GLORY.
He whose wisdom and benevolence are alike infinite, has taught us not to seek that glory which cometh from man, and has assured us, that " that which is highly esteemed among men, is an abomination in the sight of God." If we believe the record which God has given of himself, we must be constrained to^admit that, of all the objects of human ambition and of human admiration, none can be more abominable in his sight than military glory. Such glory is founded on bravery, skill, and success, in causing the misery and death of our fellow-men. It is wholly independent of the moral character of the cause in which it is acquired. The soldier is by general consent absolved from all responsibility for the cruelty, injustice, and wick- edness of his employers. Whether he fights for liberty or slavery—to defend his own country or to plunder an- other—his glory rests upon his bravery, skill, and suc- cess, in subduing and slaughtering his enemies.
Bravery is an animal quaUty, very common among all nations, and its possession has never been confined to the wise and good. Were honor to be awarded to the bravest, the most atrocious villains would not unfrequently bear the palm. Indeed, few military exploits can, in a scornful recklessness of Hfe, compare with the assassination of Henry the Fourth. What General has, like Ravilliac, coolly and dispassionately welcomed an inevitable, horri- ble and shameful death. Mere bravery is no more en- titled to praise than an}'other animal quality, and its exercise is often indicative of the vilest passions, and a sottish indifference to a future state. The bravery of the soldier amid the excitement of the battle field, stimulated ])y fear of shame, and the hope of reward, is pale and lustreless compared with that devotion to duty which triumphs over