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 •^~;».\Kfcn^ jmjt^ - 
 
 A TESTIMONY AGAINST DUELLING 
 
 \ 
 
 SERMON, 
 
 PBEACIIED IN THE 
 
 UNITED SECESSION CHURCH 
 
 S4r©3KrTO:iiiiL, ^©©wsa- 
 
 as, assus). 
 
 Bv THE Rev. W. TAYLOR, Pa 
 
 STOR OF THAT Church. 
 
 " T/lou Shalt not *i7/. "— Exod. xx. 
 
 13. 
 
 I 
 
 MONTREAL: 
 
 PRINTED AND prrnr tqit,:^t. „ 
 
 PUBLISHED BY CAMPBELL & BECKET 
 
 SOLD BY W. OREIG 
 
 ST. FRANCOIS XAV 
 
 • ST. PAUL STREET; ARMOUR /.nd 
 
 'ER STREET, A 
 
 J 8.38. 
 
 Nn OTHER BOOKS 
 
 RAMSAY, 
 
 ELLERs. 
 
It is 
 
 whict 
 
 Serm( 
 
 the r 
 
 ferred 
 
 heard 
 
 from i 
 
 some 
 
 The . 
 
 compl: 
 
 the he 
 
 Mc 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 It is unnecessary to state here the considerations by 
 which the Author was induced to preach the following 
 Sermon ; they are alluded to in the Introduction to 
 the Discourse, to which, therefore, the reader is re- 
 ferred. Since it was preached, many of those who 
 heard it have expressed a desire for its publication ; 
 from a hope that it may be the means of checking, in 
 some measure, the sin against which it is directed. 
 The Author, therefore, submits it to the public, in 
 compliance with this wish j and is desirous only that 
 the hope accompanying it may not be altogether lost. 
 
 .if 
 
 Montreal, August 20, 1838. 
 
C( 
 
 ti 
 
 vv 
 te 
 
 th 
 
 CO 
 
— Cilii urCiiMJi iii"''f I'iiiTVi... liSmmSm 
 
 TESTIMONY AGAINST DUELLING. 
 
 " Thou shaU not kill."—Exod 
 
 us XX. I a. 
 
 It is one ol the great duties of the Church to testify 
 in the name, and on the behalf of God, again 
 sin. And the faithful performanee of this duty is a 
 necessa.y means of yindieating the honour of the 
 U,y,ne Goyemment, and preserying and promoting 
 he moral interests of mankind; yet it seldom fails 
 to bnng upon the Chureh the resentment of those 
 whose conduet she arraigns. But this ought not o 
 deter her from the duty. For, if she fails, eithe, 
 through tear, or any other cause, to lift up her yoiee, 
 and testify against proya:,ing wickedness ; or if she 
 utters on^y an uncertain sound, which those who 
 practise that wickedness may neutralise by an inter 
 pretation of their own, she inyolves herself i,^ hj 
 consequences of those sins which she has been too 
 timid to rebuke. Christ said to his disciples, " The 
 world cannot hate you, but me it hateth iLuse J 
 pt!fyof,,thameu.oyh thereof are eml ;" and the 
 Church whiel. he hath purchased ought to follow in 
 the same path, though it should lead to the same 
 consequences. 
 
When any particular sin becomes prevalent, this 
 duty appears to me to be more imperative than in 
 ordmary cases; more especially if the sin escapes 
 general censure j and the punishment which it may 
 deserve, from those who possess competent authority 
 to inflict it. In such a case, it receives a negative 
 encouragement ; and the Church is therefore more 
 loudly called upon to protest that it is contrary to the 
 will of God, and excludes from his salvation. I ap- 
 prehend this is true of the sin of duelling, as regards 
 the population of this city, at this time. A very 
 aggravated instance of this sin occurred amongst us a 
 few weeks ago ; and yet nothing has been done from 
 which it might be inferred by a stranger, that, in the 
 judgment of the Church and population of this city, 
 It deserves condemnation. The public press seems to 
 have maintained a studied silence on the subject ; 
 perhaps I ought to say, that the notice which has 
 been taken of it by the press, has been complimentary 
 rather than otherwise ; Christian societies have said 
 nothing, at least publicly ; and the Civil Magistrate 
 has borne the sword, in this case, in such a manner 
 as to be a praise, rather than a terror, to this species 
 of evil doing. In these circumstances I maintain it 
 to be our duty, as a part of the Church of Christ, to 
 put forth our testimony on the subject ; and faithfully 
 and fearlessly give this deed the character which it 
 deserves ; by ranking it with those " things, for whose 
 sake the wrath of God cometh ui)on the children of 
 disobedience." 
 
 It is with this view (hat I now address vou on this 
 
^ fp<w— |i r' p r-"- i -pi 
 
 > I V 
 
 subject; and 1 am desirous that my motive should 
 not be misunderstood. I am not desirous of acting- 
 the part of a public censurer. I cannot be accused oi 
 meddling with a matter which does not belong to me, 
 for it does belong to me, and to the whole Church in 
 this city. I disclaim any unfriendly feeling towards 
 any of the individuals implicated in the outrage to 
 which allusion has been made. And 1 take" this 
 opportunity of stating that though a particular instance 
 of duelling is the occasion of this Discourse, it is not 
 the subject of it ; it is directed against duelling as a 
 system, and duellists as a class. My desire is "to dis- 
 charge my duty as a Minister of the Gospel, and 
 furnish you with an opportunity of discharging your 
 duty, as professed believers of the gospel, by lifting 
 up our voices against this sin. I could have wished 
 that this had been done by some whose voices would 
 have been better heard ; in that case I would not have 
 come before you at this time on such a subject ; but 
 since it has not been done, I consider it our indis- 
 pensable duty, if in weah^pss, yet in sincerity, to enter 
 our public and solemn p otest, on behalf of God, and 
 his word, against the sin of duellintr. 
 
