gives me are not carnal, like these." "Well," said they, "but you must bear these until you can get your discharge." "As you put them on me," the answered, "I will bear them

as a cross, and use them as far as 1 can, without defiling my conscience : but that I will not do for any man on earth."-Thus compelled, the holy man was obliged to undergo the painful process of being drilled, as the phrase is.

His next trial was, to wear the habiliments of war. On his wishing to decline them, the officers told him, they would make him wear them. He answered, "You may array me as a man of war, but I shall never fight." They asked him, "What is your reason?" His reply was, "I cannot see any thing in this world worth fighting for. I want neither its riches nor honours, but the honour that cometh from God only. I regard neither its smiles nor its frowns, and have no business in it but to get well out of it."- His journal adds, "Then they ordered the sergeant to pull off my coat, and put a red one on me. When he had done it, they turned me round, and rejoiced over me. I said, 'You see the Scripture cannot be broken, where it saith, If they do this in the green tree, what will they do in the dry?' 'What do you mean by that?' they asked. I answered, The soldiers took Jesus and stripped him, and put a scarlet robe upon him, and mocked him, as you have treated me, his servant, this day, for speaking his words. He indeed hath the greater condemnation who delivered me into

your hands: but I pray God forgive

you

all.'

Through the influence of the Countess of Huntingdon, Mr. Nelson was at length set at liberty. On this occasion, he tells us, in his journal, that "the Major said, 'I wish I had a regiment of such men as Mr. Nelson is in all respects, save that one, his refusing to fight; I would not care what enemy I had to meet, or where my lot was cast.' 'Sir, if you fear God,' I said, "you have no need to fear any thing else: for they that fear Him depart from evil, and seek to do his will, and not their own; they