War is Criminal | 5

5. War Is Criminal,
As It Is Not Doing To Others As We Should Wish Them to Do To Us

Our blessed Saviour said,
“All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.”

If we wish men to be kind and forbearing to us,
we must be kind and forbearing to them;

if we wish them to return love for hatred and good for evil,
then we must return love for hatred and good for evil;

if we wish not to be injured by men, then we must not injure them;
if we wish not to be killed, then we must not kill.

But what is the practical language of war?

Does the man who is fighting his fellow man and exerting all his strength to overcome him really wish to be overcome himself and to be treated as he is striving to treat his enemy?

Can it be believed that England, in the late war, wished France to do to her what she endeavoured to do to France; or that the latter really desired in return what she endeavoured to inflict on England?

If not, both violated this express precept of Christ.

None can say, consistently with the principles of the gospel, that they wish to be killed by their enemies; therefore none can, consistently with those principles, kill their enemies.

But professing Christians do kill their enemies, and, notwithstanding all they may say to the contrary, their actions speak louder than their words.

It is folly for a man to say he does not wish to do a thing while he is voluntarily exerting all his powers to accomplish it.

But if the act of war does violate this express precept of Christ, then it must be exceedingly criminal to engage in it.