afraid of the devil he will be_.

Of course that depends upon who the devil is. I will tell you. He is
what his name means, _the accuser and the divider_--the evil spirit who
sets men against each other--men against officers, and officers against
men; who sets men grumbling, puts hard suspicious thoughts into their
minds; makes them selfish and forgetful of their duty, tempts them to
care only for themselves, and help themselves. You must see that if
those tempers once got head in an army, there would be an end of all
discipline--of all obedience; and what is more, of all courage; for if
the devil could completely persuade every man to care only for himself,
the plain thing for every man to do, would be to turn round and run for
his life. That you will never do; but you may give way to the devil in
lesser matters, and so do God's work ill, and lose your own reward from
God. All grumbling, and hard speeches, and tale-bearing is doing the
devil's work. All disorder and laziness is doing the devil's work. All
cruelty and brutality is doing the devil's work.

Now as to cruelty and brutality, some soldiers fancy when towns are taken
in war, that they may do things for which (to speak the truth) _they
ought to be hanged_. I mean in plain English, ravishing the women, and
ill-treating unarmed men, to make them give up their money. _Whosoever
does these things_, _God's curse is on him_, and his sin will surely find
him out. No excuse of being in hot blood will avail him. No excuse of
having fought well beforehand will avail him. Such cant will no more
excuse him with God than it will with truly noble-minded men. He may
have been brave enough before, but he is doing a coward's deed then; he
is doing the devil's work, _and the devil_, _and not God_, _will pay him
his wages_, _to the uttermost farthing_. But though I tell you to fear
the devil, it is only to fear his getting the command over you. The
devil is a liar, and a liar is always a coward. Be brave in God's
service. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

One word more. If any of you are maddened by hearing of the enemy
murdering some of your wounded--recollect that _revenge_ is one of the
devil's works, of which the brave men cannot be too much afraid. God
forbid that you should ever be maddened into imitating such cruelty.
Fight the enemy in God's name--and strike home; but never have on your
conscience the thought that you struck _an unnecess