 " The custom of duelling took its rise in times of 
 profound ignorance and superstition. It was prevalent 
 among the ancient Gauls and Germans, and became 
 universal in Europe after the irruption of the barba- 
 nans had destroyed the Roman Empire."* From this 
 remote antiquity, it has remained to this day, among 
 
 • Chamber*' Edinburgh Journal. 
 
8 
 
 Europeans and their descendants, for we are not 
 aware that it has been adopted by any other race ; and 
 it is, therefore, worthy of being remembered, that 
 though it has undergone various changes, corresponding 
 with the changes which the growth of civilisation has 
 superinduced on society and its institutions, it is, 
 nevertheless, a relic of barbarism. Though it is now 
 regarded as an accomplishment, by a certain class of 
 society ; and even held to be a necessary attribute of 
 ii gentleman, yet in truth it is a savage remnant of the 
 times of ignorance and feudal barbarity ; and we would 
 hope therefore, that, like every other thing of the same 
 nature, it is doomed to be driven back, by the progress 
 of society, to the place whence it came. 
 
 Let us briefly consider this custom, with the view of 
 ascertaining its merits or demerits, morally considered. 
 And, for this purpose, the only standard to which we 
 can appeal is the word of God. The 'law which it 
 contains is paramount. It points out the boundary 
 between right and wrong, and from its decision there 
 lies no appeal. Upon the authority of this law, I 
 maintain that duelling involves the guilt of murder ; 
 and not only so, but that there are many circumstances 
 attending it, which prove it to be murder of the most 
 aggravated kind. 
 
 I. It is maintained that duelling involves the guilt 
 of murder ; and though, in any given case, neither of 
 the parties engaged in a duel should lose his life, yet 
 both are chargeable with the murderous design oi 
 compassing one another's death. 
 

 9 
 
 I do not take it upon me to say. in wliat light 
 duelK and duellists, are regarded by the law of fhe 
 and. It ,s not my office to explain the law of the 
 land; nor do I consider myself competent to do so! 
 But we have before us, in this Book, a code which i 
 mfimte y superior in respect of its perfection, and 
 authority; and, what is of no little importance Tts 
 persp.cuuy also. The law of God takes precedn' 
 
 enacted Ihr " "^""^ ^'^'""'' ''^ '''">— 
 enacted, wh.ch ,s contrary to it, is, for that very 
 
 reason, null. So far as the object of our prelenl 
 
 inqmry ,s concerned, therefore, it matters Uttle wC 
 
 land; for as the law of God is the foundation of all 
 morahty u .s only by an appeal to it that the ^oZ 
 mmre of h,s, or of any other custom, or act whatev"; 
 can be truly ascertained. Now the divine la^ on thTs 
 point .s contained in the text, Thou shalt >u>t km 
 
 tt'as::isrr;':r''>''^™-mai„::k 
 
 aro-nd human life, which no person may violate wh 
 nnpum y, upon any plea or pretence whatsoev r 
 From other parts of Scripture, however, we learn tto 
 
 atl^Vhe": 'r^'T' *•«' ™'^ *"-. '0 tS 
 statute. The Jirsf ,s, when the life of a criminal is 
 
 taken away. The second, when the life of an" her is 
 -en away m self-defence, or, as the m,tu means of 
 
 oTZr °"r • ^"-^ '"« "'"•I -- when hTlife 
 of another .s taken away unwittingly. Every instance 
 
 H 
 
10 
 
 of the taking away of life which does not fall under 
 one or another of these exceptions is murder, aggra.- 
 vated more or less, it may be, by the circumstances 
 attending it. But can any of these exceptions be 
 pleaded in defence of duelling ? Not the first ; for 
 the life of a criminal is always taken away in obedience 
 to the sentence of the judge. Nor the second ; for 
 the duellist does not fight to preserve or defend his 
 own life, but with the design of taking away the life 
 of his opponent, placing his own, at the same time, in 
 jeopardy. Nor the third ; for the duellist does not 
 act unwittingly. On the contrary, he discovers 
 throughout the whole transaction a design to tak'^ 
 away life ; and not only so, but design of the most 
 deliberGf<^ character. This, as we shall afterwards see, 
 is one of the most revolting features of his conduct. 
 Duelling has been reduced to system. The person 
 who practises it acts according to prescribed rules, for 
 the attainment of a certain prescribed end ; and that 
 end is, in the cant language of the duellist himself, 
 " to wash away an insult with the blood oi the offender." 
 
