MR, SPUEGEON" ON THE WAR.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 146, 24 November 1870, Page 6

MR, SPUEGEON" ON THE WAR.

Mr. Spurgeon having put his name on the cover of""" John Ploughman's Talk "it is of course no secret that " John Ploughman's Letter on the Wir," in tiu month's " Sword and Trowel,'" is from the pen of tje Metropolitan Taijeruacle pastor. It'-j^s ad>; dressed " to Nipoleon, Hlmpsror o#the French, and William, King of Prussia-" We quota only a portion of the letter,the beginning and the end: —

" T.iis comes hoping that you are getting better, at least better tempered, with one another, though I am much

afraid, as the saying is, that you will be worse before you will be better. I beg to scud my most disrespectful compliments. Scripture says, 'Honour to whom honour is dus;' but kings who go to war about nothing at all have no hm\our due to th^m. So I don't scud you so much as would lay on your t.uiinh-n lils. Pernps you are not both alike, an I only oiirf of you is to clame for beginning this dreadful fight ; but Ido not know your secret tricks, fur kings are as deep as foxes, and it ia safest to lay it ou to you buth, and taen the right one will be sure to get it. I should like* to you both a month at our workhouse, and a taste of the crank, to bring your proud spirits down a bit, for [ expact it is your high living that has mule you so hot blooded. Whatever do you sea in fighting that you should he so fi-r*e for it ? Oue would tiiu'c you w^re a couple- of game co-ks, and diJ not know any better. When two dogs fight, one of them is pretty sure to come home lame, and neither of them will look the better for it. One or other of you will get a thrashing; I uily wisj it wmld cutns on your bare v. •!;-;, an 1 not '.ll V'-'iu 1 po>;r so'Jiers,

/' Did either of yu'i ever think of what war ma in-< ? 1i I you » ver se-i a man's head smashed, or his b.>wols rippadopcu? Why, if you are mide of flesh and blood, the sight of one poor wounded mm with the blood oozing out of him will m ike you feel sick. I don't like to drown a kitten ; I can't even bear to see a rat die, or any animal in pain. But a man ! w lere'syour hearts if you can thiuk of broken ieg.% splintered bones, heads smashed in, br.tins blown out, b wels torn, hearts gus ling wit 1 go I'd. clitch.s full ot'blood, auJ heaps of limbs and carcr.sses of tn Milled men? Do you say my language U di.sgu4i:ig ? How m^ch mure disgusting must the things themselves be V An I yon in ike then ? Hmv would you like to get a man into your pal.ice-garden aud run a carvingkiiifc into his bowels, or cut his throat ? If you did that you would deserve to be /liin^ed ; but it would not be half so bad as killing tons of thousands, and ypn-knW very well that this is just w.iat you are going to do. Do \■ v "fancy" tilat your drums aal fifes, and feathers an.l fineries, and pomp, in ike your wholesale murder one whit the f less abominable in the sight of @ro&? Do not deceive yourselves, you are no better than the cut-throats whom yo ir own laws condemn ; better, why you are worse, for your murders are so many. T link, I pray you, for your pour people will havo to t liii't whether you do or no. Is there so little want in the world that you must go trampling on the harvest with your horses iinl your men? Is there so little sorrow that you must make widows by tle thousands ? Is death so old and feeble that you must hunt his game -for him, as jackals do for the lion? Do you imagine that God made men for you to play soldiers with? Are they only meant for toys for you to break? O kings, a ploughm in tells you that their souls are as precious in God's sight as yours, perhaps more. How ciin you sit down to eat when you have caused war ? Does not the blood rise in your throat and choke you? Or are you only devils with crowns on ? Creatures who wure. never suckled at a woman's breast, and therefore have no human feeling? It will be hard for you to think of the blood you have shed when you lie dyinj;, and hariler Kii'l to be_ir fc'ne ht*a.vy hand of God when H* shall cast all murderers into hell. Whichever it is of you that has been the wicked cau«e of this wj.r, I say you sm/'ll of blood ; you ought to be more h ite 1 than the com n >n h:mgrain, and instead of being called 'his mijesty ' you ought to be hooted as a demon.

" You have both made mighty fine speeches laying all the blame off yourselves, but the worst cause generally gets the- best pleading, for men who cannot walk take to horseback j but all the world knows that wranglers never will own that they are in the wrojig, and your words will only go for- what th?y are worth, which is not much. TJinneror and kin^r, who are you? T:iou^h the great folk flatter you you are ortly men. Have pity upon your fellow- men, Do not cut them with swords, fear thejß;. with bayonets, blow them to* pejees \smt. cannon, and riddle t'ie:u with .shots. Wiafc good wjil r .ife. do you ? W iajt have the poor men [ done to deserve i<f 9!? you ? You fight for glory, do yp£?." Don't be such fools. I am a plain-talking EngHsTima% and-I- teU^ou-^he-J&gliahJEmL glory is damnation, and it .will be your lot, O tings' if you go on cutting and hacking ypur fellow men. fcJtdp "this war if you can, at onj^'and turn to soiife better business fo&n killing men. Before the; t!e£p curses of widows jand ;opj>han» /all on you from the' throne of* ,U-od,'cpni up your butcher knifes and-. r j>q(fjent 3!5£»-J^Jers, and repent."- '