UNIVERSAL WAR | AdventAI

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 15, 1862

UNIVERSAL WAR.

The New York Observer, speaking of foreign intervention says:

"If Europe will mind its own business we will attend to ours. Their soundest policy is to keep their hands off. Our position was taken twelve months ago. The British government having expressed to Mr. Adams a willingness to undertake mediation, a letter was dispatched to the latter a year ago this month, which said:

"The President, expects you to say on this point to the British government, that we cannot solicit or accept mediation from any, even the most friendly quarter. The conditions of society here, the character of our government, the exigencies of the country, forbid that any dispute arising among us should ever be referred to foreign arbitration."

In the letter of instruction to Mr. Dayton, it was declared:

"Foreign intervention would oblige us to treat those who should yield it as allies of the insurrectionary party, and to carry on the war against them as enemies. The case would not be relieved, but on the contrary would only be aggravated, if several European states should combine in that intervention. The President and the people of the United States deem the Union, which would then be at stake, worth all the cost and all the sacrifice with the world in arms, if such a contest should prove inevitable."

It would be highly inconvenient for us just now to fight England, France and our rebellious people. But we are better prepared to resist them all, than we were to cope with the rebellion a year ago. And in view of the recent intelligence from Europe, our government would be justified in putting in train the preparations for another army of half a million men, and fifty Monitors. We have the means and the will to defend ourselves against a world in arms.

How signally is the prophecy of Joel, now fulfilling,—"Prepare war, wake up the mighty men! let the weak say, I am strong," &c. These are important "signs of the times." Though awful in themselves, yet we say with Wesley:

Whatever ills the world befall, A pledge of endless good we call, A sign of Jesus near; His chariot will not long delay; We hear the rumbling wheels and pray, "Triumphant Lord appear!"