 But, if duelling does not fall under any of the above 
 exceptions to this precept, we are forced to conclude 
 that it is murder. There is no other alternative, either 
 to reject or adopt. It is true that attempts have been 
 made to create another alternative, by making a 
 difference between culpable homicide and murder ; but 
 this is a distinction which neither reason nor Scripture 
 will sustain. For what is murder, but the culpable 
 taking away of human life ? It may sometimes be 
 accompanied with slight aggravations ; and at other 
 
nr"- Jt;_2S^ 
 
 11 
 
 Mmes With the most weighty, as in the case under 
 consideration; but this difFerence is only circumstan- 
 tia. T am unwilling, however, to argue this point as 
 It It really required much argument to support it ; for 
 nothing can be plainer than that the wilful taking 
 away ofhfe, with which every duellist is chargeable 
 IS a direct breach of this commandment. To enter 
 mto a lengthened and careful refutation of the various 
 quibbles by which he may attempt to defend himself. 
 IS to acknowledge that th possess some weight. 
 Instead of doing so, let me quote the following passage 
 of Scripture, m which an inspired writer draws the 
 ine of distinction between those cases in which human 
 life IS taken away without guilt, and those in which 
 It involves the guilt of murder. « If a man smite any 
 person with an instrument of iron so that he die, he is 
 a murderer : the murderer shall surely be put to death. 
 And If he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith 
 he may die, and he die, he is a murderer : the murderer 
 shall surely be put to death. Or if he smite him with 
 an hand-weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and 
 he die, he is a murderer : the murderer shall surely be 
 put to death. If he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at 
 him by lying of wait that he die; or in enmity smite 
 h«m with his hand that he die, he that smote him shall 
 purely bo put to death, for he is a murderer; the 
 revenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he 
 meeteth him But if he thrust him suddenly without 
 
 Jaymg of wait, «r with any stone wherewiti. a man 
 may die, seemg him not, and cast it upon him that he 
 die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm • 
 
12 
 
 then the congregation shall judge between the slayer 
 and the revenger of blood according to these judg- 
 ments J and the congregation shall deliver the slayer 
 out of the hands of the revenger of blood." 
 
 This quotation first mentions some cases in which 
 life might be feloniously taken away ; and in each case, 
 you will observe, the slayer is held to be a murderer. 
 It then mentions some cases in which life might be 
 taken away without blame, on the part of the slayer ; 
 and in each case, it is provided that he be allowed to 
 flee to the city of refuge. Now whether does duelling 
 belong to the first, or to the second of those divisions ? 
 Can it be said that the duellist comes upon his enemy 
 suddenly J without lying in wait, or without enmity f 
 or can it be pretended that there is any comparison 
 between his conduct, and that of a man who takes 
 away the life of his neighbour, by unintentionally 
 throwing a stone in the direction in which he is, 
 *• seeing him not" and consequently not knowing that 
 he is there ? These things will not, for a moment, be 
 pretended; and it therefore follows, that, upon the 
 principles of law contained in the word of God, he is 
 a murderer, in the full sense of the term. In what- 
 ever light he may be regarded by the world,— though 
 he should pass without condemnation at the tribunal 
 of the Civil Magistrate, or the bar oi public opinion ; 
 nay, though he should be received by his fellow-men 
 with honour and applause; it is plain, that, in the 
 judgment of that God to whom he must soon give 
 account, according as his judgment is declared in his 
 word, the duellist is a criminal oi the worst character. 
 

 13 
 
 The world may attempt to throw over hin. tl,» .• ■ 
 o a fashionable reputation, but alUs ^ZZ^^t 
 h.defi.„mv.wthe..„.„uh which hismorallrt:: 
 
 the^mrttf f """ T '^^"•' ™ "'^ ''»«h of any of 
 tae parties, ,t may be inquired whether th» J 
 
 charge can justly be brought against them ^T .t™ 
 Tr 7: would reply if the^affl^aS It^ .f^ 
 
 hat God alone can determine how much theluilt "f 
 It .s dimmished in this case, by the absendnf 
 panying aggravations, b„ if s evident fr„T 
 foregoing quotation, that the change o^irTs h! 
 onlj/ mhtantive charge which can he hT t. 
 the duellist. Beside^ it does Ztl^Tf^T 
 pu ants themselves that blood is not shed he;^^ 
 
 heart - Lrl T ^^''^^^^^ ^^^ ^^t^^ts of the 
 
 neart, and judges men according v THpJwi 
 are of the most vengeful kind, butXy a' 7reve 'tl 
 by circumstances which thn^r no„ / prevented, 
 gratifying them to the umos' Td";: tTt"'' '""" 
 that this necessity, to which 'th^; subm H tiHr' 
 tance. may afterwards be pleaded bvthl ™' 
 
 of sufficient efficacy to extenuate thfir^t" ' "'''"*'' 
 
 th"auirnro:?i::,::rsr;-^^^^ 
 
 andrev'oiting cWr""""" "' *" '"°^' »^^™™''«' 
 
14 
 
 1. This appears from the deliberation with which it 
 is done. A man may take away the life of another, 
 under some strong excitement, and as soon as that 
 excitement is over he may deeply regret the rash act. 
 In such a case we feel pity for the murderer. Though 
 the temporary excitement under which he laboured 
 cannot exculpate him from the charge of blood guilti- 
 ness, yet it prepares us to feel pity for his condition, 
 because we are conscious that we are liable to be acted 
 ■upon by excitement in the same manner ; and because 
 we feel convinced that the cool and sober judgment 
 of the murderer never gave its consent to the bloody 
 deed, which he was hurried on to commit. But if 
 these considerations prepare us to feel pity for him, 
 .^hey completely prevent the exercise of such a feeling 
 towards the duellist, and even lead us to look upon 
 him with an aversion and horror which are felt towards 
 no other criminal. For he proceeds with the utmost 
 deliberation and forethought. He acts upon system. 
 He maintains, that in certain circumstances a man 
 may take away the life of his neighbour, nay must do 
 so, in order to maintain the character of a man of 
 honour; and having been placed in these circum- 
 stances by receiving an afiront, either real or imaginary, 
 he begins immediately to act upon the system which 
 he has embraced ; and that system, be it remembered, 
 forbids precipitation. He goes home, brooding over 
 the insult which he has received, and thereby causing his 
 desire for revenge to burn with increasing vehemence. 
 He sends for an acquaintance, and consults him ; and 
 after much reasoning it is agreed that he ought to 
 r-eek " satisfaction." He then arranges the prelimin- 
 
