If any man (no matter who) will live godly in Christ Jesus, he shall suffer persecution. The Spirit of Christ is the same now that it was then, and the world is the same, the carnal heart is the same, and the great adversary of souls is the same. Only let it be styled "patriotic" to persecute the followers of the Lamb of God, and we should soon see the heroes of this world drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and probably many would be as conscientious as Paul was while breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the meek and lowly Jesus. It is not impossible that when the witnesses[6] are slain, their crime may be a refusal to use carnal weapons in defense of their country. As it is a matter of great practical consequence to know whether the subjects of the Prince of Peace are authorized in any case under the gospel dispensation to use carnal weapons or not, we propose in this inference to be a little more particular. Although it is supposed that the Lord Jesus Christ acted in a threefold capacity,--as God, Man, and Mediator,--yet we have never heard it questioned by Christians that all his conduct as man was to remain a perfect example for his brethren, and all his precepts a perfect rule for their duty. As his kingdom was not of this world, he did not intermeddle with the governments of this world; he only submitted to all their laws which were not contrary to the laws of his heavenly Father. He was meek and lowly; so little did he possess of this world that he had not where to lay his head. He went about continually doing good. He was full of compassion even to his enemies. He wept over Jerusalem. He was finally "brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before their shearers are dumb, so he opened not his mouth." When he was reviled he reviled not again, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. He prayed for his murderers and apologized for his persecutors, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." As the church under a former dispensation had divine authority for engaging in war, it is important to ascertain whether this authority was abrogated under the gospel dispensation or not.[7] That many things have been tolerated under one dispensation of the church and prohibited under another, most Christians allow. That the preceptive will of God is to be our only rule of duty, few Christians deny. The knowledge communicated to us of the preceptive will of God to his church, under the first dispensation, is very limited. We find, however, no authority for taking the life of man in any case, not even for murder; but, on the contrary, a sevenfold vengeance was pronounced upon him who should slay the murderer. Under the patriarchal dispensation he that shed man's blood by man was his blood to be shed. In this, defensive war was tolerated. Under the Mosaic dispensation, not only defensive but offensive war was tolerated, and not only _war_ was