1 Chronicles 22:8

Verse 1 Chronicles 22:8. Thou hast shed blood abundantly] Heathens, Jews, and Christians, have all agreed that soldiers of any kind should have nothing to do with Divine offices. Shedding of human blood but ill comports with the benevolence of God or the spirit of the Gospel.

AEneas, overpowered by his enemies, while fighting for his parents, his family, and his country, finding farther resistance hopeless, endeavours to carry off his aged father, his wife, young son, and his household gods; but as he was just come from slaughter, he would not even handle these objects of superstition, but confided them to his father, whom he took on his shoulders, and carried out of the burning of Troy.

Tu, genitor, cape sacra manu, patriosque penates:

Me bello tanto digressum, et caede recenti,

Attrectare nefas; donec me flumine vivo

Abluero.

AEN. ii., ver. 717.

"Our country gods, our relics, and the bands,

Hold you, my father, in your guiltless hands:

In me 'tis impious holy things to bear,

Red as I am with slaughter, new from war;

Till, in some living stream, I cleanse the guilt

Of dire debate, and blood in battle spilt."

DRYDEN.

See the note at the end of 2 Samuel 7:25.