 JbU 
 
|M|g!i<^l£32gvV 
 
 .1 
 
 4# 
 
 15 
 
 aries-fixes the time and place of meeting-despatches 
 whatever business may be most urgent, in view of the 
 possible fatal result of the affray ; he inspects his 
 weapons to see th. t they are in proper order- 
 proceeds to the place of horrid rendezvous-causes 
 the distance to be properly measured between him and 
 his opponent— takes the instrument of death in his 
 haxid, and deliberately aims at his opponent's heart ; 
 and IS it possible that reason can be so perverted as to 
 acquit such an individual from the charge of murder ? 
 But there is something more than simple murder here 
 —there is a coolness and deliberateness of purpose to 
 which the mind cannot advert without horror. The 
 thing is not rashly done. On the contrary, the mind 
 reviews it again and again, and contemplates it in all 
 Its aspects and results, religion apart. Now, to adopt 
 a series of measures, after such a calm survey of 
 consequences as this, for the avowed purpose of takino- 
 away the life of another ; and to prosecute them with 
 unrelenting determination till the awful crisis is 
 reached, is to betray the disposition of a beast of prey 
 rather than that of a man ;_least of all such a man 
 as the duellist would fain persuade the world he is,^ 
 a man of noble sentiments, and of honour. In this 
 respect the assassin is superior to the duellist ; though 
 his IS a character -vhich the world has ever held in 
 detestation, and his crime has been generally punished 
 with the severest penalties. He acts under the 
 influence of uncontrouled passion, without having time 
 to deliberate, but the duellist acts according to system, 
 and carefully revolves every step. The latter, therefore, 
 displays deeper depravity-a state of minil which can 
 
 i 
 
 \ i\ 
 
16 
 
 look, without shrinking, upon crime of tho most 
 revolting kind. 
 
 2. That the murder, involved in duoUin^, is of 
 more than common aggravation, will appj'iir if wc 
 consider the relation of the parties. Thoy nre not 
 enemies— they are not persons whose minds have been 
 previously exasperated by a long series of mutual 
 injuries or recriminations ; they have not dosrjended 
 from families between which an hereditary feud has 
 long existed ; if such were the case, their quttrrelling, 
 even unto blood, would not inflict upon tho public the 
 horror of such a surprise. But they are, for the most 
 part, acquaintances ; who have received ono another 
 upon some footing of friendship, and betwooii whom 
 some degree of intimacy has already sprung tip. Or 
 they are, perhaps, neighbours, who have lived together 
 in the habit of daily correspondence for yoarg. They 
 have always treated one another with respect, and 
 even with kindness ; they have, possibly, often per- 
 formed the rites of hospitality to one another, and, in 
 various ways, come under mutual obligationil. Now, 
 for a person, so situated, to attempt, out of set purpose, 
 to compass the death of his friend, is a d<igree of 
 savageness, to which even the savage himielf is 
 superior. For although the savage will eometimes 
 treat his avowed /)e with the greatest cruelty and 
 vindictiveness, yet the person of him whom he has 
 received into friendship is held sacred. But, your 
 pretended man of honour can rise from the table at 
 which he and his friend have been feasting, and 
 perhaps mutually complimenting one another} and. 
 
17 
 
 for some hasty expression, deliberately form the purpose 
 to take away his life. Instigated by a spirit of fell 
 revenge, he will pursue this purpose with inflexible 
 resolution ; drag his friend to the field of battle ; 
 determming either to take his life, or lose his own. 
 And yet, the man who does so, is to be looked upon as 
 a man of honour, and one who is possessed of all polite 
 and gentlemanly accomplishments! The ancient 
 Romans considered it highly honourable to take the 
 lite of an enemy, and nothing was more disgraceful, in 
 their judgment, than to lift the hand against t^e life 
 of a friend. But now these notions of honour have 
 been completely reversed ; it is honourable (as it ought 
 to be) to treat an enemy with indulgence, and grant 
 him all the advantage of the most charitable construe 
 tion of words and actions ; but to show an equal 
 degree of indulgence and charity to a friend would 
 be a symptom of cowardice! Oh, what perverted 
 notions of propriety ! That man is to be decked with 
 the reputation of honour, whose friendship is a per- 
 petual snare, and who maintains it to be sometimes 
 necessary for his reputation to dip his hand in blood 
 the worst of human crimes-the blood, it may be of I 
 friend, or intimate acquaintance. There u something 
 m this inexpressibly revolting. Murder always gives 
 a violent shock to the public mind, though the 
 circumstances attending i: should not be of an aggra- 
 vated nature; but when one friend sheds the blood 
 of another upon the ground, a thrill of horror passes 
 ... ,„noat the cummunity,_an expression of the 
 public sense of the appalling enormity of the deed. 
 
18 
 
 3. I must refer here also to the trifling nature of 
 the offence. 1 do this the more readily, because some 
 of you have perhaps felt the objection rising in your 
 minds, as we proceeded with the discourse, that the 
 injured person has received an affront, and has there- 
 fore a right to reparation ; and that this reparation is 
 all that is sought, in the first place at least. Doubtless 
 a person who is injured has a right to reparation ; and 
 the person who has done the injury ought to give that 
 reparation as soon as it is asked ; — these are positions 
 which no person will call in question. The religion 
 of Jesus Christ makes it our duty to love our neighbour, 
 but it requires our neighbour to reciprocate the same 
 aiFection to us ; and if, instead of doing so, he should 
 offer any violence to our life, or our character ; or 
 inflict even some wanton and unnecessary pain upon 
 our feelings, it condemns him without qualification. 
 His first duty in this case, is to seek forgiveness and 
 reconciliation ; and, until this duty is performed, the 
 gospel shuts him out from all access to the altar of 
 divine grace. But though he should refuse to perform 
 this just and reasonable duty, even when urged to do 
 so ; though on the contrary he should rather persist 
 in the offence, and even repeat it, with fresh provoca- 
 tions, — the gospel does not allow us to take vengeance 
 into our own hands j much less to pursue the offender 
 even unto death, and refuse to accept of any less 
 satisfa,ction. We wish to state this the more explicitly, 
 lest any pennon should suppose that it is the object of 
 this discourse to teach, that others have a right to 
 insult us, and that we have no right to resent it, or 
 take any notice of the injin*y. Instead of taking away 
 
 *ta 
 
Mm 
 
 U) 
 
 such a right, the gospel secures it to us ; but it, at the 
 same time, prescribes rules for the prosecution of it, 
 winch must be faithfully observed. 
 
 When men quarrel with one another, we have a 
 right to expect, that it shall be only some grave 
 offence which is permitted to break up their harmony. 
 Ihis expectation is the stronger when the quarrel is 
 pursued to such a fearful extremity as the mutual 
 shedding of blood. But when one friend rises in 
 turious resentment against another friend, with the 
 horrid design to take away his life, or die in the 
 attempt, the above expectation is so strong, that, when 
 It IS not realized, we feel that an unnatural outrao-e is 
 committed upon the sympathies of our nature. °But 
 what IS It that instigates the duellist to seek a hostile 
 meeting with his friend, that he mav inflict upon him 
 the heaviest punishment which the hand of man can 
 administer? Surely that friend must be guilty of 
 some unparalleled atrocity. No, brethren j the cause 
 of the rupture is nothing but a hasty expression, or 
 look or action ; all of which are perhaps only of 
 doubtful meaning, and might receive a more favourable 
 construction, if pride and obstinacy would permit it to 
 be given. I appeal to yourselves, if the cause of a 
 duel, generally speaking, is not something so trifling 
 that every father now present would feel it to be his 
 duty to punish his children, if they presumed to quarrel 
 about such a matter. 
 
 But there are many who lay great stress on the 
 provocation which the duellist has received, and seem 
 
'^ 
 
 to imagine, that, if it does not completely justify his 
 conduct, it is a powerful extenuation. In reply to this 
 objection, we beg leave to offer the following remarks, 
 and, for the sake of saving time, we shall present them 
 in the form of distinct propositions. 
 
 First. That the injury, generally speaking, partakes 
 largely of an imaginary character ; by this I mean, 
 that it is of such a nature as to hurt only his pride, 
 neither his character, nor his honour. 
 
 Secondly. That, when the offence is real, it may be 
 affirmed that it is never of so grave a nature, as to 
 deserve to be put in the balance with the life of the 
 opponent. 
 
 Thirdly. In all cases of real injury, the law of the 
 land provides the means of redress, and the duellist 
 ought to be satisfied with that redress as well as 
 others. It is most unreasonable pride on his part, to 
 insist that a more particular satisfaction shall be 
 awarded to him, than is provided by law for his 
 neighbour. The man who does so is neither a good 
 subject, nor a good Christian. 
 
 Fourthly. As the causes out of which duels arise 
 are generally of so trifling a nature that the law of 
 the land has made no provision for redress ; and as, 
 at the same time, the law of the land provides redress 
 in every case in which it is really necessary to our 
 happiness or our honour, we may conclude, that tho 
 redress sought for by a duel may be neglected without 
 
21 
 
 ^_. ■<«1 
 
 danger to either. We must either admit this, or hold, 
 on the other hand, that our legislators are ignorant of 
 what is due to men of honour, which is the same 
 thmg with affirming that they are not men of honour 
 themselves. 
 
 Fijihly. Though the oflTence should be hard to be 
 borne, and the offender should obstinately refuse to 
 make any reparation, however reasonable, we have yet 
 no right to put his life in peril by our own hand. We 
 must exercise patience, and rest in the belief that 
 Providence will vindicate our innocence, or make it 
 the means of greater ultimate advantage. This is 
 decided at once, by a reference to the example of 
 Christ. Never, perhaps, was there a being on this 
 earth more bitterly calumniated; never was one 
 calumniated with greater injustice. While all tongues 
 ought to have joined in expressing their gratitude 
 unto him, almost all were joined in loading his 
 character with the foulest imputations. And how did 
 he act ? « When he was reviled he reviled not again • 
 when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed 
 himself unto him that judgeth righteously." « He was 
 led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before 
 her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." 
 " He was meek, and lowly in heart." « He gave his 
 back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that 
 plucked off the hair, he withheld not his face from 
 shame and spitting." And with this example of Christ 
 before our eyes, shall we yet quarrel and avenge our- 
 selves, to the endangering of our own life, and the life 
 of others, on account of offences so trifling, that, were 
 
0O 
 
 fit not for our immoderate pride, they would give us 
 frtif |/f'l«, if any uneasiness ? .^hall we show a studied 
 proneues.^ to resentment and revenge ; and yet deceive 
 ourselves, and insult the common sense of the world 
 by pretending to be Christ's disciples ? 
 
 When, therefore, it is considered that the provoca- 
 tion which the duellist has received is of so trivial a 
 kind, what judgment are we to form of his character, 
 when we find him exacting such a terrible revenge ? 
 For the neglect of some punctilio, or piece of fashion- 
 able etiquette ; for the sake of something which has 
 wounded hh feelings, but which a person of better 
 regulated feelings would have regarded with indiffer- 
 ence or contempt, he imbrues his hands in the blood 
 of the man, towards whom he is bound by the laws of 
 friendship and honour to exercise kindness and 
 forbearance. And after having done a deed so 
 atrocious, that even « the dark places of the earth, 
 which are full of the habitations of cruelty," would 
 blush to acknowledge it ; he has the efironte'ry to turn 
 roui"] upon us, and require us to regard him as a 
 gentleman, entitled to especial respect ! 
 
 4. But we hasten to observe, in the last place, that 
 the immediate consequences of duelling present us with a 
 farther proof of the peculiar enormity of this sin. Let 
 us ment: •! a few of these. 
 
 We hai>c aiej^d; said that the duellist designs to 
 take away the i% of his oj - onent j lei us suppose then 
 that he succeeds in this design ; as, indeed, it must be 
 
■WP 
 
 ii3 
 
 granted that he uses every precaution necessary to 
 msure success. In what distress does he then involve 
 he famdy of the man who has fallen-bv his hand' 
 He rends the hearts of his parents with the bitterest 
 anguish They nursed him, and educated him, and 
 >v..tched h,s prosress to maturity, with intense interest : 
 and as his mmd began to expand, and displavcd one 
 after another the powers which it possessed, thev 
 indulged expectations such as parents alone can fom,', 
 and chenshed them with a fondness, such as parent 
 alone can feel. But m one moment their hopes have 
 been cruel y scattered. Their son has been entangled, 
 by the duelhst. m some tavern or gaming-house brawl 
 and m the prosecution of this worthy cause, he has 
 died m a d.tch His mangled corpse is carried home 
 to h,s distracted parents; a more agoni^i„g spectacle 
 than the torn and bloody garment which was sent to 
 the aged patnarch from the field. Who can describe 
 the scene which that house of mourning presents ! To 
 parents, brothers, and sisters, it is a "dav of grief 
 and desperate sorrow»_their burden of woe "is heavier 
 than they can bear. And yet we are required to 
 believe that the man who has smitten this family with 
 such a^deadly breach is a ,en,en.an, an, a Ln of 
 
 Let us suppose that the deceased has also a wife and 
 cmren to bear their share of the calamity, and we 
 shall obtain a farther view of the "horrid cruelty" 
 
 wnictl is mvoIvAH in *i^" — >■■ -^ ' iv — ^ 
 
 . . -'-■- •" ■— =jsreiii oi auellmg. We can- 
 
 not imagine the frantic grief of the widow, from whose 
 arms her husband has been torn by his professed 
 
24 
 
 friend ; nor can we have adequate conceptions of the 
 evil which is brought upon her unoffending and help, 
 less babes ; they are turned adrift, brokenhearted, and 
 fatherless, to buffet the storms of life; the arm which 
 should have given them shelter and protection being 
 powerless in the dust. We cannot enlarge upon these 
 thmgs ; but when we contemplate through them the 
 character of the duellist, we find it assuming a shade 
 of deeper and darker depravity ; instead of ascribing 
 to h:m the character which he would so presumptuously 
 arrogate, we feel ourselves compelled to ascribe to 
 him another, as far removed from it as it possibly can 
 be ; and we are persuaded that the feelings even of 
 the duellist himself are not so completely dead, but 
 that he will acknowledge, when he calmly and dispas- 
 sionately meditates on these things, that we are per- 
 fectly right in doing so. 
 
 But we have another charge to prefer against him 
 still ; he IS the means of hurrying an individual un- 
 prepared, there is every reason to fear, into eiernity 
 It is true, the state of the dead is to us unknown, but 
 there is something fearful in the thought of passing 
 into the dread presence of the Almighty, from the 
 held of mortal combat, where the worst passions of the 
 heart were likely to be excited. Such a scene must 
 be a very unfit preparation for entering into eternity 
 and the man, who forces it upon his fellow-men, must 
 be a crimmal of no common order. Other murderers 
 take only the life of the body, at least they cannot be 
 mrectly charged with the consequences which follow 
 
f 
 
 i 
 
 25 
 
 in EDother world, but the duellist raises his ha„H 
 against soul and body at once. ^ 
 
 To rush into a fixed, eternal state 
 
 Out of the very flames of rage and hate ; 
 Or send another sliivering to the bar 
 With aU the guilt of such unnat'ral war 
 Whatever use may .u-ge, or honour plead. 
 On reason's verdict, b a madman's deed. 
 
 Let us now briefly reverse the supposition • A, t),„ 
 duelhst not only puts his life in kopad"'bu7h 
 f : -ason to expect that he shall survTvel'e clbaT 
 let us suppose that he falls Tl,. , ^*'' 
 
 upon his brothers and , ' "P™ '"' P"""'^' 
 
 children, he brings aSth' " "P"" '''' ""■» *»<• 
 have air adv rSed r r"'""'^" '" "'''^'' "" 
 
 «' «. ImUibl, ,pi,|, .,„„^»^"'""'''°" P'* 
 
 assemblv min„ ^..^ourT '"7., '*'<=™' ' ""'o their 
 their anger thevsler» . '""' ™"^'' = '"'"• i- 
 
 ursed be their 
 
 anger for it was 
 
26 
 
 fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel ; I will divide 
 them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." 
 
 I shall not pursue the subject farther. I consider 
 It unnecessary to do so. I trust you are already con- 
 vinced that the duellist is a murderer ; and not only so, 
 but when you think of the cool deliberation with which 
 he acts, of the relation in which he stands to the man 
 whose death he is compassing, of the trifling nature of 
 the offence ; and of the terrible consequences, both as 
 they respect his own family, and the family of his 
 opponent, you will admit, that duelling includes murder 
 of more than common aggravation.* 
 
 1. In drawing this Discourse to a conclusion, as we 
 have hitherto spoken of the guilt of duelling, we may 
 now, in the first place, take notice of the folly of it. 
 It is altogether unnecessary and vain, as a means of 
 accomplishing that for which it is professedly followed. 
 
 Let us suppose that an individual affronts us ; by 
 impeaching our veracity, for example ; a cause which 
 very frequently leads to a hostile meeting, that 
 individual cannot persuade others to believe his asser- 
 tion, if we have previously, by our good conduct, 
 gamed a character for truth. If we have done so, it 
 is unnecessary for us to challenge the calumniator to 
 fight a duel, in defence of our character ; for our 
 actions will be believed far sooner than his unsupported 
 
 • I do not inquire whether the a«//^^.r, or the th.Ucng.d , the i^nH.iuals, „r 
 the seconds, are most guilty. All of them are answerable for the same si» ; but the 
 degree in which each of them i^ answerable is known only to God 
 
•^7 
 
 assertions. To do so. moreover, would be extremely 
 foolish, for instead of giving us satisfaction for t^ 
 injury we have sustained, it puts it in the power of the 
 calumniator to do us a greater injury still. Though 
 
 ZtZTJ"" ''r '"' "PP°"'' booutof reach'of 
 the shafts of his calumny, yet, if we meet him on the 
 
 Held, we are not to suppose that our life is equally 
 secure from his weapon. ^ ^ 
 
 Am I to 8ct my life upon a throw, 
 Because ,i bear k rude and surly ? No— 
 A moral, sensll.le, and well-bred man 
 irui not affront me, and no other can. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 The truth of this position might be corroborated by 
 instancing a variety nf fn^t^ :c -l •' 
 
 v„.. . , , "-'y "' ™'s. " It were necessary. 
 
 Vou are doubtless aware that many of our greatest 
 and niost eminent men. have refu.e/to give of ac ept 
 a ehahengc yet their characters have suffered no 
 
 challenge, adding that he was not afraid to fight, but 
 fau to.n ,. yet no man sustained a higher reiuta 
 ion for bravery amongst his conteniporaifes, and the 
 lapse of time has only added to its lustre. 
 
 But if we have not previously gained a character for 
 V ran y by our own conduct, it is madness to suppose 
 that the proper way to refute an imputation upon our 
 verac. y, .s to challenge the author of it; for, 'though 
 
 prove the lakchood of what he has stated. There 
 was a time, when the world believed that truth wl! 
 
 •J, , 1 
 
 i a 
 
S8 
 
 always on the side of the victor, in such combats, but 
 these times of ignorance are happily gone ; and the 
 world now insists, that the only way in which a man 
 shall obtain possession of a good character, is to earn 
 it by his own virtue. If what another says against us 
 is false, his saying it will never make it true, and, on 
 the contrary, our own good conduct will soon live it 
 down ; but if it is true, his death will never make it 
 false. If any evidence is needed to vindicate our 
 honour, this is not the kind of evidence that can be 
 received. How absurd to suppose that a person, 
 destitute of veracity, may acquire a reputation for that, 
 or any other virtue, by taking the life of the man who 
 justly calls his want of it in question ! 
 
 The best way to preserve honour and reputation is 
 always to be deserving of them ; by cultivating habitu- 
 ally the virtues which adorn the Christian character. 
 We shall thus render it impossible for any calumniator 
 to rob us of our good name ; for the world will attach 
 greater weight to the conduct of an humble, consistent 
 Christian, than to the intemperate speeches of his 
 accusers. « Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever 
 things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatso- 
 ever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, 
 whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any 
 virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these 
 things." 
 
 g. We remark, that the sin of duelling ought to be 
 punished by the Civil Magistrate. I am not one of 
 those who maintain that the Magistrate ought lo 
 
 
Hlilii 
 
 99 
 
 punish sin, as such ; and exercise his power for 
 restraining ,t I conceive this to be the duty of the 
 Church, and I apprehend it is to be accomplished, not 
 by the power of the sword which the Magistrate wields, 
 ( but by the power of the truth of which the Church is 
 
 / P""" P^'f'";';. '^"'•^ ■''"■'""»'.*' will be admitted 
 
 by all, that duelling is within his province. If it is 
 the duty of the Magistrate to punish the murderer; 
 and this, I apprehend, no person will deny ; it will 
 follow that the duellist is pre-eminently deserving of 
 punishment, because he is chargeable with murder of 
 the most aggravated kind, as appears from the reason, 
 mg employed in the preceding Discourse. 
 
 This remark appears to me sufficient to prove our 
 point ; yet there are other considerations which lead 
 to the same conclusion with equal force. The practice 
 of duelling IS calculated to prove destructive to the 
 communi^-, because it puts the lives of multitudes in 
 constant danger. And those persons who are endan- 
 geredby it, are, generally speaking, of greater eminence 
 than others ; and possessed of talents which fit them to 
 promote the public good. Those very things which 
 render them valuable to the community' namfly, their 
 
 very things which expose them to the designs of the 
 duelhst ; and there are always men to be found, who 
 insignificant in themselves, imagine they will attain 
 some consequence, if they can involve themselves in a 
 quarrel with a great man. The interests of the public, 
 therefore require, that the lives of such eminen 
 persons should be protected. 
 
so 
 
 Duelling is likewise calculated to become destructive 
 to the community, because, however sinful it may be 
 fashion has adopted it. We do not ne.d to be warned 
 against murder, in any of the other forms in which it 
 IS usually committed ; because it is so hidoou« in itself 
 that no person labours under any mistako respecting 
 It ; It shocks our feelings, and this is tho numi effectual 
 warning which we could receive. But dudling comes 
 to us recommended hy fashion ; it i« practised by 
 gentlemen : a veil is thus thrown over it which hides 
 Its true nature from public view; so that, under the 
 influence of mistaken opinions respecting it, the prac 
 tice IS calculated to spread throughout th« (community 
 till Its victims are found on every hand. Wo conclude 
 therefore, that duelling ought to be puniwhod, and that 
 too, with the heaviest penalties, by thu dvil ruler • 
 and ;:he Magistrate who winks at it, i» evidently 
 chargeable with a gross dereliction of duty. 
 
 But it is still more imperative upon tho Church to 
 set her face against the evil, and condamn it. Tre- 
 mendous is her responsibility if she mffam tho duellist 
 to remain in her communion without mimm. h not 
 this to justify his crime ? Is it not to add the solemn 
 sanctions of our religion to the mistake, of the trifling, 
 fashionable world, respecting this murderoug custom ? 
 It IS generally in the church that evils of this kind 
 arise; at least, it is from her culpable nogU^onco that 
 they grow up, and increase, till they bocome so 
 tormidable as almost to set opposition at doflanco ; and 
 the only way to remedy mch ovi!., k to bogil, the 
 reformation where the first false step wm tukcn if 
 
p''^' "'SJi*. 
 
 31 
 
 the church wore to unite in denouncing the duellist ; 
 
 hil forr '"'"^^^'Z^'"' -< a -urderer, and cas 
 him forth, and exhibit him to the world in his true 
 character, I apprehend, we would soon find, that few 
 were amM.ous of the honour. But she must either 
 do so, or become a partaker of other men's sins, and 
 brmg upon her '■ the blood" of those whom she deludes. 
 
 /«/««. as I am now addressing private Christians, 
 let me exhort you to condemn duelling by your 
 praoUoe "Give none offence, neither to the Jels 
 nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God." tZ 
 
 examnT T ''''"'' """"'''' '" » ■'"■'^"™ «f his 
 exampe; and no person requires to be told, that his 
 
 example was one. from which rudeness, and a hau.,htv 
 
 disregard of the feelings of others, were mZ 
 
 abhorrent. He was not only /,»/,. he was also hanl 
 
 he hLl^nT r • ""■' «""*'"• '"<' compassionate, 
 he he^ed the hearts of many, but he never onee acted 
 
 n such a manner as to give unnecessary pain. In 
 
 ttiis respect, we ought to copy his blessed example , 
 
 and If all those who profess his religion were habituali; 
 
 to do so, the provocations from which duels arise 
 
 would but seldom be given. We are not to spare the 
 
 tes ify ; but we have no right to abuse their goodness 
 or trample upon their patience, or in any way exasper 
 ate heir feelings, by harsh, and unmannerly treatment. 
 
 All things whatsoever ve wnnld th"f mpn ^1. m j 
 
 J- " MUit men snouid do 
 
 unto vou. do vfi even 
 
 and the prophets. 
 
 unto them, for this is the law 
 
9i 
 
 While you abstain from giving offence to others, let 
 me exhort you to bear the offences which you receive 
 from others with Christian patience. An opinion 
 seems to prevail, in certain clashes, that quickness in 
 resentmg an affront, and eagerness in pushing revenge, 
 are necessary to constitute such a character as shall 
 entitle its possessor to respect ; but I can conceive of 
 nothing in more direct opposition to the character of 
 Christ, to the character of Him who sent him, to the 
 character of his Apostles, and the injunctions which 
 they delivered, by divine authority, to others. Among 
 the graces exemplified by those, who are held up, in 
 the scriptures, for our imitation ; and the duties en- 
 forced by those holy men who wrote them, patience 
 under injurious treatment holds a distinguished place. 
 "Put ye on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, 
 bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind 
 meekness, long-suffering ; forbearing one another, and 
 forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel 
 against aiiy j even as Christ forgave you so also do ye.» 
 
 Readiness to forgive an injury, is also a grace so es- 
 sential to the Christian character, that its absence is a 
 fatal deficiency. " For if ye forgive men their tres- 
 passes, your heavenly Father wiU also forgive you, but 
 if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will 
 your Father forgive your trespasses." 
 
 In one word, let me exhort you to set your face 
 against the custom of duelling, and evervthina 
 which leads to it. And to this end, it mav be of im! 
 portance, to give things their proper names. « An